BLOG overhaul

This blog REALLY has done a lot for me. . . but i decided to get rid of the pink/black punk template and am working on getting this to look a little more like "us"- whatever that even is.

But David and I got married!!! then went to Europe. now have a HOUSE!!! i think these all deserve separate blog posts. . . but i have to go teach now. baby steps. (no!! baby is NOT on my mind. just i want to do this little by little. GOSH. mom.)

well. i'll be back.

holli

HELP!!!

9 days. . .

yup. i get married in 9 days!

Why don't Utahns RSVP to weddings??? seriously people. . . i don't even care if it was by the date. but SOMETHING!!!! our poor caterer. . .

And if you didn't RSVP. . . NO FOOD FOR YOU! Unless you RSVP quickly. NOW! davidandholli.weebly.com

But anyway. Stuff is coming together nicely. David painted lots. Gramps printed lots. Mom planned lots. And I bossed around lots :) maybe a smidge bridezilla-like.

Our party in the park is going to ROCK!

I'M IN LOVE! I'M IN LOVE AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!

Well. . . actually. . .

I hate the whole facebook relationship status drama BUT . . . i'll admit it. My secret status on there should now read Engaged!

YEAH! ME! ENGAGED!!! WOO HOO!!!!

So. Back in the early days of my blog, i wrote about some random missionary and my crazy dreams about him for like 2 weeks straight!!! well, it's him! weird how it all lines up now. I ended up sending him an AWESOME package (including a slinky)and we KINDA wrote the rest of his Toulouse Mission. THEN- he came home. I even went to his homecoming. ALONE! but the night before we had had the DTR---> concluding with we were sooo not interested in each other. (ok i'll admit it. it kinda hurt when he said the "just friends" or that i was just his hyper-chouette amis. don't tell him!) But, that may have changed shortly thereafter. we almost dated for a while, dated dated for a while. . . then i was devastated when he broke up with me in March!!!!! how rude. there was something in the break up convo about "sampling more cheesecake." ok. i get that you want to date more girls but still. cheesecake?!?!?!?! ohhhh i hold that over his head soooo much. april fools traditional joke? cheesecake sampler :D go team! Well, we got back together. He "waited for me" while i was in ghana. how cute. then. then. (i tear up at this part.) next thing i knew we were enjoying dinner (from cheesecake factory) and listening to Bruno Mars' "marry you" when he got down on one knee, in front of the Draper Temple, in the freezing cold,

with this rock!!!!!!!!!!!

DO YOU SEE THIS THING!?!?!?

SO of course i said yes :)

and now i have a fiance!

and we live happily ever after. (yeah i know this is being really idealistic but i'm stickin to it)

the end.

My To-Do list. . .

This Week:

Open a high-yield savings account

Invest in a retirement plan

Buy Billy some Nike Boots (yes Nike)

Return CDs to the library

This Month:

Open my OChem book more than once a week

Plan some sort of piano party/recital/thing

Save money to give to someone else to give to someone else. . .

This Year:

Pass all my classes

get more sleep so i don't cry so much

GET SOME DANG PATIENCE!!!!

78 days and counting. . .

HOLY COW! this semester is so busy.

if you know me and my sleeping habits and subsequent moods based on those habits, you should know that i require ohhhh 8+ hours of sleep to function. 9 if you want me in a chipper mood.

well. i'm learning to fake that chipper mood this semester. everyday, i spend a minimum of 6 hours on campus (fridays are my little exception, but the 12 hours on thursdays make up for it), 2 hours commuting, MTW i spend 6 hours teaching. THEN to try and do some homework, have to keep up with House and Parenthood (for my sanity's sake) and maintaining normal human contact (1 person in particular) AND my mom, of course. i just struggle when my alarm starts singing "Defying Gravity" from Wicked at 5:55 every morning. I can't even Defy my pillow, or my teddy bear, let alone get up and soar outta the house. oh elphaba. my little dose of motivation every morning. it's waring off quickly.

So i'm into this semester a little over a month now. I'm still alive. and i don't think i have an F in any class. Actually, i think i'm floating all A's or B's. woot woot. for 17 credits? i'm happy with that. . . just pray it lasts.

but i've just been focused on the future as of late. next semester, i should find an internship, and start really looking for jobs. but is that what i want to do? ugh. part of me still wants to sign. i find myself interpreting half of my classes in my lap, making sure i know the specifics. or teach piano? i swear i am NEVER giving that up. sometimes i whine about going for so long. but it's worth it. watching these kids succeed is so much fun. SOOOOO- life. lots of directions. lots of options. i'm blessed with the struggle to decided between so many different courses my life could go. i love it. but i am recently feeling that responsibility. EEEEK!

quiet time. . .

well. I'M HOME!

and finally adjusted. i still get made fun of for being quiet. but whatever.

These few weeks home have been amazing. I keep finding that i have no motivation to work towards starting my last year of school at byu. My schedule is planned but i have an online class that has to be done before that works out. but heading into this year will be different. my experience at byu has been one. . . well i'll definitely look back on often, not sure how sweet the memories will be. The classes and the education are amazing. but the culture. eeek. While in ghana, some great girls helped me see a new perspective on the whole "dating" scene and what culture outside of the single's ward practice. interesting. i found myself totally in agreement. . . dating differently, waiting to get married till you're older and more mature, finding more of yourself so you can glorify God more, and then to your found self, glorifying God together. Well to most of that i still agree. but the dating differently and marriage. . . i may just have to follow suit with this accepted Utah culture. i didn't think i ever would. . . that is till i saw him at the bottom of the escalator in salt lake city. oh yeah. THAT'S who i cried myself to sleep over missing so much in Ghana. well, and my mom of course. but being back=heaven. i have found more of myself and who i want to become. but, how much more of myself do i want to discover on my own? it just sounds like so much more fun if someone is standing next to me, lending me support.

here come the water works. . .

so. last post from ghana. what do i have to say.

well update from last week. yeah no school friday, so i am another day behind. i finally got all but one lesson covered and understood so i feel confident in what i've taught them, now just to review with them. dang. looking over last year's test (thank you Selorm), they are expected to know some off-the-wall things that i would have never tried to memorize in my life. different culture. different education expectations i guess. so, been trying to work around what i think they find important in order to prep them for next week's test.

i had a proud mom moment today. we had to move bunk bed pieces from last years guest house to the school. i asked a few of my jss 2/3 boys to help. so emmanuel, larty, isaac and patrick wandered over to the house with us then moved everything from the storage to outside. then loaded up these beds and mattresses, and pretty much carried all of it on their heads. smart boys. i was just entertained by their engineering skills finding ways to get it all to go together so we only had to carry minimal things. oh i love those boys. they are awesome (and being paid with american candy :) so yeah. proud of them. awww.

so two days left of teaching and one day of partying (crying) left for me in Ghana. then i can say i've lived in africa. how cool is that?!?!? oh oh. and i have a special place in one african man's heart (he said that himself). then i have a marriage all lined up to one of the teacher's sons. a place to live when i come back and stay for a year. a cook for when i come back on my honeymoon. an extra dad who expects to interview any marriage prospects. taxi drivers to take me to shop for avacados. i just love the ghanaian people. they are so willing not only to give help, but to receive it. i feel like they may not have benefited from my time here as much as i would have liked, but i feel so loved and appreciated for giving of myself to the students and the people here. i don't know how i have helped specifically, but i know ghana has changed and helped me. i'm so grateful for the people who have willingly given of their time, talents, and knowledge to help me feel comfortable and loved in this country. i can't wait to return.

so. i leave in 3 days. *tear* but i've done what i came to do. and really am looking forward to some ice cold lemonade. and cheese. and my mommy :)