Dear Boys

So it's the time again.... Link party with Elise's Pieces! So here we go!
(Click HERE to see last link up party)



Dear Thompson Square,

Do you know how excited I am I get to marry you? And spend eternity with you? I get all giddy like a little girl when I think about this and how much I love you.  You put a smile on face and I can't wait to see you when we're not together. You make me so happy and I am truly the luckiest girl in the world because I get to be with you! Thank you for being the best and being all mine!

Love,
Your soon to be wife :)



Dear Daddy,

Thank you for teaching me how to live life, how to find the right man for me, and being my dad.  Thank you for always being there and for loving our family. You are a great example.

Love,
Always your little girl


I delight in these two amazing men that are in my life!

Sometimes

Sometimes I get overwhelmed, like today. I decided to take a break from planning my wedding to planning my future. AKA graduate school applications and finding a job. Well, that's way more stressful and overwhelming that planning a wedding. I decided today I don't want to grow up. I'm not ready to grow up and get a big person job.  Real life is about to kick in, if I am ready or not. So instead... I decided to eat pudding! So when life gets to big to handle. Delight in eating pudding with me!

A Picnic Surprise

So, I have lots to catch up on.... LOTS! So let's start from the beginning. (PS it's kinda a long post, but a good one at least)

Matt came home with me for the week before Christmas. It was way nice. Spent some time playing in warmer weather in Disneyland then came home to relax for a few days. Well we decided that we were going to go on a picnic while we were home because there is no snow here and it's not freezing cold.  We had this planned before we left.  So Thursday after running some errands we were going to go on a picnic. Well Matt needed to pick up one last thing for me for Christmas, and you see I wanted to know. But I was a good little girl and didn't peak.  So we dropped everything off at home and headed for a picnic. Now, Matt took the box with my gift in inside and then back out. He said it was to test my patience with not looking. Okay.

Us at Disneyland

So we headed out looking for a park.  My dad suggested this good one up the street. So we drove there. Two things not so good. There were more people there then we wanted and the grass wasn't so pretty. They didn't over-seed, AKA grass was brown. So I had another park in mind. So we drove there. Little did I know, this particular park has NO grass. Who would've thunk. So we sat in the car and contemplated. This picnic was turning out more complicated then we thought. But in the end we decided to go back to the first park. One it had grass. Two it had ducks. I love feeding the ducks!

So we finally get to a park and set out with all our stuff. We had Subway sandwiches, blanket, waters, soccer ball... and Matt decided to bring along that box with the gift in it that I wasn't supposed to peak into. (Guess this means I get to see huh?) So we get all set up. Eat our lunches and have a blast.  Then Matt asks if I want to open the box. OF COURSE! Gifts are always fun! So he hands it to me. I open it and there is a piece of paper. It reads "Open the box, pull out the red stuff, stand up and read this out loud and then open the small box" So I follow directions and my heart starts pounding. The red stuff (Roses) were beautiful. And I read out loud a poem that Matt wrote for me. Half way through my heart is extremely beating and I miss what I am actually reading. I know what's going on now.  I open the little box, but it's empty. But there's Matt on one knee with a ring. He asked me to marry him!!!!! And of course I said YES!!!! Then asked if he was serious. Oh my goodness was all I could say.  I am Engaged!

WE'RE ENGAGED! (yes he didn't smile, but he's still great)

We then proceeded to call everyone and text and share the news. That's when I found out only my dad and the jeweler knew about this. But everyone was quite excited!

Now for a little background information.  After hanging out with Matt once this summer, I asked if we could be friends for the year. He said that was a long commitment, so I accepted for just Fall semester and then we would re-evaluate. Well, that was this week, and I had been bugging him for weeks to just say we were going to be friends next semester (kinda an inside joke).

Also, one of our first dates was a picnic at a park with Subway sandwiches. So it was so cute to recreate at that for when he proposed.

One of our first dates at the park

Lastly, he did everything perfect! I wanted the proposal to be special and romantic. I wanted him to surprise me and get down on one knee. Also, I didn't want to go ring shopping. And guess what? He did all that. The proposal was everything that I could've wanted and so much more! It was perfect and Matt is perfect!


I'm so excited that I get to marry my best friend and spend eternity with him! I love telling him that I get to marry him and that we're getting married! Plus, it relieves my stress of worrying what to do after graduation :) A little bonus! Any who. That's why this was the best Christmas Ever! I got everything I ever wanted and so much more and delighted in all of it!

Me and the Man I get to marry :D

Most Wonderful Time

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. This year I got more into the Christmas spirit. With my apartment decorating, getting a REAL Christmas tree (this was a first), and past night finalized the season, taking a drive through the valley looking at Christmas
lights. Matt agreed to go on this adventure with me. I enjoy looking at all the lights, and it's better up here than at home because of the snow. Driving and looking at Christmas lights has been a tradition since my freshman year at college when my cousin and I took that first traditional drive. So if you haven't yet, it may be time to delight in some Christmas lights!

Ps. Right as I was typing this, my music paused in between songs and my roommates music belted "it's the most wonderful time of the year" even she agrees :-)

Today I am Grateful

I should be studying... well studying more than I have been. Finals start next week.

Proof that I am actually studying today ....

But instead I decided to share my gratitude with you. 

I am grateful for the people in my life.

• Parents
• Matt
• Cousins
• All family for that matter
• Roommates
• Friends
• IWA Sisters
• The guy sitting next to you who shares snacks in class
• That person who smiles at you when you having a crappy day

Now, why I am grateful you ask. Well first off we should be grateful. Second, for my scripture study I am doing this activity called Come and See, it's 21 Days Closer to Christ. Every day you read a particular scripture and then there's an activity for the day. Today's is find "a pearl in the field". I am supposed to search every hour for a blessing that will bring me closer to Christ. Well this song has come on the radio twice within like 15 minutes and it came on Pandora, and that's what prompted this post. "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton.  So I am grateful for all the people in my life; from the ones who just make my day better to those who inspire me to be a better person. I delight in knowing that people are placed in my life for a reason and I am placed in others lives for reason I may never know. I know that everyday we can touch someone's life, we just have to find little ways. 

All Good Things...

All good things must come to an end. A saying I've heard before, and it must be true. Because this week, a great thing came to an end. For the past 3 1/2 years (aka ALL of college), I have been apart of the Institute Women's Association, IWA. Last night was our last activity for the semester, and the last activity for IWA. I didn't' think that IWA coming to an end would be so tough on me, yet I knew it would. The last meeting, the last BIG activity, and now the last activity were tough, but great at the same time. I wouldn't change them for anything else. Words cannot describe the gratitude I feel for EVERYONE in IWA... my presidency, my girls in my chapter, my advisor, the IC, the IC advisors, all the other girls in all of IWA, pretty much everyone associated with IWA. Pretty much anyone in IWA is amazing! And I love them all.  My time in IWA has been fabulous and I've loved it.  I've learned to serve more, serve better, leadership, strengthened my testimony, shared my testimony, gained lifelong scholarships, found role models and so much more. Seriously, words cannot describe my feeling for the girls and the program. So what a better way then pictures.  My Soul Delighteth in IWA!

The 2010-2011 IC and Advisors

We like to dance dance dance!!!

We are crafty

We smile while we craft

We like to wear matching IWA shirts

We are silly girls

We are really crafty

We take awkward family photos

And our souls delight in IWA

Yes, I am one of those ....

Okay. So it's way cold outside this week. And when I say cold. I mean COLD! Like in the twenties every time I get in my car. Cold huh? Yup. Well, yesterday I wanted to get Matt a treat because lately school has been stressful as its coming to a close and we have so many reports and projects due. So I thought to myself, "hmm, what would he like? Candy bar? Hot chocolate?" Then it hit me. Mangos! Well they don't make mango hot chocolate that I knew of. So mango Jamba Juice it is. Yup. I am one those people who went and got Jamba Juice for us when it's 20 degrees outside I am crazy. But it was delicious!!! So I delight in being one of those weird people who enjoy eating ice cream, smoothies, and shakes when it's snowing!

It's beginning to look a lot like .....

.... CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Yup. That's right. It's December! Which means snow, hot chocolate, trees, lights, and everything Christmas. This year the roomies and I decided to get into the Christmas spirit. We decorated our apartment this afternoon. It was so much fun. You come inside and feel like you've stepped into a winter wonderland. And guess what. It started snowing while we were decorating. Even mother nature agreed it was time for Christmas to be upon us. I hope this Christmas season we can delight in spending time with friends, family, and loved ones. And always remember the true meaning of Christmas.

A Call

It's rings. You get excited. You look at the screen. You get giddy to see someone is calling you. It's that happy feeling you get when you receive and unexpected call. That's what I got tonight. My friend Jay called me out of the blue. We've been friends all through college and he's helped me through some tough times. He's become a big brother to me and he recently got married to an amazing girl. Well he called tonight to just check up on me. He's done this before. And usually it's when I need it. Tonight was the Christmas Fireside for IWA. And it was emotional because it's the end (that's for another post) so it was nice to have an uplifting call realizing a friend was out there wanting to genuinely know how my life was and check up on me. So thank you Jay for phone calls like tonight. And thank you to everyone else who brings me delight in spontaneous phone calls!!!

Gobble Hands!

Okay... I LOVE Turkey Hands!!!! I don't know why?! Maybe it's like being a little kid again, but this year I definitely fell in love with them. I helped Matt make a sign for the Turkey Bowl, complete with Turkey Hands. I went to a lasagna dinner with Matt, and we were supposed to draw on the tables (covered with paper of course) and write what we were thankful for. I drew a Turkey Hand and then wrote over it what I was thankful for. It was lovely. (I'll post a picture once I get home) Well guess what I saw when I got on Google.com today?!?!?!? TURKEY HANDS!!!! WooHOOOO!

Source

YES! A Hand Turkey! And guess what? You get to decorate it! All the feathers, the hair, and the shoes change. Way entertaining, plus not as difficult as tracing your hand, cutting out, and then gluing; this way is way less messy. Also, if you press the side feather, it goes crazy and comes out random. I definitely encourage you all to go to Google.com and check this out. It was so fabulous, I had to post twice today! Plus, we should all make some hand turkeys!

Happy Pre-Turkey Day!!

Bejeebers!!!!

Bejeebers? What are they? I am sure you have all heard of them. I am almost positive, but in case you haven't, let me share a short story with you. (PS I Googled them to make sure I spelled it right)

Yesterday, I was walking from class in old engineering building to the new engineering building. My roommate Lauren, was a about 10 feet ahead of me. While walking, I saw our other roommate, Em, coming out of main office. She was half way out the door but facing inside talking to people. Lauren had already passed her, so I stopped and put my head right next to.Em's. Consequently, Lauren noticed and came walking back. Well Em didn't notice. She kept talking like I wasn't there. Well, she turned, my face next to hers.... and she JUMPED so high! I bet she jumped a couple feet back. It was hilarious. All of us were laughing so hard, including those in the office. I didn't realize that Em didn't know I was there until then. I scared the bejeebers out of her!

Anywho... this totally made my day so much better, seeing Mondays aren't the funnest.

PS... I have awesome roommates!!!!!

Time To Decorate!

IWA... one of the BEST things in the WORLD! I absolutely LOVE it and all the girls! And the activities are so much fun.   Tonight was no exception.



We decorated cakes! We learned the basic techniques and then got to try it for ourselves. Definitely not as easy as the professionals make it look. But it was still SO MUCH FUN! I think that they turned out pretty well.

There is only one downside... well to some. So after eating a cupcake at dinner and lets see.... a shake earlier and a brownie later tonight.... mix that with my fabulous roommate.... Let's call her Lauren.... equals way hyper girls and A LOT of laughter.  But still so much fun.

We were all laughing super hard. We kind of start to say random and stupid things the later at night it gets and can't make sentences. Like "Oh my crop" (add an British Man's accent and you got it) Ya. We are all silly girls. But have fun anyways.

And no my energy has worn out... and is pretty much gone. But still... a very delightful night. Hope you had a great Tuesday and life is DELIGHTFUL for you! Until Next time....

PS... I just learned I can sound like Pip from Enchanted... Thank you NSJ!

Dear Boy

So, one of my favorite bloggers, and people might I add, is having a Link Part with Dear Boys - Dance Edition

Dear MR,

I'm pretty excited you agreed to go.
So much, I bet my heart will glow.
We're going to have so much fun,
Under the stars with no sun.
All night we are going to play,
Delighting in dancing the night away.

Love,
MJ

STOMP your feet to the Beat!

Last Night = Midweek Date Night

Can I just say how much I love dates in the middle of the week. There's just something about a date in the middle of the week. Breaks up the drag of school. It feels extra special, not the normal Friday Night Date Night.

So last night was my Midweek Date Night with Matt! :) And let's just say, it was AWESOME... I mean DELIGHTFUL!

We went and saw STOMP! Oh man, if you haven't heard of these guys, you need to look them up. I had kinda heard about them. Knew they make percussion music out of everyday objects; brooms, garbage cans, etc. But I was still impressed. They come up with the most unique ways to make a beat. And to add to it, it was funny. It's amazing to see how the performers could be funny and interact with the audience without actually speaking.

So it was a great date.  Completely made my day better.  I strongly encourage you all to see this. I already decided my roommate needs to see it and we're planning a fun trip. (Hypothetically right now, but soon to be real)

Sick Day.... Days

So you remember back in elementary school when you got sick, you were able to take a sick day? You're mom would let you skip school, stay home, feed you chicken noodle soup, watch movies, and you got better.  Sometimes I wish we could go back to elementary school.  Because sadly, as a college student, sick days don't really exist.  For one thing, my mom is over 800 miles away.  Not really convenient when you want a sick day.  So there are two things making being sick better.

#1. This box of delight...

Anti-Viral Kleenex Tissues. 

They are SUPER soft, which you definitely need when you have a cold, plus they come in a cute anti-viral box. (I'm all about my tissues coming in a cute box. I have to sit and look until I find one I like to go in my bathroom) What's funny, is I happened to pick these little beauties out before I even got sick. It's like I knew it would happen.

#2 is Matt. He's been pretty great, but don't get me wrong he is always great. But he's been great while I've been a mess. So this whole thing started Monday. I woke up with that "I've got a head cold feeling." and pretty much all I want to do is sleep.  And that's what I did, minus going to school. (Remember, no sick days) So I took a nap after class and went to my meeting. And Matt, being the sweetheart he is, let me sleep on his couch after our meeting while he cooked dinner. So nice. And to make it better, he did this Tuesday with lunch. (I like sleep, especially when I'm sick) So while I slept, he cooked. Pretty great guy. PLUS... he put up with me being a mess with my ill-behaved hair. (I didn't care about actually taking time to get ready, hence the hair)

But good news, sick-girl is looking better. I actually spent time primping last night for our date (Next post) and got ready this morning for school. Curled hair and everything, so that's got to be a good sign that life is looking brighter. And to add to this good news. It's completely BLUE skies and NO clouds today! Yippee! And I came to school without a jacket... woot woot! \

So even though I don't delight in sick days, I am very delighted by the two things making me feel better... oh ya and my medicine :)

Who's that Girl....

.... It's Lauren!!!

This post is completely dedicated to one of my roommates, Lauren.

This is Lauren and I on our last first day of college.  Yup we did take a picture to document.

This is the first year Lauren and I have been roommates (officially) She kinda lived at our place last year. But pretty much she's awesome. And what's even better, we pretty much spend all day together. We have all the same classes except for Senior Design.  This is a good thing and bad thing. Good thing because we get to spend oodles of quality time together. Bad thing because when we get together, we seem to laugh and giggle a lot (Just ask her BF Nate) But none-the-less we are pretty entertaining together.

So, I am so grateful that Lauren is my roommate this year.  Whether it's late night chit-chats to long hours in the computer lab we have a blast!  She's there when I need someone to talk to, and knows how to make my day better. Plus, she shares her popcorn at school with me when I'm hungry.  Who could ask for anything better. (It's hard, you tried right?!)  

So there is so much more I could write (mostly because she is so amazing)  But I just wanted to let you all know about one of my delightful roommates, Lauren! 

What a Lovely Weekend

This weekend was General Conference.  What is General Conference? You ask.  It's when members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints get to listen to the words spoken by prophets and apostles. 

On Sunday, my family and Matt were able to attend the Sunday Morning Session.  It was so good. It was good to be there. Good to be there with my family. And good to be able to listen to Conference.  

Now, rewind to Saturday.... Yup, I am kinda out of order.  For the Saturday Morning session, I watched at home with my roommates, oh how I LOVE my roommates! (They deserve the next post)  Lauren and I started on a puzzle, and I realized, I don't have much patience for a 1000 piece puzzle. But once we finish I'll post a picture. It's a pretty good puzzle. We got it at a garage sale.

In between sessions I got to go to Paradise. I am growing quite fond of Paradise. It's really Paradise. Just so calm and relaxing, and plus, Geronimo and I got to spend some more quality time together. After, while listening to the Afternoon Session, Matt and I went on a drive. Wandered all over Cache Valley. 

Here's a picture of our drive. We got to see the leaves changing colors.  It was a lot of fun.

That night I spent some time with my family. We went and celebrated my little cousin's birthday.  

Now fast-forward to Sunday.  After watching the Sunday afternoon session, we had dinner with my other side of the family to celebrate my uncles birthday. Yeah! for home-cooked Sunday dinner! And the biggest thing to happen.... watching a sheriff and highway patrol man try to rope a horse with a tow rope..... quite big news for a small town, and of course, we went out front to watch the whole thing.

So overall... a lovely weekend.  Hope you enjoyed yours and had a chance to watch Conference. If not, no worries, it's online :)

Until next time!

PS Great thing about Conference and life in general, when I hear "seek" this and "seek" that. You find IWA everywhere!

Just Another Day in Paradise

So this weekend was just another day in Paradise! Not any BIG adventures; just many little ones that made this weekend fantastic! It seems that every weekend gets better and better, so at this rate, I can't wait til the end of the semester  :)  This weekend wrapped up a total of about four dates! Ya, I am a pretty lucky girl, Matt is pretty fantastic.  Now, I know you know that I could go on and on about him, but this post isn't going to be about him.

It's about this cute guy...

Meet Geronimo.  He's Matt's cat. And he is hilarious. You wouldn't think that cats could be funny but he is. And he is so cute, I seriously wanted to take him home with me. Sadly, I was denied this request. :( But let me tell you about Geronimo.  

As soon as you start scratching his head, he's yours. He'll follow you around. And if you don't keep scratching, no worries. He'll rub up again you.  Geronimo and I took a nice "pretend" nap on the grass. He came and curled up next to me. And I mean right next to me. 

I love cats, and grew up with cats, the sad part is, that as I've gotten older, I've become semi allergic to them. But Great News! I didn't get any allergic reaction to Geronimo. Pretty much means it's a perfect match. I should have taken him home with me.   Maybe I'll just have to go visit him more often.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you all enjoy your Monday, and find something delightful to have joy in!

Life as We Know it

So I wrote this last week, I think Wednesday... A little late posting it.

So most definitely, I should be studying right now. But I'm going to be heading up to campus shortly anyway, so why not make the most of my time and be productive and blog instead of just mindlessly surfing the internet.

So life, as we know it.... is pretty dang good. I mean there are some part of it I'd like to get rid of. Like hours of studying, classes that make me sleepy, and exams, dreadful exams.   So mostly school. Which is funny, because I somewhat like school.  School is who or what I've been for the last 17 years. I mean those who know me, can you picture me with a textbook and calculator in hand?! Okay, so I'm not that nerdy, school has just been my focus for the vast majority of my life.  But I got thinking today.... life without school this summer was quite enjoyable. 

I came to this conclusion.... dating an engineer... good thing I am one. We are super duper busy.  Between my classes, Matt's classes, my labs, Matt's lab, my meetings, Matt's meetings, and everything in between, I am surprised we get to spend time together.  Granted, I enjoy the small amounts of time we get together, like lunch in the study room, while some studying for the GRE tries to occur.  So as I sat in class today, fervently taking notes (really I took two pages) I turned to Matt and said "Let's go back to the summer when nothing was required of us after we left work." (Okay so those aren't my exact words, but it was around that)

Well luckily, we might get a taste of the sweet life of summer this week. It's homecoming! Yippee! And guess what, I have dates lined up the rest of the week. Woot Woot! (Note: All of them are with Matt) Something to look forward too, and give me motivation to get my studying done early. One great thing about this year so far. I have yet to spend a complete Saturday on campus.... actually to think of it, I have yet to study on campus on a Saturday. Quite a feat for four weeks into the semester. And good news. I have no plans of going there anytime soon (On a Saturday of course) It's kind of refreshing to finally have my Saturdays back to me this semester. It's finally the weekend.  

Okay, so this post is totally random. I feel like I am just rambling on and on.... so hopefully all this makes sense.... 

Short and Sweet

Sometimes, I just love my life.... Like tonight, and I am going to tell the future... the rest of this weekend. Life is great! (minus my Finite exam tomorrow) But otherwise its just so delightful! I need to get some other stuff done, so I can expand on this. But I wanted you all to know, I delight in life! And I hope you are delighting in yours!

Sometimes

Sometimes what you need comes right to you. And tonight that's what I got.  I wasn't in the best mood this morning or this afternoon, I just wasn't what I said "my chipper self." Enough that Matt could tell.  Well IWA was just what I needed.  I knew I would be in a better mood after going to our activity, and let me tell you, I was definitely right.

We had a Hymn Testimony.  We shared our testimonies about Hymns.  It was amazing.  This is the second time that I have had the opportunity to do this activity in the IWA.  It's seriously one of the best.  The spirit was so strong, and I really felt the love and unity of our chapter.  Girls said things that I needed to hear, and it made me realize, that we all really have ups and downs in college that are similar. I really love the girls in my chapter. They are all so unique and bring with them a special spirit and unity to our chapter.  There is something missing when they aren't there, and I hope that they realize that.  

As I sat there tonight looking at them, I really thought, these are my girls; sitting in front of me is my girls for my chapter.  It's like the possession and love you get for the people you have stewardship over when you receive a calling.  I've never felt it as much as when I am in IWA.  My girls will always be my girls.  

I am so grateful for every single one of them.  I hope they know that.  I hope they know they are all special to me, and I get excited to see them, and are sad when we miss them at activities.  I hope they know they are the reason my days and weeks get better.  There's just not enough to say about them, except for.... My Soul Delighteth in IWA!!!!

Time to Celebrate!

What are we celebrating....? We are celebrating my day of birth... aka, my birthday! This past weekend, it was my birthday, and it was a party! I feel like I had one of the best birthdays, and what was even better, it wasn't just one day, it was three! I got to spread out the joy and celebration over the entire weekend.

So let's recap....

Friday, started off like any other Friday, school almost all day. But I had stuff to look forward too. My parents sent me a birthday package that was waiting for me at home all day.... I kinda wanted to go home in between classes just to open it, but I had patience to wait until I got home.  And it was a great package.... my parents are the best! Seriously.... the best! Also, Matt was taking me out that night :) Before getting ready for my date I went and ran some errands. You know me, trying to cram as much into my free time as possible.  Well look what I came home too.

Seriously, so surprised, and the best one to come home too. He also left a cute note, birthday card (Mickey and Minnie of course) and a beautiful necklace.  Seriously, he is one of the most thoughtful people I know. Anywho, I was excited for my date, but pretty sure I now just got more excited.  Now it was off to my date. We went to Texas Roadhouse, where luckily, I didn't have to sit on the saddle. We then went to the park to be little kids again and went for a walk.  One of the best dates.  I had a blast, but granted, I always have a blast on dates with Matt.  

Saturday, my cousin and I went to Park City and shopped our little hearts out.  Let's just say "Stella got her groove back."  We went to the outlets and then historic Park City, where we got stuck in a rainstorm and hail storm.  We found out that shopping can really wear you out.... we were tired and worn out by the end of the day.    

Sunday, was a good day.  I played the musical number in church and Matt came to listen.  Then I got a Sunday afternoon nap.... oh how I have missed these with late church.  Then that night, we ate dinner and watched the CES Fireside with Elder and Sister Oaks at home.    I really liked Sister Oaks' talk.  Then to my "surprise" we had a birthday get together.  My "sneaky" roommates made cake and fondue and we had some friends over, and then we watched "Big Bang Theory."  Yup, the typical nerd thing to do; how else would we celebrate?!  

So pretty much this weekend was fabulous, and I delighted in everything! A special thanks to Matt, my cousin, and "sneaky" roommate Lauren for making it one great!  

The Friendliest Flower

Flowers... Aren't the beautiful? They are just so happy and friendly.  

A quote I love about flowers is from "You've Got Mail"

Friendliest Flowers

Flowers can just seem to brighten any gloomy day.  Today's post is going to be one of pictures. So enjoy!

From my parents for the first day of school last year.  My parents are always was thoughtful and send flowers to brighten up any day.  I wish I had more pictures of them. But this is all I had.  

The first flower Matt gave me.  He has beautiful flowers outside his house and a garden.  He wanted me to choose a flower to take home, of course I forgot, so he surprised me and picked one out for me

I came home from my grandpa's viewing to this at my door with a cute note... need I say more :)

A just because flower.... so pretty.  This picture doesn't really do it justice. Sadly it fell apart when I went to save it, so now I have dried petals instead of the flower.

That's another thing.  All these flowers that mean so much to me... I save them... ALL. I love dried flowers.  I feel like you get to enjoy them so much more, especially when they have meaning behind them.  My room is the one with a wall lined with drying flowers from the ceiling. 

I am so delighted by all the people who bring these beautiful plants into my life!!! Thank you!

My Grandpa

Meet Grandpa Johnson

Photo from C. Johnson

Last Saturday, my dear sweet Grandpa passed away surrounded by his family.  He was an amazing man.  He was so caring, loving, and gave the best hugs.  You truly knew that he loved you.  There were some neat experiences I got to share with him and my family the last week or so.  It's times like these that bring families together and strengthen them.  My Grandpa had 10 children, so when we all get together, there are a lot of us.  I learned this week how little things my grandpa did have been taught to his children.  I always just thought that was how my dad was, but now I know he learned it from his dad.  If I could grow up to be like my grandpa I think I would be very happy in life.  That's just the kind of man he was.

Photo from C. Johnson

This is how I remember my grandparents growing up. They were Mr. and Mrs. Claus.  Spreading Christmas cheer to everyone.  Visiting the people in the hospital on Christmas Eve, and teaching their grandchildren the importance of this by bringing them along as "elves." 

I am so grateful for everything that I have been taught by my grandpa.  He will truly be missed. But I know that I will see him again someday because I have an eternal family.

Dear Boys

So to be honest, I've wanted to do a post like this for awhile, copy Elise's Pieces, because pretty much she is awesome and I love her. Well now, she's asked all of her blog stalkers to follow in her footsteps. I'm officially doing my first Link Party! I may be an official blogger now :) Yippee!


Dear Thompson Square,

You've kinda been on my mind.  Let's sing the duet again, can we?

Love,
MJ



Dear Friends for now,

You may have waited too long and missed your chance. I'm sorry.

Love,
MJ


Dear Man of the Decade,

I've been waiting forever, and now I'm done waiting.

Love,
MJ


Dear Football,

You leave and come back, rinse and repeat. Sometimes I get confused, and I think I confuse you.

Love,
MJ


Dear BB,

Things are weird, it's my fault.

Love,
MJ


Dear Canoe,

You're good looking.  Just thought I'd let you know

Love,
MJ

PS Took me a little bit to figure out how to put the button on here