The Ring Giving, Documented

Bill and I have been engaged for over a month, but it took this long to get the ring designed and created. He wanted to have the occasion he gave it to me be particularly memorable. We went to the Divine Comedy show last Friday and in the days running up to it, he and my roommates worked some serious magic to get it to work out so he could give it to me onstage. I've been asked whether I was surprised, and my answer would have to be...sort of. I knew he was going to give it to me sometime during the weekend, and I knew my roommates were helping him.


Thursday night as I was going to bed, it struck me that this might be what they were all excited about, as they were SERIOUSLY excited about their plans and leaving me completely in the dark. However, I didn't know how it was going to happen, what I would have to do, etc, so it was still really fun to anticipate. Here's the documented proof of it happening. We made sure to ham it up for the crowd so they thought this was the actual proposal. It was pretty sweet all around. I love the faces of the cast members in the background. The one guy hugging the other guy's legs is particularly entertaining. :)

One Ring to Rule them All

So tonight was the night for the REAL proposal. :) I'd say it was the third. Or maybe fourth. He's really cute and just gets in the mood to propose again every once in awhile. :) I love it. This time he planned it out in detail, and it was awesome!

We went to the Divine Comedy show with my roommates. During the halftime part, they asked for a volunteer to help them with a sketch. Bill "volunteered" and then they got me to come up too. We were supposed to time them while they summarized all the reading people were supposed to do for their homework and we would have won a bunch of tickets if they went over a minute. Yeah, we lost, but then they asked Bill if he had anything to say, and he was like, "Why yes I do!" He dropped to one knee, pulled out the ring and proposed one last time. I think we got a bigger round of applause than Divine Comedy. It was great! It took some serious skills to get it all set up to do this, since they doesn't usually do those kinds of requests, but what can I say, Bill's got them. :) As you can see, the ring was worth the wait.

I feel loved

I came home from work last Friday not in the best of moods. It had been a long week and I was tired and somewhat cranky. Two things happened between parking my car and arriving home.

1. A friend of mine was standing at the curb waiting for something or other. She is on crutches and has been for the last 3 months due to a hiking accident where she took a spill and injured her knee. Since then she's been to every doctor imaginable and had several different treatments, with no real positive results. I have no idea how she deals with life, as she's a full-time student and close to graduation. Regardless of everything that has happened, she has a fantastic attitude. As I walked towards the stairs, she cheerily asked me how my day was and replied that hers was great. For some reason it struck me. I wasn't in a very good mood, and I really had no reason for it. I'm not having any major trials. In fact, my life is at a wonderful place just now. Why the bad mood? What I've decided is it's a habit I've formed of late to let little things bother me, get me down, and affect my mood negatively. As my friend's example showed me, that doesn't have to be how I react. Her simple cheery hello meant so much more to me than she ever could know. I'm grateful for friends like her.

2. Right after this little experience and following though process, I walked up the stairs to my apartment. My roommate greets me with the question of whether I'd seen what Bill had left on my door. She then said something to the effect that I had quite the amazing fiance and she thought he was just great. Quite curious, I walked back to my bedroom and found a note taped on my door. It said basically that he wanted to make sure I knew how much he loved me, so since we'd been dating for 260 days, he had written down 260 things he loves about me and hid them all over my apartment for me to find. Talk about amazing!!! I've since found probably 60 of them. I think he still has more to hide, and a few more to write, so I can't wait to keep finding them. What a guy! Talk about a turnaround in how I felt as I stepped out of my car last Friday. I'm definitely feeling the love. What a great life I have! And an amazing fiance!!

Good Week for Wedding Plans

This is shaping up to be a great week for completing wedding plans. I should have my Colorado and Utah reception locations finalized this week. I'm picking up my dress from the lady that did my alterations this afternoon. My ring is supposed to be done tomorrow, finally. We've gotten a significant number of our addresses found, made into labels, and put on envelopes. We got our engagement pictures on Saturday, so we should get the photos back this week and be able to work on finishing our announcements. It feels nice to be completing things.

New Boots and Alterations Woes

I've wanted black dress boots for like 5 years and have never found a pair I liked enough to buy. Yesterday I decided now was the time and I was finally going to buy a pair. This is what I ended up with and I love them!


On an unrelated note, I got a smashing deal on my wedding dress a couple months ago and was so excited about it. I just got back from the place that's doing my alterations and that great deal just flew out the window with the updated quote I received. Although the dress looked simple enough to alter when I bought it, such has not proven to be the case. It's a good thing it's going to look perfect because I'm definitely paying for it!

I've decided I hate the part of wedding planning where you have to fit everything you need to buy into the budget you have. It'll be fine once it's all done and I have everything paid for and ready, but it stresses me out in the process!

More fun pictures from this weekend

Bill's little sister Miriam is quite the budding photographer. She's going to take pictures at our wedding receptions and I'm quite excited about it. She took a few pictures of us this weekend and it was fun. Here's a few of her shots of us:

We're meant to be together. Just look at the shoes. :)












This is the backyard at Bill's parent's house. We're having our open house out there even though our wedding is in January. Isn't Las Vegas amazing?!



















We were being cute talking to each other instead of posing. Sick, I know. lol


So you can play Freecell on a normal computer, but what would be the point after this 22" beauty?!






Eventually we stopped goofing off and took a good picture. Yay for wearing cute dressy clothes and taking pictures!




Bill had this string hanging out of his collar that for some reason he thought he'd actually be able to see if he looked down enough. It was quite amusing...

Two Fun Things

I got two very fun things this weekend:

1. My wedding shoes
2. A new purse, courtesy of my soon-to-be father-in-law.

I'm so excited about both of them!!!

Have I mentioned that I love my almost in-laws? Yeah, I do. They are so fun and so caring and just wonderful in every way shape and form. I'm feeling particularly blessed to marry into the Ashman family. They really are great people and I am excited about the future. It's going to be great!

The finished product

So like I said in my last post, Bill's dad is a dentist and when we went down to Las Vegas this weekend, he fixed my tooth that never grew in all the way in my front four teeth. I have all of one picture that's sort of close enough to see the difference if you know what you're looking for. It looks pretty sweet in person even if you can't see it here. I'm happy about it. :)

And yes, apparently we have issues keeping our eyes open.

Going to Vegas this weekend, but coming back single still :)

So Bill and I and his sister Hillary are heading down to Las Vegas for the weekend. I'm very excited about it! They're from Henderson, so we're headed down so they can vote, and then just to play for a couple days. It'll be nice. I haven't had the chance up to this point to go home with him, so it should be lots of fun.

When I was a little kid I walked in front of a wooden porch swing full of kids and got my teeth smashed in. Remarkably, there's very little visible damage, except that one of my front 4 teeth never grew in all the way. It's always kind of bugged me, and I've wanted to get a cap on it for years. Well, Bill's dad just happens to be a dentist and is going to do it for me while we're there this weekend. What a great guy! And it was all Bill's idea, so what a great guy he is too!

So I'm just really happy to get away for a weekend. My job is really generous with the vacation time, but this year I took a week-long trip in both January and April (which were both amazing trips, mind you), so since then I've been really tight on vacation days since I had to plan for Christmas time off. Let me tell you, I am ready for a break! I'm really starting to believe what people have always said, that if you take a break from your work every once in awhile, you will be a much more productive and happy individual. Generally speaking, I'm outdoors hiking or climbing or doing any number of interesting activities on a regular basis. This Summer/Fall hasn't worked out quite like that and I'm really feeling it. What with some definite trials and hiccups along the way this last 6 months, it's been hard to put forth the effort it takes to be outdoors and doing fun things. It's really hit me how important this is for my own happiness and sanity, and consequently for Bill's as well, since he's much the same as me in this regard or at least has to deal with me if he's not. :) I feel like I'm struggling to find enjoyment in life, from big or little things. It's definitely been frustrating, and I'm trying to get out of the slump and get back to where I love life and all the parts of it. Anyone have any advice on how to find enjoyment in life, particularly when it's hard? I'd love to hear it, as I'm working through all this.

Needless to say, a weekend in Vegas is very welcome. :) I'm so excited!

I guess we don't need to buy one

My wedding ring is currently in process of being made. Well, almost. It'll start being made this week hopefully. In the meantime, I have a $5 band from Kohl's that happens to be rather pretty. I was at the grocery store today and the cashier complemented me on how beautiful my ring is. I thanked her for the complement and just smiled to myself. I guess we don't need to get expensive, gorgeous ring anymore, Bill. Apparently Kohl's has it won with their $5 special. :)

It's Official :)

We're engaged! We went hiking tonight and ended up on the top of a peak overlooking Provo and watched the sunset. It was beautiful! The hike was made even better when Bill got down on one knee and proposed. Yay for getting married! We've been making plans for a few weeks, but now it's all official. January 17th is the date in the Salt Lake Temple. We're super excited.

The ring is in process still. I'll definitely post pictures when he gives it to me. I did get my wedding dress today. I'm so excited about that! I'd post pictures, but then Bill would see it, and that's just not going to work. :) I guess you'll just have to come to our reception to see it. Fun times!

Test Drive

We were just curious about how this would work. I think there's potential.

http://www.vw.com/vwhype/babymaker/en/us/?mId=28371650

Votes, anyone?

Quotes to Live By

My cute coworker posted a great quote on her blog that I really liked and it got me to thinking about other quotes that have made a difference to me and make me think. For years I've had a habit of collecting quotes that I like and looking through them every now and again when I need a boost or just want to laugh or feel good or something like that. I find it doesn't matter who says them, they can be good regardless of the source. Here's a few that I've found lately that have made a difference to me:

"If you always look for a reason not to be with someone, then you will always find a reason. Sometimes you just have to let your heart go and that's where you'll find true love."
--Luke, One Tree Hill

"The happiest people seem to be those who have no particular reason for being so except that they are so."
--William Ralph Inge

"I promise you that you can experience the fulfillment of your desire for eternal love, if you really want it, so long as you don't want anything else more. I pray that you will do the work required to fulfill your family dream. The longing of the heart for this fullness is a central vision of the gospel. It is also a source of great power, especially on those cloudy days, or years, when your dreams seem impossible. Even when love wounds you, that's because love matters so much. The deep hurt is the mirror image of the deep joy that still awaits you. Your longing to belong forever to a loving family comes from God, and He has promised its fulfillment, if you are faithful: "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness" (Ps. 107:9). I know His promise is sure."
--Bruce C. Hafen

"He who takes offense when no offense is intended is a fool. He who takes offense wen offense IS intended is an even bigger fool."
--Brigham Young

"Dancing is just a conversation between 2 people...talk to me."
--Hope Floats

"No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse."
--Elder Holland's maxim for life

"Ever morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter if you're a lion or gazelle--when the sun comes up you had better be running."

I've Been Tagged

My little but not so baby sister tagged me today. This is the one where you post the 4th picture in the 4th album in your pictures and tell the story.

So this is my best friend Kirsten and her husband Ryan. Though it's a little hard to tell, she's like 7 months pregnant in this picture. Apparently she's still pretty feisty despite the little one inside. :)


















I tag Becca, Alyssa, and Merry. Have fun!

Grad school apps, here I come!

I took the GRE on Saturday. I'm so glad to be finished! The test went fantastically well. I got a better score on both parts than I've gotten on any of my practice tests, so I'm so excited! I've been looking to take this test for probably 18 months. It had gotten to the point that I never thought I was actually going to get it done, so to finally be able to check it off my list is pretty much the most amazing feeling ever. :) Now it's time to actually start my grad school applications. Woohoo! I seriously thought I'd be in grad school the year after I finished my undergrad. Yeah, that was 2 1/2 years ago. Now's a much better time, that's for sure. I'm so jazzed about it all!

I love the temple!

I have been an ordinance worker at the Provo Temple since last May, but I took the last 3 months off to study for the GRE and generally just deal with life better. Today was my first day back and it was so amazing! I felt the Spirit so strongly as it re-witnessed to me the truthfulness of the gospel and the power and joy that comes from the temple covenants. It was wonderful! It has been quite a trying last 3-6 months for me, so this is a truly a joy to be back on top of things, feeling the Spirit and loving life and this world and the gospel. Yay!!!

the big test is coming...

I'm taking the GRE on Saturday afternoon. Wish me luck! I've been studying my heart out of late, but it really comes down to what test I actually get when I take it this Saturday. Some of my practice tests I've done really well on and others just haven't turned out so nicely. I have far too many other things to do in the next few months to take it again, not to mention the exorbitant fee for the test, so I REALLY want to only take it once.

This test has been probably a year and a half in the coming. I remember when I first graduated from BYU, I had dreams to work for a year and be back in grad school the next Fall. 2 1/2 years later I'm just now taking the GRE and will apply for my program after that. It's funny how life takes different twists and turns than we expect. I am in a much better position to be going back to school next Fall if this all falls into like I hope than I would have been if I had gone last year or even this year. I have a better idea what I want to do, or at least a lot of experience in things I don't care for too much, so I know what to steer clear of. :) Potentially I might even be able to pay for it now, although that's still a big if.

All I can say now is, bring on the test! I'm as ready as I'm going to be, so let's have at it! If it goes as I'm hoping, then that will be one HUGE check mark off my ever-growing list of very important things to do in the next few months. Yay!!!

Goal: to be just whelmed

I have so many things going on in my life at the moment. I think I'm juggling at least 5 different huge things in my life at the moment that have big looming deadlines in the next 3 months or so. Bill and I were scheduling some things we want to get done in the next couple weeks and it completely blew me away how much of our time is already booked for weeks in advance. I have a very strong desire to cut work out of my life so I can get everything else done. Anyone have any ideas how I can continue to finance my life if I do that? :) I told him I was feeling very overwhelmed last night with all the things that need to be done in the next few months, and his comment was, "Well, what can we do to get you just to feel whelmed?" I thought it was hilarious! Sorry, honey, I don't think it's going to happen, but I'm glad you're thinking of me!

Rock Climbing & Birthday Fun

This has been an interesting and rather difficult summer for me for lots of different reasons. What with everything that's gone on, I haven't gotten out to hike or rock climb or do many of the fun things that I like to do in the summertime. Things have really started to turn for the better, but I've been a little sad that I missed a great season for outdoor adventures. I needn't have worried though. The Fall is definitely looking to be fantastic, and this weekend was a prime example. Bill and I went with the BYU Outdoor Adventure Club down to Maple Canyon (near Nephi, UT) camping on Friday night and rock climbing Saturday. It was tons of fun, and so beautiful! We had a fantastic time and I'm so glad we went. Friday night we got to hang out with my friend Alyssa and catch up and chat about all the craziness that's gone on in all of our lives in the last few months. It's so great to have good friends. I'm glad we worked together for awhile so that we could get to be friends. Saturday was filled with climbing, a little bit of hiking, and generally just having a great time.


Sunday my family got together for my mom's birthday celebration. It's always fun to spend time with my family and it was especially fun to have some of my aunts and uncles and cousins there. My dad pulled out a potato gun that he just built, and we had a fantastic time shooting those super soaker squishy balls out of it. My parents have a park right behind their house that we went out to and had a great time shooting the balls for my nieces nephews and cousins to catch. The houses were too close by to shoot actual potatoes, but we had tons of fun with what we used. I wish I had pictures to post, but I'll have to wait to get them from my sister. What a great weekend!

I love to dance!

While I was at BYU I took a bunch of ballroom dance classes. I loved them! I don't know what it is about dancing, but I just love it. Since I've graduated I haven't danced very much, but every once in awhile I get the chance to go dancing and it is always so much fun. Way back at the beginning of the year I went on a couple dates with this guy who was the best partner I've ever danced with. I've danced with guys that have better skills than him, but he and I just danced better together than I ever have with anyone else and it was like magic was happening every time we stepped out on the dance floor. I was pretty sure it was love at first dance. It was fantastic for the 2 dancing dates it lasted. lol. The experience got the dancing itch started again for me.

Well, my cute boyfriend was ever so accommodating to take a social dance class at BYU this semester. I've had my fingers crossed for months hoping that he'd get addicted like I did and want to keep dancing, particularly with me. Last night was the first time we've really danced together since our first date in February, and it was amazing! He has a foxtrot test next week, so I was helping him practice, and it was so much fun for the few minutes we got to dance. I don't know if he's as addicted as I am, but I definitely think the potential is there. :) Yay for dancing with the love of my life!