My Cup Runneth Over

Today we had a wonderful church service. I had so many sweet moments where my mind as enlightened, my heart was full of gratitude and my spirit sang with joy that I had to record my strengthened testimony. It was called a "Come and See" and we were suppose to invite others to come and worship with us. I'm not so good at getting people to come but I did notice a lot of others had friends with them. Since it was palm sunday the talks and music focused heavily on Christ; His church, His atonement, His resurrection etc. Sacrament meeting was about 1 hour and 45 min but we didn't have any other classes after that. The speakers all did a great job. One sister read some of a talk Elder Wirthlin gave called "Sunday Will Come" I looked it up when I got home and re-read it. I just love this part...

"On that Friday the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies.

On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled.

It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.

I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world's history, that Friday was the darkest.

But the doom of that day did not endure.

The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.

And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.

Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come."

His words are so remarkably powerful! First, to think of the pain and suffering the Savior took upon himself so that I, me, all of us, despite our flaws, our weaknesses (and I have so many it seems) might conquer death as he did. That when we make mistakes we can pray for forgiveness and be forgiven. So that one day we can live with Him, our Father in Heaven, our earthly family, all of us, together. The most amazing gift someone could give, and at such a high price, he gave to us that Friday.

Second, to think that because Christ suffered all the sins of the world, he knows exactly how we feel when we come upon one of our own "fridays" in life. If we feel alone in our struggles and despair, we can truly turn to him as a source of strength, because he has overcome all. He knows what we are feeling and he wants to help us through. He wants us to come to our "Sundays" when tears are dried and praises are shouted. He is there, the whole time, all we have to do is be willing to accept his help. With him we can conquer our Fridays. Such an empowering thought.

Another talk was give by my friend Lizzie's husband, JT. He did a fantastic job as well. He spoke a lot about the restoration of the gospel. How the true church was taken of the earth just as Amos 8:11 said:

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:"

I thought about how lucky I am to have been born in a time when the truth has been restored to the earth. That I can worship my God how and when I want and not have to worry for my life as some have in the past. He also spoke of the First Vision and Joseph Smith. He mentioned how this vision taught us so much about the Godhead we didn't know or understand before. They were two separate persons made of flesh and blood. But the part I have just breezed by all they years and not thought much of is when Joseph says that "One of them spake unto me, calling me by name." They knew Joseph by name, they answered the humble prayers of a fourteen year old boy. Our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ know us personally. They know what is in out hearts and mind and they love us with a love that is so unconditional we as simple mortals can't even begin to understand. Thier love for us is all around. In the beauty of they sky and seas, in the melody of the singing bird, in the hope that the resorted gospel brings and in the joy that following the path and holding to the iron rod gives. They have provide a perfect plan for our eternal happiness.

The final speaker spoke about this perfect plan, the Plan of Salvation. So many times in my life I have felt joy because I never had to wonder who I was, where I came from or where I was going. I had all the answers in this simple plan, and i knew they were true. I know that my sprit lived in heaven before I came to this earth. I know that I chose from the beginning to follow Heavenly Father and Christ by agreeing to come to earth the be tested, we all did. I often think of my spirit in the pre-existence, what I was like, they type of relationship I had with my Father in Heaven. Sometimes I can feel my sprit burning to remind me of the life I had before the vail was placed upon me. Sometimes, usually when I'm in the temple, I feel like I get little waves of feelings I once had. A deep love for my Father in Heaven and a strong desire to do what is right, to make him proud of me. The plan of salvation also lays out a path for us to be with our family forever. This is another precious blessing I hold close to me. I love my parents, siblings, husband and his family so dearly. I can't imagine a life without them in it. Knowing that even when this life ends for some, we will all be together again, is such a sweet reminder of our Fathers love for us. He knows how deep his love is for us and he wants to be with us again. But he also knows how deeply we love each other and we too want to be with our earthly families again. So he has provided a way for us to do that. There is no greater blessing to me than knowing I have been sealed to my family, husband and our future children.

So as much as church was for others to be converted to the principles of the gospel I was once again converted to them myself. I need days like today when the picture is so much clearer, when the tasks of life don't fog up my eternal perspective. My heart yearns for others to come unto Christ and be filled with the same overwhelming joy I have.

We sang the Hymn "How Great Thou Art" as well today. I love this song so dearly because it puts the feeings of my soul so eliquently on paper.

When Christ shall come,With shouts of acclamation,

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow in humble adoration

And there proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

I can't wait to have this special moment with my Savior.

When I hear "Well done thou good and faithful servant...

enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

March Madness

So its the middle of march... you know what that means....

Dear March Madness,

Although I think your brackets are fun and exciting I do not appriciate that you have only been going on for a few hours and I am ALREADY being ignored by my husband.... Could you please do me a favor and hurry on through your sweet 16, elit eight, final four and whatever other fancy names your have for yourself...

Regards,

Me

Go BUCKS!

GO COUGS!

STORY: I couldn't get a hold of my husband all morning yesterday. He usually texts me in the morning to say hello, he didn't. I tried to call him at his desk but he didn't answer so I left a message (he always gets back to me quickly, not today) three hourse later I call again... no answer- I call his cell... no answer... At this point I realize I haven't heard from him ALL day. Since I watch CSI to much I though he was dead in a river somewhere. So I texted him to send me a quick text if he was alive. I get one back and it says "Of course I'm Ok. Been away from the desk. Watching Basketball." I get a call a while later this is how it goes...

Mike: Did you see the BYU game? They won it double overtime it was soo awesome.

Kris: NO... why would I.

Mike: WHAT!! You call yourself a basketball fan!!!

Kris: No, No actually I don't. Nor have I ever pretended to be a basketball fan.

Mike: WHAT?!?! Who are you?

He then stayed up till 1am watching basketball last night... What am I going to do with him?

The Luck of the Irish

I was really proud of myself for this cute little St. Patrick's Day display for Mike. I can't take all the credit for this great Idea. I found it on the Love Actually Blog (they have so many great ideas for a whole variety of things!) I hand cut out all the hearts. I think that impressed Mike the most! He really liked it!

(Please Note the :Kiss me I'm Irish shirt. I am 1/2 Irish, so I'll take that!)

I made the card too... my card making skills could still use some work. But Hey, I'm a beginner!

HAPPY late ST PATRICK'S DAY!!!

Baby Noah

A few weeks ago I through a baby shower for my friend Lisa. Well on March 1st, 2010 her sweet baby boy was born. I went to visit them in the hospital and feel in love with this little guy. I'm glad I've got a few months to prep myself before friend Lindsey has her baby. All these little ones are making me a little baby hungry (Don't tell my husband!)

Visiting them at the hospital

Such a sweetie

Baby Boy at 1 week and 6 days

Proud Mommy!

Jared and Marlye Visit

So last Thursday-Sunday (March 11th-14th) we had Mikes Brother Jared and his family come to visit us. (By the way-- WE LOVE visitors- so if you haven't stopped by yet-- DO IT!! :)

They got in late Thursday night so needless to say it was a quick hello then right to bed for me.

Friday during the day we took the kids to the mall so they could play in the children's play area. They seemed to really enjoy it. While I was at work Jared went to Mikes work so he could check it out. Guy thing I guess. That night after the kids were in bed we got some acquire in. :)

Saturday we had planned to go into the city. However, poor baby N woke up with a little fever so we decided to play it safe and stay local. Since the storm of the century was raging on outside we decided some indoor venues for children would be our best beat. It turned out the Stepping Stone Children's Museum in Norwalk was free that day (For any one local with kids who hasn't been there, you MUST go. I thought it was just the coolest place for kids. I had so much fun just watching them go at it.)

The kids really enjoyed the water room!
They had this awesome little funnel that had balls swirling around, the kids loved it!
This little steam machine was pretty cool as well!
Poor little guy.
They had fun room for toddlers to run around in and climb all over things.
The whole family.
After the museum we ventured down the road to "My Three Sons" which was a "Chucky-Cheese" want to be. I have to admit it wasn't really impressive but the kids still had fun. They got to play in a huge soft gym area as well as a few arcade games.

After that we took them to Stew Lenard's (the worlds Largest dairy store.) I think they were surprised at how child friendly and fun it really was. Then we of course had to take them to Lucky's our favorite little 50's diner down the street from us.

Sunday we hung out in our PJ'S and played around since church was cancelled. It really confused the kids not to have church but it still be Sunday and needing to do Sunday things. It was cute. After a great lunch and a drive around the wreckage of the storm it was time for them to head up to the Boston area.

We had so much fun having them with us for a few short days. Thanks for making the long drive out to see us you guys! I LOVE YOU!!

The good news is Mike's sister Becca and her "good friend" Aaron will be joining us for a short weekend in April!! Yay for family visiting!

The Unnamed Hurricane

So last saturday (March 13th, 2010) we had a horrible storm! I didn't realize how bad it was when it was actually going on. We had family in town so we braved the storm to take them out to have some fun. A few things should have been a sign though. Sign 1: When we got out of the car to go into the store the wind blew me so hard I felt it physically push me back. Sign 2: The stop light (not to be confused with a stop sign) was hanging by its cable in the middle of the street. I've never seen that before. Sign 3: The wind was physically moving the big mini-van. Sign 4: The shingles were flying off the roof of our complex.

Then we got a call from a few of our friends to give us the updates. My friends Aubri & Thomas had a tree fall on both of their cars. (To see her picture click HERE.) Luckily, they think the cars will be able to be fixed and not totaled as they originally though. Our friends Megan and Braden had a tree fall on their house. Not to mention when it happened our other friends Lindsey and Jared had just got their to pick them up (since they were already without power.) They had a scary experience with the tree falling which you should read HERE. Lindsey is a captivating writer and her stories are always awesome.

But still even then I didn't understand how bad it really was. The next morning I woke up to find church had been cancelled. Humm thats kind of serious. We felt a little adventurous so we loaded the family into the van and decided to take them on a tour of the majestic towns of Darien and New Canaan.

This is what we found....

The tree completely took out this house.

Tree had fallen on a power line and had entangled it.

SO MANY of the roads we usually take were completely blocked off.

These pictures don't even do the damage justice. The family I nanny for in New Canaan lost power at 3:00 pm Saturday and didn't get it back till Tues... many others just got power back yesterday. The kids didn't have school till thursday and even then they operated on a 90 min delay. I feel so lucky to not have been effected at all really. Especially since so many people were. The ward did a great job from what I can tell of helping all of those people in need out. Then I know the town of New Canaan was awesome at taking care of their community. I was really impressed by all of the effort to help others I saw. Today was the first time I was able to take my "normal" route to work so most things are back to normal.

The news reported winds got as high as 70+ miles an hour. That is strong enough to be a small hurricane.... CrAzY!!

First's

Sunday January 27th, 2008:

Mike and I met in the same building for church (The Hinckley.) I saw him while I was on my way out the door and got really nervous. I quickly checked my hair, outfit and panicked over whether or not I looked okay. We stood on the steps blocking traffic for a few minutes. I was in such a daze after seeing him. He was all I could think about for the rest of the day. That evening he called me. He asked me out for Wednesday night. This was one of my first dates on a weeknight. I was working 2 jobs and trying to keep my scholarships, so I was really nervous about how that would effect my grades. (OHH Major part of the story is missing... I had a "missionary." He was coming home in 8 months and the relationship with the guy before Mike essentially ended because of the missionary.) Anyways I really liked Mike already so I went on the date wed.

Wednesday Jan 30, 2008: Mike was really cute. He was also a pretty busy guy so he had made crock-pot stir fry (since I love Chinese) earlier that day (I should also note that although the meal was tasty this crock-pot stir fry has become a running joke to us.) He picked me up in a nice suit and lead me to his apartment. He had the table set up nice and served me my food like he was my waiter (towel over the right arm and everything.) He even had a little sparkling grape juice for us to enjoy. After our fantastic meal we went to the Rex to go bowling. Mike had a sack full of "handicaps" for each of our turns. For example "bowl with your eyes closed." It was a lot of fun and the thought he put into the date was sweet. We played another game without the handicaps and I WON!! (NOTE: This has never happened again, so I feel he may have let me win.) He mentioned that his sister-in-law beat his brother on one of their first dates. It was then that I had my first "what if he's the one" moment. We had so much fun just talking that we lost track of time and got kicked out of the Rex and barley made it home before curfew. It was a great date!! I was up late doing homework that night, the fact that he was all I could think about didn't help things either!!

Friday February 1, 2008:

I had been planning on going to a glow stick party with my roomies that night. We went out and bought stuff to make t-shirts and had a lot of fun getting ready together. I had Mike come over to say hello before we left. He was hanging out with his boys that night too (I was happy to see than on a Friday night he had not asked another girl out.)
I went to the dance but the whole time I was there, spending time with Mike was in the back of my mind. I was having a lot of fun with the girls... but really just wanted to go see him. I decided I would take a risk. I left the dance early and called Mike. I told him I was done and if he wanted to hang out I was in. I didn't know if that was being to pushy and wasn't really like me. But I did it, and he said "heck yeah, lets hang." (or something like that.) We went to the guys club house at the Ridge. We played ping-pong, air hockey...
and pool. It was a lot of fun. We had a little more serious conversation though. We talked about his plans for the future: AKA graduate in 2 months and hopefully find a job on the east coast. I still had 3 semesters on campus to get my degree in Early Childhood/ Special Education, but I could do my student teaching anywhere. We didn't talk about marriage at all (don't you worry.) We hadn't even held hands yet. I think we were both just feeling out the situation. Deciding if we could make things work between us if things kept going well... (and they did!)

Saturday Feb 2, 2008: We attended the broadcast of our beloved Prophet President Hinckley's funeral. It was really good to do something on a more spiritual level. We had some great gospel oriented conversations. I could tell he was a really good guy, who loved his Savior very much. That was important to me. He was looking more and more perfect every minute... After the funeral we went to lunch. We talked for a while (but I had to get back to go to work.) This time talking at lunch I got a little nervous for some reason. It didn't flow as well and I was scared I had done something wrong and wouldn't hear from him again... (I don't know why. I've talked to him about it and he has no idea what I was talking about. He thought everything was just fine.)

Sunday Feb 2, 2008: Mike called and asked if I wanted to go feed the ducks. I wasn't sure how I felt about such a thing... I hated to be cold and it was the middle of winter! But I did it anyways. It was a good excuse to spend more time getting to know him. I believe we hung out the rest of the evening!


The next week we were both fairly busy and didn't spend much time together. Well that's not completely true. We hung out in the 3rd floor of the Library. To all of you fellow BYU-I students you know that until a few semesters ago, that was "the place" to flirt and hang out on campus. We followed the trends of the time and did a lot of flirting in the library. He also asked me out on another date but I can't remember what day I think it was Tuesday. He made me another great meal. This time it was lasagna (I think.) Then we went to the movie "Enchanted" with his sister and her date. I wanted him to hold my hand so bad- but I settled with him putting his arm around me (yes the classic movie theater move.) We drove around to see if we could find people who still had Christmas lights on. We had made a bet on it. I said we would find a house with lights on it still and he said we wouldn't. I WON! I still don't think I have received a formal reward for this either.... (a food processor would be nice Mike... Hint/Hint)

Friday Feb 8th 2008: I had scene Mike in the Library that afternoon (before he had to go tutor.) He smelled sooo good! He sat a little closer to me and our hands would brush up against the others. He brought me peanut M&M's (my favorite) and helped me on a little of my homework. He mentioned he may call me later that night and wanted to know if my roommates would want to join him and his roommates. I recruited my roommate Alyssa to come with me (I couldn't go alone. Mike and I still weren't dating or holding hands so... it would be weird if I didn't take a friend. We were going to go see a comedy show, but it was sold out. It was at this moment I was introduced to the work "Frock." I wish I had never heard it. I now use it way more often than I should. I blame his roommies. Since the comedy show fell through we went to Bajio (a cafe rio want to be.) and picked up some dinner. Then we went to... you guessed it the Rex to do some more bowling (It was winter in Rexburg, ID what else is there to to?) While we were bowling I made my hand readily available to hold if the urge hit Mike... Apparently my act of desperation was well received. This was our first hand hold!! Picture beneath is the first time we held hands. Thanks to best friend Bobbers, who saw the moment and wanted to document it for us. So glad he did!! It was also this night that I was introduced to the art of the heat cave. A technique that is still very popular in our home today.

Saturday February 9th, 2008: I worked during the day and I believe I came out to a bouquet of flowers laying on the windshield of my car. I was really touched by this jester and called him immediately to thank him. He was modest about his act of thoughtfulness and told me he wasn't feeling very well. I asked him what he usually did and ate when he was sick. I think he was joking when he said he had people read him Dr. Seuss book's... but I took it seriously. I went out and got him his favorite foods and a Green Eggs and Ham to help him get through what ended up just being a headache. I think he was surprised by my act of kindness. I went to the Rexburg temple cultural performance than evening with my roommates then headed back over to his place to nurse him back to health... and maybe snuggle a little... but no kissing... :)

Sunday February 10, 2010: We went to the same session of the Rexburg temple dedication (so cool by the way.) He was an usher and so he tracked me down. I decided I would invite him over for lunch that afternoon. He had made dinner for me now twice and I, the homemaker, had not done this at all. I made him white bean chili, corn bread and fruit. He loved it. I think I may have won his heart because of this fact. He was especially happy about the corn bread though. We parted ways so that we both could take our Sunday naps. When we woke up-- somehow he convinced me to go fed the ducks again and THEN play in the snow... Obviously I was falling for this guys. It was making me do crazy things. I would NEVER willingly submit myself to the fridge temperatures of the Rexburg out doors!

Tuesday February 12th, 2008: That night the Vienna Boys Choir was preforming on campus. Since I had sung with them before and Mike knew I loved music he asked me to go with him and his roommates (they were going for FA 100.) We had horrible seats in the top row in the back. We spent most of our time passing notes and making jokes. Much to the chagrin of the people around us were there for the world renown singing group. lol. After the concert we drove around a little. This was our first DTR (determine the relationship.) We talked about the more serious issues at hand; my missionary (although Mike was far less concerned about him than I thought he would be... that was a relief), Mike's last serious relationship, the graduation situation and what we were looking for in a future EC (Eternal Companion.) For the FIRST time, we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. After this conversation I felt like I was floating on air... we floated right on over to Applebee's were we got dinner with a bunch of people. I was all smiles and giggles the rest of the night. I now had the GREATEST boyfriend in the history of boyfriends. :)

Thursday February 14th, 2008: OUR FIRST VALENTINES DAY--

-So it should be written that prior to Mike happening I had been planning a road trip down to Disneyland in Cali. with my roomies. Wed night (we were going to leave Thur) I told my roommates I couldn't go. I had this nagging feeling that I needed to stay. I felt horrible doing it, and they eventually forgave me... but now looking at everything that happened in the place of this trip I can tell it was the Lord moving our relationship in the direction He wanted it to take.

SO since I hadn't planed on being home for most of V-DAY I had to hurry and get on making some of the coolest V-DAY things EVER!! I got a chocolate rose and left it on his car for him to find in the morning. It had a note on it that said "Roses are Red, Violets are blue. This is my first, valentines gift for you." That morning after class I rushed to the craft store and wal-mart to get the things I needed. When I got home I quickly spray painted this box gold and left it out to dry while I went to work (on campus.) Thank goodness it was a slow day because I had time to work on my gift while I was there! After work I rushed back to my place and filled the box with Hersey's Hugs and Kisses. I also put strips of paper with song lyrics that made me think of him inside the box (the chocolate ended up tasting like spray paint!) I put some sparkly red hearts on it and sneakily dropped it off at his door step. Thirty minutes later he was at my doorstep with his own gifts to bestow. He game me a fun balloon, bear, candy, a v-day mug and a card written with conversation hearts. It was so cute. Then he took me to Quiznoes for lunch. It was a lot of fun seeing him in between work and classes. But alas the fun had to end, since we both still had classes to go to. That evening I went to dinner with my roommates at Fongs (the Chinese place in town.) Mike asked if he could meet us there. When he did he realized that my roommates didn't have valentines. So we quickly went to the store and he bought them all sweet valentines day cupcakes and we left them by their beds with a little note. I was so impressed that he thought about them, ANOTHER FEW POINTS for him!

After my roommates got home and we saw their reaction to his gift we went back to his place where I gave him his last gift. It was a bag full of stuff he needed... a compose for when I get lost in his eyes, a whistle to wake me up when I'm dreaming of him, a new thing of tennis balls because he loves the smell of them. I also filled it with his favorite candy and a ton of things I likes/admired about him. He loves all of it!! He couldn't stop saying Thank you for all of the sweet things I'd done for him that day. I knew I had done well!! That night as he walked me home he held me closer to him than he normally did. He gave me my usually set of hugs and goodbyes... BUT after the last hug he lingered then quickly leaned in and kissed me. I think fireworks erupted in the distance and felt his lips on mine for the FIRST time. It was wonderful! The prefect way to end a GREAT valentines day. When I walked inside the door I jumped up and down a zillion times to get all of the giddy energy out of me. I was way to happy. I don't think I feel asleep for hours since all I could do was replay that moment over and over and over again....
One thing I didn't mention about this perfect Valentines night was that he asked me if I wanted to go home with him to Utah that weekend (it was the 3 day Presidents day weekend.).... I was going home to meet his parents in T-minus 3 days!!!!

Once Upon a Time...

Thursday Jan 24th 2008 was a cold, wet day in Rexburg Idaho. I had a huge headache and was loaded down with homework I knew I would be up half the night doing. I had previously committed to helping out at the Rexburg LDS Temple open house. I was going back in forth on whether or not I would go or not. My body was telling me to stay home and sleep. If I was getting sick I needed to sleep it off fast, I didn't have time to be our of commission. The more I leaned towards not going the more I felt like I needed to go. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was suppose to be there that night. So I got all dressed up and me and my roommates headed to the temple...

It was a bitter cold night (as many January nights are in Rexburg.) I felt bad for the guys who had to work outside. We got our assignments and I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't be inside the temple, but in the halls of the church. Little did I know it was all for the good. After standing there for an hour I started to notice the same cute guy walking past me. Each time I would smile at him. I knew he was a volunteer outside in the cold parking lot because of his vest and the gloves. Unfortunately, because of the gloves I couldn't tell if he was married (I'd ht on way to many married men over the course of the 3 years I'd been at school and I was done making that mistake.) Finally after 2 1/2 hours this cute guy came up and started talking with me. His name was Mike and we quickly found some things in common and talked for a good half hour (keep in mind this left his poor friend Bobbers out in the cold a lot longer than planned.) Finally, he asked for my number, just in case he and his friend wanted to stop by. I figured it wouldn't turn into anything, although I was pretty attracted to him. He lived at the Ridge and since the guys that lived there were well known for being 'players.' I didn't think he would call. (It should be noted I lived at the Ridge too... so it was wrong of me to judge.) Luckily, that night he sent me a few texts... After than I was a little more positive.

Friday Jan 25th, 2008: I had a date planned with the guy I had just broken up with two weeks prior. I got a voicemail from Mike at about 6pm that evening asking if I wanted to go on a date. (I still have the voicemail saved on my phone and it is cute to listen to him stumble over his words.) I called him back right a way and worked out a plan to have him pick me up at 8:17pm that night. We walked back to his apartment (it was just one building away.) I was introduced to all of his roommates and the couple we would be doubling with. Then we headed to "Frontier Pie" where we would have dinner. This is an important part of the story because it is were my nickname hails from. We couldn't decide what to get for dinner so we all closed our eyes and pointed to something on the menu. The other girl got Liver and Onions and we all tried it (yuck!) I got the quiche... which was actually pretty good. Mike and his Best friend Dave (more affectionately known as Bob or Bobbers) have a thing with nick-names. On our way to the movies Bob named me "Keesh" in honor of my dinner and it fit. Dinner was a lot of fun. I enjoyed getting to know him better and he made me laugh so hard, which I loved.

We went to see "I am Legend." Mike had already scene it so it was obviously a ploy to get me to pull him close to me when I got scared. It work. I was so intoxicated by the smell of his cologne and his rock hard arm muscles I could barely keep my emotions in check... but I did. We didn't even hold hands! He was the perfect gentleman. I did hang on to his arm tight when I got scared and he had his hand on my knee every once in a while when I was really tense. But that was all. I knew this guy was different and I was excited to get to know him.
(This is not a picture from that night but the exact machine.) After the movie mike proved his skills at electric jump ropes. I was impressed when he got the jackpot on the second try. I was home right before curfew and the door step scene wasn't awkward at all. He gave me a hug and went on his way. He texted me right before he went to bed. This started a nightly ritual or late jokes through texts.

Saturday Feb 26th, 2008 - I was working long saturday nights at Craigo's back then. I came home afterwork (with an amazing cookie monster for my roomies and I to share) and my roommates said there was something on my bed. I ran back to see what it could be. There was a single flower with a note attached to it. It was from Mike letting me know what a great time he had the night before. It was at this moment I knew this was going to be something special.

A Year and a Half

Feburary 23rd was Mike and I's one and a half year anniversary. (I would have liked to put this post up 2 weeks ago closer to the actual date... but hey.) In honor of our blessed union I feel it appropriate to write some things I have learned about my husband over the past 1 1/2 as well as some things I really love about him.

- He has the most sensitive belly button. You even come close to him and he tenses up.

- He does not like to shave and takes any opportunity he has to be "scruffy."

- He HAS to shower first thing in the morning EVERYDAY or he is cranky

- He is a cover hog (but I am a bed hog.)

- He is an extremely hard worker. He really gives 110%, I'm so impressed by him.

- He is willing to do anything to keep me from crying (even keep the cats he may be allergic to because he knows how much I love them.)

- He HAS to get out and play basketball, golf or something that gets him moving at least once a week, or he gets antsy

- He is a lot more tidy than I am

- He is really good at calming me down when I get upset

- He loves his Heavenly Father and tries his hardest to live the way He would have him live.

- He LOVES to learn new things. Every few months he gets really into something and he does research, reads books and follows through with what he's learned. (For example, he has done AWESOME at investing in the stock market.)

- He's really great at staying in touch with people. He calls friends and family a lot more frequently than I do.

- When I ask him to cook dinner or do something else for me, he completely takes the reigns on the situation and gets it done well.

- I've yet to meet someone who doesn't like him or someone HE doesn't like. He just looks for the good in people and goes from their.

- He's pretty dang funny, but its in his own unique sense of humor.

- He HATES doing laundry BUT he doesn't mind taking out the trash and vacuuming (my two least favorites

- When he sets his mind to something, it gets done and it gets done well.

- The way to his heart is by serving him, thats how he knows you love him.

My husband is the greatest and I love him so much for so many reasons. I'm so lucky that I get to keep him for eternity!

Here are a few more pictures from our special day.

The Columbus Ohio Temple , where my grandpa sealed us for time and all eternity.

Mike has some really great friends/family and we were lucky to have them in Ohio with us for our special day.

My two best friends from high school on both sides of me and my best friend/roomie from College Sarah.

(Should be noted Mike has a new ring now. We thought he lost it so we bought a new one. Three months later we found it under the fridge where Epp's must have "hid" it from us.

The head table

Bobbers giving the toast

I got him soooo good!

Mike and his wonderful Grandma Dayton

(My brother caught this)

(And my sister caught that)

I love this picture. My wonderful mommy and I.

I think everyone had a lot of fun!

Since I started this blog a while after we got married I don't have any of "Our story" written down for our posterity. :) So I think the next few posts will be on that.