Do you know what we're not good at? Pictures.

Well over here in nyc it's just turned into wedding fest. Everyday between blog posts about office supplies and random marketing contests I'm mentally planning and emailing different people about wedding stufff. Man. I can't even imagine the possibilities when I'm done thinking about that. So we're sending out the invites this weekend and I figured well why not give my girls a preview? Right?

(Plus if I show you all the bad ones then the one you get will seem great right??)

This is what happened when we gave up and decided maybe we should just look at each other because that would be cute. Dave had a real hard time remembering to look at me.

This is when we were glowing and dave was on his cellphone.

This is the closest we got to a kiss picture.

This is when shadows are not magical.

This is when we take a "lets just act like we're walking picture" and dave gets a major close up shot and I look like I have a cape off my head.

This is when Dave tries to mimic what everyone else does in their engagement pictures. Great.

This is when you realize it has been 6 months since you have cut or colored your hair. And it looks reeeal depressing from the back.

This is when you realize you are running away with your professor.

(thanks to Hillary for fulfilling Dave's dream of wearing glasses.)

After all that, the pictures can only get better right? Love you girls and miss you! Can't wait to see you in like a month! Well I guess that's only 2 of you haha. Where did everyone go!! This is nuts. But Beth, I really will be seeing you in like 2 weeks or less.

school girl.

Sometimes I'm so sick of school. But no worries. I'm still going. Just thought you guys might like to know that I'm alive and going to school still.

And just wish that this could still happen with my favorite girfs (where was Jos during this pic?) Love love love and miss times a billion.

Annyeong!

For those of you that don't know Korean (or haven't seen Arrested Development), 'annyeong' is a greeting in Korean which means 'hello' or goodbye'. So why am I telling you this? Well I'm trying to practice my Korean so I will be able to speak the language when I go to serve in the Korea Busan mission. You heard me correctly - I've decided to serve a mission and I've just been called to go to Busan, Korea. You guys may hate me for doing this because we'll have to postpone our Yellow House Reunion (YHR) to mid-2011, but I hope eventually you'll be excited with me. I'm sorry I've been so secretive about it all, but after so many times of deciding to go on a mission and then flaking out on it, I wanted to make sure that I was for sure going before I told everyone (this was so secretive that I just recently told some of my family that I was going so please don't feel sad).

So I really had my heart set on going to Korea and prayed that if it was the right thing for me that I would get sent there. Well, after a very long process of getting my papers in, I finally got my call and I couldn't be happier about going to Korea. I am so excited to finally learn the language of my ancestors and return to the motherland.

Here's a picture of Busan. It is so beautiful. I went there in 2005 and loved it.


The Busan mission is in the southern part of Korea, so unfortunately I won't be near Brynne's parents (although I hoped I'd be in their mission).

So here are the logistics: I report to the Provo MTC on November 4. Sorry Grace, but I will miss your Pilgrim Fantasy wedding. However, hopefully I'll be able to see everyone before I leave. Dantzel and Brynne, I don't know where you're living in Provo, but I would love to see you before I go into the MTC. I hope you're all doing well. I would love to talk to you all soon!

This isn't a joke, either.

Dave and I are engaged! Don't worry. We aren't this depressed about it. This next picture might make you feel semi-depressed because well I always hate those ring on hand pictures but that is what happens when it is late and you still haven't taken a picture and you never remember your camera or camera cord and so you take some crazy quick shot at your hand yourself.

So there it is. Better picture to come soon? I hope so. Ok girls, here's the details.

Let's just say I kind of knew it was coming but not really. Back in the beginning of August, while Dave was still at Bear Lake and I was out for shakes with Hillary and Hyeku, Dave called me with what he said was an awkward question. This question as referring to my ring size- which I tend to think is a really nice question not an awkward one.

Anyways, after that I tried to offer my opinion and advice as to what I like and don't like but he wouldn't hear it and thank goodness because we all know that I'm super indecisive and change my mind very quickly. I also don't like 95% of the rings out there so it really was a crap shoot for him.

On Monday, I got a g chat invite to the bronx. I go up there all the time but this time he said "will you come up the bronx tomorrow night?" I thought that sounded nice so I came. He picked me up at the subway and I talked his ear off about my job troubles and different things people had been saying to me at work. Then I realized we were driving towards one of our most favorite spots in Westchester County. There is a park in this town called Larchmont that is right on the water and you can sit on the rocks and feel like you are in La Jolla, CA. Except there are tons of sail boats and amazing east coast houses all around you.

(I found this guy's album of Manor Park-I didn't know it was called that until now- if you're interested in seeing a really beautiful place- http://picasaweb.google.com/mhousk/20081023# if you come visit us, we will take you!)

Anyways, I totally knew it was going to happen. We walked over and sat down on a bench on the rocks. We were looking at the water and feeling nice and then this guy shined a flashlight at us from far away. That felt scary. But we kept talking and then all the sudden this man was standing right behind us being really creepy and not saying anything until I looked up and said oh hi or something. He said the park is closed - it closes at like 8 or something.

That was sad so we left and walked around for awhile. I felt pretty disappointed but thought oh well I guess it wasn't tonight after all. We went to Trader Joe's, bought lots of groceries and went back to his apt. We watched TV for awhile and ate and then at 11:00, Dave decided he should take me home. He never takes me home that early but I thought he was getting all responsible on me and we got up to leave. That is when he realized he had lost his wallet. I'm really good at looking for things. We searched his apt a couple of times, looked through his car, went back to his apt, i may have even said a prayer, we talked to the security guard, checked the laundry room and looked through his car again. We decided- well dave suggested- that we run to the park real quick on the way back to take me home. We got the park and we were whispering because we weren't supposed to be there. It was so beautiful (and a little scary..) to be in this little park with no one around and see the water and all the boats. We got to the bench we were sitting at before and we looked all around the bench and realized it wasn't there.

That's when Dave started to look pretty stressed. I told him it was okay, I was 100% sure we could find it, it had to be somewhere. That's when he says "Grace, I did not lose my wallet." That didn't click for a second but then it did and thats when I realized what was happening and started laughing. Wow. He got me so good!! I was impressed. Then lots of nice things were said and I got this mystery ring put on my finger and I didn't even know what it looked like but either way it was really exciting.

When I first came to New York I felt so stressed that there were no beautiful places like the docks at Utah Lake or Milcreek Canyon or Memory Grove. Then, one night Dave took me to New Rochelle and discovered Glen Island.

We had our first kiss somewhere in the right side of this picture. It was covered with snow when were there and really cold but so beautiful. Thank goodness for Dave taking study break drives and discovering how beautiful New York really is.

Sometimes I think we all plan how things are supposed to happen or feel like we have seen the most beautiful places and we know where we want to be and then we're shocked when we see what we've been missing. And who we've been missing out on. As Dave would say -"everything is soooo nice." I'm so grateful for how nice life can be!

If you're around in Utah for thanksgiving we would love to see you! We're hoping to have a Pilgrim Fantasy wedding (thanks to that greatly named dance party 2 years ago.) I'm looking forward to lots more awkward pictures like this in the future

I love you girls and everyone out there! Let us see each other soon..even if it is not at the yellow i mean blue house. ok?

this isn't a joke.

Thanks for welcoming me to the blog, Gracia. This is the latest news. Our house is now blue. Worst news of everyone's life. I left for California Monday night...got back on Wednesday afternoon and saw this. Dantzel and I have both screamed and cried over this many a time and our final conclusion is that...it's fine...because now no one will be able to enjoy the yellow house again like we did. Maybe for the YHR 2010 (prob now 2011) we can all just wear yellow in memory of our once beautiful Yellow House. Miss you, Beth (I'm with Grace, where are you gf?) and Gracia. Wish I could join D in her travels back there next week.

Inviting Brynne.

This post is happening backwards. It started out with me talking about Brynne but then when you add pictures you have to drag them down and that makes me crazy. So here we go backwards. (Plus i have to go so this may look really disorganized.)

Inside the Paris, Idaho Tabernacle. Designed by a ship builder! It is beautiful.


Dave is back from China! That is exciting.
We hiked to Cecret Lake (i wish it was spelled Secret) and there were sooo many wild flowers. Everyone should hike there.
We visited my dearest friend Maria at her City and County Building job! She felt like a thumbs up was needed for all of our pictures. Weird Maria.
She works here. Not fair

(and this is where it was supposed to start)


Brynne! Remember how I said I wanted you to write on our blog but I thought you wouldn't want to? But then you did? Sorry it took me so long. You lived at the Yellow House longer than me and really everyone besides Jos. So you deserve it girl. Keep us updated on what is happening!

Dantzel comes to visit me next week and I'm so excited! I couldn't feel happier to have a friend like Dantzel for so long in my life. She was still my friend even when I was doing all those karate moves (thanks brynne, not.)

I had a very very nice trip to Utah full of visits and driving. It was really hot but I really liked it. I had my first experience visiting Logan/Utah State (where I saw Dantzel for like 3 seconds) and discovered the Fashion Box which was a personal favorite.I realize we all run out of names for stores, but really? No one is this desperate. I liked this also.

It is really easy to capture these pictures when you are stuck in Logan traffic. Logan traffic? That seems weird.

Okay I am going to go to a Civil War reenactment. Is that spelled right? I promise I will be really careful. I love all you girls so much! Beth. Please post. I don't even know what is going on with you at all.

summasumm

Well hey! I've been such a terrible blogger and I think that's mostly because I haven't even been around to think about things like that.  I can't even tell you enough how sorry I am about that one. My b girls, my b. Here's a couple updates on my life this summer, since I returned from the other side of the world.

First off, my cutie sister Allie got married. She and her husband Mike are just about the greatest people I know, and the whole day was a big big success.  The whole event was real classy and I was proud to be her sister at that moment. Here's some pics of the wedding day and the festivities.

Sorry about the lack of pictures, but the truth is I'm far too lazy to go through the thousands we got and find the ones I like the best.

Pretty much every other waking moment of my summer has been spent as a health counselor at EFY, which means I don't really have a life.  There's a complete lack of documentation of my life right now, and I apologize for that. The only pictures I really have are from the one week I did in San Antonio, when the other counselor took all the pics and then I stole them off facebook. So here's some from that week at least.

First of all, when we got into San Antonio, Hertz offered us an upgrade to a mustang for 10 dollars to which we said, "yes, please."  Probably the best decision of the whole summer, and it may or may not have resulted in a photo shoot. Just sayin.

I spent the 4th of July at the Alamo. That was neat.

There was a semi-great statue that we took pictures in front of. There's one of me on that animal somewhere.

Aaaaaaand last, but certainly not least, the crowning gem of the summer. There was a counselor who is an aspiring cartoonist, and the health counselors asked him to draw us as anime. This is me as a hot pixie, Dan as a celtic warrior, and Katelyn as an elfen princess. Suuuuuch a big success.

That's pretty much my life in a nutshell. Oh and I make friendship bracelets like I am 12 again, but it passes the time. I'm getting excited to come pay Grace a visit in NYC in just a few weeks!