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!

Why Study When The Skies Are Blue?

I am in the library right now.

I just can't seem to focus, and it might be due to the fact that it is relatively warm (you know, 45 degrees) and gorgeous outside. I'm hoping this shift in weather means that the snow will avoid us until next winter. I also think I'm hitting that extremely apathetic stage regarding school again. It happened when I was a senior in highschool and it's happening now in my senior year of college. Sometimes I just don't know how I will survive grad school, and my plan to go to grad school seems to change depending on the day. I need a break!

Luckily I will get my break in a few weeks when Mark and I go to Chicago for our makeshift spring break. Thank you Nate for getting married!! Which reminds me, I need to go shopping for some new outfits. It's really not a good thing that I am so compelled to go shopping every time I go on a trip somewhere. It really hit an all time low when I bought a whole new wardrobe to build houses in El Salvador last summer. Matching shirts and bandanas. Who does that?

We had our Oscars party last weekend and I was proud of Mark for attending and not being too intimidated by a room of gossipy girls drinking virgin cosmopolitans. The Oscar results weren't too surprising. I, of course, wanted Juno to win for everything, but knew that was a long shot. Why oh why does the Academy hate indie films so much? Why!? Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for best actor, in There Will Be Blood, which really wasn't a surprise to anyone. He was a lunatic in that film -- really absurd. I can't wait until Shawn is home from his mission to watch this movie. He will love that character. I was thrown for a loop when the "foreign chick" won for best actress. I haven't even heard of the film -- or her for that matter. Couldn't we have given the award to Ellen Page or Cate Blanchett?

The Tradition of the Creepy Shack.

It seems to me that there is a direct correlation between the tradition of the Creepy Shack and the attraction of an eternal companion. I will attempt to explain:

Long, long ago during my freshman year of college I would make frequent trips to Provo canyon to find things to do with my friends. One day, my friends and I (including Mark, who at the time was just a friend) found a frightening, abandoned shack along side a curvey, narrow road in the canyon. The front door of the shack swung open and closed with the passing wind and we were frightened. It seemed that there was no other option than to egg it.

At the time we were young souls who fed off of the mercy of our parents on a food plan called Dining Plus. Of course we never used our allotted amount of money each day, so we often purchased unnecessary items with the extra dough we had on hand (perhaps one day I will tell the story of when Adrien and I threw soda cans out of our window from the 5th floor of DT). With that extra dough we bought eggs from the BYU Creamery, and lots of them.

It was that night, as we discovered the frightening beast, when the tradition of the Creepy Shack was born. We purchased 10-15 cartons of eggs, brought them back up to the canyon and egged the shack with all of our might. Such an experience only brought us all closer. We were now a part of a secret group of friends who had a secret ritual to verify their friendship. Perhaps there would be no wedding in August for Mark & Lindsay without the binding ritual of the creepy shack.

Even when our friends went on missions it was crucial to us that we, Adrien and I, continue the tradition and the livelihood of the Creepy Shack. We took our new friends, with many cartons of eggs, to the Creepy Shack to initiate them into becoming good friends. Although this was bothersome to Mark, who was bitter that he could not participate due to his mission in Brazil, it was a good way to achieve closeness with our new friends (and it may have been the selling point that eventually made Eric fall in love and marry Adrien).

As you can see, this tradition of egging the Creepy Shack has become more than just a way to pass the time on a weekend. It was a way for friends to bond and for lovers to meet. I have been greatful to the Creepy Shack and it's frightening nature for permitting such abuse and being available for so many years.

Unfortunately, this past weekend we learned that the Creepy Shack might have had enough abuse. After over a year of neglecting the Creepy Shack in the canyon, Adrien, Eric, Mark and I went up, each with our own carton of eggs, to egg our shack that made our relationships what they are today. On our way up the canyon the excitement built. Adrien had an egg grasped in hand, ready to attack at any moment. Our excitement was dulled when we were faced with certainly was the biggest disappointment of the year. The road that led to the Creepy Shack was closed. Perhaps this was a sign that the shack might have had enough of the abuse, or maybe it was neglected so long that it didn't want to be bothered.

Don't worry, we found other things to egg. The Creepy Sign, the Creepy Trash Can, the Creepy Pavillion, and so on. We may have given up that night (although Eric was all for a hike up in the deep snow), but we will not give up forever. Come spring, with the melting of the snow, we will return to the Creepy Shack and we will egg the daylight out of it.

The end.

Future Plans.

Valentines Day was special. I seemed to encounter far too many people who were depressed/bitter/angry or purposely sporting all black outfits. I'm not sure why this holiday has to be such a negative thing for some people. I've been single on Valentines Day before and it was fabulous. I can love my family. I can love my friends. Who said Valentines Day can only be about having a significant other?

After a long day at work Mark picked me up at school and we went out to Los Hermanos, a tasty Mexican restaurant here in Provo, and had a nice dinner together. Throughout the course of our dinner we a) decided that the waitresses and the hosts were incompetent and b) talked about our future together.

We're currently toying around with the idea of joining the Peace Corps (http://www.peacecorps.gov/) after Mark graduates. The first thing anyone says when I mention this idea is, "What about children?"

Well, what about children?

One of the beautiful things about getting married so young is that there is time. I'm not advocating waiting until my 30's to have children, but I just think every couple has their own timeline. And it should be discussed business between the couple and the Lord only. I am stunned at the audacity that people have to stick their nose in other people's business around here. Of course that is what I get for choosing to come to BYU.

But anyway, we're looking into the Peace Corps or any other opportunities for service. Six months to a year would be ideal timing (the Peace Corps is a little long at 27 months). But the Peace Corps seems to be very prestigious and respected, so I have faith that if we do such an experience it won’t be terribly difficult to find a job when we are finished.

Mark is also deciding what kind of higher education he wants to complete. We've looked at a MS in Mechanical Engineering, MS\MBA Mechanical Engineering or even PhD in Mechanical Engineering (although this one means I have an extra 7+ years left in Provo). It's really fun to see so many pathways we can take over the next few years. I'm also in the process of figuring out what my future will entail. I will graduate next year and will either enter the work field right away or stick around BYU (or maybe even the U) for a MA in communications.

There are so many options for both of us and I think we've firmly decided that there is no right or wrong answer.

Tag! You're It!

The rules of the game are to answer the questions, tag 5 other people, post their name then leave them a message on their blog letting them know that they have been tagged and so forth.



1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago I was 12 years old. I was in the 6th grade. I believe that was the year that I told my homeroom teacher that he discriminates against women because he enjoys the power rush. Yikes. Ten years later I can admit that I don't feel bad or embarassed about the situation. In fact, if given a second opportunity I would take it. What else was happening? I loved the Spice Girls (thank goodness my music taste has shifted). I was just starting dance classes -- which at the time I had no idea that I was actually really good at dance. And I certainly had no idea that I would end up on Varsity cheer and dance in high school. It's crazy how things happen.



2. Things On My To Do list?

Short term...

Watch film for film class, buy birthday present for someone, finish labeling envelopes and ordering books at work, go to the gym, call Portland temple to schedule sealing (apparently NOT a ceremony for those who have heard the story), send Elder Cusworth a package (equipped with candy and a nerf gun)...

Little more long term...

Purchase bridesmaid dresses, go to all of my classes this semester (maybe), get a pile of stuff done at work, book a resort for our honeymoon, get a public relations internship for the summer, more wedding stuff...


3. Bad Habits

Yikes. Well, I've officially gone through detox and no longer drink Diet Coke on a regular basis. No longer a bad habit! What Else? I'm extremely impatient and I have no tolerance for ignorant people. I might work on that. Might.


4. Places I have Lived

Let's see... Portland, Oregon....aka, my other true love and where I hope to live for the rest of my life (Okay, I could do Seattle too). I've lived in Southern California and feel more than blessed that my parents got smart and moved us out of there. You couldn't pay me enough money to be a Southern Californian (unless I got to live on an alpaca ranch with Adrien). I've lived in Provo, Utah for my schooling for the past three-ish years. Can't wait until Mark finishes up that engineering degree! And I lived in Berlin, Germany for six months during my study abroad in Germany. I'd love to move there permanently, but I think my mother would kill me if I raised children so far away from her (with good reason too).


5. Things Most People Don't Know About Me

I love to watch the People's Court even though I know it's trashy. If I could have any job in the world I would be a journalist for Rolling Stone Magazine. Even though I have career aspirations, I wouldn't mind being a stay at home mom (with plenty of volunteer work and time for my own hobbies of course). I HATE hospitals and doctors offices because I fear sickness/disease and blood. But ironically, I'm obsessed with horror movies (Hostel, the Saw movies, 28 Days Later, The Hills Have Eyes....Oh yeah).

I tag... Adrien and that's it.

Lindsay's Birthday & The U2 Concert

It's Sunday night and I'm a little downtrodden because I have to say goodbye to such an eventful weekend.

For starters, my 22nd birthday came and went. Birthdays have never really been my "thing." I'm certainly not one of those females who announce the coming of their birthday twenty days before it lands. Perhaps I'm not as thirsty for attention as they are. Whatever. But the one good thing about birthdays is that it provides an opportunity and an excuse to get together with friends. Oh yeah, and the presents aren't all that bad either.

Thanks to Mark my birthday was amazing. He certainly made my 22nd birthday one to remember. On my Birthday Eve I was given my birthday present. I asked Mark maybe...oh I don't know...200 questions or so about my present and finally before he gave it to me I guessed "a leopard print lap top sleeve." And I was right.

The morning of my birthday I got to work around eight and had a cryptic message waiting from Mark on my facebook wall informing me to look under my desk. I glanced under my desk, saw nothing and was plagued for the next hour or so regarding Mark's message. Finally, my co-worker came into the office and gave me a hint that perhaps I should look under the desk at the top. Sure enough, there was a card from Mark taped to the desk. The card was lovely, full of mushy things that I'm sure would get me killed if he found out I published it online. I was also given two tickets to Divine Comedy and a promise to eat at my favorite restaurant, Cafe Rio. It was also quite a treat to show up at Rio to find that some of my closest friends were there to join us. What a great night!

Now, I wish I could inform everyone that I actually saw U2 live this weekend, but that would be a blatant lie. Last night we went with Adrien and Eric to see the 3d U2 concert at the IMAX Theatre in Salt Lake City. It was such an experience! We clapped, danced and sang outloud. If I didn't know any better (or if I was high) I would have thought I was at the real thing. The concert was way political, about love, peace and poverty, which was right up our alley.

Sometimes I wish such staunch conservatives would realize that not all rock concerts encourage worship of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (Satan for those who didn't catch the Harry Potter joke). I've been to plenty of concerts that have been clad with good messages about love, freedom, unity and whatever hippie messages you can think of. Coldplay is the perfect example. I've seen them twice, once with Adrien and once with Dad. Sure people were smoking doobies/Mary Jane/weed/pot all over the place, but overall everyone was there to have a good time and share good spirits.

I hope I can grow up to be like my Dad and still be liberally open to rock concerts! Yeah!

My Confession.

No, not the Josh Groban song. But, that is a good one.

I never thought I'd admit to doing something so cheesy and predictable in LDS culture, but I suppose there is a first time for everything. Lately, Mark and I have been reading marriage-prep books. That is only the first part of the confession, the second is when I admit the fact that I actually love doing it. And so does Mark. These books are great, and of course the LDS perspectives makes them so relatable and helpful.

Right now we're reading: "First Comes Love" by Brinley and Ogletree (thanks Mom)

Next will be: "Then Comes Marriage" by Brinley and Ogletree (thanks Mom again)

And then: "What We Wish We'd Known When We Were Newlyweds" by Bytheway (thanks Adrien)

Mark and I keep getting guilt trips from our wards for never attending Family Home Evening. I just don't see the point. The only purpose FHE serves is allowing BYU co-eds to mingle and eventually find someone to marry. Having already found my soul mate I don't see a point in going. Some might argue that FHE is a good way to make friends. I already have far too many friends than I can manage, so adding more to the mix will only make my life more difficult.

(Mark is going to roll his eyes when he reads this!)

So, the solution: Mark and I now have our own FHE every Monday night. This is where we read the books together and take the time to talk about any other matters. I have really liked this and I hope we can keep this pattern as our family progresses.

Anyway, that's all.

Germany and the Oscars

Two of my favorite things!

1. GERMANY.

With the passing of President Hinckley I have been sad, but my faith regarding the future of the church stands tall. Mark and I both don't understand what all the fuss is about and I am sure President Hinckley is watching and wondering as well. With the passing of the prophet, the most appropriate way to react is by remembering his life and feeling joy that he will return to his loving wife and to the Lord again. I don't understand why so many people are "hysterical" and "lost" in this matter. We are raised in the church to gain testimonies about the organization of the Gospel and we should stand tall in faith that when a prophet dies everything will fall into place for the church to prosper and grow.

With that said, today was the press conference with the announcement of our new prophet and counselors. Mark texted me about ten minutes ago regarding the announcement and it looks like President Monson will be our prophet (as we already knew) with President Eyring and President Uchdorf as his counselors.

Which brings me to my first topic. Germany. It seems to me that the Germans are prevailing once again in the world -- only this time in a more righteous manner. A German for the pope, head of the Catholic church and a German in the presidency of the Church-of-Jesus-Christ-of-Latter-day-Saints. It makes me happy to see German people achieve respectable positions again. I think it's time that the guilt from WWII be dropped.

2. THE OSCARS!

This marks the fourth year now where I have devoted the months of January and February to watching all of the Oscar nominated films. (Okay, I don't watch all of them, but I get a pretty good grasp on Best Picture, Best Director, Lead Actress, Lead Actor, Supporting Actress & Supporting Actor).

This time it's been really fun because Mark and I have decided to tackle these movies together. It's so nice to know that I am marrying a smart boy who can appreciate film for its artistic value. I fully understand and support people who choose not to watch rated "R" films, but it's been a choice of mine to evaluate each film individually before I see it. For example; American Pie movies are not "R" movies that I will watch, whereas Saving Private Ryan is certainly a film I will see. Anyway, that's enough justification. What I am trying to say is; it's just nice that Mark is the same way.

A few weeks ago we kicked off our Oscars extravaganza by watching Sweeny Todd, which was so classic for Tim Burton film. It was dark and gruesome, yet so beautiful at the same time. It was violent and I loved that the blood squirted out in a very theatrical manner. By doing so, it really preserved the theatrical element of the musical. Johnny Depp has been nominated for Best Actor, which was the only nomination the movie received. Mark is mad about that and thinks the film got robbed by the Academy.

The weekend before last Mark and I saw a double feature (okay, we paid for one movie and snuck into another one like we were thirteen again). We saw Michael Clayton and Juno. Michael Clayton has been nominated for many different categories. I can definitely see a few wins for this film, although I never would have nominated it for Best Picture. Juno on the other hand has been my favorite film of the year! I wasn't sure about making Mark come with me to watch a movie about teen pregnancy. I knew the movie was presented in the eyes of a teenage girl and worried that Mark would find no connection. I was so wrong. He loved it. And I loved it. I think we're both rooting for this film to win Best Picture and Ellen Page should surely win Best Actress (although, I'm sure it won't win seeing as Little Miss Sunshine was snubbed last year).

This past weekend we saw There Will Be Blood. Mark and I had mixed feelings on the film. We both agreed that it was too long (approx. three hours) and we both agreed that Daniel Day-Lewis deserves to win the Oscar for Best Actor. He was an absolute lunatic and only an experienced and devoted actor could tackle such a role. As a whole, I liked the movie. Probably wouldn't see it again though. I think Mark might bomb the Oscars if the film wins Best Picture (or knowing Mark, he'd probably egg it).

Wow, that was lengthy. Perhaps we should spend more time studying for classes instead of watching mindless films...NOT. Anyway, I'll keep everyone updated. And go see Juno!

Costa Rica Here We Come!

Yesterday we booked our honeymoon!

According to our friend's standard, we are officially 98% engaged. His scale was such: 1% ring, 1% proposal, 1% wedding date and 97% knowing you've found your true love who you will spend eternity with. Looks like we've got 98% of that taken care of. I'd like to venture further and reply that with our honeymoon booked we're one percent closer! Take that!

We've decided to spend our first vacation together in the beautiful, lush lands of Costa Rica. It took us a while to pinpoint where we wanted to go and we contemplated lots of different ideas. Ultimately we thought that Costa Rica would be perfect for our taste and romantic needs. We have booked the plane tickets, at an excellent price mind you, and now we're looking for all-inclusive resorts to stay at. I always get butterflies in my stomach right before I book a flight for a trip. It's that final click of the mouse that gives me the butterflies because it 100% verifies that I'll be going somewhere for sure. Love it.

Needless to say, we are WAY excited about this. But not so excited that we have to wait so long to get there. Nothing else interesting is happening. Mark does a lot of math homework and I'm apathetic about school as usual. We've recently decided to have our own Family Home Evenings on Monday nights. What's the point in going to the ones offered at the ward when the whole point of FHE is to find someone to marry? Yeah, we didn't see a point in it either.

That's all!

You Have to Start Somewhere.

Well, here it is. The first post. There is a lot of pressure that comes with a first post in a blog. One is expected to write something intelligent, clever or witty -- or all of the above. I'll admit it, I often have genius moments of superiority over the world (and so does Mark) so there will be plenty of posts which will allow us to vent, to rant and maybe even rave a little bit. Sort of an online temper tantrum, I think.

But that is not the entire purpose of this blog.

Mark and I thought it would be fun to start a blog together as a tool to stay in touch with family and friends. We're hoping that our constant (and maybe even annoying) cyber updates will inspire others to join the team and to make a blog for themselves. Wouldn't that be a fun tradition and way to keep in touch? (The answer is "yes" incase you didn't catch on that we are really excited about this idea).

So I guess here goes nothing...