i { heart } zachary!

i haven't been active in posting on this internet journal of mine! no wonder, because no one probably looks at it anymore, but i figure that since i'm so horrible at writing in my physical journal, i might as well type some of the stuff too!
i've been on and off tinder for a couple of years now and had met and dated a couple of other men that i'd met on the app. on november 29 last year, i received a message from a man named zachary!

i was getting ready for bed but being the polite woman that i am...i decided to chat with the guy for a few minutes! ;)

after chatting for a few minutes, i fell asleep for the night! however, i wanted to keep talking with this guy, so i messaged him as soon as i could!

and everyday following, we talked and talked and talked! he got my number on november 30, and like the cool cat that he is, asked me out and our first date was december 3! we went to in n out in american fork at 1:30pm for lunch and didn't leave until 8!!! we talked the entire time about our lives and got to know each other! it was amazing to be able to get along so well right off the bat with the man i would come to love and eventually marry! we literally spent 12 hours together that first night! so crazy! i remember texting my best friend afterwards and she and her husband got goosebumps just from that detail alone! zach and i talked everyday after that date! our second date was the following tuesday night and that was also the night of our first kiss! 

we haven't gone an entire day without seeing each other since that second date and i wouldn't have it any other way! 

zach is such a generous, happy, and fun-loving guy! the fact that he puts me first and treats me like a queen was, surprisingly, a little hard for me to adjust to! even now, when he tells me how beautiful i am, i doubt it (only in the slightest) but i know he means it with all his heart which makes me feel so incredibly lucky and blessed to have found such a wonderful man! this is how i knew i wanted to keep as mine for forever! 

as i was starting to date zach, i was holding back a lot and really trying my hardest not to like him as much as i really did and my friends let me know that they noticed and knew how i really felt. however, i didn't want to scare zach off and i also felt like i needed to take my time with this relationship because others had failed as i dived headfirst with all the excitement in the world. so i was super surprised when after a week of seeing and talking to zach except to sleep, he told me he loved me and we were starting to seriously talk about getting married!  and obviously this made me feel excited and oh-so giddy, but another thing that i needed to guarantee before i moved forward was that he was loved by both friends and family! so he met my family on christmas day and was welcomed whole-heartedly, then met and passed the best friend and her family's approval on new years day! 

he didn't get my parent's permission until february, but as soon as he did, he made our engagement official! february 5th, he proposed at the Provo Temple! 

zach also chose our wedding date...he's a bit of a geek and says he needed a good day to help him remember our anniversary! can't blame a guy for being smart! ;) plus it made for a little bit of fun while planning the wedding!

I { heart } NY

Just took a much needed trip to NY after taking all my finals! (Only failed one class, other than that, I'm good!)
I took a red-eye flight Friday to meet up with 3 of my sisters and my mom who had already been there several days. I wasn't expecting to see a lot, but I did and I loved every minute of it! The people were fantastic and helpful and kind, the food was delicious, the buildings were ginormous, the shopping was exciting, the sights were amazing! I can't wait to go again and see everything else!

one of those days...

Yes, it's one of those days where I'm down and some of the communication I've had with other human beings hasn't been all that great. Anyways, right now I'm reading through the diary of Anne Frank and came across the entry she wrote on January 30, 1943. I cannot believe how relatable people are across time periods, situations, etc. We all have some of the same frustrating moments and feelings which I appreciated in this case. 

         "I would like to shout to Margot, Van Daan, Dussel-and Daddy too-'Leave me alone in peace, let   

          me sleep one night at least without my pillow being wet with tears, my eyes burning and my   

          head throbbing. Let me get away from it all, preferably away from the world!' But I can't do that, 

          they mustn't know my despair, I couldn't bear their sympathy and their kindhearted jokes, it 

          would only make me want to scream all the more. If I talk, everyone thinks I'm showing off; 

          when I'm silent they think I'm ridiculous; rude if I answer, sly if I get a good idea, lazy if I'm 

          tired, selfish if I eat a mouthful more than I should, stupid, cowardly, crafty, etc., etc...I would   

          like to ask God to give me a different nature, so that I didn't put everyone's back up. But that 

         can't be done. I've got the nature that has been given to me and I'm sure it can't be bad."

Such comfort comes from words of another's frustration and clarity about a certain feeling or situation, and what joy comes to me for seeing such a response and learning from it.

it's a sign...

I've decided that I desperately need a new job. Don't get me wrong, working from home in my sweats has been a blast for over the past year and a half, but it's gotten old and FAST!
Today, as I was talking to a lady who was crying over not having her TV service, I thought about how seriously degrading it is to get yelled at because someone can't watch the latest episode of Dora The Explorer and how I'm about ready to just dump all my work stuff at the back door of my work and say SEE YA!
If only it were that simple...

Life as of late has had some added events:

{1} Morgie was sent off to the MTC in Provo on
       April 10th. She's doing well and I'm just a teenie
       bit jealous of her, but only a teenie bit. She's
       been in there 3 weeks now, still waiting for that
       Visa to come along. She'll get it for sure!
{2} My parents are selling their house and its
       officially on because that sign's out in the front!
       They chose to downsize a bit and get a rambler,
       but don't worry. Yours truly will still be living in
       the basement! ;)
{3} I've decided to take a hiatus from University. I'm
       not doing well academically/physically (more on
       that later) so I've decided just working now and
       taking care of my health will be my priorities for
       a while.

There you have it! All the excitement and happiness scrunched into 3 little points!

Catch ya later!

dare to dream - disney on ice 2013

Saturday, March 9th, Lauren got to go see Disney on Ice with Morgan, Samantha and myself! It was a pretty awesome show! They showcased the stories of Tiana from "The Frog Princess", Cinderella, and Rapunzel from "Tangled"! We had a pretty awesome time thanks to Mom and Dad, who were generous enough to pay for the tickets! 

updates & happenings

So, it has been a while since my last post. I guess posting something every Friday was never gonna happen from this girl! ;) However, I have been busy and balancing school and work and chillin' with awesome family and friends has been the greatest thing that has happened during the year 2013!
This year (on January 23rd to be exact), I turned 25! My best friends, together with my family, threw me a surprise party! I have to say, it was the best surprise ever because they really did surprise me! Here's a few clips from our little shindig! It was complete with waffle bar, Big Bang Theory quotes, and Minute to Win It games!

 (photos courtesy of Eyes Wide Open Photography, aka my bff's Nick n Erica Thruman!)

schooling...oh man! I can't fake it, so I'm just gonna say it! It's been rough! I had registered for 4 classes this semester, determined to get almost all of my general ed classes done this semester, but because of a job opportunity, I dropped 2 of them. I can't say it was the best decision, I didn't end up getting the job, but it's been a blessing because i've been around to help my family while we're preparing to send Morgan on her mission and babysit and what-not! Plus, it's gotten kind of rough because I've just not had the gumption, but after a quick chat with my advisor I've got the feeling that I can get this stuff done! Let's hope so!
And to end this quick update, here's a few pictures from my phone, which is the best thing ever invented because  now I don't have to carry a camera everywhere! ;)

Top Left: (this was last year, but who cares?!) My little sister Morgan was called to serve in the Lima West Mission!! She leaves in 41 days and it will be a bittersweet moment to see her off!

Middle Left: Morgan went through the Mt. Timpanogus Temple to receive her endowments and it was the first time I've attended the temple with 2 of my younger sisters!

Bottom Left: My dad can't catch a break, or his car rather. It's had random smears of paint on it in the past, but he found this little gem on his windshield one day after work, and now that his car has

decided to unlock itself, someone decided to peruse through his glove box and take the .25 cents 

he had.

Top Right: We've been seeing a lot of this little guy since his mom has taken a job at The Gap over by Cabela's in Lehi! It's been fun to see so much of him! He's a hoot!

Bottom Right: I'm attempting to grow my hair out. This is where I'm at in the process. I was trying to avoid the hair salon until my mom made me an appointment and bribed me to go by paying for it! ;)