The Det picture for Fall 2010. Det 004 has never looked so good. :)
Our first date was November 8th. To celebrate our 1 month anniversary, Michael and I went to Town Square for dinner. After dinner we walked around and enjoyed the beautiful Christmas decorations. I almost froze. Vegas can get wicked cold in the winter.
Michael and I spent most of Christmas Eve day with his family in celebration of his birthday. That's right, Michael's birthday is Dec. 24th. Coolest birthday ever; with the exception of my own of course.
We spent the last part of Christmas Eve at my sister Lauren's house. I think my parents are under the impression that she's the only one of us kids who is capable of hosting a holiday dinner...Maybe one day when I'm all grown up and married with 5 kids of my own my parents might see me as an adult. One can only hope.
My family spent New Year's at Disneyland and Michael tagged along. :) While at Disneyland I mentioned how gorgeous the castle looked and that it would be an excellent place to propose. I'm not sure if I was hinting or simply making an observation but, either way, Michael was kind enough to "practice" so I could experience being proposed to in front of the castle.
I think my family likes Michael more than they like me and would trade us if his family was willing to give him up. Luckily, his family loves him just as much as mine does so we come as a package deal. :)
On January 6th, just 2 days shy of our 2 month mark, I opened my door to find a castle with the picture of Michael "proposing" at Disneyland on my doorstep. Michael dropped down to one knee and asked me to marry him. As you can tell by his happy expression and thumbs-up, I said yes.
:)
Once Michael and I decided to get married, the fun of planning a wedding began. Here are just a few of our engagement pictures.
Despite the joy of finally finding my Eternal Companion, this year has been extremely difficult and painful for my family. At the end of January my Aunt Terry passed away from cancer.
My Grandpa Jack was diagnosed with cancer the week of Christmas. His doctor found a tumor on the left side of his face and the back of his neck. Sadly, the doctor didn't think it necessary to look further. After 4 weeks of radiation on those 2 tumors, the other tumors on his spine (the ones the doctor didn't know about because he didn't care to look) had grown beyond control. 3 weeks after my Aunt Terry died, my Grandpa Jack passed away in my arms on February 24th. I miss him so much I can barely breathe sometimes.
With only 2 weeks left until Michael and I are sealed for time and all eternity in the Manti Temple, life is getting even more hectic than it's been the past few months. All I can do now is hope and pray that someday soon things will settle down and life will return to some bearable version of normal. As for now, I grieve for my family and the loss we have all experienced in such a short amount of time.
