He's not the only one studying...

On December 13th of this year, I will have known Josh for two years. I can still remember the moment I met him. We shook each other’s hands and shot a professionally confident glance in each other’s direction, saying simultaneously, “It’s nice to meet you”. The rest is history, just history (although I LOVE telling the story, so ask me about it one day, if you’ve never gotten the inside scoop). Josh and I have gone through waves of spending TONS of time together, then straight to weeks of spending just a few moments here and there together. But let me tell you, I KNOW him. I know he loves pizza and basketball (together is just pure bliss to him). I know he loves his dog, his friends, his family, his coworkers. I know he loves to climb and hike and camp. I know he can appreciate just about any music (unless it’s utter crap), and I know he likes those really smart TV shoes like House, Heroes, Lost, even TopGear. I got it down. It’s simple. I’ve figured him out.

AND THEN—BAM! No I haven’t! Not even close! He’s even more complex and interesting than I could’ve ever imagined. And it’s AWESOME, because I know I won’t stop learning about him when we get married. Josh is an artist. He is extremely (almost ridiculously) intelligent. He’s good at ANY sport he plays, or even tries. He can beat any video game you hand him, typically within the week. He never puts less than 100% effort into whatever he does (he refuses…and I’ve even been a bad influence and asked him to try to half-ass something…nope, he won’t do it!!). You know what else? He gets sweeter every day. He never stops thinking about me. And he’ll never let a day go by without reminding me that he loves me and that he’s stoked to spend the rest of his life with me (which is just such a relief because we keep working on these wedding plans…and it’s so nice to know he’s still got it on his calendar….haha).

So let me tell you, the journey’s been fun, so far. But for the next four months, and into our lifetime together, I have a LOT of studying to do on this amazing catch-o-mine, Josh! And I won’t stop. :-)

Organized Chaos

It's been a while since I have posted.  Sorry to those of you waiting on baited breath for what I might say next. ;)   

I was reading a friends blog post today (Killing Churchianity) and, for a second, thought I wrote it.  He was writing about how organized chaos has entered his life.  I can say that I feel the same way.  

I finished the first school session a few weeks ago with straight A's, marking the first time I have EVER had straight A's in my life. Unless you count that "How to be ridiculously good looking" class I took.  Aced that one!  

With the second session of school starting the very next day,  and requiring a little more effort than the first session, I am finding it difficult to fit everything I want to do and everything I need to do in.  The hardest part is that if I don't get to do the things I want to do, the things I need to do aren't nearly as much fun.  

I have to hand it to Gigi.  With the amount of time I have to devote to work and school, she tends to get the short end of the stick.  She has been a real trooper and supporter of it all.  There are times when it wears on her, but I know she understands.  

We have hardly seen each other in the last few weeks. :( When we have seen each other, it's been in a group setting.  Thankfully we have a date planned for Saturday night!  I am really looking forward to it.  What we do is still up in the air, but I like to be pretty creative (and secretive) when I plan our dates.  It's fun for me to see the anticipation on her face!  

Anyway, as chaotic as life is, it is comforting to know that I have someone standing by my side.  Even though she may be frustrated from time to time, I know that she loves, encourages, and supports me.  The next four months will be tough, but I will trade four months of frustrating time for a lifetime of Gigi any day. :) 

I love you, Honey!!!

that's a wrap!

Ohhh my, what a weekend! Phew! It was awesome... tiring, but awesome!

Kelsey and Colby's wedding was so awesome--those two are so in love :-) Liz and Matt's wedding was beautiful, and the yacht was just killer! Congratulations to all of you guys, and many blessings in you marraiges!

Our friend Kristy Sola has started doing some photography, so we "modeled" for her to work on some engagement pics. We are a month away from our engagement pics with Ryel J, our good friend and photographer who will be photographing our wedding, so this was a great practice session!

Tonight, Alyssa, Josh and I went and saw the movie "Fireproof". It's a really good movie (okay, the acting was a little cheesy at the beginning, but the storyline really was good). You may have not heard about it before, but I really recommend it. Watch out, it's a tear jerker!

So, I really lucked out yesterday! Josh, being the wonderfully amazing techie-geek that he is, owns tons of great gadgets, including 2 flat screen TVs. Well, he's found that 2 is just too many for a growing boy, so he decided to "share the wealth" and move one of the two TVs into my place! Yayyyy for getting "an early start" on the move in process.... I'm just LOVING it. Such crisp picture...and it S-W-I-V-E-L-S!!! My old TV is now in my room so I can finally watch The Early Show in the morning as I get ready! Life is good.

Here are some pics of Josh and I from the casino night dinner cruise, Kristy Sola, and the two weddings we went to! Enjoy!

the craziness to come...!

in the midst of all our wedding planning, this upcoming weekend brings a cocktail and dinner cruise, a wedding in bakersfield, and a wedding on a newport yacht. i hope i have enough outfits for all the fun occasions!!

kelsey and colby, liz and matt... best wishes on your big days!!

look for pics after the weekend!

the getaway!

for a few weeks, now, josh and i have been trying to set up a camping trip. we usually head straight up to joshua tree for camping and climbing, but we thought hiking sounded a little more mellow, and great for a quick trip. we had it all planned--we'd head up to hurkey creek (where josh grew up camping) and we'd take june with us for a quick 2 day trip. fast forward a few weeks...its almost time to go....until...we checked the weather. "chance of rain"--"watch for rain this weekend"--"cloudy with a 60% chance of rain"--"rain is expected". aw crap. wet tents, wet dog, dirty car, cold nights...not sounding so fun anymore. i was bummed. i was in such bad need of some one-on-one time with my guy and was totally not wanting or willing to pay for a hotel just for a weekend away. well, come friday afternoon, josh told me to pack some clothes, and that we were leaving that night. "where to?" i asked. "you really wanna know?" he says. "hmmm, actually, no, i don't," i said. "alright. good, because i wanted to surprise you anyway." so i packed up my stuff (and lots of it because i didn't know where we were going..) and hours later, we hit the road. june stayed behind with his roomie and sister, and we started our trek...but not without a quick stop and in-n-out to start the vay-cay off right. 2 hours later we found ourselves in a cabin in big bear. it was awesome...just the two of us, a stack of movies, a pile of board games, a chill in the air, and a warm fire. we spent a lot of time indoors (which was exactly what we needed...), but did make our way outside to have lunch, walk around town, catch a glimpse of the stars, and play in the woods. it was a perfect weekend. thanks, baby, you're the best!