The Proposal

So as most of you know (since most people who read this blog are my family) I am engaged to be married. And I was asked by my future cousin-in-law to relay the story of the proposal. And here it is. But first, we must start off with a story that seems unrelated but all will be revealed in due time.

About a year ago, Derek (my fiance for those of you in my family who don't know, which I hope is no one...), my brothers Beau and Christopher, my best friend Ashley, and I all went sledding down the street from my house at Rock Canyon Park. It was just an average night, around 10:00 pm and we were all enjoying ourselves.

For those of you who don't know Rock Canyon Park, it is basically a giant bowl. There's really no other way to describe it. It's like there was one HUGE hill and someone carved out the middle down to the bottom. So once you climb the hill, you can either sled into the bowl, or go down the other side which leads you away.

Well anyway, all the hills are different sizes and steepness. We were mainly on the smaller hill for most of the night but we decided to go on the biggest hill that was way steep. We all went down it a few times without a hitch. But of course, it didn't last for long. When I went down it again, I hit a jump that some other kid made, fell off my sled and face planted right onto a sheet of ice at the bottom of the hill. I saw stars. No lie. I've always wondered what it would be like and if that were real and apparently, it is. I cut open my cheek underneath my right eye, as well as receiving a beautiful shiner that lasted almost a month. Once it turned green and yellow, I earned the nickname "Skittles" at work because they said my black eye looked like someone's hand after holding a bunch of skittles in it.

Well back to the proposal. On January 6th of this year, I woke up. Crazy, I know. I went upstairs and noticed it was snowing, which was depressing. Upon looking out the front window to see how much was snowing, I noticed Derek's Toyota Camry was in front of Ashley's house. She lives across the street from me. I found this slightly odd, because it was 10:00 am and he was supposed to be at work. So I sent him a text asking him why he was at my best friend's house, to which he replied that I needed to go back to bed before I ruin him.

I took a shower instead and after becoming squeaky clean, I opened my door and nearly screamed when I ran into something. At eye height, there was an envelope that had my name on it. It was taped to the door frame. Behind it, on the pool table that is outside my bathroom, was a vase with a single rose and another envelope which had a number 1 on it.

As I finished reading both letters, I got a text message from my best friend Ashley who told me to come over as quick as possible. When I got there, there was another vase that had two roses, and another envelope with a 2.

After finishing that one, another text message proceeded to jingle my phone. It was from Derek's brother Michael, asking if I could come down to his apartment really quick. So of course I went to my car, where a third vase sat, with three roses and a third envelope. Finishing at Michael's, (where there was obviously the fourth vase, etc.) I got one last text asking to come to my friend's house, where I picked up the fifth one.

In all the notes, they simply said, "I love you" and gave me reasons why Derek and I are meant to be together. They were really sweet.

At 5:30ish, Derek got off work and came up to my house. We went out to dinner at Olive Garden and came back to my house to get geared up to go sledding.

Once we had put on so many layers that it felt like I was melting, we headed down to the same bowl as mentioned above. We went down the mild hills, having fun and laughing. But after a while, Derek started to go toward the big hill. I kept saying that I didn't want to because I didn't want to push my luck after what happened the previous hill. But he just kept saying that I could just walk up with him and walk down when he was done.

So we trekked up the hill, wearing us both out of course, and resulting in having to sit down to breathe. We sat there for a while, looking at the view of the valley when he started to talk. He said that the hill reminded him of life: it was bumpy, you weren't sure if you were going to make it to the bottom; if you fall off all you can do is get back on and pray you make it the rest of the way, or you can just give up and stay there. But he said that, like life, it's much better to go down with someone else; someone you care about and that will help you get back on when you fall off. He said that with each other by our sides, we could accomplish anything. And he got up on one knee, pulled out a ring, and said, "Will you marry me?"

And of course I said yes. And no, I did not cry.

After that, we went down the hill together.

It was really corny and cheesy but it was so cute and sweet.

And so now, we are getting married on April 8th, 2009 at 5:30 pm. That is approximately 55 days, 15 hours, and 36 minutes from right now.

And that is how Derek proposed.

Thanksgiving!

Oh Thanksgiving. How I adore you. A whole day dedicated to food! How much more amazing could it be?

However, on a side note, I do have to say that it really bothers me when people call it Turkey Day. It's not a day about Turkey. It's a day about giving thanks and it seems to me that people just forget that simply because we do get to eat crap loads of food.

But anyway. Thanksgiving. Food and family and friends. This year for Thanksgiving, we had everyone come over to our house. Derek came too, which was kind of a surprise that my parents said okay because they make it clear sometimes that he is not a part of the family. Which really ticks me off because one day he could be and they just need to realize that I'm going to get married eventually and they can't expect me to come over on holidays by myself and leave my husband at home. This is the part of parenting where I think they can't just let go and realize their kids are growing up and that they can't suppress and keep them from boys (or girls) forever.

I think the best thing about our Thanksgiving feasts is... Hmm... It's hard to say. I know Christopher would hands down say it's the orange rolls that Grandma makes, and while those are good, I wouldn't say they are the best thing. I think that it's the mashed potatoes. There's always so much, it's like the cliche volcano with gravy lava and it's so warm and delicious.

Oh, I take it back. The best part of the Thanksgiving feast is leftovers that last a week and a half. Turkey sandwiches are AMAZING!

And now that Thanksgiving is out of the way, we can focus on the more important holiday--Christmas!!! Haha, just kidding. Thanksgiving is a very important and fun holiday. But you have to admit that the thought of Christmas excites you. All the snow and decorations, candy canes and hot chocolate, Christmas trees and Christmas music. The feeling of Christmas (when not clouded by Christmas consumerism and selfish greed) is one of the best feelings ever.

But now that I have ruined my Thanksgiving post by rambling on about Christmas, I will give one last praise to my beautiful holiday and let it know that it will be missed. Until next year!!

My Favoritest Ashley

Lately, I have not seen my bestest friend in the whole wide world as much as I used to. We used to be attached to the hip but sadly, school, boys, work, etc., have gotten in the way. So I want to dedicate a post to my Ashley.

Ashley is the most amazing girl ever. She is kind and caring, sometimes so much that she doesn't take care of herself enough. More time than I can count, she has dropped everything for me if I have been having a bad day or found myself in trouble. I think the people she can actually say she doesn't like or care about can be counted on one hand. She barely ever has something bad to say about someone and is always willing to help.

She is optimistic. I think that she doesn't have a pessimistic bone in her body. Sometimes, when I'm down and she's trying to bring me back up, I try to rip her head off and tell her that she is being too optimistic but I don't think she realizes how much her mind-numbing optimism means to me.

She is adventurous. This makes me feel bad because I am the type that likes to curl up and read a book in my spare time, while she likes to go on hikes, scooter expeditions, and meet strangers. And more often than not, I drag her down to my level and we sit around doing nothing. But when we do go out and do stuff, I'm always glad I do because I wouldn't trade in those memories for the world.

She makes me laugh. Half of the things she says ends up in my quote book. We have so many inside jokes that I can't even remember most of them. I know my brother thinks we're idiots since we're always in my kitchen, laughing over the dumbest things.

She is smart. Only with her have I had philosophical conversations that are about the important things in life, that have shaped the way I look at the world. She always has the answers to my questions about life, and knows so much. She's also very people smart and can read people very well.

This list can go on and on. But in short, Ashley Grace is the most amazing person in the world. She is my best friend and I don't know what I would do without her. I love you, Ashley. Thank you for all you do for me.

Ramblings

Hello again. It's been quite a while since I've posted, not that it really matters to anyone because only a few people read my blog....

So. Life. I am sick of school. I can't even stand it anymore. So I think that instead of wasting my money on something that I am not going to take seriously, I might take a semester off. I know, I know, you'll never go back if you stop but I just am having the hardest time. And I honestly believe that I will go back because I would love to be an english teacher and the only way I can pull that off is if I get a bachelor's degree. So (*cough* mom *cough*) I do plan on going back in the fall.

My friends Brandon and Ceason are getting married. It's really weird how as soon as we're out of high school, everyone starts getting married. Or maybe it just feels that way. I used to criticize people and how they get married at such a young age. But I guess if you've found the person you know you are meant to be with, what's the point of waiting, right?

Who is ready for Black Friday?! Not me. Seeing as I work at a mall, saying Black Friday is tabooed the rest of the year. But seeing as it is coming up in two weeks, we obviously have to figure it out. For those of you who don't know, the University Mall is opening an hour earlier (8 am) and closing an hour later (10 pm). Well, Black Friday is the optimal day for getting as many hours as physically possible onto your paycheck. So, this is my schedule for that day. I offered to open, so I will be there at seven. At three, I have to go across the parking lot and get family pictures taken. So from seven to three, that is eight hours. But! That's not all. I am coming back at five and working to close. Another five and half hours. So, ladies and gentlemen, I will be working a grand total of thirteen and a half hours that day. Beautiful, isn't it? But that's still not all. The next day, I will be opening again at seven (the mall opens an hour early this day too) and working until three. Another eight hours. At four, though, it is Brandon and Ceason's wedding, so I will be done at three. No more suicide hours that day. :)

Now that I have sufficiently bored you all, I will be off. I mainly was just posting to get extra credit points for english. I will post a real post later when I have time. Thanks everyone!

Substituting

I had my first substituting gig last Thursday and Friday. It was awesome.
I taught a little second grade class at Rock Canyon Elementary in Provo. There is a little down-syndrome boy in this class and he requires a constant aid. This happens to be my mom, who got the job for me in the first place. So it was actually a pretty easy job because she knew all the kids and the routines and all that and was able to help me out quite a bit.

These were the cutest kids ever. I don't know if they liked me but I had so much fun with them. It's funny how, in just two days, I got to know who were the helpers, who were the trouble makers, and who were the shy ones who stayed back.

Ben and Christian were the trouble makers. No matter how much I said to be quiet, they just couldn't help themselves. Or, when I wasn't looking, they would crawl over to their friends' desks and talk to them while sitting on the floor.

Victoria, Maggie, Emily, and Madelyn were the amazing helpers. Everything I did, they would tell me if I was doing it right or wrong. They would lead me to where we needed to go, even though Rock Canyon was my elementary school and I know it like the back of my hand. They would help me--forcefully--ring the bell when it was time to call in the class from recess. They were the cutest little girls. I also find it funny that the girls were the helpers and the boys were the trouble makers.

Clara and Agnes were two of the shyest kids and two of the cutest. Clara was the cutest, though. She was so shy and quiet but so nice. Agnes was really shy too, and didn't trust most of what I said. I felt really bad for her because Agnes is such an old fashioned name....

We made apple sauce while I was substituting. Homemade applesauce is about five thousand times better than store bought applesauce. We also read the book Matilda and I was informed that I read too fast, but I already knew that.

Well, that was my first experience as a substitute teacher. I know it's not so exciting to the rest of you but it was to me. :) Have a good day!

Answers

I often find myself wondering why certain things happen. I know that people have their theories of fate and destiny, there can't be good without the bad, or that is how God intended it. Some of these things I believe, and there are some I don't. But like I said, all people have is theories.

I don't like believing the idea of fate and destiny, that our lives are already plotted out for us and we are just following along a path and we have no choice, really, to do what we want. If that is the case, then what is the point of being on this planet? We can make choices but to say that it was already determined that we would make that choice... Well, that's kind of deperessing, isn't it?

I also hate the idea of the afterlife and how certain people see it. Don't get me wrong, I believe in life after death and I think it's obviously a good thing. But I hate how people say that it doesn't matter what we do because God has already determined where we'll go. Again, what's the point of living, if that's the case? I believe that God does know if we'll go to Heaven or Hell, not because he just decided, but because he knows everything and he knows the decisions we will make and based on that, he makes a choice. But that is not the same thing as fate.

All that people have are theories, just like myself. I do believe though, that I know because of the religion I belong to. But even then, no one has solid facts and answers and sometimes it's frustrating. Theories and questions, hypotheses and ideas. No one knows for sure. And what if we did? Would that freak people out enough to cause chaos in our world? Would we live our lives better? Or would we simply give up?

So the real question is, is the answer worth knowing?

Lagoon and a Concussion

Alright. I have nothing to talk about. So I am going to tell a story because I find it hilarious.

About two years ago in October, my family and I were at the amusement park that we all know and love as Lagoon and it was Frightmares time. Frightmares sucks, by the way. It's absolutely retarded and pointless. Well anyway, when you walk into Lagoon, there is huge and beautiful fountain that you can run through. It has the holes in the ground that allows the water to shoot up and usually it comes out in different patterns. The kids love it and teenagers are stuid in it.

On this particular trip to Lagoon, my family had allowed my brother and me to bring friends. So naturally, I brought my boyfriend. Since it was October, it was rather chilly and getting almost to the point where, at 5:30 in the evening, it was getting kind of uncomfortable. Because of this, my family decided to leave. As we were walking out, we passed the fountain.

At this time, all the water was coming from the outside and shooting inward, creating almost a solid column of water in the middle. It looked like it was freezing. So I turned to Derek, my boyfriend, and I said, "I'll give you ten bucks if you run through that water."

He looked at me suspiciously and asked, "Seriously?"

So I said, "Sure." So he grinned and faced the freezing cold water. He started counting down, three, two...

Just before he said "one," I noticed something. On the other side, another stupid idiot teenage boy was getting ready to do the exact same thing. But just before I could stop Derek, he took off. The rest happened it slow motion, for which I am grateful for.

The kid on the other side took off at the exact same time. You don't have to be a genius to see where this is going. Derek got to the water at the exact same time the other boy did. It was a head on collision. Derek bounced backward and landed on his back, hitting his head on the concrete. Of course, I didn't see that part because at this point, I was laughing so hard I couldn't see straight. Awful, I know.

Derek comes limping back to me, holding his head and the first thing he says to me is, "Man that water is like a brick wall." That, of course, made me laugh harder, having realized he didn't even know what happened.

Finally I managed to gasp out what happened. He didn't find it as amusing as I did. His head was pounding and he couldn't see out of one eye. That sobered me right up.

On the drive home, he passed out for about a minute. That was all, but I knew something was wrong. We got home and he was shaking super hard and was complaining about how badly his head hurt. My mom and I didn't know what to do so finally, we decided we needed to take him to the ER.

We spent 4 hours in that emergency room. Every few minutes, Derek would ask me what happened and why were there. Half the things he was saying didn't even make sense, so I was really starting to get worried.

Finally we saw a doctor and he got a CT scan. It turns out he had a mild concussion and should be fine as long as his dad (who had shown up about two hours in) woke him up a few times through the night.

To this day, Derek still does not remember anything that happened after his collision until the next morning. I still think that was the best time at Lagoon ever. I mean, who gets a concussion at Lagoon? And what are the odds of two stupid teenagers crashing so hard into each other that one had to go to the ER? I actually found out later from a friend that happend to be there that day, that after we left, there was CAUTION tape around the fountain and an ambulance outside. So the other kid was worse off.

Anyway, that's my story for today. Sorry it was nothing special. Have a good day!