All the Sparkle

I know I’m not the best at keeping my blog to begin with, but I feel like lately I’ve had a good reason: I’m engaged!

This month has been busy. I promised the story to many of my Tumblr followers a long time ago, and I mean to keep the promise now.

For the record, yes, I am engaged to Laxer Bro. He asked me on our one year anniversary from when we started dating.

In the beginning, he had told me that the ring shop we had ordered my ring from  had misplaced my ring, which was true, but he didn’t tell me the rest of that story. I was confused by this because it was odd to me that the store (Farr’s) wouldn’t have kept looking for the ring until they found it. Loosing a ring is a big deal. But, Laxer Bro had successfully thrown me off track for when and how he was going to ask me.

On the 23rd, I had a family party that we were going to. He asked me if we would want to leave a little early so we could see the lights on Temple Square. I agreed, though I didn’t see why it was so important to him. I’ll admit I had my suspicions, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up for anything. After the party, we went down to Temple Square and had fun walking around. It was absolutely beautiful. We stopped and took a few pictures in certain places and even talked to a few sister missionaries who also took a picture for us in front of the temple.

The one thing that threw me off with all of this is that Laxer Bro kept texting one of his younger brothers. The attention he was giving his phone was a little more than usual, so it made me think something had to be wrong. I asked him about it, and he said that his brother was having trouble with a friend. I shrugged it off as nothing more.

We ended up making our way past the reflecting pool and out along the strip of garden that passes in front of the temple. I mentioned that my friend, Kelsy (who has an awesome blog, check her out. The link is on the side), had taken a picture on a pedestal we were nearby. Laxer Bro offered taking a picture there, and I agreed. We had to wait for a while because there was a large crowd taking pictures, and I offered to simply take a picture off to the side. Laxer Bro said we could wait. I was fine with that if he was.

It was then that he took a picture for a small family and asked them to take a picture for us because the spot on the pedestal had just opened up. I was far enough away that I didn’t hear exactly what Laxer Bro had said to the kind stranger who was offering to take a picture for us. But I did hear the man respond with a surprised, “Really?” It was at that point my suspicions escalated, but I wasn’t daring to hope.

When we got up on the pedestal, Laxer Bro turned to me and said that he told me Farr’s had misplaced the ring, but he hadn’t told me the whole story. The jewelry store had found it very quickly that same day. He also said that he had the ring with him. That was when he knelt and asked if I would marry him in the temple. I could hardly breathe, but I was able to say yes.

However, I suppose I didn’t say yes loud enough for everyone to hear. There was still a crowd around, and the people in the back kept shouting to us asking if I had said yes, which I found funny particularly after I had him place the ring on my finger. Right after Laxer had asked me to marry him, I noticed an odd amount of flashes from cameras, and that’s when I saw his brother–whom he had been texting–taking pictures. Shortly after, I found my parents there as well as his taking pictures and holding a dozen, beautiful red roses.

The night was beautiful, and it was more than I could have asked for. I’ll attach a picture of the ring below for those of you who didn’t get to see it on my Tumblr.

Speaking of Tumblr, I created a new Tumblr account, still linked to mine. It’s Fairytale Endings. Yup. I committed the crime of all crimes and started a wedding blog. I thought I needed some help in the way of getting ideas for what to do at my wedding. So. That’s a recent bit of information. I’ll also be connecting my Tumblr blogs to the forum. If anyone has ideas for a wedding, shoot away! I’ve been gathering a lot of ideas and I’ve been booking a lot of places and taking care of things for the wedding, but I could use more ideas to go off of.

My Engagement Ring

Masquerade

So. This was partially how I spent my Halloween:

Yup. Laxer bro and I went to a Masquerade. It was fantastic! we went as Prince Charming and Cinderella. I even got to wear white gloves! I’ve got to admit I’m a sucker for dressing up in big, poofy dresses and feeling like a princess. The fact that I could pretend to be Cinderella for an evening was way too wonderful. We got to dress up in a lot of different ways for this Halloween because of all the activities we went to.

I had also cajoled Laxer Bro into coming to Anime Banzai this year. We had to throw our costumes together very quickly, but we ended up being a maid and a butler. It was a lot of fun! Laxer isn’t huge into anime, (That will change. He will also become a Whovian before the year is out.) but I think even he started getting into it when he saw all of the Star Wars paraphernalia.

Random subject, but how do you guys feel about the fact Star Wars is owned by Disney now? I just want to hear your opinions.

On Halloween, we both dressed up as Harry Potter people. We weren’t any in specific, but it was fun. We even had wands. I throw an annual Halloween party, so it was crucial that we dress up. It was also fun to see my nephews all dressed up along with all my friends. It was a grand-ol’-time!

I know this is a short update, but I just wanted to share the picture, more than anything, because of how fun this all was. Hope you all enjoyed your Halloween! How was it? What did you do? What did you dress up as?

All at Once

 

Wow. Looks like I owe you guys an explanation as to why I dropped off the face of the blogging world for a while here. Well. You’re getting it all at once.

The end of summer came so much quicker than I wanted it to, along with the start of the new school year. I haven’t had many chances to breathe yet. But now that I’ve finally found my bearings, I’ll start by wishing everyone luck with the new school year and a happy fall!

Truth be told, I’m pretty sad summer is over. I enjoy it way too much. However, I do love to see the leaves change colors. But this summer was full of a lot of fun adventures. I even learned how to golf! And I must say, I’m quite pleased with how my first game went—not that I got a good score or anything, but it was still fun, and my daddy said I have a good swing. SCORE.

I finally made it to Lagoon once, and I also had fun wake-boarding this summer up in Bear Lake and on Pineview. Oh, and let’s not forget horseback riding! Laxer Bro was a good sport and came with me horseback riding once, too. Props to him. Alas, the summer has ended, so I’m on to more fall adventures! Those were just some of my favorite highlights.

This semester has already been a lot of fun for me. I hope, dear readers, that it has also been equally fun for you. Even though this semester doesn’t look like it’s going to be easy. (I have two match classes and two computer literacy classes together this semester. Yikes!) I have already been enjoying it, particularly because of my English class. I’m taking a British Literature: Medieval course this semester, and I love it! We’ve just finished Beowulf, and I found it very intriguing! It’s nothing like the movie though. In fact, the movie is horrible. Don’t see it. We previewed some of it in class so we could compare the differences. AWFUL.

I also got to kick of the start of my school year with going to the homecoming dance with Laxer Bro. I didn’t care much for the dance at school, but the ‘dance’ we had at Boccia’s De Italia is something I’ll probably remember forever. (For those of my friends who follow my blog and know where I live, Boccia’s is on Washington Blvd. towards the North).

“’Lemme esplain.’ *pauses* “No. There is too much. Lemme sum up.”

(Where’s that line from, eh?)

Boccia’s is an adorable little Italian restaurant we stopped in at before the dance. We got to eat out in their little ‘greenhouse’ room, for lack of a better term. Not only was the food delicious with generous portions of food, but the entertainment was pretty epic as well. We had a candle-lit dinner with our bowls of soup and spaghetti. (“Boccia” apparently means bowl, so the restaurant title literally means “Bowl of Itlay”, which is why I found this whole ‘bowl’ concept to be so interesting). During the dinner, the owner came by our table and serenaded us with an old, Italian love song. I died, by my heart melting and by laughter at how fun that experience was. Doug, the owner, also has quite the impeccable singing voice. I was very impressed!

We had a moment to ourselves after that. We were eating rather late in the evening, so we were one of the few couples left in the whole building by then. Laxer Bro was teasing me by pretending to dance with me when we got up to leave. I was startled when he started laughing and jerked away from his own impulse to dance. He had to explain one of the waitresses saw us dancing. I had to laugh with him after that. We were acting pretty cheesy.

It was then that our waitress walked us up to the front with the check. She was ahead of us, so I couldn’t hear what she said when she hauled Doug into the picture once again. While she rang us up and Laxer paid, Doug was asking us if we had ever seen the upstairs to Boccia’s. Boccia’s hosts murder-mystery dinner theater nights, and they take place in the upstairs portion of the restaurant. Did I mention they also have a dance floor? They have a dance floor.

We had been upstairs before. It was surprising for both of us when Doug insisted on leading us upstairs regardless. I kept shooting Laxer surprised looks, but he was just as clueless as I was.

Once we were upstairs, Doug dimmed the lights and stood on the stage. He explained that our hostess insisted we get the chance to dance with each other in a ‘moon light’ setting while he serenaded us once again. This time, he sang “Edelweiss.” I don’t remember the last time I blushed so hard, or was so happy to dance. It was endearing and charming in so many ways.

I had a fantastic time there, and I wanted to give a shout-out on how awesome and fun that night was. I can’t wait to go back. I also can’t wait for all the other adventures coming up! Halloween is just around the corner after all.

Which reminds me–I have a masquerade to prepare for, and I still need to figure out what i will be being for Halloween costume wise. Yikes!

Cookie in a Cup!

Cookie in a Cup!

• 1 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tbsp. white sugar
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 3 drops of vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 tbsp. chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and egg yolk. Add in the flour and salt. Mix until combined. Add in the chocolate chips. Put the dough into a small microwaveable bowl, ramekin, or coffee cup. Microwave for 40-60 seconds or until the cookie looks done. ((Note: I found I had to leave my cookie in for longer than a minute.)) Best served warm… Enjoy!

I just happened to run into this amazing little treat on Tumblr, and I decided to share it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the original creator of this neat idea, so I’m hoping that he or she won’t mind that I am sharing it.

I also felt that this dessert is great to share with another person. It doesn’t have the exact consistency of a cookie, but it is still really yummy!!

I’m also going to post this on my dessert page, so feel free to check out the recipe there along with many others.

Lax on the Beach and a Wedding to Boot!

WOW.

This past weekend was something else, and getting to it was even more crazy.

One of my very best friends that I grew up with just got married this past Saturday, and I was lucky enough to be one of her bridesmaid’s. I can’t express how truly happy I am for her! Her husband is a doll, and they’ve got a lot of wonderful opportunities ahead of them.

Her husband has an internship in Washington D.C., so they will have a lot to do!

Her wedding also went off brilliantly. I didn’t trip walking down the isle, so we’re all good that way! Though I do have to say, I could barely breathe in my dress. The seamstress didn’t exactly get my measurements right. she gave me hips (of the which I don’t have), so the part of the dress around my waist was huge, but she gave me less of a chest than I *don’t have. It was strange. we had to safety pin part of my dress together so it wouldn’t rip.

The ceremony was lovely. they had wonderful vows for each other, and she looked beautiful! (Don’t brides always look beautiful? ) After, we had fun taking pictures, and the dinner they chose was fantastic! It was Peking Duck, along with a bunch of other goodies! I loved the steam buns that looked like peaches. They were filled with a sweet, red bean paste. YUMMY!

We also had a lot of fun dancing and doing a few other activities in between. All in all, I think it was a wonderful wedding! And because I found it so wonderful, I decided to share some pictures.

 

Laxer bro also took me out to play a little catch with our sticks. ON. THE. BEACH.

I died! XD

Capture that Brownie in a Mug!

First news first.

A while back in October during the local Anime Banzai, I was a complete fool and dropped my incredible Nikon Cookpix touchscreen camera. The screen broke. The camera worked, but I was unable to use it because the screen wouldn’t let me select anything.

I died a little inside.

I’ve been slow when it comes to looking for a way to get it fixed or finding an alternative option. However, recently, my dear mother solved my problem for me. For my (late) birthday present, she told me we would go get my screen fixed on my camera. I was thrilled! The only problem with this we found was that to get the screen replaced would cost a heck of a lot more than it would to just get a new camera.

I was a little hesitant. I loved that little Nikon. I didn’t know if there were many other touchscreens that had the same features I liked. It didn’t take me long to realize that there was another Coolpix very similar to my old one. I ended up being able to get the Nikon Coolpix S4100!

I love it so far! It’s great! I’m very pleased with it, and many of the features that I liked have been updated to make the camera nicer. Woot! So look forward to some (hopefully) fantastic pictures from me in the future!

On another note, while browsing my Tumblr today, I happened across a post that my dear friend Keya had reblogged.

This is what I saw:

Tried it.

Loved it.

Had to share it.

I’ve also posted this in the recipe section under dessert.

I had been craving something chocolatey lately, and this fit the bill! I loved how quick and easy it was. I hope you all enjoy it as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two and a Half Weeks

Well. I hope everyone had a spectacular Fourth of July for those who are Americans! I know I certainly did.

my family always kicks off the Fourth on the third of July with a huge reunion. Surprisingly, I actually like this family reunion. We always have home made root-beer, TONS of food, and a few fun games. it’s nice to catch up with the family members you know and like.

I say ‘know’ because my family is so large, half our family probably doesn’t know the other half. It’s entertaining when a family member comes up to me, calls me by name, asks me how my art/schooling/life is going, then leaves without me ever figuring out their name or if they’re really family.

We get a lot of friends coming to our reunions as well. This year, I had my Laxer Bro tag along for fun. The fam. had fun heckling him. He took it pretty well. My nephews all ran up to him the second he got there, too. Heck, my youngest nephew could say his name before mine. They had fun playing together and having us watch them go down a giant-bouncy-slide-water-thing.

The actual Fourth typically starts off with many of my family members running the local races. I usually participate; however, this time I was helping my mom hand out water to the runners who came by our house. Then we all cram into cars and take off to the park to catch the parade. It’s dee beeeeest! Seriously. Usually I can’t stand parades, but with my town, it’s something different. I know half of it is because I am biased and know the majority of the people in the parade, but the other half is because I always get a kick out of the local  ideas and jokes everyone comes up with for the floats.

The majority of the rest of the day is spent at the epic craft fair in the park. There are also a lot of fun little attractions for the kids to do. Snow Basin even brought down actual snow from the mountain. WOOT! Snow. In the park. In the middle of July. A snowball fight definitely ensued.

My family always has another B-B-Q to follow. This year, we all had a water fight. Sadly, we could only let off small fireworks (like snakes and poppers) due to the major fire danger this season. But, the town let off the big ones!

Laxer Bro and a group of friends and I all went to our park where the fireworks were going to be let off to enjoy the show. The cool thing about our fireworks is that they’re shot off right above the park, so they burst right over everyone’s head. Oh, and cue the music! The town always has patriotic music playing loud enough to hear through the blasts and bangs of the firework show. Just after the fireworks ended, it started to rain. I call that a perfect ending to a day. I love the rain!

On a different note, I’m looking for fun suggestions to keep me very busy over the next two and a half weeks! So if you’ve been somewhere fun or done something fun lately, let me know so I can try it out! Laxer Bro is out of town during that time period, and I need to keep my mind active. So lemme have it!