On Being a Girl with a Boyfriend

Ok, so I'm kind of failing at my New Years resolution to post more, but I've been overwhelmed with how much there is to say and how little time I've had to compose my thoughts. So here's a quick update!

Biggest news: I officially have a boyfriend!! His name is Abram, and as I mentioned in my last post, it's been quite a while in the making, so it's really lovely to have it finally be official. Neither of us have been in an actual, labeled relationship in quite a few years, so saying it out loud is still a little weird for both of us, but I, for one, couldn't be enjoying it more.

Spending time in California with him over the break was incredible, and just what we needed to figure out where we wanted our relationship to be headed. It was so nice to be together in real time, doing everyday things, just being together without having to worry about anything else. We had many wonderful adventures going to the city, dancing the nights away, watching the sun set over the beach in Santa Cruz, eating an inordinate amount of Thai food, braving public transportation, bringing in the new year alone at the top of a parking garage, and making the most of his first Broadway experience. But it was the quiet moments that were the most precious: holding hands in the car in contented silence, keeping each other on task in the grocery store, being held in his arms while I talked to my mom on the phone, cooking/dancing in the kitchen, praying over our meals, stolen kisses when no one was looking...

Needless to say, it was a wonderful, well-spent 11 days. But now we are facing at least 4 months apart again. I'm trying to finish up school at BYU, and he is obviously living and working in Cali, so we're stuck for the time being. I'm doing everything in my power to figure out how to move out there in May or June, but of course there are a lot of complicated factors in trying to make that happen. But where there's a will, there's a way, I have no doubt about that. Long distance definitely isn't easy, but we're doing our best, and so far it hasn't killed us so I'm hopeful that everything will continue to go well.

Thanks for stopping by and caring about the goings on in my little life. Here's a picture of us with the sunset over the beach in Santa Cruz:

Back From the Dead

Not that I really expect anyone to still be checking to see if I'm still blogging, but for the sake of posterity and anyone who happens to read this, let me give a short recap of the last few months. I haven't posted since June, so I'll give the highlights of each month up to the present. A lot of it has to do with relationships, but let's be real, what else is life really about?

July: I went back to Colorado to welcome home one of my oldest and dearest friends, Robert, from his mission to Arizona. He gave 2 years of his life to the Lord and touched many people's lives. He came home different than he left, but changed for the better, and still my bosom friend.

August: I fell in love. It's as simple as that. I've only been in love one other time, but this time it was different. It happened when I was least expecting it, with someone I had barely given a second thought before, and it was perfect. He is everything I have ever wanted in all the ways I didn't expect.

September: I learned to trust God's plan. The guy I loved had just moved 800 miles away to California and I didn't know what would happen to our relationship. He asked me to date other people, which I didn't want to do, but tried because I cared about him enough to support what he needed. And right then, a relationship fell into my lap. He was perfect for that exact time, and once I surrendered the control, God showed me how to be in two places at once, fully present and honest...and it worked.

October: I found out what it meant to miss someone so badly it physically hurt. I broke down in public for the first time ever, but the embarrassment was countered with unconditional love and friendship from one of my best friends here. On the upside, I got a ticket to go to California over Christmas break to see HIM!! Then it was just a matter of getting through the next couple months.

November: That month went by so fast I barely had time to think. I got to go home for Thanksgiving with a few of my siblings and was simply engulfed in gratitude for everything beautiful in my life. I had some really great conversations with my parents and some close friends that gave me such a deep peace. It was wonderful.

December: Well, that brings us to the present. In 10 short days I'll be one plane ride away from the beginning of 11 very happy days in California, during which many adventures will be had. I can't wait to tell you all about them in the new year!

Thank you for being here and catching up with me; even though it was only a fraction of everything that's happened in the last few months, it covered the most important things. I really do want to blog more, so I give my solemn vow that my New Year's resolution will be to pop in here a lot more often :) Cheers!

Best Friends Are...The Best :)

This is me and Megan, one of my very oldest friends. She and I met when we were 12, knew each other for about a year, then she moved to Utah and we were long-distance friends for about 6 years, then I came to Utah for school so we've seen each other a little more in the last couple years. But it's always amazed me how close we've managed to be just having phone and email, and when we're together it's like we've never been apart. 

Last week we got dressed up and went to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate her acceptance to an internship in Brazil this fall! We got so many great looks from everyone in the mall and our waiter thought we were pretty hot stuff ;) (he took the above picture)

This weekend I've been up in Logan with her in the little house where she lives by herself. It's cozy and quaint with a creek that runs across the backyard, which is a simply magical sound at night. There is nothing I love more than just being with Meg; we fit into each other's lives so easily. There's no pretense, no self-consciousness, just unadulterated joy in being together. Yesterday we had a full day of errands, driving to Preston, Idaho, getting shakes at the Napoleon Dynamite diner, exploring an abandoned mill where we were watched by 3 huge, gorgeous owls, getting our butts kicked at a yoga class, making a beautiful dinner together, complete with chocolate lava cake and sangria and watching The Vow (which was adorable, I don't care what you say).

We joke all the time that we'd make a perfect married couple. Evidence: we were laying in bed last night, having been quiet for quite some time, just mulling over the day, waiting for sleep to come, when I whispered, "Did you remember to cover the cake?" "Yes," she whispered and then we both giggled. Maybe you had to be there, but it was just a perfect example of how comfortably we mesh together.

I have no idea what I'd do without her.

Colorful Summer

Dearest Readers,

The summer is seriously flying by, I feel like it's getting away much too quickly. Just a few little things happening in my world: finding a new job with more hours, looking at a couple different houses for the fall, reading A TON, getting the hang of making patches for my jeans, blues dancing as much as possible, spending time with old, dear friends, and...ya know...dating someone :)

Didn't see that coming did you? I sure didn't. It's still very new, so I'm trying to keep it on the down-low, but on the other hand, I just want to scream sometimes about how freaking awesome it is to be alive and this happy! For those of you paying attention, it's not the same guy I posted about kissing. He was lovely, but he went to California for the summer, so this new guy just kind of slipped in when I wasn't looking. If I'm lucky, things will keep being wonderful and I'll give you more details as things progress, but suffice it to say, I'm one happy camper.

In other news, my mom is here this weekend and my favorite cousin got home from her mission this week and I get to see her tomorrow!!

A very happy Saturday afternoon to you all :)

So...Guess What?

My birthday was on Monday!! I meant to post then, but as you can imagine, things were a little busy :)

I got tons of calls/texts/emails wishing me all the best for this, my 20th year.

I ate my weight in Sri Lankan food at at the beautiful Banana Leaf

All my roommates, their boyfriends/fiancees, my brother and James were the best dinner party ever.

Then my Blues family had a party at our friend Eric's new place, 

Complete with fire pit, sparkling lemonade, fedoras, and bluesy dancing shenanigans.

It was perfect. I couldn't have felt more loved. 

I have officially said goodbye to my teens 

and am looking forward to people taking me a little more seriously. 

Here's wishing for a good year of being 20 :)

  

Slow Mornings

Summer has been so incredibly lovely--hence, I have neglected my blog even more than usual. I cannot get enough of the gorgeous sunshine. But even more than the sun, I have enjoyed getting to wake up slowly more often than not. I occasionally have to work at 8am (which I absolutely hate) but most of the time I can just let my body wake up whenever it wants.

It is one of my favorite intimate pleasures to have the house be empty, to keep my eyes closed and just feel the morning light slowly warm my covers and touch my exposed skin, to lay on my back and open my eyes to a gold-tinged ceiling and glowing blinds, to doze in and out until I feel like swinging my legs over the edge of my bed to step out into the slight chill of the still-sleepy house. I make myself a warm bowl of oatmeal, huddle up on the couch and eat in the quiet, watching birds, bikers, runners, and school goers parade by.

But of course, Zooey says it best:

Dig a Little Deeper...

 

Today I Discovered Bliss

Cinnamon Chocolate Ice Cream

Not kidding. Not even a little bit. 

As If I Don't Talk About Love Enough

Things I love about kissing (particularly about kissing...a certain someone):

I love that full, held moment just before our lips meet--an expectant pause that is sometimes almost better than the kiss itself...almost ;)

I love that he makes me so giddy that I can't help but grin, even in the middle of a kiss, and then I feel even more giddy and silly, which makes me smile bigger, until I finally have to break away in fits of giggles (which he finds amusing).

I love the way he holds my face.

I love that he savors the kiss. He is so unassuming, not rushed and eager, but collected and appreciative. 

I love his hands in my hair.

I love having his shoulders/biceps/forearms to hang on to in the moments that rob me of my breath. 

I love his tenderness. 

I love the time when we're not kissing, when he's relaxed and I can sit for minutes at a time and trace his face with my fingertips. In the quiet there, I wish I were an artist. That I could somehow translate the softness of his skin to paper. 

I love the way he looks at me, especially if he's dozed off for a second and opens his eyes to find me smiling at him. That conspiratorial, blissful grin is so priceless.  

I love it when he absentmindedly traces my hands or my arms when we're watching a movie. 

I love that he let me eat the chocolate strawberry at Zupas. He didn't even ask for a bite! 

I love that he's kind of 5 sometimes. 

I love how deeply he listens. 

I love the way we blend...

P.S. I feel that I need to clarify that I'm not exclusively dating this guy. We're just in very genuine appreciation of each other, not a defined relationship, which is simply perfect :)