Human Band-Aid

I feel better.

A lot better.

I got to spend some time with Bruce tonight, and I still felt...weird (angry, frustrated, irritated..whatever it is that I have been feeling ALL day) when I met up with him.  And I still felt weird as we went to a movie, and still felt weird after we left the movie.

However, the longer I just spent with him, my head on his shoulder, the better I felt.  To the point that when I left him, I felt normal again.

I love that man!

Sit in the corner...

I am super angsty today.

And I'm not sure why.

It's not often that I get this way, but when I do, it is not a ton of fun.  I didn't wake up in a particularly bad mood, but I can feel a knot of frustration in my chest and it's uncomfortable and confusing.

Unfortunately, I got annoyed during a conversation with Bruce this morning and let some of my frustration out on him, which really wasn't fair.  I need to figure out what is actually bothering me, because lashing out at stupid things is not helpful at all.

I think I need a time out.

Love Languages

Have you heard of The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman?

I took the quiz a number of years back, but decided to take it again and see if I got a different result..after all, people change over time, my circumstances are different, and I was basically just curious.  Turns out, I got the same results.

Here are my scores:

3  Words of Affirmation
7  Quality Time
0  Receiving Gifts
11  Acts of Service
9  Physical Touch

This is what it says about people whose Love Language is "Acts of Service"...

Acts of Service

Can helping with homework really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most wants to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter. When others serve you out of love (and not obligation), you feel truly valued and loved.

I would also like to point out that "Receiving Gifts" is a 0. Zero. Zilch. Nada.  Which solidifies my stance on and justifies my feelings of awkwardness and uncertainty when I have people give me gifts.  It truly makes me uncomfortable.  And now I have validation for that!

Boxes & Bowling

Blogging Fail.

Yeah, I haven't posted in 2 days...and in past years (even last year, let's be honest...) that is not a big surprise, but I have been really good about posting every day since December...and it's to the point where Bruce will say, "You didn't post today...?"  if I forget to.

The reason I didn't blog (aside from being tired and...lazy), is that Bruce and I went to Logan for the weekend.

After work on Friday, Bruce and I stopped for dinner at MacKenzie River Pizza (really tasty....just FYI) before heading on our merry way to Logan.  We planned this trip the day we told the world we were engaged, back in February, the main purpose was so Bruce could meet some of my family because at that point, he had only briefly met my parents.  So this trip would introduce him to 2 of my siblings and my grandparents as well.

It turned out that not only would he meet my brothers and grandparents, but the majority of my aunts and uncles from my mother's side of the family as well, since they were up for the purpose of transitioning my grandparents into an assisted living facility...which we ended up helping with on Saturday as well.

After all the fun of moving (I felt bad that Bruce had to do a ton of heavy lifting...on his Spring Break...as he's getting to know my family), we got together with my brothers and went bowling.  My brother's kids were with us too, and watching them bowl was hilarious!  They had a blast, and they warmed up to Bruce pretty quickly, which was fun.

And now we're back home...and as I sit here, I am sadly aware of the fact that there is about 3 inches of snow on the ground...and on my car...so much for Spring!  Ah well, I have heard that this is fairly typical of the area...but I still find it gross.

Peanut Butter

Okay, so I am not a fan of peanut butter.

I will eat it if absolutely necessary, or if for some odd reason I'm craving it (which happened once in 2011, it was a very strange time)

So it may come as a surprise to most of you that I created and am posting a recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies.  But seriously, these things are so good that even I will eat them.  Truth be told, it may be that they are actually half peanut butter and half almond butter (well, a little less than half peanut butter because that's how much I had on hand when I made these...but you could most likely make these with ALL peanut butter (or the nut butter of your choice) if you're crazy)

So here they are...

Peanut Butter Cookies SO Good, Even Lisa Would Eat Them

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup softened butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat sugars, shortening, butter, and nut butters together.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat til smooth and creamy.  Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to the mixture until fully incorporated.

Form dough into balls and roll in white sugar.

Do NOT press a fork into them like you normally would with peanut butter cookies.

Bake for 11-13 minutes (mine were perfect at 11)

Try not to eat them all...because you'll want to.

Running against the wind

How is this week not over yet?  It has been going for SO long!  I have seriously felt like it is Friday every single day since Tuesday...and it's still not actually here yet!

Not cool.

I did get to take Heidi to lunch today for her birthday (which is next week).  It was good to see her, we seem to just get caught up with life, so even though we live super close to each other now, the last time I saw her was in February when we went shooting.

I am currently sitting in bed, listening to music, watching the crazy Idaho weather out my window, and online apartment hunting...which is less than effective...but helps me feel like I am being slightly more proactive about the whole process, so I'll take it.

Crystals

Another busy day today, but a good one.

I finally got to see Bruce today!  Can I just put it out there that I am marrying a super studly dude in less than 80 days?  I cannot get enough of him...he's smart, funny, handsome as hell, just an all around winner.

We had a birthday party for a mutual friend's daughter tonight, and we made an appearance there before we headed to Bruce's ward activity...at which we broke into groups and reenacted segments from various movies in our own version of "The Oscars".  There were some pretty funny moments from some of the groups, and overall I am glad I went...even if I got hit on by one of the guys in Bruce's ward...which was awkward...especially when he asked for my number, in front of Bruce...and I had to explain that I'm engaged, which led to all sorts of other fun conversation topics for the evening.

After the activity, Bruce and I went back to his place to watch a movie.  Folks, I finally broke down and watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  Honestly?  It was not as bad as I was anticipating.  The aliens did not bother me, even Shia LaBeouf (did I spell that right?) did not bother me (though the sword fight was not my favorite).  I did get a laugh at Cate Blanchett's Russian accent on certain words (though it was mostly decent), and I enjoyed the fact that Indiana's character did not take himself too seriously, which is what I was largely worried about.  So while it was not my favorite film of all time (how sad would that be?), I am not sad that I watched it at all.

Now, Dark Crystal is a movie that I wish I had never seen...

Kickin' it

Today has been long.

I had a teleconference regarding my retirement benefits today, during which I had two separate phone calls (one with my mom, and one with Bruce's mom).  Also during the teleconference, I washed my hair...because I'm talented like that.

Almost immediately after the meeting, SC and I went to meet up with Bruce and his madre for lunch.  We went to Rumbi, which is not someplace that I frequent, in fact I think I've only been there once...on a date about a week after I first moved here.  Anyway, the food was good, and SC got some fun time with his grandma.

After lunch, SC and I went back home, he ate and went down for a nap while I finished work.

Then, after work I got ready to go to the Temple for our ward baptism assignment.  I have not done baptisms in...years.  I usually stick to other things when I got to the Temple, it just happens.

After the Temple, I came home and decided to hang out at the park across the street from my apartment for a bit as the sun was going down, so I commandeered the swings until a group of high school kids decided to invade my turf...so I decided to take a stroll around the walking path and then came in for the night.

And now I am sitting on my bed, texting Kelly and writing this post... I know I lead a completely glamorous lifestyle, please try to contain your jealousy...but really, it's only natural.

Do ya wanna?

Sometimes I feel like I still belong in Middle School.

Part of my conversation with my friend Stef today went something like this:

Stef: Are you going to FHE tonight?

Moi: Uhh...I'm kinda on the fence about it. You?

Stef: I'm debating on it...

Moi:  I'll go if you go.

Because clearly, I still require the buddy system when going out in public.  Oh well, we went, and if nothing else, it got both of us out of our respective houses for the evening, which is progress for those of us who hadn't yet gotten dressed for the day...who shall remain anonymous...

Moral Compass

I have to give a lesson in Relief Society next week that I am not super excited about.

Usually as a presidency, we get to choose the topics for the lessons we give once a month, but this particular month, the Bishop has asked that we speak on a talk from the March Ensign.  The talk assigned is on morality.

Yeah.

Now, I've had to give the chastity talk before back when I taught Temple Prep, but this topic/talk is a bit more specific...and gets into aspects that I am not particularly comfortable with or sure about how to present.

I've been quietly (or not so quietly, depending on if your name is Bruce or not) stressing out about it for the last week, and I've been trying to decide how to approach the whole thing since we have a fairly diverse population in my ward, and it can be an iffy subject to discuss.

I know the lesson will work itself out, it always does.

But it doesn't make me any less anxious about it.

This edition of Yays and Nays brought to you by...

Yays

Getting to marry the most incredible guy ever
Justy getting a long needed bath
Springtime weather
Good conversations with friends
Cute baby smiles
Good music at my fingertips
Being able to relax, take a nap, and not have to worry about being "boring"
Deciding on the location for the wedding reception
Laughing at myself and the silly things I do
Being caught up on things for work
Seeing Bruce smile...It makes me melt a little each time
Figuring out how to keep at least 2 rooms in my apartment warm
Sibling love
Cute shoes and scarves
Bruce's wonderful family
Having my sister back in the U.S.
The concentration face
Getting things planned for the wedding
Being able to breathe again
Daylight Savings Time
Going to Logan this coming weekend and Bruce meeting my siblings
Delsym and Sudafed...the miracles of medicine



Nays

2 cell phones that drive me positively batty
Only having 2 warm rooms in my apartment
Trying to plan things for the wedding
A lingering cough and sniffles
The return of my "Nolan"...someone I am not a fan of, in the least
Accounting
Being tired for the last 2 weeks, non-stop
Disappointing recipes
Clothes that don't fit or just look awful
Drama and unnecessary stress
The expectation that I should have everything planned and finalized for June already
Computer systems that crash
Having to use sick time
Going to the doctor
Apartment hunting

Au Natural

Before dating Bruce, I would never let a guy I dated see me without makeup if I could help it.

Actually, I could probably count on one hand the number of times I let my face go free for the evening when I was with a man, and even then, I was most likely under the weather or had lost my makeup due to swimming or something.

But with Bruce, I actually go without makeup (or with very little of it) on a fairly regular basis.  Don't get me wrong, I still prefer to at least have some eyeliner and mascara on when I go out, but I don't care when he sees me without makeup, and he manages to always tell me how beautiful I am on days when I'm makeup free (though he tells me that when I wear makeup too, so that could be a fluke (just kidding Bruce, I know you prefer the clean face).

It is nice not having the pressure to "put on my face" every day, and I don't feel bad if I skip it altogether.  More like a nice perk when I do.

If you're happy and you know it

SC has been super happy for the past couple days, and has been showing off his gummy grin any chance he can.  He really is an adorable kidlet.

Gaming

I failed to post yesterday.

Honestly it didn't even cross my mind last night to post something...oops!

Last night was a ward activity, we played Ultimate Werewolf (courtesy of Bruce), and it was the biggest group I have ever played that game with.  It was entertaining to see the thought processes (or lack thereof) of people as they tried to determine who the werewolves were.

Yay for large group games.

Splendid Surprises

I got a surprise visit from Bruce today.

He stopped by between work and his evening class, and I was surprised, but elated.  It was a perfect addition to my day, and any extra, unexpected time I get to spend with him is a welcome distraction from whatever else is going on.

You're so funny...

I very clearly spoke too soon with yesterdays post about being excited for springtime.

Today we had a delightful combination of gale force winds (probably not actually gale force...), pea-sized hail (yes, that is accurate), thunder, and finally, snow...lots of snow.

Mother Nature sure seems to enjoy playing her little jokes on us, doesn't she?

It's coming!

I woke up to a choir of birds this morning, which can only mean one thing...

Spring is totally almost here!

That makes me extremely happy, I am more than ready for warmer weather, blue skies, green trees, pretty flowers, and everything "springtime"!

Tired with a cape...

I'm super tired.

I'll definitely be going to bed soon...hopefully sleep will not elude me for long.

Today was a busy day.  Bruce and I met with our wedding photographer this morning to pin down dates, themes, and other various details about our engagement and wedding photos...this is starting to get real, folks!

After that, Bruce and I went to the baptism of one of his cousins, so I met a good chunk of the clan which was fun, though I'll totally struggle to remember which names go with which faces.

After the baptism, we had some breathing time before we went to go see Mr. Peabody & Sherman, seriously funny, cute, well-worth-the-watch movie.  I recommend you enjoy it for yourself...like right now.

Once the movie was over, we headed over to his parents' house for a birthday dinner for his sister-in-law (who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite people ever), and I basically just got home from that...and I seriously need to sleep.  I've taken my meds for this silly grossness I've got going on, and I hope that I won't wake up any time before 9:00am (wishful thinking, I know).

Here goes nothing!

Various types of comas

Holy Hannah, today was busy!

I watched SC again today (3rd time this week), and he was thankfully much happier than he was yesterday...he was decidedly not a happy camper yesterday.  It was also helpful that Bruce came over and took some of the pressure off of me while I finished work and watched him for me.

After SC got picked up by his daddy, Bruce and I fell into a short coma...I've been tired from being sick and watching a kidlet, and Bruce is tired from studying, working, and...just being tired in general.  I was roused from my coma by a call from our wedding photographer who scheduled a sit-down with us to discuss details for our engagement and wedding photos.

After her call, I got another call that I was not expecting...  It was ERIN!  Calling me from New Zealand!  I seriously love that girl, she makes me so ridiculously happy!  I am so glad that she is doing well over there, but at the same time, I miss her to pieces, and often wish she was still here, BUT I know she's where she needs to be, having all sorts of new adventures!  So glad I got to talk with her for a bit today, definitely needed me some Erin time!

Tonight was also our evening of Pi(e).  We had a series of people stop by for a bit, partaking of pie and chatting for a bit, it was super good to see them all, even if it was brief.  Now I have a ton of pie in my fridge... Who's ready for a sugar coma?

The Pies have it

Tomorrow is Pi Day, and Bruce and I have decided to celebrate appropriately.

We're having a few of his friends over for pie and games.

With that in mind, I am baking pies today.  3 pies to be precise.  One Key Lime, one Atlantic Beach Pie, and one Transparent Pie.

I've made Key Lime Pie before, but I'm new to Atlantic Beach Pie (an interesting lemon pie I'm excited to try), and Transparent Pie (basically sugar pie...it's something they have in the South, and I'm pretty sure Bruce had it on his mission...we'll see how it turns out).

It does give me a chance to try out new recipes, which is always fun, and potentially good pies to add to my repertoire for Pie & Beer Day in July!

Nastiness

I dislike going to the doctor.

A lot.

Anyone who knows me well (or has lived with me) can attest that I will do just about anything I can to avoid going to the doctor.

But I went today to appease my loved ones.

And true to form, nothing was severely wrong, just a grody chest cold.

Keep your fingers crossed that it all goes away soon!

Four...G...B...

Why on Earth did I ever get a smartphone?

Seriously, it is the most aggravating contraption ever!

So temperamental and annoying!

Rant over.

For now...

It's a pretty safe bet...

I caught something grody in my lungs.

I actually feel fine apart from the occasional tickle in my throat, a heaviness in my lungs, and the fact that I sound pretty manly at the moment...it's super sexy.

It's a cruel irony that I was away from Bruce for most of the last week, and now that I'm back and can theoretically see him, now I'm sick and don't want to contaminate him.  Fate has a sick sense of humor.

In other news, I get to watch Bruce's nephew tomorrow... I think I'll dub him "SC" (for Super Cute) on this here blog, because that's what he is, super dang cute!

It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage

I came home today to find a bunch of funny, sweet, and smile-inducing sentiments written on post-it notes from Bruce all around my apartment.

It's crazy how much I missed him this past week.

As his mom put it, "It's harder to not see someone for 5 days when you know you CAN'T see them for 5 days", or something to that effect...I don't have the mental recall to remember it word for word, but the sentiment is still intact.

I am super glad that from now until we are married, neither of us will be out of town for longer than 2 days.  Granted we do NOT see each other every day, but there is definitely something to knowing that if we really made a concerted effort to see one another, we could, and we wouldn't have 770 miles between us (Yes, that is the actual number of miles we were apart this past week).

So when I came home and saw those notes, I melted a little bit inside.

He fills me with such inexplicable joy, and I was ecstatic when I was finally able to see him in person this evening.  I am so excited to become his wife, and I know he will be an incredible husband.

Growing & Going

True to Washington form, it is raining cats and dogs again...pretty sure I just stepped in a poodle.

I'll be heading to the airport here in a little bit, crazy to think that it's time to head back already, but at the same time, I am more than ready to get home and see Bruce.

There was a bit of excitement here a little bit ago, my niece lost her very first tooth, she's growing up pretty fast!

Sunshine and happiness

Today the kidlets and I went to the park. There was much giggling, running, swinging, tagging, sliding, climbing, teetering and tottering. So glad we got some sunny weather so we could go outside!

Bruce also called me to let me know that his sealing clearance letter came in the mail today as well, which basically paves the way for everything else to fall into place and makes it so we can actually plan things for June. So super excited to marry that wonderful, amazing man!

Kidlet fun

So I've determined that I am basically a 5 year old.

It seriously does not take much for me to think of ways to entertain my nieces, I merely think of things that I enjoy doing, and they're game. Today, we built a blanket fort, made pictures out of popsicle sticks, played circus, defeated a pirate and his pet octopus and crocodile, had pillow fights, and watched cartoons.

some of those are things that I've done recently...without the company of kidlets.

I'll just refer to it as being "young at heart", and then it should be acceptable.

Winging it

I am currently sitting on a plane, somewhere over southwest Idaho, heading toward Seattle.

I am not ashamed to admit that flying really isn't my favorite thing in the world.

Which should really come as no shock to anyone, I mean, have you seen me at amusement parks? On buses? Rock climbing? Hiking? Riding in cars?... Yeah, my body isn't too terribly kind to me when it comes to anything that throws off my equilibrium, which flying definitely does.

I haven't gotten sick yet, merely uncomfortable, so that is a BIG plus so far.

Now the trick will be to keep myself entertained for another hour or so until we land... I've already done 3 crossword puzzles, looked through my photos on my phone, listened to the complimentary in-flight music (which had a distinct Native American vibe to it), listened to the baby behind me wail, and narrowly avoided having the drink cart take my elbow off.

I'm voting ear plugs and a nap, who's with me?!

...pretty sure the guy next to me is up for it.

-------------------------------------------

So...after writing the above bit on the plane, we hit some crazy turbulence...it was bad...really bad...and I lost it, about 5 times actually.

Gross, I know...I will spare you the nasty details.

But we landed and I found my sister and we got a chance to chat which was nice.

Now I'm going to bed, I'm sure the Swiss Misses will keep me on my toes tomorrow.

Non-Traditional

Bruce and I are anything but ordinary.

Our relationship has been (and is likely to continue to be) completely unique.

As such, we tend to do things in a less than traditional way...

Typically relationships go something like this:

Boy meets girl
Boy asks girl out
They go out
They decide to date exclusively
They fall in love
Boy buys a ring
Boy proposes to girl with aforementioned ring
Girl accepts
They tell their family and friends
Much happiness ensues

Our relationship has gone something like this:

Boy meets girl
Girl thinks boy is creepy
Girl avoids boy to the best of her ability for 2 months
Girl realizes boy isn't actually creepy...
Boy asks girl out
They go out
They decide to date exclusively
They fall in love (faster than either of them expected to)
Boy buys a ring (secretly)
They talk about marriage
They decide they are going to get married and consider themselves engaged
After a bit, they tell their family and friends
Boy shows the girl a picture of the aforementioned ring (which she loves!) which won't be ready til May
Much happiness ensues
More time passes
Boy formally proposes to girl
More happiness ensues

If you made it all the way to the end of that long and exhaustive episode, I commend you.

Anyway, Bruce formally proposed to me today.  I love him so much, he is truly the most amazing individual I have been fortunate enough to associate with.  He makes everything worth it, and I am beyond elated that I have the great fortune to become his wife in a little over 3 months.  I am so excited to start our adventure together and face the challenges of life with him, and I know that we will be able to overcome anything if we work together.  I am so blessed to have this amazing man in my life and I am glad that our story is unique, that we don't have to follow any set plan for our relationship, and most of all, that he chose to be in my life, because I choose him each and every day, and I plan to do that again every day for the rest of my life.

Love & Lace

I am going to Seattle on Wednesday.

I've known this week was coming for a long time, but it's still weird to me that it's already here.  In my mind, my departure date is still a long way off, but my calendar says otherwise.

While I am excited to see my sister, brother-in-law, and the girls, I am not stoked to be away from Bruce for 4 days (I know...I'm silly and ridiculous).

In other news, I bought my dress for the wedding today!

Who's excited?

THIS girl!

Resistance is Futile

I went with Bruce to his ward today, it was nice to actually be in church together, since that is typically not the case.

I was also afforded the luxury of a Sunday nap, which is also something I don't normally get either.

And right now I am getting my "nerd" on by watching Star Trek: First Contact.  I haven't seen it in years, and I'm sure it will be awfully amazing...partly awful, partly amazing.

Welcome to March, enjoy your stay...

Well, it is officially March.

Yep, no getting around it.  The month that we celebrate Pi(e), the month Caesar was warned about, the month spring will officially be upon us!

I did wake up with a less spring-like atmosphere than we've been having recently...snow.  I woke up to snow.

But that's okay, I know it won't be sticking around for too long, so I'll be fine.

Bruce and I are currently sitting in my living room studying (well, I am clearly taking a break from studying, but you get the idea). We're highly exciting like that.