Yeah, oops, took too long to write about the honeymoon. We'll see if I can just cram it all together now.
First I'll say what we did at each port, then I'll talk about how I liked the ship, then we'll have to call it good because if I don't shorten it, it'll never get written.
Port 1: Cabo San Lucas
Wow, the water was so turquoise and beautiful, which was weird because the hills around it were so rocky and dry. The pelicans ran the place, they were everywhere! And there were some very large sparrow looking birds flying around the dock also. We got off the boat and started off our Mexican adventure with some shopping. Clayton LOVED to haggle with the people and we bought a couple of things. We went back on the ship to unload our spoils and then headed back out. With not a whole lot of time at port, we were kind of nervous to travel too far, so we walked around (got a little lost on the way) and made our way to the beach. We waded in the water and floated a little, then called it a day and took a glassbottom boat/taxi back to the dock area. Turns out what we should have done was take a boat taxi over to lovers beach. Oops, that's what you get for poor planning. Oh well, I was with my hubby, so I had fun :o)
Port 2: Mazatlan
We got off the boat and walked right into a little (yet very crowded) market that was pretty much just for people getting of cruise ships. We talked to one of the guys setting up tours and he told us that we should go over to the other side of town and shop, then do a tour of the town via taxi (instead of the trolley idea we had in mind). So we hopped in a taxi, and luckily we shared it with another couple so it was cheaper, and the woman and I had a nice conversation, although Clayton kept interrupting with the slug bug game. There were too many slug bugs, that we had to call the game off for this trip :o) We went around shopping, found a really nice chess set that I wanted, but honestly, we didn't have the money for it. If we wanted to get back to the boat, we could afford to pay the guy $30 for it, but he wouldn't take less than $40. Man, I really wanted that one :o( Anywho, we shopped and had a good lunch, and then went on the street looking for an open air taxi- not like it was hard. A guy said he could give us a tour for more than we wanted, and I told him another guy would do it for cheaper, so he lowered his a little, and I said I was going with the other guy and started walking away, so of course he took us for my price (which was a legit price, it's what the travel guy told us to pay, and he told us to not pay anymore than that). Our driver was funny. Couldn't understand everything he said, but the parts I could understand were pretty good. We got out a couple of times to take pictures, and the first time we stopped, the driver took my camera and just started clicking random pictures. Thank goodness it's a digital, it was funny though. After the tour he took us to the boat. We still had a couple hours til we had to be back, but we didn't want to spend more money on a taxi, and the port area was completely isolated from anything else. So we went back on the boat. I don't think we did the greatest job utilizing our port time at any of the stops, but we didn't know how to do it better.
Port 3: Puerto Villarta
At this port we had a tour arranged. We were looking at the explorations and chose a couple, but the one we really wanted was booked, so this was the next best I guess. We signed up for a jungle tour with hike and I don't know what else they promised to go with it. Anyway, first things first, we thought that the time that we were supposed to meet was local time, but we didn't know what the local time was, so we got off the boat and found out that we were 30 minutes late for the tour. We walked up to the meeting place and found out we were supposed to meet at ship time, so we actually still had an hour or two to kill. Wheh. That would have SUCKED. We walked around the mall, before the stores were open, and that's pretty much all we had time to do before we got on the tour bus. The tour guide, Leo, gave us lectures on Mexico's schooling, economy, poverty, etc. on the way down, and I could have definitely done with out that. But the nice thing about the drive was that we got to see all of the city because the boat docks on the north, and the jungle was in the south, so we drove through the three very distinct sections of the city. Alright, we get there and I'm all excited about this rigorous jungle hike where I'm going to see jungle animals and all this cool stuff... Nope, it was a 15 minute walk with no animals, just trees. The only cool part about the "hike" (that old old people were doing without a problem) was that there was a hanging/swinging bridge! But we couldn't bounce it because there were people on it :o( The end of the "hike" was at restaurant that prided itself on being the location of Predator, the movie. I didn't know what that meant, but Clay-dough was excited about it. After our complimentary quesadilla, we were given free time so that we could go swimming. Well, there were only kids swimming in a tiny little pool of water, and we had no body to watch our stuff for us, so we by passed the swimming (which was pretty sad). We decided to go back on the swinging bridge so that we could actually bounce on it. We headed back on the trail, but took a slightly wrong turn when a guy dressed up like the Predator popped out from behind a tree. I was in the middle of talking, so not paying a whole lot of attention, so he scared me, and I'm sure I jumped at least a foot or two. But after screaming, I started cracking up. It was funny! We went on the bridge, jumped, and then just went exploring on our own, taking random pictures of random stuff. It was kind of fun. So although I was EXTREMELY disappointed with the "Jungle Tour" we made it work out. Instead of having the bus take us back to the boat, we got off down town to do some shopping and looking. We didn't find much worth buying, although we bought a hammock, pretty much just because we got it dirt cheap, and we did buy a chess set, not because it was as good as the other, but because the guy chased us down and I was intimidated. There were some funky little statues all along the coast line, so we walked down the coast and took pictures there too. When we hit the end of the statues, we were done and used the last of our money to take a taxi back to the boat. We were tired and definitely ready to be back on the boat!
Boat:
Here's the thing about the cruise. I had fun, and I appreciate the chance we had to go, but I'm not much of a cruiser. There was too much down time for me. I mean, I was so used to being in full speed mode, with the end of school, planning a wedding, moving, etc. that to have time to just relax was too much of a change too fast. I didn't like not having stuff to do. Clayton just really wanted to sit down and watch a movie, and I wanted to be using our time wisely. And that was the other thing. I knew there was a lot of things to do on the boat, I just couldn't figure out what they were. I wasn't going to go to one of the hundreds of liposuction seminars they held daily, I wasn't going to go get a $100 massage at the spa, we did go rock climbing one day and we played mini golf in the wind, which was ridiculous. I'm telling you, who ever thought of putting a mini golf game on the top deck of a cruise ship was not the smartest guy ever. I was thoroughly impressed with the ice show they had, and am proud to say that I've been ice skating in the ocean, although we didn't last long because it was a tiny rink, and it's not like we know how to do anything other than skate in a circle. We tried to go find things to do, but honestly, nothing in the plans really tickled our fancy. Oh, we did learn how to salsa and swing dance, but those lessons were only half an hour each. Eew, and I hated the 8:30 pm dinner time. It killed me. By time we got done with dinner, it was 10 pm and I was done. Unfortunately, that's when a lot of the entertainment started, when it was late. That's probably why we missed out so much on what the boat had to offer.... they offered all the good stuff after my bed time.
Yeah, so that's it, with several details left out. Sorry. It was fun, but Clayton and I agreed that cruising isn't on the top of our adventure lists and we'd much rather travel by land so we can see more of the places we visit. Nice to know we're on the same page :o)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Honeymoon-Day 1
Sunday we woke up, had a very nice breakfast at our hotel, and then had no idea what to do with ourselves before we had to drive up to LA. So.... we went to Mom's house and opened presents and said our goodbyes. I don't know that visiting the parents is a typical honeymoon experience, but we got to open presents!!! Daisy Mae is so cute. We walk in the door and she says "Aunt Brookie, we got you all these presents." Apparently the girls woke up and saw all the presents and got so excited and wanted to open them, but were stopped because, well, obviously the presents weren't for the girls. But we did let them help open them, don't worry.
After opening presents we bummed around for a while and then took off to drive to LA. There was really no point in getting there too early because Yvonne and Jared Hansen were so graciously allowing us to park at their place and then they drove us to the ship, and Yvonne teaches Young Womens and wouldn't be able to get back until after 2:30pm. Yeah, we got there early and had to... wait... for a little bit. No big, better early than late. Anywho, Jared drove us to the ship and we bored without a problem as Clayton Fowers and Brooke Kerby :o) Once on the boat/ship/whatever we just wandered around and explored what there was. This is what we found: bars, 2 pools, 6 Jacuzzis, bars, a theater, an ice rink, bars, shops, 3 eating areas, bars, a casino, and we missed the sports deck the first day some how, but there was a sports deck with a rock wall, basketball court, mini golf, skating rink, and ping-pong tables.
We went up top when we disembarked and watched us sail out for a little bit. We went to dinner that night and met the rest of our table. Dorian and Mia were also newly weds who were married on Saturday. Will and Kelly were just dating and were a little uncomfortable at first being at a table with newly weds, but got over it. They were a pretty fun group, and so dinner wasn't as awkward as we had all feared it would be.
Our dinner time was at 8:30 and didn't finish until 10:30, so after dinner Clayton and I were out. End of day one.
After opening presents we bummed around for a while and then took off to drive to LA. There was really no point in getting there too early because Yvonne and Jared Hansen were so graciously allowing us to park at their place and then they drove us to the ship, and Yvonne teaches Young Womens and wouldn't be able to get back until after 2:30pm. Yeah, we got there early and had to... wait... for a little bit. No big, better early than late. Anywho, Jared drove us to the ship and we bored without a problem as Clayton Fowers and Brooke Kerby :o) Once on the boat/ship/whatever we just wandered around and explored what there was. This is what we found: bars, 2 pools, 6 Jacuzzis, bars, a theater, an ice rink, bars, shops, 3 eating areas, bars, a casino, and we missed the sports deck the first day some how, but there was a sports deck with a rock wall, basketball court, mini golf, skating rink, and ping-pong tables.
We went up top when we disembarked and watched us sail out for a little bit. We went to dinner that night and met the rest of our table. Dorian and Mia were also newly weds who were married on Saturday. Will and Kelly were just dating and were a little uncomfortable at first being at a table with newly weds, but got over it. They were a pretty fun group, and so dinner wasn't as awkward as we had all feared it would be.
Our dinner time was at 8:30 and didn't finish until 10:30, so after dinner Clayton and I were out. End of day one.
Mrs. Fowers
Um... yeah, lots to catch up on. I'm not quite sure where to start, because unless I stay up on this, the story will never get finished. Oh well, I'll start where I start and end where I end.
Alright, just checked the blog and at least I've already written the proposal. To wrap up the engagement stage... ROUGH. Honestly?! I always thought being engaged would be great. You're with the one you love, you know that they're going to be yours, sighs, bliss, love, happiness... NOT!! It was so rough. Urg. I think a lot of it was that we lived an hour and a half away so we couldn't always be with each other. Most of the time when I was with him, I could remember how much I loved him, but it was so easy to forget when we were apart. Ew... and there was a lot of questioning. Luckily I have great friends. I would try to hide things from Katrina, but I'm not very good at not blabbing my whole life to anyone willing to listen, so things would always slip and she was smart enough to point out how very very right Clayton and I were for each other. And thank goodness I listened to her. I would have missed out on so much if I would have "bowed out" of this. Also, can I tell you how incredible Clay-dough is? The poor guy had to put up with all of my roller coaster-ing. One minute I was all "lovie dovie" with him and the next minute I was yelling at him for the same thing that we had always been fighting about. Good thing he's stronger than I am. He never questioned (okay, one time for just a second) and was always VERY VERY VERY patient with me.
Anyway, through all the fighting, all the stress of planning a wedding from two states away, through finishing up my first year of teaching (oh yeah, hopefully I'll get back to blogging about that later), it finally happen. I finished school on May 28, moved my stuff to Clayton's on the 29th, was in Cedar City on the 30th and then home on the 31st. I was super duper nervous to be so far away from Clayton the week before the wedding, but again, luckily I have amazing friends (and family). Rachel came to town on Wednesday and it was SO great catching up with her, and she'd listen to all my stories, and be on my side in all the appropriate places, and calm me down at appropriate times, that I was a-okay with Clayton not coming til the day before the wedding (alright, not a-okay, but close).
June 5, 2010. My new favorite day. Whenever anyone told me to stop stressing about the wedding, I would first respond with "You obviously don't know me" and then I'd tell them "I can stress all I want up until the wedding, that way on the day, I don't have to stress about anything." The first thing I did Saturday morning was go and get my hair done. I didn't like it, but because I was trying so hard not to stress about anything, I tried keeping it in. I tried so hard. But it didn't work. I let Dana know I didn't like it, and then had a slight melt down at home. Oops. But you guys have to know, I tried SO hard NOT to say anything, but I didn't like it THAT much. Okay, again, great friends, great family, it all worked out. Rachel did my makeup and did a fantastic job, and then I just avoided mirrors so I wouldn't have to look at my hair again. Then a quick change, and Mom and I were off to the temple (after I reminded both Joy and Dad of everything they had to bring in the blazer.
I was a little early, and Clayton was a touch late. The kid had to run to the store to buy a long sleeve white shirt. Somehow he over looked that in packing. Smiled that one off and went up to get ready. Other married friends warned me that it's natural to start freaking out in the Bride's room. Um... nope, no freaking out :o) I just waited (there was a lot of waiting to do). Obviously I can't go into too much, but I can say that it was all so beautiful. Walking into the room, I didn't even really notice many of the guests (sorry, I know the guests are reading this). But on my defense, I like never scope out a room when I walk in. Granddad said some beautiful words, and then it was done. We were given to each other for time and all eternity. The feeling in that room was so amazing.
Took pictures outside and Kim was the only one to make any wise cracks about the scaffolding. I think everyone else got the hint not to say something when I jokingly? snapped at Kim for her comment. I didn't realize it at the time, but I got fried while taking pictures. But you know what that means? It was a BEAUTIFUL sunny summer day. No June Gloom (ha Dad, you downer)! Pictures took about an hour, then the family got a small break before going to the reception. Clay-bear and I however, took a few more shots at the Temple and then headed to the beach for some beach shots. I can't wait to see how those all turned out. We all know I'm not super photogenic, so hopefully this guy's a pro at photoshop :o)
After the beach shots, we were off to the reception. Of course it didn't all go perfectly, but it went well and I've gotten compliments on it from so many people. I only wish I had taken the time to enjoy it more. I was so worried about saying hi to everyone and making sure the dance floor got used that I didn't really notice too much of the set up, hardly ate any food, oh yeah, and I was in screaming pain starting at the beach (but luckily only a few select people knew that at the reception :o) My favorite part was the exit. It looked awesome. Everyone lined the stairs that looked out over our car and everyone waved farewell as we drove away. Okay, we only drove a circle around the block because we were coming back to change. And it's a dang good thing we did come back because there were at least four other families that came right as we were leaving. I was out of my dress by time I got to them, but at least I got to see them and thank them for coming.
Then it was off to Del Mar to stay at the Hilton Garden. Now it's okay that people know where it was, but we definitely didn't tell anybody before we went.... just in case. It was a pretty fantastic day, if I do say so myself. Just don't ever use Our Eternal Weddings as your coordinator ;o)
Alright, just checked the blog and at least I've already written the proposal. To wrap up the engagement stage... ROUGH. Honestly?! I always thought being engaged would be great. You're with the one you love, you know that they're going to be yours, sighs, bliss, love, happiness... NOT!! It was so rough. Urg. I think a lot of it was that we lived an hour and a half away so we couldn't always be with each other. Most of the time when I was with him, I could remember how much I loved him, but it was so easy to forget when we were apart. Ew... and there was a lot of questioning. Luckily I have great friends. I would try to hide things from Katrina, but I'm not very good at not blabbing my whole life to anyone willing to listen, so things would always slip and she was smart enough to point out how very very right Clayton and I were for each other. And thank goodness I listened to her. I would have missed out on so much if I would have "bowed out" of this. Also, can I tell you how incredible Clay-dough is? The poor guy had to put up with all of my roller coaster-ing. One minute I was all "lovie dovie" with him and the next minute I was yelling at him for the same thing that we had always been fighting about. Good thing he's stronger than I am. He never questioned (okay, one time for just a second) and was always VERY VERY VERY patient with me.
Anyway, through all the fighting, all the stress of planning a wedding from two states away, through finishing up my first year of teaching (oh yeah, hopefully I'll get back to blogging about that later), it finally happen. I finished school on May 28, moved my stuff to Clayton's on the 29th, was in Cedar City on the 30th and then home on the 31st. I was super duper nervous to be so far away from Clayton the week before the wedding, but again, luckily I have amazing friends (and family). Rachel came to town on Wednesday and it was SO great catching up with her, and she'd listen to all my stories, and be on my side in all the appropriate places, and calm me down at appropriate times, that I was a-okay with Clayton not coming til the day before the wedding (alright, not a-okay, but close).
June 5, 2010. My new favorite day. Whenever anyone told me to stop stressing about the wedding, I would first respond with "You obviously don't know me" and then I'd tell them "I can stress all I want up until the wedding, that way on the day, I don't have to stress about anything." The first thing I did Saturday morning was go and get my hair done. I didn't like it, but because I was trying so hard not to stress about anything, I tried keeping it in. I tried so hard. But it didn't work. I let Dana know I didn't like it, and then had a slight melt down at home. Oops. But you guys have to know, I tried SO hard NOT to say anything, but I didn't like it THAT much. Okay, again, great friends, great family, it all worked out. Rachel did my makeup and did a fantastic job, and then I just avoided mirrors so I wouldn't have to look at my hair again. Then a quick change, and Mom and I were off to the temple (after I reminded both Joy and Dad of everything they had to bring in the blazer.
I was a little early, and Clayton was a touch late. The kid had to run to the store to buy a long sleeve white shirt. Somehow he over looked that in packing. Smiled that one off and went up to get ready. Other married friends warned me that it's natural to start freaking out in the Bride's room. Um... nope, no freaking out :o) I just waited (there was a lot of waiting to do). Obviously I can't go into too much, but I can say that it was all so beautiful. Walking into the room, I didn't even really notice many of the guests (sorry, I know the guests are reading this). But on my defense, I like never scope out a room when I walk in. Granddad said some beautiful words, and then it was done. We were given to each other for time and all eternity. The feeling in that room was so amazing.
Took pictures outside and Kim was the only one to make any wise cracks about the scaffolding. I think everyone else got the hint not to say something when I jokingly? snapped at Kim for her comment. I didn't realize it at the time, but I got fried while taking pictures. But you know what that means? It was a BEAUTIFUL sunny summer day. No June Gloom (ha Dad, you downer)! Pictures took about an hour, then the family got a small break before going to the reception. Clay-bear and I however, took a few more shots at the Temple and then headed to the beach for some beach shots. I can't wait to see how those all turned out. We all know I'm not super photogenic, so hopefully this guy's a pro at photoshop :o)
After the beach shots, we were off to the reception. Of course it didn't all go perfectly, but it went well and I've gotten compliments on it from so many people. I only wish I had taken the time to enjoy it more. I was so worried about saying hi to everyone and making sure the dance floor got used that I didn't really notice too much of the set up, hardly ate any food, oh yeah, and I was in screaming pain starting at the beach (but luckily only a few select people knew that at the reception :o) My favorite part was the exit. It looked awesome. Everyone lined the stairs that looked out over our car and everyone waved farewell as we drove away. Okay, we only drove a circle around the block because we were coming back to change. And it's a dang good thing we did come back because there were at least four other families that came right as we were leaving. I was out of my dress by time I got to them, but at least I got to see them and thank them for coming.
Then it was off to Del Mar to stay at the Hilton Garden. Now it's okay that people know where it was, but we definitely didn't tell anybody before we went.... just in case. It was a pretty fantastic day, if I do say so myself. Just don't ever use Our Eternal Weddings as your coordinator ;o)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
For Real, Kid's Say the Darndest Things...
I work with small children, so I should have THE GREATEST stories to share. But, there are a couple of problems. One, I'm usually rushing through the day, trying to cram all the lessons in to notice when funny things are said. Two, I have a terrible memory, so even if I do catch something that is so hilarious, I usually forget it by the end of the day.
Since I actually do remember some funny stuff, I figured I'd post it before it slips my mind. Here's the trouble though. I'm not quite sure if it'll be the same in writing. I shared the stories with Clayton and the little punk said, "Well, I guess it's one of those stories where you had to be there." Punk!
All of these stories happened on Saint Patrick's Day, FYI, although that's not REALLY important. Story number one, we were back at the back easel brainstorming settings and characters for our leprechaun/imaginative stories. We had filled up one side of the easel with setting ideas (both time and place) so I was turning the easel around to write character ideas on the other side. On the other side, I still had the brainstorming ideas from our last writing project (How to Books). The kids were making a big deal about me still having that information up, and I told them, yes, I still have it up. Little (insert male student name here) pipes up and says, "That's so last week!" Okay, in writing, it really isn't as funny, but it was a little boy who said it, full of attitude, but also in all seriousness :o)
Also while we were brainstorming for these stories, I asked for places where the story should take place and (insert female student suck up name here) raises her hand and says, "In a suburban community." Okay, that one's not as funny as it is impressive. We had just studies the three different types of communities (rural, suburban, and urban), and I know that she looked up at the poster to remind herself of the name, but it was still for real impressive :o)
Shoot, what was the third story? ... Oh yeah, it involves the same little boy from the first story, he was on a roll Wednesday! In Later Gator time, I had the kids put their hands on their hips if they knew how to read the word I put on the board. It was so cute when I turned around and saw all these kids with their hands on their hips, it reminded me of Peter Pan, so I told them, "Oh, look at all the Peter Pans I have that know the answer." Well, I had to continue to write words up on the board, so they continued to put their hands on their hips if they could read it. Poor, sweet, boy number one purposefully posed like Peter Pan, and I just couldn't help but laugh every time I turned around. Okay, it turns out Clayton's not that much of a punk, because for real, if you weren't there, the story's really not as funny. But I promise, it was adorable :o)
I know that frequently there are days when I have to hold in an out right burst of laughter, and there are other days when I can't hold it back, and right in front of the class I just start cracking up, but I cannot for the life of me remember what those funny things where. Hopefully I'll get some more and remember to write them down. But... not now :o)
Since I actually do remember some funny stuff, I figured I'd post it before it slips my mind. Here's the trouble though. I'm not quite sure if it'll be the same in writing. I shared the stories with Clayton and the little punk said, "Well, I guess it's one of those stories where you had to be there." Punk!
All of these stories happened on Saint Patrick's Day, FYI, although that's not REALLY important. Story number one, we were back at the back easel brainstorming settings and characters for our leprechaun/imaginative stories. We had filled up one side of the easel with setting ideas (both time and place) so I was turning the easel around to write character ideas on the other side. On the other side, I still had the brainstorming ideas from our last writing project (How to Books). The kids were making a big deal about me still having that information up, and I told them, yes, I still have it up. Little (insert male student name here) pipes up and says, "That's so last week!" Okay, in writing, it really isn't as funny, but it was a little boy who said it, full of attitude, but also in all seriousness :o)
Also while we were brainstorming for these stories, I asked for places where the story should take place and (insert female student suck up name here) raises her hand and says, "In a suburban community." Okay, that one's not as funny as it is impressive. We had just studies the three different types of communities (rural, suburban, and urban), and I know that she looked up at the poster to remind herself of the name, but it was still for real impressive :o)
Shoot, what was the third story? ... Oh yeah, it involves the same little boy from the first story, he was on a roll Wednesday! In Later Gator time, I had the kids put their hands on their hips if they knew how to read the word I put on the board. It was so cute when I turned around and saw all these kids with their hands on their hips, it reminded me of Peter Pan, so I told them, "Oh, look at all the Peter Pans I have that know the answer." Well, I had to continue to write words up on the board, so they continued to put their hands on their hips if they could read it. Poor, sweet, boy number one purposefully posed like Peter Pan, and I just couldn't help but laugh every time I turned around. Okay, it turns out Clayton's not that much of a punk, because for real, if you weren't there, the story's really not as funny. But I promise, it was adorable :o)
I know that frequently there are days when I have to hold in an out right burst of laughter, and there are other days when I can't hold it back, and right in front of the class I just start cracking up, but I cannot for the life of me remember what those funny things where. Hopefully I'll get some more and remember to write them down. But... not now :o)
THE Story
So, I have to be careful how I tell this story. If I put the emphasis on the wrong parts, it changes the story completely. I told it to my family the night it happen, and they loved it, and Clayton, listening in was pretty proud of himself when he heard me tell it my way. But, the next day, Jamie and Stacey were practically rolling on the ground with laughter when I told it, and after school, Cherie thought I was the biggest brat and thought Clayton shouldn't have popped the question (I check with him, he didn't feel that way in the least, so I'm safe).
Hopefully I'll tell it the right way in writing, because this is the story that I'll look back to to remember what happen, and I'd prefer to remember the sweet way, not the funny way, and certainly not the bratty way. So here we go... the proposal story:
On Wednesday, March 17, 2010 (Saint Patrick's Day, for anyone that's keeping track) my sweetheart, Clayton Jacob Fowers came down to visit me. Usually on Wednesday's we meet in Salt Lake, but we don't have too much to do when we're up there, so he suggested he would come down. I made him dinner (breaded chicken Parmesan-and I would say it turned out quite well if I do say so myself :o). When we were just about done eating he asked what the plans were after dinner. I told him I had done the hard part and cooked dinner. He told me that he actually had thought about it on the way down and came up with three options. We could either go and play at the park (it was cold and dark) or go up the canyon or go to the temple. I called dibs on the canyon idea and I grabbed some blankets while he cleaned up dinner (thanks again sweetie ;o)
We headed up the canyon and pulled off at the first spot I had in mind. The cloud cover was WAY too thick, so we decided to go farther up the canyon to see if it would clear up, or even if it didn't, my thoughtful spot has a great mountain view anyway. So I drove further up the canyon until we came to Deer Creek Reservoir. The clouds had thinned out a little, so we put the top down and put the blanket on. We sat and talked a while and looked at the stars and the mountains, and then I started getting antsy and asked if we could go.
When we were almost out of the canyon, he suggested that we go to the temple. I asked which one and he said that the Mount Timpanogos one was the better one, so we should go there. I drove to the temple and parked at the back of the parking lot. He asked why I had pulled back there and I told him that we could see the whole temple from the back. He suggested that we get out and walk around, but I informed him that I did not feel comfortable walking around the temple grounds in jeans and a sweatshirt. Instead, I pulled out the scriptures and opened up to where we've been studying. I handed the scriptures over to Clayton and had him start reading. While he was reading, I thought to myself, "I wonder if he's pushing walking around because he want to propose to me." Now, to be honest, for the past couple of weeks I've been pin pointing perfect times for him to propose, and it hadn't happen, so for me to get this thought wasn't really surprising. Anyway, after he read for a while, it was my turn to read. When I was finished, I put the scriptures away and turned to Clayton.
He looked kind of sad and thoughtful. I asked him if he was okay, and he told me yes, I asked him if he was sure, and he said yes. I asked him if he wanted to hear something funny, and he told me yes. I told him that while he was reading, I got the thought that the reason that he was trying to get me to walk around the temple was so that he could propose to me. He told me, "well, you'll never know" so I reached over and felt his pockets. Nope, no ring box, so I knew he wasn't going to do it. We had some playful banter about how I knew he wasn't going to propose to me, and him telling me I'd never know because I didn't want to walk around the temple in jeans and a sweatshirt. The banter had reminded me that there was something I wanted him to look at back at my apartment, so we were heading out of the parking lot when I couldn't take his teasing anymore, so instead of pulling out, I pulled into the other parking lot and sighed in frustration. He laughed and asked what. I told him that I was going to walk around, but that I was going to be pissed because he wasn't going to propose to me.
We got out and started walking around to the side of the temple. At the side of the temple he stopped and I asked what he was doing. He told me he was trying to remember which level the Celestial Room was on. I told him it was the top level, and he informed me that he remembered a huge window, so even though the Celestial Room is the top level, the window extended a floor above. We kept walking to the back of the temple and he stopped when he noticed the beautiful window and informed me that that was the Celestial Room. We stopped and looked at it for a while, I pointed out the chandelier. He side squeezed me and told me that he loved me. I told him that I loved him too. He then asked me if I wanted to know how much he loved me.
Now, he's a huge tease, so the whole "you'll never know" thing could have been a way to get me all riled, but I pulled into the parking lot thinking there was a possibility he wasn't teasing. So when he asked that, I knew what was coming, so I hesitated before telling him that I did want him to tell me how much he loved me. He turned me so we were face to face and told me that the walk wasn't a waste. I let out a little squeal, and he got down on one knee, pulled out a black ring box, and said, "Brooke, will you marry me?" I said yes, and was waiting for him to get up and hug me, but he was waiting for me to put out my finger so he could put the ring on. Instead, I got him up off the ground and hugged him around his neck and wouldn't let go. He asked me if I wanted to put it on my finger, and I told him not yet. He thought that I was scared, but I told him I just didn't want to let go yet.
He finally pried me off of him ;o) and put the ring on. He told me that the ring was mine to keep, and I said, "Is this a for real ring?" He told me yes, and then I stopped and shyly asked, "Do I still get my other one?" (I'm designing a ring, but it wasn't getting done in time, and I was getting for real anxious to be engaged.) He told me that I would still get my other one, and he got another super huge hug!
We continued our walk around the temple, no longer able to touch the ground, and I thought about it... I had told him that I had wanted him to propose in some big fancy way so that I would have a great story to tell, but, the way he did it was EXACTLY him, and I would not have wanted it any other way. This was perfect. Plus, like the name of my blog, it's the little things that are important, so having him ask me in a manner that was just him, is way better than any extravagant way he could have pulled off to give me a "good story." I think I got the best story just the way I got it :o)
The next step is to wait until June 5th, so we can begin our "Happily Ever After."
Hopefully I'll tell it the right way in writing, because this is the story that I'll look back to to remember what happen, and I'd prefer to remember the sweet way, not the funny way, and certainly not the bratty way. So here we go... the proposal story:
On Wednesday, March 17, 2010 (Saint Patrick's Day, for anyone that's keeping track) my sweetheart, Clayton Jacob Fowers came down to visit me. Usually on Wednesday's we meet in Salt Lake, but we don't have too much to do when we're up there, so he suggested he would come down. I made him dinner (breaded chicken Parmesan-and I would say it turned out quite well if I do say so myself :o). When we were just about done eating he asked what the plans were after dinner. I told him I had done the hard part and cooked dinner. He told me that he actually had thought about it on the way down and came up with three options. We could either go and play at the park (it was cold and dark) or go up the canyon or go to the temple. I called dibs on the canyon idea and I grabbed some blankets while he cleaned up dinner (thanks again sweetie ;o)
We headed up the canyon and pulled off at the first spot I had in mind. The cloud cover was WAY too thick, so we decided to go farther up the canyon to see if it would clear up, or even if it didn't, my thoughtful spot has a great mountain view anyway. So I drove further up the canyon until we came to Deer Creek Reservoir. The clouds had thinned out a little, so we put the top down and put the blanket on. We sat and talked a while and looked at the stars and the mountains, and then I started getting antsy and asked if we could go.
When we were almost out of the canyon, he suggested that we go to the temple. I asked which one and he said that the Mount Timpanogos one was the better one, so we should go there. I drove to the temple and parked at the back of the parking lot. He asked why I had pulled back there and I told him that we could see the whole temple from the back. He suggested that we get out and walk around, but I informed him that I did not feel comfortable walking around the temple grounds in jeans and a sweatshirt. Instead, I pulled out the scriptures and opened up to where we've been studying. I handed the scriptures over to Clayton and had him start reading. While he was reading, I thought to myself, "I wonder if he's pushing walking around because he want to propose to me." Now, to be honest, for the past couple of weeks I've been pin pointing perfect times for him to propose, and it hadn't happen, so for me to get this thought wasn't really surprising. Anyway, after he read for a while, it was my turn to read. When I was finished, I put the scriptures away and turned to Clayton.
He looked kind of sad and thoughtful. I asked him if he was okay, and he told me yes, I asked him if he was sure, and he said yes. I asked him if he wanted to hear something funny, and he told me yes. I told him that while he was reading, I got the thought that the reason that he was trying to get me to walk around the temple was so that he could propose to me. He told me, "well, you'll never know" so I reached over and felt his pockets. Nope, no ring box, so I knew he wasn't going to do it. We had some playful banter about how I knew he wasn't going to propose to me, and him telling me I'd never know because I didn't want to walk around the temple in jeans and a sweatshirt. The banter had reminded me that there was something I wanted him to look at back at my apartment, so we were heading out of the parking lot when I couldn't take his teasing anymore, so instead of pulling out, I pulled into the other parking lot and sighed in frustration. He laughed and asked what. I told him that I was going to walk around, but that I was going to be pissed because he wasn't going to propose to me.
We got out and started walking around to the side of the temple. At the side of the temple he stopped and I asked what he was doing. He told me he was trying to remember which level the Celestial Room was on. I told him it was the top level, and he informed me that he remembered a huge window, so even though the Celestial Room is the top level, the window extended a floor above. We kept walking to the back of the temple and he stopped when he noticed the beautiful window and informed me that that was the Celestial Room. We stopped and looked at it for a while, I pointed out the chandelier. He side squeezed me and told me that he loved me. I told him that I loved him too. He then asked me if I wanted to know how much he loved me.
Now, he's a huge tease, so the whole "you'll never know" thing could have been a way to get me all riled, but I pulled into the parking lot thinking there was a possibility he wasn't teasing. So when he asked that, I knew what was coming, so I hesitated before telling him that I did want him to tell me how much he loved me. He turned me so we were face to face and told me that the walk wasn't a waste. I let out a little squeal, and he got down on one knee, pulled out a black ring box, and said, "Brooke, will you marry me?" I said yes, and was waiting for him to get up and hug me, but he was waiting for me to put out my finger so he could put the ring on. Instead, I got him up off the ground and hugged him around his neck and wouldn't let go. He asked me if I wanted to put it on my finger, and I told him not yet. He thought that I was scared, but I told him I just didn't want to let go yet.
He finally pried me off of him ;o) and put the ring on. He told me that the ring was mine to keep, and I said, "Is this a for real ring?" He told me yes, and then I stopped and shyly asked, "Do I still get my other one?" (I'm designing a ring, but it wasn't getting done in time, and I was getting for real anxious to be engaged.) He told me that I would still get my other one, and he got another super huge hug!
We continued our walk around the temple, no longer able to touch the ground, and I thought about it... I had told him that I had wanted him to propose in some big fancy way so that I would have a great story to tell, but, the way he did it was EXACTLY him, and I would not have wanted it any other way. This was perfect. Plus, like the name of my blog, it's the little things that are important, so having him ask me in a manner that was just him, is way better than any extravagant way he could have pulled off to give me a "good story." I think I got the best story just the way I got it :o)
The next step is to wait until June 5th, so we can begin our "Happily Ever After."
Monday, February 15, 2010
Worst Valentine's Ever.... My Fault, Not His
Valentine's Day was on a Sunday this year, so Clayton and I were planning on making the whole weekend a Valentine's celebration. Good intentions, but it was a roller-coaster the whole weekend. It started off fantastically when he ordered flowers and sent them to me at school on Friday. A-dorable! The best was the reaction from the girls in my class. "Are the from a boy?" "Yes" "Oooohhhhhhh!!!!" So cute, so cute. After school I got pretty busy and got a later start up there than I wanted, so I of course got stuck in traffic and had a miserable drive up there. When I got there he comes walking out with a teddy bear in his hands, and the teddy bear is wearing the watch he bought me. So cute, but I was a little too cranky from the drive, and a little too not expecting to share presents right then that I didn't react the way he wanted. So the poor guy didn't think I liked the gift. Not true! I loved it!! Then we headed out to dinner. Dinner didn't go as we had planned because it was at dinner that I reminded him that we had plans that he completely forgot about and that we wouldn't have time for after dinner ended. Plus our waitress was slow, and the steak that I ordered well done had some definite pink in it. So at dinner Clayton was still beating himself up over forgetting our plans, and some other things he was harping on himself for, plus I was tired, plus I wasn't as impressed with the restaurant as I was hoping I would be. We went home, and we were so tired that we just fell asleep. Not the greatest Valentine's activity, but it was okay.
Saturday he had ski patrol, so we were up and out early in the morning. Ski patrol is fun for me because I get to go up snowboarding, but it's also not fun for me because it's a lot of waiting around when he has to fulfill his obligations. One time when he was out doing bobsled training I did go out by myself. On the first run down, I twisted my knee. Not too bad, so I went down again. That time I did something weird and I slammed my head against the ground. By then, I figured, he'd be just about done, and so I went to the top and waited in the patrol room for him. I waited for an hour. After an hour, I was so antsy to get back out, that I didn't care how scared I was to go down. I just gave up on trying to learn the proper way to go down (the reason I've been falling more now is because I'm trying to do it the right way, not the safe/easy way), and I just made it safely down any way I could. When I got to the top that time, he had just made it back. We had lunch and headed out again. After getting hurt, I got really frustrated at the whole sucking thing, and so I was pretty much miserable company. I really hate being bad at things, so I was not in a good mood. And then poor Clayton didn't realize how grumpy I was, so he was trying to joke around with me and I was NOT having it. So although I wasn't really mad at him, I definitely took it out on him. Luckily after a couple of runs I was able to change my attitude and started having fun again. But, then I had more wait time as he cleaned up a blood injury, which ended up waisting my time for one last run. Not anticipating ending so soon and having so much time to wait for him to close the runs, I got a little aggravated again, but I calmed myself down because he had no control over any of it and he was just doing his job.
I don't even know why, but we started fighting on the drive home and the last 10-15 minutes of the drive was in silence. That's never a good thing, because if you give me quiet time, I'll have lots of time to do some negative reflective thinking. So by time we got back, I took my stuff straight up to my room to get ready for the rest of the night. I wanted to bad to cry because I realized that Clayton and I just don't match up, but I couldn't cry, because of that dang logical head of mine. I got all ready to go, but couldn't get my watch on, and took it down to Clayton so he could help me. I wouldn't look at him and he said, "Somethings wrong" "Yep" I went and sat down on the couch and started crying. I don't think he knew what to do with that. He tried to get me to talk about it, but I really didn't want to. I went up stairs to cry on the bed instead and then sent him a text message saying that we didn't fit. He came up and after a lot of coaxing he got me to talk. In my broken logic, I tried to explain what I was freaking out about, but it wasn't really coming out right, and I couldn't remember all the arguments I had come up with in the car. Eventually I had just had enough crying and I calmed down and we headed out. That thing that we had planned to do on Friday was go look at rings. I have no idea what kind I want, and so we were just going to go look at some so I could get a feel of what types there are. Because we missed the boat on that one of Friday we were going to do it Saturday, but I really didn't feel like marrying him on Saturday so we blew those plans. I was also supposed to cook for him on Saturday so we could avoid crowded restaurants, but by the time I was done having my mini-break down, I was hungry and didn't want to have to go to the store, get the stuff, then wait while it cooked. If we had done that, we wouldn't have eaten until after 9:00. So we went out to eat and then drove up Ogden Canyon to look at the city lights. So the rest of the evening picked up, but I had already done a lot of damage. Day number two of Valentine's weekend- sunk :o(
Yesterday was actually Valentine's Day, and even though we didn't do anything big, it was the most enjoyable, because it was the day that we got along the best. We went to church at his home ward, which was nice, because I got to talk to his mom and sister Stephanie before and after Relief Society, and the Sunday School lesson was much better this time than last time. Then we came home, talked, watched the Proposal, and relaxed. Right before dinner, I got into watching the NASCAR race with his dad, I didn't know it would be so easy to get sucked into that, it always seemed so boring. But after dinner we went down stairs and went through a list of questions that all couples should discuss before they get married. When we didn't have any major disagreements with those, I felt much better about things (you know, that freak out was still lingering just a little). Then we studied scriptures, he showed me his favorite video game, and then it was time for bed. Final day of Valentine's weekend- Score!
Saturday he had ski patrol, so we were up and out early in the morning. Ski patrol is fun for me because I get to go up snowboarding, but it's also not fun for me because it's a lot of waiting around when he has to fulfill his obligations. One time when he was out doing bobsled training I did go out by myself. On the first run down, I twisted my knee. Not too bad, so I went down again. That time I did something weird and I slammed my head against the ground. By then, I figured, he'd be just about done, and so I went to the top and waited in the patrol room for him. I waited for an hour. After an hour, I was so antsy to get back out, that I didn't care how scared I was to go down. I just gave up on trying to learn the proper way to go down (the reason I've been falling more now is because I'm trying to do it the right way, not the safe/easy way), and I just made it safely down any way I could. When I got to the top that time, he had just made it back. We had lunch and headed out again. After getting hurt, I got really frustrated at the whole sucking thing, and so I was pretty much miserable company. I really hate being bad at things, so I was not in a good mood. And then poor Clayton didn't realize how grumpy I was, so he was trying to joke around with me and I was NOT having it. So although I wasn't really mad at him, I definitely took it out on him. Luckily after a couple of runs I was able to change my attitude and started having fun again. But, then I had more wait time as he cleaned up a blood injury, which ended up waisting my time for one last run. Not anticipating ending so soon and having so much time to wait for him to close the runs, I got a little aggravated again, but I calmed myself down because he had no control over any of it and he was just doing his job.
I don't even know why, but we started fighting on the drive home and the last 10-15 minutes of the drive was in silence. That's never a good thing, because if you give me quiet time, I'll have lots of time to do some negative reflective thinking. So by time we got back, I took my stuff straight up to my room to get ready for the rest of the night. I wanted to bad to cry because I realized that Clayton and I just don't match up, but I couldn't cry, because of that dang logical head of mine. I got all ready to go, but couldn't get my watch on, and took it down to Clayton so he could help me. I wouldn't look at him and he said, "Somethings wrong" "Yep" I went and sat down on the couch and started crying. I don't think he knew what to do with that. He tried to get me to talk about it, but I really didn't want to. I went up stairs to cry on the bed instead and then sent him a text message saying that we didn't fit. He came up and after a lot of coaxing he got me to talk. In my broken logic, I tried to explain what I was freaking out about, but it wasn't really coming out right, and I couldn't remember all the arguments I had come up with in the car. Eventually I had just had enough crying and I calmed down and we headed out. That thing that we had planned to do on Friday was go look at rings. I have no idea what kind I want, and so we were just going to go look at some so I could get a feel of what types there are. Because we missed the boat on that one of Friday we were going to do it Saturday, but I really didn't feel like marrying him on Saturday so we blew those plans. I was also supposed to cook for him on Saturday so we could avoid crowded restaurants, but by the time I was done having my mini-break down, I was hungry and didn't want to have to go to the store, get the stuff, then wait while it cooked. If we had done that, we wouldn't have eaten until after 9:00. So we went out to eat and then drove up Ogden Canyon to look at the city lights. So the rest of the evening picked up, but I had already done a lot of damage. Day number two of Valentine's weekend- sunk :o(
Yesterday was actually Valentine's Day, and even though we didn't do anything big, it was the most enjoyable, because it was the day that we got along the best. We went to church at his home ward, which was nice, because I got to talk to his mom and sister Stephanie before and after Relief Society, and the Sunday School lesson was much better this time than last time. Then we came home, talked, watched the Proposal, and relaxed. Right before dinner, I got into watching the NASCAR race with his dad, I didn't know it would be so easy to get sucked into that, it always seemed so boring. But after dinner we went down stairs and went through a list of questions that all couples should discuss before they get married. When we didn't have any major disagreements with those, I felt much better about things (you know, that freak out was still lingering just a little). Then we studied scriptures, he showed me his favorite video game, and then it was time for bed. Final day of Valentine's weekend- Score!
Clayton
Yeah, I guess it's about time that I had a post about my boy toy. It hasn't been very long, so you would think that there wouldn't really be that much to write. But if you're thinking like that, then you're wrong :o) Our first date (and he remembered this, not me) was December 5th. Cheri Mills set us up. She served the same mission as him, and she's in my ward. After getting to know how fabulous I am, she decided that I should meet Fowers, because apparently he's equally awesome. Since Cheri had snagged me a date, I snagged her a date with a boy in our ward, and the three of us headed north to Salt Lake while Clayton headed south to meet us in Salt Lake. We met on Temple Square and looked around at the lights. Now, I had gone more for cute than comfort or warmth, so I was pretty cold on this walk, and so it was a good thing that no one actually stopped to look at the lights. We all just kind of walked and talked, occasionally glancing up. Next stop was dinner. Cheri's date Jake used to work up in Salt Lake, so he listed off some different restaurants for us, and Cheri and Clayton chose Costa Vida. Fine with me. It was funny though, because we ran into two other guys from our ward there who were out on dates. On our walk, we were definitely paired off and kept conversations to our separate groups. At dinner we talked as the four of us, and it was pretty interesting conversation. Poor Cheri will never be able to view the Disney Princesses the same. Sorry hun. After dinner we went to the Planetarium and watched a light show. None of us were too impressed by it, so I wouldn't really recommend it. At the end of the date, it was a little awkward because Clayton hadn't parked in the same place as us, so at a corner he just started veering away. Luckily Cheri wanted a hug, so after she gave him one, I got one too. But we didn't exchange numbers or anything or say we should do it again, it was kind of abrupt. I didn't know what to think about that :o(
When we got home, Cheri of course wanted to know what I thought and how it went, so we had some girl talk. I told her that I had a really fun time, and we seemed to hit it off well. He was pretty cute, and pretty humorous. But really, I couldn't figure out why we got along so well. We are pretty opposite. He's pretty childish and immature, and our tastes don't exactly match up, and our sense of humors differ in certain areas. But, regardless of the facts, I had a fun time.
Then the middle school antics started. Because I didn't have his number and he didn't have mine, we had to rely on Cheri to be our middle woman. She asked him what he thought of the date and I found out through her, and he did the same to find out about me. It was funny, but I wanted to be able to talk to him myself, so I had Cheri give him my number. We started texting each other, every other day. He says he didn't plan it that way, but I'm convinced that he didn't want it to be every day so that he scared me off, so he did it every other so that I would know he was interested, but not desperate. I had already had plans to be up in Ogden the next weekend, but I wasn't sure how to let him know that. Although I am pretty forward in my flirting, I didn't really want to be that forward with him. So one day when I had had a pretty rough day at school I told him that I was so glad that I got a little break coming up. He of course asked what the break was, and I told him I was going up to Ogden. Then he freaking changed the subject :o( But it came back up later and he asked me "so, you know, that area is where I like to hang out, would you be interested in hanging out with me while you're up here?" Um duh, that's why I brought it up, I mean, "sure, sounds fun." So I had a nice visit with Grandma and Grandpa Smith, and then went and hung out with Clayton that night. I drove all the way out to his house, just for him to drive us back to South Ogden for dinner. I'm only exaggerating a little when I say that I was right down the street from Grandpa's house. It was a fun dinner. It was really easy to laugh and joke and have a good time. To keep it less planned, so that I could drive back whenever I needed, we went back to his place to play pool. My pool skills were pretty awesome that night, if you just ignore the fact that I knocked the 8 ball in like right away. So although he technically won both games, I had the better skills :o) I wasn't quite ready to leave yet, so we popped in a movie. He was so smooth too. We sat down and he went to put a pillow behind his head, and all of a sudden his arm was behind mine. Good move! Eew. The worst part of that date was the drive home. It was pretty late by time the movie and the talking was all over with, and I still had to make the 1 1/2 drive back. Not only that, but right as I headed out, it started snowing, so that slowed things down even more.
I was going to continue with the play-by-plays of the dates, but then decided that would take too long, so he came out to Orem the next weekend and we hung out, and then it was time for me to come home for Christmas break. Only guess what? Before I left, we arranged for him to be my personal shuttle from the airport to Grandpa's house, seeing as Grandma and Grandpa were going to Saint George and wouldn't be able to pick me up. Score!!! I went home and we talked the WHOLE time I was at home. Okay, when I say "talked" I really mean "texted" but it's the same thing. I feel that we grew a lot closer that week we were really far apart. I was also convinced that if I wanted it, I was going to have a boyfriend as soon as I got back to Utah. Ha, for once, I was actually looking forward to going back to Utah ;o) Yep, I was right. He picked me up from the air port (the delayed flight and airport hassle is a completely different story) we went back to his place and he started talking about dating, but he would come out and ask me to be his girlfriend, so I wasn't making it easy. But seeing as he's a little shy in the girl area, I finally broke down and asked, "Clayton, do you want me to be your girlfriend?" When he said yes, I told him that he had me then. Awwww :o)
The next day he taught me how to snowboard. That was pretty fun. I was pleased at how well I was doing that first day, and he was pretty pleased to not have to ride the ski lift alone :o) I've been coming up as often as I can to snowboard with him, but I haven't been too much. I think as of Saturday I've been four times. Yeah, so we try to rotate weekends who comes up and who comes down, but I prefer to go up because I can stay at his parents house and see him Friday and Saturday, where as if he comes down I just get him for a couple hours Friday night. Plus, when he comes over to my place, there's roommate drama that is easily avoided if I come up to him. And, we started a new thing where we meet in Salt Lake in the middle of the week so that we don't have to go so long without seeing each other. It helps because we both only have to travel both ways and I'm telling you. Seeing your boyfriend only once a week seriously sucks, so the Salt Lake trips help with that too.
I still find him pretty much amazing, even though we still don't match up on a lot of things, I still like to brag about him and talk him up. This is how perfect and well rounded he is. He works at a car place, so he's very hands on and mechanical. He's going to school to get into computers, so he's pretty smart and able to think through lots of problems. And, in his spared time, he volunteers on the ski patrol, so my little man is a little hero :o) What else makes me smile? Oh, it helps that he has a pretty awesome family, and it extra helps that they all approve of me :o) He's very affectionate and loves to hold my hand in public. Although he was a little bit in the dog house yesterday when he wouldn't give me a kiss in front of his family. Oh well, when he meets mine, I'll probably deny him too, so it'll even out soon. But yeah, he's amazing, and we still don't match up (I'll get there in the Valentine's post) but it's still working, and we're both not quite sure why, but we keep going with it.
So yeah, I keep thinking how weird it is that a random set up/blind date would work out so well, but it DEFINITELY is working out SO well!!!! Thanks Cheri, you're pretty much amazing!
When we got home, Cheri of course wanted to know what I thought and how it went, so we had some girl talk. I told her that I had a really fun time, and we seemed to hit it off well. He was pretty cute, and pretty humorous. But really, I couldn't figure out why we got along so well. We are pretty opposite. He's pretty childish and immature, and our tastes don't exactly match up, and our sense of humors differ in certain areas. But, regardless of the facts, I had a fun time.
Then the middle school antics started. Because I didn't have his number and he didn't have mine, we had to rely on Cheri to be our middle woman. She asked him what he thought of the date and I found out through her, and he did the same to find out about me. It was funny, but I wanted to be able to talk to him myself, so I had Cheri give him my number. We started texting each other, every other day. He says he didn't plan it that way, but I'm convinced that he didn't want it to be every day so that he scared me off, so he did it every other so that I would know he was interested, but not desperate. I had already had plans to be up in Ogden the next weekend, but I wasn't sure how to let him know that. Although I am pretty forward in my flirting, I didn't really want to be that forward with him. So one day when I had had a pretty rough day at school I told him that I was so glad that I got a little break coming up. He of course asked what the break was, and I told him I was going up to Ogden. Then he freaking changed the subject :o( But it came back up later and he asked me "so, you know, that area is where I like to hang out, would you be interested in hanging out with me while you're up here?" Um duh, that's why I brought it up, I mean, "sure, sounds fun." So I had a nice visit with Grandma and Grandpa Smith, and then went and hung out with Clayton that night. I drove all the way out to his house, just for him to drive us back to South Ogden for dinner. I'm only exaggerating a little when I say that I was right down the street from Grandpa's house. It was a fun dinner. It was really easy to laugh and joke and have a good time. To keep it less planned, so that I could drive back whenever I needed, we went back to his place to play pool. My pool skills were pretty awesome that night, if you just ignore the fact that I knocked the 8 ball in like right away. So although he technically won both games, I had the better skills :o) I wasn't quite ready to leave yet, so we popped in a movie. He was so smooth too. We sat down and he went to put a pillow behind his head, and all of a sudden his arm was behind mine. Good move! Eew. The worst part of that date was the drive home. It was pretty late by time the movie and the talking was all over with, and I still had to make the 1 1/2 drive back. Not only that, but right as I headed out, it started snowing, so that slowed things down even more.
I was going to continue with the play-by-plays of the dates, but then decided that would take too long, so he came out to Orem the next weekend and we hung out, and then it was time for me to come home for Christmas break. Only guess what? Before I left, we arranged for him to be my personal shuttle from the airport to Grandpa's house, seeing as Grandma and Grandpa were going to Saint George and wouldn't be able to pick me up. Score!!! I went home and we talked the WHOLE time I was at home. Okay, when I say "talked" I really mean "texted" but it's the same thing. I feel that we grew a lot closer that week we were really far apart. I was also convinced that if I wanted it, I was going to have a boyfriend as soon as I got back to Utah. Ha, for once, I was actually looking forward to going back to Utah ;o) Yep, I was right. He picked me up from the air port (the delayed flight and airport hassle is a completely different story) we went back to his place and he started talking about dating, but he would come out and ask me to be his girlfriend, so I wasn't making it easy. But seeing as he's a little shy in the girl area, I finally broke down and asked, "Clayton, do you want me to be your girlfriend?" When he said yes, I told him that he had me then. Awwww :o)
The next day he taught me how to snowboard. That was pretty fun. I was pleased at how well I was doing that first day, and he was pretty pleased to not have to ride the ski lift alone :o) I've been coming up as often as I can to snowboard with him, but I haven't been too much. I think as of Saturday I've been four times. Yeah, so we try to rotate weekends who comes up and who comes down, but I prefer to go up because I can stay at his parents house and see him Friday and Saturday, where as if he comes down I just get him for a couple hours Friday night. Plus, when he comes over to my place, there's roommate drama that is easily avoided if I come up to him. And, we started a new thing where we meet in Salt Lake in the middle of the week so that we don't have to go so long without seeing each other. It helps because we both only have to travel both ways and I'm telling you. Seeing your boyfriend only once a week seriously sucks, so the Salt Lake trips help with that too.
I still find him pretty much amazing, even though we still don't match up on a lot of things, I still like to brag about him and talk him up. This is how perfect and well rounded he is. He works at a car place, so he's very hands on and mechanical. He's going to school to get into computers, so he's pretty smart and able to think through lots of problems. And, in his spared time, he volunteers on the ski patrol, so my little man is a little hero :o) What else makes me smile? Oh, it helps that he has a pretty awesome family, and it extra helps that they all approve of me :o) He's very affectionate and loves to hold my hand in public. Although he was a little bit in the dog house yesterday when he wouldn't give me a kiss in front of his family. Oh well, when he meets mine, I'll probably deny him too, so it'll even out soon. But yeah, he's amazing, and we still don't match up (I'll get there in the Valentine's post) but it's still working, and we're both not quite sure why, but we keep going with it.
So yeah, I keep thinking how weird it is that a random set up/blind date would work out so well, but it DEFINITELY is working out SO well!!!! Thanks Cheri, you're pretty much amazing!
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