Christmas Week

Christmas 2009 - photo slideshow

Christmas Week

It has been such an enjoyable break for Mike and I. We have spent so much time just relaxing, getting projects done, and spending quality time together and with family.

Break down of the week's events:

Monday— we seriously did nothing, just relaxed, oh and I was super sick.

Tuesday—I was feeling better and wanted to get out and do something active so we first went to my favorite places to eat: Einstein Bagels for breakfast, and then went and played arcades and miniature golf.

Wed—we went tubing with Mikes family which was so much fun. We sandwiched on top of each other and made some pretty good trains with everyone :). I ended up banging my elbow on the ice pretty hard when I sandwiched on top of Mike on our last run, and it swelled up pretty good and now it is black, blue, and yellow, and hurts every time I hit it on something :).

Thursday, Christmas Eve—we went over to Mikes families house and had a wonderful breakfast, socialized, tied fleece blankets for the homeless and took them to the shelter, and then Mike and I helped Jeff pick out a really cute gift for his girlfriend :). We came home and made chili and cornbread and opened our Christmas pjs, watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation and laughed our heads off.

Friday, Christmas Day—we had a lazy, wonderful morning. We made crepes for breakfast, opened our stockings and our gifts. Mike got me three really cool pairs of jeans, a super cute shirt with different languages on it, two necklaces I wanted, some black boots, two long sleeve thermals, a sweater, mac makeup brushes, and coupons for a full body massage and other things. I got him two pairs of boots, socks, gloves, a v-neck t-shirt, a hat, and chocolates. Nika freaked out about her stocking. We got her tuna—her fav, which she chowed— and these two toys that she went crazy over; it really was the cutest, funniest thing to see how much fun she had with them. We then headed up to SLC to have lunch at aunt Jills with all the cousins/extended family. We then spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and going to the movie Sherlock Holmes, which was actually pretty good.

Saturday—we were so pooped out from all the festivities so we just relaxed, spent the morning working out and having a spa day. We set up the office for foot baths, the bedroom for massages and the living room for working out/stretching. It was so much fun! Then we went and exchanged some of the gifts we got each other, and went out for ice cream at JCW's and came home and watched a movie.

Sunday, OUR FIRST ANNIVERSARY!!! It was such a wonderful anniversary spent together doing intimate things—reading letters we had each written to each other (Mike's made me cry), making a huge fondue meal with cheese and bread, broth with steak, chicken and veges, and yummy chocolate fondue with nilla wafers, strawberries and bananas. We also enjoyed the top piece of our wedding cake which was actually really yummy a year later. We took a nice nap after church, and enjoyed other intimate moments together :). Oh and Mike got me the most gorgeous pink roses I have ever seen! Thanks babe! I love you so much!!! And look forward to spending many more anniversaries with you!!

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas time again! Can you believe it? We just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. We wish we could spend time with everyone! It seems hard to keep in touch--with everyone living here and there, so we decided to make a video with hopes of allowing everyone to catch a glimpse into our life. Some parts of the video are sequels to segments of our wedding video and the Christmas Jingle at the end is mainly for Amanda's family, so if it doesn't make sense, don't worry about it.

We have decided to send out a video every year at Christmas time...making it a Moncur tradition. The video will document our life over the past year with pictures, video clips and some skits. We hope it makes you laugh! We love you all!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

P.S. If you didn't get a video and would like one just let us know.

Mannheim

Stacey was so kind and generous to invite Mike and I to the Mannheim Steamroller concert in SLC Thursday evening. Talk about experiencing nostalgic moments— taking you back to your childhood! I remember every December, along with Kenny R and Dolly P, listening to the Mannheim albums. They bring back so many cherished memories spent with my family. This last video I uploaded made me cry when I saw it live. I couldn't help but remember Deirdre and Michelle doing this duet each year on the piano and keyboard. Even though they fought about the other messing up, and got frustrated with it, it added such a memorable Christmas spirit to our home. I love my family dearly and I miss being young and spending Christmas's together as kids. The power of music is amazing; it has the ability to recall thousands of feelings, thoughts, and memories. I wish everyone could have been there at the concert. It reminded me of all of you, especially my dearest mother. I am glad Mike enjoyed it (he had never heard of them and I was a bit wary cause they are a bit different, but he liked it). It will be a tradition I pass on to my children. Thanks again Stace! It was awesome to see you and to set the tone for Christmas with Mannheim.

Jeff's Farewell

We were able to attend Mikes brothers farewell this past Sunday. Jeff did such a wonderful, thorough job talking about Joseph Smith and the Restoration. It is crazy to think he will be gone for two years! We will miss him so much! But we are so excited for his exciting journey and to hear about all of his wonderful experiences he will have in Argentina. What a blessing it will be to him and his family and to all of those he comes in contact with. We are so proud of him! He is such an inspiration to us all! We love you!!

Mikes 26th Birthday

26 things I love about Mike:

His smile, his laugh, his stomach, his hands, the color of his eyes, his hair, his patience, his humor, his desire to be positive, his amazing ability to imitate people, his ability to draw, his style, his metrosexual side (loves to shop, be romantic, etc), his athletic side, the love he always offers me, his kisses, his massages, his listening ear, the way he can relate to people, the ability he has to see humor in life, how motivated he is in attaining his goals, his hard work ethic, what a wonderful support he is to me and my aspirations, his calm nature/easy going personality, how he manages stressful situations, and his face that lights up when he sees me come home, giving me the biggest hug and twirling me around like I was the best thing that walked through the door!

Although I am a few days late, HAPPY BIRTHDAY babe! (His birthday was December 6th). We had an awesome weekend celebrating! Saturday we went up to Salt Lake and spent the afternoon shopping for Christmas gifts and other things—got some way cute things! We haven't been shopping forever so it was so we had a blast! We went and saw "A Christmas Carol," which was amazing! Jim Carry is exceptional! Then we picked up Chinese and went and stayed the night in a suite at The Kimbal. It was so much fun to get away and spend some much needed alone time, QUALITY TIME, together! The suite was awesome, they had the biggest jacuzzi tub we've ever been in. We had a nice long bubble bath with sparkling cider, ate our chinese and slept the night away :).

I was also able to make Mike breakfast, take him to one of his favorite restaurants: Rib City—YUM, and surprise him with a few other things. It was such a nice weekend together! I love Mike so much; he has brought the greatest amount of joy into my life!

Happy 26th Babe! Thank you for sharing your life with me. I love and adore everything about you!!

Cutest Kitten

Saw this on Ellen; made me laugh so hard. Cutest thing!!

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving 2009 - photo slideshow

Thanksgiving 2009

We decided to be with my family, in Oregon, for Thanksgiving this year. Despite going an hour out of our way because of our GPS, we made the 13 hour trip safe and sound, in pretty good weather, Tuesday evening. It was so good to see my mom and dad and visit with them as we watched the results show of Dancing with the Stars (shout out to Donny who won)!

There were a lot of things I learned on this vacation; we were truly inspired to come, and I thank Mike for pushing the decision, because if I would have had my way I would have just stayed and done homework in Utah.

Wednesday we went and saw Jared, who was kind enough to fix my knee. Then we went to Ashland and went into Paddington to say hello to all of my old co-workers/employers. It really was good to see the store doing well and to see everyone again. They are incredible people, and I have so many fun memories with them. It was good to see those we didn’t get to see last year and for Mike to meet them.

It was so much fun walking around Ashland. Mike and I love it there; we love the stores. I took him to eat breakfast at Morning Glory (Yummy omelets and blueberry pancakes), and then we walked through the shops for a couple hours. We were meeting Lisa for dinner at Black Sheep (fish and chips), and so we killed another two hours by getting some yummy yogurt, and seeing the new Twighlight movie, “New Moon.” It was actually pretty good; we really enjoyed it.

Seeing Lisa and catching up was awesome! I have so much respect for her and all she does. She is one of the most intelligent, incredible people I know. It always seems I am seeking some sort of advice from her. It was good to ask her opinion about what I wanted to go into—magazine writing, and for her to tell me to not be afraid, to put myself out there, to believe in myself, my talents, and my gifts, and to submit my work to various magazines. It was good to get her advice and to catch up with such a good friend. She really is amazing and I value our friendship so much.

Thursday was a blast! My family has decided to do Thanksgiving like this every year from now on. Jenn had to work all day so we moved Thanksgiving to Friday. We drove up to Michelle’s and spent all afternoon there shooting guns (me and Mikes first time, well his second, my first), riding four wheelers, playing a game of flag football (which was a blast), goofing off, and eating some yummy dinner—cinnamon rolls, chili, deer stew (Jared shot a buck in his back yard with Jaxon a few days before), cider, cornbread, salad, cupcakes and all sorts of goodies. Michelle had us do a Thanksgiving game she bought, and we each went around and answered the questions on our individual cards. It was so much fun being with everyone, seeing everyone, getting re-acquainted, playing with the kids (Maile and her friend dressed Mike up to the nines in makeup and their dress up clothes—so cute)! It was so good to see Grandpa. I just love him so much! If it weren’t for he and my grandma none of us would be here. Despite all the ups and downs my family has gone through we truly are such a strong family. It was nice to have Mindi and Donovan there and to also have Enrique and Stella; the more the better!!! Jared and Michelle have the perfect place to host such fun Thanksgiving festivities! It was so much fun! Mike and I will never forget it.

Friday we had our actual Thanksgiving meal, and Stacey and Shayna did such a beautiful job with the setting. They put a wedding tent up in their garage and decorated it with lights, flowers, candles, and Christmas bulbs. It was gorgeous! We had heaters out there so we were toasty warm; one of the best Thanksgiving settings ever! Dinner was incredible as always! Traditional meal: Turkey, cranberries, salad, toasted marshmallow sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, cottage cheese orange jello salad, pickles/olives, a vege tray, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, celery with cheese, pumpkin/pecan pie, apple crisp, chocolate cake, this yummy pretzel cream cheese salad Michelle made . . . It was delicious! I love Thanksgiving dinner and the yummy turkey sandwiches the day after! YUM.

Another really amazing moment was Stacey toasting the renewal of his relationship to Donovan. Everyone got emotional when he said the thing he was most thankful for was their relationship, and how Donovan has always been an older brother Stacey has looked up too. He pulled out a picture he stole from mom of he and Donovan, as kids, and said he hung it in his office and looked at it everyday, reminding him that Donovan got him where he is today. He expressed how he sat and had a talk with Alec, on the way to early morning seminary one day, about brothers and the importance of family. There really wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Considering everything they have gone through, it was really an amazing moment to witness. Donovan was in tears; really grateful that Stacey expressed what he did, giving him a big hug. It was really special to be apart of.

After dinner we hung out, played games (arm and a leg and this guessing celebrity name game). I love playing games with my family; we all let loose, get crazy, loud, and obnoxious. It is seriously one of my favorite times with them because I feel like I can be myself, and we have so much fun being goofy and crazy together. Speaking of goofy and crazy, Mike pulled up this crazy photo booth program on my MAC, and boy did we ever take the ugliest pictures! We put them up on Stacey’s TV and watched them and died laughing at how distorted and ugly everyone looked. HAHA it was so freakin funny!

Another amazing thing; probably my favorite part of the trip was seeing how close Mike got to my family; how much he opened up and how they got to see the Mike I know and love. It was important to him that we spend more time with them so he could get to know them better. They love Mike. Stacey and Shayna think he is so funny! It was so fun to see people laughing/cracking up at his jokes and seeing Mike let loose and be himself. I loved every minute of it!!!

Saturday Mike and I were able to go see Jared and he was able to address some of the problems I have been having with dreaming all the time, and then he did a session with us as a couple so Mike could see what he did for work. It was the coolest thing ever! He opened up some channels that needed to be opened in both of us, together and individually, healing us from past relationships, and experiences as kids with our parents, etc. The spirit was really strong at one point, when he tested me on some things with my past. Another really cool things about Jared’s visit with us was when he told Mike, without knowing what Mike wanted to go into career wise, to make a list of all of his talents and to keep that list in his prayers. He told him the Lord would guide him to where he needed to be, to what he needed to do to make him happy and to help him utilize his gifts. So many more things were discussed; it was all so helpful for us.

Later that day we met everyone, had turkey sandwiches for lunch, and then headed up this canyon to cut down Christmas trees. Stacey was trying to get up the steep hills really fast, wanting to catch up to the guy in front of him, which was super crazy/scary. Mike and I seriously thought we were going off the cliff. I was surprised Shayna didn’t say anything, seeing that Vienna was in the truck. It was pretty fun though, knowing we made it back okay ☺. We also realized, half way up the mountain that we didn’t have any gas; we were running on empty. We didn’t know how we were going to get back down the mountain, but Stacey put it in neutral half the time and we made it down fine. It was gorgeous up there; a bit cold, but gorgeous. Everyone picked out their tree, cut it down, and loaded them up. It was fun because that was the first time any of us have cut our own Christmas tree. It was a good bonding family moment ☺.


We went to dinner at Si Casa Flores for dinner and then went back and played more games at Stacey’s. It was a really fun night! I love being with my family! They bring so much energy and life to my life; it is so much fun to all socialize together.
We were supposed to leave Sunday morning but Mike really wanted to stay an extra day; he was having too much fun with the fam. And we wanted an extra day to relax together. Everyone kept pulling for Mike, that he would win in getting us to stay; I kept telling everyone we were leaving unless they threw me a fiesta party with a piñata, dancing goats with too too’s , a roasted pig, and a luau. Stacey said he would get everything and throw the party for me, but he never did ☺.

We debated and debated, whether I really wanted/could miss another day of school up until the following morning. By the time we decided it was a bit late anyway so our decision was basically made ☺. We were inspired to stay though; we got to spend some more quality time with my family; with my parents, Jenn, Stace and Shayna’s kids, and with Stace and Shayna. We had a really good chat with Stace and Shayna for a few hours when everyone left. Mike was able to share his story with them and him and Stace were able to relate to each other about their past and all the things they have been through. It was really neat to hear/see how similar they are with what they have gone through, and to see each other in the present light of coming out of a really hard past and being the men that they are today. I came to admire both he and Shayna more for all the things they have been through and to for the people they are today. It gives me hope for our future, because it is hard when you are in something, to see there is hope at the end, there is success at the end, that you can get through things, and that things always have a way of working out. It was a really productive, positive conversation. I know how much Mike appreciated how relatable Stacey is and how accepting he is of him and his past. They also gave us some really good advice about moving; about getting away from Utah and moving on from both of our pasts and starting a fresh new life together. Even if you think you have healed and have moved on from your past, environments and memories surface, and subconsciously affect you. They create feelings of being consistently pulled back into this persona, into this “label,” into this person that you no longer are. I have realized, living where I live now, that it effects me almost on a daily basis, and as Stacey said, “you may not know it but those feelings transfer into your relationship with your spouse and you could find yourself upset or struggling with each other for reasons that have to do with your past and feeling like you are always held back.” I told them how tied down I felt to our house, and not feeling like we could pick up and move whenever we wanted too, and Stace made a good point: “you can never let anything feel like it is taking away your freedom; especially if it is doing something, moving some where, that is going to better you and your relationship. A house isn’t worth it, money isn’t worth it (Stacey knowing well enough that money isn’t worth it because if he moved back to Utah he could make three times the income he is making now). Your guy’s happiness is the most important thing, and I will tell you that you will never feel something so incredible and so freeing than moving to a new place; a place where you can create your future together, where you can leave your past behind you and move forward.” He told us that if we couldn’t sell the house we should consider renting it through a management company. “You have to look at things differently; you aren’t bound by your mortgage; it doesn’t own you. There are things you can do to get out of there if you want to, tomorrow.” That was something I needed to hear because I struggle with that, with feeling like I am bound to my house and other things around me. It was nice to have a different perspective presented to me and to see people who have lived that perspective and who have made it. Sure it was hard for them, but those hard times strengthened them as a couple. I am really excited now to have more options; to have the hope given to me that we don’t have to wait till the market turns around; we can, if we wanted to, move next year. And I am excited that Mike is equally looking forward to it, that he has that same perspective. And that Stacey was able to help him see things/think about things he really hasn’t before about his past, despite him being healed from it, consistently being apart of his life by surrounding himself in it.

This trip was incredible! It was the one of the best trips we have ever been on together. We created so many wonderful memories; we took some memorable pictures; we strengthened relationships; renewed perspectives, etc. I love my family; Mike loves my family. I am so grateful for everyone; everyone brings such a wonderful dynamic into our family. I will miss them tremendously!

5 keys to THRIVE!

watch these videos for inspiration or if you need a little hope.

http://tonyrobbinstraining.com/378/5-keys-to-thrive/

Bowling with Friends

Bowling with Friends - photo slideshow

Bowling with Friends

Friday we were able to spend an evening with some of our friends—Steve and Meg, and Alicen and Kirk (our fellow friends that are, like us, without children :). We went bowling. Despite the mishaps with the bowling lanes, we had a blast. It was good to catch up with some good friends and to laugh and have a fun time. I just love these girls! They crack me up. The first game was guys against the girls, and OF COURSE the girls WON!! Yeah girls! The second game was couples against couples and Mike and I were right there, on the frontline till the very end, and then Megan and Steve won with their spare and strikes. Good times! Can't wait to get together again soon!

Dinner with Les

Last night I was able to catch up with my dearest, beautiful friend, Les. I just love this girl! We have so much history together—15years—can’t even believe it’s been that long and we are both turning 30 next year—crazy!! The craziest thing is no matter how long we go without seeing each other we pick right back up where we left off. Another crazy thing: we always seem to go through something prior to the other person going through it, or at the exact same time. I love it! Our friendship means so much to me. I seriously feel so blessed to have such a deep seeded friendship with her. We are similar in so many ways, which is so refreshing. It is so nice to just sit with your best friend and talk openly about issues and concerns you are having, and know that they actually GET YOU, KNOW YOU, and ACCEPT YOU. I loved talking to her for hours, catching up, relating about crazy funny things in our life, reminiscing, being ugly and goofy and laughing. Good times! Can’t wait to get together more often and to see cute Nolan, and the next little one to join your family. Oh and thanks for all the “REAL” advice on motherhood; you are the person I will be relying on the most when I embark on that journey ☺, and no, I won’t forget that “it is amazing!” HAHA you crack me up! I love you so much!

Oh and I know you told me not to post these but I LOVE THEM! They remind me of old times. And so you know I took a few ugly ones to make it even :)

Regina Spektor

Regina Spektor - photo slideshow

Dre's Visit

Dre's Visit to Utah - photo slideshow

Regina and Deirdre's visit

First of all, I want to give a shout out to Amanda for getting A's on two papers she has worked on the past couple weeks. In her Theory class the Professor said the mid term she was about to take was one of the hardest tests of the semester and that, "some students even throw up before the test because it's so overwhelming." Well Amanda aced the test and got a 96%!! Then in her British Lit class she got a paper back with another A!! And the comments from the Professors on both papers were very complimentary! All the hard work is finally paying off!! Good job Baby!!

Friday night we went and saw Regina Spektor perform in Salt Lake at a club called "The Venue". We were both a little disappointed when we got there and realized we were going to have to stand for the next two hours. The opening band was a group called Jupiter One. They had a few good songs but nothing good enough to take your mind off of the fact that you were standing and your feet were starting to hurt. After they were done playing we waited...and waited...and then waited some more. The whole time with every minute that passed it got hotter and more crowded. Finally Regina came out and began playing. It was a great concert and performance. She is incredibly talented. Her voice is just as good live and her piano skills were amazing. She sang one song completely acapella and it was awesome! I'm always so impressed with the artists that can get on stage and play all the instruments themselves and sing without any computer effects or digital enhancers. After the concert we stopped and got incredibly delicious twist cones from this hamburger joint called JCW's. YUM!

Deirdre got in around 11 friday night and after 13 hours of driving with The General was completely exhausted. We got her bags inside and went to bed. The next day we woke up and had breakfast outside in our back yard. The weather has been gorgeous this past week. It's been in the mid 60's to low 70's! I wish it would stay like this all winter. After breakfast we all got ready and went in to down town Provo. We were officially on a journey to hit up every Boutique in Utah County! The first Boutique we went to was in Provo. The actual building used to be the BYU girls gymnasium. They had a million and one purses and bags. After that we went to this little Italian restaurant down the street where they have really good Gelato. Amanda got Cookies and Cream, Deirdre got Peanut Butter Cup, I got Raspberry and Ashton got all three! We then drove into American Fork to hit up two more Boutiques. Well one of the stores was more of a consignment shop. It's called Mona Lisa and it has some of the coolest old furniture and decorations ever! The other store is about 100 feet up the street and it's more of a kids bedroom furniture store. Right when we walked in they had a guy selling fudge, carmel and chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered Oreos! We sampled the fudge and it was super good! I can only imagine how delicious everything else was. Ashton was being such a trooper, he let me hold him the whole time and didn't cry or complain at all. Off to our last stop, Dear Lizzie. A boutique in Highland right down the street from our house. This Boutique topped them all according to Amanda and Deirdre. They had some really funky clothes and hats and all sorts of fun decorations. You could spend a thousand dollars in there in a heart beat. In the store is also a Bistro where they serve drinks, soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts. We grabbed a bite to eat and relaxed for a few minutes. Deirdre and Amanda got a turkey and pesto sandwich and I got a turkey and avocado sandwich. The sandwiches were all really good and full of flavor. We also got two cherry italian sodas.

After all the walking around we were all a bit tired and in need of a nap. We came home and laid down on the couch and fell asleep. We woke up to Ashton crying. He must have forgotten where he was and felt abandoned when he woke up! Poor little guy. We sat around talking for the next couple hours. It was mainly Amanda and Deirdre talking but I was listening so I was kind of a part of the conversation. I was playing with Ashton most of the time. That kid never stops moving and wants to touch everything! Pulling books off the shelf, putting them back on, in the suitcases, in the bags, throwing away toys, turning on the TV, turning it off.. He is such a handful but SO cute!

To finish the night right we went to Rib City and enjoyed a delightful meal. We had to take Deirdre to have the best ribs we've ever had! We all got ribs and thoroughly enjoyed them. It's gotta be the sauce that makes them so good! YUM!! I'm craving them again as I write this! It was great to have Deirdre and Ashton stay with us and we'll be missing you. Andrew and his Dad came and picked them up later that night and Amanda and I went and got shakes and watched a movie at home. Good food, good people, good times!

Halloween

Halloween 2009 - photo slideshow

Halloween

Mike and I already celebrated Halloween on the cruise so we felt it had pretty much come and gone before it really came and went. I made our traditional meal (started last year when we celebrated Halloween together)—homemade chili and cornbread—YUM. Friday night we had tickets to go on the Heber Creeper. For those of you who don't know, it is an old train up Provo Canyon and they do regular train rides, a halloween ride, and a "Polar Express" ride in December.

Hallowe's Eve they decorate the train all ghoulish—spider webs, candles, etc., and they play this really spooky Halloween music the entire time. They tell these tales of all these deaths/accidents that happened up the canyon (playing to the myth that Provo canyon is haunted). It was super eerie when they'd tell a certain tale and then you'd look out the window and there, in the black abyss, illuminated by a spot light, standing across the river, was a woman dressed in a white dress wailing after the train—can you say eerie— EERIE!!! Then during different stories they would have actors dressed up and come scare you on the train. It was a blast!

Driving home I was acting a crazy—rolling down our window and scaring people on the street; what can I say, I am a nerd, and it was Halloween!

Halloween we were both pretty sick so we kept it simple. We finished carving our pumpkins and then went out to eat at JCW's—Best gourmet hamburgers, fries, and oreo shakes—YUM!

Later that night we dressed up as cowboys and handed out candy to the cute kiddies; it was fun to see them all dressed up. Then I called Dre, who I found out was in the hospital. I felt so bad for her (our family is big on Halloween and it must have sucked for to miss it for her). We hope and pray you get better soon!!!! And can't wait to see you this weekend!!

We didn't get to make my squash bake or our witch's brew and carmel apples so we are continuing the holiday celebration and making them Monday night for FHE—YUM! I love Halloween!! I love creating our own traditions together. This year was one of the best! Enjoy the fun pics (oh and Nika—celebrating her first Halloween— was also a cowgirl) :).

Cruise 2009

Cruise 2009 - photo slideshow

Cruise

We returned from our cruise late last night, and are still feeling as though we are moving—swaying—in constant motion. YUCK! I wish I could write a positive posting about our trip, but it was not the greatest. There were a lot of things going on that didn't make it the most enjoyable vacation. We had a red eye on Thursday morning, which I never do good on. My stomach was acting up, per usual, and I was exhausted. We got into Florida early Thursday and had to wait at the airport for three hours before we took the shuttle to the boat. The boat was pretty cool to see, it being our first experience. The weather was also really nice. After getting checked in we ate lunch on the boat and then checked into our room, which we were surprised about (it was really nice). That night we had a good dinner—ribs (our favorite)—and then we went to a super cheesy welcoming show. We were so exhausted we turned in early and slept in late the following morning. That was seriously the best part of the vacation for me—sleeping in— it was nice to catch up on some much needed rest. Friday we got into Freeport around noon and we ventured onto the island, walked around the shops, ate lunch, and laid out at the beach. Freeport was pretty lame, not much to see and do, but we did enjoy swimming in the warm, beautiful water. Friday was hard due to a "couples miscommunication breakdown," and us loosing our camera with all of our first pictures on it. I was really upset about the day. For some reason this month has been the hardest month of our marriage to date; things keep adding up time and again, it feels as though it is never ending. We tried making the best of things and after getting past the the communication breakdown we got dressed for our elegant night and had a yummy lobster dinner. We went to Karoke that night which was a blast, and then we stayed for half of a comedy show (till it got crude). Saturday was probably our best day on the cruise. We got into our final port—Naussau—and were able to rent scooters and tour around the island. Mike and I enjoyed going into the parts of town that weren't consumed by the tourists, and seeing how people actually lived on the island. We also enjoyed the Atlantis Hotel, the beach, and of course the water was gorgeous. After spending all afternoon riding around on scooters (at one point it dumped on us which was so fun riding around in the rain, what an adventure), shopping, and swimming in the ocean, we returned to the boat to get ready for dinner. It was such a fun night, we got dressed up with everyone in our halloween costumes. Mike and I were Reno 911 (Sergeant Dangles at your service). Mike was seriously a celebrity on the ship. So many people kept coming up asking if they could take their picture with us because their spouse loved the show. It was so hilarious; I honestly didn't think that many people would recognize who we were, but I guess there are a lot of Reno 911 fans out there. I have to give props to my babe— Mike was such a good sport wearing his short shorts :). Some how we managed to get into the halloween contest and we actually won :). I was surprised because there were so many good costumes, but Mike and I put on a good show and everyone cheered for Reno 911! :) We won a 10lb bag of candy and a cheesy gold carnival award. We danced the night away and participated in some fun games before turning in for the night. Oh, and I forgot to mention, we had a show by the waiting staff, at dinner, and one of the guys invited me up to dance balliwood, it was hilarious; it was so much fun. What can I say, I'm a freak when it comes to dancing :). Again, probably the funniest thing we did on the cruise.

Sunday was a lazy day, mainly spent relaxing and soaking up some last rays before heading back to Florida. Mike and I had a really interesting experience our last night, one where we were able to learn to stand up for our morals and decide to make better decisions in the future. We attended a really bad comedy show, one I knew we shouldn't have stayed for, but we did, and it started to get really bad and uncomfortable and Mike, the wonderful priesthood holder he is, stood up, and led the way out of the show. The comedian got kind of offended by us doing this and started saying some things about us and got people in the audience riled up about us leaving, but we held our heads high and took a stand. Lesson learned: it wasn't good etiquette to leave in the middle of his show, and it was our fault for staying when we knew we shouldn't have, but we also learned that even when it is uncomfortable or awkward you take a stand for things you believe in, not caring what other people around you think, say, or feel.

So, all in all, with being sick prior to going, getting sick while on the ship, and getting even more sick getting off the ship, I would probably never choose to go on a cruise; it really wasn't for me. I think if things were going better for Mike and I, had it not been such a crazy month to begin with, had I been more emotionally stable, and not so physically ill, we might have had a better time. BUT the positives won't be forgotten: we got to get out of the cold Utah weather, we got to get out of Utah in general (yeah for Amanda :), we got to see a few cool places, and we got to meet some really cool people on the cruise.

OUR WEEKEND

After getting ahead on all my homework, Mike and I were actually able to spend some time together this past weekend. Saturday morning we decided to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather and go for a hike up to Timpanogus Cave (literally in our back yard). It was so much fun! We love being in each others company; seriously Mike is my best friend—I love doing anything and everything with him. The fall leaves were gorgeous, the weather was sunny, nice and cool—it was perfect. The only accident, up the long treacherous climb, was our camera dropped and got pretty banged up. Other than that, no heart attacks, no shortness of breath (well maybe a little), and no sprained ankles :). It was such a beautiful hike; one we will definitely be going on more in the future.

Something very important we discovered: people are extremely nice in nature. That is all I am going to say because we might do a video on this subject, so watch for it :).

Saturday night we were able to go to Mike's year end work banquet. It was kind of boring, at parts, but the food was delicious, getting dressed up was fun, and seeing Mike get presented with $500 and a naked man award (similar to the Oscar's) was totally worth every moment of boredom. We are so proud of Mike and all his hard work and dedication this summer! I am married to the best man in the world (total personal opinion)!!!

Sunday we were able to go to Mikes cousins farewell. It was fun to meet Bob's side of the family (Mike's dad); such wonderful people. We are truly so fortunate to have such amazing families!

We are soooooo excited for our first cruise coming up—two days!! We leave to the Bahamas on Thursday morning, red-eye—12am. Not looking forward to that, but definitely looking forward to 90 degree weather and sandy beaches AND lobster dinners, AND 24-hour ice cream service, AND getting fat, and a halloween costume party, and MOST IMPORTANT—spending tons of quality, relaxing time with my favorite person in the entire world: MIKE!!!

Weekend

Weekend - photo slideshow

Conference Weekend

AHAHA! I can't tell you how amazing it is to have Mike home! It is so nice to be living as a married couple again :)!

We were able to have a NORMAL weekend together, because I got my school work done in advance, which was much needed! Conference has been awesome! We are so thankful to be able to hear the leaders of our church speak, and be edified. We are rejuvenated in our personal goals, and look forward to incorporating prophetic counsel in our life.

Between sessions, on Saturday, we took advantage of the nice weather and went rollerblading up to the falls in Provo canyon. Although it was nice to get out and enjoy some fresh air, the trip wasn't without trial :). I fell TWICE and bruised my buttocks pretty bad, and scratched up my elbow and hands; so needless to say I was in a lot of pain over the course of the weekend :), but all in good fun!!

We were also able to go see a movie and enjoy an at-home spa day—a nice romantic bath, facials, massages, and foot scrubs. AHAHA it is so nice to have Mike home—life with him is the best life I could have ever hoped for or been blessed to have.

Our HOME!

Cedar Hills Home - photo slideshow

I'm HOME!

And without further ado, I bring to you....Mr. Mike Moncur!

Thank you, thank you very much, you're too kind...please take your seats. Well, I made it home! So we set off on Monday morning around 9 am and about 4 hours into the journey, my brother Taylor had the bright idea to drive straight through to Utah. That meant a 22 to 23 hour drive with little to NO sleep. I won't go into too much detail about the trip because it was long and boring and I felt half sick the whole time...partly because I was so excited and anxious to get home that my mind and body couldn't relax and then partly because I slept about 2 hours the whole trip. I kept Nika drugged up on cat tranquilizers but near the end the drugs were wearing off and she kept meowing like a FREAK SHOW and there was nothing I could do about it.

Driving up to our house I noticed the beautiful mountains. The sun was just coming up and rays of light were bursting over the mountain ridge! Utah is a beautiful place. I was on the phone with Amanda as I pulled up to the house. Amanda was driving to school and I was pulling in the driveway. I noticed we had a beautiful wreath on our front door which Amanda had made...it was so cool! I parked in the driveway and on the wall of the garage in multi colored paper was a big "welcome home" sign. I walked in the house and it smelled like heaven. I walked up the stairs and noticed some new decorations Amanda had put up, it looked so great! Ahhhh, it's so nice to have a home! The whole house was spotless! So clean I didn't want to move...I felt like tip toeing through the house. I finally got to see our bed room with all the new sheets and decor. It looked amazing. I was in awe at how amazing Amanda had made the house look. Oh and on the kitchen table was a box wrapped in wrapping paper with a little card on top. Amanda congratulated me on finishing the summer and got me a present!! YAY! I ripped it open and found 3 really cool shirts, a button up shirt and 4 scarves! I felt so spoiled! I can't wait to wear it all!

I was so tired and felt disgusting and sick to my stomach and at the same time I was so excited and so anxious to see Amanda. I tried to sleep but couldn't. So I unloaded the car and got everything unpacked and put away. I again tried to lay down and sleep but couldn't...I was too excited to see Amanda and couldn't stop my mind from racing. I took a shower and got ready and then got a text from Amanda saying she was on her way home from school!!! I was so excited and a little nervous...I was pacing back and forth in the kitchen waiting. Then I heard the garage door go up and in she came!! She ran up the stairs and I was there waiting. We embraced and I picked her up and twirled her around...it felt so good to finally see her, touch her, be near her!!

It's great to be home with my sweet, amazing, beautiful wife. I love our life together. Our home is exactly that..."our home". It is so nice to have a home, filled with all of "your" stuff. It's so nice to have and be with "your" family. I can't describe how blessed I feel to have such a wonderful little family. Amanda, Me and our little snow leapord Nika! :)

Amanda and I got to spend the day together yesterday because Amanda worked her butt off and got all of her homework done so we could have a day together. It was so nice! We thoroughly enjoyed it! We're looking forward to an amazing future and hopefully we'll never have to be apart for that long again!

can you say: EXCITED?

I finished my last day of selling in Indianapolis today! I finished strong selling 8 accounts this week! I have to give a shout out to the Wifey for helping me push until the very end! I couldn't have done it without her. We worked together and came up with some fun incentives that motivated me on a daily basis. I'm so grateful for her! Love you Babes!

I just packed everything up, (threw everything in plastic garbage bags) and now I'm sitting on my bed, stomach filled with butterflies, anticipating the long journey home! I can't tell you HOW EXCITED I am to get home to my BEAUTIFUL wife and our little home. I'm so grateful to have a home. So grateful for the opportunity we had to live in Charlotte and Indianapolis; two very different but nice places. I can't wait to be in the presence of Amanda! AHHH!! I could scream I am so excited! She is my best friend! I couldn't have imagined having a better wife. She is the BOMB.COM, a stellar companion, the love of my life, the Queen of my dream, the princess of popcorn, the best thing that ever happened to me!! AMANDA NOEL!! So excited to see her!

Oh and Nika wanted to say....meow...what was that??? Oh.......that she can't wait to see her mommy! :)

School—schmeul

Another LONG day of studying—13 hours (that's about my average per day). You think I would be smart, but I am not. Learning is a journey; a seriously hard journey. There is so much knowledge out there; thinking about it is overwhelming—exciting, but overwhelming.

I seriously feel as though I am going to have a mental breakdown, all I can think about is how signifiers, signify the sign which determines the signified; the celts invaded England only to be invaded by the Romans, which the Anglo Saxons then divided and conquered, only to be later conquered by the Danish invasion; Beowulf, Chaucer, Mystery Play, Morality Plays, Mysticism; how to calculate the interest earned when I am semi-annually compounding, quarterly compounding, finding the annuity, subtracting the assets from the liabilities so I can determine net worth; finding the critical theories of Marxism, Feminism, Psychoanalytical, New Historicism in literature; and arguing how Dickens bildungsroman is the perfect model to discover self-deceptions and identity in his protagonist—Pip. All the while I am trying to remember what Pips actual name is, the young boy he views as "pale and strange;" what simple interest installment loan actually means; who Henry the VII was, Henry the II, James the I, Edward the III (is there an Edward the III, I don't even know); how to say "my cat is independent" in Swedish; all the while living with turrets of the neck (I just invented that—I pulled my neck out).

How am I doing it?

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty." ~ Henry Ford

I don't want to grow old.

"Be smart. You are all in school. Do not waste your time. This is a time of great opportunity that you will never have again as long as you live. Make the most of it right now. It is wonderfully challenging. It is hard, it is tough, isn’t it? But what a wonderful thing to go and learn of all the accumulated knowledge of all the centuries of time. Go on to college or whatever school, vocational school, whatever your choice is, but take advantage of every opportunity that you have because the Lord has laid upon you a mandate through revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith concerning not only spiritual learning but secular learning. Yours is the responsibility, and you can’t afford to waste your time. There is so much to learn. Be smart. Give it the very best that you have." - Gordon B. Hinckley, Prophet and 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I am trying to live Gods law.

My sister sent me these—puts it all in perspective I guess— "AHAH, SIGH" I'm going to bed.

name that movie???

"I want you to get swept away,
I want you to levitate,
I want you to sing with rapture,
And dance like a Dervish..

Be deliriously happy, or at least leave yourself open to be.
Love is passion, obsession, something you can't live without.

Fall head over heels, find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you back.
How do you find him? You forget your head and listen to your heart. There is no sense in living your life without this.
To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven't lived a life at all,
But you have to try, because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived.....

Stay open, who knows, lightening could strike!

5 days-knockin em down!

A cute little email from Amanda. This was right before we got our engagement photos done! Such a fun time.


Just sitting here waiting for my next class to begin, thinking about my most amazing, handsome finance that I adore and love so much and miss the kisses of on my face.....WOW THAT WAS A LONG SENTANCE! I love you so much baby. I can't stop thinking about you....I have "mike syndrome." I want to be with you all the time, see you everyday. It HAS become harder being engaged--I just want to be around you more and more and more :). I can't wait to see you tomorrow. What the CRAP are we going to wear??? I am thinking the same thing I wore in NY--jeans, boots, and a longsleeved sweater....I don't know, do you think we should do more than one outfit? That is on the agenda for tonight--going through my closet as well as doing homework :).

I miss you!!!!! XOXOXOXO

Thank you for all your help with the wedding plans!

6 days!

6 days! I'm so excited!!
Remember this night? We watched Elizabeth Town! You made me dinner for the first time. We drove up the canyon in the mustang. I remember I didn't want to go home! It was so hard to leave. I still didn't know the area around your house very well and so you drove me out to the main street; when I got there I had to give you one more kiss, so I jumped out of the car and ran over to you and gave you a kiss! Man, I hated leaving you and going home to an empty house! I'm so glad we get to spend the nights together, days together, years together, FOREVER together! I'm so glad we're married! I LOVE YOU!



you are wonderful, you never cease to surprise me--thank you for getting out of the car to kiss me goodnight---sooooo freakin amazing and sweet! :) made me giddy inside (yep still have the butterflies---NOT passed that stage :)! I LOVE being with you! And I can use that word in in that context :). I can't wait till Friday.....I'm soooooooooo happy you liked the movie----soooo happy cause it's one of my favs :). I'm soooooo happy that I could just spend quality time with you today, close to you like that. I love feeling your arms around me, your breath on my neck, the way you tangle your hands in my hair when you kiss me; your smell, the taste of your kiss; how comfortable and "at home" I feel in your presence....the more time I spend with you the more I feel this way.

I hope you made it home safe.......I still wish you could have stayed FOREVER....at least till we left to NY :).

Sweetest of dreams.

Love,

manda

And this was my email to you when I got home that night:

Freak! Where do I start? Today was my favorite day! I loved every second I got to spend with you today! I loved when I saw you for the first time in JoAnn's in the back corner. I loved to see you dressed casually with your hair up. You looked amazing, and I sincerely mean that. I love it when you dress that way and do your hair that way! Beautiful!
Being able to see and go in your house was awesome. Your house looks great. I love your style and the way you are able to express yourself through the decorations and furnishings! It was really fun for me to see.
I loved our nap that wasn't a nap at all. More kissing and cuddling than resting. I loved to watch you make dinner and was really impressed with how fast you came up with everything. It was really attractive. I felt so comfortable with you. And the food was great. Everything tasted wonderful! I could go on and tell you how I loved this and loved that, but I won't. I loved the whole dinner experience!
Our drive up the canyon was beautiful and the scenery was breathtaking! Especially coming back down and seeing the sun reflect off of the mountain. AMAZING! Just being with you and feeling the cool breeze and smelling the crisp fall air won't be forgotten.
The movie was GREAT! I really did like it. I loved the story line, the quirkiness and humor, the romance. I am a nerd that way....I like chick flicks...and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
I did not want to leave you! I wanted to just stay with you all night. But logic sometimes overrides desire. So I had to leave. The whole drive home I had butterflies. I could NOT get you out of my mind...nor did I want to. I felt and feel now...weak, touched, vulnerable, loving, peaceful, chemistry, connection....I feel like I'm breaking and my heart is melting. Which is a good thing. I'm falling for you like a ton of bricks falling off of the Empire state building. When I'm around you everything is alright, and I forget all my worries. Your kisses are like candy and they linger on my lips. I miss you! Your smell is on my shirt and I keep smelling it and it makes me miss you even more. Tomorrow will go by sooo SLOW! I know it....because when I'm not with you time goes so slow and then when I am with you it goes too fast.
For some reason....today I felt closer and more connected to you than any other day. It was a perfect day and to spend casual time with you, real time with you was awesome. I LOVED IT! I will go to sleep thinking of you. Your smell is with me, I'm sleeping in THE SHIRT with your smell on it. I MISS YOU! I WANT YOU! I NEED YOU! :)
Thank you Amanda for spending time with me today. I am truly grateful for you and for our relationship. THANKS!
Have a great day at school. I'll be thinking of you!!

ONE WEEK!

Holy Freak am I excited! Some days have been long and some have flown by. For the most part however this past month has gone by pretty fast. Amanda and I have both been really busy with school and work, making the time go quickly. It's been an amazing blessing being away from each other. Although it's been hard, we have grown so close these past weeks. Facing challenging times with school and work we have had to be there for each other to support, uplift and motivate. I can't express how grateful I am to have Amanda. She has been such a strength and such an example to me. Every day I look forward to our morning scriptures and prayer and at night I look forward to the conversations we get to have and the chance we have to pray together once again. It's the greatest blessing in the world to be married! I am so excited about our future and the many wonderful things we have to look forward to; from lounging around the house together to being sealed in the Temple. We have such a bright future ahead of us. I have never felt more fulfilled or satisfied with my life. I miss you baby! We are on the official countdown now! 7 days to go!

UPDATE

ONE WEEK TILL MY BABE GETS HOME! I am doing a little dance right now. We are down to wire—after four weeks of being away, I am so stoked! We may not be updating the blog for a while after that, fyi, we will be way to busy catching up (if you know what I mean) :) HAHA! YEAH SUCKA!

takin it back

an e mail I wrote to Amanda after our first kiss:

Thank you so much for being with me tonight! I loved every minute of it! From Deal or No Deal to Kissing on the bench waiting hopelessly for the fountain to turn on. I felt so comfortable with you. I truly love being around you and in all seriousness want you to know that. Thank you. I miss you every second that is passing by me.....yep missing you.....and yep still missing you....and as I lay my head down to sleep I will still be missing you. I'm going to replay our kisses in my head as I fall asleep. You are so beautiful, your hair, your legs, your lips, your smile, your eyes, your everything is BEAUTIFUL....and I have way more than a crush on you...thank you for EVERYTHING! Hope that you got home safe and that you sleep like a baby!


and then Amanda's reply:

I love being with you. Thank you for being so incredible and writing me things I needed to hear, and for being able to come home to an email from you....it made the missing you less hard (if that is even possible).....I'm in trouble....and it scares me.....:) I've never truly felt that comfortable with someone before and I am so thankful for who you are and all the AMAZING qualities you possess. AND without sounding too crass :), YOU are so freaking YUMMY! :) You're style--unbelievably amazing---I am not even going to go there with my thoughts about you---out of respect :) but yum and thank you! I love your arms....I love your chest....I love your stomach (even with all the food in it).....I love that I feel safe in your arms.......I'm addicted to your mouth--yep A-D-D-I-C-T-E-D to your mouth....and I KNOW, I KNOW that I will most likely be embaressed that I shared this with you, by tomorrow...but hey, truth comes out when you are tired right????:)

I am drunk with joy, and no, it's not due to the beer in the cheese fondue :)

Night sweetest thing in my life!

memory lane

This is how we fell in love. It started slowly as we adored each other, as we sent new songs to one another, as we validated one another and as we laughed together. One of the things I fell in love with was how Amanda would share with me little thoughts, quotes or ideas she would have. You'll see an example in her e mail. Amanda still shares with me her deep and sometimes philosophical thoughts and ideas and I fall in love all over again! I love you Baby!


me:

I was wondering, because i was counting all the songs and I was one or two short of 16 and I was like.....where the HECK is the other song? I couldn't have lost track of it that fast!! So thanks for clarifying....that relieves the thought and worry of a lost song. Few!
I'll tell you what wouldn't bother me at all....you duplicating that kiss you sent to me. You can duplicate that as many times as you want. :) In person would be the best time to duplicate it. :)
Okay, I'm getting back to work. Oh....you should have heard the thunder and seen the lighting last night at about 2 am. It was CRAZY! It sounded like someone took a giant whip and SNAPPED it outside my window! It was so loud! and then the sky and my room would completely light up as lightning shot through the sky. It was nuts! AND then there was what sounded like golf balls hitting my window! I assume it was hail, but it could have been BIG FOOT throwing things at my window.....I'm still uncertain. It's a toss up....BIG FOOT or hail. I'm leaning towards Big Foot...it's more realistic. Plus there was an immensely oversized handprint on my window....hmmmm? Oh well.
TTYL

amanda:

what can I say, I knew I could convince you of THE big foot man......

I put more kisses up for YOU on Planet (I could never tire of "duplicating those"). :)

Hope your day is amazing, better than my evening last night and morning was FOR SURE :) I had such a disturbing phone call, thus my comment to you about being grateful for being who you are--seriously REFRESHING :) HAHA.

I have to share with you, before I end this email, an awesome quote I read in my myth/legend/folklore book.....it was a commentary, after the stories, about the relation between meditation and the ability to transform ourselves into a more spiritual person--tapping into the person inside of us-the person that casts off selfishness and looks to the betterment of others.......Quote:

“it is the Savior or the Buddah---Christ--- in these religions who is able to do the impossible, by putting aside his potential for worldly power in exchange for the joys of the spirit. It represents the ‘release of…souls of men from the snare of illusion,’ and that the ‘place of the dance, the center of the universe, is within the heart.” Leeming, Mythology, the Voyage of the Hero

I thought it was brilliant---relating to us all needing to cast off the natural man and embrace the true potential within! :)

I wrote this to Amanda when I was in Kansas City and all I could think about was her!!


when the sun shines or when the moon illuminates the black night....I think of you..
when i feel the wind on my face.... I think of you.
when i read something inspiring or uplifting....I think of you.
when i put a Bass Pro hat on....I think of you.
when i get a text or a phone call....I think of you.
when music plays....I think of you.
when i open my window and hear the chirp of a cricket....I think of you.
when i wake up in the morning and when i go to sleep at night....I think of you.
when i do NOTHING AT ALL....I think of you.

so i guess you could say--you are on my mind....which i dont mind.
the smile on my face doesn't mind
the butterflies in my stomach don't mind
I don't mind

In response to the text you sent me saying you were thinking about me. So i figured I would let you know that SOMETIMES....I think of you too. :)

Then Amanda responded:

so remember the question, "whens the last time you cried?" It officially changed to this morning.......(and it was a GOOD cry)...if I had more than five minutes to get to class and fix the mascara on my face I would write you more. I want to write more of a response to such an amazing email, and I will. In the mean time THANK YOU for being vulnerable.

ps and I don't care what "they" say (about not being able to miss someone you haven't met)...... I miss you incredibly!

An e mail from my babes the night before we went to NYC! I could hardly sleep either! I was proposing in ONE day! I hadn't been able to sleep ALL week at that! We were both so excited and had such an amazing weekend getaway! Such fond memories... :) LOVE YOU BABY!


I LOVE YOU--even in the wee hours of the morning...what is it now like 2am????......For some strange reason I woke up twice, once just an hour after I had fallen into a very deep sleep--I literally thought, at 11pm it was 5:30 and that it was time to wake up to come get ready and see you, to GO to NY with you!!! And then I gazed at my glaring phone light and it only read "11 p.m."--totally bewildered me.....in a state of TEMPORARY frustration (cause who can stay frustrated for long when a few hours from now a plane would depart to the most incredible city and I would be on it WITH the most incredible MAN EVER????!!!!! FYI YOU are that man :).......Into ANOTHER deep sleep I fell, waking up feeling so refreshed and energized, ready to go..."surely my body is on target this time," I thought...but AGAIN to my surprise, the clock on the phone read "2a.m." "I wonder if Mike's experiencing the SAME phenomena?" I wondered. "Probably not......"


I decided to try some more nasty vinegar/honey concoctions to help my aching throat before attempting to sleep ONCE again.....and I decided to check my mail..."You have mail," it read....and lo and behold my baby didn't disappoint....THANK YOU for making my 2 a.m. awakening a delight...I love reading your words and I DO LOVE YOU SO MUCH....I find it hard, as the days progress, to be without you in my life-permanently!!!!

NYC here we come....5 1/2 hours in counting....THRILLED, ESTATIC....COULDN'T be a MORE anticipated trip.....I can't wait to spend three days and two nights with you....spoiled to be in your presence THAT many hours :) I love you baby....you are my life, you are my family, you are THE man I want to be with
F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!!!

XOXO

love,

duh-your babe!!! :)