We're getting married!

First things first: in case you missed it:

So, there's that. And now for the story....


I've been keeping a secret from you guys. A secret that started when I visited Pat in Denver at the beginning of March. And it wasn't really a secret like, ohmygosh something is happening -- but more like, this is a gushy boyfriend thing that I would typically keep to myself.

[Sometimes, as much as I love my life with Pat and want to tell everyone how great he is, there are certain things I think are just for us, you know? And I thought this would be one of those things.]

But now that I know how the story ends, it's not really something I can keep to myself.

So. Back to the beginning of March. I visited Pat in Denver, where he was seven weeks into a 12-week internship. We hiked, ate some good food, watched the Jayhawks lose a basketball game, and just enjoyed being together. And I also pestered him a little bit about my upcoming birthday on March 22.

But he said he already had a present for me and that I would get it Monday morning before I flew back to Kansas. (!!!)

I'm not good at waiting, so I'm sure I asked him just a few times if I could have it early. And he said no. But Monday morning, he retrieved a box.

I could tell he'd made the box himself. It was about three inches tall, eight inches square, and not very heavy. And he told me I couldn't open it till my birthday.

Remember that whole not good at waiting thing?

Yeah.

So, I flew back to Kansas, really only knowing that whatever was in the box, it would withstand the rigors of air travel and wouldn't get me in trouble going through security.

In the next few weeks, I pestered Pat about what was in the box and asked for hints. I learned enough to know it would be several things and that I wasn't allowed to open them all at once. [This kid and all his rules.] I started to think it would be something to open each day until he got back [still another two weeks or so away].

And then he told me it had to do with a shape used in the Olympics.

RINGS. duh.

I told him, "You're trying to make me think it's something that it's not." But I got no further clues.

Three weeks later, I was home in Missouri for my birthday and I finally got to open my box. Inside, I found a chain link of a bajillion papers, like the kind you make at Christmas. The instructions said that each day, I was allowed to open one ring by separating it from the chain and unfolding it. And there were WAY more than just for two weeks until he got back.

I was kind of pissed because all the first one said was Happy Birthday. REALLY? I WAITED THREE WEEKS FOR THAT? and then I had to wait a whole day more to open the next. Silly rules.

But I played by the rules and for two months, I opened a note from my favorite human every morning.

And many nights I asked him if I could just open the rest, but he never let me. Rude.

Here are some we selected to share with you all. :)

The very last ring on the chain was dated May 22 -- and on the outside it said, "Open me on top of a volcano."

See, we had plans to climb Mt. St. Helens in Washington -- our graduation gift from Pat's dad. We had been planning on this trip forever, and Pat bought the climbing permits way back in February, so he knew what day the trip would be.

I brought the last few rings in the chain with me to Oregon after graduation. [I actually forgot them and had to turn around on the way to the airport and go back for them...]

And I carried the last ring all the way to the flippin top of Mt. St. Helens. [YOU GUYS. that climb was so hard.]

And we got to the top and I didn't want to bring it up. I wanted him to bring it up.

But I'm bad at waiting. So I asked him if I could open my last note yet.

I opened it..........



and it was blank.

So I said, "It's blank!"

And he said, "Oh. Shoot. I gave you the wrong ring -- I had two, I must have put the wrong one on. Here..."

and he dug around in his giant backpack for a minute and then pulled out a pretty, sparkly, perfect engagement ring.

:)

We're getting married!

Distance sucks and I'm a wimp

Hey friends.

I had planned to write a cute, cheeky, I-don't-take-myself-too-seriously post about all the great things I get to do since Pat's away for an internship for the next twelve weeks.

(So far, I've watched the Golden Globes and watched the same movies over and over again. I was trying to think of more ideas.)

I was going to try to show that I know it's not the end of the world: twelve weeks isn't that long, and at least I can assume he's reasonably safe where he is -- he's in an accounting internship, not deployed or anything.

And then I had to inflate my tire, and spent two dollars in quarters at the gas station trying to get the air pump to sound like it was actually putting air into my tire instead of just letting it all leak out, and then I ended up going to Jiffy Lube and playing right into the stereotype of girls who can't do anything and don't know anything about their cars when I asked them to please, please just look at my tires, and no I don't want my oil changed when I still have almost 300 miles till the next date. And then they told me that I'd managed to overinflate my tire and kind of laughed at me.

And then I ended up crying in the grocery store parking lot. Not a lot of crying. Just a little.

Distance sucks. And the next twelve weeks won't be fun in some ways. But I'm really, truly going to try to find the good parts of being away from my favorite human for a while. Like sending him a valentine's card I already picked out, sending him weird pictures, and spending time we'd usually spend together making memories I can tell him about when he gets back.

Kudos to those of you who spend most of your time away from your significant other, and extra love to you if it's because he or she is deployed.

What's your favorite way to spend a day you have all to yourself? I've got a few coming up and I could use some inspiration!

I'm still mostly here.

Hello friends.

I had a big, "I'm still here" post planned for the beginning of this week, but then I landed on the struggle bus and have been trying to hold things together -- final papers and projects and everyday work tasks have grown infinitely more difficult in the midst of the tragic loss of a friend.

Anthony, Brenna, Gianfranco and me -- part of a photo scavenger hunt in RA training in 2009

Gianfranco and I have known each other for about four years. This picture was taken when we'd known each other maybe a week. He was a genuine, kind, warm and funny friend -- the type who always thought of others before himself. He has most certainly been there as I cried and any time I needed him and was there for so many of my best memories of college. He has touched many lives. He'll be so very missed, and I will be very sad to never yell "Gianfranco!" again as I always did when he walked into a room.

I know, though, that this space is a huge source of comfort and stress relief and friendship, so I'm looking forward to posting more regularly again.

So, with little ado, I'll be returning in full force tomorrow with a post about Dance Marathon I wrote before anything happened with Gianfranco. I hope you'll forgive my long absence, and hope you'll join me again as I attempt to balance all things and manage to post on this blog.

Hug your loved ones, friends. Life is too short.

Anniversary camping in Pomona State Park

Hello friends!

This weekend, Pat and I belatedly celebrated our three-year anniversary by going camping!

Camping for our anniversary is a new tradition we started last year, and I hope it's a tradition that keeps going! This year, we wanted to go somewhere new (rather than the local camp grounds we've been to several times) and Pat found Pomona State Park in his Kansas magazine. They have a great website where you can look up the campsites, so we picked this pretty waterside spot even before we got there!

Pat (who really planned the whole thing while I was on the struggle bus for other reasons all week) also found some awesome recipes online and we cooked our dinner on the campfire!

We also played around by the water, made s'mores, and had a great time.

Do you ever go camping? I never thought I'd be someone who loves camping, but I do! Hoping to work up to where we can camp for a few days at a time. :)