My Tiny Tim Moment

It all started with our trip to Ikea.
Wolf and I headed up to Draper to pick up glass bottles for part of some Christmas presents. We also picked up some cheap storage for all my crafting supplies, new dishes, and Christmas supplies.
Wolf was getting sick of my dozens of boxes lined up in our spare room. Even though we got quite a bit of storage, I have a feeling that it will still not hold all my crafting supplies...

On our drive home, we had to stop at the mall. We got a sweet new game (Pandemic) from my favorite game store in the world (Games People Play).
The whole reason we had to stop by the mall was to grab a bunch of boxes the girls at the kiosk had been hard at work with. Boxes like the ones seen in the below picture.

There were probably about 50 boxes that Wolf and I had to take out to his car. We did not want to make more than one trip so we did what any good couple would have done; we "borrowed" a wheelchair. I pushed out a very full wheelchair while he carried a large, falling apart, black trash bag.
One trip.
The boxes were shoved in every crevice of his car that was not taken up by Ikea merchandise. We had a very full car.
On our way back in to take the wheelchair to its resting place, Wolf offered me a ride.
I got in the chair and as we got up to the doors of the mall, we ran into a crowd. A man opened the door for me and everyone else in his group awkwardly moved out of the way to let the gimp and her escort back in. I put on the cheesiest smile I could muster up.
"Thank you so much, sir!"
"No problem."
"You have a Merry Christmas!"
".....you too....."
I was half tempted to throw in a "God bless you" but I thought that would be going a little overboard.

Wolf thought the whole thing was a little overboard, but I am good at creating awkward moments and I relish them.

I LOVE what I get to do

Guess what?
For the past three days, I have not gone to BYU. Instead I have been heading North to a cute little elementary school in Lindon. I get to work with a 2-3 grade class and an awesome teacher. I stay there for six hours each day and every day is an adventure and really gets me excited to graduate and get my own class...until I decide to have little ones of my own.
Some of my favorite quotes so far:
"The sneakers threw eggs at your garage door."
{My teacher wanted the students to write a sentence describing what some sneaky people did while she was on vacation this summer.}
Example of something extinct? "People that do drugs all day."
Example of something endangered? "When people live at the side of a mountain that is about to explode, they are endangered."

Today, I got three hugs from students. I feel bad because I should not encourage them hugging me; I should really discourage it. What are you supposed to do when a cute little third grader just comes up and does it out of the blue?

Last, but definitely the cutest:
During this week, the students have been learning how to write letters. On Monday, they wrote a letter to their teacher. Tuesday was for someone in the classroom. Wednesday held one for the principle. Today they were supposed to write one to someone they appreciate. Emphasis on someone in their family.
I was collecting the letters and the students lined up to go to social studies. One little girl who I shall call T handed me her paper and said it was for me. "Thank you, T." I accepted the letter and put it in my pile, thinking that she was just giving it to me to put in the pile.
She pulled it out and put it firmly in my hand. "No. I wrote the letter for you."
I think my heart melted.
I waited until she was out of the classroom before I read her letter. It was the sweetest thing in the world!
"Dear Miss. Yahgar. I think you are so cool and fun. I think your last name is cool cause it's Ya gaer. What are you being for Halloween? What is your favirte candy? Mine is every one! It's cool that you go to byu!!!!!! I think that you are so prety. Are you married? I'm defently Not married. Love, T"
Well, that settles it. I'm cool and fun and I cannot wait to teach full time.

I like to travel

This is a lovely map of all the states and countries I have been to. Not as much as I would like, but it is a nice start.

To do tomorrow:

1. Finish studying

2. Take (and ace) my last midterm

3. Take a short break to relax my mind (cooking? tv show? cleaning? The possibilities are endless!)

4. Decide on a costume to wear to my Auntie's annual Halloween party

5. Complete several hours of homework

6. Forgo dinner to save my strength for the cake eating competition and so I can better savor my Aunt's amazing food

7. Pick up my bff and favorite little sister to head up to the par-tay

8. Eat amazing food

9. Beat all my cousins in the "no hands" cake eating competition...again

10. Blow my nose to get all the cake out of it

A bit of a problem

I have a problem in my relationship right now.

I have only cooked the husby and myself one (and a few halves of a) meal.

I have yet to do a load of laundry.

I make the bed 1 in 7 times.

I do clean, but it is only what he does not have time for.

If I need anything and we happen to be together, he makes me stay put and he gets it.

I feel way too pampered to be married.

Granted, I am in school right now and he gets most of this done in the hours he spends alone. This will probably all change when fall semester starts and we both will be gone most of the day. (At least I will be the first one home so I can finally start doing things.)

I might just be old-fashioned

You know those things that you take very seriously?

More seriously than just about anything else?

You believe that they should not be joked about and not rushed into?

Something that takes a decision that should take at least a year and up to a lifetime of thought and preparation?

It irks me greatly when someone else treats it as though it was a party or an informal brunch. They do it last second and it makes you think that they have not fully thought about this serious thing; it makes me think that they are not mature enough. Don't get me wrong, it is a joyous occasion, but it should not be something you decided to do a couple days ago. It should not be an event you invite everyone you can think of to. It should be you and the few people you are closet to. People that you will stay connected with for longer than a few months or you have a stronger connection with them than just Facebook because they are either your absolute closest friends or your family.

I feel guilty feeling upset about this, particularly because of who it involves, but I need my feelings made known to more people than just my husband. So for all nine followers that will eventually read this, know that I am a little upset, but also know that I am trying to get over this so I can support someone I love tonight feeling peaceful and full of love.

I'm married.

New family blog.

Hints of what is to come at the reception...

Empty picture frames

Ice Cream

Photo booth

White centerpieces

Calla Lily bouquet

Parasols

Bunting

How will it all come together? Very nicely, I hope...

Countdown

1 day until the fiance's birthday

6 days until I go through the temple

8 days until I get to hear one of my favorite ballets performed by Utah Symphony (Rite of Spring)

11 days until I move most of my stuff into our little yellow house

12 days until I get my dress and we take the bridals

13 days until the open house

14 days until the wedding

15 days until we head off to Florida, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama

32 days until summer term starts

It's all coming so quickly! My bedroom is covered in birthday presents for the fiance, early wedding gifts, boxes to move, boxes of trash, and lots and lots of crafts.

Why I want to be what I want to be when I grow up

Ever since before I was in public school, I have wanted to be an elementary school teacher. I have always been in love with children, so it made sense as the perfect profession for me. Children always make me so incredibly happy and I have wanted to be a mother ever since I tried naming my little sister after my nursery teacher. (I think she is grateful to my parents that her name is not Sister Mendenhall.) Years upon years ago, it was my bedtime. I was pretty young and I was telling my older sister a bedtime story. It went something like this:

"Once upon a time, there were a bunch of fairies." (Insert lovely things that the fairies did here.) "Then one day, all the fairies got really sick. They went to the doctor and the doctor said, 'Well, either you are all going to die....or you are all going to have babies!'" (The facts of life were a little hazy to me back then.)

Having a classroom will be like having a lot of nieces and nephews. I will get to spoil them, teach them, watch them learn, discipline them a little, and at the end of the day, send them back to their parents. Granted, it does come with loads of responsibility--there are way too many people out there that will sue for anything. It also is not the highest paying job in the world. In fact, my first year teaching (internship) will be just a few hundred dollars more than what I make right now at my kiosk, but I do not get people that go into their profession because of the Christmas bonus they will bring home or the salary that will be more than I could possibly make by teaching.

Ever since getting into the eled program, I have been in love with the courses, the teachers, and the girls I have classes with (and two boys). I cannot wait for school to start up again in the fall so that I can see these people again and get back into the classrooms.

Saturday brought this

Mark and Jill's wedding. This marked the last time I will be head babysitter during a sibling's wedding.

Great quote from yesterday...

"In this last dance, can you describe anything different or interesting you saw someone do?"

"I noticed Lois. No explanation necessary."

...Just because I was the only one flailing all of my limbs...

Wedding ideas thus far

I have always been really into wedding planning. I have been thinking up ideas ever since I was in high school and now that I actually have the chance to plan my own wedding, it has been hard to narrow down the ideas!
I will post tutorials as I get to making all of these, but here are my favorite ideas so far:

Found here. (All for this penny)


Found here. (My DIY wedding day)

Found here. (My DIY wedding day)

Found here. (Again. DIY Wedding day.)

Found here. (Dollar store crafts)

Reasons as to why I am in love

We say the same things at the same time. Several times a day.

We have bizarre nicknames for each other.
He does not care how I act. Generally I live up to his expectation to be a mature 21-year-old, but sometimes you just have to let loose and throw paper off the "catwalk" at the mall or entertain him with monologues or go to Kiwanas after the sun goes down to talk and cuddle and drink sparkling pear juice straight from the cool green glass bottle.
He catches me when I trip over nothing. Even when we're at the symphony.
He crafts with me. {Oh wait. I don't know if he wanted that one to come out of the closet.}
His wit is nearly as clever as mine is.
He will read my mind. This sounds creepy but it actually is rather nice. Just the other day, I just had to say "Would you like to..." and he gave me my answer. The correct answer. Not only did he give me his answer, but he then proceeded to tell me what the rest of my question was. Pretty soon I won't have to talk at all.
He has a gorgeous singing voice.
He has been known to rub my feet as I take finals {online}.
He cooks me anything I would like and it tastes divine. Usually. Everything I have requested him to cook tastes magnificent. Some of the random endeavors he has decided to take on may have teased my palate in the wrong sort of way.
He lets me call him at any time of the day or night. And he has been known to answer when I call him at 4:00 am.
He gives me a piggyback ride whenever I decide to jump on his back. I jump on his back on a fairly frequent basis.
He has caught onto my strange urge for random, poorly thought through pranking tendencies and frequently plays along. Even during the ones that end up in an epic fail.
He has shown me into secret places in the mall that few amateurs have been in.
When it's that time of the month and I am in a bit of pain, he'll stop at a store {without my asking} in the middle of a date to not only get me my choice of painkillers, but also a bottle of water to help wash the pills down.
He is a bigger nerd than I am.
He picked out the most gorgeous ring I could imagine and it only leaves my finger when I do baptisms or when I want to give him a good scare.

The girl who cried wolf

I am engaged. To be married. To one handsome and witty Wolf.

It all happened Thursday, February 17, 2011.

It was a Thursday like any other Thursday; full of carefree events that might make it into a daily journal (if I kept a daily journal) and yet not memorable enough that in ten years I would sit my children down and tell them the tales of that Thursday. I lunched with my {then} boyfriend at noon, went wedding present shopping with my darling friend Manny in early afternoon, and then dutifully went to my two classes that are held on Thursdays.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

That night, I received my nightly phone call from work and called my boss to pass on the numbers. Immediately after I hung up with my boss, I headed out the door. I had plans that night to have a laid back evening with Manny. However, as I pulled into her driveway/parking lot, I got another call. From Kaeli. Kaeli closed at work.
"Hey, Laura, I locked my keys in the cart. My work key and my car keys."
After running a few options through my brain that did not involve me actually going to the mall, I agreed to come rescue her. (It was not the first nor probably the last time.) As I pulled up to the mall, I noticed my {then} boyfriend's car still in the parking lot.
'Strange. He was supposed to have left twenty minutes ago.' And yet, I did not suspect anything. I dashed to the cart and then stopped in my tracks.
There was no Kaeli.
I walked around the cart once.
No Kaeli.
As I was about to pull out my phone to call her, I saw my {then} boyfriend walking up.
"Hey! What are you doing here?"
"Kaeli called me to come unlock the cart. Her keys are in there."
"I saw her leave fifteen minutes ago."
"Oh."
And yet, I did not suspect anything.

Until.
"But since you're here..." And with that, he pulled out a ring box. A deliciously colored ring box that made my heart start to pound and my eyes widen. I slowly opened it and then felt annoyance start to rise in my being. In this gorgeous box that I would have filled with my most prized trinkets fifteen years ago was a very large, very obnoxious flower ring.
For the next five--very long--seconds, I thought he was trying his hand at pranking. A fake proposal just to mess me up. Something that would give him street cred in the humor department. It just was not working for him.
After those five seconds, I noticed him pull something off his pinky. This ring came with a proposal.
And I honestly don't remember the two minutes right after that moment.
I do know that when he gave me the real ring, my first reaction was "I hate you."
I do know that I was kidding about hating him.
I'm pretty sure I told him yes.

I accidentally stood up Manny that night.
She has since forgiven me.

And so it begins

On Wednesday morning, I almost peed my pants because I was so nervous. The wait to laminate six pieces of paper was an hour longer than it should have been and I laughed a strange, nearly forced laugh whenever the laminating machine fixing tech men made joke after joke while trying to find the problem with the machine. I did laugh when I thought of the image I left (while tripping out to my car) for the last stragglers, obviously uncaring that they were late to their 9:00 class.

25 beanbags in a mesh bag in my left arm.
A 6' x 4' laminated bundle that I needed to take sheers to.
My bag, unusually large, on my right arm.
7 curiously long jump ropes along for the ride.
4 large orange cones balanced precariously on a few binders balanced on the palm of my right hand.

A half hour, I was to my destination. After running around frantically and trying not to look completely crazy, I had a minute to spare; to make sure I had my whistle around my neck and a mic properly attached.
"Hello, third grade! My name is Miss Sederberg and I'll be your P.E. teacher for the next five weeks!"