Highs and Lows

Highs

So this week has had it's highs and lows. I decided to start out with the high part which was going with Rebecca through the temple to have her take out her endowments. It was really special to be the guy she has chosen to be with. Although I teased her a lot while we've been engaged about her transition to wearing temple garments, it was still fun to tease her after on the car ride home about how she's now a woman.

Lows

The low this week has been that I've been sick. I started getting a sore throat Friday. I woke up Saturday morning with a fever, a cold sweat, and sore throat from the day before. I was a little concerned because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it to the temple with Rebecca later that afternoon. So I started to pop the pills and I went back to bed for several more hours. Around lunch time I started to feel better so I got showered and got ready for the temple. I made it almost the entire time feeling pretty good til the end when I think the drugs started to wear off. By time I got home I needed another fix, and straight to the medicine cabinet I went. We had dinner with the family and I laid in grogginess on the couch afterward. One happy thought came to mind last night, that if I still felt this bad in the morning I wouldn't have to give my sermon in church the next day!

Well I did start feeling better by this morning and after 10 hours of sleep I got up and prepared my sermon. Right now I'm still just plagued with the same sore throat that I started with and I'm predicting that I'll be fully recovered by Thursday.

Is this not the cutest kid you've ever seen?

So, this is Baby O, my soon to be nephew, and I just love this kid and this picture so much that I think it should be shared with the world. Two posts in one day all as a result of an adorable child. Don't you get the urge to giggle when looking at this picture? Mindy, his mom, says that he thinks he is HILARIOUS....and it's true because he is the easiest and happiest baby I've ever been around. If that doesn't bring a smile to your face I don't know what will. :) Michael and I are looking forward to having children someday, what a blessing it will be! Hooray for families!

Happy 25th Birthday Michael!

In all the excitement of last weekend and the end of finals, I totally forgot to mention that Michael turned 25 on Thursday, April 30th!!! Upon the end of my last final, I assembled all the "goods" I had prepared for the celebration, then drove down to Taylorsville to surprise Michael. He knew I was already coming down to spend the weekend, but I don't think was at all prepared for the festivities I had planned.

I arrived early (actually it was a couple hours before he got off work) and sneaked into his room in his parent's house where I blew up 25 balloons and wrote 25 little messages to him. The messages contained little things I love about him. I then left his house and went to the store to find a bag in which to place all the fun and wonderful gifts I had previously purchased for him. So, Michael called me on his way home from the office and I might've stalled and told him I wasn't near Taylorsville at all when, in fact, I was just down the road, waiting for him to get home and see the surprise I had left in his room.

Michael called me as soon as he got home and saw the embarrassing display in his room and figured out that I had stuffed one message in one of the balloons, completing the 25 for his birthday. I think he thoroughly enjoyed the fact that "Cute Bum" was the one inside a balloon. ;) Anyway, I headed over to his house and we sat down while I gave him his presents which consisted of 2 little water guns we can use to soak each other with over the summer, another water soaker thing, 2 kites we can fly on a date sometime, and the first movie of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles..........


which we all know is a classic and a movie that Michael loves! I'm sure this will begin our movie collection of said "classics" and the purchase of the other two TMNT movies will follow in turn. And last, but not least, I found and burned one of Michael's favorite CDs, "Le Roi Soleil", which is a French musical he loves and remembers from when he was in France. I guess you could say that "our song" is from that musical. It really is good stuff and I love listening to the CD even though I don't really know what they are singing about most of the time. The music and singers are awesome!


Michael loved his gifts so much that he gave me a huge hug and lots of kisses accompanied by, "You're going to be the best wife, EVER!" Let's just say I think I did well this year, and I dare say my birthday surprise to him rivaled his attacking of my car in the church parking lot on my birthday back in October! Well, we finished the evening by making homemade soft pretzels (something Michael had been wanting to do for quite a while) and dipping them in all sorts of yummy sauces while watching TMNT! (Side note on the sauces: We tried blue cheese, BBQ, marinara, ranch, and simple sprinkling of cheese on top. Marinara and ranch were definitely our favorites!) It was a great evening and I'm so glad we were able to celebrate Michael turning 1/4 century old together. I really love him and can't wait for us to being our life together in just 17 days!

23 days left 'til the BIG DAY!!!

So much has happened since our last post. I finished the semester at USU and survived finals with relative ease. I was super happy to disprove people on their statements regarding the semester of engagement and how classes tend to fall apart, thus resulting in failing a course or acquiring many "C"s. I'm still waiting for my last grade (which will be the final out of 9 classes and 18 credits this semester) to be posted, but let's suffice it to say there are no bad grades or failed classes. Take that ill-sayers!

By the way, I really love being a Utah State Aggie, so I just had to post this. Triumph of completing another semester and only 1 1/2 years left to go until my double major is finished!

Did I mention how lucky Michael and I are? In these economic times, when people are losing jobs left and right and struggling to secure employment anywhere, Michael goes out and finds a wonderful job straight out of college undergrad! It is so great, in fact, that I will not have to work during the semester, nor worry about tuition...basically I will be a kept woman who only has to worry about school and loving and caring for my wonderful soon-to-be husband!


Speaking of "husband" or "marriage" things, we are now the residents of Sterling Pointe Apartments in Layton! Our search for an apartment was long and hard, and considering that Michael works in downtown Salt Lake while I'm still at school in Logan, we struggled to find just the right place in between both worlds. We knew we wanted to live in the Layton area as Michael has to commute 5 days a week, and avoiding the Ogden traffic would definitely make life MUCH easier, while my 2 day a week commute to Logan will really not be that bad as the worst traffic is usually heading to Salt Lake, not away from it. We were really hopeful for this apartment complex during our search, and knew once we toured that we wanted to live there. Everything just felt right. The complex has a swimming pool, year-round jacuzzi, fitness center, and just darn cute grounds and buildings. Plus, when comparing prices, we found out that the price per square foot is the cheapest of any places we looked! We will be living on the 2nd floor of a 2-story building which means more privacy and vaulted ceilings! I think we're going to feel right at home in our first little "love nest". Move in date is on May 12th and we'll start to slowly ease our belongings and things into the space prior to the wedding. It'll be nice to have it mostly set up when we return from our honeymoon!

We have been on the search for a bed for some time, as we have realized that we have basically everything but something to sleep on! Table and chairs, check. Couch, check. Coffee table and side table, check. TV, check. Washer and dryer, check. Microwave, check. Office desk, check. Large and amazing bookcase, check. My wonderful Yamaha keyboard, check. So, we are quite blessed in that many items have been donated to the new Black Family cause. We are really hopeful for this queen sleigh bed and mattress combo we found on KSL that is located in Tremonton. Keep your fingers crossed!


Pretty huh? We both LOVE sleigh beds and dark, cherry-ish wood for that matter. Here's hoping!