so it's been a while...

But let me just say, Thanksgiving break was fantastic!

We got a TON of wedding planning done, including signing a marriage license (story later) and addressing hundreds of envelopes for announcements.

We spent a lot of time with family and more importantly, ate lots of good food. (just kidding....kinda)

Kolton's mom and sisters threw me a bridal shower that was so fun! I got so many cute and useful things.

We signed the lease for our very first apartment!

"We're officially homeowners!" I told him, "Renters, actually" he replied.

Homeowner, renter-it's all the same to me. I'm just excited to have a roof over our heads (I was getting a little concerned) and a place to house all of our beautiful gifts from the above mentioned bridal shower.

I contracted a nasty cold/flu that I am still battling. don't worry-I've been guzzling Nyquil. I'm gonna kick this thing!

But most importantly of all....

we celebrated our

 Negative one month anniversary

annndd...

our first date anniversary.

 Okay, so maybe we didn't actually celebrate, but we did recognize the day.

Since we're on the topic, I'll tell ya a little bit about our first date. Kolton would probably not be happy but....let's not tell him.

Oo...over Thanksgiving break last year-wait-scratch that. a few weeks before Thanksgiving, Kolton had gone down to Mesquite riding motorbikes with a big group of men including my dad and uncle. The whole time they were down there, Kolton got teased incessantly about riding home with my dad and coming to visit me/formally meet me on their way back to Idaho.

For some reason, (I don't actually know that reason, hmmm...) he didn't end up with my dad. But a little tiny seed had been planted in his mind. 

Back to Thanksgiving break...

Over the break, Kolton's mom called my mom and asked if I would be busy that weekend. (Kolton claims  he had no idea she did this) my mom said I would probably be free, hung up the phone and called me (I was at the movies with some friends) I completely freaked out (a good freak out) did a little dance, and immediately told all my friends that Kolton Hansen might take me on a date that weekend. (give me a break-I'd only had a crush on him for what-half my life?) So pretty soon we were all freaking out and doing a little happy dance about my stroke of good luck.

Kolton called me a few days later. On my home phone (Yes, I did feel like I was in junior high again). and started asking me all these questions-"How's school? What's your major? How's your break been?"

I knew what he was getting at and was worried that if he asked too many more questions we wouldn't have anything to talk about. Finally he got to the one I was waiting for.

"Will you go on a date with me this Saturday?"

So Saturday rolled around and he came to pick me up.(Yes, my stomach was hosting some majorly huge butterflies, and performing flips worthy of any acrobat).

We were going paintballing with his family (I also drug Tylee along for the ride). So we went to a little corner of their farm that had huge sagebrush we could hide behind and started shooting away.

I'll just be straight with you. I'm not a good paintballer. Not at all. But I did provide some laughs at my expense, maybe that was a redeeming quality for my poor paintballing skills.

After we finished that embarrassment he took me home so I could shower and try looking decent before we went out on the town.

He came by an hour later and we headed into Rexburg to meet up with another couple. We went to Applebee's where I ordered their spinach and artichoke dip (Kolton thought i was crazy til he tried it. Now he's converted).Then we went to the movie Blind Side.

All in all, it was a success (obviously.) and I didn't even need to worry about finding things to talk about. We did just fine.

but then I had to head back to Provo. We talked on the phone a few times, but not very much at all, and then I came home for Christmas break. But that's a story for another day.

 Now we're just like...getting married in less than a month!

And that's about all I've got to say about that.

slouchy socks

Don't you hate slouchy socks? You know what I'm talking about-the kind that slip off your feet as you're walking and end up in a puddle at the toe of your shoes?

Well today since I'm out of all my other socks (it's definitely time to do some laundry) I had to wear some of these kind of socks. And they're mismatched to boot.

Anyway...so as I was walking up the hill to campus, I could feel my socks slipping lower and lower off of my foot. Of course I couldn't just reach down and yank 'em back up because I was wearing my tall, fluffy, boots with da fur. So as I reached the top of the hill, I sat on a bench to readjust myself.

So as I'm sitting there with one boot off and in one hand, and my other hand pulling up my sock, I hear the doors behind me open. And a guy walks out, turns around and comes right up to stand in front of me. I had my ipod in my ears so I yanked out the headphones and looked up at him.

He says to me, "I would just like to tell you that your hair looks beautiful today."

I smiled at him, said a polite, "Thank you" and he walked off.

I sat in shock for a minute,pulled on my boot, and went on my way.

thank you, random friendly stranger.

that is a random "socks" picture, but does anyone else remember wearing the frilly, lacy socks?

let's talk leaves

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've had anything to say. I've actually had about a bajillion things to say but I either a) couldn't find the time or b) couldn't find the right words. So I've been a little neglecting lately, but I promise, promise I will be better.

Today was a windy, cold, typical November day.

I love November a whole lot.

 My favorite things about November are: the anticipation of Christmas coming right around the corner, the crisp air, the smells, cider, scarves wound around chilly necks, hands shoved in coat pockets, the whole bit. However, my favorite thing about November would probably be all the colorful leaves that have left the treetops and are now just sitting on the sidewalks waiting to be crunched.

and I am always willing to oblige.

(how could you NOT enjoy something as beautiful as these!?)

The other day I was walking into a building on campus (I cannot for the LIFE of me remember which building it was) and I looked over and saw a girl walking not on the sidewalk but near a tree under which was a heaping pile of leaves. She was kicking the leaves up as she trudged through them and the pure look of joy on her face really got me thinking.

So today as I was crunching through leaves on my way home from campus I thought to myself, "self, why exactly do you so enjoy hearing the crunch of your boot-clad foot connecting with a leaf?"

I thought and thought, but really couldn't come up with a logical answer.

So instead I started analyzing the different types of leaves scattered on the sidewalk, deciding which ones gave the most satisfying crunch.

I decided that the brown really dried out ones do give a nice crunchy crunch, but they are not (as my interior design professor would say) "aesthetically pleasing", so they don't give me a whole lot of enjoyment.

I think red leaves are so beautiful looking so sometimes I feel kind of bad trodding them underfoot. and plus, they don't really give that great of a crunch. So it's not really quite worth it to step out of my way for them when I can just admire them from afar.

Yellow leaves are okay. I would probably go out of my way to step on one, but they are not quite as crunchy as I would prefer. But they are a fantastic color!

And finally, orange leaves are where it's at. Almost every single orange leaf that my foot found today gave a great, loud, crispy, satisfying crunch. I would definitely recommend these.

Just so ya know.

If you are concerned about my sanity right now, don't worry. I'm just feeling a little burned out (it's definitely time for Thanksgiving break!) and right now all I want to think about are inconsequential things like crunchy leaves. That's all.

obsession confession

I don't get fanatical about many things.

Really, truly, I don't.

But I do have one minor obsession that I am not ashamed of and that is.......

Taylor Swift

I

 l.o.v.e.

her

(a whole lot)

I went to her concert about three or four years ago back when she wasn't a big deal. The concert was in a little auditorium in Idaho Falls and I think I paid $12 for my ticket. It was a Tuesday night and I almost didn't go because iIhad mutual.

(can you believe that!)

But my cousin talked me into it and I went, had a fabulous time, and got my picture taken with her.

Anyway...today I made about the best purchase I've made in three months....

I'm a little obsessed.
And looking forward to my next drive home.