feast or failure?

I used to joke with Tyler that he needed to get married so that he would have someone to help pack his suitcases when he went on trips because he tends to, let's just say, pack like a boy...a week long trip? Simple! Swimsuit, deodorant, some clean underwear, and socks...maybe. But really, who needs those things anyway right? Well, being a minimalist is far better than one who can't remember to do those things that are the foundation of the living in Provo...I think I needed to get married more than he did! If my head wasn't screwed on, I'd loose it!

Tyler and I are taking French Choir together. Week #1: Great. Learned part of a song, realized I can't read unfamiliar French words and unfamiliar alto parts at the same time, and learned if I sing quieter, people won't hear me mess up :) Week #2: Not so great. I feel asleep because I was up at 4:30am for nursing, and didn't wake up until at text came at 5:10pm (10 minutes after class started) from Tyler wondering if I was coming, and if I had fallen asleep. Yes, yes, and uggggghh! Week #3: Fail. Again, Tyler wasn't home to remind me of class. But this time, he was as work and couldn't send a reminder text. So what did I do instead of class? Baked. Food is always a good excuse right?

Well, I feel pretty good about my creation. This afternoon I managed to make a little over 5 dozen cookies, all in honor of the BYU-Utah game this weekend! GO COUGARS :) And hopefully next week will be a success as far as actually getting to class...

2 people, lot's of fun!

Well, we've been married for one month today, and it's been quite an adventure :) Several (quite humorous) mishaps later, we are finally moved in and almost have all of our stuff put away...almost. One of our earlier joint purchases, a "2-person" raft from Walmart, has practically paid for itself! We got to float the Provo River with Tyler's brother and sister-in-law, Leighton and Sharon, and a couple of their friends. Needless to say, the $20 raft was not quite built to withstand any rapids or banging against bridges...but it sure was fun! Good thing we took a water bottle though...we needed it to bail the water out when we gained an extra hole in the bottom and the water kept leaking in through the airvalve that wouldn't stay closed...wedding pictures coming soon!

Some things can't be helped!

You know how there are somethings in life you just can't quite resist? You know, like pushing the buttons on the dash of somebody's car, pulling on a stray thread even though you know it's going to unravel whatever it is connected to, tucking in a stranger's tag or pulling random hairs off of someone's shirt, sticking your feet on the book-rack of the desk in front of you in class, poking someone when they are stretching, yada, yada, yada...Well, I can't resist kissing someone if I've got some good ol' bright red lipstick! Tyler's a trooper, and good thing! Some things just can't be helped!

My "Pot of Gold"

Preface, I don't have pictures of this event at the moment. I'll try to put some up later :)

So, it started off like any other Saturday. I hauled myself out of bed for Lu'au practice, and went about my business till I finished practice at 2, then headed off to grade papers for a while. Tyler had mentioned he had a late St. Patrick's day surprise for me, so I should grade quickly. When I climbed in my car to to drive home, I noticed a piece of paper taped to my window, which I was immediately annoyed by. You know how people always stick a flier under your wipers and you never notice until you are on the road, and running your wipers doesn't get rid of it? I couldn't believe someone would have the nerve to tape a flier to my window! I heaved myself back out of my car, only to see that it was a note from Tyler...oops. Guess I should figure out what I'm getting mad about before I get mad about it...

The paper contained instructions for, a late St. Patrick's Day treasure hunt. This was the intro to the hunt.

"Happy hunting. I hope you ate your lucky charms for breakfast...or maybe now would be a good time to bust out your 4 leaf clover cuz you're gonna need more than just wit to find this pot of gold :)"

Clue #1 "Thar be a cove full of mateys where in the TV is always on watch. Ask fer the first mate. He'll give you the map... (Ya might want a camera too iffin you come across a leprachaun)"

I realized the only place where the TV is always on is his apartment. Thinking that an odd place for a first clue to be, I went anyway. His roommate handed me a box of modeling clay that had the instructions, "Sculpt the right plant to get the next clue. It had to be the right color," taped to it. Unfortunately, the first mate could not remember what it was I was supposed to make, so he just gave me the clue. Guess I'll have to play with the clay later :)

Clue #2 "Down yonder by the lagoon where many have walked the plank, and where many enjoy buying Clover Club products and certain cold dairy treats by the name of KONG, ask the King iffin he make seafood too. Codeword: Oysters

Remembering our date where we got Kong Cones at Macey's, and also Tyler's love for chips, I decided to head in that direction. The next problem was how to find the "King." There are more than a few people that work at Macey's! I decided to try the deli first, since that's where the ice-cream is. Good guess! The first guy I talked to didn't know what I was talking about, but another girl did. She even asked for the codeword! After successfully giving said word, she handed over a bag of Reese's Pieces eggs and the third clue.

Clue #3 "A young lass by the name of Kishelle works there. It's a Patch where you don't pick clovers but other plants that smell real pretty. Thar be a miss at the counter will give ye further instructions..."

K, so at this point, I was a bit stumped. I figured it had to be some sort of flower place, but I had no idea where she worked! I called my roommate Kendal to see if she knew, got numbers of her visiting teachers to see if they knew, texted Tyler for another clue, but to no avail. I figured it had to be either the flower place on the corner, or the one on campus. I sat in the parking lot of the Flower Patch just off Bulldog to think. Wait...Flower PATCH...duh! In I went, and the girl at the counter knew exactly what I was after :) To get the next clue, I had to answer this question, "Where is a pirate's favorite place to eat?" After thinking for a moment, the girl said it was a fast food place. Immediately I knew it was, "Aaarby's!" Correct, she told me, as she went to the back to fetch a beautiful yellow rose and the fourth clue.

Clue #4 "At the far East end of the Good Ship Provo ther be a trusty ol' crow’s nest where ye can look out o’er the lake... Thar lies your pot of Gold, X marks the spot! (dead peeps tell no tales)” [A little, very simple, map was drawn on the paper, just to eliminate confusion]

I thought for a moment, then decided to head to the mountain. I had been to a spot a couple summers ago where you can drive up the mountain to a chainlink fence, park your car by someone's house, and walk about 50 ft to a spot with a pretty good view of Provo. I took Tyler up there once because I thought it was cool, so I figured this is the place he meant. Although I had been there a few times, it still took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to get there again. Only about 3 wrong turns...

As I pulled up, I didn't see his car, but decided to proceed. About 15 feet up the trail, sitting on a rock right in the middle, was a small, squishy, preservative-loaded peep! Yes, and about 10 or 15 feet after that, was another, and another. Following the trail of peeps, I went over a little ridge to find a couple boards forming an X, but nothing else. I stood there, a little bewildered, looking around for anything else, and contemplating finding a rock or stick or something to start digging with…Suddenly, Tyler jumped out from behind a rock, nearly giving me a heart attack, with a yellow piece of paper taped to him with “Pot of GOLD” written on it. He said, “I’m your pot of gold!” and I got excited just cuz it was fun. He came over, and we just stood there on the mountain holding each other and talking before he started to get kind of quiet.

At this point, he kind of pulled back a little so he could look at me and said, “I want you to be my pot of gold. You are my pearl in the South Pacific.” And down on one knee he went! I gasped, hands over my mouth as he pulled out the ring, and couldn’t say anything but a forced “yes!” since I was really holding my breath. I could hardly believe it was for real, since he had already been down on one knee twice before that (little stinker!).

He was a bit out of breath too, and I teased him a little for it. His response was, “I’ve been holding my breath for the 20 minutes I’ve been here!” He had left his apartment (where he had been hiding in the back doing homework) shortly after I left with the clue to head to Macey’s. He said he was afraid I wouldn’t say “yes,” but who wouldn’t be?!

After taking a few pictures and such, we headed down to get an appointment to get the ring sized, the lady gave me a little rubber thing to put on it until we dropped it off, and we headed back to Glenwood. He left me so I could call my parents, and then we went and watched the BYU basketball game. Can’t say I really remember anything about the game. I spent the whole thing holding the hand of the man I would marry!

Valentine's Day ≠ Single Awareness Day

I would like to tell you what I think about Valentine's Day. I think it could either be a really great holiday, or as far too many would agree, a dumb one. A reminder to go out of your way to tell the people you care about that you really do care? Great! Everyone needs reminding now and then. The prophet has told us that even if we assume they know, we should tell people that we love them. Does it matter if you don't have a significant other? It shouldn't. I think we should all take the opportunity to tell those around us how much we appreciate them and their friendship. After all, the best relationships we have are those where we feel like best friends, right?

For those who feel that Valentine's Day is just another holiday where you are obligated to spend money on people, let me tell you, it is not. There are wonderful things you can do to show love and caring without spending money (and without a significant other). Let me recount what Tyler and I did last night (he being the brilliant creator of the plan). We ate pizza at his apartment (yeah, dinner...everyone needs dinner, haha). Then he told me of his plan to make giant cookies and a card and take them to my grandpa who has been living alone since my grandma passed away several years ago. We got it all done up and went over to visit. He wasn't home (I hope he went out and did something fun for himself!), but we left them on the step and headed back. Not only did I get to spend the evening with a newer friend (new BEST friend, I'd say), but I got to serve someone I've loved for a long time! Happy Valentine's Day world! (Single Awareness Day has no foundation if you have the right attitude, though I will admit I had a bad attitude for a long time. [: )