April showers, BE GONE!

Well, quite a bit has happened since the family reunion. It's been a busy week! On Sunday my Mom randomly went off on me about having my wedding at the nature park in Syracuse. She went on and on about how "it was going to be a mess" and "setting up and taking down will be impossible" and blah blah blah. She said we should do a reception center. But, those are super expensive. But she thinks it's worth it. No hassles or stress... they take care of everything. Anyway, it was kinda out of the blue for my mom. Monday I got my nails done for our engagement pictures on Tuesday. They were way fun. We took them on main street down town Salt Lake. Jason and I laughed a lot and kissed a lot. :) Hopefully they turn out well. We should be able to see them pretty soon and start looking at invites. On Wednesday I scheduled an appointment with Castlebrook (which is under new management and it's actually called "the Castle" now) during my lunch break. Jason has never been a fan of reception centers, he says they cost too much and they're not worth the price. But once we got to have a tour, I think he was more impressed than he expected to be. Mom loved it, of course, even with the steep price tag. I think wherever we have it will be wonderful-- I'm just so happy to FINALLY be getting married that the rest just disappears in my mind. I mean, it would certainly be nice to have a brides room, and no worries about bugs and AC. But no matter what it ends up being, it will be lovely. After our appointment I went back to work with my Wendy's bag in hand, thinking that I could at least munch a bit because we'd been so slow. I didn't have a second to eat while we were there, so munching seemed good. But I guess not. My lead teller got quite cross with me for having food out. I didn't really understand the big difference between fries and crackers (which the girl next to me was eating), but whatever. So I apologized and told her it wouldn't have again. Today is Thursday and I'm wiped out. It's been such an emotional high week, pictures, wedding planning, etc. It just takes all my energy. Luckily tomorrow I have a short day from 12:00-4:00 and I'm off Saturday. Maybe I'll be able to catch up a bit. Bandit has done very well on his training this week. He's best at bye bye-- even when I left for work today he waved bye bye to me. It was so precious! We're still struggling on spin, but I think he's starting to understand more and more. So hopefully we'll be all ready for class again come Saturday! :) Yay for puppy training!!

Relaxing Sunday

Despite my pessimism about the Mills' reunion, it was very fun. Jason didn't sleep very well the night before, but we still got up at 3:30 to be on the road by 4am. It was a long drive! We kept trading off driving, so that neither of us would fall asleep. We tried to find a Carl's Jr to go to for breakfast, but we ended up at a McDonald's. We got there right on time (8am) to help start breakfast. After that Jason taught me to drive the four wheelers. We went on a ride, just the two of us. I tried some hills after I got the hang of it. It was so awesome and fun!! Then we headed back to camp to rest a bit before lunch. The wind was awful, so I took refuge in the tent. I read Eclipse and Jason fell asleep in the lawn chair outside. After a few hours I came out to get him. He was so sunburned! Poor boy! Then the rain stated. Everyone quickly packed up and got lunch out. We all grabbed plates full of food and ran to our cars. After Jason and I ate we decided it was time to go. We drove in the rain until Orem. It just poured and poured. Again we kept switching out. I decided to stop in to the University Mall to look for bridesmaid dresses. My poor honey was so bored and tried! And we were both so dusty and yucky after spending the morning in the sand. The ladies were very nice and helpful. They certainly have a good selection... if your colors are hot pink, yellow, or orange. But as far as Navy Blue goes... not so much. Then the ordering time is longer than Modest By Design, where I found the other dresses I liked. But at least I tried. Then we hurried home to get showered before Bandit's training class. That turned out pretty well, but our puppy was so wound up from spending the day in his kennel, he couldn't really focus. Next week I'll make sure he gets a longer walk and more time out of his kennel before we go. Hopefully that will help. :) This class is more obedience training and tricks. This week we're learning to wave bye bye, take a bow, and spin. Bye bye is fairly easy, Bandit was already good with shake. Then take a bow has gone well so far. It's just spin that we're working more and more on. So that will be fun this week. Our engagement pictures are on Tuesday, so we're thrilled about that. It's going to be so fun. I'm getting my nails done tomorrow and everything will be ready! I can't wait to get started!!

Fianlly! A Day Off!!

Whew! Glad that work week is over! Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but sometimes it's nice to catch up on the laundry and housework! :) It's been a fun week all the way around. Yesterday I got to hang out with my wonderful girlfriends, Anna and Vickie. We went to the nature park and walked our puppies. They mostly just ignored each other... Silly, silly. We also got to look at some bridesmaid dresses. That was fun too! It looks like I'll need to order them pretty soon to get them here by July! That's something I hadn't really thought of. But I'm sure it will be great. My Mom and I have been shopping quite a bit this week, too. I got new jeans (YAY!!) and some cute "springy" tops. I even found an outfit for our engagement pictures coming up on Tuesday! They're going to be so pretty! I just hope the weather stays decent. Tomorrow is the ever dreaded Mills' family reunion. Jason and I decided it would be safer (and cleaner) for Bandit to stay home. He'll have fun at his class that night, anyway. It's not like he's spoiled rotten as it is!! So, lots of fun going on. Jason and I have set some new goals for his job hunt, hopefully that will help. Does anyone know of any openings??

Just another Manic Monday

It was a fun weekend, date with Spencer and everything. Saturday was a nice day. We took Bandit for a nice long walk at the Nature Park and talked. We discussed getting our budget in line for the wedding and our future. We're on our way!! It seems like everyone is getting married! I can't wait to join the crowd! :) Sunday Jason and I just relaxed. We're reading New Moon to each other. It's so fun to hear his relaxing voice. Very good weekend in preparation for a very long week!! I work long days through Wednesday. But Thursday is only a three hour day, and I'm off Friday and Saturday for the Mills' family reunion. Busy, busy!! We're trying to decide what to do with Bandit. We could leave him home in his kenal, or we can bring him. It's just so sandy and dirty down there!! He has a class that night... I don't really want to take him all messy! But I don't want him to just be home alone either... What to do, what to do.

Blind Dates

So last night Jason and I doubled with Spencer, who got set up on a blind date. It was pretty fun! Jason and I have date nights every week, but it's been a while since we've gone with anyone other than just ourselves! We went to Olive Garden for dinner, which is a rare treat for me! Jason isn't generally a fan of Italian, so we don't go often. It was so yummy!! The calamari there is FaNtAsTiC!! (Even if I DO know what it is!) The girl Spencer brought certainly can talk up a storm!! I don't think any of us said hardly anything all night! It wasn't bad, just not something I was used to. I'm usually the one that brings up a conversation and keeps it going. But not this time! After a very filling dinner, we went to Sparetime in Roy. We did glow in the dark mini golf. It was pretty fun, because we didn't keep score or play by the rules at all. (hee hee!) By the end of that we were all pretty tired, so we took Spencer's date home and called it a night. Jason had to drive, I was so wiped out! I haven't been sleeping very well lately. I've pulled something in my left arm somehow and it HURTS like the devil! It's been over a week now, I keep thinking it will get better but it hasn't yet. If anything, it's been hurting more... like to a point that I can't get comfortable enough to sleep. :( Lame. Hopefully in a few more days it will quit. I hope it does before next Saturday for sure! That's going to be a busy day. Jason and I are going down to his family reunion in Southern Utah during the day. Then we start Bandit's new class that night!! I'm not really looking forward to the reunion, last year's was pretty...lame. Windy and sandy and boring. Nothing really to do or see. Just sit-- in the sand. Blah. Bandit's class should be fun, though. He'll love being able to get out every week and work on his training daily. He's such a good puppy! I've been thinking, papillions are bred to be show dogs and Bandit is within criteria... maybe it would be fun to have a champion puppy! A lot of work, for sure, but I know Bandit would love it. He loves any kind of attention-- training, walking, playing, anything. Besides all that, maybe Jason won't want a bird so bad if we're spending so much time with our puppy. He's such a silly honey! He's been researching cockiteils and cockatoos for a while now, and he's decided that after the wedding we should get one. I don't know how I feel about that... Sometimes I don't really feel like we give Bandit enough attention-- how could we add to that? My Mom is terrified of birds, she would never visit us for sure. All I've ever heard of birds is that they're loud, messy and kind of boring. I mean, a dog you can walk, play with and cuddle. A bird just sits in a cage all day chripping and pooping. Jason thinks they're cool because they talk. But Bandit can, too, just not with words. It's pretty funny to watch when Bandit wants something. He certainly CAN talk. :) He'll tell you all about it. Oh, well. I guess we'll see. We're certainly not in a position to get a birdy until we're married, anyway. So we still have two months to figure it out. By that time, I'll hopefully have my level 5 at work along with the pay raises! I'm a bit sad that I didn't get my level 4 this past week. I was waiting, waiting, waiting for my stats from last month to come back. Well, they did, but they still weren't high enough. Lame!! So I get to wait another month. Just wait. I've done everything I can, so... keep tellering! Jason and I are considering finding a place in the Orem area to live, so I may not be at this job very much longer. Jason wants to get back into school next year and he's really liked UVU. I'm happy that he's found something he wants to do. Now just how do we get there?... Just keep on going, I guess. :)

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming...

Easter Pictures

Missionaries, Jobs, and Puppy!

It's been such a fun day off! Jason and I got to spend some time together this morning. It was so nice to just relax and watch movies. I rented "Seven Pounds" from Redbox. It made me cry. But it really has a good meaning, and made me feel so blessed that I have the life I do.
Then we headed to Salt Lake to see Elvia (my roommate from college) before she enters the MTC tomorrow. We went out to lunch at the Garden. It was so yummy! She seems so happy, I'm thrilled for her. It's nice to see her prepared to preach the gospel and bless others' lives. What an amazing example she's been to me. :)
Jason got an unexpected call to meet with TSA (airport security) tonight for a meeting in the hiring process. I am so excited about that!! What a blessing it would be if he got that job!! Part time employees make over $30,000 a year!!! Plus my salary, we'd be better than well off.
So while he's there, I've been playing with the puppy. He's so silly and wonderful. He's been such an awesome addition to our little family. He was such a hit this Easter weekend-- everyone got a kick out of how silly he acted with his bunny ears on. All the puppies got their picture taken with the bunny ears and a bone chewy treat. Such a good Easter!
It turned out to be such a fun weekend with everyone. Jason let me buy $30 of scenty stuff as a gift! (Yay!) My Mom gave me a coupon for a shopping date with her for new bras and jeans. (Which I totally need!) Jason's Mom gave Jason and I both an adorable plaque that says "In the Strength of the Lord, I can do all Things.". It was so sweet of her to think of us. My sister Wendi threw a big party for all of my side of the family. Jason and I hid an entire box of Easter Eggs in the backyard for the kids. My honey is so creative- it was fun to watch him think of fun places to hide them. He's going to be such a good Daddy!! Afterwards we spent some time with Jason's family. They did an Easter Devotional and desert. We brought Bandit along, and all had a good time watching him. Jason's Mom fed him nearly an entire steak as a treat... again, no wonder he loves her! I'm happy to see the Mills' warming up. It's awesome.
Tomorrow marks half of April being gone. Whoo!! Counting down to that wedding date! Jason and I are so thrilled. Nearly everything is planned, we're designing the reception invites this week. It's been so fun, even with all the drama. Although, the drama would be nearly unbearable if I didn't have Jason to help me through it all. Good thing he's sticking around! I looked around for some bridesmaid dresses today on my way home from Salt Lake. I found some I liked at Kathleen's, but then I found ones I liked better (that were cheaper, too) at Modest By Design. I even tried that one on, to see what it looked like on a person. I totally love it. I'll have to take my bridesmaids out one of these days, to see what they think. After all, they're the ones that have to wear them! It's been fun. I just can't wait to see it all come together. :)

Easter Eve

It's been a fun filled weekend with Keri's family here to visit! They came down from Smithfield on Friday and are staying until Sunday evening. Friday night Keri and I went Easter shopping for her children. That was so fun! I didn't get anything, Jason and I bought Bandit's Easter last week! He got four new toys, treats, and bunny ears! AND his next training class. That just doesn't start until April 25. We're all way excited though! Jason and I have been reviewing with him all of his previous class work. He actually remembers most of it and does it well. :) Good puppy! He is having a bit of a rough weekend with Tashia (Keri's puppy) sharing the already too small space between Bandit and Lady. Tashia has a serious complex about being in charge. Tonight she jumped off the couch and attacked my Bandit!! It was so surprising, and so out of place-- Bandit was fine, but he did yipe. Needless to say, Tashia was in big trouble. Kinda scary! Oh, well. Other than that, things are going well. Work this week has been a bit weird, because of my schedule. I was off Monday, Tuesday I worked from 12-3, Wednesday from 3-6 then I had full days for the rest of the week. By Saturday, I was kinda wiped out. It was just different than most weeks. Hopefully this next week I'll be able to catch up my sleep and everything. Jason and I have his family reunion coming up, which I'm NOT looking forward to. Southern Utah. Blah! I'm not a fan of sand everywhere! :( Oh, well. If I marry the boy, I marry the family, right? The four wheelers are fun, though. I guess I'll look forward to that and the time with my sweet honey, of course! See, always find the positive.

Three Months!!

It's been a very good day for getting things done! I got to sleep in this morning after talking with my mom late last night about wedding plans. Then I went to the gym and worked out for an hour. (Because exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don't shoot their husbands.) It was actually really nice. I did the treadmill today and I got to watch 'Home Improvement' on the TV! I like that show. :) Then I came home and get ready for the day. Jason and I went out to lunch and then took our Bandit out for a walk. Then it was time for work! I had a training today up in Riverdale, products and services. It wasn't too bad, we just talked about cross selling to members. No worries. Now if only my stats would come back high enough to get my level!! That's what I really need!! Now I'm home and chillin for the evening. I've set a date for our engagement pictures and I can't wait to get those done!! They're going to be so lovely. We're taking them out in Salt Lake City, because I wanted some urban pictures to compare with all of our park pictures. Jason's still plugging away for the job hunt. I'm actually really proud of all the work he's done. On Tuesday night the stake president gave us a new list of places to check into and said he'd have more for Jason next week as well. Hopefully that will help! Something has to stick sooner or later! (Or at least, that's the plan.) Jason and I also set some new goals- daily devotionals, working out, and consistent weekly date nights. It was nice to just sit down and talk about a plan of action for getting things rolling. From today, we only have three months left until the wedding! (Not that anyone's counting, of course...) I've asked Vickie and Anna to be my bridesmaids and Jason's asking James and Spencer to be groomsmen. It's going to be so awesome to have an actual "wedding party"! (That doesn't involve all the drama of sisters...) It's been a bit difficult with our families. Everyone is disappointed that we're getting married civilly and they're almost unsupportive because of it. :( Jason and I have decided, though, that we're not going to allow the drama to tear us apart anymore. In the end, it's about the two of us and our MARRIAGE. Not the cake, parties, flowers or the families. It really brings meaning to "cleaving unto your spouse and none other"-- including parents! That's made a big difference for us. Every time our families were unhappy we'd end up fighting. It's nice to let that fall behind us. Other than that, things are going good- just pressing forward. Only three more months!!

Crazy people...

Okay, so at work today we had the craziest member come through!! He went to the ATM and tried to withdrawal $600. Well, the ATMs have a limit of $500 cash a day to any member. So, he called the drive thru concerned that it hadn't given him his money. The girls tried to explain to him that the transaction hadn't gone through his account, and the limit on the ATMs. They asked him to come in, but he got more and more upset. Yelling at our back up lead, until finally our lead teller got involved. He yelled at her to come out and help him. She said she didn't feel it was safe to leave the building. And it wasn't!! Not with the way he was acting! Anyway, he ended up leaving in a huff and giving everyone else a story to tell for the rest of the day. That was certainly interesting. Everything else has gone well. Jason has been spending time with Spencer today, which is good for them both. They haven't seen each other in a while, and it's good that they get some boy time. But I get to be with my honey tonight! :) Jason and I have done well on our goals to move forward and get married this July. Jason's been doing his faithful job hunting. I need to be a bit more faithful in my workouts to fit into my dress. Our honeymoon is reserved and ready, my new ring (our wedding ring!) looks lovely... everything has turned out wonderful. I even called Syracuse City about putting up Tiki Lamps in the Nature Park. They said that would be fine, as long as they are 20 feet away from anything that would catch fire-- the building or tables, etc. That seemed pretty reasonable to me. I was actually surprised that they'd allow it! I think it will be wonderful, a good mood setter and help for the all the bugs! Perfect. :)

La La La La La!!!

Isn't it funny how times get difficult then suddenly blissful? Today has been PERFECT! Unexpectedly so, but still perfect. :) I slept in for a long long time, because Jason and I stayed up late watching Oceans 12. I called Jason and we set up a time to meet for the day. I got ready, ate breakfast and brushed Bandit. Then my cell phone rang. It was the cake lady I had originally set for our December and April wedding plans. She said that my wedding cake was just coming out of the oven and she just needed to know what time to be there on Friday. WHAT?! I guess when I canceled the Lion House, I expected them to contact her, they always had in the past. But I guess they decided not to!! So, I told her I would come down to pick up whatever she had done and pay her for the trouble. It was just out of the blue! That ended up to be quite the adventure. We had about an hour to kill, so Jace and I decided to stop by Aarons jewelery. We asked about melting my original ring down to have it set on a plain solitaire band. They said it wouldn't save us any money. *frown* But then she said, "Okay, you guys have been in here three or four times. What is it that you're looking for exactly? Let's find it for you!! Let's get what you want done. What price range are we looking at? What do you like?" The next thing we knew we had picked out two or three rings that I really loved all at the right price. I liked one better than the others, so... we bought it!! Jason is so amazing! He'd had some savings set aside (that he didn't tell me about, of course...) and there you have it! They had the ring ready for me that night, and poof! All done! It's so pretty... I completely love it. It's nice to have a ring that I'm proud to wear for my honey. Then we sped to Salt Lake and picked up our cake. We paid half price for it, but at least she got something for the misunderstanding. I really did feel terrible about the whole thing. We brought it home and ate the top layer. It was so rich!! Jason loved it, of course, but it's not my favorite. I'm looking forward to the cake we have ordered for July! White cake and raspberry filling!! Mmm... After Jason had his fill we did a devotional and called it a night. I have a full day of work tomorrow, so off to bed!! It's been such a great day!