Busy

So this might be sad, but I'm so busy with work, wedding planning and life in general that my email inboxes are way too full. I have 64 emails in one and 79 in the other. This drives me crazy, because I'm one of those people who cleans out my inbox as soon as I've read or addressed the email. Hopefully I will find some time this week to clean out my inboxes and get around to posting about my fun adventures this last weekend in Chicago. Until than, know I'm busy, but still doing great!

Wedding Plans

So I've definitely been busy lately, but I think that things are going really well as far as wedding plans are concerned.

• I know who I'm marrying...

My Love!

• We know when we're getting married... JULY 9, 2011
• We know where we're getting married...

the Newport Beach Temple, California

• We got our marriage license last weekend, so it'll be official
  

• We picked colors...Honestly not sure what he thinks about the bright pink. Kind of surprised myself as well, cause I'm not a huge "pink" girl, but I think it will be fun for a summer wedding and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE limes.

• I got my dress...

NO PICTURES (JUST IN CASE HE READS THIS)

• I got the PERFECT shoes last week and I am so excited to wear these...
• He got a suit and will be all spiffed up for the big day. Sadly no picture, although I'm sure we will have lots later.
• We had engagement pictures taken by the ever so talented Annie Richardson and can't wait to see all of them, here are a few teasers...
• We are lucky enough to have my brother working on the design of the invite for us, when he's not busy with school and his own life that is.

• We are fortunate enough to know two wonderful families that are opening their homes to us. One for the reception in California and the other for the open house in Phoenix.

• We registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target. I know now not to let him have the gun unless I want really random things as gifts. (I learned how to remove things online so they aren't there any more.)
  

• We know where we are going on our honeymoon...

• more specifically Banff, Canada... It might be one of the prettiest places on earth and nothing beats 80 degrees in the summer (especially when Phoenix will be 110+)

• We know where we are going to live and what needs to be down before we can. So glad that I don't have to move, mostly what we need is a little paint and some furniture.

It's all coming together which is good, cause it's almost two months from the big day. Can't believe it.

I'm SO excited

Finally

So depending on how much you know about the situation this could mean a couple different things...

1. Yes, I'm FINALLY getting around to posting about my engagement (we've been engaged for 3 weeks now), and
   
2. Yes, Dan FINALLY asked me to marry him (I've known him for 5 years, but we've dated on and off, that's just one response we've gotten from people)

So yes, this guy...

(from our trip to Gunlock in February)

asked me here...

(Mesa Temple)

if I would marry him here...

(Newport Beach Temple)

and gave me this....
when I said YES.
Anyways I guess it's probably good to tell a little of the story. I meet Dan in my singles ward when I moved here five years ago. After some friendly banter at a family home even where we played bunko with the ward, I decided to invite some people over for volleyball at my place, needless to say I made sure that he was invited. Evidently my plan worked, because shortly after that Dan called and asked me out on our first date. We ended up going to the Phoenix Art Museum downtown. It was a great date, because it gave us the opportunity to walk around and spend some time talking with one another. That is one of the things that I really like about Dan is the fact that we can talk, talk about anything and everything. Actually it's usually him talking and me listening, but that's how I like it. Anyways, it wasn't long after that we started dating. Dating was good, we both enjoy doing things outside and so always found plenty to do. During that time I meet his family here in Arizona, and he traveled home to meet mine in California, when my brother left on his mission. We dated for a few months before we broke up. Now fast forward 10 months later and guess what... we are dating again. (Guess you always go back to the things that are good). Once again dating went well, we spent time getting to know one another, we definitely had our good days and our bad days, but I think everyone does in any relationship. We dated again for a few months, at which point we were starting to talk about getting married. Although Dan is obviously the "right" person for me that was not the "right" time. Fast forward two and a half years and guess what here we are again. But now not only is it the "right" person but it's the "right" time. We started dating again in December, although we started out slow, mostly because of the history. We've spent more time getting to know one another, I'm always surprised at how easy it is to talk to him after having not dated for so long. Needless to say we have been busy spending the last three weeks trying to get everything planned and organized so that we can be married in the Newport Beach Temple on July 9th, 2011. Although I'm busy, I'm still very much looking forward to everything this change will bring to my life and the new life that I will be able to create with Dan.

Spring is here...

At least it is in Phoenix. It's starting to warm up (which really only means that summer is coming), but I LOVE the smell of citrus blossoms that fills the air at this time of year. If I could bottle that scent and have it all year long I definitely would.

The nerd in me....

Wants to wish all of you a happy PI DAY! (3.14...) Go out and celebrate with a piece of pie :)

Good Thought

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

I heard this and thought that it was a wonderful question. I think it's good to do new things because it stretches me as a persona and I grow in ways that I never imagined. So here is to doing something for the first time more often.

So yes I did have the day off and I feel like not only have I been able to catch up on my blog, but I was also able to finish the book that I started reading sometime last summer. (Yes, I know I'm a slow reader, always have been, but that doesn't stop me.) The book is called "The Paradox of Choice- Why More is Less". It's written by Barry Schwartz. Even though it was a slow read it was definitely an interesting read. The book is mostly about the idea that having more decisions isn't necessarily a good thing. As the book discusses, more decisions can lead to more time making decisions and ultimately depression. I think my favorite part of the book was at the end (and no I'm not ruining it for you if you want to read it). There is a cartoon of two fish in a fish bowl. The parent fish says to the other fish "You can be anything you want to be - no limits" The author goes on to explain this idea

"Living in the constrained, protective world of the fishbowl enables this young fish to experiment, to explore, to create, to write its life story without worrying about starving or being eaten. Without the fishbowl, there truly would be no limits. But the fish would have to spend all its time just struggling to stay alive. Choice within constraints, freedom within limits, is what enables the little fish to imagine a host of marvelous possibilities.

I think that it is this last idea that I connected most to. Even though this wasn't a church book in any way shape or form the idea of "choice within constraints and freedom within limits" is how I feel about living the commandments that have been giving to me by my Heavenly Father. I know that some people feel like living the commandment can be restricting on choices that I have in life, but I feel like living the commandments opens up a "host of marvelous possibilities". Anyways even though it took me so long to read, it was still a good read and I would highly recommend it. By the way this should be the last blog of the day :)

Christlike Love

So February is a month of Love. This February I wanted to focus on Christlike love.

"Love is what inspired our Heavenly Father to create our spirits; it is what led our Savior to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for our sins. Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of hope. As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit."

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

So in hopes that I can share this Christlike love with those around me this month, I made a goal to do at least one act of service each day. Not only to spread the love of the Lord, but also so that I might be more receptive to the Spirit. Here's to a month of Love- True Christlike Love.

Maybe next year...

So I get emails from REI periodically about what is going on here in Phoenix. Something this week caught my eye. It was the Scavenger Dash. It's basically an amazing race for a day in your local city. I think that not only would it be tons of fun and probably a cool way to discover your city. Each team of two is given different clues for tasks that they have to do and complete to "finish" the race. Unfortunately I already have stuff going on this weekend (running a 10K), but I'll definitely have to keep this in mind for next year. You should check out if there is one close to you and let me know how it goes.

Gratitude

So these thoughts come from a combination of something that my sister posted and something that President Thomas S. Monson talked about during General Conference this last weekend. President Monson said that

"We need to focus on our blessings rather than focus on the things we lack"

So I've been thinking a ton this week about the things that I am grateful for and trying to think of ways that I could express that gratitude. So here is a list of things that I am grateful for (in no particular order):

1. a job that challenges me
   
2. my house
3. my car
4. my health
5. wonderful supportive parents
6. concerned grandparents
7. my siblings
   
8. the gospel
9. good friends
10. opportunities to travel
11. cooler weather
12. the rain
13. plants in my backyard that are still alive
14. orange Thai silk flats that go with anything
15. my favorite jeans
16. playing ultimate frisbee with friends
17. cleats when I play ultimate frisbee
18. air conditioning
19. good music
20. my piano and the ability to play it
21. my Savior
22. the Temple (specifically the Mesa Temple)
23. the daily reminders that I have a Heavenly Father that loves me
24. Thanksgiving with the family
25. airplanes that make travel possible
26. my journals (they are funny to go back and read... crazy to see how I have changed)
27. my computer
28. my camera
29. my memory (even though I wonder if I'm losing it sometimes)
30. the beauty of the earth around me
31. family vacations and all the good memories
32. good books
33. the ability to change and grow

I'm sure there are more I'll just have continue to add to this list.

Grammar Too!

So I was kindly reminded today that I am NOT an English person. I know that spelling has never been my forte. But even with the invention of spell check I realized that I am still no good. I might be able to spell the words correctly, but that doesn't mean that I got the word right. Grammar has also never been my forte either. Glad that at least I'm good at math.

Hot weather

So I was excited about the fact that is was September because we were suppose to be done with the 100 degree weather... well I guess that was only true for 6 of the 30 days. So here is to hoping that it actually cools down in October.

It's September!

So that means a couple things. First it means that we are nearing the end of the summer so we shouldn't have too many day over 100 degrees anymore. Second it means the start of college football. So excited for both of these things.

Desert Industries

So today I was asked to work at the Desert Industries here in Phoenix. During the 4 hour shift that I was there I spent all my time organizing three sections in the store. I started by organizing the picture and frames, than did the office supplies and finished with the crafts. So I realize that what I organized will only probably stay organized for a little while, but I will say that it was a little therapeutic for me to see what was craziness at the beginning and have something that was organized and clean at the end.

Kind of cool

So I realize that he's family to me so I might be a little biased, but I think that my brother's work is pretty good. Check out his website.

100,000

I must drive my car all over the place, because yesterday I reached 100,000 miles. My 90,000 milestone for the car was this last February... so that means in 4 months I've driven 10,000 miles. Good things I have such a reliable car.

Here's to my next 100,000 miles!

Love this!

Even though I'm technically not a youth... I still love this thought given my President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. Please watch this link! (I can't get the video to embed)

Spring is here

I love it, because the flowers in my garden are going crazy. It makes me so happy to have all the bright colors.

How I feel

I was reading this morning and these words stuck out to me, because it says so well how I feel.

"the gospel of Jesus Christ means everything to me. It means everything to me. It is my whole life. It is my hope and my safety and my quest for salvation. It is everything that I want for my children and my children's children." -Elder Jeffery R Holland. Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, February 10, 2007.

One by One

First of all I need to say that I LOVE the temple. There is such a peace that comes when I am there. The temple has been closed for the past two weeks, so when I was able to go yesterday I really enjoyed just being there. There is a painting that I always look at as I leave the temple. It's one of Christ teaching and blessing the children on the American continent during his visit here. (I couldn't find the painting that was in the temple, but I also love the one above.) I think I love the painting so much, because it reminds me of one of my favorite parts of the Book of Mormon. It's 3 Nephi 17:11-12, 21-24. It's were Christ commands that the children be brought to him. He takes the children and blesses them one by one. That phrase one by one really stood out to me yesterday when I was reading there and in 3 Nephi 11:13-17 where Christ commands all the people to come forth and touch the nail prints in his hands and feet. I think that both of these passages help remind me that both my Savior Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father know who I am and want to have that one on one relationship with me. That as an individual I am important, that includes my thoughts, prayers, hopes, dreams and fears. It's important for me to remember that as I draw myself closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ, that it's me that's important to them. That they know me. I can't wait for the day when I, like those in the Book of Mormon, will be able to stand before Christ and see the nail prints in his hand. Until then I will continue to work on building a relationship one on one with my Savior Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father.