*breaking news*

i am now ready to reveal the brand new blog.
after a bit of time and construction, i am pleased to let you all know that our new blog address is:


drumroll...


daniandmikey.blogspot.com
(i encourage you to stalk us)


ps: 15 days left :)

coming soon to a blogosphere near you...

a brand new blog for a brand new relationship status

(for those of you just tuning in, the new relationship status is married).

get ready.

i know i'm trying *to.

eeeeeek!

(19 days left!)

*side note: my thousands of dollars invested in a college education have taught me at least one useful thing: ending a sentence in a preposition really is okay. these days i do it just out of spite.

vestido.

just fyi...

there is something gorgeous in this bag :)

wedding report, 46 days out...

Wedding planning is CRAZY. And I feel like I'm losing my mind a little, to be completely honest. Who would have thought that planning a wedding would be this stressful? Not me, that's for sure.

But it's good to know that 46 days from today I will be happily married to Michael and will never, ever consider bridesmaids outfits, color combinations or reception food again. At least until my own kids get married... But that is not going to be for a very, very long time.

But for those of you who are curious (ahem... Rachel) I'll let you in on the progress :)

The announcements: Printed! My dear mother is working on addressing them.

The pictures: That's a different story. We are redoing them on Friday. If you haven't already noticed, I have included a few for your viewing pleasure...

The venue: Eldredge Manor in Bountiful, UT. This place is gorgeous.

The cake: stiiill in the works... But will no longer be in the works as of this Saturday at 10am. Let's just say that it is going to be a.w.e.s.o.m.e. Just wait and see.

The dress: purchased! And I love it!

The colors: revamped. For maybe the fifth time... Originally they were shades of yellow and grey, but then I bought an ivory dress. Whoops! So the colors then became coral and grey. But I was so in love with yellows that I decided to change it back to yellows for about a day. After realizing that ivory and yellow really wouldn't work together, I settled back on coral and grey. But then! Genius in the form of my little sister Maddie (Maddie of my last post) Suggested adding turquoise. Wow. Perfect. So Tiffany Blue (not quite turquoise) was added as an accent color. And guess what, I love the combination. I have heard complaints from every female in my family and Kennan via email from California, but I think they are great.

What's next on the docket? I'm glad you asked.

REGISTERING.

I have been looking forward to doing this for weeks. Fun.

&.

Valentine's Day :)

I already hacked into Michael's laptop and made a list of my Valentine's Day expectations (they include him not working & sappy love letters). I.am.excited.

!

On Turning 14: A Blog Dedicated to M. Elizabeth Richards

On January 16, 1997 a little girl named Maddie came into the world, immediately making it a better place for at least 6 people residing in it. Almost 3 weeks ago (I know, this tribute post, like virtually every other thing I do, is late), this same little girl turned an entire 14 years old. In order to fully appreciate the recently-turned-14-year-old brain, I found a journal entry from right after my 14th birthday waaay back in 2002:

"Well, let's start from the beginning. 1-28-02. I turned 14. I got a cd, 2 pairs of pants, a shirt, a razor, a scarf, and money! On January 18, we went to Utah. It was a lot of fun! On February 9, I went to my 1st dance! For my first slow song I dance w/ Brett Smith. [Interjection: I'm going to spare you the pain of me listing off every single boy I danced with and what my little self thought of each of them...] At school, they are doing swing dancing classes. I wanna do it, I think it would be a lot of fun. I also am going out for track this year. I've got to get into shape though. I'm also gonna learn how to speak French. That would be fun! Anyways, see ya!"

Um, yeah. You could say I was deep. I remember discovering how much fun boys could be and how awesome it was to have great girlfriends. I also remember feeling like I could do anything that I wanted to do. Like learn to swing dance? Learn French? (Both of which I have yet to accomplish...) Why not? I think that 14 is when you realize that there is a lot to discover and learn from world.
So, without further ado, I would love to list my top 14 favorite things about my baby sister:

1. her blonde hair. She's the lone blonde in the family and I have always been jealous. Always.

2. The fact that she knows how to dress fashionably. Under the guidance of her older sisters, of course. Me and Jill never had an older sister to show us how to dress cute, so we ended up looking like dweebs for most of our adolescence, unlike her. Good times.

3. Teasing her about her crush: _ O _ _ E _ _ _ I _ _. Ha.

4. Her love for Taylor Swift (which i share).

5. Her sweet cheerleader moves. They're pretty impressive.

6. The fact that she is now and always will be shorter than me. Yes.

7. Her bedroom with two beds. Which=slumber parties every time I go home.

8. She can wear makeup! Hence, I can put whatever I want on her face.

9. She wears the same size shoes as me. So I get to steal and steal and steal every time I go home.

10. Her kindness. Seriously, this little girl understands the idea of forgiving and forgetting. And I for one could not be more grateful.

11. Her infectious laugh (not to be confused with an infectious disease).

12. I know that all teenagers think that they are too cool for school, but she is one of the only ones (along with me back in the day) that really is.

13. How loving she is. I think that of all of the members of our family, she has the most natural ability to love and care for others.

14. Her dance to Justin Bieber's "Eenie Meenie." It's magical.

Happy Birthday Maddles! Live it up at the stake dances :)

so about those new years resolutions...

one of mine is to do things when i plan to do them. but as evidenced by the fact that this post is already two weeks overdue, i think it's pretty clear that i'm down for the count. so. here are my 2011 resolutions:

watch every episode of this
marry him
run this
set him up with his wife
drink more of this
plant one of these
have a kinder one of these
don't eat any of this for a month
get these taken out
read this 3 times
see more of this

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.