The Playmill

Last weekend: We went to West Yellowstone and into Yellowstone with our friends Tyler and Alyssa (we served with Tyler in Armenia.)

I have been to Yellowstone quite a bit in the past few years, seeing as it was practically in my Rexburg backyard. But I always love going back and seeing all the crazy nature magic.

Like this:

This one is our favorite! So many colors! 

And then that night we went to the Playmill Theater because my good friend Meredith is a performer there. We got to see Beauty and the Beast. So good!

And we got to eat ice cream and stuff at the lodge.

And Tyler and Alyssa did this:

Weather Check

I noticed something. September through June I am OBSESSED with checking the weather. Whenever I type the letter "W" my browser already knows what I want and it pops up www.weather.com. Why am I so incredibly obsessed those months? Oh, maybe because WINTER is looming all TEN of those months, and I'm checking, always checking (praying and hoping) to see if one day will be warmer than the next.

And today I realized that I haven't check since the end of June (since it took that long this year to warm up- curse Utah and Idaho). So it's been a nice break away. So nice to have some weather security.
So, for old times sake, I checked today. Guess what I saw?

Yes. This beautiful little icon telling me that at least for (hopefully) another month there is hope to be warm. Today it's a wonderful 94º outside. May it last forever.  Oh how I wish it would last. I am so soo happy with you summer. 

Well. Anyway. Time to go to the pool!

I Love You

 “I love you.”

              He first said the words so carelessly and irresponsibly.

              Or so I thought.

Silence.

I laid there. Unable to say them back.

Until one day,
            “I love you”
Came out of my mouth.
To him
I said it to him. And about him. I meant it but the words were green like eating pre-ripe fruit.
A green banana.
A bright orange persimmon.
A white raspberry

I was scared.
And I didn’t know how to admit those words.
Didn’t know if I could live up to them.

But he continued.
His daily sonnet.
            Confession.

His Patience.

And every time I felt it. Absorbed his words.
I hungered for them.
And he gave me life.

As time went on, as I said what I needed, I felt the taste change.
My words ripened.

“I love you.”

They caramelize in my mouth. Went down sweet.
Sugar.
Cream.

            Heaven

            is so close to those words.

I Love You.

Sneak Peak

I want to do this right now.

Diamond Love

I Realize that right now I am posting a blog in which I've written actual thoughts I have. I realize I sound like an idiot trying to be pensive and poignant.  But whatever. It was something I learned. Besides all of that, I know I'm not married yet so it must mean that I don't know a thing about it. But being one of the last to get married out of my friends I have picked up a few advice. If nothing else give me credit for that. But either way, I know that few of you will actually read this. So whatever. I'm posting it anyways.


 Because. Diamonds. I’ve got diamonds on my brain. What do they mean and why we have them. (Aside from a powerful commercial force that has commodified them to make us feel as though we need them.) But what is this symbol we've attached?

           

One year for my birthday I got a small diamond ring with a card that read of how I had truly grown into a diamond, and about how diamonds start as rocks or coal. Diamonds can symbolize that. The growth of a person- from someone resembling coal ;) to a strong and beautiful young lady who is ready to take on the world.

           

And then, of course, there is the whole marriage symbol. It’s said that we wear diamonds because it represents our love and bond and how unbreakable it is. But I see it differently.

           

To me it is breakable. Right now anyways. I feel like now, at the beginning of it all, is the beginning of the formation. It’s not that our love has been polished and formed, but it’s that our love is now beginning. It starts now to form. It will go through much to become strong, but it wont be until it’s under that heat and pressure that it will become what it can be. I believe that it is not until after this life that we will see that “diamond” love. Not until we have struggled and purified that we will be strong and unbreakable. To be sealed to a person is a conditional blessing while on this earth.

           

Check out this description of diamonds and think about it compared to being married in this life:

“The journey and formation of a diamond is long and challenging. It begins deep below the earth’s surface, ranging from 75 to 120 miles below. Millions of years are needed for the earth to create a diamond under fairly specific conditions. In fact, it is estimated that about one carat of a diamond is produced from 100 tons of mud. Extremely high pressure and high temperature, with the right chemistry, {love that part. ;)} contribute to the process necessary to transforming materials into a new rock that we know as a diamond. The process also requires strong bonding between the atoms that make it up. {Isn’t that fabulous?!}

           

Due to the depth in which diamonds begin and develop, circumstances such as deep volcanic eruptions are required to push diamonds close to the earth’s surface for them to emerge in the form that we’ve come to know and value. {Scary! But think about that! It pushes us up.} Diamonds can emerge rough or glassy. It is very rare for one to come out glassy that does not need polishing. When you view a diamond in it’s finished form, consider all the time, energy, and resources that have gone into making it.

           

The word “diamond” comes from the Greek word “adamas.” Meaning proper, unalterable, or unbreakable. {But it takes a lot to become this.} Diamonds have the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any natural bulk material we have thus far.“

 So there we have it. Am I scared to get married? Oh yes I am. (Thanks to people telling it that it’s a thousand times harder than a mission, which was freaking hard) (thanks for terrifying me…) But even though it will be hard I know that I am going into a bond that will push me towards heaven. I look forward to creating my diamond. ;)  

Pretty

I'm thinking of trying this:

What do you think?

The Proposal #2

Yep. That's right. I got two, count them, TWO proposals. Why you ask? Because, for those of you who already know the first proposal story then you perhaps know why. To find out read the original story "The Proposal" from the month of May on this very blog! Point is he gave me a simple ring so that I could pick out my own later. Which I did. And then we had to wait EIGHT weeks to get it because it was apparently a little bit too custom made. But it was well worth the wait....
So since the first time he proposed it was impulsive (but perfect, wouldn't have it any other way) he said that when the real ring came that he would propose again and use his actual and original plan.

So last night we first went to "Symphony Under the Stars."

It was awesome and they played Big Band music.  It was the Utah Symphony. 

Then we came home and when I opened the door I found these all over the place:

And in the middle was this: 

The worlds best pirate chest ever! Apparently he searched far and wide and found this in an antique store. It's over 100 years old!(and for those of you who really know me know why this is so incredibly awesome to me! This was no random thing, he really knows me.)

Inside the chest was a note:

"Some call it a hope chest.....

But us?

We don't hope for adventure, we CREATE it.

~~~

Anna, this is for our new beginning.

To be filled with the bounty of our adventures

Together.

No, this isn't a hope chest

It's a promise

Of adventure

treasure

LIFE

LOVE

Commitment

laughter

Companionship

Compassion

To start our adventure together, let me add the first treasure"

Then he got down on one knee, said romantic things about how wonderful I am :) and then asked me, once again, to marry him. This time I said YES (instead of "okay")

And so without further adieu, here is the ring!

 

I love Love LOVE it!! I call it my little chandelier.  the whole thing is made out of ROSE GOLD and diamonds. Isn't it fabulous?!

I'm in love. With him and this ring. ;)

Ring Ring

There is one thing I really do need. A ring. I don't mean on the phone. 

And it's finally here!

After 8 weeks of patience.

You see, since Buck and I never talked about marriage during our courtship, aside from the occasional jokes, we didn't go ring shopping or set a date or call the temple or get pictures taken before we got engaged like most couples seem to do. So he proposed with this:

And I've loved it. But he told me that fateful night when this gem made it's debut that that was my diamond but that the band was simple so that I could go and pick out the one I wanted. If I said YES that is....

And since I basically did that (originally I said "Okay") he let me pick out the ring of my dreams. But man alive did we have to wait for it. But patience pays off.

........

Can't wait for Buck to give it to me....

Update!

Okay.

Time for a marathon update. Even though I'm not sure at this point if anyone but Rebecca is reading this. (Hey girl!)

Well, in the past couple weeks or so I:

A) Moved out and into a new apartment(in Orem....) It was a wild and stressful time because I was trying to find one (and only found one thanks to my mom and sister) because

B) I was in the midst of a week long family reunion extravaganza! (Which helped with category "A" because when I did move I had an army of uncles and trucks and boy cousins and my family to help me move. Fabulous.)

At this reunion we had everyone on my dad's side of things. So it was massive. And lots of fun. We took pictures, we hiked, we played games, we went camping and to the lake and got jet skies, we had a devotional/testimony meeting, we went to park city, and.... yeah. Stuff like that. ;) It was amazing to see the ripple effect of righteous parents/grandparents. How blessed we are!

C) I went to Logan with Erin and Buck and we chilled with the family there from my mom's side (Buck has been initiated now on both sides.) We also went to BEAR LAKE.

And we celebrated the 4th of July the right way.

(And I dressed up like yankee doodle...)

D) I got an un-paid internship with HELP International (check them out online and get involved at www.help-international.org) and then I'm on team with another non-profit that one of the directors of HELP International has started on the side called Sowers of Hope (check it out at www.sowersofhope.org) These companies work internationally to help aid.  Sowers of Hope is building a school in Bukavu DR Congo. For this I am the Logistics and Administrative Coordinator. Sounds fancy right? Still not exactly sure what I'm doing but I do know this: It will look awesome on my resume. ;)

and

E) Miso continues to grow and cause chaos wherever he goes. But sometimes he likes to crawl into my bed.

And THAT is about all...

Hooray for the RED, WHITE, & BLUE!!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!