Engagements

More graduation

We have a picture of me sitting on the sign when I was accepted to what was then UVSC

Isaac and I

My parents are AMAZING!

Apparently I told my mom something and it was funny.

My awesome professors and bosses...

Kyle came! Totally made my day that he was there.

Kati and Ingrid! Love these girls. I've spent everyday with them for the last year.

Graduation!

The awesome people that came to support me. Minus Kyle, he was there too, but he took the picture.
Walking across the stage. The dean would clap for us in sign language.

Me with the Dean

My parents got a picture with President Uchtdorf. We became really good friends during the Commencement.

Why yes, that is President Monson speaking at graduation.

ITS APRIL!!!

I'm officially a college graduate this month. I can't believe it... years in the making and this is where I am. Some days it seemed like this would never happen, other times I sit back and wonder where time has gone and how I got here. Its been a lot of work, a lot of emotion, and a lot of fun. Its been awesome to see the Deaf Studies Department grow and expand. The professors in the program are amazing. I've learned so much, not only about Deaf Studies, but about life and learning to think for myself and critically analyze situations. Now, me being an independant thinker or "radical" as I'm sometimes called (for which I laugh... hard.) has not always worked to my advantage in other classes, but I think it will be good in the long run.

I'm one month closer to marrying the love of my life. The reality of being a military wife is starting to set in. Its an overwhelming thing at times, but I'm excited to jump into that world and make the best of it. Luckily Isaac has close friends that he works with that all have wives, so at least I've hopefully got that built in support system. It has been amazing to see the kind of love and understanding that military wives have for eachother. Hopefully I'll get the hang of things quickly.

I'm so excited to marry Isaac. I didn't know life could get this good and I didn't know how lucky I would be in life! Oh, all the times I've considered just settling in life... such a bad idea! He pushes me everyday to be the best version of myself. And to that I'm grateful. He loves me even though my faults sometimes overpower my strengths and is committed to making us as strong as we can be. I know it will be a long, tough road, but I feel like we can face whatever challenges come our way and come out stronger than before.

Wedding plans are coming along nicely. My mom has been incredible this whole time and has gone above and beyond to get all the details put together. She's listened to every idea that I've had and I think it will be a truly awesome day. I'm so lucky to have her. With the wedding in Oregon, I'd definately have a hard time doing this alone.

Well, I better get ready for class... It's kinda nice not having to go till 10 or 11!

Tata.

We're Engaged!

Wow! I'm actually engaged! We're so excited! A lot of people have been asking the same questions, so I thought I'd just throw it up here and refer people from there :)

Isaac and I had bought the rings a few weeks ago so I know he had it, but didn't think he'd talked to my parents yet. He called his dad last Thursday, then he went to a friend's house shortly after that so I wasn't expecting anything. I talked to my mom on Saturday morning and she said that my dad had been gone since Friday morning, so in my mind there was absolutely no way that they talked. So that busted all suspicions that he would be proposing that day!

Since the sun is starting to finally come out and we're starting to see signs that spring is just around the corner, so we're getting the itch to be outside so we decided to take the 4 wheeler up American Fork Canyon last saturday to ride around a little. We got the 4 wheeler loaded up and ready to go and headed up the canyon. We got to where we were going to ride and Isaac realized he forgot the key to the 4 wheeler... oops. He felt really bad and I just wanted to be outside so we decided to walk around Tibble Fork Reservoir and just explore that area. Well, apparently Tibble Fork has a stream that goes into it so we hiked up the stream to find a good place to cross when we found that someone had laid small pallets all the way across and so we started using those. Apparently once you put weight on them, they start to sink, causing the stright from the glacier water to get in our shoes and the bottom of our pants wet. Isaac turns around and says that it's not going to work so we've got to go back. I was more than fine with getting my feet out of the cold water! But as I turned around he told me to wait one minute. So I looked at him like he was crazy and he started pulling my ring out of his pocket and went ahead and proposed right there. It was so like him to do something like that, and definately made the experience memerable!

We will be sealed for time and all eternity on the 14th of August, 2009 in the Portland, Oregon LDS Temple. We are excited that we will not only have the opportunity to be married in the temple and recieve the blessings that come from that. We are also happy that we have made it through the last couple years, to have him home from Iraq and feeling like himself again. We are ever mindful of those that cannot be with us at this time but feel their influence daily.

Welcome Home 142... Welcome Home.

With Isaac not only being in the military, but actively engaging in every aspect of the lifestyle, we have a unique opportunity to have friends and loved ones deployed at various times. Our good friend Kindy came home yesterday as part of a group of almost 300 soldiers returning to Utah to face the joys and the challenges that come after a year of deployment. When Isaac came home, there were only about 30 of them so they flew in a military plane and all got off at the same time. With Kindy's group being so big, they came in 2 different groups on Southwest Airlines planes. Ever since Kindy left I've been asking Isaac when she would get home. I don't know who was more excited to have her come home, me, or Isaac...only because it would make me stop asking! But alas, yesterday was the day and I was so excited.

Since there were 2 groups, they had one group come in at 5:45 a.m. and the other at 6:45 a.m. Luckily Kindy was on the later one. Since mornings and I do not get along, I was glad not to have to get there at 5:45. BUT- Since Isaac would have so many friends coming home, he wanted to be there for both flights. Dang it. Oh well, I went along with it and I was glad that I did.

We drove up to the SLAB (Salt Lake Air Base) really really early to see that everyone was already there. I left my camera, the balloons and the "Welcome Home Kindy" sign that we had made in the car till I figured out where we were going and didn't want to carry it around for an hour. As we were talking to people that had come home, we found out that the first plane was a half hour early and their families weren't even there to greet them as they came home. Sad! I can't imagine missing it! So we were figuring it out when the hanger we were in got louder and louder, then I looked at my phone to see what time it was..6:19. Kindy was a half hour early! No time to run to the car to get the stuff, so I headed to the front of the line to watch the soldiers get off the plane. We had arranged that Kindy's family would be holding a singular yellow happy face balloon and I told them that I would get to the front since I would be there early. I searched for the yellow balloon and noticed that it was no where to be found. Oh No! They're not here yet, the flight came in 25 minutes early and there's nothing we can do. I watched the group of veterans from all different wars make a tunnel holding our flags then they started coming down the stairs. This is the point I started to cry. Knowing the emotions that all these people have faced in the last year, I remember the feeling I had when I was allowed to hug Isaac for the first time in months.

Finally Kindy started coming down the stairs, shaking the obligatory hands of governors, senators and whoever else came to see them. As soon as she was done I called for her and she came running. We hugged and cried for a long time before I gave Isaac a chance to give her a hug too. We looked around and saw men who had missed the birth of a child, lost parents and women that were able to hold their children for their first time in a year. What a great day. A day that we can rest from our worries and know that at least right now, our friends are home. With any luck, we wont have friends deployed again until next year.

Many people will never experience a loved one on deployment, but I can honestly say that these experiences bring a new appreciation for the phrase "Freedom is not free". I look at the flag and remember those that are still fighting for the right to have that flag fly. I've learned the true meaning of patriotism and know the hardships that come everyday. With so much negative press for the war, people forget the lives that are given to even give them the right to keep speaking so negatively about them. I'm proud of every member of the military for their sacrifices and their devotion to this country. I hope that I can always remember the feeling of bringing a soldier home so that I might remember the sacrifices of so many and continue to be appreciative everyday of ever single freedom that I enjoy.
With that said... Welcome home 142... Welcome home. We're so excited you're here.

Christmas

Well, this year was different. Oregon had a huge snow/ice storm that literally shut the place down! I wasn't sure I was even going to get there in the first place, but luckily I made it in town and rode the Max to Beaverton so my parents didn't have to go very far. It's pretty uneventful when you're snowed in and there isn't much goin on! Kyle was able to make it up a couple times and it was fun to have him around. Christmas eve wasn't the big to-do that it usually is, which was actually kinda nice. There were just 6 of us and we had the opportunity to talk and enjoy each other's company. I got to have both of my Grandma's there, LUCKY ME! Then I even got an added bonus when Grandma Gloria stayed the night with us. We stayed up WAY too late talking and having fun, it was nice.

The days following Christmas my dad and I worked on the Vial's new GORGEOUS house. They've thought of EVERYTHING and I am still blown away by it. What a neat place. It was fun to get out with my dad and work with our hands a little. I've always found it relaxing and love doing projects around the house so that was a nice distraction from the 13 inches of snow and ice outside. I also enjoyed some time in Dad's new shop helping him build a platform for a new washer and dryer. It was bad timing for their dryer to go out! Luckily they got a new one and are enjoying it I'm sure.

That's really all that happened. Pretty uneventful, but great at the same time. With all the happenings, it was nice to just relax for a week!