the promised details

Hello blogosphere. I can't believe I'm on here, writing the story of how I got engaged!

Crazy crazy crazy crazy crazy.

Here's how it all went down:

Michael and I started talking about the possibility of marriage an alarmingly short period of time after we started dating. As recorded in my journal, August 24th was the first time the word was spoken (I panicked inside but hid it well, I think). A mere four months after the beginning of Dani and Michael. It wasn't until a month ago, though, that we decided to move forward and actually make things happen. At which point commenced project: ring shopping.

(And you should know, the one that I fell in love with was the first I tried on.
It was love at first sight)

So. Friday night.

I was pretty sure he was gonna do it that night, but wasn't 100% sure. He picked me up a little before 7:00 after Rachelle's bridal shower (ps: that thing was so. much. fun. I love getting together with all of those girls!) and when I got in the car he asked, "So, what do you want to do tonight?"

Ugh. Annoyance. At this point I figured it wasn't going to happen.

But after I refused to give him any ideas he said: "Hey, I have an idea. I really want to eat at that place at Park City that we ate at last month." Suspicious, no? My hopes were up again. On the way to Park City though, he kept asking me what I wanted to do afterward.

More annoyance. Lack of planning=lack of engagement.

Turns out it was all a show. That tricky boy. After getting to Park City and finding our restaurant, Michael claimed that he felt sick and needed to go to the bathroom. After a long time in the bathroom, I texted Jill and said "There is no way this boy is proposing tonight :("

Increased levels of annoyance.

After dinner, he headed off to the bathroom for another long appointment, then we left to go back to Provo. Now, I was not dressed Park-City appropriate. Not even close. I was wearing a 3/4 length light jacket and flats. In the snow and freezing weather. In my defense, it was warmer in Provo and I wasn't anticipating snow when dressing for the evening. When we got closer to the car I started running.

But.

Michael, still holding my hand, grabbed onto me even tighter, yanked me into the nearest art gallery and said, "Let's just go in here."

Suspicious.

But I'm always down for a good art gallery, as long as it's warm. When we walked in, the couple greeting us had a bunch of balloons, congratulated us on being the 500th customers and said that everything in the art gallery was 50% off.

Even more suspicious.

So Michael led me to the back of the gallery to look at art. Or so it appeared. Because the next second, I turned around and he had vanished. When I went hunting for him, I found him facing a large floor-to-ceiling window looking out onto Main Street. When I got closer, he turned around with another balloon and a shiny ring in one hand.

Getting even more suspicious :)

Then. I love this part :) He got down on one knee and asked, "Dani, will you marry me?"

At which point I started screaming and jumping around like a maniac. I don't even think I said yes, he just slipped the ring onto my wrong finger with shaky hands, slipped it off of the wrong finger with shaky hands, and then slipped it onto the right finger with shaky hands.

Turns out that his sister Emily and her husband Alec set the whole thing up and were photographing us from across the street. They even met a real-life VH1 celebrity who ran over with Alec and Emily because they watched the whole thing with them. That part was kinda weird...

Either way. I am a very happily engaged woman :)
Wedding date? The jury's still out on that one...
It's going to be some time in March though. Stay tuned!!

Ps: I should clarify that both of his marathon bathroom trips were all to check up on the logistics of the impending engagement :)

Ahem

i have an anouncement.

i
am
ENGAGED!!

details to follow...
in the meantime, please ogle over this little beauty:

i can't stop looking at it.

ha! blog stalking!

Guess what, peeps.

I'm a winner!
As evidenced by this blog.

Who would have thought that blog creeping would have worked out so well?
how fun!

thanks justlikemarypoppins.blogspot.com, i will wear the morange well :)

confession

I love public speaking. Like, love it.
I just found out that for a final I have to give a presentation. And I couldn't be more excited. I know some people get freaked out by this kind of stuff, but I just can't empathize.

Because I love trying to work a crowd.

Which is why I love my calling as a Sunday school teacher.

Not to mention why I considered teaching high school for so long.

And also why I might run for public office someday.

Just get me a microphone and a bored audience and I am the happiest of campers.


Ps: After reading this by Sister Amy M., now off in the Provo MTC waiting to go to the Philipines, I went and purchased Smith's Rosebud Salve from Sephora, my favorite store on this entire earth. And guess what, that girl was not lying. This stuff is now an every-day staple for me too. i. love. it. But beware, it's pronounced "SAV," not "SALVE" like it's spelled. I had to find that one out the hard way... Pronunciation issues aside, go buy it now!

my philosophy?

Does anyone else wish this quote wasn't true?

Sheesh.

If it were up to me, I'd stylize this number instead:

"Don't let your work time get in the way of your play time."

Because you know what? I have a sneaking suspicion that "someday" never comes. You know why? Because Henry B. Eyring told me so. You don't believe me? How about this? Eh?

I wish there were never things we needed to do. But alas, finals are coming in a mere 13 days, and I have a giant list accruing of all the things I need to do.

The onslaught is coming...

the adventures of a monday

I just dropped way too much money to print off 8 articles for a research paper about Tom Stoppard's play, Arcadia. At least that was what I meant to do. Instead, I printed off 100+ pages worth of the exact. same. article. At least now I'll become intimately familiar with "The Playwright and the Professors: An Interview with Tom Stoppard" by Katherine E. Kelly and William W. Demastes. And the best part? Yes. I printed all 100 sheets, though black and white, through the color printer.

And that is officially the dumbest thing I've done this week.
Sigh.
It's only Monday.

blizzard (not the delicious DQ variety)

This is what my Sunday looked like for 11 straight hours.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the commute between B-town, OR and Provo, that is an entire four hours longer than it usually takes.

Luckily, little Dekker (who isn't that little, interestingly) drove through all of the ugly stretches. Which as it turns out, was 9 of the 11 hours on the road.
Dekker=my hero.

So are these things, which I happily rediscovered on this marathon roadtrip:

And Taylor Swift, who might as well be crowned Princess of America, who served as the official roadtrip entertainment.
If you haven't heard this album, I honestly am at a loss as to how you've managed to avoid such a large chunk of pop culture.
Just go listen to it. Do it. Give in. All the cool kids are doing it...

Ps: this is my attempt to preserve a portion of Project: Gratitude...
Today I am grateful for: these cutie boots! I'm starting to fall hard for all things North Face. And my warm toes are definitely not hating.

Pss: BYU lost to Utah :( Sad.

Psss: MY BROTHER'S TEAM WON THEIR GAME!! Needless to say, after screaming pretty much the entire four-hour game long, my voice was a little pained. They won 47-29 and will be playing next week for the state title. Exciting, no? And that little guy ran for an 81-yard kickoff return! Ha he's so cute. You can read all about it here and here :)

a great day for football

Anybody else ready for this?

I think things look promising for the cougs today :)

I remember after last year's victory when Max Hall went off on this controversial little tirade. Everyone shook their finger at him publicly, but privately was thrilled that someone had finally voiced what we have all been feeling for years.

Amen, Max. Amen!

On a related topic, my baby brother Colten is playing in the semi-finals of the Oregon 4A state championship football tournament! Here is his adorable little mug in the newspaper.Fortunately, as per Thanksgiving break, I will be able to actually watch the game! I'm excited. My family is in Hillsboro, on the west side of the state right now waiting for a few hours before the game starts. In the meantime, my dad is spending his energy by loudly making snide comments about environmentalists when we find ourselves in large groups of native western-Oregonians. At the very least it's been pretty entertaining.

Holy War kickoff is at 1:30 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Baker-Gladstone kickoff is at 2:15 at Hillsboro Stadium.

Ready... BREAK!

Project: Gratitude, Day 16

I am a little ashamed at not having finished Project: Gratitude the day I was supposed to. I was so good about it until the very. last. day. How annoying is that? Sigh. Well I'm going to make up for it and finish this project though it is almost a full two days late. Over the past few days, I have been grateful for technology.

Isn't it so cool? I mean think about it. There are people literally all over this giant world who I love and I can communicate with them in a matter of a few seconds. And today my family drove more than 300 miles in a few short hours and the whole time, I was communicating with people in Utah. Back in the days of the Oregon Trail it would take a month to get that far and letters took about the same amount of time! We can have conversations with people who are hundreds of miles away, travel quickly, send letters and notes in the blink of an eye and access information about pretty much anything in the world faster than has ever been possible in the history of time. Just take a second and think about how blessed we are to be alive today. It really is incredible.

Project: Gratitude, Day 15

Well, I am nearing the end of Project: Gratitude. For those of you getting sick of this series, hang in there. I only have two left. Who knows, maybe I'll start another series after this? Either way, today I am grateful for (please brace yourself for the corniness that is coming) love.

On Monday during my last class, we were having a conversation about a scene in Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf when Clarissa Dalloway's husband, Richard realizes how much he loves his wife and resolves to go find her and tell her. He goes and buys her flowers, but when he reaches her, he only gives her the flowers and can't bring himself to express his feelings.

It seems like situations like this are the case far too often. Why is it so hard to say those words, not just to a significant other, but to a parent, sibling, or friend? It is such an intimate phrase. There isn't a higher expression of attachment or respect in our language and saying it really opens up the possibility of rejection. On the other hand, we can't expect someone to reciprocate our feelings, because that is not love. Love is unconditional, whether reciprocated or not.

It is such a miracle to love someone! I mean honestly. Is there a higher compliment you can give somone than to love them?

So. My challenge to anyone stumbling across this blog is to not make the same mistake as Richard Dalloway. If you love someone, tell them. Right now. Each day. Every time you think it. It is such an amazing blessing to be able to love, and that is what I am grateful for today.

Project: Gratitude, Day 14

Today I am grateful for rest.

Since being home (approximately 24 hours),

I have taken a ridiculous amount of time to do this: watched way too many hours of this: Spent an inordinate amount of time using pretty much all of these:

and not worried for a second about this:

Yep, my life is great. And that is why today, I am grateful for rest.

Project: Gratitude, Day 13

Today I am grateful that prayers are answered, as evidenced by the fact that I am home safely despite Mother Nature's best efforts. And yes, I realize that this particular point is a little ironic considering my Day 11 post, but after staring at this scene for four hours as I tediously made my way from Happy Valley to my happy home, I am quite wintered out for now.

I know that the many micro-prayers said as I traveled along slushy/icy/snowy/windy/blizzardy roads today were answered because there is someone listening to and answering every word I pray. The ability to communicate with our loving and concerned Heavenly Father is amazing. It's not just because of this experience that I know that prayer is real, but today I am more grateful for it than usual.

Project: Gratitude, Day 12

Today I am grateful for music. As per the previously mentioned snowstorm last night, I broke into my stash of Christmas music and have been enjoying it all day long. And I feel perfectly justified in listening to it even though Thanksgiving has not yet passed. Also, today in Relief Society it was announced that my ward choir is preparing for a Christmas music fireside, so I happily went and sang my little heart out. And had more than a few flashbacks to BHS Bel Canto, Thomas L. Isaacson, Vespers, and clingy black dresses that hugged all the wrong curves of my body. Mmm... good times. I have always loved music and over the years have become a bit of a popular music snob. And I don't usually broadcast this {at least loudly} to the world, but in high school I was the epitome of a choir geek. Glee was seriously my life. Except for the part about my voice being so sublimely beautiful that people put me on TV. I did somehow get a part in the single musical that I auditioned for, but that's all I can brag of. Oh, and did I mention that my choir was ridiculously amazing? I guess not. But seriously. It was.

Anyway, I figure that some of you might be in the market for some new Christmas music, so here are a few of my favorites :) Enjoy!

The First Noel--Mormon Tabernacle Choir {arr. Mack Wilberg}


Infant Holy, Infant Lowly--Mormon Tabernacle Choir {arr. Mack Wilbert}


Winter Song--Ingrid Michaelson & Sara Bareilles


Christmas Eve--Celine Dion


Jingle Bells/Sleigh Ride through the Snow--Mickey Mouse and Friends :) {this song is like listening to my childhood. I seriously love it!}


The First Noel {feat. Faith Hill}--Josh Groban
I couldn't find a youtube video, but trust me, this song is awesome!

What Christmas Means to Me--Stevie Wonder


Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas--Martina McBride
{please ignore the fact that this video is hideous}


Really beautiful music has a little bit of a crazy effect on me. I remember the first time I discovered music that I loved {Jimmy Eat World, circa 2001}, I obsessed. Let's talk about playing a single song on repeat for hours in a day and days in a week. I bet I drove my mother to the breaking point. But man, I just can't get enough when it comes to awesome music.
Enjoy the Christmas {as well as all types of} music, friends! It's awesome!

ps: do not under any circumstance listen to Green Day/Simple Plan/My Chemical Romance/Secondhand Serenade/anything with a whiny lead singer who clearly hates his life. Nobody should like that garbage. Ugh.

Project: Gratitude, Day 11

Though it is now well into day 12 of my day 11 post, yesterday I was grateful that winter is coming. Last night I was driving through Provo Canyon with Michael in the middle of a snowstorm and had a hard time keeping my eyes off of the snow and on the road (which was kind of scary, actually. Turns out that Provo Canyon is a little bit of a dangerous place to be during a snowstorm). There is something hypnotizing about falling snow (thank you, Michael for pointing that one out), and the first snowfall of year is particularly magical. Honestly, I don't think there is much in this world that is more beautiful than brand new snow falling to the ground in the middle of the night, before it gets dirty and squished by tires and feet. I love it.

Yesterday, I was grateful for snow.

Project: Gratitude, Day 10

Today I am grateful for the pop culture phenomenon that is Harry Potter. Books. Movies. Trivia. Overpriced paraphernalia. Butterbeer. Hatred for Lord Voldemort. Hogwarts. Dumbledore before he was gay. Etc. etc. etc. I believe everyone else in the world is grateful for this as well today, when we can all pretend that our bespectacled, parent-less magical hero is real, that his journey isn't quite over yet, and that he is our personal best friend. As of 10:10 pm tonight, I am going to escape into his magical world and battle Tom Riddle at his side. Ah yes, today I am way too grateful for The Boy who Lived.

Project, Gratitude, Day 9

I'm 36 minutes past November 18, but I need to say what I was grateful for today because I was thinking about it all day long.

Today I am grateful for organization. Why? Because my mother's organizationally gifted (and recessive) genes somehow did not make it into my genetic makeup. I am sloooowly starting to realize that when my life feels messiest, it is always reflected in the state of my bedroom. Homework. Habits. Hairstyles. Stream of consciousness. Lowered tolerable levels of stress. Etc times infinity. You see, just as a mess is prone to do, it spills over into all sorts of places that it shouldn't.

Why am I thankful for this, you ask? Well. Because rather than let the general clutter that fills my life takeover and eat me alive, I have decided to declare war. No more of this disorganized nonsense. You see, someday I aspire to be the woman who made this happen:

And this:

oh yeah, and this:
this:and finally, this:

Just get it in your heads that someday, I am going to be super-mom.
I'll try to get it into mine too.
But for today, that is what I am grateful for: organization.
And the knowledge that someday I can be just that.

Project: Gratitude, Day 8

Today I am grateful for BYU Cougar basketball. And for my friends who started waiting in line at the Marriott Center at 10:00 am to watch the Utah State game. It was well-worth it. Mmm... I love me some basketball season.

I echo this message to Aggies out there who actually entertained the thought of beating us:

I hope the ride from Logan was worth it. Maybe next year.
Or maybe not...

Project: Gratitude, Day 7

Today (and every day when I finish a great run) I feel so grateful for my body. In particular, I am grateful that it is well-functioning and puts up with all of the demands I place upon it. As examples, the Redrock Relay and the Halloween Half Marathon. Despite running it into the ground during both of these events, it is happily handling the daily grind as I get ready for another beating in April. I am grateful that I have a body that works exactly the way it is supposed to and that I enjoy using it to its fullest capacity. That's my favorite. And that is also why today I choose to be grateful for my body.

Project: Gratitude, Day 6

Today (and every day) I am grateful for this boy. I don't know how much he's going to appreciate me writing a blog dedicated entirely to him, but just like he had to put up with playing dress-up on Halloween, he's going to have to put up with me raving about him to the world :)

Speaking of Halloween... Here we are as Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
He hates dressing up, but he told me that I could do whatever I wanted for costumes.
I think this picture pretty effectively sums up our respective feelings about the night.

Anyway back to the subject. Michael Everton. My favorite person I have ever met. He makes me happy. He listens to me. He makes me a better person. He puts up with my craziness. He makes me laugh. And he loves me despite my many...oddities. Because of these reasons and so many more, he is what I am most grateful for today.

Ps: this is my favorite picture of us. Except for the fact that my pallid skin makes me appear almost Twilight-esque, I love it. And him.

Project: Gratitude, Day 5

Today I am grateful for my calling. Yes, you read that right. I'm grateful for my calling. I love teaching Gospel Doctrine! This lesson touched me so deeply as I taught the ten people (ha) who came to my class.

We discussed trials and how they shape us. I had a thought that one of the reasons we have trials is to be able to empathize with others. I was thinking that one of the reasons I go through trials might be because I might have a child some day who has to face the exact same problem and I'll know how to comfort him or her because I have been through that same situation. This got me thinking a little. I realized that this is the very point of the Atonement. Jesus Christ has experienced every single trial that I go through and every intimate detail of pain that I feel. Why? So that He would be able to know how to comfort me because He has suffered through that exact experience. Every time I think about this incredible gift, I am overwhelmed by the amount of love that went into the planning of this life. That's what it all is about. Love.

The point is that I had this revelation because I have the opportunity to teach every other week in my ward. Because of this, today I am grateful for my calling.

Project: Gratitude, Day 4

Yesterday I was grateful for my boys, but today I feel especially grateful for the girls I have been privileged to be friends with in my life.

The daughters Barfuss (Emily and Whitney in the first picture and Rachel in the next). I would just like to say that I am really grateful that we are still friends after more than a decade.
I think that's a sign for something :)

SHS (From the left: Sara/Ally/Jill/Jessica/Beth/me).
Coolest high school clique. Ever. Not to mention incredible friends.

My Dormies (From the left: Crystal/Loraina/me/Lauren/Hannah/Meagan).
I don't think anything can compare with the fun we had together. Love love love.

And today...
(Top row from the left: Audrey/Lene/me/Sarie;
Bottom row from the left: Sara/Lynne/Rachel/Rachelle).
I love all of you. Way too much.

Thank you all for being such amazing friends. I am grateful for each one of you!

Project: Gratitude, Day 3

Today, I am grateful for the weekend. Specifically, I am excited about this combination of men in my life (in order of appearance) all within the same four-hour period of time:

Yep, I am grateful for the ability to take a break from life and have fun. Especially when the last boy is involved. And the first... Because my heart belonged to him first so I think it's only fair to be able to appreciate them both together.

Ps: I saw this video last Thanksgiving season and loved it. Mr. Red-Striped-T-Shirt is my favorite, fyi. So here you go, blogosphere, enjoy!

Project: Gratitude, Day 2

After taking a 2-hour lunch today with this kid...

figuring out what I am grateful for is easy.

I am grateful for this eternal bff...

This lovable goofball who chose to give two years of his life to preach the gospel in California...

This punk who thinks he's too cool for school (but loves us all deep down somewhere):

This little sharer of interest in brightly-colored toenails, who is so easy to love...

And these two who put up with way too much grief from me in high school, who I will never be able to adequately thank for all that they've given me...

To all six of you (yes, even you, Colten): I love you and am so grateful for you!

Project: Gratitude, Day 1

Though already ten days into November, I have decided to spite the University and never-ending slew of homework and celebrate the holidays!

I'm just going to pretend that I didn't forget a whole 10 days worth of gratitude and plunge headfirst (because let's face it, that's how I approach most ideas that pop into my mind anyway) into the first day of Project: Gratitude.

Of all of the incredible blessings in my life, which am I most grateful for today?

There are many, many answers that pop into my mind, but of them all, the blessing I am most grateful for is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Story Time:
A few weeks ago I was having a hard time. I was frustrated with myself (as is a common human experience, I believe) for not doing as well as I thought I should have been in several different areas of my life. After dwelling on this for awhile, the thought came into my mind that Heavenly Father doesn't see me in terms of my failures and struggles. When I look at myself, sometimes this is all I can see, but when Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ look at me, they see who I will become. I am not measured by them in terms of what I can (or can't) do, but by how hard I am trying to become that person They already see in me.

Isn't that amazing?

More than anything else, that is what I am so overwhelmingly grateful for each day of my life.

Because of Him, I can change.

the most wonderful time of the year

omg.
i love halloween more than any other day of the year.

and for the life of me, I can't figure out a good costume. i really loved loved loved my zombie costume from last year and can't think of anything that comes close to it. here is my genius brainchild from halloween '09 (i know i look a little moody, but i was going for terrifying...):

it needs to be scary, that is my only requirement. Here are some of my ideas in no particular order:

zombie pt. 2
mummy
skeleton
ghost

what should i do!? help help help!

time traveling

Today in my English 374 class, my professor told us about an exchange that he had with one of his students from a lower-level class who told him that she was thinking about changing her major from English because she doesn't like that we read about amazing things, experiences and ideas every day, but never get to experience them ourselves. As a result, my professor shared this experience, handed "To Autumn" by John Keats to each of us, and after a little biographical background about this poet, sent us out to "the most beautiful place [we could] find on campus" with instructions to think about what the poem is saying and how it affects our lives.

Turns out that this little assignment had a pretty big impact on me. Maybe it's because I am a bit in love with John Keats, beyond the grave as he might be. Maybe it's because "To Autumn" is simply that great of a poem. Or maybe it's because I obsess a bit over the Romantic period in general. Either way (and I promise I will get to the point of this blog in a second), I really think I was born on the wrong continent during the wrong century. I would have been there every step of the way with my boys Blake, Wordsworth & Coleridge, Shelley & Byron (their poetry, at least...), and Keats (my favorite of all). There was so much emotion during this period that was associated with all of the right things: political and social reform (French and American Revolutions, anyone?), all things Gothic (all you Halloween-lovers out there know what I'm talking about), and the almost existential love of nature. And the fabulous dresses. Let's not forget about those. It's true that there were some rough things going on, but I still connect with all of the emotion flying around at this time. It was the style for people to go around feeling and experiencing and savoring and appreciating and living every aspect of their lives with pure passion for each part, knowing that the ideal is a reality.

Unfortunately, that time period along with its values are gone. Today we insist on productivity, streamlining and outcomes over beauty, experience and creation. Do we appreciate all that is beautiful in the world? I guess the question that needs to be asked is, do I appreciate all that is beautiful in my world? The conclusion that I reached today while reading "To Autumn" in the MOA garden is no. And I want that to change. Because very very soon, this period of my life is going to be over. And I want to look back on it, having felt every moment of it. I want to have chewed up every bit of my life and found all that there was to learn from it.

Emo? Maybe. But I had the revelation that all of my favorite guys from this period were really really (probably annoyingly) emo. So I guess I'm just gonna have to embrace it. I will not under any circumstance listen to Secondhand Serenade, Green Day, or My Chemical Romance though. That is where I draw black kohled line.

current craving

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