Getting Hitched!

I've spent too many hours in spreadsheet hell at work this week and needed an internet break and just remembered my long forgotten blog. So why not give whoever reads this an update on the interesting lives of Jen, John and Harvey? Sure!

If you haven't already guessed by the picture John popped the question, in March, on a beautiful trail in Zion's National Park right along the banks of the Virgin River. Awww... he knows what I like. Zion's is my favorite place to be, and he's my favorite person to be with. Of course I said yes, and we now have plans to make it all official and stop living in sin on August 18th, 2011.

Neither of us wanted a big wedding at all, and having been through this process once before, I knew that any wedding at all would be a big wedding, if you are trying not to hurt anyone's feelings. Our plan has been to elope. Eloping technically means running off in secret with no plans and just getting married, we didn't do that (obviously since I am telling you about it all now), but we are doing a "private destination wedding". Classy sounding, right? We are planning on spending a week in Glacier National Park in Montana the 3rd week in August, getting married in the middle and making a whole wedding/honeymoon trip out of it, just the two of us, a photographer and Rev. Lois. I'm so freaking excited. Neither of us has been there, but we've heard that it's a mecca for people that love lakes, mountains, fishing, hiking and boating. Which we do. A lot.

So yes, 2011 so far seems to be a good year. I was re-hired at the job that laid me off late 2010 (I swear FranklinCovey is like an abusive boyfriend that just keeps apologizing to me and I keep taking them back). I get to wear my pretty new Herkimer diamond ring from my kick ass husband to be, and I've started running again and this time around I am fast! Woo hoo!

Weird post, I know. I blame the spreadsheets and lack of sunlight.

Jen

Wild Woman

I just need to vent here for a minute.  John moved in over last weekend, and I, being excited about it, have told some coworkers and family members, only to be met with a strange, uncomfortable reaction.  Since telling some coworkers that I considered friends, I have felt a definite shift in our relationship at work.  It's gone from personal to professional pretty quickly.  I am the only non-LDS person here on my team, but that is no secret.  It's not like I just came out of the LDS closet or anything.  They see me drinking my coffee, wearing my sleeveless shirts and joke with me about drinking beer like it's some crazy insane thing I do on the weekends.  Yet for some reason this move seems to have made them extremely uncomfortable.  I guess it's not funny to joke about "living in sin" like it is to joke about having a shot of whiskey.

My immediate family has been surprisingly supportive and even happy for John and I.  I was expecting some backlash from them, but when my uncle gave me a disapproving look followed by "we really need to sit down sometime and talk about this", it made me realize how great my own mother and siblings have been.  They love John and honestly seemed surprised when it took us this long to actually move in together.  Hell, my own mother once made a comment about us having kids when he moved in, without the mention of marriage.

It's difficult being the odd man out at work and in my family.  Having been raised in the Mormon church I understand where these people are coming from, but I wish so badly that my own personal choices and beliefs didn't put me on the opposite side of some imaginary line so often, after all, I'm still the same person inside, regardless of what I do on Sunday.  I sit through meetings where church callings, someone's new bishop or fireside talk's they heard last Sunday take up half the meeting, yet when I mention my live in boyfriend, you could hear a pin drop on the carpeted floor and the subject quickly changes.  I'm not a wild chick, I'm 30 years old, have been dating this man for nearly 2 and a half years, we both have full time jobs and I can't tell you the last time I went to a bar or couldn't make it to work due to a hangover.

Utah I love you, but at times I cringe because of you.  It's a good thing you have kick ass mountains and deserts that don't judge me and my evil, sinner ways, and thank god for good friends.

Moving Weekend

It's here, the big moving weekend.  John is officially moving all of his stuff (well, what of it will fit) into the Condo de la Jen and Harvey.  I've been doing my very best to clear out as much space as I can in the place for John to keep things like socks, tools, guns and duct tape.  It's amazing to me that when I moved in I felt like I had tons and tons of space and after 2 years and countless Ikea trips, I now have things tucked into every nook and cranny in that place.  How does that happen?

Goodwill is going to get a nice big donation from me tonight.  I finally finished going through my closet and actually was able to reduce almost 1/2 of my space usage.  I totally deserve a prize for that.  The key you may ask?  Getting rid of any clothes I purchased in the 1990's or that I bought on impulse and still had the DI tags hanging from them.  It's a good rule of thumb.  Oh yeah, that and those piles of jeans that I have been hoping to fit back into for the last 5 years.  I have some curves (or bulges or jiggles) and I accept them and the bigger jeans they require me to wear.  I have found peace.

If I'm being completely honest I am totally excited about John moving in, but also a little freaked out.  I'm going to be living with a boy again.  Living with just me and my small unobtrusive little dog has been so wonderful.  I won't lie, I love living alone more than I ever thought I would.  John is wonderful, don't get me wrong, I love him dearly, but his snoring, stinky socks and the like will take some getting used to on a daily basis.  As I'm sure my long brown hair all over the bathroom, expired food in the fridge, girly movie tendencies and finicky sleeping habits will take some getting used to for him as well.

It's a journey and a path I am more than excited to head down with this man.  Once we get all of that boy stuff moved in, and it starts feeling like "our house" not "my house" I will be nothing but happy, I'm absolutely sure of it.  Really, it's a good thing, too much time on my own lead to really bad habits, like reality TV and Nutella binges, hence those larger sized jeans.

Welcome home John.

Dags

I watched this movie last night.  I am a big Jeff Bridges fan, and if you know me at all, you know that I am also a huge fan of our four legged canine counterparts.  The movie was sweet.  It was definitely meant to be a heartwarming family flick, which is sometimes just what I need.  In the movie there was a scene where Jeff Bridges' old dog has to be put down and of course I cried freely and held on to my own Harvey tightly.  Is there a way that I can ensure that Harvey lives forever?  He's in his 6th year and as healthy as could be. I am sure that he will be the first dog to live to the ripe old age of 76.  Please do not tell me that this is not possible.  It has to be.

After the tear soaked scene in the movie, Jeff Bridges moves to a farm house in upstate NY with the trouble maker doggie in the picture.  It's there that they understand each other and bond and yada, yada, yada... happiness, obedience and warm and fuzzy feelings follow.  It made me want to move to a small farm house in upstate NY with my own dog, and my own NY'er.  Damn the jobs and mortgages that hold us here.

Anyways, here's to all the mutt's out there, and to the Dude, who still abides.

Yup.

I'm getting a new roommate.  Guess who?

Grunt and do it.

Why do I sign up for races that take place in the fall so all of my longest, hardest training runs fall in August, the hottest time of the year?  Because I love getting up at 4:30 am on a Saturday just to get my miles in before the sun comes up?  No, because I'm not a smart girl.

I'm a bad blogger, I know. Life just passes and things sometimes don't feel very "blog-worthy". Yet as I read anything on the internet I wonder if really much is "internet worthy" at all (Angelina Jolie through the years, really MSN, is that the best you've got for us?). Sigh...

The last month or so has been busy and full of big events. I have another niece, the ninth child my siblings have provided, a new little girl named Alexis. She's freaking adorable, although I know I am completely biased. Here she is in the arms of her also freakishly cute older sister, Amanda.

I found a new band and a new genre of music that I am finding myself addicted too. I went to concert with a good friend a few weeks ago, a band I didn't know much about, but thought, what the hell, live music is usually fun. I was in for one of the best live shows I've ever seen. Picture a bible belt revival set in a little country bar with lots of gothic sounding banjo and steel guitar and lyrics that are mixed with gospel songs I used to sing at age 14 at my Mormon girls camp and lines about how Satan has a hold and we are all sliding down to hell. Incredible, really. I need more, and my Amazon account is providing me my fixes.

Ahh the river! The Weber river! I love and hate ya sometimes. We've floated this beast twice now this summer, once was wonderfully successful and we found that my little 8 pound mutt is not only a fantastic long distance runner but is also a boat dog. That's right, in one weekend little Harvey went Kayaking and fishing and rafted the Weber river. Hell ya, who said little dogs are pussies?

The second river trip of the summer was rough, the Mormon's might be right, Satan might have total control of the water on Sunday's, or the inflation of rafts, who knows, but that trip kicked our asses. Luckily it ended well and we were able to show 2 little kiddies the best time of their lives. Even with the cuts, scrapes, bruises, sunburns and lost articles, the trip was a success.

And yes, I got me a boomstick. My very own. Boom! Happy summer.