Partial tour of the apartment.

Here it is! The first apartment! Everyone has been harassing us for the photos. So here they are!

Not bad for two college students, huh? However, I should make a necessary "shout out" to our parents and Aunt Geli of course. Without them we would have nothing but garage sale furniture!

Now, I must add that the photos mainly comprise of the living room/kitchen area as we have not yet finished our bedroom or the bathroom. We have beautiful chocolate brown bedding with a brand new Ikea bed and a brand new mattress that we love. Other than that, you'll have to wait and see for updates once we get some decent art or photos up in the bedroom.

This photo shows our desk with our amazing new computer and monitor. Thank you Sirpa and Aunt Geli for a wonderful wedding gift! We use it constantly! And with the laptop, we never have to compete for computer time. I should mention that above the desk is a print of the Tree of Life by Gustav Klimt, a personal favorite. Next to the Klimt is an original Russian icon, made in 1992. So it's a little taboo to hang a Catholic portrayal of Christ. Who cares. It's art.
Here is our vanity. You can't tell by the photo, but we have an animal print themed area in the hallway and the vanity. This was a compromise as I had asked for leopard print bedding and Mark had to put his foot down!
Mark's tool chest of course. Unfortunately it came back with missing tools. Mark's not happy about that.

The GORGEOUS leather couch from Mom and Dad! We love it!

Here is the living room. Thank you Mom for helping me to set up this wall. It holds so many of our favorite memories. I call the shelf "the travel shelf" because it has artifacts from both Mark's and my travels and even our latest travel to Costa Rica together.
Wider shot of the room.

Here is the kitchen. I was a little worried about my obsession with adding red accents, but in the end I think it actually turned out to be a good idea.

I love setting the dinner table and we like to have our friends over for dinner. Last week Adrien, Eric and Chris came over for Japanese night! Adrien and I cooked yakisoba and sushi! It really turned out well! (Adrien, when is the next dinner party? And what's the next theme?)
We have our "money tree" next to the sink for inspiration and luck.

The creme blanket on the couch was made by Bob's mother and we think it is so beautiful! I hope she gets the chance to see how much we love the blanket!

Honeymoon in Costa Rica

Here are a few photos from our fabulous honeymoon to Costa Rica. We stayed at the Los Suenos Marriott Resort for one week and enjoyed the pool, beach time and eating expensive meals with our all-inclusive package. We planned the honeymoon brilliantly and I am so happy we took the time to do so. We went ziplining in the rain forest, we visited Costa Rica's most popular national park, we viewed wildlife and when we didn't want to do anything, we stayed in, swam and watched the Olympics. We were so sad to come home! Now, we are moved in to our new apartment (photos to come later) and school starts soon!

Mark and Lindsay love the beach.

Life on a Silver Platter

Forgive me for a moment as I gloat, brag and boast about how happy I am. I've been thinking a lot today about how great it is to be me. No complaints come to mind. I'm just happy.

I'm marrying the love of my life in less than two months. This morning I headed off to work at 7 a.m. (as I do everyday) and saw the new Coldplay CD wrapped up nicely with a sweet note placed on my windshield. Mark drove to a 24-hour Wal-Mart (located 45 minutes from my house because my community doesn't permit tacky Wal-Marts) at midnight to buy it for me the day it was released. It feels really good to be loved.

Then I went off to my internship for the day and felt so thankful for the interesting, eloquent and intelligent people that I work with. They've offered me a job when I graduate, which makes me feel competent and appreciated.

Then I came home to my awesomely supportive family. There is no better family around than the one I belong to. The way they have accepted Mark into our family is so impressive and their love for him makes the both of us feel happy. I love that my family has such a great sense of humor. My Mom is one for teasing and my Dad behaves likes he is on stage in a Monty Python sketch. It really makes for good times -- even if it's a little weird.

Just as you thought my happiness couldn't get more disgusting -- there is even more. I was putting together the guest list for my wedding tonight and it was amazing to see how many people there are involved in my little life. I have such wonderful friends and family. Before putting together this list, I had no idea how many people I actually knew. It made me realize how many people have touched my life in so many significant ways.

Alright. Enough. My blog entries are more fun when they are sarcastic and rude.

It's Good to Be an Oregonian.

I just got an e-mail from the BYU Democrats club and it looks like Anderson Cooper will be in Provo at the end of June interviewing liberals who live in Utah. Other than the times I yurn for Cafe Rio, this is the only time I've been disappointed for not being in Utah.

Honestly, things have been really busy for both Mark and myself. I'm ticking away with my internship (half over already) and of course, planning the wedding.

I've been really blessed with a fiance who likes to help with wedding stuff. Because I've been so overwhelmed with work, he actually offered to tie all of the bows on our wedding favors and he put out invitations together. I have to admit I was a little weary to let him help, as he is a man and men don't seem to "get" that stuff. But when he showed me the bows he ties I thought, "My gosh, he does it better than I do!" So needless to say, if you see or recieve anything with a ribbon on it...chances are Mark tied it!

We've been out doing lots of fun things on weekends. I took Mark to the annual Starlight Parade towntown. We set up camp, ate cotton candy and watched the parade. I think my favorite moment was when we decided to leave early to a) beat traffic and b) go to bed. It was like we were some elderly couple. So great.

We spend a day hiking at the Columbia Gorge, which is always beautiful. We brought a long the best picnic ever -- comprising of hummus, naked chips, a turkey sandwich and apples. Sometimes it's just nice to get in the outdoors and forget everything you have on your plate. Good cleansing thing for both of us.

That's all for now -- sorry it wasn't more exciting. But engagement pictures are coming soon!

Elder Cusworth is the best missionary out there!

I'm so proud of Shawn! He's really living up his mission and loving it too. I'm so happy that he's enjoying his time of service and even though I miss him -- It's all for a good purpose! (Can't wait 'till he's home though and I wish more than anything he'd be at my wedding). Here are two pictures I've scanned that he recently sent the family. Looks like he's been doing some baptizing and lots of teaching. He loves Wyoming!

PS. Life is WAY too busy -- but I will update soon. Promise.

My Afternoon at a Maximum Security Prison.

My job is great and in only a week I've been given so many different opportunities!

Yesterday I visited Oregon's only maximum security prison. I got to walk through the courtyard while a bunch of the inmates were doing recreational activities. I also spent some time in the cafeteria where 800 inmates were eating their lunches. That was probably the moment that got me the most. There were so many eyes in our direction and I couldn't help but think about the fact that a handful of these men were rapists and murderers. You just can't think about it while you're there -- it's too scary. Mark was, I'm sure, THRILLED that I was gawked at all afternoon by inmates. He said, "Just show them your ring!" And I was like, "Baby, I don't think these are the kind of guys who respect the whole sacredness of marriage thing."

We also spent time in the Hobby Shop, where inmates get the opportunity to produce jewelry, leather goods and art. These inmates were talented -- like really talented. The officer heading the shop said that every inmate in there came into prison with not a single talent, but after so many years of doing nothing you just start to acquire certain artistic talents. I was unaware of this at the time, but I apparently was in the same room with the I-5 Killer when I was in the Hobby Shop. I've read so much about it and honestly never thought I'd be standing in the same room as him.

An interesting ethical question has come into my mind since the visit. I chatted for about 45 minutes with a convicted murderer. And to my surprise, he was the nicest man. He smiled, he laughed, he was friendly and helpful. I just couldn't believe that this man had murdered two innocent people. He said he has spent most of his adult life in prison, and when I checked the records, he was right. He was in his 60's and had been admitted in his early 20's. Should this man really spend his whole life in prison?? I highly doubt he is the same man he was in his 20's. There is just no way. He had a great talent for making leather goods, which could be marketable out in the real world. Do we really have to keep him locked up, costing the Oregon government $80 a day!? I say...ugh...I don't know what I think. Odd, I know. On the other hand I feel for the victims. It's really a fine line. Anyway -- something to chew on I guess.

(Mark's Update -- just about to pin down a job and start working. As for now he is loving living with my aunt and her adorable puppy. He even got to babysit the puppy all week while she was out of town. Lucky boy!)

First Day On The Job.

First Day.

Other than the commute to Salem, everything about my job is fantastic. I left my house this morning an hour or so before I needed to be at work. Since it was my first day and I have no experience with commuting, I figured it would be my trial run. I got to work in 40 minutes and ended up sitting for 30 minutes in the parking lot trying to entertain myself. Even though that sucked for the time being, it was actually a magnificent discovery because it meant that I get to wake up later every morning than I originally had thought.

Everyone that I work for is fabulous. And they dress well too. I don't know what it is about people who dress well, but they just exude the kind of confidence that I respect. It feels good to go to work and be in an office where everyone is polished and looking nice. Plus it makes mornings fun to whip together an outfit that can leave an impression.

The building that I work in was built in the 1800's. Beautiful architecture. I actually found out that the film, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, was filmed in the same building. The Department of Corrections is currently housed in a former insane asylum, the asylum that was obviously used for the movie. This morning when I arrived I found out that we were going on a field trip to tour the tunnel system below the building. Inmates who are allowed to have jobs work down in the tunnel and transport food and other things from building to building. Pretty crazy. It feels nice to work in a building that has so much history. I'm not going to lie, it makes me feel pretty important.

As for the job itself, I edited and started writing a few issue briefs today (kind of like press releases). I'm already getting projects and things to work on so I feel confident that this is going to be a worthwhile internship that will certainly teach me a thing or two about working in public affairs.

My drive home took forever. I hate traffic. But Mark said he is going to take me to get some books on tape. I might as well put my brain to work when I am in the car. It sucks up so much of my time (and gas I might add) that I might as well try to use that time to be a smarter person.

Anyway, I give the day an A- (the minus is for the traffic and gas consumption of course). That's a pretty great score if you ask me.

The Beginning of my Summer

Summer has started.

We've been home since Friday and so far I have re registered myself as a Democrat in the state of Oregon, had my piercing taken out, gone looking for wedding cakes, finalized my guest list for the wedding, sent off thank you cards for my bridal shower, celebrated my parents 25th anniversary, shopped at IKEA (found the perfect brown leather couch for my apartment next year), shopped for a business suit and ended up purchasing shoes and other things. During that time, Mark has managed to fix both the VW Bug and the Jeep, quite a hefty job (but I'm pretty sure he enjoys every minute of it). It's certainly nice having a mechanic in the family now.

Next Monday I start my internship. I will be working for the Department of Corrections in Salem. I'll be writing press releases for the legislature, editing and writing issue briefs, analyzing surveys and research about inmates and their family and pretty much doing any bitch work they want me to do. It's quite a good internship and I'm getting paid a very generous amount over the summer. Shh...don't tell anyone but I would have done the internship for free!! Good experience AND a nice paycheck, you just can't beat that.

Mark is in the process of looking for a job. He has an interview at Chrysler on Saturday. Who even knew there was a Chrysler in Oregon? Anyway, I will have to get more information from Mark later about what he would be doing there. All I know is that it is also a job that pays well, which gets my thumbs up. I figure if it's anything involving cars, then he'll be happy.

I think that's all for now. I need a shower and if I procrastinate any longer then it's just going to get embarrassing.

My Brother is a Baller

Just got these via e-mail and I couldn't help but smile. My brother is the coolest ever.

Alas, An Official Engagement!

I'll let the photos do the talking.

Mark & Lindsay in Brazil?

A discussion that first spawned a fight eventually led to a pretty solid idea a few weeks ago. Mark was offered an opportunity to intern for a company, Cummins, in Brazil. Now we're entertaining the idea of spending next summer in Brazil together. To go or not to go? That seems to be the question right now regarding our summer of 2009. I will be graduated and Mark will have finished his junior year, so the timing feels perfect. We would be located in Sao Paulo, where Mark would be working. One of my first concerns with this idea was that there would be nothing for me to do in Brazil, especially considering that my German skills won't take me very far over there. There is a huge demand for Americans who can teach English though. I can choose to either volunteer at schools to teach or give private lessons at institutions where businessmen seek to learn English. Either way sounds fun, although I'm a little more keen on the volunteer idea. Maybe I can do both. A little extra money doesn't hurt. Anyway, we're getting kind of antsy about this idea. It could be a really great adventure for us! Also, we would be in Brazil for our first anniversary, which would be a great opportunity to get some serious beach action. Who knows, could be fun?

Busy Weekend.

Mark and I had a pretty successful weekend. We certainly got a lot done. On Saturday we woke up early (hey...9:00 a.m. is early when you wake up at 6:00 a.m. all week long) and went to Men's Wearhouse to choose the tuxes for the wedding. Mark and I make kind of an aggressive team when we are out buying things. We were hesitant to agree to anything or to get roped into paying any fees. I felt bad for the little pregnant lady. Well in the end we were quoted a great price, so we did end up putting money down. So I guess I don't feel bad for the little pregnant lady anymore. I'm sure she made commission. Anyway, Mark will be in a classic tux with a black bow tie and black vest. The groomsmen and our dads will be wearing black tuxes with hot pink vests and ties. I can't wait until I get my photos back from the wedding!

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon apartment hunting. How come no one ever mentioned that married housing in Provo is a beast to conquer? There is such a lack of housing for married people and the majority of it it seedy and gross. We don't require "luxery" but we do have standards that need to be upheld. Apparently we can't even sign for a housing contract until July! A whole month before we need to move in! This is insanity, but there really isn't anything we can do about it. Wish us luck!

(Don't worry, if we don't find a place we will just move in to Adrien and Eric's basement. That wouldn't be weird, right?)
^^ Kidding.

Our day went on, we finished grocery shopping and we developed some photos from our recent trip to Chicago. And then we scrapbooked!! I don't know if I have mentioned this on here before, but Omi bought us a scrapbook. We have included, chronologically, our friendship freshman year, our letters and e-mails on Mark's mission, our summer before we started dating and then the rest of our courtship. We will aspire to fill the whole thing up until our wedding (and we're getting close!). We actually have a nice system down to scrapbook. I design the page, then I hand it over to Mark to glue down. He is much more precise with that than I am. And I am much more creative than he is. So really, it's the perfect system. Thanks Omi!!

Oh! And I forgot to mention...the Provo Masturbator has been caught!

My Dress.

I took a trip out to Portland for Easter weekend in hopes to find the perfect wedding dress for my perfect day. As I was searching for places to get my dress it seemed that one place kept popping up. Charlotte's Bridal. It's a little place off of Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and I never would have expected it to be one of Portland's leading bridal gown stores. But it is.

It's an ivory dress with an olive/sage colored sash and tail. It was probably the 6th dress or so that I tried on, and every dress after that just couldn't match up to how much I loved this particular dress. It's going to take them until June (on a rush order too) to get the sleeves and modest aspects taken care of. It's kind of nice because the dress will actually be sent back to the designer, who will rebuild the dress to make it look like it was meant for sleeves and a modest back. This means the modesty of the dress certainly won't look like an afterthought.

The link below is to photos of my dress. I didn't want to post pictures, because I don't want Mark to see it until the wedding. SO DON'T LOOK MARK!!!!

http://www.casablancabridal.com/Products/Detail.asp?ModelNo=1825&Cat=Best+Seller&SubCat

And All That Jazz.

Well, we are back from our five-day makeshift spring break to Chicago.

Mark's brother, Nate, got married over the weekend so we decided to head east to get in on some of the action. This trip was a time of firsts for me. It was my first time being east of Utah (pathetic...I know, but just keep in mind that I've been to 10 countries in Europe alone). And it was also my first time meeting some of Mark's family. Overall, a great experience.

I thought there was a nice mix of family time and Mark & Lindsay time over the break. Mark and I had two days together where we went to Chicago and spent the day doing tourist things. We went to the top of the Sears Tower (a first for Mark as well), we ate Chicago style pizza (we overestimated how hungry we were and ended up handing out extra pizza slices to homeless people on the streets), we went to the art museum, walked Navy Pier and had a nice dinner at a jazz restaurant on the pier. Oh, and we rode the ferris wheel on Navy Pier! It was freezing, but well worth the view at the top.

Chicago is really a beautiful city. I have to admit, part of me came to the realization that I really wouldn't mind living there one day. And that is really saying something. My loyalty to the northwest is undeniable and it almost brings me to tears when I toy with the idea of moving away for good. Luckily, Mark also likes the northwest and there are abundant jobs for engineers. But if I had to choose areas of the country that I would move to, I think the Chicago area would certainly be on the list.

Weekend was good and it's a bit rough transitioning back into school. This weekend I'm flying to Portland to buy a wedding dress. WooHoo!

Costa Rica!

So a few months ago Mark and I booked our flight to Costa Rica for an AMAZING price ($395 RT per ticket!). Since then we have been researching and deliberating about where we wanted to stay. I have a moral dilemma with going to Third World countries to stay in fancy resorts while having the locals wait on me hand and foot. After visiting El Salvador last summer and seeing the extent of the poverty there, I vowed that I would never become one of those tourists. But here I am now, with a ticket to Costa Rica for my honeymoon. And I'll admit it, I kind of want to stay at a nice place. I've justified my decision because tourism is the main benefit to the economy in Costa Rica and that means my money will just go into helping the economy there.

So, Mark and I narrowed the choices down to a few resorts that we liked. All-inclusive seemed to be our major concern, as it is so much easier when you don't have to find places to eat. We had a resort all settled on Saturday, but chose to sleep on it for the night. We were a little iffy on the decision as the per night price of staying there was extremely expensive. Sunday morning I woke up, went to my computer to research a little bit more and suddenly I discovered a fantastic resort that was resonably priced. Needless to say, we booked it.

We are going to on the pacific coast in Costa Rica, about 2 hours from the San Jose airport, to stay at the Los Suenos Marriott Ocean and Golf Resort. We are staying all-inclusive, which not only includes food and drink but it also includes transportation to and from the airport (worth almost $500 in either car rental OR taxi fare), and we are entitled to various activies around the resort. Some free gambling too, which will be fun. Mark and I went ahead and booked it, then we went to campus and printed out all of our itineraries/menus/conformations/etc. We're also looking at some zipline canopy tours through the rainforest, a trip to the Arenal Volcano, horseback riding on the beach and ATV tours. There is certainly a lot of things to do in Costa Rica, so we have high hopes for a good time.

Just Because I Am Mormon Doesn't Mean I Vote Republican!

I had a bishops interview to renew my ecclesiastical endorsement last night. My bishop mentioned to me that he "strongly dislikes" Hillary Clinton (the topic came up because of the super Tuesday wins in Texas, Rhode Island and Ohio). He then struggled for a few minutes explaining to me why he doesn't like either Democratic candidate and how he hopes for another Republican.



Thank you sir for ASSUMING that I agree with you. He must have assumed that I felt the same way, as he spoke with me with no thought or care that I might think differently. So I mentioned that I like Barack Obama, and if it comes down to it, I would vote Hillary Clinton over any Republican nominee in a heartbeat. He asked me why I like Barack Obama -- and I told him why.



Why is it that it is constantly assumed out here that every LDS person has to vote Republican? This concept drives me insane and I wish, oh how I wish, I could change things around here. Mark and I both love Barack Obama. We watch CNN together, we read his platform together and overall I feel that our decision is a well thought out, intelligent choice -- for us at least.



So I said to my bishop -- "Let me guess Bishop, you like Mitt Romney?"



He responded, "Yes, yes I do like Mitt Romney..." (a few seconds went by) Suddenly, "BUT NOT BECAUSE HE IS MORMON!! ...I think he is a good business man too."



What a defensive statement considering I implied nothing of the sort! (Okay, maybe my tone of voice did it. I may have stereotyped the poor man, but I don't feel bad because I was right).



The conversation went on...he signed my endorsement (he didn't even ask me if I obey the honor code (boys out at midnight, etc)...which means I didn't even have to make the decision to lie!). I actually really like my bishop. He is a good guy with a sense of humor, which I do appreciate in a land full of people who need to lighten up.



This situation made me realize something. Politics (and sometimes religion) make some people really ugly. Defensiveness is bad news. And so is assuming what people think (I realize the hypocrisy of this as I clearly judged my bishop for liking Mitt Romney). I have a few friends who think differently than I do when it comes to politics. Nothing ever gets heated or awkward. We can talk about our differences, even laugh about them, and put it away. I wish some other people could manage that.



Anyway, Go Barack!