The Proposal

Alright, so this is how it happened. I went to California (where Andre is this summer) a couple weeks ago as a surprise to Andre. I had it all planned out with his roommate Richard. They were all going out to dinner as roommates on Friday night, so I went to surprise him there at the restaurant. I walked in behind him and put my hands over his eyes. When he finally turned around and saw that it was me, he acted so surprised, "Babe, what are you doing here?" "Oh my gosh I can't believe you're here." I thought I was the best girlfriend in the world! So, dinner was over and he says, "Hey, I want to take you somewhere!" So I said, "Ok let's go!" Of course I didn't suspect anything because he didn't even know I was going to be there. So he drives me around Santa Clarita and we finally end at this place where he has lights and paper lanterns and all that cheezy, romantic stuff setup. I look around very confused for a few seconds and of course the first thing I say is, "You knew I was coming?!" He ignores my question and proceeds to pour his heart out to me. He said something about happiness and making me happy and making him happy and something else about happiness. I don't remember anything because the entire time I was trying to figure out how he planned this when he didn't even know I was coming! So he gets down on his knees and asks me to marry him and I just say something to the effect of, "I can't believe you knew I was coming!" And then I say, "Of course I'll marry you!" Then we kissed and got all mushy gushy and then his friends came out and I wanted to hit Richard for telling Andre I was coming, but at the same time, I couldn't be mad! How could I be?! Yes, he stole my thunder! It was supposed to be MY big surprise, but they turned it around on me and made it an even better big surprise. Then I got to spend the next 2 days with the love of my life as an officially engaged couple! Life is goooood! Also, I love Andre :) The end!

Dreams Do Come True :)

Well, it's that time. That time in my life that I have looked forward to ever since I first learned what it was. That event that I have yearned for and dreamed about. That time I thought would never come when all I saw was everyone around me (at least that's what it felt like at times) falling in love and living that "fairytale." Yes, it's true. I'm getting married!! I have fallen in love and continue to fall in love more everyday. I am planning a wedding. MY wedding! For real! Yes, I am very, extremely excited. How could I not be?! But the road hasn't been easy. Getting here hasn't been a "fairytale" all the time. Falling in love was a whole lot harder for me that I ever imagined it would be, but lucky for me, I got to go through it with one of the most patient, loving, selfless people i have ever known. These experiences have helped me to know that for the rest of my life, I get to go through happiness, sadness, trials, tears, joy, fear, heart ache and complete contentment with that same person. My Heavenly Father has blessed me with the kind of man I always dreamed of marrying. I prayed and cried over having someone like Andre in my life for what felt like forever but really was only a few years compared to the time I get to spend with him from here on out. We get to spend the rest of eternity getting to know each other, learning about each others' strengths and weaknesses, working through unbearable hardship and experiencing indescribable joy. I feel ready for anything life is going to throw my way because I know I will have Andre right by my side. I am completely blind to the trials that we will face over the next 100+ years together. There are millions of scary things out in the world that can potentially hurt us, come between us and completely destroy us. There are experiences that we will go through that right now, we probably can't even fathom, but we're gonna survive it together. Why? Because that's the only option we are giving ourselves! We're going into this together, and there's no one I would rather do it with! I'm not perfect. Andre isn't perfect. No one is perfect! We both have flaws, we both make mistakes, we most definitely will argue and disagree on things and will probably want to run away from it all. I know that there are things we will find out about each other that aren't so great. I'm not ignorant. I know marriage isn't going to be nothing but bliss and "happily ever after." But I do know that if we go into this commitment with the same desires, goals and determination, we'll be just fine :) In the end, I LOVE Andre, and love can be a very strong thing. I believe it can work miracles. I also believe that when Jesus Christ is at the center of our lives, He will never let us fail. It's not going to be easy, but it IS going to be worth it :)

Real Life is Coming Quickly....

Well look at that. It's done! My senior portfolio is done... and everything is really starting to sink in. I'm graduating in 5 weeks! This is crazy. I'm anxious, excited, scared to death and just plain nervous about what is next for me. I don't think I have ever felt so unsure about the future before in my life. I have some big choices ahead of me, but I am proud of what I have accomplished and where I am at in my life right now. Here's to the future!

Check out my portfolio: http://wcsdesign.weebly.com/

Wendy Wednesday: Sleeping In

Fun Fact #1: I wish I was a morning person. I want to be the kind of person that can wake up early in the morning and start the day with a positive attitude and get a million things done before 11 am, but unfortunately, when the time comes to wake up, sleep sounds so much better and I just end up sleeping until 11 am. Waking up has never EVER been easy for me, no matter how consistent my schedule is. It is a struggle every single day of my life. Saturdays on the other hand are great. When I don't have to wake up for anything, I love sleeping in, but it's a curse when something does come up and it seriously makes me mad when I have to wake up any time before 10 am on a Saturday. I want to be someone that doesn't mind waking up, or even someone that can't sleep past 8, but I have just never been that person. I love sleeping in way too much and then I feel unproductive and lazy! Waking up early sounds good sometimes, but then when that time comes, I never actually want to wake up. I need help!

Family and Friends Friday: Andre

Well, I suppose it's time to get started on this "daily dose" deal. Today is Friday and I know exactly who I want to talk about. My amazing boyfriend, Andre.

He treats me like a princess every single day, and most of the time I don't even deserve it. Yesterday, which happened to be Valentines Day, he kidnapped and blindfolded me and drove me 10 minutes away from Rexburg where he set up a campfire, had hot chocolate and stuff for s'mores and then played songs for me on the guitar. The day before that was our "1-month anniversary" (woo-hoo) and he got me my favorite flowers, lillies!

But he doesn't do those kinds of things for me only on special days. He does those kinds of things all the time! No matter what day it is. He seriously cares for me more than you could imagine and everything he says and everything he does, he does for me. I could not ask for more. I love him.

Daily Dose of Me

So I got this brilliant idea to start doing special posts every day depending on what day of the week it is. This is what I have come up with:

Sacred Sundays - This is the day when I will talk about the gospel and the importance of it in my life and specific ways that it has impacted me throughout the past week.

Music Mondays - This is the day when I will talk about the songs that have inspired me lately or just the ones I've had on repeat for the past week.

Time Machine/Traveling Tuesdays - on this day, I will talk about places and times, past, present and future, that I would like to visit or see and why.

Wendy Wednesday - This is the day when I will share one interesting or random, fun fact about myself.

Throwback Thursdays - this is the day to contemplate my past and the all the memories associated with it. I will reminisce about the good old days and talk about all the good times from my childhood and teenage years.

Family and Friends Fridays - I will talk about one friend or family member each week and why and how they have showed their love for me and why I care about them so much as an individual.

Serendipitous Saturday - On this day I will talk about discoveries I have made about myself or just life in general. I guess just lessons I am learning or seemingly coincidental things that have been happening that seem to teach me lessons or open my eyes to new discoveries.

Stay tuned daily! :)

Another Year Comes to a Close...

Well, it's the end of another year. They just seem to come and go faster and faster every year! It's amazing... 2012 brought me happiness, anxiety, disappointment, excitement, tears of joy, tears of sadness and tears of laughter. I got to know myself and what I want in life, but I also realized that I actually have no idea what I really want. Life is so full of questions and this year I have started to learn that the questions and doubts I have all lead to doors, and I am the only one that gets to choose whether or not to open those doors and walk, run, jump or dance through. There are doors ahead that I am scared to death to open, but that is what faith and God are for. With these open doors, there are the closed doors that I have already gone through. I can always look back and remember what emotions and adventures the other side of that door brought to me, but sometimes those doors lock behind me and there is no way of going back. We learn from those experiences and move on.

Here is my top 5 list of best and most memorable experiences, days and moments from 2012:

1. I ran a 10k! That was such an incredible experience! Definitely one of the best from this past year. The motivation and hard work it took for me to work up to it and prepare for it, and then the feeling of crossing the finish line..... So worth all of it! I learned how to really push myself and I realized that I can physically endure so much more than I ever thought I could! It's hurts like he** but it feels so good!

2. My weekend in Utah for Kaitie's mission farewell, Boyce Avenue concert and just an amazing time with some of the best friends in the world. I got to spend 3 days straight with some freaking amazing people and got to see my favorite band, live! Their music sends such strong emotions through my entire body, and hearing their music live was such an unforgettable experience. I also got to hear one of my best friends give her farewell talk before she left for England to serve the Lord for 18 months. She is such an amazing, inspiring friend and person.

3. My weekend in Portland, Oregon. I had the opportunity to go there for an amazing friend and roommate, Adri's, wedding. I was so happy for her and loved being able to share that experience with her. I also got to spend a day with my friend hiking and exploring downtown Portland. I LOVE exploring new places and seeing other parts of the world. This made for such a great and unforgettable weekend.

4. The day my parents came to Rexburg to visit me. They drove up from Utah while Tim was at EFY and spent the day with me! I got to show them around the campus and Rexburg a little bit. It was only for a day, but it was so much fun! When they left, I ran outside crying and gave them each one last hug. I love my parents so so much and am so grateful for them.

5. The presentation from Sarah Susanka. She is an interior design and architecture author and speaker. She came to BYU-Idaho and did a presentation for us and it was one of the most inspiring, motivational presentations I have ever heard. After hearing her words, I was so inspired to be and do better and figure out what my life is really about and how I truly want to live it.

Through these experiences and the hundreds of other ones from this past year, I have learned more about who I am, what I want and what is most important to me. Here's to 2013 and the experiences, surprises, possibilities and doors ahead of me! CHEERS!