Memoirs of an ALMOST Married Woman

Tonight I burnt the toast. Not just like singed or tanned. No. I burnt it. As in "holy crap the toast is on fire!!" I put it in the oven just before we prayed. We sat down to eat and William said an annoyingly long prayer-- the kind my dad says on fast Sunday. So naturally, I forgot about the toast because the prayer was so long. [And immediately it's his fault. See how I did that?]

Anyway, I remembered as we were eating and jumped up screaming "oh no! I forgot our bread!" I opened the oven to find them on fire. Three flaming squares of what could have been delicious garlic bread. When I registered what was happening I turned to Will and shouted "Well, do your duty!" So, laughing he took care of the flaming bread. And off to the side, I mourned the loss of what could have been a delicious filler.

Well, the word is out. I'm no Julia Child. But, with burning bread... I am my Grandma Nancy's granddaughter.

Always needed cooking advice from my wise mother: "Always set a timer."

I'm Engaged!

I haven't posted in over 3 months.. seems to be a trend?!

Anyway, I made the resolve today that even though I am *** busy, I still want to blog. So, Will is home. And that is wonderful. And I love him. Did I mention I have a Fiance?! I know that there is supposed to be an accent mark above the "e" but, I don't really know how to do that? 

Anyway, fiance is my new favorite word. And, have I mentioned I love mine? OK OK OK. The story. 

So, yes, I was a little suspicious. He and my mom kinda made me feel a little shady but I figured if he was going to propose what is the point of spoiling a surprise? So, I quit being Sherlock Holmes and tried to focus on my schoolwork. 

I had class from 4-7. It's a terribly long class. 3 hours. And Will said he had an ROTC meeting from 5-7. He asked if I could give him a ride home afterwards, but Chase had the car. So, I guess he and Chase talked and he let Chase in on the secret and it was agreed that Chase and I would come get him from his meeting after my class got out. 

Well, I got to a school and remembered we had a group project due coming up soon. I had told my group we could definitely meet after class today. So, I told Will that I couldn't pick him up, but that Chase could. He was a little shady about me not coming, but I had decided to look past the shadiness of it all. :)

So, I got to class. One of my group-mates had no voice and the other just had surgery. So, they both bailed on meeting after class. I texted Chase saying I needed a ride and Will saying that I could give him a ride (this was at 6pm, only 1 hour before "pickup").

7pm comes and goes and Chase is late. Well, he didn't tell me he was going to be late. So I was standing under an awning outside in the freezing cold as it rained. My hair was straight today. Rain + my straight hair = disaster. I called Chase, definitely frustrated, and he told me to go inside he would be a few more minutes. Irritated and cold I went inside the building. He finally comes and we pull up to the ROTC building. 

I text Will and tell him to come out. He calls me and keeps asking me to go inside. I was a butt, I will admit it, and didn't understand why he wanted me to come in. It was a combination of irritation and confusion that fueled my disinterest. Not to mention it was cold outside. And raining. And my hiar was straight. Anyway, he ended up coming to the car and eventually I agreed to go in and... oh yea, "meet his commander." So, as we are walking in there is a group of guys waiting by the door. I see Will's best friend Isa, and decide that I kind of probably look less than happy [blame it on the fact that my hair which takes forever to straighten, was being ruined... high maintenance?]. I  quickly remember Audrey Hepburn saying that the happiest girls are the prettiest girls and so I cheerfully greet Isa and company. Because, my [now fiance] is going to be the head general of the United States Army one day and his wife always has to look her best. ;)

As I am walking down the short hallway... it clicks. He was going to propose. And there was no commander. And I was a brat. And I was rude. And so, I have this whole elaborate proposal scheme in my head. We will walk into this room and be alone and he will propose. Well, excitedly I walk into this office where all of Will's things are. Suddenly, in the corner of the room, a man swivels around in his chair. It's his commander. We make small talk as Will packs up his bag. It dawns on me that he is not proposing and that I am "that girl." Ya, the girl who makes up proposals in her head. We say goodbye to his commander and start walking out the door. 

At this point, I am sad that my hair is "ruined", upset that I am not wearing a jacket and it's cold, internally embarrassed that I made up a proposal in my head, and disappointed that there actually is a commander. So, we walk out the door to head back to the car and Will groans and says "my boot is untied." He swings his bag down and kneels to tie his shoe.

First thought: does NO ONE but me care about my hair?

He starts making small talk and asking me about my day. And then he kind of laughs. I hadn't said anything funny and so I looked at him slightly puzzled. He kinda nods off behind me and says "those guys". I realized that the boys were gone from the doorway and wasn't sure who he was referring to. As I turned around... I saw:

When I turned back around Will was already on one knee. He began to say some really nice things (none of which I remember because my head was spinning and my mind was going 100 miles an hour) and finally asked me to marry him. I said "no", followed by a quick "yes!!" (Had to throw in a little twist there for a cinematic effect ;) Actually, the no was kind of an inside joke we had. ) 

Anyway... best, easiest, most sure decision I have ever made in my life. I am BEYOND excited. He's great!!!!!!!!!

Have I mentioned I love my FIANCE?! 

Here's some more pictures taken during and after!

Bout Time!

The title for this post refers to many facets of my life.

For example: its about time that I updated my blog.

And also...Will is home. I repeat... he's home. For those of you familiar with Facebook you've already seen the "elopement" picture, Times Square "kiss pic" and a variety of other acts of PDA.

Let's go ahead and get the elephant out of the room. I love him. It's been interesting having him home. At first everything felt surreal. Talking to him on the phone. Seeing him at the airport. Touring New York City. Attending a wedding. None of it seemed real. It was all too perfect to be "real-life". In fact, there were many times when we would be sitting talking and I would get a sinking feeling and start dreading the inevitable "waking up."

While Will was gone he was in many of my dreams. However, they all ended the same way... with a 6:30am alarm blaring in my ear. But, I'll tell ya what... Walt Disney knew what he was saying when he said:

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

Reality is better than any one of those dreams. I wish I could say all this without sounding cheesy and mushy. I hope this isn't uncomfortable. But, for those who were with me for the past 2 years... it was worth it. 

OK. Anyway, couple of funny anecdotes and we'll be on our way. 

I landed at 9am in Washington, D.C. I got off the plane. I had an anxiety attack. I have never experienced that much anticipation, excitement and nervousness EVER. And I mean in my whole life. My heart was racing like I had just pounded 32oz of coffee and 7 red bulls in one sitting. My stomach was a wreck. I needed some serious medication. All of that disappeared the moment I saw him. Nothing else in the world mattered because... he was home!

We had dinner with our families and I was so thrilled to see my parents, Hayden and Grandma. It was a weekend from heaven! He gave a wonderful homecoming talk, we enjoyed a delicious dinner with his parents and some family friends and a fun car ride back to NYC with his parents. We spent the next couple of days exploring NYC and exchanging stories. He flew out to Utah later that week and we went to our friend's wedding. I love spending time with him. I love just talking and holding his hand. I love his smile and that cute giggle/high pitched laugh he has. I can't remember a happier time than when I am with him.

Anyway, so we also went on vacation with his family. Have I mentioned how much I love them too? I know in previous blogs I hinted at it (in an attempt to not seem too creepy) but, I guess I can now openly say it. I had a blast. Whether it was with his parents, siblings or nieces/nephews I loved it all. It really was so much fun. All of it. I love being with them. His parents are coming in August and I can't wait to see them!

There was one mildly embarrassing moment, however. We were playing a charades type game. His sister-in-law was up for the girls team. She pointed to me and Will and said... "you two are going to..." I immediately knew the answer or at least what she was hinting at. I thought of all the things I could say to make everyone feel super uncomfortable... like go to hot tub and kiss all night. Or finish shaving our backs later tonight. You know something mildly creepy. But, instead I went with the truth. I shouted "get married!" I got it right and she continued on. Will said it was cute. After the fact I was like... remember how I am THAT girl. Why? Anyway, I lived through it. And hey... nothing wrong with wishful thinking... right?

Long story short. He's home. I love him. I love his family. I love my family. I keep waiting for the initial... "love drunk" to wear off. I mean you can't really love a person that much all the time right? It's got to fade away at some point. Between the kissing pictures, walking to campus at 8am together and just driving around in my car, it never fades. I love him and that is the beginning and end of everything.


Picture OVERLOAD! (In no particular order)

4th of July Parade

On top of the Stratosphere!

The "elopement" picture!

A side trip to Paris!

Emma giving me a pedicure. 

Obviously sad to leave. 

What Will's "vacation" consisted of

Kelani, Me, Nan and our toothless friend.

Emma and I playing Pitreeka (Pictureka) in her fort. 

Kiss the cooks?

Hannah and Will. :)

Will, Me and Mallory (Will's Sister-in-law)

The result of having 3 brothers...

Anyway, ask me if I love him. Yes. Yes. And yes.

Butterflies

I wish I could convey the feeling in my stomach. I am so excited. I am sure I won't sleep a wink on this flight. I'm not even tired. I think everyone should have the chance to be this excited about something at some point in their life. As Will put it earlier on the phone... it feels like Christmas. Only way better. I can't wait to see him. I can't wait to see him. I don't even care that I am at an airport about to board a plane that leaves at 1am. I don't care about anything else in this moment in time. I can't wait to see him. Have I said that yet?

Up Till Now.

Up till now the past two years have gone by and William has been a Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Up till now the only contact we had was through letters, emails and a skype conversation that his family so graciously shared with me on Christmas and Mother's day.

Up till now my emotions were stable (most of the time), my head was clear and my stomach was settled and fine (for those of you who REALLY know me, you know that might be only partially true ;) ).

I don't really know how to put into words what I want to say. The past two years have been a whirlwind of emotion. They dragged by, they really did. But, nothing dragged more than the days that lead up to his homecoming and now my flight to see him. I'll recount a couple of key adventures.

Adventure 1: His homecoming. William flew in around 11am to NYC. Which meant it was 9am my time. I was getting ready to have a day filled with 3 exams. Yes, 3 exams. I took the first and couldn't focus to save my life. Was he here? Was he safe? What did he look like? Would his parents send a picture? Was he happy? How did he react? Would he be able to talk to me? And thus, test number 1 went a little worse than planned. The following two were relatively easier as they were more of presentations and products than actual testing center tests. So, that's good.

Adventure 2: I call this clothes picking out. In short I couldn't decide what to wear. Nothing fit me right. Nothing looked good. I was short with my patient and helpful mother. I apologized later for that. I went to bed frustrated  but, I woke up and went to work anyway. At work I was texting my mom and Emma while deciding what outfit would be best. ALL DAY my stomach was in knots. Butterflies. I couldn't focus on ANYTHING. My boss realized that and called me out on it. I watched the clock. The clock never seemed to move. Was he anxious to see me? What was he doing? What was he thinking? What was he saying? When would I get to talk to him? Was he almost released?

Adventure 3: Flight issues. Long story short... I am on a red-eye to Dulles Airport in DC. I booked the flight for 12:30am Friday. Alls well right? Well... when I went to do my early check-in today at work that flight was missing. In case anyone else was confused... I missed my flight. 12:30am on Friday was the night before. Duh? My mistake I guess. Anyway, I got on the phone. The first attendant was kind of not the nicest and told me that to fly out would cost me $500-1,000. This was a big problem for a few reasons: I was so excited to see him, I couldn't pay that much for a ticket, my stomach went from excited to dread, and I have a return flight from NYC on Tuesday. When I was connected to a supervisor she immediately offered to help. Tender mercy? I think yes. She waived all fees and got me on a flight that got me to DC at 9am as I had planned. Moral of the story: Delta needs to use military time for late flights and I love the lady from Delta. I was ready to bring her dinner (she said she was in Salt Lake), babysit her kids or do just about anything she needed me to by the end of things.

For the past few weeks I have had a couple of mixed emotions. Nervousness: what would he be like? Had he changed more than I was able to notice? Would he still love me as much as he said he did? I knew I loved him! Did he know that about me? What would it be like when I first see him?
Anxious: I was so ready to see him. I couldn't wait. The days could not go by fast enough. I felt bad wishing them away, but not bad enough to stop. I was ready to be done with class, see his handsome face and hear his laugh! Excitement: kind of like anxious right? Basically I love him. And I was BEYOND ready for him to be home.

Oh, Adventure 4: His first call. I didn't know who was calling at first.. It was a NJ number. So, I didn't jump to answer it. When he called our conversation went like this:
Me: Hi?
Him: Hi!
Me: Hello.
Him: Who is this?
Me: Sophie? Who is this?
Him: Do you really not recognize my voice?
Me: N..YES! Oh my gosh!
Followed by me going into love-shock and him carrying the conversation. I was wondering who was supposed to be the "weird" one in all of this. And, that title quickly became mine.

Anyway, we talked on the phone tonight for 1.5 hours. Cloud nine. Instantly. Conversation flowed. He talked honestly and openly with me and I was so excited to give him a big hug the whole time we talked. I still am. The butterflies are still there. But, so is this cheesy grin. I am so excited. I cannot wait. Now remembering when he left feels like it was forever ago but, also went by so fast. I can't believe I am finally on a plane to see him. A day we only talked about. A day I thought would never come. And I am so ready.

Up till now I heard the questions: "You're really going to wait for him?"; "Will it be worth your time?"; "Is he really worth the wait?"

My answer was and remains the same... ALWAYS.

I. LOVE. HIM.

And just because I thought I would humor you... This video was a long time coming and I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

Good Morning!

SO... These pictures were all taken this morning. I know it is now almost midnight and I am posting this instead of homework. But, I have wanted to blog all day. I have been thinking a lot about the little things that make life bearable. All too often we overlook the simple things. Like those extra five minutes of sleep before your alarm goes off or the way your bed feels after a long day of work.

Today was a good morning. I woke up. I was tired. I was running late. I got dressed in a hurry. Fixed my hair in a hurry. By the time I was out the door I was late. Late for my 8am job. Sounds pretty bad, right?

Wrong.

I called to let my boss know I was going to be 5-7 minutes late. The phone rings. Alex answers. My boss isn't there yet either. Score. 

Late again. Great. There goes that $0.30 I was going to make. Except that as I clocked in I noticed something. I was warm. The office was actually warm. (Side note: it's always about 50 degrees in the office. Although it feels like 30.) So, I celebrated. With pictures, naturally. 

Anyway, here's to mornings that go great in spite of the odds. Good mornings make for good days. And good days are what life is all about. 

Right?

I know. I know. Not my "cutest outfit award" day. But, hey I was rushed.
We should all be happy I'm in clothes that match. Let alone the fact that
I am wearing a necklace. And a watch. 

Well This is Awkward...

So... Me and Mariss didn't end up going running at 6:30am. 

Instead... we slept. 

BUT in our defense we went running again that evening. We are running buddies now and I love every second of it. 

So for those of you who actually read and check in on me (Mom, Susan, Aunt B and Emma) sorry I lied. The alarm went off. We texted about it and agreed on a more rationale time. 

Anyway. Yay for running. When I get the money I need to get new shoes. Oh the life of a poor college student.

Just a couple of runnin' fools.