Paper chains.

Mike moved to Boston on Easter so we will be living on different coasts until we get married. With all of my new found spare time that was previously taken up by a fiance, I made a paper chain to countdown the days until we get married.

This countdown helps me play a trick on myself: we only have 9 more full days together before we get married! In all reality, we really don't get married for another 84 days but it's a sneaky little way to make me feel like we will be getting married soon even though we'll be apart basically our entire engagement. 

Another thing that makes being apart easier is that Mike is doing awesome things. Example A:

That's Mike right under Mitt's arm (where my bobby pin is pointing) at Mitt's speech in New Hampshire on Wednesday. This picture was on the front page of Politico Wednesday morning. 

You can watch the speech here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgGAGreAhzQ&feature=player_embedded

Although I miss him terribly, I don't want to be unhappy for the next three months so I've just been keeping busy and staying positive. But, friends, Mike is at the Boston Logan Airport about to board a plane headed straight for Utah-- all smiles around these parts! 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! I know I will :) 

Cost-Benefit Analysis.

I am hesitant to write this blog post because I don't want to reveal my tricks. However, since I have already graduated (wait. what?), I figure I should do the noble thing and share my secrets to BYU parking.

Disclaimer: These tips have been tested through trial and error. Strategies were eliminated when a Parking Ticket was received.

I am not sure how many parking tickets I have received over the past 4 years but it is probably in the ball park of 18. If you receive 6 tickets in one year, you get a letter telling you that you are a ticket away from being banned for parking or driving on BYU's campus FOR LIFE. A little dramatic? I'd say so. You think they'd enjoy the extra money we give them. I've never received one of these letters but I've made it pretty close.

Each day, before I go to class, I run through a cost-benefit analysis: weighing the possibility of a parking ticket v. the perks of not having to walk up the awful hills our school sits on. Driving to school wins every time.
          *If you know that I live a 5 minute walk away from campus, don't judge.

Unless you start classes at 7 am, stalk students on the way back to their cars, or Gemini is in your house that  day, you probably aren't going to get a spot in a Y lot. So here are some tips to still park on campus while avoiding a ticket:

• The Taylor Building (Across 9th East from the Law School, kitty-corner from the Creamery) is full of A(faculty) and G(graduate students) spots with some Y(student) spots. The Y spots are usually taken but there are always A or G spots. This is my major's building and I have "illegally" parked here for 2 years and NEVER (really, never. not once!) received a ticket. 
• Beware: it is far from the main campus. So far that not even the parking police bother to patrol it.
• If you are looking to chance a closer A lot, try the lower parking lot across the street from J-dawgs. I have received a ticket here a few times but it is much more rare than other lots.
• One of my favorite tricks is milking the 30 minute spots. They check them regularly so try not to spend more than 30 minutes on campus but if you're just running in to drop something off, use them!
• The Wilk parking lot, Visitor lot/Law School lot, Widstoe lot, my favorite: the Crabtree Lot
• I have also heard stories of people parking at the RB 15 minute stalls for hours without receiving a ticket. I never tested this one.
• Another favorite trick: If you have a class that starts at 3:30, park in a Widstoe or Visitor/Law School 30 minute spot because they become free game at 4:00.
• Learn when each lot opens up for free parking. This way, you can always safely drive to campus.
• Most of you should know this, but just in case you don't, I will tell you: during Spring and Summer, undergraduate students can park in G lots as well. 
• As a rule of thumb, stay away from the JKB. The parking police office is in the JKB so they patrol it quite often. Sometimes you can get away with this for an hour, but, more often than not, you will receive a parking ticket for parking there. 
• If you see the Parking Police patrolling the parking lot, run to your car - as fast as you can. Trust me, out running them has been done. And there is no sweeter victory.

Last but not least, if you do get a parking ticket, pay it online within the first 7 days and the price drops from $20 to $10. 

Don't sweat it, practically every other college campus has parking fees. Just look at your parking tickets as your parking fee and enjoy that thrill that comes from out-smarting the Parking Police. 

Man, I'll miss this place.

the final finals.

Seeing as these are my final finals (at least at BYU.. grad school could definitely be in the cards fall 2013) I had to go about business as usual-- i.e. procrastination. Examples of this procrastination are as follows:

I bought these pretty little flowers to keep things happy around these parts despite the mass amounts of studying.

I made this cake because sugar consumption must triple during finals week. 

Side note: this sugar consumption also includes fake sugar because we all know my diet coke consumption quadruples during finals. 

I recently came up with the genius idea of filling a camel back full of diet coke to take with me on campus. Haven't tried it out yet.

My roommates and I built a sweet fort that we've been hanging out in all day everyday. We have three mattresses in this baby and tonight is night 4 of girl-party-sleepover under the fort. 

Also, during finals I try to think about anything I possibly can that doesn't have to do with school, like this penny. When I first saw it I thought it was some weird Utah/Mormon penny trying to sneak a little CTR reminder into our mint. Then I realized it's a national penny. Why? I like all things Abe Lincoln so much better. 

Although finals aren't the best time of the semester, they do mean summer is near! For me, that means graduation and a kind of really big event later in the season. 

And, hey, even if my finals don't go as well as I'd hope. The lady I bought my diet coke from today told me I was so smart because I paid for my 99 cent drink with $1.04 to get rid of some pennies and get a nickel back. She told me she'd never seen anyone do that before. 

If nothing else, my college education has given me the math skills to get rid of pennies. 

(that was probably 3rd grade but shhh.)

Emotional.

I have been an emotional mess lately. For good reason, but still, it is getting a little ridiculous; I'm most always on the verge of tears.
       1. My fiance moved to Boston Easter Sunday-night.
       2. My sister left Provo the next morning.
       3. I am graduating from BYU in a week.
        Even this made me cry:

Yes, using the second to last trash bag of this roll made me cry. In my defense, this roll of trash bags has some sentiment, but still, its significance is only minor at best. Go ahead: laugh. I'll be laughing with you. 

As I've been reflecting on what seems to be a horrible week, I realized that although these things are hard (finishing off a trash bag roll -- where's a girl to go from there?!), they are each wrought with hidden blessings.

        1. I have a fiance.

      2. This fiance, Mike, will actually have me. 

              **If you know anything about our relationship, you know that this is somewhat of a 

                  miracle itself. 

      3. Mike has a really great opportunity that has taken him to Boston.

      4. I get to go out to Boston in May! (second time in 3 months - party!)

      5. I was able to hang out with my baby-girl, my little sister Carly, for a week.

      6. We got to gross her out at my Bridal shower.

      7. I was able to get a college education.

      8. I had so many great experiences and made such incredible friends at BYU that it's hard to 

           leave.

So amidst the tears, I am still feeling quite blessed. Thanks to you all who have helped make Provo my home the past four years. Love to you all!

Will you be my bridesmaid?

Noting the post before (I have awesome friends), I knew I wanted to ask my friends to be my Bridesmaids in a special way.

Since getting flowers is quite possibly my favorite thing in the world, and the quickest way to my heart, I decided to give them flowers and came up with this little saying to go along with it. 

**P.S. We're getting married on July 20th, 2012 

The wedding planning has begun!
I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a good portion of it done already. Nothing wrong with being excited, right?

I have awesome friends.

I have such great friends. They sure know how to make a girl feel special.

Like throwing a quint-engagement celebration (5 girls from London got engaged within 3 weeks!).

some of the London girls. 

Four of us that got engaged, Devri couldn't make it. 

photos via: Grace

And like giving you the following presents as a congratulations on your engagement. 

An engagement party with french toast, diet coke, and cracker barrel? My friends know me too well. 

Finally!

Last Thursday, March 15th, Mike and I got engaged!! 

Since the weather was perfect, I ditched my last two classes and we headed up to Rock Canyon Park. We hiked through the canyon until we "found" (Mike had been there the day before and made a trail to climb up) a beautiful spot off the trail on the side of the mountain.

It happened to be 2 years and 8 months from the day we went on our first date, which also happened to be hiking. Mike laid down a tarp and a blanket so we could sit on the snow, and we ate lunch: Subway and Teddy grahams, the lunch we had on our first date. 

When I stood up to take a couple pictures, Mike started telling me all those pretty little things every girl hopes to hear when she's about to get engaged. 

After telling me how he felt about me on our first date to now he said, "There's actually a reason I brought you up here today." "There is??" I said and then came the waterworks.

They started as tears in my eyes but by the time he finished saying more pretty little things and was down on his knee, I was in all out sobs.

I never thought I would be a crier, but there I was sobbing on his chest.. so much so that I forgot to say yes! He had to ask, "Does this mean a yes?" 

The rest of the day was spent calling family and friends and experiencing moments of complete bliss and extreme hyper-ness and then moments of exhaustion from an overload of emotion. It was perfect.

Since we spent the afternoon hiking, which is Mike's thing, Mike made dinner reservations at The Roof, so we dressed up all fancy, which is my thing. 

I may or may not have stumbled about 15 times on our hike down the canyon because that shiny thing was distracting me! I love it :) 

As I mentioned above, Mike and I got engaged 2 years and 8 months after our first date. Although it was a long process with lots of bumps along the way, it couldn't have been more perfect for us.

Mike let me grow up.

Mike grew up.

We learned invaluable lessons about each other. 

And now we couldn't be happier. 

As cliche as this may be, I can truly say I am marrying my best friend. Through all of the fun times, the loving times, my many, many freak outs, and the "experiences" I have wanted to have, he has been there for me, even when he probably shouldn't have been. 

We are so excited to finally announce that we are engaged and couldn't be more thrilled to start our lives together. 

The Date: Friday, July 20th in the Newport Beach Temple 

I'm a pretty lucky girl marrying this guy. I am so so so so so happy :) 

Here's a little video we took just after we got engaged. It's stupid and cheesy, but I kind of love it. Mike's not too sure, but he was a gem and let me put it up.