Engaged!

Wanna know something crazy? The last blog post I made was the day before we got engaged! And I simply had no idea what was about to come!

We went to Michigan the weekend of the 23rd to spend some time with my brother while my dad was over seas working.  My sister came up as well because she was planning to work from Michigan the following week.

Christopher and I knew we wanted to go to Spicer's Orchard to go shopping for some of our favorite wine- cranberry!!  He had mentioned that he wanted to go apple picking, and I agreed with him though I figured there would be no apples to pick since it is WINTER and was literally 10 degrees that weekend.

Well we made it to the Orchard, and I guess Christopher mumbled t
hat all the trees are dead under his breath as we pulled up to the Orchard (Brittany and Zach we
re with us).  We went into the orchard to get the wine, some cider, and some donuts for the non-gluten intolerant.  We put everything in the c
ar and were ready to go! Except Christopher kept asking if we were going to walk around.  I was very non-cooperative because it was FREEZING.  Brittany convinced me to walk over to the cider viewing window--but it was closed.  So then I was ready.  But Christopher was not! He wondered off into the apple trees, in the snow.  I eventually followed, found a frozen apple and threw it at the ground-- ready to get going! (Brittany was silently hoping i would not be a bitch at this moment!).  Christopher eventually grabbed my arm, told me he loved me and told me that I am his best friend.  He got on one knee in the snow, and asked me to marry him.  It all happened so QUICK! I was just totally not expecting it and NEVER clued into it!  It was so perfect.  I was so happy to be surprised, to have my siblings there, and to have the man of my dreams ask me to be his wife.

It was such a joy to call our family and friends- though our family already knew! He had spoken to my dad the week prior, and had told his family as well.  It felt incredible to feel celebrated by our loved ones.

It was very hard for me to not be able to tell my mom, to show her my ring, and to celebrate this incredible time of my life with her.  It can be so incredibly hard to explain to other people just how difficult it is to not have my momma here anymore.  Our family is unlike a lot that I know--we talk all the time, tell each other the good and the bad, share in victories and losses, and are there for one another no matter what.  I miss that about my mom.  She was the number one cheerleader in our family.  No matter what, she was there- physically or figuratively- whenever I needed her.   And in moments of stress or intense joy, she is who I want.  Not because I don't have other people in my life to turn to, but because for my entire life she was THAT person for me.  I love my mom so much, and I miss her more each and every day.

Happy New Year--2013!

Never have I been so grateful to leave a year behind me!  I have had a countdown to 2013 since September, and I am so glad to be saying goodbye to 2012 tonight, though I am not saying good-riddens exactly how I had planned.  I have been fighting a silly cold since right after christmas and am not able to visit my mom in the hospital.  My mom and dad will be ringing in the new year together in the hospital, and Zach and I will be ringing it in here at home, that is, if I can stay awake!

2012 has been rough for many reasons; countless health battles for my mother, countless emotional struggles that my family has had to overcome including the death of my my papaw, and simply watching my mom fight so hard every single day.  On top of that I have had long work/school days, my dad has as well making schedules complicated, my sister is likely VERY sick of her car and the drive from MI to IN, and Zach is likely sick of people asking him how he is doing and asking him about his grades.  My boyfriend moved across the country to SC and I miss him all of the time. BUT there have been GREAT things too...

Great 4th of July memories at the boat, great Seabrook memories, an incredible man I have truly fallen in love with, a family that I will forever be grateful for, a brother who is now driving an AWESOME jeep, a mother who has shown me what strength really is, a papaw who left this earth not before showing me what generosity is, a life of endless learning. 

I am really hoping for a 2013 that is full of health, prosperity, generosity in this nation, beauty, happy changes, and man and I living in the same zipcode!!!

My 2012 final thoughts is something that has struck me lately, which is how often people tell my momma to keep fighting, or to stay strong, and while I understand that these words are meant in good faith, they are actually quite inconsiderate.  Well I think they are, I haven't had the courage to ask her what she thinks because I would likely cry.  I think they are inconsiderate simply because it takes her strength to wake up, to move her legs from side to side, to move in her bed, when she has to ASK to get up, to take her 20+ pills twice a day, etc etc etc.  The strength she has is more than any of us have, and she already has that strength...AND that strength has nothing to do with the outcome of her illness.  She is fighting, as are the doctors, as is her family, but the outcome of her illness, her prognosis, if you will, should never be a reflection on her; and words like "keep fighting" or "stay strong" implies that she has the option to not do that for one, and two that the result of not doing that would be failure.  I'm sure people may disagree, but I feel that applauding her strength and incredible tenacity would be much more appropriate, I just don't think we as a culture know these things unless you have experienced it personally.

Yoga

Since Colleen is peacing out to do Peace Corp things oh so soon, she has been doing some cool Ann Arbor bucket list things, including Yoga.  She looked up some different yoga places in town, and A2Yoga is awesome and lets you test out the center for a week before signing up for anything!!!  It's really great because we are getting to try several different types of yoga and learn lots before investing in a package!

We started with Vinyasa and did Anasura today.  I am doing Vinyasa again tomorrow, and on Tuesday we are hitting up a Nia class.  A2Yoga also has three FREE classes every week no matter what...SO cool.  I am really enjoying it thus far.  It's an incredible work out yet is also so calming at the same time.  I love it! 

I am also hoping that some Yoga classes at the Club will work with my schedule so I can keep reaping the benefits of free yoga classes, of course!

#218: Quiet weekends.
#219: Puppy cuddles, baby brother wrestling, and lazy saturdays.
#220: Sunday shopping trips for summer clothes, followed by warm sunshine.
#221: The winding down of the semester.  Every day seems closer to warm, long days full of shining sun and summer dresses.
#222: Grading will be done by the end of this week.  Countdown.

Boyne Highlands--Ski Trip in 15 Hours

I haven't skied  since my helicopter ride off the mountain in Saas Fe, Switzerland [which was, by the way, the first time I had ever skied].  My baby brother is on the ski team at Brighton and loves it..and with his skiing, my parents have to cart him all over Michigan for various competitions.  This past weekend, they were at Boyne Highlands and Chris and I decided to tag along...

Now let me just say that I don't actually know what I'm doing while I'm skiing and I hate going fast (in cars, boats, skis, what have you) so I am basically terrified the entire time the skis are on my feet.  BUT I also kinda love it.  I love the feeling of going down the mountain, and I love seeing the really good skiers and the REALLY REALLY tiny little babies that can ski better than they can talk. 

Boyne was absolutely gorgeous, and the drive up there was incredibly beautiful as well.  I highly recommend going :)  I find myself falling more and more in love with this state as I realize more and more that it is simply not where I am meant to live....I promise that isn't as confusing as it sounds...

What I learned in Boyne:
#136: Babies/Toddlers are people, but really small people that struggle to put words to their emotions.  Because of this, parents become frustrated easily.  My dad thinks this is okay, though, because it makes the parent feel better, and the child won't remember and then the padre can go home to his wife happy.  Not violent.
#137: My brother is becoming less of a baby in some ways, but more of a baby in others.  I guess it is his process of growing up...and growing up with so many adults who constantly have opinions on your actions. 
#138: I don't miss being a teenager at all.  And I definitely don't miss feeling like I have to fit a certain mold to be accepted.
#139: As independent as I like to think I am, I still need help all the time; with buttoning my helmet, putting on shoes, putting on mittens, and getting up when I fall down.  It may irk my independent side to admit I need help...but it's also nice knowing people will be there to help me when I ask.
#140: You're never too old for a lesson in humility.  Fall off a chair lift, then come talk to me about how cool you are.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2012 to all of my family and friends!  I had an amazing Christmas break this year and I couldn't be more grateful for those I got to spend time with!!


I was able to spend a couple days in Michigan with my family celebrating my brother's birthday and Christmas, a couple days celebrating Christmas in Ohio, a few days at the Houseboat, and several days celebrating the new year with friends in Columbus.  I couldn't have asked for anything more.  I am excited for what this new year will bring, and I can't wait to share it with you!


Now I'm not a resolution making type of person, but I do have goals for every semester:
1. Work on maintaining balance in my life.  Saying no is not a bad thing.
2. Always be honest about expectations, desires, needs, and wants in professional and personal situations.
3. Enjoy every moment; don't wish away the months, days, hours.  Every breath is a gift.

4. Put my health as a priority.  Headaches need to be controlled! I need time to work out and time to eat. 
5. Do something I've never done before...like a 1/2 marathon in April...or something like that :)

#104: New experiences, new friends and new adventures.
#105: Watching my buckeyes lose in Columbus was sad.  But watching the game around hundreds of other buckeye lovers was amazing. 
#106: Planning for my first teaching semester is nerve wracking but exciting.  Appreciating all of the encouragement.
#107: Nothing better than friends being excited about my life.  I'm excited about my life.  I love my life.  And I couldn't be more grateful for that fact.

Columbus!

#108: Columbus is an awesome city.  Not only because everyone loves the buckeyes there, but also because family life is HUGE there and there are SO many adorable, happy families there.  It's such a blessing to see smiles on the faces of little rascals.

Fourteenth Birthday

My baby brother turned fourteen today.  It's so weird to think of him as a teenager, and not as a child.  As he gets older I realize that I actually am getting older as well; people often expect me to be in a relationship, expect me to be moved out of my parent's home and expect me to be more mature.  I prefer to stay younger for a bit longer.

I love being close to my family, and I love the memories that I build with them each Christmas.  At dinner this evening we discussed some infamous vacations we've taken.  Of course Lake Cumberland is on the list, but our trips to Saas Fe, Switzerland, Nuremberg, Germany and Disney World were irreplaceable.  As I enjoy being young and depending on my parents for a lot of my support, I do in fact look forward to the day when I can include my future family and cute children on my awesome families vacations.  So few can vacation like the Polen's vacation!

This years tree!

Saas Fe!

Pure beauty...God is real.

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!