How it Continued

Once upon a time, a boy named Stephen decided that he was going to be a firefighter over the summer. He was going to fight fires with a crew that would go out of the state for 2 weeks, firefight, come home for 2 days, rinse, and repeat. No phones for the 2 weeks out of town. No skype. No girlfriends coming to visit.

Then, he met a girl named Heather. (Me.) At first I liked him, and then I loved him, and then I didn't want him to leave to do firefighting.

This is how I pictured the summer going:

him

me.

 But I also didn't want to tell him what to do, and I didn't want to ruin his plans and dreams, so I resigned myself to a summer of lonesomeness and tried to think of ways to make it not be the worst thing ever.

Then, plans changed, as they are known to do. Stephen wasn't going to leave for the summer after all! I would be lying if I said I wasn't pret-ty overjoyed about that unexpected turn of events.

Then plans changed again, and the day before my parents came out for my graduation in April, Stephen decided that he was going to take another job in Texas. For the whole summer. He was going to be in Texas, not Utah, for the whole summer. He'd have a phone, and Skype, and I would go and visit him, and he would probably fly back to visit me.

Everybody's got trials, I guess. So I again resigned myself to a summer of lonesomeness and tried to think of ways to make it not be the worst thing ever.  If I had had more time, I probably would have spent some of that time moping and whatnot. But I didn't have the time, so I just tried to really enjoy those last few days before Stephen left.

My cute parents came to town, met the man, took us out to eat about a hundred times, took a buttload of pictures, and cheered for me as I graduated.

I don't know why my dad is so dang cute, look at him all dressed up in BYU colors!

The best mom on this planet :)

It was a wonderful few days, even with all the packing and moving. I'm sure my parents didn't love that part, but they were good sports and so incredibly helpful. I couldn't have done it without them!

Okay, now back to this guy. 

On Friday, we went mini-golfing with my parents, Kelly, and Dahl. It was basically an exact copy of a double date the best friend went on when her parents came to town to meet her man, including the part where the losers had to buy everyone ice cream at the end.

Probbbbbbably the best score I have ever, any times ever, gotten mini-golfing.

Stephen left at 5:30 the next morning. He came and woke me up to say goodbye, and after I sleepily reminded him to floss his teeth err day, he left. 

It was a little embarrassing, but whatever. 

When my parents left on Sunday, I was pretty lonesome. The best friend and I started making plans for incentives we could offer to our boys. We had really good ideas, like sending them care packages, a party in a box, and tickets to fun things in Houston. For 60 sales, I would go visit Stephen. At 100, he would come visit me. Coping was off to a good start!

Stephen was Mr. Logical Think-About-Money-and-the-Future Man when he left on Saturday morning. I was Miss Blubbery-I'm-So-Abandoned, but that's beside the point. The point is that between Saturday and Tuesday morning, I became the little girlfriend that could (be supportive albeit lonesome all summer) and he became the boyfriend that couldn't (stand the thought of us being apart all summer). 

So plans changed again! In this order:

1. He was going to come back on Thursday and work in Utah all summer!

2. He was going to come back on Saturday. 

3. He was going to go home to Indiana and work there for the summer. 

4. He was going to come here first for a week or two, then go home to work in Indiana. 

5. He was going to come back to Utah on Friday? !!!

6. Nope. Still Saturday. 

Lots of changes to the plan err day.   

So then this was pretty much me. 

 But on Saturday morning, I picked him up from the airport. And became one-half of this couple:

Except, it wasn't quite that picturesque. And he came out to the curb and I picked him up there. But still.

Stephen pretty much told me that the reason he was coming back to Utah was so that we could get engaged. I had always thought that I wanted to be totally surprised by the proposal, and I was very against the idea of going ring-shopping.

But that very day, we found ourselves in the beautiful city of Salt Lake, climbing a spiral staircase

 up to the 3rd floor of this place,

to look at a few things that glittered and were definitely not gold. I've heard some horror stories about ring-shopping, so I guess it's not always pleasant. But it can be very pleasant when you are being assisted by a wonderful, warm and not snooty at all lady named Liz, and when your boyfriend keeps saying things like "I just want it to be something you like," and "Can we see it with a bigger diamond? Just to see." 

I had to go back to school on Monday, but every day that week when I got home, Stephen and I would eat dinner and then do something fun. That weekend, we took a trip to Moab.

While there, I learned:

1. Rock climbing outside is very different than rock climbing inside.

Here's me climbing inside. Look how high I am on that wall! How fearless! That smile!

Aaaand that's me climbing outside. Stephen took this picture without zooming in with his phone, so yeah, I really am like 6 feet off the ground. Look at those hips! Tucked in all up on the wall. That deer-in-headlights expression! Where did that even come from?? I have no idea.

 2. I learned that I can improve! The first time Stephen had me try to climb something in Moab, I panicked. I had never felt such an irrational fear in my soul that was so insistently pervasive. But THEN, the next time he had me try to climb something, I actually got very high! It was still hard. That didn't stop me from being very very proud of myself.

3. I learned that if you do a good job of climbing, then it's okay to look a little tired in the after shot. 

 4. Climbing with some of the red sand in your hairs is okay.

5. Going out to eat at a local place is something you need to do.

6. Going to famous places is also something you need to do. It is funnest to go to these famous places if you-you-you, you work ouuuut, because then you can run some of the way, and you get there in a 1/4 of the average time it takes people to get there.

7. I learned that I like Stephen in Moab just as well as I like him in Provo. And that is how it continued :)

Not to be a Creeper, but....

Remember that time that I posted a blog about Tuesday Night at Coldstone?

Here's a link, if you forgot about it.

Anyway, I just saw on facebook that Tuesday Night got engaged to the blonde girl! What whaaaaat, who called it?? Oh, right. That was me. I was there, you guys! I saw them on their first date and I just knew they were going to get married. Then I was like, whoa, Heather, isn't that a little extreme? I mean it's just a first date. But I guess I should have just trusted my own intuition.

It's just hard to trust my intuition when sometimes I'm SO so wrong. Like when I predict that one of my best friends will meet her husband in DC and instead she meets a bunch of tools whom I would be offended if she married. Or when I predicted that my sister would get pregnant while I was gone and the closest this comes to being true is her having a dream about getting pregnant. Or when Prince Charming is not so charming after all. Well, he is really charming, but also just really dumb.

Hoe-down! (Throwwwdown)

Went to a Hoedown last night. Dressed up like a cowgirl. FROZE to death. Obviously, since I still can't even form complete sentences.

All I'm saying is, I got free food and I danced and had fun and I love hoedowns. Love them! I love when everyone wears plaid and feeds me pulled pork and chicken and potato salad and I love when people cheer because they announce an activity where four people straddle a wooden beam and then race across a field. I love lining up and dancing the cotton-eyed joe and I love being serenaded with an acoustic, slowed-down version of "Single Ladies" that sounds like Ingrid Michaelson is singing it.

The highlight of the evening for some people was when we all witnessed a proposal! This guy cleared the dance floor and danced with his girlfriend. I called it right as he was clearing the dance floor. It's like I have a sixth sense about proposals or something.

Anyway, they danced until someone stomped on the cord and the song came to a screeching halt. Taking it all in stride, the guy proposing just pulled out this big bouquet of blue flowers. Then he pulled out the ring, knelt down, and asked his girlfriend if she would marry him. She put her hands over her mouth and stood there for a minute while we all oohed and aahed and cheered.

I still don't know if she said yes but they were mackin on the dance floor in a few minutes, so whether she said yes or no, I guess he liked her answer. So it was a good time had by all.

All I'm saying is, this is the second proposal I have actually witnessed. The next one I witness had better be my own. Haha just kidding :)

PS. It's important, when speaking about the really fun event where people get together dressed up like cowboys and cowgirls and dance and eat food, that you spell it "Hoedown." Otherwise people get confused and think "Hoe [space] down? Where?"