Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and other winter activites

Who said winter is a drab?! As many of you know Winter is my favorite season and for an assortment of reasons. First of all Winter is magical. If any of you are familiar with the show "Gilmore Girls" (I expect no man to ever take a serious interest in this show) I have the same strong feelings about the first snow of the year as Lorali Gilmore does. There is nothing better in the world than waking up to a fresh foot of untouched snow with little sprinklings still coming down. I grant you that it isn't the best to drive in, but magic makes up for that.


Also there is that wonderful holiday season associated with winter in which you do tons of different things, like go see the lights on temple square, put up a Christmas tree, and decorate the house with reds and greens even if it does clash with your furniture. This year Sean and I didn't really get a chance to do a lot of Christmas activities, but he did get a recipe from his coworker for roasting chestnuts. So we decided to go to the grocery store and try some. If you've never had roasted chestnuts before, they are interesting. I don't think I'll ever crave them but they tasted pretty good. They were a lot like little baked potatoes. Now that I think about it, they would probably taste great with ketchup, or even sour cream and cheese. Here is a picture of Sean making Chestnuts. You just cut a slit in them, throw them on a cookie sheet, go to town with the salt, and bake them at 100 degrees for about an hour. Then when they are done, peal the skin off and enjoy.

We also had a chance this past month to do some Ice Skating. And I am proud to say that the only time I fell that night was when I stepped into the ticket area with my stiletto high heels on and pretty much just did the splits in front of the ticket desk. They were pretty hesitant to let me on the ice. In the rink I did do a lot of arm flailing, but I didn't fall. I also never went further than five feet from the wall and never faster than five miles an hour. Sean just stayed by my side and would catch me when I was about to go down (half of those times he was the one helping me fall). It was a blast, and I ended up wondering why I don't go more often.

And then there is that one activity, that if it were the only redeeming quality winter had, would still make winter my favorite season. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you don't know me. Oh, that's right, Sean and I also got a chance to go take on the mountain, and it was fabulous. It was freezing, I couldn't feel my toes most of the night, but it was so worth it. I am sorry to say, that I did punk out earlier than I usually do (which is before the resort closed). I'm not as in shape as I use to be, and this is giving me a whole lot of motivation to get into shape. When you are going down the mountain and your thighs start to feel like they are on fire, but you have to hold your stance or else you are going to have to walk the rest of they way, it's time to get into shape. But oh what a burn!
So yea for winter, may it last as long as possible! (or at least long enough that it doesn't interfere with my outdoor reception)

Here's the Story

So here's the story that I know that you all have been waiting for... The story of Sean and I.
Well it all started in a student ward in Sugar House on a December afternoon. I was walking into church when out of the corner of my eye a guy caught my attention. I to this day don't know why he gave me this feeling but I remember feeling shocked to see him there and thinking "What is he doing here?" I was totally confused at my own thought and dismissed it, because I had never met the guy before and why should I be shocked to see him there. Well Months passed and I dated other guys, but still this guy kept popping up. One day my roommate and I were looking through the Ward menu and we were making a list of guys to "order" (something that I always made fun of, but when I did it I found it strangely gratifying to make a list of guys to flirt with. It was especially effective after, and some times before, a break up), and I saw this guy in there and found out his name was Sean. Well, he went on the list, but after a few attempts to get his attention without success he went off the list.

Then one night in April, there was a ward snowboarding night. Well, I went up and of course loved the entire night and there was this guy there that I didn't recognize. He rode pretty well and was really cute, but he didn't talk much. So the group of us kept riding 'till the end of the night and we all met at the bottom for hot chocolate. I was just talking with some others when a mutual friend of ours, Danny, called out Seans name to him. I thought "That's Sean?" I didn't even recognize him, but as soon as Danny called out to him, I could see it. Before I had time to process it, Sean was walking back to his car. I realized that finding an attractive mature financially stable (I knew that he was really good with and worked with money by what friends had told me) LDS snowboarder was hard to come by and I'd have to give this guy another try. So I indiscreetly caught up to him and acted like I just happened to be going to my car as well. So I struck up a conversation and he didn't act like he just wanted to get to his car with out being bothered, a good sign. So we talked for a bit about his work and my going to school, then went our separate ways. Well, two weeks later we were both in Sunday school and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Sean was sitting in the back. So I decided to give him a little "confidence" and practiced the art of "making eyes" at him (thank you Stacy Lightfoot). Next thing I knew I was walking with him to Sacrament meeting and he was asking me out for that Friday where we would celebrate my being done with finals, and he was nervous asking me out (a very good sign). So I said yes and we went out that weekend and every weekend after that. Just so you know, "making eyes at him wasn't what got him to ask me out, in a much later conversation I found out that he was already going to ask me out and didn't even remember me looking back at him.
Well, Sean was well aware of his feelings for me before I was aware of my feelings for him. And luckily the Lord blessed him with patience because for I made him wait a couple of months before deciding to be exclusive with him. He was also the first to say "I love you." I remember when I finally said it back being first of all shocked that I said it, wondered if I meant it, then realized I did. If we ever get to watch the film of our lives and you see me on that night you'll see me saying I love you back to Sean and giving him a hug while my face is contorted with confusion at what just happened slowly turning to a smile of realization. I love my life, it makes me laugh. Our relationship took me through some crazy times, not the least of which was the death of my Mother in which he was so incredibly supportive, loving, and patient. It was probably the thing that made me realize how much I loved him. To be honest, Sean is proof to me that my Heavenly Father loves me because he sent me a beacon of light in the darkest time of my life without which I would be in a devastatingly bleak place and would struggle to get out of. In the midst of such times, we had a great many good times. We both discovered how much we both liked the out doors and went on many hikes getting to know the canyons in the Salt Lake Valley. We also went to many movies, great restaurants, and sometimes just chilled and enjoyed each others company. We also were able to take a little trip to Las Vegas where we went to see the CircDeSole called "Love" which was a medley of Beatles songs and was so much fun to go to.
Well we kept dating when in the fall we realized that this relationship was going somewhere. Sean came over on day with this book "1001 questions couples should ask before they get married" under the pretense that he knew that I loved getting to know others intimately, but he really didn't know how to do that. So one night I was at his place and the book was on the table and there was a printed out folded piece of paper in the back of the book. I opened it up and there were a bunch of pictures of diamond rings, me being the kind of person who takes great delight in teasing others, held the paper up and asked him straight out "What is this?" It was then that we realized that we should start thinking and praying about this, but I told him straight out that I wouldn't marry him until we had been dating for a year. Luckily he loves me enough to wait that long.

Then on a anything but extraordinary Saturday night he came over to get me to go out. Starting out the date with "what do you want to do?" I suggested that we go to the Indian place that we both like and then go see the new James Bond movie. So we did, and I didn't think too much of it, it was a typical Saturday night. After the movie which ended about ninish, I asked him what he wanted to do now. He had no suggestions so I said let's go play a game at his place. So we started driving that direction, enjoying a good conversation, about what I can't remember. As we were driving along he passed his place. I figured that he just forgot and we were heading to my place, he'll figure it out. Then we passed my place and I thought, well he's on autopilot to his mom's. Then we passed her place and I really didn't know where we were going, as we started up Emigration canyon. We got up to the top and he was searching for a look out that we didn't find. So instead we got out and sat on the trunk of the car and looked up at the stars naming what constellations we knew. Then we talked a little more and after a bit of peaceful silence he turned to me, pulled out a ring and asked me to marry him, to which I responded "Right now, you're asking me right now, right now?"But eventually when I got over my shock I said yes.
I truly am excited and so thrilled to have found the one that I will spend the rest of eternity with. I love Sean so much! I must admit, this love isn't what I expected it to be, I didn't expect it to bring such peace and calm to my heart. We are getting married on May 15th and I can hardly wait!