2014- Looking like a great year!

So I wrote this first part on January 20th and had no idea how right I was!

January 20, 2014

I don't really have a topic but the point of this blog is to provide me with something that I can look back on and see what I've done with my life!

I'm finishing up applications for "the future things" and am feeling good about it! WHATEVER this year brings it's going to be awesome! I turn 25 in about a week and I feel like 25 is going to be a good age for me. I was always excited about being 24 and being 24 treated me very well! I had a lot of internship and volunteer opportunities to supplement my work and education experiences! I graduated! I became a Counselor I in the State of Utah! I applied/ am applying for "future stuff"! Next week I'll be able to rent a car if I need to!

So turning 25 is going to be great.

June 10, 2014

Well, needless to say, I was right! But I had no idea at the time what exactly I was right about! I had many, many plans that involved everything but what is actually happening! Marriage!

To this sexy beast!!

Now people keep asking me how we met so I thought I'd blog about it! Like I said earlier, this blog is to remind me of the great things that have happened in my life and Jeff fits perfectly into that title!

So Jeff and I met FIVE YEARS AGO!!! We let the ball drop roughly 7 million times but as our wedding song says "we finally got it all right" ( I Choose You- Sara Bareilles)!

The first time we met was over a corpse in the Anatomy Lab in 2009... I was wearing a shirt that says "Nerds Are Cool" on it and Jeff, feeling like he could relate to the idea, struck up a conversation. He invited me to a study group and after studying a few times together, finishing the class, and just overall enjoying each other's company...

... Nothing happened...

For about 4 months there as nothing until Jeff suddenly called me up and asked me on a date! We had a great time at the planetarium, played a little pool/air hockey at Fat Cats and then enjoyed malts at The Malt Shop! I remember thinking several times throughout the date about how great the conversation was, how much fun I was having and... How I was submitting the paperwork to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the next week!

So this awesomeness was going to have to wait.

Jeff and I ran into each other a few times before I left but with the mission on my mind and getting into Dental School on his, we parted ways! I didn't find out until years later but apparently Jeff wrote me a letter and just never sent it! 

So after a mission, 2 years of Dental School and an accumulation of interesting dating experiences gathered by each of us, it all came down to Easter Sunday, 2013.

A thoughtful status update popped up on my Facebook newsfeed, wishing everyone a Happy Easter from Jeff Holt! I remember seeing it and thinking "that was a nice guy." Admittedly, after having a crazy year of dating, I decided to take a hiatus and was right in the middle of this last year! But I figured the distance would be my buffer and that I had nothing to worry about! I had no idea what I as getting myself into :) in wrote him a little Facebook message that just said hello and that I hoped he was doing well! 

I was surprised to find that he even answered and I was impressed that instead of emailing he wanted to actually call! So we spent a few months talking a few times a week and when I say talking I mean our average was probably about 3 hours per conversation! We talked about everything from school to work to religion to skydiving! However, after a few months it became a little difficult to keep up this "whatever it was" and while we each wanted to talk a about dating, neither of us knew how to go about that!

So again... This was going to have to wait...

Over the next 6 months we both delved into school, work and the dating world in our respective states, chatting a little once or twice but eventually our worlds separated.

But not forever!!!

As the new year approached I sat down and made myself some goals. One of these goals was to really get back out in the dating world since I had kind of been in hiding while working full time and finishing my degree with a full load. 

So NEW YEARS EVE arrived, I stared at my list of goals and decided to check Facebook, as we all do when we need to stop thinking about something serious. And there I found a message from this REALLY nice guy that I hadn't heard from in several months! The message was simple, just an apology for disappearing and some well wishing, but I knew it was a sign!! 

So we wrote back and forth a time or two before I realized that we were going to hit the same road blocks as before. I also realized about two weeks into having my "get back into dating!" goal that I did not actually want to get back into dating. I suddenly remembered that dating is hard and that I had other options!

For example: I had submitted my applications for grad school and was waiting to find out if I would be starting a program in the Fall. After changing my mind about dating I also decided to submit an application for something that I wasn't planning on doing until after grad school, the Peace Corp! So after filling out an 8 hour application, going to a career fair to meet with an adviser, finding references and scheduling an interview... I got another email from Jeff. He would like to talk sometime like old times! 

Deciding that I had nothing to hide (I had done this once before when I had 4 months to still be in the dating world after receiving a mission call. You can only find yourself in trouble if you don't tell a guy you're leaving the country soon!) I told Jeff that I would love to and that I had some exciting news!

So once again it was looking like this was not going to happen...

Until something brilliant happened! I had only told 5 other people that I was signing up for the Peace Corps and 3 of those were references so the telling Jeff was something I really had to think about and I knew I was just protecting myself from getting attached to someone who may disappear but it had very much the opposite effect!

Jeff tells me this news made him realize that he had to get on it or I was going disappear again! Jeff decided to call, AND informed me that he was going to be coming to Provo to visit some old friends. While he did get to see some friends while he was in town, I found out later that he was mainly coming to see me, to find out once and for all what kind of match we would make :) 

An awesome match!! 

We had an awesome time snowshoeing, making dinner and playing games! The rest of the weekend was spent laughing, having fun and realizing that we are AWESOME together! And then the weekend came to an end... And Jeff had to go back to Denver.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I lack the virtue of patience. When I want to know something I ask. Like right that second. So on Sunday I knew that I didn't want to send this guy back to Denver a bachelor... But only if he agreed and the only way of knowing was to ask!

The plan was to have Jeff head back at about 4 PM on Sunday, so at about 8 PM, when we were still having fun, we decided to go for a walk. Here's the conversation that I planned out in my head:

Me: So, why are you still single? (I love shock value)

Jeff: Oh, I just haven't found what I'm looking for.

Me: Well how would you feel about not being single?

Jeff: I think that sounds like a great idea!

AND WE'RE DATING!!!

In my mind the conversation would take about 5 seconds. But here's how the conversation actually went:

Me: So, why are you still single?

Jeff: 10 minute explanation to basically say that he hadn't found what he was looking for.

Me: Ok, how would you like to not be single?

Jeff: 10 minute explanation to basically say that if he found someone who made it seem like it would be a good idea to be with them then he would. He just needs to find someone.

Me: Oooooooooook... (Contemplating my next move but I'm about to explode because I just want to know!) How about this someone (pointing to myself)?!

Jeff: Oooooooooooh! Hahaha yes, I think that sounds like a great idea!!

So after a half hour of working my way onto the topic I came out of it with a boyfriend!

And then about a half hour later I started freaking out wondering if this was all a good idea! That conversation went something like this:

Jeff: Is something wrong?

Me: Nooooooooo

Jeff: The look on your face says something is wrong...

*Jeff patiently listens while I freak out about nothing, lots of tears*

Jeff: Ok, well we've only been going for about a half hour... If you want we can still call things off...

Me: *sniffle* I don't think I want that.

Jeff: Ok, how about this: I promise to be careful with your heart if you promise to be careful with mine.

Me: *sniffle* Ok!

And then we went and watched a movie with some of my roommates and Jeff headed home! At like midnight...

Then there was a lot of google hanging out, phone calls and late nights since we we're both really busy during the day. I let the Peace Corps know that I needed to put my application on hold, let grad school know I was hopping states and by the end of April I was in a car with my best friend, all of my belongings AND a ring!!

The proposal is going to get its own post though because it was so awesome!!!

So now I'm a Denverite, planning a wedding and marrying my best friend!! Not what I would have told you was the plan if you had asked me on Christmas but definitely the best plan in the world. I can't believe how lucky I am to be with someone so sweet, thoughtful, smart, sarcastic and hardworking! We laugh more than is probably even healthy!! I share everything with this tall, dark and handsome fella and can't wait to build a future together :)

August 2nd!! 50 days!!!