California, part 2

On Sunday of our CA trip, after church we went to the beach for more pictures. One of the "props" we had were kites. This was a very unfortunate choice of props because they were too fun. Chris and I probably spent about 2 hours flying them. We have a lot of pictures of us with the kites. Eventually, Laura was like "well, do you want an pictures that aren't of you flying kites?" and we decided it was probably time to put them away. We blew bubbles (fun prop, but so much less exciting than the kites), took pictures with our dance shoes left behind in the sand, and took pictures dancing in the setting sun. It was really fun, and the pictures are pretty awesome.

Funny story: we were flying our kites, and I looked over at the plastic grocery bag I had our dance shoes in. Seagulls were tearing the bag apart! I was surprised since there wasn't any food in it, so I went to chase them away. The bag was completely useless and the shoes were sitting in the wet sand... BAD SEAGULLS! I think our shoes will be okay though.

California, part 1

For the long weekend, Chris and I drove down to California with our good friend Laura to take engagement pictures and visit with his family. We really had a blast! On Saturday (our first "real" day there), it rained a lot - we were prepared for this - but we went out to get pictures anyway. Surprise! We got out of the car at Victoria Gardens and the rain stopped immediately. Two hours (and many photos) later, we were hungry and tired of taking pictures, so it started raining again. Hahaha.

We ate at Johnny Rockets, a classic style diner. It was yummy! We had a great day.

Laura wants me to keep the pictures a secret until she edits them, but I will post some soon!

Valentine's Day - Part 2

So on Valentine's Day (recall we celebrated halfway the day before V-day) we finished our celebrations. I gave Chris his other two presents - the first Indiana Jones movie (he didn't have it... weird huh?) and some stuff to make Kool-aid. Because he likes Kool-aid and always wants to make it.

But he definitely one-upped me. He brought me flowers in class, and then after class he cooked some steaks he had marinating, and mashed potatoes and peas, and brought me to a place we used to go when we dated the first time - anciently long ago! And we had a little picnic. He also brought sparkling cider to drink. Way to go Chris!

By the way, the food he made was really yummy. Now I know he can cook!

Here's the flowers he brought me:

Dance video

Just thought I'd post a video of my dancing for two reasons:

1) I'm better at dancing than I was last time I put a video up here of me dancing, and

2) I have a way better video camera so you can actually see me dance. Thanks Mom and Dad!

So here's a video of me dancing with Josh. This is the "International Dance Lab" of winter 2011, which basically means it's a mock competition for everyone in the ballroom and latin dance classes, and you get randomly paired up with someone instead of choosing a partner. My partner and I practiced together once outside of class for about 1/2 hour... and we made it to semifinals! So here is the video.

A place to live!

A few days ago, I thought I'd start looking for apartments for when Chris and I get married. I had something very specific in mind: in our price range, in my current family ward boundaries, and with good timing for the contract. That's why I started looking so early. Actually, though, the first time I looked I found something that fit all three categories. I was like "CHRIS!!!! Come look!" and so I called the people and we went over and saw the place. Although the posting had only gone up that day (on KSL), we were, I think, the 7th couple to look at it. CRAZY!

We were interested, so they sent us the housing application forms.

Chris had to take a leap of faith this weekend. He generally likes to take his time making decisions - like for where to move, where to work, when to propose, etc. I'm usually opposite - I know a decision needs to be made, so I make it and move on with life. The only time we were actually flip-flopped was when it came to deciding whether to marry each other - he felt right about it several weeks before I figured it out. But back to the story. I was hounding him with housing forms, panicked because I knew it was going to get snapped up! Anyway, he was unsure about whether we should go for it since it was so hasty and the first place we'd seen and everything, but when it came down to it, there really couldn't have been a more perfect place for us. And if there was, I'd suspect something was amiss! So he took the leap of faith and filled out the forms with me and signed them. I knew I had to send them in today or the place would be gone. So I called the property manager this morning and asked whether the apartment had been taken (she had some forms already but they were still accepting more) and so I asked what's the fastest way I could get the forms to her, and she said I could scan and email them. I scanned them and in the email I included a note about why we really wanted to live there. I wrote that it was in my current ward where I want to stay, that the timing for move in and move out is just right for us, and as a side note, my best friend is also renting from them - the house next door to the apartment we want!

So I was good and sent it off, and a few hours later they called... WE GOT THE PLACE!

All I can say is Heavenly Father does have His hand in our lives.

The shirt off your back

When I hear the phrase "give someone the shirt off your back" it almost always reminds me of this moment:

My brother (Ben) was probably 15 years old. Somehow, my family had become some sort of "church parents" to some Vietnamese kids. The kids' parents wouldn't go to church, but the kids got baptized anyway. I think that's discouraged now, but it happened then. So this one boy, after he got the Aaronic preiesthood, the next Sunday he came to church and he didn't have a white shirt and tie. Well, my brother knew that he wanted to pass the sacrament since he could now, so my brother went in the bathroom and traded shirts with him. Mind you, this guy wasn't my brother's best friend or anything. I'm not sure I would have done it. But Ben did.

So that's what I think about when I hear that phrase.

I have a valentine!

This is my first Valentine's Day actually having a valentine to share it with. I think it's Chris' too. Tonight was really fun. We made dinner together - pasta and sauce. It was great because he actually did help me, and didn't just watch me cook. Then I got out a bottle of sparkling cider and two tall candles and we ate our yummy dinner by candlelight. I gave him two of the four presents I got him. One was a little "kit" - he loves always being prepared and frequently says "man, I wish I had a razor with me" or something to that effect. So I got him a little plastic box thing that snaps shut and filled it with good stuff: razor, toothbrush/paste, lotion for dry hands, hair gel, cologne, and stuff like that. The other thing I got him was kind of silly and small, but it was something he needed. He has this game, Illuminati, and it has little teeny tiny pieces of "money" but with different values. Think monopoly money shrunk down to an inch long by less than 1/2 inch wide. And get this: the game doesn't come with a container for you to keep the different valued money separate! So I got him a pill container to act as a kind of bank/money holder. I've also separated all his money for that game for him using plastic wrap, so it'll be an easy job for him to put it in there :)

Of course, we played a game...or three. We played Munchkin, which works surprisingly well with 2 players and is much faster than usual. We played with a bunch of expansions, including dungeons. It was great :) One of the dungeons required us to switch genders, choose an opposite gender equivalent to our real names (Chris was Christina, and I was Heath, like Heath Ledger) - and if we called each other by our REAL names (as opposed to the altered one) we lost a level every time we did it!

I finished off the night making sugar cookies while he did some administrative stuff on the computer. All I can say is, sugar cookies should always be made for Valentine's Day. Yup!

So we sort of celebrated Valentine's Day a day early. Tomorrow he apparently has a surprise for me, and I have two more presents to give him (one silly, one more awesome). Yay!

How to fight with your fiance/fiancee

On Tuesday, Chris and I got in a dumb fight. Pretty much all our "fights" are caused by the same things: he's late to see me, or I'm hungry and grumpy. That day it was both. We were so MAD! I had to go "do something" which was why I was so upset about him being late, because I had to leave. Anyway, here's the funny thing. The thing I had to do was, I'd bought this one shirt for him with Marvel comic superheroes on it, and it was too short in the sleeves so I needed to exchange it - only the Orem walmart didn't have it. So even though I was mad, I went down to the Springville walmart and luckily they had it, so I exchanged it. I drove back to my office and threw the shirt on his head. I was still mad at him, but I wanted to give him his present and show I cared...sort of. Then I looked at my desk, and he'd bought me flowers. All of a sudden, I wasn't mad anymore :)

So basically, when you're mad, just do something nice for your loved one, and you'll get over it pretty fast :)

Oh yeah, the shirt fits him perfectly and he loves it.

A day in the life...or two.

Just a few fun things from the adventures of Chris and Heather:

Yesterday we had dinner at my parents' house. Shortly after dinner, my mystery illness struck again and I started feeling very ill. Obviously such a time is the perfect time to start a game of hide and go seek. There Chris was, holding my hand and looking at me with concerned eyes (actually, I'm not sure about that part, cause my eyes were closed), and Jake (my 5 year old nephew) says "Chris!!! Come PLAY with us!"

Chris: But your Aunt Heather is sick, let's wait till she gets better.

Jake: But that could take FOREVER!

With an approval from me, Chris counted to 10 and the kids hid. We reminded him to not find them too fast. He was so great with them. It made me smile just to watch. Given that he has little to no experience with young children, I think he did a great job. They sure loved him!

A few more funny things from the kids--

Before the second round of hide and seek, Chris told Jake he'd count to 15 this time. Jake was like, "I think you should count to 5!" ...because Jake is 5. I don't think they quite get the idea that if he counted to a higher number, they could have a longer time to find a hiding place. Also, I don't think Elly got it very well at all (she's barely 3). Once she'd hid, she yelled "I'M HIDING!!!" ... because obviously, then, you can't find her :) She also insisted that Chris had to "find" Jonah, her baby brother, who was just crawling around on the living room floor. Funny kids.

Find Jonah!

Tonight, Chris and I got to use our "pass of all passes" for the first time. Actually, Chris seems to have misplaced his. Luckily, the lady at the mini golf entrance thing just let him play anyway and told him what to do if he can't find it at home. I don't know if I've ever seem a sillier mini-golfer. I am a little unsure as to whether Chris has EVER played mini golf before, because he kept practicing his "swing" at every hole. For like 20 seconds. He must have done something right, though, because he beat me by 3 strokes...or something. We kind of fudged the scores sometimes, like when we were hitting up a ramp and it came right back down at us. He really liked it though, and after realizing how close it is to his place, I think we'll go back a lot! (Plus, you know, with our passes we can go unlimited times for free.) Afterwards I treated him to Dippin Dots, which apparently he'd never had! I think he liked it. We thought about how it might be made, and I think we agreed upon that there are a lot of fairies in a factory somewhere whose job it is to roll snowballs from ice cream.

The proposal!

I was so excited when Chris proposed to me on Thursday that I wrote about it in my journal, but didn't think to blog about it, so I'll do that now!

Chris and I met almost 3 years ago at the Murray Arts Center, which is a dance club that specializes in ballroom dance styles. Chris asked me to dance almost every dance. I liked dancing with him, so I kept saying yes. Shortly thereafter, he used his cunning personality to get us in the same place again and get my phone number. We started dating,, but our relationship was short lived. After all, we barely knew each other.

We maintained our friendship through the years, even when he moved out of Utah. When he visited Utah, we always made time to see each other and hang out, but there was no romance at all, until last June. I actually happened to be on a date with another guy when Chris called and said "hey, I'm in town, having a game night...wanna join?" I asked my date if we could go, and he said yes. Poor guy. I walked in that night, got a hug from Chris, and for some reason, my feelings changed very suddenly. I was all of a sudden very smitten with Chris, and wanted to date him. I kept that a secret for about a day, but I really couldn't keep it very long. He was all for dating, even though I was hesitant to try a long distance relationship. But it seemed to work ok. We called each other or skyped daily, and saw each other for a few days each month. After a whil

e, I started to love him so much that I wanted to be with him even more, and because of our relative situations in life, together we decided it would be best for us to move back to Utah. I helped him find a place to live and finally the day arrived that our relationship was no longer long distance! That was this past November. I was so happy. He was, too.

After that, the decision of whether to marry each other occupied our minds and conversations more and more. He was certain a lot sooner than I was. But at the beginning of January, I finally felt a confirmation that marrying him would be right. Now all we needed to do was get engaged. Oh, a month feels like forever when you know you want to get married but aren't officially engaged!

Last Thursday, I had a dance performance with my ballroom team. He and my parents came to support me, and while my mom fussed over me in the hallway, he saw the opportunity to ask my dad for permission to marry me (yay for asking my dad!). My dad consented. I obviously didn't learn that part of the story till later.

After the performance, Chris really wanted to try the new dance club in Provo, which specializes in ballroom dance (just like the MAC, but way closer!). Plus, admission was only $1 that night. He thought I should dress up, but I adamantly refused. After all, I was just going to a dance club.Jeans should be fine, right? He was a little more dressed up than I was. He looked great. I still had dance makeup and a bun in my hair, so I looked... whatever. On the way over, he asked me a few questions about music. Here's the conversation that took place:

Chris: Do we have a song, that's ours?

Me: No.

Chris: What's your favorite Michael Buble song?

Me: "Everything."

Chris: what dance do you do to that one?

Me: American Rumba.

Chris: I don't know very much American Rumba.

Me: Yes you do! Anyway I still love the song.

Chris: What's your favorite two-step? (Nightclub two step is Chris' favorite dance)

Me: Um... I like this one (the one that was playing).

Chris: What's it called and who is it by?

Me: Uh... I think it's by Ben Harper. It's called "Forever."

Then we went in to dance!

So, once we got in, I saw Laura C. taking pictures of dancers. She came up to me and asked what we were doing there. "Um... we're ballroom dancers," I said, "but why are YOU here?" She explained that she'd just gotten some new lighting equipment for her camera (she's a professional photographer) and wanted to try it out, and she'd gotten permission from the club to take pictures of the dancers. I knew from facebook that she was super excited to try this lighting thing out, and the room was dim, so I bought the story without any questions. She told me her friend (a ballroom dancer) had suggested the place to her. I really didn't suspect anything until I saw Chris mozying back over to me from the DJ booth. He was like "oh! I found you!" and I thought that was a weird thing to say since I hadn't moved since he went to "get a drink." Also, I started to wonder what he'd been doing in the DJ booth... I was remembering our conversation in the car. He brushed it off with "you didn't tell me Toffer was the DJ! I just said hi to him." Normal, right? But I started to be suspicious. I thought that at some point, me might whip the ring box out of his Hagrid-esque coat (seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled a ive turtle out of it). We danced some more, and the next two-step that came on, he danced with me in the center of the floor. We'd been dancing on the edge of the floor, so this seemed a bit odd. Laura kept flashing pictures of us (not very odd, though, considering I'm really good friends with her). It wasn't the song "Forever," but the lyrics were pretty romantic. It's called "But I Do Love You" and it's by Lee Ann Rimes. I was pretty certain he was going to propose at any moment, but I didn't see the ring box anywhere. And he didn't have his coat on. At the end of the song, he dipped me, and got down on one knee.

I'd been thinking the whole time that he was going to propose, but at this moment I panicked. All I could think was "what if he fake proposes in front of EVERYONE?!" ...after all, he's fake proposed twice before. Not in front of a lot of people though, just friends and family. But luckily, he pulled the ring out of his shirt pocket. No box, just the ring. HUGE relief for me! He said, "Heather Ambler, will you marry me?" All I was conscious of was him, and the fact that there was a lot of cheering and flashing lights. It didn't register to me that the music had stopped (planned!) or anything but that YES! I WANTED TO MARRY HIM! So I kissed him, there, in front of everyone... which is pretty uncharacteristic of me. I'm against PDA. He was like, "is that a yes?" and I nodded, grinning from ear to ear. Then he put the ring on my finger. Oh, how happy! After a few seconds, I became aware that other people existed again, and realized the attendees of the dance club had all backed off the dance floor and were surrounding us, staring at us, and still cheering. "Well this is awkward," I said, and walked off, holding his hand and still smiling tirelessly. But honestly, it was so amazing! What a cute, romantic way to propose. The only unfortunate thing is that the ring is too big, but we're going to get it sized tomorrow. Still, I refuse to take it off. I just wear it on my middle finger so I won't lose it!

Anyway, I'm officially engaged. We're getting married! We get to spend to rest of eternity together! I feel so happy and blessed.