Abounding in Love

It's been a while since we've posted. But we have more than enough to share with you! Hopefully I can put into words all the excitement and good things that are taking place. I've never been too skilled with the written language -that's part of the reason why I dance. I'm sure I could show you how excited I am if you were a live audience! Perhaps another night.

First a brief update on the mouth. Since we last posted, Trevor has seen the orthodontist again. His teeth have all been connected with rubber bands that pull his teeth closer together every day. Unlike before the surgery took place, Trevor hasn't missed an appointment yet! I'm very proud :-)

Now for the good stuff. Below are some recent experiences that simply overflow with love!

Trevor had planned the monster truck jam for Valentine's Day and requested that I not get him anything. Did I listen? Of course not! Since we were out all night on Valentine's I didn't have time to prepare and give him what I was planning on. So it didn't happen until a week later. I knew that Trevor loves his mom's chocolate cake and that it's been a while since he's had it, so I decided to make it. Nothing like trying a new recipe! It went well except for half of the cake stuck to the pans. We're going to blame that on the low quality of the bake ware...or the oven. (If anything doesn't turn out quite right when I cook, Trev just blames it on the oven. Naturally it's the oven's fault and no mistake which I might have made!) The cake turned out surprisingly well considering we had to mask holes with the the frosting. It tasted delicious too! And really that's all that matters.

This is all the cake that stuck to the pan creating the holes we had to cover.

Before Trevor was allowed to eat the cake I made him sit next to me on the couch as I proceeded to read a list I had compiled containing reasons why I love him. The list of course was not complete, but I thought he should be reminded of some of the reasons why I love him so much! As a side note ...the other night we were at a party and a friend made the comment to another girl "I hope I love my future husband as much as you love yours." This was said because it is so apparent how much she loves him by how she talks about him in person and even raves about him on their blog. I thought to myself Goodness! I hope people can tell how much I love Trevor! You might know if you've ever caught me looking at him that he just melts my heart. He is so good to me regardless of how cooperative I may or may not be and he truly is my best friend! And that's just couple of reasons on my long list of why I love Trevor.

A delicious treat!

And now I want to share another story of love. I gave Trevor a kite for Christmas. I thought it would be fun and it satisfied an item on my life long list of things to do. It was a beautiful windy day last Tuesday. The kite would go up but not stay up. Trevor shortly mastered the skill of keeping the kite in the air for extended periods of time. It was my turn and I was struggling. I was either pulling the strings too hard or not hard enough so right after the kite was afloat it would quickly nose dive into the grass. After several unsuccessful attempts, some growing frustration and slight disappointment, Trevor decided something else needed to be done. He decided he'd at least get the kite in the air and then I could take over. I assumed my position as kite tosser while he stood across the field with the strings in hand. Once I tossed the kite I ran to where he was, slipped under the kite strings, and grabbed onto the handles. We ran backwards together pulling on the kite strings hand-in-hand so I could get the feel for it. Our feet weren't synchronized so I just kept stepping on him as we ran backwards keeping the kite afloat. I couldn't breath because I was laughing so hard! There was something so magical about doing it together. Running, laughing, and succeeding.That glorious moment of accomplishing something together (even if it was merely getting a kite afloat) was a manifestation of love and our ability to succeed together. With Trev I feel like I can do anything! Oh how I love him! (side note from Trevor: whoa, this is starting to get mushy)

A page from my journal.

Not only do we love each other but we are loved! Trevor and I have been petitioning Heavenly Father for His help in our prayers lately. It was becoming a concern that we hadn't found somewhere to live yet. We simply prayed for help in completing this necessary pre-wedding task. I am here to tell you that prayers are answered! WE HAVE SOMEWHERE TO LIVE!! Our friend Daniel noticed an ad on a 3x5 index card posted on campus. He got the info for us and the apartment was still available. Not only did we (with Daniel's help) find some where, but it meets all of our "requirements" (Okay, perhaps they were just preferences. Nevertheless they were all met). Just as we hoped for, our darling little apartment is close to campus, has two bedrooms, a dishwasher, and comes with a washer and dryer. We got everything we wanted and more! It's brand new, has ample amounts of counter-top space, plenty of parking, and it looks good too! Ask and ye shall receive!

This last story of love I'm not sure how to put into words because it was something I felt. Last night we had the opportunity to hear from an Apostle, Elder M. Russell Ballard. We, with hundreds of other single students who live in our area, chose not to attend the last basketball game of the season on a Saturday night, but instead be tutored by a man full of wisdom. He has lived a long life and has done many good things. The thing that touched me the most was the way he spoke about his dear wife of 57 years. He shared with us the joy that they experience with their family of 7 children, 43 grandchildren, and 30ish great-grandchilren. As he encouraged us to take steps that can lead us to this same joy, I couldn't keep from smiling. I feel so lucky to have found someone with whom I will start a family. We are so excited to learn how to love each other and hopefully one day experience the joy of having children of our own. I am so blessed and full of so much anticipation for the bright future ahead. April 24th will be a glorious day, a grand beginning to a wonderful lifetime filled with love!

(Another side note by Trevor:)After the conference, we went and stuffed ourselves silly at a new Chinese Buffet in Provo! Delicious!

Our First V-Day!

Monster Jam! The gap in the teeth helped me fit in...

Well, I dragged Shelley along (...okay, I'll give her way more credit - she came very willingly) to the Monster Jam in Salt Lake this weekend - on Valentine's Day. What a cool girl friend! She'd been before as a little girl; this was my first time. Honestly, compared to motocross and what I've seen of Monster Jams on TV, I was a little disappointed. They didn't line up RV's and school buses to jump over, and they didn't even destroy anything! Give me a break!

Regardless, there were still some cool parts. Like when "Maximum Destruction" flipped over, or when the dirt bikes came out and did some SWEET tricks on this huge jump. There's a few videos below.

Basically, I didn't score a ton of points in the "Most Romantic Valentine's Day of Her Life" category, but who cares. We were together and having fun the whole way. After, we shifted gears completely and went to a small cafe in Salt Lake for some hot chocolate. It was freezing outside and a delicious cup of creamy hot chocolate with my sweetie was just what we needed. The atmosphere of the cafe, with its smooth jazz and cozy fire, was in sharp contrast to the monster muscle machines, smoke, dirt, and screaming, accompanied by two hours of Limp Bizkit, Metallica, and Kid Rock.

As I told Shelley while we were leaving the Delta Center, "I've set the expectation low, next year can only be better!"

Maybe she'll add some commentary on the monumental event later.

Backwards Bob rips it up!

Example of something LAME

Yep, we wore ear plugs. Don't worry, we could still hear everything. Our personal finance professor would be so proud.

This part was awesome! For 10 minutes these three guys came out and did some sweet tricks on their dirt bikes. By far our favorite part.

Progress Toward Married Life

Exciting things are happening with Shelley and I. First off, I think we finished registering. Shelley will probably be making adjustments to our registry even after we're married, but pretty much the important things (tools, games, camping equipment, etc.) have been registered for--who needs blenders and butter knives when you've got drills and radial arm saws? I'll probably get a few dirty looks for this, but we will also graciously accept pizza gift cards from any major pizza chains or Provo based restaurants. It is imperative that I mention that.

Other big news: I can eat! To celebrate we busted out the barbecue my parents gave us for Christmas and grilled up some (soft) food. Namely, Talapia. I was going to go for Salmon but the $8.50 a pound was a little much for me. We concluded the BBQ party with a HUGE slab of prime rib that took six people to finish off. Pictured below. All in all, now that we have barbecued together, we are one step closer to becoming a real family. And I just feel that much more manly. (Oh, oh, oh - Tim Allen Grunt)

Just look at the flame under that guy!