Christmas Vacation--I'm engaged!

I was so excited to go home for Christmas and see my family. Since moving out of the house a


Tavis Bennett flew to Texas to spend New Years Eve with me and my family. On New Year's Eve we traveled to Allen to attend the Reception of Theresa Reeves Mathews. It was so fun I was able to see Amanda Vermilyea and Andrea Mangum Uribe and some other people. Then on the way back Tavis said there was a game that he had for me to play, but first we had to pick something up. So we went to the store and the first one didn't have what he wanted, so we went to another one and he picked up a bag of cracker jacks. Then we went to Fairview Park, in Sherman, Texas.

He brought out his laptop bag and he picked one thing out at a time and told me I was supposed to guess what the item is from, with things that we have done while dating. So as he brought them out I guessed and required a hint or so. They were programs from plays we had been to, movie tickets, glow bracelets from dances, etc. Then he brought out a letter I had written him from when I invited him to be my date to Bree Parish's wedding, which I was a bride's maid for. While he read the letter I just started crying and there's where the tear works started. After that he brought out a cracker jack box. At that point, he suggested to have us walk and sit on a bench near by and I could open the box. So we went over to the bench and he sat on my left side, and I opened the box and in the prize paper there was a ring.

I asked him how he got the ring in there, he said just a minute I have some stuff to say first. Then he went on to say how it was great to have me as a friend, and wonderful to have me as a girlfriend, but would be an honor to have me as an eternal companion. He got up and moved down in front of me to my right side and knelt down and asked "will you marry me?" Of course I said YES! While I was crying I believe. :) That's me...tear works!

Then we went to my parents house and announced the good news.

Tavis Bennett

I have been dating Tavis for about five and a half months and it's been wonderful! He is the greatest guy. He is 34 yrs. old and from Oregon. He served his mission in Colombia, Spanish speaking. He loves chess, golf, tennis, astronomy, Rock Band and kids. He is planning on starting back to school to finish his Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. He's a member of Top Coder and keeps track of the Marathons and matches that go on with that. I love to watch him make up the programs and get them to give him a good result, when he is doing the matches for Top Coder. He attends the chess club at BYU and really enjoys going there once a week to play chess with the other members.

I really enjoy the time we spend together. He has taught me a lot of new games, there's one card game called Fluxx and the rest are board games. On our second date we went to a ward date night at Brother Winter's house, at the time he was a member of our bishopric. It was so fun, we learned how to play farkle. We liked it so much that we play it a lot. We have gone roller skating, to watch a 3D Hubble movie(about Space), to the carnival, a Rodeo, to see the BYU Singers perform, and to see some movies. On Friday Tavis took me to the driving range and we practice our golf swings. It's the first time I had seen Tavis really hit a golf ball other than on X box PGA golf, so I was impressed to see how far he could hit it.

Substitute Teaching

On March 31st I substituted for my first day. It wasn't that bad. The day before I went and met the class and the teacher and she explained what the lessons plans were going to be for the next day. It helped me have some reassurance. The past three weeks I have been averaging substituting two days a week. It's really helped with money.! So far I have subbed for 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7/8th grade. I have been enjoying it so far! With going into Elementary Education, this has been giving me good practice for that.

When You Think It's Spring

Well, lately we all think that Spring is coming. Here in Utah every time we think it's turning to Spring, it snows again. It's crazy. Last night it was snowing and now it's sunny.

BYU 208th Ward Christmas Caroling

This is the Christmas Caroling Gang for the Nursing Home!

Last night we went Christmas Caroling to a Nursing home. We walked in and after our leader talked to the people in charge, we started walking down the hall singing. We reached the Recreation room and one of the ladies "B" said, "Come here". She asked us if we knew the songs, "Once there was a snow man", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "Pop Corn Popping". So we started singing some songs. Then we went up and down the halls caroling. Some of the patients we gave a Christmas card to. Then after going up and down the halls we went back to the Recreation room and started singing again. "B" was so funny, she told all of us girls to sit down. So we sat down and she had the buys sing, "Once there was a Snowman." I wanted to get a picture, but they were too fast and I was at the wrong angle. Then she asked all the girls to stand up and we sang, "Pop Corn Popping". This lady was so hilarious!!!! She asked if anyone had a camera, I told her I did. I said what do you want, she said you are going to be in the picture. So I got the camera set up and let her have it as I got in place. It was like she was a photographer or something, she told everyone where to stank or knee or whatever and what position to be in. She made us all laugh.!! We were going to take a picture of her, but right before we got set up one of the ladies that worked there let us know that it is against the HIPPA Law. So Hence to say we didn't do it. We had so much fun! After leaving and on the way back to our apartment, us girls were talking and saying we were glad that we had all guys there with us that were good sports and willing to be a little silly!!! It was a great night!!!

Kitchen Flooded

This is what happened to our kitchen sink.

This is where the floor got damaged and we had to get new padding under the carpet.

The water was leaking from their lighting fixture.

The bowls are to catch the water.

This is downstairs when the ceiling collapsed on them, because of the water damage.

Yesterday I was cleaning my griddle after having eggs for lunch and the hot water stopped coming out of tap. At first I thought that maybe they were working on the water line, so I was about to look out the window to see if vehicles were out there to work on it. Then I heard a noise and realized it might be coming from under the sink.

So I opened the doors to the cabinet under the sink and saw that something was leaking. So I pulled everything out of under there trying not to get soaked in the process. I realized I NEEDED HELP!!! So I called my home teacher and he came straight over. While he was coming over I thought, um I need to get my boots on so my feet don't get soaked. The water was already flooding the kitchen floor and getting into the carpet. A few seconds after he came in the door, there was a knock at the door. I was thinking who could that be.

Well, it was our neighbor down stairs. She said what's going on? Apparently the water had gotten so bad that it was dripping from their light fixture in the dinning room(next to the kitchen) and between the ceiling and the side of the wall the water was gathering between the wall and the wall paper so they broke the wall paper to get the water out.

There is a room on the other side of the dinning room and the water was soaking her carpet too.

Along with that today I found out that the floor beneath them, it affected their carpet too. So CRAZY how water in my kitchen can affect both floors under me.

So today they cut some of the patting under our carpet out so the flooring under it can dry and then Friday they are planning on replacing it. I really hope that the flooring and the carpet dry out enough and don't start stinking. The guy that was working on it today said that the thing that makes it stink was the patting. Since that's gone it shouldn't stink, since it's only water from the kitchen and now sewer water. So hopefully they are right. So we have a huge fan going until Friday to get the carpet and the flooring that was under the patting dry.

First Time to drive in Utah Snow - in Provo

It's Snowing!!!!

What the parking lot is looking like. I guess you can tell who went to church today and who didn't, of course unless they got a ride. :)

It's still snowing.

Oh wait what is that again, some more snow! I think it's been snowing pretty much all day. I'm not sure if this is a sign that from pretty much now til like Feb. or March we are going to have snow or what. I guess we'll just have to see.

The Parking lot.

I got up this morning for church not realizing there was snow outside. Before I went outside my roommate said, " The ground is cover in snow", I said, "What?" When I went to bed it wasn't snowing. I called my mom and said please pray for me I have to drive to church in the snow. It wasn't too bad. I felt myself slip once, but I made sure I went slow the whole way.

I liked that when I was getting the snow off the car, all I had to do is brush it off. In Texas you have to scrap it off. It's dry snow in Utah my mom said. :)