Let me introduce you...

to this cute man.

He's my fiance.

And it's his 24th BIRTHDAY today.

So, I wanted to share 24 reasons I love him.

1. He loves me for me.
2. He loves this Gospel so much, it's incredible and inspiring.
3. He is so humble, about everything.
4. He's cute.
5. He's going to be the greatest/cutest husband and daddy.
6. He has such a strong testimony, and it helps build my own.
7. He looks out for others more than he does for himself.
8. He's nice.
9. He thinks almost exactly the same way I do. It's kind of freaky how often we are thinking the exact same thing at the exact same time.
10. He is always searching for more ways to make me happy.
11. He helps build me up, even when I'm feeling down.
12. We're on the same level. Spirituality wise, maturity wise, etc.
13. His broad shoulders.
14. His smile.
15. He makes me feel happy.
16. He will let me be silly, and he'll be silly with me.
17. He lets me talk and talk and talk.
18. There's not a part of me he doesn't love.
19. We're going to be together forever.
20. His love for his family.
21. His love for the Savior, and our Heavenly Father.
22. How much he loved his mission in Paraguay, and his love for the people he taught.
23. He's a smarty pants.
24. He has great goals for life, which are aligned with mine.

There's lots of other reasons, but I'll spare you.

And, in 36 days, we are going to this beautiful temple, to get married.
And to be sealed for time and all eternity.

Festival of Color's Photos

Well, the Festival of Colors was amazingly fun, as always! I guess I'm going to sound like a hippie when I say this, but I honestly just love it. Music's playing, it's all about love, we're all colored and the same. Call me crazy, but I really think it's an awesome, uniting (at least, kind of) experience. Dang, I would have totally been a hippie. I went with Emily and Natalie, and we met up with Dani, Naylor, Paul, Steve and... I think that's it.
(pictures will be added shortly)

After, Em, Nat and I went to Sammy's. I love, love, love Sammy's! And I tried their apple pie shake for the first time. Oh, my, amazing! I'm a chocolate lover, give me chocolate anytime! But... I'm a huge sucker for apple pie. Wow. Greatest shake I've ever had.

Then, I showered, and Kyle came over, and, SURPRISE! He had rented The Time Traveler's Wife! I've been wanting to watch it ever since it came out. I really liked the book, so I was excited for the movie. The movie was great, but definitely a tear jerker. I was sobbing. I liked the character development a lot better in the book, but it was still really good! It's the type of movie that I "hate" the first time, because it makes me cry, and so emotional, but one that I will love always. (Other example: PS I Love You).

Ohhh, by the way. The play Kyle and I went and saw on Friday night? "As You Like It"? It was... not good. Don't get me wrong, the acting was great. The singing voices... not so much. And I felt like part of the plot was missing, or confused, since they modernized it. Oh well.

I LOVED the weather today... But it's supposed to turn cold again. Boo! Hopefully it will be all nice and pretty by Friday, because that's when I'm getting my bridals taken! Yay! I am SO excited for that.

There are so many things I should be doing... Wedding, homework, life plans... But I don't want to. The next five weeks are going to fly by. I'm so glad, because I want it to be May 6th, right now. But, I have so much to do before then, 5 weeks doesn't sound long enough. Such is life.

I'm going to stop typing before I start rambling all over the place. Maybe I'll go clean my room... and write in my journal all the things I shouldn're ramble about on my blog, haha.

38 days! :)

I'm feeling

overly stressed out today.

Somehow between classes, projects, tests, work, and wedding stuff, I all of a sudden feel extremely overwhelmed.
And tired.
I would just like a break.
WHY doesn't BYU get a Spring Break? It's really taking it's toll on me.

There is so much to do, and not enough time, and no energy to do it all.

Kyle and I have a lot of fun plans for this weekend, though.
Tonight we're going to see BYU's rendition of "As You Like It." We're watching it for extra credit for our Humanities class, but I'm also just excited to see it. Apparently they have changed it to modern times, so it should be way interesting.

Tomorrow we are probably running errands, like we do every Saturday.
Then, we are going to the

FESTIVAL OF COLORS!!

I absolutely love the Festival of Colors. I went last year (my first time) and had a blast. Kyle has never been, and I told him that we had to go! I'm way excited.

Tomorrow night we might go to a mission reunion. Kyle's mission president's wife is in town this weekend, so they might be getting together, so we'll see!

So...

I'm getting married in 6 weeks (and two days).
It just hit me yesterday.
Where have the last 6 months gone???

There are only 3 weeks left of school, and then finals.
That also freaks me out.
I still have PLENTY of school work left, including 2 midterms.

Oh, life.

Summertime

I am so ready for summer.
Last summer was probably the best of my life.
Kyle and I started dating.
We went on many great adventures.

I didn't work, so I could do anything I wanted (well, kind of).

Yesterday, Kyle and I were driving to IKEA. We were already in Sandy, so we just hopped on a frontage road and went south. The warm weather had heated up the car, so I was feeling rather toasty, we rolled down the windows, slid back the sun roof, and I was wearing my sunglasses. For a brief moment, I forgot that it was March, quite chilly outside, and that I still have infinite amounts of homework to be focusing on.

For that brief moment, it was just Kyle and I, and the world was perfect.

That is what summer does for me.

Makes me feel carefree, and that the world could be no better than it is right now.

And I am ready for it.

Weekendness

Yesterday was a marathon day, that's for sure.

We did a TON of stuff.

Kyle and I left Provo at about 10:30, and drove up to Sandy. We met up with Alan and Jess, and Nathan, Melanie, Whitney and Liam to celebrate Liam's 3rd birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's.
I love Chuck E. Cheese's.


(forgive me as a good off on a small rant about "where a kid can be a kid")

I worked at Chuck E Cheese's for 1 1/2 years (although it seems like much longer) during high school. I started at the end of January my junior year, and quit right before I moved down to Provo to start BYU.
By the time I left, I was a team leader, I knew how to do virtually everything, I had cleaned up numerous bodily, er, messes, I had hosted many a birthday party, could announce a birthday and do the birthday dance in my sleep, I could tell you exactly what you could get for x amount of tickets at merch. I knew the prices backwards and forward, I could wash dishes so fast, I could bus tables like there was no tomorrow, I could fix games in a jiffy, I could make and cut pizzas, I could keep the salad bar fresh and looking great, I could make some awesome cotton candy, I was an expert bathroom cleaner, I could count money, I knew the regulars, I had seen at least a 20 minute wait to get a table at CEC, and ..... the list goes on.
My co-workers were awesome, I made such good friends with most of them, and I still keep in contact with most. Management was great, and were great at scheduling. The latest I (usually) worked was 10 pm on weekdays, and 11 pm on weekends. They weren't open Sunday's.
Again, let me say, I love Chuck E Cheese's.

Ok, rant over. So, even though it was a different CEC than the one I worked at, it still brought back some great memories, and I had a ton of fun.

After we left CEC, Kyle and I went to IKEA and picked out some picture frames for our reception. We also got a couple of pillows for 99 cents, each! Oh, IKEA, how I love you.

Then, it was off to Bed, Bath and Beyond to register.
Oh my.
Even though BB&B make it super easy and as painless as possible to register, it is still so frustrating, and LONG. Our registry helper (what do they call them??) was named Janet. Janet was great, and so helpful, and friendly. And she even gave us water bottles. She gave us some great pointers.
(Plus, I got to see my great friend, Heidi, who works there.)
The actual registering was... well, at first, not so great. Kyle and I don't even have opinions that differ by a lot, and we were still getting frustrated. We ended with cooking/kitchenware though, and because of that, we actually were in better moods, because we love kitchen stuff, and so we had a lot of fun registering for the things that we know we will use and really want. We also really love our dinnerware that we registered for!
We wish that registering for stuff meant that we automatically get it all! hahah.
(Side note, Alan and Jess were registering at the same time as us! Fun!)

So, we were at BB&B for a good three hours.
Wow.

Then, we ate Subway, and watched the BYU game at Alan's.
After a great start, BYU sadly lost.
Also, Kansas lost, which totally killed my bracket.
Kyle and I are the two lowest in our family's bracket challenge, awesome.
I spent most of the game sticking the labels onto our cards from BB&B.
We went over to Kyle's friend Ryan's after, and talked with him, Bud and Reed for a little bit before heading home to Provo.

Friday was also a good night. After running a couple of errands after work, Kyle and I got the Jazz Meal Deal from Papa Murphy's and watched some basketball.

We're down to 6 1/2 weeks, and could not be more excited.
Life is crazy, but I couldn't be happier :)

Playing Catch-up

Woahhhh, so many things to catch up on!

First, I went and saw Alice in Wonderland last Friday night with my roommates. I had no expectations for it, considering that I generally don't like Tim Burton movies (not that they're not amazing, just not my style, at all) and the animated Alice freaked me out as a child. But, I was pleasantly surprised when I came out wanting to see it again. While it didn't make it to my favorite movies list, I still enjoyed it quite a bit, and would recommend it.

Second, I interviewed for, and was offered, a new job at work. Instead of working in Customer Service answering phone calls and sitting at the front desk, I will be moving to the Testing department, packaging tests, certifying proctors, mailing POE's, and a few other random things. I'm really excited about it! I get a raise, the supervisor is great, I have good friends in Testing already, and I don't have to answer phones and deal with angry customers! :) I'll start that new job the first week of April or so.

Also, can I just say how much I LOVE this weather?
Spring is my all time favorite season.

Wedding plans are coming together so well! I am so excited for our food. We're having BYU mint brownies and eclairs. BYU To Go is so good, and so cheap, and we don't have to order until like a week before the reception. Yum!
Life is fantastic.

I am stressing out a little over school, but who isn't? Well, not so much Kyle, he basically has nothing to do until finals. I, on the other hand, still have 3 midterms, two projects, two revisions of papers, and a bunch of little projects left. Boo school! haha

It's March Madness currently, which means that Kyle is glued to the TV. He did prove to me today that he does in fact love me more than basketball. He drove me to work during the BYU game. Just joking though, I already knew he loves me more :)
Speaking of, holy BYU game! I was watching at work, and during the last 30 seconds, there were honestly like 20 of us crowded around a supervisor's desk, watching.
GO COUGARS!
My bracket's not doing so hot, due to all the upsets, but BYU won, and that's all that really matters.

The biggest stress in our lives right now is housing and schooling.
We need to find a place to live for the summer.
We need to get Kyle's contract sold.
We need to hear back from U of Houston and U of St Louis-Missouri so we can decide where we're going in the fall, or if we're going to stay in Utah another year, thus making us need to find housing for the next school year also.
Ugh.
Also, finding the time to look at apartments is frustrating too.
So much to do, so little time.

That's the update on life!
Just trying to survive, and loving it.
I'll for sure take pictures this weekend so I can entertain a little bit better :)

Currently...

I'm rereading the book "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire. I really like it, but there is a lot of sexual innuendos and a lot of politics. However, if you get past that, I just really enjoy the story. And, of course, I adore the musical "Wicked" which is based on the book.
My senior year of high school, my dance company traveled to California, and we were able to attend "Wicked" in LA. I loved it, and I really want to see it again. So, right now, I am listening to the music, which, for now, will have to do.

I've also been listening to Missy Higgins lately. If you're not familiar with her, you should be. Check her out. She's a singer/songwriter from Australia, and is amazing. I first heard her in my dance class when I was 16. I've been hooked ever since, and I've choreographed a few dances to her songs. Listening to her makes me miss dance SO much. They were also handing out fliers in the Wilk today for the dancEnsemble concert, and I wished so much I was a part of that.
Dance just fills me with so much passion and emotion.
It is such a good outlet.
...
I'll have to look into taking a class or two again.



I want to be married.

Let's see...

if I can finish a blog post.

I've started quite a few in the last week.

Maybe I'll write a quick update, not so much detail...

So, backtracking...

Friday - Leanna's beautiful wedding. It was wonderful, and as always, so much fun to see all my girls. Bonnie rode up with Kyle and I, and we're pretty hilarious.

Saturday - Kyle and I ran some wedding errands. We got the tuxes all picked out and ordered for Kyle and our dads (40%, thank you Men's Den), and got Kyle's ring ordered as well (also 40% off, I love my life).
I can't wait until that ring is on his hand.

It will take him some getting used to though, since he's not a ring wearer.
We're still on the hunt for navy blue ties... We finally found one that we liked at Kohls, but they only had one, and they had none online. Lame.
Later that night, we went to the Hunger Banquet.
Simply put, it was amazing and inspiring.
The keynote speaker was Martin Burt, who is from Paraquay.
My two favorite quotes from him were,
"Don't be the status quo, change the status quo."
and
"Be a pioneer in bringing others to their Zion."
I could go on and on about what I learned during his speech, but I won't. I sure wish I had taken my camera though! It was awesome.

Oh, and I think I forgot to mention, Kyle's sister in law is pregnant with their third! Another exciting piece of news for the Hanson family.

Other than those fun activities... We're officially under 2 months now!
I couldn't be more excited.
Everything is coming together well.
I am just dang ready to be married already though.

I hate snow.

Yesterday morning, it was beautiful. I had just a light sweater on walking around campus at 9:30 am. I walked to work around 12 pm, and it was gorgeous, and I was in such a good mood. At work I sat on the opposite side, away from the window, so I couldn't really see outside. A few hours later, I was typing a blog post about what great weather we're having, when one of my friends walks into work, and is soaked. Shocked, I went to the window and saw a blizzard.
That is so not ok.

So, yesterday I had to hike around campus, my pants soaked, my shoes soaked, my socks soaked, and freezing. No bueno.

But, let's move on from that bad news.

Wednesday night, Kyle and I went up to Salt Lake City for the BYU vs Utah basketball game. Bud got us tickets so we met up with him and Ryan, and some other friends. It was a really good game! I can pay attention a whole lot better when I get to sit the entire game :)

Also, last night was The Office: Baby. Not good. Totally unrealistic, and I would KILL both Michael and Dwight. No joke. So, after much anticipation.... Not so good results.

Leanna gets married today, woohoo! Actually, she is probably already married, how crazy! I am so happy for her and Brandon, they are such a beautiful couple :) Bonnie, Kyle and I are driving up together for her reception, and I'm excited. I'm also excited to see Leanna, Brandon, and the rest of the MG's who make it up.

And on one last general note, I decided that I really like the name Noah for my future son's name.

62 days! 2 months from tomorrow!