A Tribute to My Mr.

Today marks 68 days until our wedding and as the days and the months quickly pass by I just can't seem to stop myself from thinking how blessed I am to be marrying this man. And quite frankly, I hope I never stop feeling lucky, feeling loved, feeling like I'm in exactly the relationship I dreamt of my entire life.

 

Life is definitely not bubble gum and roses every moment but it's because of that fact, because there will be moments when I'm angry, moments when we fight, moments when things don't go my or our way, that make our love so special. I cannot wait until the day that I get to call J my husband but even more than that, I can't wait to live my life together with him because I know it is exactly where I need to be.

 

Source: spicedsweetroasted.blogspot.com via Jayme on Pinterest

 

I love you babe, and I can't wait to be your wife!

Tying the Knot: The Proposal

Christmas day started out like any normal year. 

Opened presents at my mom's house with her and my sister, made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and got ourselves ready for the day. Starting last year my mom and sister came to J's house with me to celebrate with his extended family and this year was no different. We arrived at their house around 11, chatted with his Grammy/aunt/cousins/sisters and got settled in for the day of festivities. 

This picture was taken at probably 11:30.... 

way before I had any idea what was going to happen

Five years ago we started the tradition of Homemade gifts. Each person busts out their creative side, the hot glue gun, glitter, styrofoam, etc etc etc to make one homemade gift. We play it almost like white elephant (no trading allowed) where we draw numbers and each person gets their choice of present until they're all gone. It's always been very entertaining to see the amazing and sometimes last minute things that people bring and we always try and guess who made what. 

Here's J with his Rein-beer and 40oz-Santa courtesy of his cousin. 

Well little did I know but this year J rigged the homemade gift giving. 

He had two sets of numbers that we all picked from. He had made one set of all number 13's and asked me to pick my number first making me get the last number in the group. Then as he turned the corner to have everyone else draw he replaced all the 13's with the normal 1-12 for the rest of the family. At the same time his mom went around telling everyone except me not to choose a specific gift, the one with two bows on it. She said she had a surprise so no one knew what was coming. 

The moral of the story is that I ended up picking last and the only gift left was J's.

Inside of the gift bag that I received was an old tennis ball tube and inside that tube was the gift that J made. He had taken the base of a Ring Pop (of course he ate the candy first) and built a 6in styrofoam snowman on top of it. Everyone got a good laugh at it, I joked with J telling him he didn't do a very good job cleaning up the styrofoam from the craft room at home, and even tried to fit this snowman ring on my pinky finger. 

At this point I still had absolutely no idea that anything was going to be different. There had been gifts much worse, much more obnoxious and much less creative in years before so I thought nothing of this silly snowman on a ring pop. 

Then J says "I actually made another ring, do you want to see it?"

Still oblivious I responded with "you made two of these?"

But as he stands up, pulls a ring box out of his pocket and tears flood his eyes I knew!

He talked about how we met four and a half years ago and how I'm his best friend. 

He said he loves me with his whole heart 

and he can't wait to spend the rest of his life with me. 

And then he said those four little words... 

Will you marry me!?

I was so in shock and so beyond surprised. I didn't think this day was coming for a long time and I was literally left speechless. J was crying, I was crying, our families were crying and all I could do was hold onto the man that I was going to spend the rest of my life with. At one point someone actually said "Is that a yes?!" to which I yelled "Of course!"

J and I knew a long time ago that we were meant to be together forever and I am so excited that this day has come. It couldn't have been a better day! A Christmas proposal surrounded by our new big family followed by a champagne toast, more happy tears, and an absolutely perfect and beautiful ring.

And yes, incase you were wondering, he did go to Jared's. ;-)

This will be a day I remember forever. 

12/25/2011

2011 In Review

2011 has been one of those years that I will remember for the rest of my life. I am so happy I decided to do this post because it made me look back at all the pictures, stories and memories I've created in the past year and how special each and every moment was. 

So take a look back with me....

+ Our after-Christmas/New Years vacation to Waikiki on Oahu, HI. I feel so blessed to be able to go to such a beautiful place with someone I love so much. 

 + I celebrated my 22nd birthday (the 4th one celebrated with J) and was spoiled rotten! 

 + Our poor Ollie got horrible blisters on his feet but did so well as they healed and

+ We spent far too long without furniture waiting for the new stuff to arrive

 + J's birthday was spent with friends from out of town, lots of margaritas and days spent relaxing by the pool. 

 + We graduated! It was a long four years with lots of stress, studying, and wondering when it was going to end but I finished my bachelors degree and J finished his masters. 

 + We spent lots of time taking our pup swimming in the ocean. He loves it so much it's hard to get him out. 

+ J and I celebrated our 4 year dating anniversary! I cannot believe how quickly the time has past and how many amazing memories we've created together. I love that man!

 + We got to spend some time back in CO this summer to celebrate the wedding of two of our great friends. While the drive from SD to CO is never fun we wouldn't miss trips like this for anything.

 + After a lot of stressful paperwork, specific deadlines and lots of finger crossing we finally bought and moved into our first house! We have loved being able to do whatever we wanted in the new house and there's nothing quite like home. 

 + We've done lots of work since we moved but it is all so worth it. A yard for our pup to play in and a guest room to host family and friends.

+ Now that we have this amazing new house we decided to host Thanksgiving for my mom and sister. Our turkey was a big success, I made homemade gravy for the first time ever and we spent some time at the beach. Noting says Thanksgiving like the sun and the sand!

+ The holidays are definitely my favorite time of the year and I was so excited to finally be able to decorate outside as well as inside wherever and however I wanted. I can't wait to make holiday traditions in our new home. 

+ And last but definitely far from least.... J and I got engaged on Christmas Day 2011. I promise that I will do a post soon specific to the details about this but lets just say I have never been happier in my whole entire life. I cannot wait to start planning this wedding and continue to grow our lives together!

Thanks 2011.... 

for an amazing, spectacular, whirlwind year that I'll never forget. 

Our Anniversary

This past Friday was J and my four year dating anniversary and it was so amazing to be able to celebrate yet another year with my love. In case you missed it, I did a quick look back on the past anniversaries we've shared as well as a "getting to know you" post about us as a couple.

I unfortunately had to open at work on Friday which meant I was up at 4:30am! (That is a ridiculous time, I agree.) But thankfully, I was done by 1 and we were able to start our fabulous day together. We started with lunch and games at Dave & Busters. Nothing says fun to a competitive couple like us than trying to be the one with the most tickets.

I got J addicted to these games where you try to knock coins off different levels, we battled in basketball shooting and ski ball and eventually walked away with two plastic cups and two laffy taffies from our winnings.
We came home to shower and get ready for the rest of our evening which ended up turning into a quick power nap for me. I'm actually really surprised that I didn't fall asleep at the dinner table that night with the little sleep I got the night before and the busy day we had. (I'm definitely an 8+ hour sleeper.)

Then it was off to dinner, Mongolian BBQ to be exact! One of our first dates together was to a similar place in downtown Denver so it made for the perfect choice. And boy was it delicious. You help yourself to meats, veggies, etc etc and build a huge bowl of whatever you please. For me it was chicken and beef, carrots, peppers, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, tomatoes, and peas. Top it off with a heaping portion of noodles and create your own sauce combination depending on your spice preference. Then you hand your bowl to someone standing around a huge round grill top and they cook it right there in front of you. Once it's perfect you take it to your table which has already been served with rice and bread and you eat!
Tell me how that doesn't look amazing to you!? It's an all-you-can-eat place so you aren't limited to one bowl but my eyes were bigger than my stomach with the first one that I couldn't even clean my plate. If we go back I'll start small and have the option to try something completely different for bowl number two. It was great trying something newish with J while talking about our fun memories together and enjoying spending a night out.
We finished the night at a country line dancing bar sorta near our apartment. We've been meaning to go there for a while now but hadn't because we didn't know what to expect. Like I mentioned in a previous post, our first date was to a similar place but it's interesting how different things are in different states.

It took us a few Bud Light Limes little while to get confident enough to attempt the crazy California dances but eventually we were out there kickin up our heals and as J calls it "cutin the rug." J thinks that every person who owns a cowboy hat in San Diego was at the bar that night (CA is very different than CO in that sense) and we spotted many tight pairs of jeans, big belt buckles and even a handle bar mustache.
We laughed and smiled and truly had an amazing night! Being out on that floor together showed us a fun side of our relationship that it's sometimes easy to forget about with the regular stresses of life. We connected, fell in love a little bit more, and I couldn't have asked for a better night of celebration.

Here's to 60+ more years together!

The J & J Breakdown

+ J and I started dating the summer of 2007, right after my senior year of high school. But we had actually known each other for some time before. I believe we first met the summer of 2005 while we were both working at the same out door pool. It was actually the pool (we were both lifeguards) that brought us together in 2007.

+ We are both from Colorado and actually share the same hometown. We cherish the change in weather there, enjoy both the snow and the sun, get to spend quality time with both our families easily and love our vacations home.

+ We had only been together 2 short months before I moved away for school to San Diego. We spent a year of long distance dating, flying back and forth, talking on the phone/iChat, missing each other like crazy. J would fly out for weekends to visit me in the dorms and we'd spend hours taking goofy PhotoBooth pictures while loving the time together. After the first year was done, J moved to San Diego with me and we've loved having an apartment together.

+ J loves diet pepsi and I love cupcakes. (Or maybe it's the other way around?) We swear we're the same person sometimes and it didn't take long for us to realize how special our love was.

+ We both love country music, in fact, our first date was country line dancing at a bar back home. J says he stole my heart with his sweet dance moves, I sometimes agree :-) The pictures above were taken at the Rascal Flatts concert and the Jason Aldean concert.

+ We also both love adventure and sport. Whether it's kayaking in the ocean in La Jolla, climbing Mt. Cowels in San Diego, waterskiing on a lake in Colorado, skiing the Rocky Mountains or playing tennis at home we love being outdoors together.

+ There are things about us that you'd never guess. Like that J can make a mean quesadilla or buffalo chicken pizza (while wearing my apron, sorry babe!) or that I'd pick up a frog around a campfire. We're a one of a kind couple, that's for sure.

+ We love being goofy together and we're actually more silly than we are serious on a daily basis. We love playing jokes on each other, like that one time I gave J only ONE shoe for Christmas. But when all is said and done, we love each other with our whole hearts.

+ Speaking of love, in July 2010 we added to our little family with our fur baby Ollie. He has completed our little life and we both love him to pieces. It's been quite a bonding experience trying to raise a little guy into a loyal and well behaved pup but I'd say we did a good job.

+ J and I took our first big vacation in January 2011 to Oahu, HI and it was a trip of a lifetime. We'd taken smaller trips before, like to San Clemente, Phoenix and obviously back to CO but this Hawaii vacation was by far the best vacation week ever.

+ When J and I first started realizing that this relationship was going to be for the long haul, J decided it was perfect timing for him to apply to the master's program at SDSU and think about moving to San Diego with me. Well three years later, this past May, we both graduated from SDSU. It was a huge day for both of us individually as well as for our relationship and the accomplishments we've had together along the way.

+ We are a competitive couple who loves to win, keep each other on our toes, and push each other to be better people. I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend, best friend, or soul mate. He motivates me, supports me, loves me, cherishes me, laughs with me, grows with me and is everything I could have wanted.

I love you J. Happy [almost] Anniversary!

It is Love... 4 Years in the Making

This Friday, the first of July, marks a special day on my calendar, in my life, and in my amazing relationship with J. It is our four year dating anniversary and I can't wait to spend some quality time together and celebrate the life we are building together, the love that we share and the memories we've made along the way. In honor of our special day I thought it would be appropriate to look back on the years and our past anniversaries.

07/01/08

Back for the summer from my freshman year at SDSU.

Celebrating at the La Fondue.

07/01/09

Our first year in SD together.

Celebrating again with fondue at the Melting Pot.

And yes, I had short hair at one point.

07/01/10

Spending a fun weekend in CO at the lake with our friends.

Celebrating with hot dogs and beers and fireworks.

Stay tuned for a fun post in the new few days about my relationship with J. Our first date, our favorite activities, and some quirky facts (probably no one will care about) that I love about US!

[Saturday Snapshot]

Today I'm participating in Kim's {Saturday Snapshot} link-up. You should too!

Photo Taken October 2007

This picture was taken in my dorm room my first semester at SDSU. It was definitely hard to have J and I living in separate states for that whole year but I loved every time one of us could visit the other. It seems like so long ago that we attempted to share a twin bed, would enjoy afternoons spent relaxing & playing with photo booth and fell in love even more with each visit. Now here we are, three and a half years later, living together with our amazing pup and continuing to build our life together.

I ♥ you J!

Keep on Truckin'

Things have been rough on a personal level for me lately. Sometimes I feel like everything is falling apart and sometimes I feel like I'm right where I need to be. I don't feel like thinking about or doing anything about or changing or moving past any of the things that are going on because frankly I don't have the time or energy right now. I just need to get through the end of the semester and the urgent pressing issues. I thought I'd share some motivation (for my own good) and also for any of you out there having a down day too.

You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction.

-George Horace Lorimer

Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.

-Dale Carnegie

When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.

-Unknown

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

-Winston Churchill

A leader, once convinced that a particular course of action is the right one, must be undaunted when the going gets tough.

-Ronald Reagan

on being thankful

I am thankful...

+ for the motivation I've had lately. Because without it, yeah, I'd be seriously stressed. I'm already starting to get those stress symptoms, stomach aches, head aches, groggy feelings, etc, even with all of the things I've been able to accomplish. My studying is going great, I'm right on track with my course and I'm feeling much more confident for this time around.

Current countdown= 15 days

+ that all my hard work is seeming to be paying off. My practice test scores have seriously increased from what they were 7 weeks ago when I just happened to have a break down and thought about giving up to work at Walmart my whole life. And even better than that is that my practice scores are now higher than my first actual score. Hopefully this keeps it's upward trend. 35 here I come.

+ for the motivation I've had in other areas besides my test because lord knows that's most of my time right now. I've made myself stop studying to go to the gym occasionally to try to work out those other muscles I have. Not just my brain and my "writing muscles." And I have to say it feels good to get out and release like that. Plus, Jeff and I even got up at 6 am and went for a run this morning. I know, I'm shocked too, but we really did it! For us non-runners, that was a big step.

+ for times when the laundry is clean. It seems like a never ending battle and I'm sure it's much easier to do laundry for two than for a whole family and I shouldn't really complain. But most of the time I dread doing it since we don't have our own washer and dryer. That means trucking to the garage multiple times and paying for each load. Not to mention having to run down as soon as it's done so some big jerk doesn't take your clothes out. (I seriously don't understand why people do that and it drives me batty! You really can't wait 5 min until I'm there and have move everything on top of the washer? Ughh) But as much as laundry annoys me, I love when it's done, you can wear whatever clothes you want!

+ we are getting to go out on Friday night and see Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, and Love & Theft! I seriously LOVE all three groups and can't wait to enjoy the night, maybe even with a beer or two. I really hope the evening turns out as great as I'm hoping it will but as long as there's good country music and I have my boy at my side, I'll be a happy girl.

+ for my upcoming Antigua vacation! I don't think it's really set in yet that I'm really going because of all the other things I've had on my mind lately but after browsing some resort pictures, yeah, I'm stoked! The traveling part is not going to be very much fun (flight Saturday to Denver 10:30 am, flight to Newark 5 pm, flight to Antigua 9 am, arrive 1 pm) but it's going to be so worth it once we're there. I found out yesterday they offer free water sports equipment so I may or may not try to wind surf while we're there. Along with the diving, tanning, shopping, relaxing, possibly drinking (they make their own specialty rum on the island) and don't forget the studying. (yes I know I'm a nut for studying, but my test is in 15 days remember) I'll definitely need someone to pinch me when we get there.

And to think that I get to eat this for breakfast every day.... Heaven.

+ most importantly for my BF, my main squeeze. He has been beyond supportive with all of my "non-fun" habits lately and I can't thank him enough. I am almost, just almost, more excited to be back in SD in a few weeks simply to be able to have fun with him more often. It's summer for crying out loud, let's make the best of it. But really, I love you babe. ♥

on a memo to men

Attention men: there are certain things you should never say or do when in the presence of a woman and more importantly, there are things you should never say or do TO a woman; regardless of the situation.

For example, it is not appropriate to have oh, eight-ish beers, and decide to sit next to a girl in a bar who is with her boyfriend. And who is obviously with her boyfriend at that, not just out with a friend who is a guy. Then, please don’t bring your just-as-drunk friend to the table with you while you both continuously try to shake said-girl’s hand. And sensing that the girl doesn’t want anything to do with you, please don’t decide to shake the girl’s hand and kiss it extremely inappropriately following it with “is that your boy over there?” And to top it off, please don’t 1. ask “is that a digital camera” because obviously it is, what else would it be and 2. ask if you can take her picture because why would she need a picture of herself on her own camera taken by you, Mr. Creepy? Get the hint when she says, “no it’s ok, I have plenty of pictures from tonight” and don’t make her have to say “No. I’m fine” while grabbing her camera and her boyfriends hand at the same time. Then please get the hint, and walk away instead of sitting there, not talking to anyone while just staring.

Also men, if you have to begin your sentence with “most women find it offensive but….” then it’s probably because it is offensive and you should just close your mouth right there and not finish what you were saying. If you have to warn someone about what you’re about to say then the comment should just float in your head a never come out of your mouth. Because while you might not understand why it’s offensive or there might be some strange girls who don’t find it offensive, I can bet that most do. And in those situations there are few who will actually smack you on the side of the head, say, “don’t ever say that again” and get their feelings across to you. Most will say “ohh okay…” and shy away from the feelings they’re having. And this goes for anything you might say even if you aren’t sure if it’ll be offensive. If there’s even a doubt, just leave it alone and play it safe.

on crafts to cleaning

I have had an interesting few days lately. I've gone from one extreme to the other in terms of my mood in just a matter of the weekend. Isn't it funny how things can change so quickly, just like the weather in good old Littleton. (You might not understand that metaphor if you're not from the 303, but believe me, the weather is bipolar sometimes.) Most importantly though it's made me realize a few things about my life, things that I take for granted and should really cherish more.

1. Feeling in a crafty mood the other day, I decided to make a trip to Michael's. I miss making things from scratch, adding your own touch to something fun and the feeling you get when you see something you've made as compared to something you bought. While I have no real "handy-man" skills I'd like to think that I'm capable of putting in the effort to make something or even creative enough to make something pretty. So I wandered around trying to limit the things that I bought because really, I could buy everything in that store. I saw the new floral-stems out for spring and knew instantly I wanted to make something with them. Even though it's been warm here for a while now, seeing those flowers made it really seem like spring. The lack of seasons is part of why I love Southern California but it makes the transition from winter to spring much less noticeable. So I decided to make a center piece for our table that would bring the feeling of spring into our apartment. I didn't realize how good it would make me feel to have this new creation. I think its pretty cute if I do say so myself and it was cheap which is a plus.

Flower pot= $1.29

Spring floral-stems= 2/$3

Ribbon= $1

Floral tape= $2.29

Easter Grass= $1

Bic pens= Free

Total= less than $10

It's sorta hard to tell but the stems of the flowers have pens on them. Yes I know, they're just like the ones that you see at doctor's offices but I like them. Plus it makes our new center piece functional as well as visually-appealing. I used pens we had around our apartment already so this addition didn't make the project any more expensive. And another plus is that I have more of everything to either make more or to buy different flowers for the summer/fall/whenever I want to change the decor. I also found a set of two 16x20in. canvases on sale while at Michael's. I've been saying that I wanted to paint a canvas for a long time now I just never wanted to spend the money to do it. So when I saw the sale I had to buy them. I have not bought any paint as of right now because I'm still trying to decide what I want them to look like but I will have more details about this project to come.

2. This weekend has made me realize a lot about my relationship with Jeff, all of it good. In the past I've found myself comparing our relationship to others around us. And I've been guilty in the past of stirring up a fight based on some sort of jealousy I had towards the others. I've been known to say "why can't you be more like insert name here and do the things he does?" or "I wish our relationship was more like so and so's." But something about this weekend made me realize that I was acting so childish when I would start those fights and get upset about those things. Because the truth is, no two relationships will ever be the same and it's honestly stupid for me to want my relationship to be another's. I'm with Jeff for a reason and it's him and his traits that make me happy, not someone else's. We fit each other like a glove and I should never want him to act differently than himself, just as he never wants me to be anyone but myself. No matter what he might do or what he might say, we're in this for the long haul and I take comfort in the security of our relationship. I can act stupid and throw a fit about something I shouldn't but I know he will always be by my side. I cherish the fact that we can fight but that in the end we will be together.

"When you get home, she'll start to cry.

When she says 'I'm sorry' say 'So am I'

And look into those eyes so deep in love,

And drink it up.

'Cause that's the good stuff."

~Kenny Chesney- The Good Stuff

♥ ♥ ♥

3. After a pair of my sandals accidently got broken last week I've been meaning to get a new pair to replace them. I have a weird obsession with sandals and really, shoes in general because I believe certain outfits/occasions need specific shoes. As soon as my old pair broke the thought "what shoes will I wear in this situation now" popped into my head so it was just a matter of time before I bought new ones. And I did, just yesterday. Now I should add a disclaimer at this point because what I've been saying makes it seem like I spend way too much money on a pair of shoes I'll wear only a couple of times... my new shoes are from Target, as were the pair that got broken. I am in no way a girl that rushes to the Steve Madden store to spend $80 on a pair of summer shoes when I have other sandals at home. I buy new things but always try to spend as little money as possible. With this said, I love my new purchase.

I must say, the pedicure I gave myself the other day looks wonderful with my new shoes ;-)

These sandals are different from anything else that I own which is part of the reason I knew I needed them. I wasn't simply buying another pair of black flip-flops that were identical to ones I already owned. I think they make a wonderful addition to my wardrobe.

4. I spent today doing laundry, cleaning our apartment, and studying. Sounds like a horrible day right? But I've actually enjoyed every moment of today. Sometimes I get in the mood to play house-wife for the day and there's something about cleaning a messy apartment that is extremely rewarding. When the bedroom is cluttered with dirty laundry and a few hours later everything is folded and hung up the room seems brighter. I even treated myself to washing the sheets on our bed which is something we don't do every week. But I must say that I love crawling into bed on fresh sheets. I think I like cleaning because it has an obvious ending. You can see the stains on the counter from pasta sauce and coffee disappear, you can see the faucets become shiny again. Basically, today has been a great day and I plan to finish it off by making a delicious dinner of tortallini for Jeff when he comes home from golf.