A History, a Courtship, and a Proposal!

This is a long story. Brace yourselves. It starts way back in the 90s.  That's not a joke.  It really was that long ago.  I had been taking piano lessons from the marvelous Pauline for a few years at that point.  Soon, three siblings started taking lessons from her as well.  Their mom would drop them off as I was waiting for my own mom to pick me up.  Or vice versa.  That doesn't really matter. We'd also see each other at recitals.  Being about 10 at the time, all I really thought about their son was, "He's really good at the piano."

I passed through the awkward years of junior high and continued to take lessons.  I started high school and  discovered that two of my piano acquaintances attended Gilbert High as well.  At this point, all I really thought about said son was, "He's pretty funny."  He was actually there for my first date.  Of course, he was with another girl with curly hair and I was with another short guy.  I laughed so hard when I found this picture.

I graduated and headed off to BYU.  When I was feeling extra ritzy, I would splurge on a Hot and Ready pizza from Little Caesar's with my roomies.  That's when I discovered that the piano boy was employed at said establishment (How many times do you think I can use the word "said" in this post?). I'm not really sure what I thought about him then.  Once I started student teaching, my mentor teacher would sometimes mention her cousin.  We somehow figured out that her cousin Tim was the same Tim who had wowed me as he played 'The Entertainer' at one of our recitals.  She told me some pretty interesting stories about him before realizing that I knew him, so it was then that I thought he might be a little strange.

Fast forward six years.  This is when I moved from one house to another house, a mere seven miles away.  This move put me into the boundaries of new young single adult ward.  The same ward that Tim attended.  We occasionally hung out with the same people and had a good time.  Tim nonchalantly mentioned that he didn't have my phone number, so I gave it to him.  I later started receiving text messages from a phone number I didn't recognize.  The phone's owner initially claimed that his name was Raul, and we had met at The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona.  This is when I started to realize how much "Raul" likes to make up totally bogus stories.

In November of 2012, Tim called to ask me on our first date.  Due to crazy schedules, we ended up going on a breakfast date to IHOP.  I had a nice time.  I didn't really feel like I was on a date.  It just felt like I was hanging out with one of my good friends.

A week later, we went on double date that Tim had set up with his friend Jordan. The four of us cooked dinner together.  Well, the chicken wasn't technically "cooked," but that's alright.  Nobody got sick.  While watching a movie, the other couple got all cuddly on their couch.  I stayed as far away from Tim as possible.  It probably didn't help that there was a fling going on in the movie between a short man and a tall woman.

It took my some time to feel comfortable with the idea of me possibly dating someone who was shorter than me.  After all, I'd spent most of my life telling people that all I look for in a man is that he's TALL.  I was finally at peace with my height and ready to go out again with Tim, but he didn't ask me.  I realized that he might need some encouragement, so I made him a Christmas gift.  He left town to spend Christmas in Utah and I felt like he was never coming back.  He did finally return and asked me out, a month and a half after our previous date.  It was during that date that I realized I really liked his guy.  A lot.  When he dropped me off, he said we'd do something again "really soon."  (I have since banned Tim from using the word "soon." He has to give me more precise time frames).

This is getting to be so long.  I'm sorry.  It's fun for me to tell all this, though.  In January of 2013, Tim and I started "officially" dating.  We've been together almost every day since then. And every day, I've grown to love him more and more.  This is the mushy part (as if you couldn't tell that already).  He's beyond wonderful.  I can't imagine my life without him in it.

A few weeks ago, we were in the vicinity of our piano teacher's neighborhood and Tim asked if I wanted to drive by her house.  When we pulled up, I thought, "This would be a great place to propose."  But he didn't.  We left her house and then he suggested a walk through the neighborhood park.  As we were walking along, we came upon a lake with some guys fishing and drinking.  Further ahead, there was a bridge lined with luminaries.  I was trying to figure out if the romantic lighting was for me or if it was a coincidence.  When I saw the gorgeous bouquet placed on the middle of the bridge, I started piecing things together very slowly.

Tim has a record of taking his time with everything, so I wasn't expecting what was about to come.  Next thing I knew, he was saying super sweet things and then getting down on one knee.  As soon as I saw him start to kneel, all I could think was, "Hurry up and ask me so I can say YES!" He did ask me. And I did say yes.

That's our story.  Well, the beginning of it, I guess.  Thanks for reading.

P.S. We're getting married at the end of December.  I can't wait!

**Ding!** I Win!

ME!

That's right, folks. I was notified this morning by an email, a phone message, and an enthusiastic co-worker making faces through my classroom window that I won a $20 Walmart gift card! Apparently, they really wanted to make sure that I knew I am a winner.

It was so exciting! I tried to play it cool after seeing the email, but once I listened to the message on the phone, I couldn't help but interrupt the children who were working hard to share my news.

I get entered in a contest every month for carpooling to work. I'm already saving on gas and car miles, and now I get this extra perk. Yay for carpooling and carpool contests!

I hope that I will win again. It's totally possible, too. I have a pretty good track record of winning things:

-I won a Walmart gift card last year for just being a teacher
-In college, I won a gift card to the mall for paying my rent on time
-Also in college, I won several CDs at a BYU Young Ambassadors Performance
-At a piano recital, I won a piano book

See, I told you.  I'm a lucky girl.


P.S. If you missed the reference from my title (which is most likely everyone besides my siblings), then you need to watch this episode of Arthur.

One Year Older

For my birthday this year, I couldn't stop thinking about was how blessed I am.  

I was so happy to be able to spend my weekend with people that I love so very much.  

On Friday, I got to spend the day with my amazing students.

One of them rallied her family together to decorate my classroom door for me.

Plus, it didn't hurt that it was pajama/read-a-thon day

(One of the perks of sharing your b-day with Dr. Seuss).

On Saturday, I invited two of the most non-morning people I know to go to breakfast with me.

And they came!

To thank them, I introduced them to the awesome bathrooms at Liberty Market.

 Jen had a great time in the "kitchen" stall.

And I'm not sure what sort of experience Tim had in this one,

but I'm sure it was life-changing.

Plus, Lydia was in town!!

Her super cute daughter brought "my baby" all the way from CA to me.  

I apparently am not quite prepared to be a mother yet because I haven't

invested in a car seat for Baby Iris. 

I also enjoyed a scrumptious dinner at Joe's Farm Grill with a few friends.

That picture is on someone else's camera and I haven't pestered her for it yet.

Another highlight was receiving the most amazing poster ever:

Oh, JTT.

I don't think I need to say anything more.

On Sunday, I had an incredible evening with my incredible family.

Those pictures are on someone else's camera, too.

I'll just say that you haven't lived until you've made pizza on a barbeque grill. 

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that it was a wonderful weekend!

Thank you to all of you who made all my birthday wishes come true.

That reminds me, I forgot to make a wish before blowing out my candles.

I guess I didn't really need to make one.  :)

One Thing

via

I had no idea as I was reading The Book of Mormon this week, just how much it was preparing me for what was to come.  So many things went wrong at work today, but I was still able to find great joy in one thing. I would like to share that one thing with you:

After talking about how unwise it is to hide papers from your parents, one girl went on and on about how you should never feed your homework to your babysister.  

When she finished explaining this important concept, she ended with,

 "And by the way, that was a story about me.  I fed my homework to my sister once."

Another girl chimed in, "Well, her sister definitely has lots of learning in her head."

I was cracking up. 

And here is the line from Alma 56:9 that gave me the strength I needed today:

 "But behold, here is one thing in which we may have great joy."  

Happy

Below are a few of the things that made me happy today:

 This green light (which means our internet is working again)...

 ...so I can watch an entire episode of Psych with Shawn wearing a green shirt 

without it freezing/going berserk on Hulu+...

 ...while wearing my new green basketball shorts that I don't ever want to take off.

That's as far as I think I can take the green theme.  

But that doesn't mean you should stop scrolling here.

 There are pictures in some of our frames now!

 I was afraid that they'd all look like this forever. 

 Jen threw away her jeans!

 This is a very happy thing because all her jeans had holes in the crotch

for the past month. :/

I had my first meal at YC's Mongolian grill with some great friends.  

I started reading this book. This makes my nerdy teacher self happy.

I can't wait to see what makes me happy tomorrow. :)

Liking Today

*Despite the fact that they all got drenched from the instant downpour that came without warning this morning, my class didn't go crazy (any more than usual, that is).

*The firefighters that came over to check on our carbon monoxide detector lived up to my expectations (I've been debating whether or not to add a picture of some firemen with their shirts off. I couldn't decide on just one, so you'll have to look it up yourself or call the fire department).

*I received a call from my bishop only minutes after the fire engine left to make sure that everything is okay at our house (news travels fast on our street).

*I attended a school board meeting in which they approved (after three years of waiting) that our salaries will no longer be frozen (they're being thawed?)!!!!!!

*I decided to get a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard to celebrate (GREAT decision).

*Did you notice how parentheses happy I am today (because there are a lot)?

It's All in the Family

About 6 months ago, a set of twin brothers joined my ward.  I have to ask them their names every time I see them since I can't tell them apart.

I had a dream about one of them the other night.  Even in my dream, I didn't know which one I was talking to.  All that I can remember now is that we were at a wedding reception, sitting at a table.  He commented that there must be a red, plastic bird in front of him, bobbing into a cup of water. There was.  It looked like this:

This may not seem like a significant observation to you, but it would if you knew that both he and his brother are blind.

I still remember their first day at church very vividly.  My friend is their cousin, so they sat by us in Sacrament Meeting.  Afterwards, I escorted one of them to Sunday School class.  It just so happened that we were having a lesson from the New Testament on a blind man. Talk about the scriptures having more meaning.

About a week ago, I was sitting next to one of them at a dinner.  I was beyond grateful that I could see my food and the utensils that I needed to bring that food to my mouth.  As we were talking, I asked him if there was anything he would like to invent that would be really helpful to him as a blind person.  I was not expecting the answer I got.  He said, "Honestly, the best thing that a blind person could have in his life is a great family.  I am really lucky to have great parents who support me and who have helped me to be social."  Wow.  I guess that family really is important,  no matter what our situation in life is.

Take my money

After blogging this morning about how I don't have any stories to tell, I got a story in less than 24 hours.

Today I went to Walmart.  I had 5 things on my list:

1. Q-Tips
2. Swiffer duster
3. Kleenex
4. Milk
5. Salad ingredients

Somehow I ended up spending $100 and I didn't even get any Kleenex. 

Now, I'll just have to get by like this kid:

I guess that I subconsciously decided that I wanted to blow more money after that because I left my purse in the shopping cart and drove home.  Once I was home, I was very confused as to where my purse could have been.  I tried calling my phone to see if I could hear it and some man answered.  He was a Walmart worker.  He might even be part of the "Asset Protection" team. He told me what a doofus I was and where I could pick my purse up.

So basically, I'm very, very, very thankful that some honest person found my purse and I'm going to try to not be such an airhead in the future.

Little Things

Here are a few of the little things that bring joy into my life:

This scene

Gilbert may not be the hay capital of the world anymore, but I do happen to live across the road from a hay field. Every once in a while, as I exit my neighborhood, I get so excited to see this truck parked in front of the hay bales. I don't exactly know why it makes me so happy, it just does. Maybe I have a weakness for trucks. And hay?

Chipotle Chips

The perfect amount of lime. The perfect compliment to any meal. Or the perfect meal by itself.

I may or may not be able to eat the whole bag by myself, especially since being taught the art of ripping the bag for easier access to the chips.

Copy Machines

I love the smell of freshly copied, warm papers. Also, I find so much satisfaction in grabbing a stack of papers at work, putting them in the copier, and when my copy job is finished, I discover that I grabbed EXACTLY the right number of papers!

(Don't be fooled into thinking I never get upset at the copy machine. )

Horchata

Cinnamony, ricey goodness.

Xcelerator

Who wouldn't want to see their skin flap in the outrageously powerful wind? And get their hands dry in the process?

Megamind

My new favorite movie. "Now, back to laughing." Hahaha!

Birthday Magic

[real life]

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a day full of magical things.

As I was driving to work, I was listening to Norah Jones. Norah and I were singing "Sunrise" and I was thoroughly enjoying myself. Then at the very same second the song ended, I watched the sun rise over the top of the mountain right before my eyes! It was incredible! Of course, I had to drive the rest of the way with the sun shining in my eyes, but it was totally worth it for that magical moment.

Other magical things in my day included (but are not limited to):

• attaining a new high score in both skateboarding and hula hooping on the Wii fit
• receiving a bracelet from one of my students that totally matched the outfit I was wearing
• getting 2 coupons for 5 minutes of "zipping it" from my most talkative student
• free dinner at Joe's BBQ
• not one, but two holes in one while miniature golfing. Boo ya!

It's going to be a great year!