this year

Tomorrow is my birthday (happy birthday to me!). And I guess I had a Saturday birthday like 7 years ago, but turns out a weekend birthday as a grown up feels the same way a weekend birthday felt in elementary school. WHO WILL REMEMBER ME IF IT'S NOT DURING THE WEEK?!?!? Just kidding, I don't love that concentrated kind of attention much, but you know how a weekday birthday sort of gives you a free pass? In elementary school you took treats to class and then maybe your mom picked you up early from school or something. And now at work on a birthday day you stroll in late, you take a long lunch with friends, you leave early to make your dinner reservations and it's all okay cus hey, it's your birthday! But tomorrow I'll still have to do laundry and grocery shop if I want clean clothes and food next week...so maybe I'll just pass on clean clothes and food next week, right?

for what reason

Aaron and I went to Red Robin for lunch yesterday (have you ever had their fries?!). On our way out I made a stop at the Ladies room where I saw this photo hanging on the wall.

So does Red Robin think that gays use the women's bathroom instead of the men's?

rockin' chair

Okay, so in the only other wedding related post I'll do for a while, let me explain the rocking chair a little bit.

I realized years ago that I don't feel particularly connected to the idea of a diamond engagement ring. There are other gems I like better so I figured that I'd just end up with something non-diamond when the time rolled around. But then that just sort of evolved into something non-ring in general because while I still like the idea of a guy gifting something, putting forth a little effort, to ask a girl to marry him, I wasn't attached to a ring necessarily.

But why the chair particularly involves a couple of reasons.



When I was little my family moved around kind of a lot, but my parents always made a place feel like a home and that was really comforting to me. Even houses we lived in for a short time had pictures hung up and new paint on the walls. Consequently, as a grown up I have found that feeling comfortable and safe in my living space is extremely important to me. So a huge part of getting married is establishing a new home with Aaron, where ever that home may be, for the rest of our lives. I'll read in this chair, I'll rock babies in this chair, I'll get old in this chair. Knowing it will move with us from house to house and city to city and adventure to adventure, is both exciting and comforting.

An Eames rocker became the particular chair of choice some time ago as I realized that, not surprisingly, as far as design goes I'm most drawn to the aesthetics of my mother and grandmother. Being careful around my grandparents tulip table or Eames lounge chairs were part of my memories of visiting California before I knew or cared about those things as furniture pieces, or that my grandmother acquired them while she was working as a designer at firm authorized to sell Herman Miller products. My mom has consistently paid attention to different building and house styles and she casually taught all of us about architects of the last century and style like the arts and crafts movement and modern and contemporary furniture design. So while I've gone around and around in what I've filled my own space with up to this point, more and more I turn to clean and simple lines and shapes as well as turn to the the knowledge I can glean from the women who have loved those things longer than I.

The icing on the cake for me is that in their original run Herman Miller gave Eames rockers to pregnant employees, which is pretty fantastic and adorable, so I really look forward to putting my own blue one in a home with Aaron.

wedding song

So internets...I got engaged.

To my complete surprise and delight Aaron proposed on Saturday night. I mean, we've been dating forever (in the Mormon world), so it's not like a huge shocker to anyone I'm sure, but I still wasn't expecting it and I've still had butterflies in my tummy all of the 4 days since.

I thought I was going to dinner with Christopher, Tasha, Morgan and Tasha's dad...Aaron wasn't going to join us cus he was working. But when we got to the restaurant and the hostess walked us to a back room, Aaron was there on one knee with flowers in one hand and color samples in the other (color samples for the rocking chair I wanted instead of an engagement ring)! I don't remember what happened after that really except that I was crying and he was completely adorable.

You know, in a lot of ways Aaron and I couldn't be more different. We don't listen to the same music or read the same kind of books and he's usually dressed like a teenager while I'm usually dressed like a teenager's mom. But the last year or so has been a fantastic process of me realizing that that stuff just doesn't really matter. He's absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to me because regardless of the things that don't seem to match up, he and I still do match up. I know Aaron sees who I am and loves me and I know that I see who he is and love him. Our differences have helped both of us open up to new things and I love feeling safe and secure with who I am around him; Aaron has consistently been my shelter from the storm and it's like a deep breath to know he's mine forever. I'm so happy with the time we've spent together so far and all the things we've done and experiences we've had and it's the best feeling to know we get to keep moving forward together for the rest of our lives (well and also to know that he will give me beautiful, beautiful brown babies someday).

Another great feeling? To realize I now get to plan a great party for our friends and family and also buy a new party dress!

oh yeah

So I've jumped on the bandwagon and am doing that Mexican Indian running form where you basically run on your toes. It is awesome and feels so much better on my joints and I'm faster, so yay! Thanks Indians! The only catch is that starting it makes your calves consistently burn with a fiery burn that I didn't even know existed.

And since I live in a city where it's unsafe to breath the air outside, I'm mostly running on a treadmill for now. Usually I go to the gym on my lunch and watch a couple of home decorating shows on HGTV cus boy oh boy do I love makeovers! But yesterday I went after work and had the pleasure of spending 5 miles with this guy thanks to cable TV:

It had been a while, but you are still awesome old friend (do kids these days even know this movie exists?).

perfect weapon

Does anyone else forget when you buy stuff that models are waaaaay skinnier than you?

You won't fool me again jcrewdotcom!

(but don't worry, it still does look cute on me)

to west texas

In my years of knowing her, Naomi has always been a thoughtful and creative gift giver. I have received plants, earrings, personalized note cards as well as a "Mo Money, Mo Pizza" t-shirt and another one with President Obama riding a unicorn...all wonderful Naomi presents. And to my surprise and delight, she managed to top them all this Christmas.

Oh Panthers!

taken at all

So there are some things that happened in the last few weeks that aren't worth their own posts at this point, but are definitely worth smashing all together via photographs.

Like how much I loved taking a day to do Stacy's wedding flowers and wish everyday consisted of doing flowers.

Or how much I can't handle a baby in Christmas Eve monkey jammies playing with a robot toy (aren't boys the best?).

There was Logan being so mature that my mom's nativity scenes ended up X-rated.

And we finally had someone big enough/little enough to appreciate Mickey Mouse pancakes on Christmas!

Elizabeth made sure Aaron and I were a Book of Mormon apart from each other at all times during the break.

I watched White Christmas for the first time while taking down decorations in the middle of the day (it was delightful).

And I got lots of one-on-one aunt time with Morgan.

Plus I enjoyed New Year's Eve mullets

and serious New Year's Eve dancing.

And then of course there have been Snuggies,

more Snuggies,

and even more Snuggies scattered throughout all holiday activities.