Life Update

So... I've fallen a bit off of the blogging habits, but I'm about to try to hop back on, and share some things about my life.

Here's what we're up to now:

Our little married apartment is starting to look and feel like a real (tiny) home. I've put up a few pictures and gotten the kitchen organized in a way that I finally like, and re-covered our big chair, and it really looks like our home now. It sort of started out looking like a boring tan unorganized mess. It's not that anymore! Home sweet home...

I've been working for the past few weeks. I'm just a temporary filing clerk, but it's something to keep me busy and bring in some money while I wait for spring to show up so I can find landscape work, or until I decide I just need to get a boring-but-stable year-round type job. When I'm working, I get more motivated to be busy, instead of being a lazy blob, and perpetuating the tan-messiness thing that was our home.

Keith is doing well at work. He's been promoted to a management position at the restaurant, which is great, because it means more set schedules and some perks, plus it should work better than serving when school starts in June. He has to dress nicely for work now, and I love sending him off looking sharp. It makes me proud to be married to that handsome man!

We're both getting started in our new church callings. I get to play the piano in the primary, which I just love so far. It's wonderful to be in a family ward again, and to see these fun kids every week.

That's pretty much the high points in life lately. Our life is good, and busy, and full of wonderful things!

Home Sweet Home

Well, the wedding is done (it was wonderful, and our photographer Leilani Mitchell did a great job!) and we're all moved in to our new little home. Our apartment here is teeny tiny, but wonderful, and we really don't need any more space.

Mostly I think my mom is the only one who reads my blog, so I'm going to post some apartment pictures for her. Love you, mommy!

Half of our living space

The other half of our living space

Teeniest kitchen, and the big counter that doubles as our table, and our little dishwasher. Not a great shot... gotta work on my photography skills.

Bedroom, there's a big closet that you can't see in this picture, though. And that's the pretty quilt on the foot of the bed that Granny Oberg made for us!

Also, we have a bathroom, and a big storage closet (it's probably bigger than our bathroom) and a balcony, where I will probably have some plants as soon as it's nice out again... in 6 months...

I love having a little home all of my own with no one else but Keith. It's the best. And it's little, which makes it a cinch to keep clean! And Keith does all the dishes so far! Which is great, cause I hate doing dishes worst of any chore, except sometimes he lets me help him dry them or unload our dishwasher.

I love being married.

89 Days

I have a lot of planning to do. A lot. And only 89 days to do it all in- yikes!

Keith proposed to me on Thursday. Since we met at work, he wanted to let everyone there be involved in that. Here's what happened: I was sent home early because of the weather (we're a nursery- weather is directly related to how much we have to do) so I'd been home for a while. Then my boss called and asked me to come back in for half an hour or so to help one of our important clients to look at some plants. So I drove back to the nursery, all annoyed about having such a ridiculous job to do, and got there just after the client was supposed to have arrived. So I went inside, and the girl at the front desk told me that they were out back by our pond.

As I buttoned on my work shirt, I rushed out the door, and just about ran into Keith. He'd set the whole thing up, and had plants arranged around the door so it looked nice, and was wearing his nice suit. I just started kissing him right away, because I was so excited! Then he told me how much he loves me, and handed me a bouquet of beautiful pink roses. He got down on his knee, and asked me to marry him, and I said Yes!

We're engaged! Hooray! I'm way excited. And a bit overwhelmed.

Which brings me back to the title of this post: 89 days. That's how long I have to plan until the big day. And I have no idea where to start. Yikes!

Anyway, if anyone has advice for smoother wedding planning or cute ideas, let me know!

Solstice Carnival

So, I'm a few days late in blogging about this, but it was just such a fun, spontaneous thing that I wanted to share.

Monday was June 21st, which is the summer solstice. That made it the longest day of this year, and up here in Alaska, that means the sun is up all night. I mean, not really up, but it sets and then it's dusky and then the sun is rising again. So solstice is a big deal.

On Monday after work, Keith was driving over to my house, when he passed by a carnival. Immediately, he called me to tell me about it. He was so excited. He gets so cute and little-boy-ish about things like that. It's incredibly endearing. Anyway, we decided we'd go to the carnival.

Ok, you know those rides that they pack up and move around and how they're kinda jerky and not all that awesome? Well... yeah. I guess we're not as young as we used to be, cause Keith and I were getting pretty dizzy by the second ride or so. But we pushed through it, and had a blast. Best solstice carnival I've ever been to.

We rode the Ferris Wheel first, cause it's the most romantic... and I learned

first hand that Keith's not kidding when he says he's scared of heights!

I think my favorite part about the evening was just how much fun Keith and I had laughing together. It's kind of been a weird couple months, dating like a real couple as we live in the same city (finally!) I've loved it, but we get so comfortable with just being together, that we've started being a little bit boring. Mostly, I love just coming home after work, and having Keith come over and make dinner with me, and then channel surfing, or running errands, or playing games, and talking about everything in life. But it was really refreshing to just get out and go on a little adventure, break the routine up a little, and just laugh together.

I'll let the happily-in-love-for-many-years couples in my life be the experts on the subject, but if I were to throw in my two cents, I'd say that a little spontaneity is good for a relationship. I hope that Keith and I keep doing fun, sweet, spontaneous things for each other for many, many more years to come.

Date Night

Such a fun date night with my sweetie boy. We made super good dinner. Pork chops and mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli... mmm! I've figured out the secret to really good pan-cooked pork chops in about 10 minutes. Keith said it was the first pork chop he'd ever really liked. Then we watched Chopped. We watch a lot of Food Network. Next, we were off to the brand-new movie theater here, where we bought tickets and then had a few hours to kill. So we walked around, and Keith showed me the work he'd done (the company we work for has the landscaping contract for the shopping plaza there) this week, and found ice cream. Um, raspberries mixed into black cherry ice cream in a chocolate-dipped waffle bowl= delicious! Then we saw the Karate Kid. That was fun. I am so glad that I'm not that kid's mother. Also, that I don't live in China. Anyway, now I'm home and don't have any roommates here, and I am a little bored... and it's making me really wish that I were married to Keith. I don't like him dropping me off, and then going home to Kevin and Greg. I just wish he lived here with me, forever and ever and ever.

Happy Easter Week

DC Adventure

Well, we're back from adventuring.

We had a super fun vacation! Mostly we spent time with my family. Also, we took Friday afternoon and went downtown to sightsee a little.

We had a pretty awesome weekend. Thursday we worked in the yard with my family. Also, for lunch we had the most delicious BBQ ever. We cleaned out our flowerbeds, went to a nursery and then spread mulch. After that, there was dinner and family games- we played Killer Bunnies, which made Nathan quite excited.

Friday Keith and I went downtown. We rode the Metro into town and went to the Smithsonian. We visited the American History museum, where Keith got really excited about the guns and weapons that were in a history of war exhibit. Next we went to the Natural History museum, and saw dinosaurs, the Hope diamond, and some insects. Ick. Next we went to find some lunch. We walked far, far away from where we thought we were going for lunch, but stumbled upon Potbelly's Sandwich Works, which was absolutely delicious. Then we went to the Air&Space museum, and saw planes and rockets. Do you know the difference between planes and jet planes? I didn't before, but now I do. Kinda. Anyway, after that, we walked up the mall to the Washington, WWII, and Lincoln memorials. Then, we found the nearest Metro station (which wasn't really all that close by) and rode home.

Saturday morning the family was sleeping in, so I drove Keith around to see a few places where I grew up, and we ran some errands for my mother. We also went out for birthday lunch to a new Mexican restaurant, which was delicious. It was so yum. I mean it. Seriously good. After that, I went furniture shopping with my mom and Em, and Keith helped my Dad hide some speaker wires in the walls. Then my mom and Em and I went and got the best cupcakes I'd ever eaten at Wegman's. Then my sisters and parents all dispersed for different events, and Keith and I got wrangled into a game of Monopoly with my brother Nathan.

Sunday we had church and family stuff. It wasn't a super eventful day, but it was good. Just family dinner and games and dessert. It was a good day.

We left to fly home early early Monday morning. It was early. But it was a good trip.

Spring Break-ing

Today is pretty much like this:Bright blue sky, not many clouds, and also balloons. Actually, there weren't that many balloons in my life today, but it was my birthday, so I am pretending that there were.

So today has been a good one.

But tomorrow will be even better. I hope. Tomorrow I am going on one of these:

It's a Boeing 737-800, operated by Delta. Mine will be going from SLC to IAD. That's code for it's taking me from school to home.

And it's taking Keith with me.

We are nervous. And excited.

Anxious, if you will.

But mostly I am excited. I am ready to go, and to not be in Provo, and to spend some time with Keith and with my family and with no school. And I am ready for them to actually know Keith a little bit. I hope it all goes well, because I am just in love with Keith, and also I love my family, so I'm hoping that they will be able to get along and appreciate each other.

Anyway, we'll see how it all goes. Nathan's excited to have someone to play Killer Bunnies with.

Scary, huh?

Love

So, I have never been a big Valentine's Day celebrator. But, I've never had anyone special to celebrate with, either. And I'm getting a bit curious as to how this weekend will be. I wouldn't be at all disappointed if Keith and I just watched a movie and made dinner at my house and snuggled and played games and talked like we do a lot of other weekends, because he will be here, and that's all that really matters to me. But he keeps saying stuff about Valentine's Day, and it has me wondering. Then again, I don't have my hopes up too high, because the silly boy still hasn't managed to get Christmas to me yet... for all his forgetfulness, though, he really is very sweet to me.

I love being in love. I love knowing Keith, and getting to know him better. He makes me so very happy, and I just want to be his girl forever.

Things that make me miss you:

1. Michael Jackson songs
2. Snow
3. Blankets
4. Water
5. Pizza
6. Telephones
7. Cows
8. Mostly any music, really
9. Airplanes
10. Eating dinner
11. Hands
12. Notebook paper
13. Singing in Church
14. Christmas songs
15. Fingernails
16. Mtn Dew
17. Monsters
18. Card games
19. Sticky fingers
20. Movies
21. Silver cars
22. Duct tape
23. Phantom of the Opera & Les Miserables
24. Thanksgiving
25. Sand
26. Watermelons
27. Wishes
28. Fishes
29. Basketball
30. espn.go.com
31. Chili
32. Hot cocoa & tomato soup
33. Farms
34. Games
35. Cousins
36. Nieces & nephews
37. Laughing
38. Mountains
39. Everything
40. Ice skating
41. Ice cream out of the carton
42. Chocolate covered almonds
43. Kisses
44. Hearts & love

And so many more... love you Fred!

Babies

So, today I went to church with some great family friends whose baby was being blessed. It was a sweet, lovely experience, and Sarah Elizabeth is precious.

Yesterday, Keith and I went over to play The Farming Game (awesome, by the way) with his cousins Hal and Jenny, and I got to play with their 5 month old boy.

And I'll be honest: I know that I am not ready at this moment to be in charge of someone else's life, especially not someone small and wholly dependent on me. But at the same time, I am so very ready for a beautiful little family of my own.

Anyway, I'm feeling mildly baby hungry tonight. But that's a ways off still. I've got some other steps to complete before I get there! But I'm excited for eventually.

6

I have six:

• of the best siblings in the world
• finished semesters of BYU (almost to lucky number 7!)
• pretty vases lined up on my mantle piece
• final exams in the testing center this semester
• half-weeks until I go home for Christmas (I know this one is a stretch, but 6 1/2 weeks= 3 whole weeks. The math checks out, I promise)
• cans of tomato sauce in my cupboard- I always forget that I already have some of that stuff.
• days until fast and testimony Sunday
• favorite colors (or more...)
• DVDs (yeah, not a lot, I know)
• finished, 100% checked off diseases for my Plant Pathology class
• dirty plates stacked on my counter (messy kitchen roommates, you see)

But there is a particular reason I am celebrating the number 6 today. Today marks 6 fabulous months with Keith. Yay for love!

Thankfully...

So, Thanksgiving just happened. What a great day! You get to get together with people you love, and be really cozy and eat and eat and eat, and then digest while watching football and movies, and then you get to eat some more! What a fabulous day!

This Thanksgiving, I was in Cokeville, Wyoming. You're probably asking "What is in Cokeville?" Well, I will tell you:

Not very much.

Also, a couple of Keith's aunts and cousins and visiting grandparents. So, that is where we gathered for the holiday.

It was delicious.

Also, Thanksgiving-eve was delicious. Keith and I made our own turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy, and (as my sister Em would say) "Oooh-la-yum!" it was good. I am glad to report that I will not be nervous about cooking a turkey ever again. Unless I don't have all the proper tools, i.e. an oven, roasting pan, and a Reynolds oven bag.

Side note- there is a whole webpage dedicated to Reynolds Oven Bags? Weird.

Anyway... we did a great job. Keith was so proud of our turkey.

(Also thankfully, we didn't let the University of Utah beat us at football. Almost, but not quite. Last home game of my college career, and our rivalry game, so this one was a huge deal. But the cougars pulled it off in the end!)

Impatient

I am very much having patience issues.

I just miss my sweetheart too too much, that's all.

So Friday, October 2nd, is being very slow in coming.

Also, we have horribly opposite schedules that make quality phone conversations difficult. We talk several times a day, but usually just stealing a few minutes here and a few minutes there. I haven't talked to him for more than 15 minutes straight in quite a while.

I just want to be graduated so that I can follow him around wherever he is, whether it's Anchorage or Logan or Hong Kong or Baghdad... I don't really think I'll be needing to go to either of those last two places, though. But the point is that if I had already graduated and if he happened to be going to Madagascar or Indonesia or anywhere else, I could go, too.

Is that what it means to be in love? To just want to follow someone around for the rest of eternity, so that you can be with them, and help them, and love them forever and ever? Because if that's what it means to be in love, then I am in love.

But I'd really rather not travel to Baghdad. Lucky for me, Keith isn't a huge traveler, either!

Almost Time...

I can't believe my time in Anchorage is almost up. I have about 4 and a half days left until I leave Alaska. Who knows when I'll ever come back here? It hardly feels real. When I think about leaving, I get super nervous. This has been home for the past 4 months. I'm not ready to leave it behind.

Yet at the same time, I can't wait to go home. I miss my family, and am ready to go see them all. It's been way too long since I've seen them all. But going home will be bittersweet. I'm worried that I'll be thinking about getting back to school the whole time that I'm there. School will be hard this year. Partly the coursework will be hard, but mostly I am worried about my motivation and concentration.

Mostly, everything circles back to Keith. I don't want to leave Alaska because it's going to change things. I'm nervous about how we're going to do at keeping up our relationship at a distance. I mean, I don't think we're going to fail. But I worry about how hard it will be. I worry about missing him. I worry a lot of things. Things will be different.

Happily Ever After

Tomorrow my best friend gets married. Weird. We've been talking about this day for years. And more specifically, since she got engaged a few months ago. And I am so excited for her! And so weirded out by it, too.

Growing up is a funny thing. I can't believe that we're this old. Being old enough to fall in love is crazy; looking back on all of the boys we have thought we loved is mildly ridiculous. Luckily, she's finally fallen in love with one who's worth her time. Jeff really is a good man, and he loves her.

As for me, I am still happy to be working toward my own happily-ever-after.

Loves of My Life

Today I feel like listing some of the things that I love:

• raspberries
• thunderstorms
• ice water
• high heel shoes
• my family
• delphiniums
• blankets
• piano music
• hymns
• dancing
• kisses (the chocolate kind, of course...)
  
• Keith
• roommates
• bright toenail polish
• good salads
• old movie songs
• writing
• pencil skirts
• flip flops
• trees
• BYU
• college football season
• little baby people
• recipes that I don't have to follow
• sunny days
• having a clean house (wish I didn't have to clean it, though... I ought to get back to that.)

That's not all, but it's something.

Movie Night

So, last night Keith and I decided to bring a pizza home and watch a movie instead of going out to do something. I had him looking through the movies (I hate choosing) and he insisted that I needed to pick this time. Well, that wasn't going to happen, so instead he narrowed it down to three choices. "Hitch" or "The Phantom of the Opera" or "The Saint." All good movies, but could he have been any more broad in choosing? Those three have basically nothing in common. Anyway, I picked "Phantom" and am so glad I did!

Usually I annoy people when I watch musicals with them, because I tend to sing the whole thing. Like, all of it. Including the tiny half-songs that aren't big enough to make it on to the soundtrack. Watching this one with Keith was the most fun ever. We sang our way through the movie together! It was so funny- especially since I'm almost as capable of singing Raoul's parts as Keith is. Not as good at it, mind you, but capable. And I'm not really able to do some of Christine's. Too high! Anyway, it was the most fun thing ever!

Sweetpea

My boy is the best ever. Basically. This morning he picked me flowers and brought them to me before work. He couldn't sleep anymore, so he got up and gathered sweetpea flowers for me! Also, I love him.

Snuggling

Actually, the topic for this post is not congruous with its title. But my daddy keeps worrying that I'm cuddling too much, so I thought I'd throw this in as a title just for fun. Scare him a bit, you know?

Tonight I would really like to write about anticipation. I am thinking about a lot of things that I don't want to wait for. I am anticipating going to bed (should get on that, actually), anticipating the coming school year and (yikes!) graduation, and especially anticipating my trip home in August. I miss my family. Growing up is great, and I am enjoying the chance to learn and change and be responsible for my life. But it is hard to be a displaced person without a home to belong to. And it's hard to be gone from my parents and siblings all the time. I mean, I spend maybe a month, cumulative total, at home in a year. I don't like it. I'm ready to go home. And then I'll be ready to come back and play in Alaskan Summer for a little while more.