:)

So Josh and I bought our first car together! And I love it! :)

Also I'm going through my old CDs and listening to them. It's nice to see that I had good taste in music back in the day! :) Haha I found some CDs that I'd made when I first left and went to college. It was a little bit of a difficult time for me, and these CDs were labeled "Life Sucks vol. 1, 2, and 3." Haha! How dramatic...

But you know what?! Life is awesome! And I love it so much! Sometimes I can't believe how blessed I am. I wish I could just go back and tell my younger self not to worry so much. And then I remind myself that I can tell myself that right now too. I have a hard time just enjoying the moments that I'm in. I worry about the future, about my past, about what's happening today. But you know what? Life is meant to be enjoyed! Right now!

Bad things have happened in my life. And bad things will undoubtedly happen in my future. But there are also so many good things! And worrying so much takes away from the present.

Also I started a new job. And I think it's going pretty well. Sometimes I don't get to see my husband very much because of our differing schedules, but we're making it work. So life is great friends!

*Good Song: You're Not Alone by Saosin

I'm Allergic to My Favorite Animal!

Yep...

I haven't told the online world yet, because I was still somehow hoping that it wasn't true.

But I went to an allergist a little over a month ago because of having allergies. I expected to be allergic to all the trees and plants in the world due to the fact that I was constantly sneezing, coughing, blowing my nose, and trying to keep from ripping the insides of my ears out.

So they did the little test thing on my back.

The doctor came back in and told me, "Well it looks like your allergic to juniper/oak trees. But their pollen only lasts from March to May." Well why do I seem to have allergic reactions all year long?!

It turns out if you live in a place like Utah, you can have allergy symptoms without actually having allergies - something to do with climate and air and blah blah blah. No wonder my allergy pills didn't work...and I still don't really know what to do for it.

And then came the devastating news.

"Also you're allergic to dogs and cats."

Okay, the cat allergy thing was actually awesome. Because I don't like them. Now I have an excuse to never have to own one. Or be around one.

They test your allergies on a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the worst. My cat allergies are a 5 and my dog allergies are a 4.

And that ruins my life a little bit.

I LOVE dogs! LOVE them! I've always had dreams about owning a labrador or golden retriever. Well, there goes that dream...

But that explains why my allergies get so bad when I go to my parents' house. They have a yorkie. And why my throat felt like it was closing up when I drove my sister Addie and her dog back to her house from the hometown.

But it's still lame! Cuz I still want a dog!

I hear they have hypoallergenic dogs...but yorkies are supposed to be hypoallergenic...and I'm obviously allergic to them...

Oh well, looks like I will just have to live on antihistamines.

Because I need a dog. Obviously. :)

*Good Book: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

The Job Hunt and Married Life!

So quick update: I didn't need to have my tooth pulled, and all the work on it will be completely finished next week! :) So happy day!

Okay, so let's talk about looking for jobs. I have been actively looking and applying for jobs since before my internship ended. I have a bachelor's degree and a year of full-time work experience. But for some reason, it is super hard to even get interviews right now! I've been applying for secretary jobs, jobs that work with first-generation college students, museum jobs, and teaching jobs (to see if I could possibly get my teaching certification through the state). And I have had a total of two interviews! Two...

So what are my options?!

I could always go back to the jobs that I specifically went to college to avoid...cleaning, waitressing, customer service, sales...

But then I think to myself, "I am a college graduate, and I did not work my bum off for 4 years to go back to waiting tables!"

And then I feel like I'm being a little snobbish...

Because those aren't bad jobs...but they're just not what I want to do.

I love to read and think and write and learn! And I would love it if I could find a job where I could do those things. But oh well!

I'm loving the married life! Josh is just working away, and I am always looking for jobs, cleaning the house, and trying to decide what to do with my life! :)

So if anybody knows of any good jobs, let me know! Life is pretty great!

How Pizza Ruined My Life

Okay let's talk about how pizza destroyed my life for a second.

So my sister Hollie was over yesterday. We were having leftovers for dinner, and I decided to have a leftover piece of pizza. It was a slightly healthy pizza, with thin crust, chicken, spinach, and tomato. I was enjoying life when I bit down on my pizza. A shot of pain went through one of my upper teeth as I realized that I'd bitten something hard. I had to take a look at the damage, because it felt like I'd at least chipped my tooth.

To my horror, the back side of my tooth was wiggling and loose.

What?!

I broke my tooth on a piece of pizza?!

And of course this all happened at 6:30 p.m., after all dentists have gone home.

Josh still made a valiant effort for me, calling to see if there was any way to get me some help. The earliest we could get in was early this morning to see an oral surgeon.

Yep, I cracked my tooth almost down to the gum. The surgeon broke off the back part that turned out to be a cavity. He suggested I try and save it by going to a dentist.

So a dentist was nice enough to look at it for me today. Yep, a cavity was attacking between my two teeth and eating away my cracked tooth. The dentist told me I probably wouldn't have known about it until it cracked. So there's that. He said it's questionable whether they'll be able to save it or not. He'd have to do a root canal and if it's saveable, he'll put a post and a crown on it.

If not, they'll have to pull it and put in an implant.

No matter how I look at it, both options sound absolutely terrible! I'm only 25! I shouldn't have a fake tooth already!

So right now I have a temporary filling until my root canal on Monday. Let's hope it stays in.

My dear husband, having to put up with all my dramatic whining.

I pretty much hate going to the dentist. Probably more than most things. I brush and floss my teeth regularly I promise! :)

So there ya go! I broke my tooth eating pizza.

The moral of the story is to avoid pizza and never trust any food because it could seriously injure you

.....er.....maybe it should be "go to the dentist and make sure you don't have any soul-killing cavities to ruin your life." Or you might end up looking like a hillbilly with no teeth...or having to get dentures... :(

*Good Singer/Songwriter: Emily Hearn

Pre-Wedding Mishap

Okay so I only have approximately 4 1/2 more days until I marry my best friend Josh! And I can't even wait!!

But I had a slight mishap yesterday.

Yep. I did.

I asked Josh if we could go on a nice Sunday walk. I love being outside, and I love walking! So I thought it would be a good idea. Josh then suggested that we drive to a park and play catch and then walk around the park. So I agreed - anything to get outside in the nice weather.

So we go to the park, and we start tossing a ball back and forth.

We joked about how terrible it would be if one of us got a black eye or something since we only have a few days before the wedding.

I think we should've knocked on wood.

Josh throws me a pop fly (which I love!), and I go to get under it. I'm all lined up thinking that I'm going to make a great catch. I close my mitt and realize that I closed it too soon. The ball bounced off my mitt and right into my lip.

Yep...right into my face.

Josh came over to see if I was okay, all the while telling me that it didn't look that bad.

But my lip was bleeding, and all I could see were wedding pictures of me with a big fat lip.

I felt my lip and it didn't feel that big. So we played catch a little longer and went for a walk. When we finally got back to the apartment, I went to check on the damage.

Oh my gosh, my lip was huge! I had a little bit of a freakout! Poor Josh, just sitting there telling me that I was still beautiful while I was trying to cover my mouth with my hands.

"Just don't look at it! It's huge!" I kept saying. But we didn't have any ice. So I put some spoons in the freezer to make them cold. Josh was so wonderful and went and got me an ice pack (and some popsicles because they taste better than an ice pack! haha)

I woke up this morning, and my lip was much smaller. But there is a little bruise on my face by my lip. And you can still tell that my lip is swollen. Let's just hope that it's all better by Friday so I don't scar our future children for life every time they look at our wedding photos! :/

Note: Don't play catch the week before you get married.

But I still get to marry Josh this weekend! So even a fat lip can't put a damper on that fact! :)

*Good Song: Let It Be Me by Ray LaMontagne

2014 and What's Been Happenin'

Well it's been a little while since I've written!

Things have gotten pretty crazy!

Do you know how much work it is to plan a wedding in 3 months?!

And I'm not even doing anything fancy!!

We finally started sending the announcements out this week. I have the man, my dress, and the temple scheduled. We have an apartment, and we're ready to start this new adventure.

It's funny how life works out. One day you just wake up and everything changes, whether that's from falling in love, hearing terrible news, making a new friend, or making a big change in life. My big change right now is getting married.

I just have to say how incredible all of this has been. I never thought this would happen - I was too nerdy to ever have a man love me enough to want to marry me. I was going to be a historian, writing all about the lives of Civil War soldiers! Did I want to get married and have kids? Yes I did, but I just didn't think it would ever happen, what with my lack of dating and my obsession with warfare and people long gone.

But Josh decided to take a chance on me. And I'll be forever grateful that he did. Do I still love my Civil War soldiers?! Of course I do, and it's nice knowing that I won't have to give them up completely. I still plan on learning everything I can about the things that I'm passionate about. But I also plan on learning more about my soon-to-be husband; I'm excited to keep learning about and from him for the rest of my life.

I honestly feel like I have already accomplished so many of my childhood dreams. Here are the things I wanted to do when I was growing up:

Be a teacher
Be an archaeologist
Be a historian
Be a singer
Be loved
Be a mom

I was a teacher on my mission and while I was working as a mentor to elementary students. I was (kind of like) an archaeologist when I took an archaeology lab. I sorted through materials to be cataloged and analyzed. I've been a historian this past year as I've researched the history of the Church. And I've sung in front of large crowds of people, in choir and on my own. And now I have somebody who loves me.

I am 25 years old, and I have lived most of my childhood dreams! The mom thing is still in the future, but I feel so incredibly blessed!

Life is incredible friends! :)

*Good Song: Follow You by Jon McLaughlin

I'm Getting Married!!!!

Well, friends, it's official.

I'm getting married!

And I'm marrying the most wonderful man!

And I just love him!

Yep! I do!

So here's a little glimpse into how this all came about.

I first met Josh sometime around January 2012.  I had only been home from my mission a little over six months.  My MTC companion and good friend Beatrice was having a game night at her house.  I went and she had a bunch of people from her ward there.  I remember seeing Josh and thinking that he looked so happy because he was smiling the whole night.

I stayed the night at Beatrice's and went to church with her the next day.  Josh came and talked to us and got Beatrice's phone number, suggesting that we should all get together and do something.  But I lived a little over an hour away and got caught up in life and school.

Fast forward to January 2013.

Beatrice and I were talking on the phone one day when she asked me if I remembered her friend Josh.  I thought about it and asked what his last name was so I could Facebook stalk him.  (It had been a year! I needed a refresher! haha)  So I looked him up and I said, "Oh yeah! I remember him.  we talked to him at church!"

She said, "Well he saw your picture on my Facebook the other day and told me that he thought you were really cute."

I laughed as I usually did whenever there was any indication of men being interested in me. Beatrice told me that they were going to a rodeo that weekend and that I should definitely come so I could meet him again.  And seeing as how I am a sucker for rodeos, I agreed to go.  But I could only go on Saturday.  (They were going on both Friday and Saturday).

So I talked my best friend Brittany into going down with me.  We went and Josh was on a date with another girl.  So I hung out with Brittany, Beatrice, and their friend Doug.  I had so much fun!  Josh and I didn't really talk much that night. (He was on a date!)  But I did creepily watch him that night.  He sat in the row in front of us to the right a little ways so it made it easy to creep on him.  :)

He was attentive to his date and seemed to be having a good time.  I decided I really liked his smile.  And he was all dressed up in his cowboy clothes...so that's pretty good!

After that, Josh added me on Facebook and we spent some time messaging on there.  I decided that I wanted to get to know him so I gave him my phone number.  We dated for a couple of months before deciding that we didn't want to do the long distance thing any more.  So we broke up, but still remained friends.

I ended up getting the internship with the Church History Department in Salt Lake.  That put me a whole lot closer to Josh.  So we spent some more time together, decided to give it a second try, and now we're getting married!  And I'm super happy about it! :)  So the big day is March 15.  (Even the fact that somebody broke into my house on Christmas won't put a damper on my happiness!!)

And I can't wait to start the rest of my life with my best friend! :)


*Good Song: Come to Me by Goo Goo Dolls