We're Engaged!

Mat completely caught me off guard this last Wednesday, the 4th of February, and asked me to marry him. We had decided to get married 3 weeks before, and had kept it a secret from the world for that whole time. It was actually a comical experience for both of us. In the moment that we decided to get married, people started randomly asking us if we were going to get engaged! Mat and I started having a daily ritual of telling each other the experiences we had had that day where people had asked us and we had to flat out lie to them.

We looked at rings about a week later, about the 21st of January, and I assumed that it would take forever for the whole process to happen, so I was just happily going through life, thinking we wouldn’t actually get engaged for a long time.

Mat was gone last weekend, so when he got back on Sunday, I asked him what his plans were for this week. I had Wednesday free, which was a miracle, so asked if he wanted to do something. He seemed surprised, said he didn’t know what to do, and as I looked at him with a “hmmm…” look on my face he stumbled out, “oh, wanna go get something to eat?” I consented, thinking it would just be another “dinner and hang-out” night, which is fine.

Wednesday came and after nutrition class, which we have together, Mat told me that he had late practice including film and lifting, so he wouldn’t be done until 7:30 or so. Seven-thirty rolled around and Mat came over. When he came in, he looked completely palid—literally pale. I asked him if he was ok, and he said he was just really hungry, which made complete sense. I was putting together a piano with my roommates, so I made Mat wait for a little while until we finished.

We went to dinner at Macaroni Grill, which was really fun. As we walked out, Kyrsten, my best friend and roommate called me saying that she and another of our roommates locked her keys in her car and needed me to go back to the apartment to get Kyrsten’s spare and bring it to them. So Mat and I headed back to my apartment. We pulled into a nearby parking lot where Mat normally parks, but there was a cop there so Mat didn’t want to park. I suggested he just wait in the car and I could run up, but he wouldn’t park there. So then I suggested he do the same in our lot, and I would just run up, but he was bent on going up with me. I guess I just thought he was being chivalrous or something so we went up to the apartment together. As I opened it up and looked in the living room, all I saw was a beautiful array of candles and flowers everywhere, and Mat’s guitar on the couch. He escorted me in and began singing one of my favorite songs that he must have been learning recently (Dark Blue, by Jack’s Mannequin), then got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and proposed.

Mat told me later all of the funny lies that he had told me, but it didn’t matter. It only made the experience more special and enjoyable. It definitely caught me off-guard, and will be an experience that I will never forget. We will be getting married on the 22nd of May and are so excited.

Just for your entertainment: the funny lies that Mat (and my roommates) told me:
~Mat didn’t have late practice; he was preparing everything for that night
~Mat had told me that he needed to change his shirt because his teammate Rusty had thrown soap at him in the locker room and had splattered his shirt. Amazingly fabricated story; very well told; I totally believed it, yet a FLAT OUT LIE. Pretty hilarious though…
~When he arrived, apparently he had left all of the stuff he needed set up in the apartment in the north stairwell, so when I made him wait while I put together a piano, both he and Kyrsten were a little agitated, trying to get me out of the apartment as soon as possible so she could go get the stuff.
~Mat told me during dinner that he was texting his roommate Vance. Yeah, apparently “Vance” was code for “Kyrsten.” Good work Kyrst.
~Kyrsten told me that she was at Smith’s, where we were supposed to take the key. That’s like 3 blocks from our house. If I would have been smart, I probably should have asked why they didn’t just walk home… yeah… good blonde moment, Amanda….
~Kyrsten doesn’t even HAVE a spare key for her car!!!

Girls...or Mechanics?

Who says girls can't put things together?

Thanks Mom and Dad for the wonderful gift! You are amazing!

Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun...

My roommates and I had a blast the other night making fools out of ourselves by krimping our hair, putting on massive 80's make-up and going out on the town. it was a blast. we felt like we were 16 again. Which brings me to a great discussion question: what are everyone's feelings on bringing back the krimp hairstyle? I'm thinking it would be great. What does everyone think?

The Slanket and the Snuggie

I recently saw an infomercial for a blanket with sleeves, called a Snuggie. Apparently it is just too difficult to hold a blanket around you AND get the phone/use your laptop/hold a child/color in a coloring book/use the remote. Really folks? Are we that lazy of a generation?

I chalked it up to a silly infomercial and had a good laugh, until a few days later I was flipping through the SkyMiles Magazine and found, lo and behold, a snuggie, but it wasn’t called a snuggie. It was now, hold on to your hats folks, a Slanket.

Mat mentioned to me that he used the word as a catch phrase yesterday, which got me to thinking. Can you really turn any word you want into a verb? An expletive? Can you turn it into an adverb or an adjective? So to answer my questions I did what any modern sleuth would have done: I searched the web.

Try it. Enter in Slanket and see what comes up. You might find the following words or phrases: The Slankets (maybe they know the Who’s down in Whoville), The Slanket Kids, or my personal favorite, the verb form, slanketteering. Yes, it is now a verb. What do you suppose it means to slanketteer? And when would you do it? Maybe they’ll make a new movie (obviously called something like “Meet the Slankets,” The Slanket Kid,” or “The Slanket, the Snuggie and the Wardrobe”) and a character may yell, “to the slankets!”, or “frankly my dear, I don’t give a slanket!” or “do or do not, there is no slanketteer.”
Just a thought…

Meet the Parents

Mat came to Moscow to visit over break and it was an entertaining few days...

We went ice skating for FHE and took 7 of the nieces and nephews along. They had so much fun! And let's be honest...so did we. Even the twins (who are not yet 4) enjoyed themselves!

The kids just adored Mat. We often had more than three of them with us at all times, which was great!

Most of the break we just hung out around the house or ran errands. Mat fixed Grandpa's computer and TV (which I think lost me my inheritance to him...) and we went to play games at the church. I think the nieces and nephews enjoyed just chasing Mat around trying to tickle him....
All in all, it was a great vacation...I think I've lost my "favorite Aunt/Uncle" status with the kids though... Any ideas on how to get it back?

Snow in Idaho!

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a White Christmas North Idaho Style!

Times with the Taylors

Over the last few months, I've had the chance to get to know my boyfriend's family and it has been amazing. We've had some great times, and some pretty funny ones!

I went to see Twilight first with Mat's sisters for the midnight showing...

Then again with Mat, and his brother Kimball and his sister-in-law Aubrey. Mat and I decided that it would be fun to make T-shirts for the occasion. Mine read: "Hasn't Read the Books," Mat's said, "Eduardo Marry Me"; Kimball decided that he wanted to get in on the action and made a shirt that said: "Eddie or Jake: I Can't Decide!" The shirts were pretty hilarious, but the best part about it was that Mat and Kimball got stuck walking in together, one of them handing over the tickets as if they were a couple...classic. Something I won't forget.

Mat's nephew's Ross, Rogan, Tad and Peter have decided that I'm okay (after much persuasion and coaxing with treats and playdates). We've bonded through raisins, tickling and, as my family calls it, "The Holey-Doley Store" (kids game). They'll even come and sit on my lap at Mat's volleyball games!

We went to a Kurt Bestor concert and had some fun. Mat got the chance to talk to some people who had served in Slovenia, which seemed to elate him. I imagine that doesn't happen very often. This is Kimball on an important call at dinner that night...so important that he hadn't realized he'd stuck broccoli in his ear...

Other fun experiences: We went to a Ward Christmas Party in Mat's Family's Ward and I think the whole world was shocked to see Mat holding hands with a girl. My wonders were solidified when the man sitting in front of us leaned back and exclaimed, "Mat! I didn't even know you LIKED girls!" Ha ha ha, I am so entertained when Mat is embarrassed.

When Mat's family found out he was coming to meet my family over break, I had a hay-day answering questions about my family. My favorites came from Dave however. It was so entertaining to watch as I explained how cold it is, that not only was my Dad an Obstetrician, but that he rides a motorcycle to work; also, that there are Aryan Nations in Northern Idaho, that we have a gun cabinet from everything from a shotgun to a pistol inside, that I know how to shoot them, the list goes on. Again, experiences that make Mat squirm are so entertaining to me.

It has been amazing to get to know his family, and hopefully the experiences will continue!