i heart llamas

I pet llamas today!!!

TWO of them!!!

And got pictures!

They will be posted as soon as I receive them. Not soon enough.

But... I got to pet them!!!

:D :D :D :D

John said he's never seen me be so excited about anything before. And I've never seen him laugh so hard at me before. Glad he thought I was amusing.

progress

John and I have made AMAZING progress this weekend! Everything has just easily fell into place, and been surprisingly and pleasantly better than we expected!!!

We went and registered for some of our gifts at Macy's. We mostly went there because we loved their fine china. We're going to register for most of our things with Bed, Bath & Beyond. Anyway, we got a free bag for registering, and found out about a website where we can create our own wedding website, and have pictures, information, and a link where guests can RSVP. Hooray!!!!! We really didn't want to have to deal with cards that guests have to mail to RSVP. This will be easier for everyone, and cheaper for us :)

So we went around and looked at stuff, and decided on our bedroom colors. As it turns out, we both had separately thought to ourselves that we really like navy blue and brown. So when I asked John what he was thinking and he said that, I just had to laugh and agree that was perfect. The lady who was helping us said, "Wow. You're going to have the easiest time agreeing on things." We know. We're lucky :)

When we got to the china, we narrowed it down to two choices, then unanimously agreed on one. (Which was my favorite from the start!) The 8 place setting set was normally $300 or so, but that day it was on sale for $170. It was too good of a deal to pass up. So I used Grandma's wedding gift money to buy it. So we got our first gift! When we took it up to the register, we got an additional 20%, so it as actually $150. We were so excited and amazed!

You can see our china set here.

We then went looking for invitations. I have to admit I was not excited about this part. We need about 400, and the average cost total is about $2 per invitation. Oh, great. So we walked through the mall and ran into this little kiosk with invitations. Then, we found the perfect ones. They are silver with a white swirl design across the front. Then, you open two flaps to the center where we decided to make the print purple! We talked with the guy, and are getting a discount for ordering such a large order. So we're getting all the invitations, envelopes, and print included for only 90 cents a piece. And he can have them all done the day we order them. We were really happy!

And it keeps getting better.

I went with Amanda to pay off my dress and have my first fitting today. First, my dress was on sale for much less than I anticipated paying, and only needed a hem alteration. It's beautiful. I didn't want to take it off.

Before I went to have my dress fitted I had to find my shoes. Now, you may think I'm a little crazy, but I am SUPER excited about this! I am wearing dark purple heels under my dress! I wanted to be a little surprising and have fun. Amanda and I drove around to a bunch of shoe places, and finally ended up at Burlington Coat Factory where I found the perfect shoes: dark purple color exactly the right color, with not too high of heels, closed toe, and really comfortable. For $15. I am pretty sure I started jumping up and down and squealing when I found them.

Lastly, I went to go order John's wedding band today. The only bad thing is that his size is 7 3/4, and his band only comes in half sizes. But other than that, it's gorgeous, looks fabulous, and puts me under my budget!

Needless to say, I am a VERY HAPPY BRIDE! :D I can't wait until all of this comes together on our wedding day!

housewife

Here is one of the things I am most excited for when I move in my new apartment with John:

No more roommates.

No more mystery messes, no more dishes disappearing, no more stuffed refrigerators with food that isn't mine, no more cleaning up after multiple people, no more sharing cupboard space... basically it's going to be me and my hubby and I can keep is as clean and organized as I want.

I can rule over my kitchen.

I can't wait!

And for Sydney: We are getting married on June 20 in the Mt. Timpanogos temple! Which is only 93 days. Or, three months and one day if you prefer it that way :)

Quotes of the Day:

Amanda: "Is he talking about Borneo or Australia?"
Me: "Borneo."
Amanda: "Then why did he just talk about Nicole Kidman?"
Spencer: "Because she's from Australia."
Amanda: "But he's talking about Borneo!"

and

Amanda: "I'm going to throw up on you."
Me: "Not before I pass out on you."

gasp

OH MY GOSH I feel like writing!!! I just have nothing to write!!! Ahhhhh!!!! I need a really good plot for a short story. Or a narrative. Or something! I feel like writing. Right now.

Wow, I'm such an English nerd.

post-dancesport

Dancesport is over. WHEW! I didn't do as well as I had really wished... but I did okay. In the tango I made it to the second round, the round right before quarterfinals. Then for the waltz. Trevor and I got all the way up to semifinals, and got cut right before the last round! It killed me. It really did. As much as I tried to hide it. Especially since the finals are supposed to be 6 couples, and they only picked 5. This isn't the first time it's happened, either. It's the worst time to get cut. And the same thing happened to me twice. In a row (reminiscing about last semester's triple swing). Trevor looked up our results that afternoon and discovered that we tied with two other couples for the last spot in the final round. So at least I can say I tied for sixth... that sounds pretty decent. It was still fun to have my mom here to watch. And I'm so glad that John got to watch me dance! He loved it, and it made me feel so special to have him watch me and see his face light up after I would dance. That made it all worth it.

And I loved watching John dance! I really and truly did hit the jackpot with this one. I've said for years that I would only marry a guy who could dance. And people laughed at me. And many said, "When you find him and he doesn't dance, you'll change your mind."

"Nope," I would reply. "He will dance." And he does. Beautifully. I love dancing with him. Now just imagine... if he danced with me AND sang to me at the same time. I don't know what I would do with myself... probably forget my name... put on my huge, crooked grin and giggle uncontrollably and then try to pinch myself to wake up... and stare at him and wonder if he really is real... I imagine something like that.

Ah hem, out of dream world... So John and his beautiful dance partner, Hannah, made it right before quarterfinals with quickstep! I was very proud of them! They were in the top 41, and there were easily over 100 couples to begin with!

In other news, I picked out my wedding dress! I got one that I had tried on the first time I went to Allyse's. It's gorgeous! I can't wait to wear it! I just have to go back and pay for it, have it fitted, etc. But I have to find the shoes first. That's been the hardest part. Especially since my dress isn't pure white. It's a "diamond white," which is just fancy talk for a lighter cream color.

John got his tux! He looks soooooo... I can't even tell you. He could compete with all the James Bonds- Pierce Brosnin, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Daniel Craig- and win without a doubt. He picked a stunning purple paisley vest and a plum tie to match. I absolutely love it!

One night while my mom was here, we went to John's Men's Chorus concert. It was amazing, as always. I love listening to those boys. And I especially love watching John sing. My mom was extremely impressed by all of their songs and loved it all.
And now I'm just back to school, getting through a pretty easy week, and trying to get over my post-Dancesport cold (it happens after every competition). I just found out that John and I need to pick out wedding announcements and order them like um, this weekend. And that we're going to need about 400. Yikes. I refuse to get any with bows, or little foldy thingies that you have to do yourself. I am not tieing 400 little bows. I want to stuff them in envelopes and move on.

And since we need to order them and get them to the printer, we also have to go register. I'm actually very, very excited for that part! But that also means we have to decide what colors and style we want to decorate in. You know, for towels, the bedspread, dishes... that shouldn't be hard at all since John and I have almost identical taste. We are going to have a very easy domestic life.

Goodness, I'm going to be busy, busy, busy!




Quotes of the Day:

Me: "If this is some kind of object lesson I think we get the point."
Amanda: "The object is that if you come to class every day, you're going to waste your time."

and

John: "He's got Wii on his shirt."

and

John: "He's my favorite fairy.. Fairy boy! Oh wait... he's an elf."

preparation

My mom is coming into town on Wednesday, and I dance Tango on Thursday, and again with the Waltz on Saturday! And John is dancing the Quickstep on Friday!

I'm super excited!

And super nervous.

If you're interested in coming to watch, here is my (and John's) schedule, assuming we make it to the finals:

Thursday (me)
8:00 AM block
First round 382 Gold Standard (T)
Second round of Tango
6:00 PM block
Quarter-final Tango
Semifinal Tango
Finals Tango
7:15
Awards presented

Friday (John)
8:00 AM block
First round 184 Bronze Standard (Q)
Second round of Quickstep
Third round of Quickstep
5:15 PM block
Quarter-final Quickstep
Semifinal Quickstep
Finals Quickstep
6:15 PM
Awards presented

Saturday (me)
8:00 AM Block
First round 284 Silver Standard (W)
Second round Waltz
Third round Waltz
Fourth round Waltz
3:55 PM Block
Quarter-final Waltz
Semifinal Waltz
Finals Waltz
5:05 PM
Awards Presented

So, there you have it! Go here to purchase tickets, or buy them at the ticket office in the Marriott Center! Unfortunately, you have to buy tickets for each different day. I know, it sucks. I have to buy a ticket to get in, too, even though I'm competing.

It will be a blast!!! COME!!! :D


PS- Being an engaged woman is FANTASTIC! I love finally being able to call John my fiance, my betrothed, mi prometido... :D

Quotes of the Day:

Me: "I made a comment in class today! Did you hear me?"
Amanda: "No."
Me: "What? You jerk! I talked about China!"
Amanda: "I'm glad you talked about China."
Me: "You disappoint me."

the perfect day

I'm engaged!!!!!

:D :D :D :D

John proposed today when we went to the Draper temple open house. We were walking through, admiring the beautiful rooms, and then we got to the Sealing room. That was the last stop of the tour, so we sat down and one of the Hosts there spoke to us for a few minutes about the temple and what happens in a sealing room. Then, when he was finished, he invited us to take our time leaving. There are two mirrors exactly on opposite walls (a symbolism for eternity, since the images in the mirrors reflect back on each other and never end), and I wanted to look in them. So John and I hung back for the group to filter out a bit.

Then he told me that he had to ask the Host a question. So I sat there while he whispered something to him. I didn't know at the time, but he asked, "Could we have a moment alone? I'm going to propose." So the guy smiled and motioned for his wife to follow him out. Then, we were alone in the room.

We were standing there, looking in the eternity mirrors when I said, "How amazing is it that next time we will be in this room, looking in these mirrors, we will be getting married?" To that, John replied, "Well, we have a few things to take care of first. Like a proposal." Then, he turned to me and got down on one knee to ask me to marry him. We were both crying by this point, and I was trying to hug him, and he was trying to put the ring on. We finally coordinated and got the ring on and had a huge hug. I think I sputtered out many things during the slight confusion, but I couldn't remember if I had actually said "Yes" or not. So I repeated it to him about 10 times in between kisses and tears.

When we came out, the Host's wife came up to me and gave me a big "Congratulations, Honey!" and a huge hug. Many women around were also sighing and "aw-ing."

Right after we got out of the temple

Not many girls can say that they were proposed to inside a temple, in and actual sealing room!

I was so surprised. John had been playing a game with me for a few weeks and actually had me firmly believing that he was going to propose sometime next weekend during Dancesport and while my mom was going to be here. So I had no idea!

It was a perfect day, and a perfect proposal.


I love you, my dearest. And I am so excited to be your wife!

waltz

My partner, Trevor, and I were filmed dancing our waltz routine on Monday. This is the routine we'll be dancing in the National Amateur DanceSport next week! I'm super excited, and already starting to get nervous!



In other news, I'm super cheerful today. And I don't know why. I just woke up right at 7:00 this morning when my alarm went off completely awake and happy to be. I guess I don't need a reason to be happy, do I?


Quotes of the Day:

Amanda on her quiz: "Pillage to Mecca" (instead of pilgrimage, as one of the five pillars of Islamic faith)
Me: "I wanna pillage Mecca."
Amanda: "The Islams would kill you."
Me: "But... but, the pillars say I'm supposed to..."
Amanda: "haha... well then let's go pillage! ALLAH!!!"
Me: "Man, we're gonna burn."
Amanda: "By who? Who's gonna burn us? Not Allah."
Me: "Not by Allah. By the offended Islams."
Amanda: "Ya, we're being sent straight to Islamic Hell."

and

Article read aloud in class:
"One's afraid to touch oneself." (That's what she said)
"Like a woman being ravished by her lover."

and

Mr. Geography Dude: "I entertained her with my touch" (That's what she said)

and

Amanda: "I hope the peacocks dance and gobble on his grave."
Me: "Peacocks don't gobble."
Amanda: "Well, whatever that annoying crap that comes out of their mouth is."

ratatoullie

Geography was such a waste of time today. We watched a video about rat infestations in India. I think it talked about Indian culture for like, 3 minutes. And the rest was about how they kill them.

Whacking
Poison
Smoke inhalation
Sling shots
Electric fence
The furnace
Lizards
Crocodiles
Snakes

It was very brutal, and cruel, and disturbing. I didn't like watching it. And then sometimes they ate them... ew.

I mean, they have to kill the rats, but I don't want to watch them do it.


Quotes of the Day:

Amanda: "She likes pet rats in cages that don't eat your face."

and

Me: "This whole movie is just about watching rats die!"
Amanda: "Yes. Yes, it is."
Me: "This has nothing to do with Geography!"
Amanda: "No, it does not."

and

Amanda: "COME TO MY RAT FURNAAAACE!"

before bed

I'm too impatient for my own good.

Finding housing sucks. It's expensive and ghetto for what you get. At least I found a roommate... :) And I know I'll love this one.

Now I must get some sleep. Only 7 hours until my dance class.

Ciao.