Get to know me a little better

1. I love learning about the gospel. Institute is my favorite
2. I love learning new things
3. Literature has always completely captivated me
4. I sing in the shower
5. I started going to church choir practices because Dan was going and I wanted to get to know him.
6. We go to choir every week
7. I haven't played my flute in a year
8. Diet Dr. Pepper is my great addiction
9. I had to cut up my American Eagle credit card because I was becoming obsessed
10. I love shoes
11. Without chocolate my life would be meaningless
12. 17th century British Literature is my focus area
13. I wish to be a book editor, not a teacher for the love
14. Sometimes I study Dan's material with him, just to keep up
15. Science and Math are fun
16. I'm not a very good creative writer
17. I am really good at essays and research papers
18. I wanted to be a physical therapist, but changed my mind
19. I hate feet, which is why I changed my mind
20. Anything to do with saliva grosses me out
21. I always thought kissing was gross until Dan
22. I can hardly remember what my life was like before I met him
23. Dan is my best friend
24. chocolate chip cookies are one of my obsessions
25. shoes are another one
26. I cannot go into a bookstore without buying at least 2 books
27. I always prefer staying home to going out
28. I am obsessed with movies
29. After I see a movie I like, I research everything I can about it
30. One of my guilty pleasures is Backstreet Boys
31. Another one is Smallville
32. I have to watch Grey's Anatomy every week
33. I have been in love with Ewan McGregor for years
34. Winter is my favorite season
35. I always feel prettier in the winter because of winter clothes
36. I also always feel prettier in the morning
37. I love wearing dresses as opposed to skirts
38. My moccasins are my favorite pair of shoes
39. I have given up caffein 4 times
40. I am currently working on losing weight
41. I am totally succeeding in this goal. 3 lbs so far!
42. I am incredibly un photogenic
43. I love teaching our primary class
44. Jane Austen is one of my idols
45. I can never get enough of spaghetti and burritos. Not together though
46. My favorite snack is a toasted bagel with peanut butter and honey
47. I am growing my hair out
48. I love traveling
49. When I get upset, I go for a drive
50. I am too self-conscious to be any good at sports when I play them with others

Pathetic

Lately I've been feeling lonely. Not in the sense that I have no one to talk to or that just hanging out with Dan isn't enough (because who could ever get enough of him?), but I have come to the realization that slowly, over time, I have lost all my friends. I don't have any real friends anymore, and I have to say that most of that is probably my fault. I have been so preoccupied with being married that I have forgotten about everything else and no longer make the effort to hang out with anyone. Some of it isn't my fault though, to be fair. Lianne moved to Dallas, Kasie moved to Utah, and Jessica got married. So, along with me being unmotivated to call anyone, everyone has moved away or are too busy to do anything. So, because of this, I find myself longing for a gal pal to just hang out with sometimes. Dan and I have several couples friends that we hang with quite a lot, but I would really like someone for just me. Is that weird? Am I being over dramatic? That's totally possible... I don't want anyone to think that I am unhappy, because I am the most happily married person on the planet and my life couldn't be more blessed, but I guess I'm just really missing my friends. Kasie has been telling me all about all these fun things that she is doing with her new friends in Utah and I just miss her. I miss going out with the girls and doing things. Anyways... That's my pathetic ranting for now.

Valentine's Weekend

On Saturday We...

Ate here:



Played this: (I won)



Proceeded to do this:





On Sunday We...

Taught these guys:



I got these:



Made Dinner: (Pork Chops and potatoes and eclair cake)



Ate said dinner here with sparkling cider:



Watched this and then went to bed:



It was perfect!

Valentine's Day

March '08


This will be Dan and I's third Valentine's Day together, but the first one as a married couple. I wish that we could do more to celebrate this year, but we just don't have the money. Sad. So, on Sunday I am going to make pork chops and eclair cake and it is going to be delicious. Plus, we are going to get out our super fancy glasses from our wedding and drink sparkling cider, cuddle, and watch a romantic movie. So, it will be a lot of fun.

Our first Valentine's Day ('08) went a little something like this:
We had only been dating for about 2 or 3 months, Dan was in his first year of vet school and was studying like a crazy person. We didn't get to go out or do anything on the actual day because he had a huge test the next day, so he was cramming for it. So, he came over to my apartment for a fifteen minute break to see me and to wish me a happy valentine's day. And then, as he was leaving, he gives me a card and pretty, little, red box. At this point, I am thinking oh no please don't propose to me, but he wasn't. Inside the box was a beautiful silver and diamonds necklace. It was the perfect first V-day, except for the not actually getting to spend time with him. He was planning on kissing me that night for the first time too, so that it would be even more romantic and we would both be able to remember the exact date that we first kissed, but I had a cold so he didn't. He did kiss me a couple weeks later, but that's another story,



Our second Valentine's Day ('09):
By the second V-day we were engaged and quite a bit more serious than last time, and we had been kissing for a while, so no pressure there. :) Dan was in his second year of vet school and still studying just as hard, but as luck would have it, he was able to spend most of the evening with me anyway. I made steak and potatoes and bought a red velvet cake for desert and then we watched a movie. It was a lot of fun. Dan almost cried he was so excited about the steak. I went into my room for something during dinner and on my pillow I found this:

I thought it was a really cute, thoughtful gesture of love, not as romantic as a necklace, but still adorable. By this point we were both very poor because we were trying to pay for a wedding and semi-honeymoon, but we made it work.

So, That is the story of our Valentine's Days

Where are all my socks?

This is the question that has been plaguing me all week. I'm doing laundry right now, but even so, I'm fairly certain I won't find any more socks than I had once the laundry is done. It is so frustrating! I might resort to wearing Dan's socks, which is fine, but they just aren't as cute as my striped knee socks or my valentine's day socks. Oh well...

Today has been a busy day. I went to class at 9:30 and then went to work until noon, got off work, went to the bank and then came home. Once I got home I just started cleaning. Our apartment has gotten to the point where even I find it a little un-livable. So, I cleaned the living/dining room, did the dishes, took out the trash, dusted everything, and now I am doing the laundry. I will tackle the bedroom and bathroom soon, I just need a little break because.... Duh Duh Duh!!! I think I'm getting sick....again.
Ridiculous right? I haven't been sleeping well for the past couple of nights, so I'm exhausted all the time, which may be why I am getting sick. I'm not completely over my mono just yet, so it is probably just that coming back for revenge because I am not sleeping. Super.

Dan is at school until 5 today. I don't remember why cause I was still half asleep when he said his goodbye's this morning... maybe something about a horse? I dunno. But, he's doing really well. He played basketball last night and can't wait for indoor soccer season to start. He also has 2 tests next week, which is a real bummer, so he's studying like crazy. Other than that, we just watch movies and cuddle most of the time.

I gave a talk on Sunday on Hope, and I think it actually turned out really well. I felt the spirit while I was giving it (so I cried, which was embarrassing) and Dan and a lot of others told me it was good. So, I'm feeling pretty good about it. I'm mostly glad it's over because I HATE talking in church. I am an extremely introverted person, so getting up in front of a ward as big as mine is almost as bad as going to the dentist. Almost.

This semester is looking pretty good for me. It will be by no means an easy semester, but it's totally doable. I just have to make sure to stay on the ball and keep up with all of my reading, because omg, there is a TON of reading. Speaking of which, I have to go and catch up on some of that.

important developments

So, Britany and I are watching Hitch together, again. We both agree that it's our movie, but I'm sure with time Lord of the Rings will take its rightful place. As far as sports go, BYU had an awesome football season, which is now being followed by an awesome basketball season. Plus, only four months until the world cup! I'll be happy as long as the USA beats England, and France loses all their games. Britany and I got to go rescue James and Stephanie last night from a bat in their apartment. It's a little ridiculous how terrified most people get when approached by a creature that is nature's equivalent to a fiesty dust ball. Speaking of animals, I recently added a horse to the list of creatures I've rendered sterile via my surgical expertise. I'm just making the world a better place one pair of testicles at a time. Christmas break was way too short. Not only did we only have two weeks, but we spent the better part of 4 days driving. It was really good to spend a little time with nieces and nephews and puppies that we don't see that often. And I guess the other family members were ok too. I gotta say if Britany and I finally stop running into financial snags, I'm getting a wii. Oh, and speaking of stupid financial snags, apparently it costs 50 dollars to park for two hours in an empty parking lot next to a visitors parking sign in Provo, Utah. That's right, on New Years day my car got booted while I was playing a board game at Mike's apartment. Britany and I are hoping it isn't a pretense of things to come this year. I'm reading a new series now that Britany got me for Christmas, and after that I'm going to read the other two series we got from my family. So, I'm all set for the next couple months. Anyway, I don't have class until 10:00 tomorrow so I'm going to pretend to fall asleep, wait for Britany to go to sleep, then sneak out and play video games tonight. USA!!!

Vacation

Well, we had a marvelous, albeit short, christmas and new year's vacation. We spent a week with my whole family in Wichita and then drove to Utah and spent a week with Dan's whole family. His little sister got married on the 29th in the Mt.Timpanogas temple and it was so much fun. She really picked a great guy and we all love him already. It was great to get to see everyone all at once because that hardly ever happens. Both families only get together like once a year, so we really cherished every moment. Of course, when you are in large groups of people there is always going to be some confrontation, but all in all it was a blast and you could really feel the love everyone has for each other. While my whole family was together, Justin decided to have Camryn's baby blessing and it was amazing to get to be there for it. All of the men in the family were there and got to participate because they are all worthy priesthood holders and I couldn't help thinking how blessed we all are and what a special moment that was.

Besides Ariel's wedding and Camryn's blessing, in both families we mostly just hung out together and watched movies.

Getting all dressed up for the nativity reenactment


Elijah, Camryn, and Elliette


Our family



Our drive to Utah was pretty interesting. Because we stayed for Camryn's blessing, we had to drive it in two days. The first day we made it to Ft. Collins, but with considerable difficulty. All of Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado had terrible weather. There were 60mph winds, snow, and ice on the roads. It was really scary but we finally made it to our hotel. Without actually saying it out loud, I think both of us were wondering if we were even going to make it. The next day had really good weather, so the drive through Wyoming was just fine, but man, I don't ever want to make that scary drive again.



I was able to visit my best friend Kasie while we were in Provo. That was awesome.


I'm sad that I didn't get any pictures of Dan's family, but I just totally forgot. :(