Ahem...it's been awhile

Tonight I decided to catch up on a little blog reading and while I was reading I realized I hadn't updated my blog for a really long time. And I mean really long. Life just became so busy (and it hasn't slowed down yet).

So I got engaged...crazy, I know.

So crazy in fact that my own cousin didn't believe me! I had to email her pictures to prove it. But the thing is is I've known this guy for four years now.

He proposed right before Christmas (hence all the lights in the background). I was my usual stubborn self and wanted to go look at the lights everywhere except where our family was hiding and waiting to take pictures. The poor guy, I dragged him around everywhere. We finally got to where he wanted to be and he said, "I want to show you something." Which is when he got down on one knee and popped the question. And I said, "Are you serious?" Actually I said it twice before I said yes. Then our families popped out, lots of pictures were taken, and lots of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory was eaten. 

The date you may ask?

June 8th, 2013. 

Colors?

Peach, blush, cream, pearls, lace...and antique blue mason jars with lots and lots of flowers.

Not only did I get engaged, but I decided what I want to do with my education. For now, I want to get an associates degree with my general education. For most people, it takes two years to get an associates but I'm a little behind. I'm nearing the end of my second year of college with no degree. But hey, at least I know what I want to get now. 

A lot of people are telling me "settling" for an associates degree isn't a good idea and I shouldn't depend on my future husband's education/job. But what is the point of spending thousands of dollars on classes to get a major I don't even want? And any degree is better than no degree. School is expensive and my fiance (still a little weird referring to him as a fiance) wants to be an engineer which takes a lot of schooling. So the plan is I get my degree then start working full time to get him through school. 

Which is fine by me because I am so done with school. I just want to read a book for fun and not because I have to write a paper.

With all these changes and huge decisions in my life right now, I'm just hoping I come out in one piece. Wish me luck!

Thoughts

I'm sure there are a million posts today about September 11. However, I feel like adding my own thoughts about this day.

I was eight, almost nine-years-old when the twin towers fell. My mom got me out of bed late for school because she was watching the news, like millions of other people across the nation and around the world. I remember not understanding what was happening, I was so little. But then I watched the second airplane fly into the building and I understood that people were dying. I asked my mom what was falling out of the windows and she replied, "People."

Even though this event happened across the country, it feels as if it happened right in my backyard. My country is so united that something like this affects all of us. I love that we stand together, political views, religious views, and other differences don't matter for those moments. We truly became The United States of America that day. 

Today, at my university, we had a guest speaker come talk to us. His name is Joe Torrillo, who was a firefighter September 11, 2001. He told his incredible story and it is something I will never forget.

That day, he was supposed to be at a conference to introduce a new toy to the world:  A New York firefighter action figure. On his way, he saw the building burn and he made the decision to go to the fire house instead of his conference. He didn't have his fire gear so he used another firefighter's gear who was off duty that day.

Because he went to school and learned about engineering, he knew that the building would soon collapse and his main goal was to get as many people out of the building as possible. Then the South Tower started collapsing. He said the air pressure began to build and it made his helmet fly off his head and fly in front of him. The pressure began to build even more and he was lifted off the ground.

A steel beam hit him in the back of his head, breaking his skull. He also had a broken arm and ribs. He continued to say that everything went completely black, "Blacker than midnight." 

In the dark, he heard people yelling "Help me, help me" and then the yells turned to whimpers and then silence. He realized that the people around him had died.

What stood out to me most at this point was he said he didn't want to die bitter. He prayed to God and said he wouldn't have wanted a different job, he was glad for what he had been given. He didn't say, why me? but he was grateful for what he had been given and asked that his family would be alright.

Later, they uncovered him and put him on the boat. While on the deck, the North Tower collapsed. People on the boat abandoned the boat because of the glass flying through the air. Joe Torrillo got himself off the stretcher and into the Engine Room of the boat where he was buried a second time, later to be found again.

Because he had borrowed someone else's gear, the people at the hospital thought he was a different man. Calls were made to Joe Torrillo's family, telling them he was missing. 

At the end of his speech, he told us that education will be the most important thing we ever get in our lives. It can't be stolen or borrowed and because of his education, he knew the towers would fall and was able to save hundreds of lives that day. 

Today I learned that even in our darkest moments, we can find things to to be grateful for. During hard times, we don't have to ask God why it happened to you but we can be grateful for what we have been given. And you don't have to wear a uniform to be a hero.

September 11 was such a horrible day but I hope we can remember how we were united and always stand together, one Nation, under God.

My summer adventures

Ready for picture overload? I have finally gotten around to putting pictures on my computer of my summer adventures. A few weeks ago, I took a trip to an amusement park.

This is a ride called The Rocket. You slowly rise to the top (which is insanely high) and then you drop. And you scream. And it is terrifyingly awesome.

I'm the one covering my head with a white looking thing. This is Rattlesnake Rapids. You get wet.

My small hometown does fireworks every August. We have the best fireworks, just saying. We were so close to the fireworks as well. You could see the fireworks being shot into the air, leaving bright orange gold cinders falling to the ground. We even got hit by ash and small pieces of firework. How much closer can you get?

And finally, my favorite pictures. My friend, Emily, is serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She will be serving for a year and a half in Russia! I am so proud of her! Before our missionaries leave, we have farewells. They talk in one of our church meetings and after church, we usually eat food and gather together as friends and family to support them. 

These are my wonderful friends! Our soon-to-be missionary is in the middle, wearing the purple dress. 

Me and Emily! 

My summer adventures are coming to a close. Fall semester begins in two weeks from today. I move into my apartment next Wednesday (and I now know who my roommates are...well, I at least know their names) and the days are slowly beginning to be shorter. Who knows what this next year will bring?

You have no new messages

I have decided I'm not very good at waiting.

If I'm waiting for a phone call, I can't leave my phone anywhere and it becomes an obsession.

If I'm waiting for someone to come, I pace around the front windows and open the door once or twice.

But today, I'm waiting for an email.

Since the end of July I've been waiting for an email, and yesterday, I got one. This email told me the real email I'm waiting for will come today. 

This email will tell me the time I can get my key to my apartment on August 22. It will also tell me who my roommates are. 

I am so nervous to find out who these girls are, nervously excited. 

But until I get this email, I will be nervously waiting until my email account says, "You have one new message."

Retail

Working in retail is both enjoyable and horrible. It depends on the day.

The people can also be enjoyable and absolutely horrible. It depends on the day.

Now that it is August, back to school shopping is in full swing and there is never a quiet moment in the children's department. You can basically forget about trying to keep clothes looking tidy. The moment you have your back turned after straightening a stack, it has turned into a mountain of mess.

Oh and count on people dumping piles of clothes wherever they feel like it:  the floor, the swim suit section, shoes, on top of racks, even in other departments (such as the home department, women's, or dresses). 

But here is my question. What do you do when you witness something completely horrible and wrong? Or at least hear it? You see, today, while I was cleaning out the boy's dressing rooms, there was a mother and her son school shopping. Her boy was in a fitting room when he said, "Mommy I need help. I can't get it on." The mother went back to the room and I assumed she was going to help him. I assumed wrong. I heard her yell, "You know how to get it on! Just do it!" Then I hear what sounded like the boy getting spanked very hard and he starts sobbing. I felt sick to my stomach and didn't know what to do. Soon, they both walked out and the little boy had tears running down his cheeks. He reached for his mother's hand and she said, "You don't need to hold my hand!" And she yanked her hand away. 

I felt sick inside and I wanted to cry. What are you supposed to do in that situation? Did I do wrong by not doing anything?

But could I have made it worse to say something? Could I have gotten into huge trouble by doing something that wouldn't even fix the problem? 

To end this post on a happy note, I'll tell you about the bracelets. For back to school, we're handing out free bracelets to the kids. They're those simple jelly kind that come in multiple colors. I love giving these to them, especially if they are very young (still toddlers). They get the biggest smiles on their faces and in their cute toddler voices, they say thank you as if I've given them a million dollars. It is very sweet and I wished we were able to hand out bracelets all the time.

One of those days...

It's one of those days when your morning starts out pretty awesome. Homemade French Toast for breakfast, some Harry Potter reading, and enjoying a warm summer day.

But it's Wednesday, the middle of the week and therefore, not the beginning of the week. I had a job interview and they were supposed to let me know about their decision at the beginning of this week. Now we're approaching the end! 

I have a feeling I'm not getting the job, but the week isn't over yet.

And if I'm not getting the job, couldn't they at least call me and let me know and put an end to my angst??? 

That's okay, I'll be glued to the phone tomorrow, no big deal.

And to top it all off, my immune system has decided to play a trick on me. Maybe I'm not really sick though. Maybe I'm just stressed out about this whole job hunting thing that it's making me physically sick.

On the bright side, tomorrow I'll be doing water aerobics with friends. I've never done this before. But hey, why not?

Summer!

This summer, I've found myself having adventures with friends and family and becoming sunburned along the way.

Recently, I went out of town with my family for Memorial Day. We became distracted and discovered Indian hieroglyphs nestled among smooth rocky structures. 

This is one of my favorite pictures from the hieroglyphs site. There were several more paintings there that were amazing to see.

Not only have I been seeing ancient history, but I've seen history in the making. I was able to watch a solar eclipse on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

This was the solar eclipse at it's maximum point. If I had been further south, I would have seen a complete ring of fire.

 The solar eclipse caused crazy shadows! I mean just look at my hand in this picture! I can assure you, I have five fingers, not three! 

During the solar eclipse, the temperature and light changed. It was cooler  and the temperature was the same in shade and also in the sunshine. It was a bizarre feeling. 

 Some wonderful friends and I went on a Saturday hike to see an amazing waterfall. We were all sweaty and tired but once we got close to the falls, it became extremely chilly.

Near my home, there is a canyon with a hike that is more like a nature walk. It only takes about fifteen minutes to get there and it is worth it. You are surrounded by towering rocks with a waterfall right in the middle of it all. Below the waterfall is a pool of water.

Besides going on adventures, I have also been job hunting and I even have a job interview this week! I'm very excited to have a job and also have time for mini adventures.

Happy summer!