At Long Last, the Engagement Story

Okay, so this is long overdue. Inquiring minds want to know, and have been asking the last couple of days. In my defense, I’ve just been really busy. Amy and I went back to California over the Thanksgiving weekend and we had a pretty tight schedule the entire time, so I never had an opportunity really to sit down and type this all out. I don’t really have much time now either, as I’m on my lunch break, but here goes…

We’ve been talking about marriage for awhile now, and we went ring shopping towards the end of October. In using my ring hook-up, however, that part of the process got delayed and it actually still isn’t resolved, but more on that in a bit. In my mind I knew that this had to happen before Thanksgiving, ring or not, so that we could start openly planning for the blessed nuptials and get the show on the road. She was really anxious for it to move, but had been really patient in not bugging me too much about having the engagement actually happen. With the days passing by and Thanksgiving looming on the horizon, I decided that I would propose the weekend before. I thought it wouldn’t be a problem, but I didn’t schedule my helper in time and she had to babysit the Friday when I wanted to do it. So it got pushed back to the following Monday.

The thing that was most important to me was just making sure that it would be a surprise. Unbeknownst to me, she had assumed that I was just going to wait until Thanksgiving weekend to do the deed so she had resigned herself until that time. So having it be on a Monday, not even a weekend night, worked out in helping maintain the surprise.

So the week before I began coordinating with Mike and Lauren about where we would set up (Lauren’s family cabin in Sundance) and what the setup would look like, how the night would unfold including conversations and how to get everyone out without arousing suspicion, all of that. The problem that I ran into for that Monday was that Sunday it started snowing a pretty good amount. I wasn’t sure how much at the time, but I kind of just went on assuming that it would work out and we would be able to do it there. Now came the time to tell her about the evening so that she could plan for it and be available.

On the drive home from her brother’s place up near Kayesville, I pretended to check my phone for a voicemail message that I would say was from Mike. I picked up my phone, held it up for a minute, and then closed it, and asked her if she wanted to do an FHE with Mike and Lauren and some other friends the next night up at Lauren’s cabin. She asked if I wanted to skip our ward FHE for it, I kind of just brushed it off, and didn’t bring it up again until we parted ways that night, confirming that we should go and that it would be fun to go up to the cabin.

The next day went by in a rush as I tried to figure out whether the cabin would be feasible given the snow from the previous day, and what kind of backup plans we could have in place if it wouldn’t work out. I resigned myself to not using the cabin, then resolved that I would check it out and see if there was any way that we could do it there for that night. The thing about the cabin, or any cabin for that matter, is that for Amy and I, cabins are special places. We even have joked about that throughout our relationship. My friend’s cabin is where she and I really first noticed each other in an attractiveness kind of way while playing ping pong, and the next trip we had up there was where we first held hands. Cabins hold a lot of sentimental value for us as well as just being a nice locale for the event, right?

Well I left my office hours early to drive the road up to Sundance. It wouldn’t work. Just before the resort my car lost all traction and I was barely able to turn myself around and get back down the mountain. Then I called and texted several people to see if their vehicles were all wheel drive, and if I could borrow theirs. Most people didn’t respond, and the ones who did either didn’t have all wheel drive or were weird about letting me borrow their cars, so scratch the cabin plan.

The alternative was to do it at another house that Lauren’s family owns on Center Street in Provo. I had full confidence in Mike and Lauren to set everything up because Lauren is in love with anything wedding/marriage/engagement related and has helped a number of other people with their events, and Lauren has impeccable taste. I had her and Mike buy flowers and get the dining room set up, and then I went out and bought Amy’s favorite meal, and some other items.

They texted me to let me know they were done setting up and I went and picked up Amy. This part was crucial. I had to sell her on this being like any other evening and that we were simply going to go hang out with some friends and play games, no big deal. She told me later that the thought that this might be the night didn’t cross her mind until right before I picked her up: “Wait a second, a cabin? Cabins are special to us, could this be it?” I walked up her stairs to get her and she asked if she should grab anything. I hadn’t told her the change of venue till then, so in my most casual voice I told her no, that we would be dropping by the other house to pick up games because we couldn’t go up to the cabin that night because of the weather. That appeased her and she decided it wouldn’t happen that night.

I still wasn’t sure if she was unsuspecting yet, so to put it beyond all doubt, in the car I said to her, “just to set your expectations about everything, because I know you’re anxious to get things moving, and I am too, but I talked to Kevin today and the ring won’t actually be ready until two weeks from today.” Which was true, at the time. She got quiet, and I even heard a sniffle. I reached for her hand like I normally do in the car and she was totally unresponsive. I sensed her sadness and then I felt a smile start to creep over my face. Mission accomplished. She has no idea what’s about to hit her.

We arrived at the house a minute later. I asked her to come in with me to pick some stuff out, and we entered in through the back of the house into the kitchen. The dining area is completely blocked from view so when I opened the door, she walked into the room and saw the candles and flowers and whole arrangement, she knew exactly what was happening and the tears came immediately thereafter. I had my speech prepared, but at that point it didn’t really matter what I was going to say. I knelt on one knee, asked her, and she said yes.

I don’t have pictures of the setup yet, and we’re actually still figuring out the ring part of it, so those details you’ll have to wait for, but we’re looking at the end of March, specifically March 19^th.

To get just a little gushy about my girlfriend and now fiancée – Amy is the greatest girl and best fit that I could ever hope for. There have been other times and other girls that I’ve dated where I thought that I had everything that I would ever need or want, but in her she has filled needs and done things for me that I didn’t even know I needed. She makes me want to live a better life, however grudgingly I might want to do so sometimes, and it has everything to do with me feeling like with her, I am moving towards and becoming the person I hope to be. However foolish I have been, am now, or will be, she still seems to really love me in spite of it all and I’ve never felt so lucky to know someone like her and be able to maintain her constant affection. I couldn’t be happier. Thanks for coming this far.

UPDATE: Here are Amy's additions.

On the Road

You know what's an unnerving feeling? Falling asleep on the bus and waking up with most of the bus occupants gone and in unfamiliar surroundings. Yes, that happened to me this morning.

Whenever I don't have to leave early or when I have other places to stop, I always take the express bus between Provo and SLC. I forget how much I love public transportation until I get the chance to use it, and this is the first time in years that I've been able to utilize it. $100 for a bus pass for the entire year and I can use any part of the bus system and Trax? Yes, please!

What's doubly nice is that because I usually leave so early is that the express bus is nice enough that I can get comfortable enough to fall asleep (which may not be saying much as one of my super powers is being able to fall asleep ANYWHERE) and I can get back another hour of sleep before coming into the COB. My fear, however, was realized this morning when I was completely out and I opened my eyes to realize that I was in unfamiliar territory.

No matter, though, because I was only a few blocks passed Temple Square, the morning is pleasant with the sun just beginning to peak out over the mountains, so it was actually a pleasant little stroll.

That little jaunt gave me time some time to think about some of the random experiences I'd like to have someday:

• Hitchhike a significant distance in the US. I've done it in Chile for brief stretches, but it'd be neat to try and hitch a ride for a lengthy distance. Although my idea of hitchhiking might be romanticized by my reading of On the Road.
• Move somewhere completely foreign without any kind of contacts. One of my friends from high school kind of did this in college, moving to Spain and working as a bartender and tow truck driver. I'd kind of just like to see how I'd handle a situation like that. This next one is kind of similar...
• Adventure-mode a whole vacation - I think it'd be cool to just show up at the airport with no plans, several days free, and pay for the next available flight at the ticket counter and just go somewhere and do everything on the fly (yup!). Wouldn't that be cool? You'd have to just show up in some random city, talk to random people, and just kind of figure out as you go along. The vacation is the experience.

Those are just a few things I'd like to do. Maybe I'll miss my exit more often.

Hitler Reacts

I saw one of these months and months ago on another guy's blog about Hitler reacting to something about crayons. And then I saw another one today, and I realized that there are probably dozens of these. A few for you:

Funny that so many people have caught on to this. That's all.

Pick up your trash, please

I was watching ESPN while home for lunch today and I saw this story on Outside the Lines that actually put me to tears. Just a couple posts ago Laura made this comment:

emotions people get from sports has always been such a crazy phenomena to me. we get so upset, elated, etc for something that we can't control at all and doesn't personally effect us at all in our lives. don't get me wrong, i love it, but it is a funny thing. whenever the lakers win and matt is super excited i always tell him what a great job he did and how proud i am of him and how he cheered so well. because, you know, it is funny.

I'm taking this out of the context of her comment, but I just wanted to say that sports has a tremendous effect on our personal lives. If I could write one book in my life it would actually be about the far-reaching effects that entertainment, and sports in particular, can have in our lives. For those who won't follow that link above, which is probably just about all of you, it is the story about a little boy who is suffering from a disease that affects 1/4,000,000 people, that causes a child to age prematurely, at 10x or more the natural rate. But this little boy was just the sweetest little guy, and the only thing he wants to do in this whole world is play baseball.

I still remember seeing Kirk Gibson's home run in the '88 World Series. I remember Francisco Cabrera hitting the single that won the NLCS for the Braves in the bottom of the ninth that scored David Justice and Sid Bream. I remember Bo Jackson ruining his hip against the Bengals in '91. I remember Scott Spiezio and Darrin Erstad hitting home runs to bring the Angels back from the dead in 2002. I remember Robert Horry hitting that three to swing the series back to the Lakers in 2002. I remember Jason Lezak closing in on the French from what should have been an impossible distance for the US to pull out that particular relay in the 2008 Olympics. Just to name a few moments.

Yes, my existence has just about nothing to do with the success or failure of an organization that is ultimately run for pure monetary profit, but how that team fares in its season of play has profound effects on the escape that I have from my day to day routine. It has profound implications for some person who might have little else to look forward to then the next morning's box score when that person will look to see if his team won or lost the night before.

I know that's not what you were really getting at, Laura, but I just wanted to make a point. It does matter. It matters a lot to some people, as it turns out.

On a different note, I loved this bit from Jay Nordlinger:

Finally, there is a long letter that I wish to share with you. I’ll do a little “Keep reading” thing, because, as I said, the letter is long — but well worth the time, I think. In Impromptus, I tell a story about a man who bent down to pick up a penny. This item has occasioned a lot of mail, actually. And here is the letter I wish to share:

Dear Mr. Nordlinger,

I had a father who almost always picked up trash on the street when he came across it. During all the moments I witnessed these acts, it never occurred to me to ask him why he did it (when virtually everyone else ignored the stuff).

Thirty years later, out on a run in my neighborhood, I saw some trash and was moved to pick it up. It happened that I had recently been fired from a position despite the fact that I had performed extremely productively. I was in a state of mind that had me wondering about my worth. It occurred to me that, despite being unemployed, I could still be a good father, husband, friend, and citizen. Before, I might have done what my father did, with regard to trash, unthinkingly. Now I was doing it to soothe my soul, so to speak. If all I did was improve my neighborhood an iota, I figured I was still “productive” and “worthy.”

A silly little mind game, sure. However, that perspective helped me manage my period of unemployment and, I believe, helped me in the interviews that finally secured a much more lucrative new position.

But that’s not the end of the story. I continue to pick up trash, which means I keep an eye on the ground. As you can imagine, I’ve come across a fair amount of coinage and also bills, which I’ve always considered God’s little way of “repaying” me (not that I ever needed such “encouragement”). Recently, I found a diamond earring. Unable to determine its owner, I gave it to my wife, who was happy to receive it, and wears it happily around her neck. Value? I have no idea, but what it represents to me is incalculable.

So I guess you could say my father’s humble civic actions turned out to be an immensely important gift to his son. It helped me get through my biggest professional challenge and led to a change in perspective which has fortified me for the last 20 years.

How do you like that? Not so much a letter as a testimony.

Before I was in high school, I used to think that it was hilarious to litter, and mostly in egregious ways. All my friends did, and I knew other kids when I went to college that thought the same thing. Then I served a mission in a third world country and I saw how awful it makes everything look. I basically grew up, and guess what was the first thing I noticed and was most grateful for when I got off the plane in Newport Beach, CA? The cleanliness blew my mind, and now I never want to be that person ever again. Then I worked as a janitor and later as part of the grounds crew at BYU and actually kind of liked trash duty and making things nice. Now I pick up stuff all the time around my neighborhood because things are always flying out of people's trash cans up here.

I think it matters. I think it all matters a great deal.

Lastly, I think it's a Bon Jovi weekend. Have a good one, y'all!

Give them an inch...

I saw this article this morning that I thought would be worth sharing. From the beginning of the article:

The Monday, November 8, 2010 edition of the Guardian featured an article by Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle entitled "Heterosexual couple make second attempt for civil partnership." The article begins, "A heterosexual couple will request a civil partnership - available only to same-sex couples in the UK - at a register office in London tomorrow, to take a stand against a system which they say "segregates couples according to their sexuality".

This unmarried, heterosexual couple is a part of a revolutionary movement in British society. The members no longer want marriage to be recognized for what it is, a lifelong union between one man and one woman open to the bearing and rearing of children. They are dedicated to making the State give legal equivalency to non-marital relationships, homosexual or heterosexual. Then, they want to force the rest of society to call what can never be a marriage to be a marriage (homosexual partnerships) by using the Police Power of the State to enforce their new order.

I wonder how many people saw that coming. The progression goes like this:

Gay marriage advocates want broad societal endorsement of their lifestyle --> They seek this endorsement through legal channels, such as equal rights --> In an attempt to appease LGBT groups, instead of simply redefining marriage, they grant a concession by creating homosexual partnerships (domestic partnerships/civil unions here) that provide for the same rights as married couples --> By exploiting the application of the definition of those civil unions, gay rights advocates will now use that as a means for redefining marriage, which is what they were really going for all along. It's brilliant, right?

Sports Rant - Sometimes I just hate fans

This morning a friend of mine on Facebook said, "it's good to be a Jazz fan." So, naturally, I had to post the snarky remark, "but not in June, right?" when championships are won and lost. I was just teasing him, but then he came out with fists flying, talking about how the Lakers spend so much money, and how he prefers liking a team that takes its bumps and bruises and doesn't get favorable calls from the officials blah blah blah. Not being meek enough to just let it go I had to retort with how anyone would love it to be the favored team, no matter how they got there, and then I pointed to his beloved Utes as an example.

This is mostly what I wanted to rant about - what is it with fans being so self-righteous anyway? Because I happened to grow up in Southern California and therefore follow all teams from that area and now some of them are winning a lot, that somehow makes me a lesser fan than someone that grew up in a sports-poor area that has a small market team to follow? Newsflash: it doesn't make you more noble to be a fan of some team that loses year after year than someone that happens to follow a winning team. (Although it does matter somewhat whether you just happen to jump on the bandwagon because that's annoying to pretty much everyone.) But this is the thing about sports, and it's just like I mentioned to my friend, when it's your team that's suddenly in it until the end and all sorts of competitive, you're really not going to care too much about how they got there, just that they're there, so stop complaining when other guys are doing well.

Last year I was at a Halloween get together and a guy I know was going on and on about how much he hates Kobe and wouldn't even want him to come play for the Jazz. I held my tongue that time, but I thought to myself, then what kind of fan are you anyway? Why wouldn't you want one of the top-3 players in the NBA right now, and one of the 10-15 best all time? Why wouldn't you want a guy that can make your team an instant contender? It's not like Deron Williams is a saint but you still seem to like to pretend that he's in the running for humanitarian of the year. I can understand hating a team just because you see them as an obstacle to your success, but I just hate the false magnanimity that some people put on like they're somehow nobler because they stick with their team through thick and thin.

Incidentally, it's a good season for me. The baseball offseason is here which is great if you're an Angels fan because Arte Moreno has already vowed to try and get us back into contention, plus our division rival fell apart in the World Series. The Lakers are somehow a kind of quiet 8-0, and some people are talking about how they may be 15-0 before their mettle gets really tested. And this is the most surprising of all...the Raiders are on a three game winning streak. If you want to have a pissing contest about following your team through thick and thin, try being a Raiders fan in this millenium. Although it was good when this past decade started, they have set the mark for NFL futility the last seven years. The craziest thing is that I read the other day about how they could potentially get to the AFC championship game with this group that they currently have. It's still kind of insane that people are even considering that when we're only one game over .500, but it's nice to know that there is some reason to feel optimistic. Even BYU isn't looking nearly as terrible as they did to start the season.

In any case, your Jazz still stink, and they'll lose again to the Lakers in the playoffs just like they have for the last three seasons. Sorry.

Ahhhh, the weekend

I am just diggin' on this song lately.


Oh man, I'm so excited to be done with this week. It's been long in a number of different respects, and today's stuff ended sooner than I had expected it to. I'm excited for TCU to beat Utah tomorrow. I'm excited to just kinda hang out and do whatever. And I'm excited to work on my Dougie.





See y'all later!

Does Religion Kill?

Just a few things I wanted to note this morning:

• I saw this really interesting article by Maggie Gallagher, Does Religion Kill? It talks about the way the media has been grabbing onto the supposed trend that religion, particularly the Mormons, are steering kids into suicide. Not true, apparently. How surprised are you about that? You shouldn't be.
• So when I'm running late on non-COB days and I'm heading on to campus, I love getting the steel cut oatmeal at Jamba Juice. It's just heavenly, and I never hesitate to pay the $3 for it. Yesterday I went to buy my own because I thought it was ridiculous that I would pay that, and I totally balked at the $6 price for the full can that will deliver me probably 10 or so servings. Kind of silly, right? While I'm talking about breakfast...
• Let me put in a plug for breakfast. Want to know of a good weight loss tip? Eat a good breakfast. It's been shown that people who consume a third or so of their calories in the morning tend to eat few calories throughout the day. You know what I hear from most people about why they don't eat breakfast? "I just can't, my stomach can't really handle it." Well, that's only because you're used to starving yourself until lunch, and then you eat big and that sudden influx of food to digest then makes you sleepy. If at any time during the day you went 8 or so hours without eating, you'd think to yourself, "I really need to eat NOW," right? Then why shouldn't the same apply from the time you go to bed to when you wake up. It jump starts your metabolism, you'll burn your food more efficiently, and having fiber in the morning helps keep you feeling more sated until lunch. I'm just saying.
• How awesome are the videos by Ok Go? This first one was really shot with one single camera, took about six weeks to put together, and does not involve any kind of special effects. The next one is just kinda fun, and I really like the song. The one after that is just a random song I saw posted elsewhere that seemed catchy to me.
• Have a great day, dear hearts.

Here's My Take On Yesterday

Because I know you're all so interested, here are some of my thoughts regarding last night's election:

• The GOP killed it in state legislatures and governorships. They did not fare well at all in the Senate. They gained about 63-67 seats in the House, and so far only 6 Senate seats when most people were projecting 8-9. It looks like they'll get Alaska, and while Colorado and Washington are still up for grabs, and I mean, really up for grabs, somehow Dems always seem to eek out these extremely close races.
• The Republican party itself is much more diverse than people give it credit for. Two Hispanic Americans were elected governors in Nevada and New Mexico, with New Mexico's being the first ever female Hispanic American to be elected governor in the entire country. Two Indian Americans were also elected governors who are convservative Republicans, and several African Americans were elected to various positions throughout the country in behalf of the GOP. The best of all of these, however, is Marco Rubio.
• Marco Rubio is a Cuban American who ended up winning the Senate seat for Florida over former (current?) FL governor Charlie Crist. This guy is a rising star. Between Rubio and Chris Christie, the current governor of New Jersey, there are some real superstars rising in the Republican party. And I don't just mean charismatic and all that. These guys are hard core conservatives on all fronts and they are tough. There are dozens of videos of Governor Christie taking it to various people floating around on the internet. You can't help but get behind a guy like that, and Rubio is no different. 2016 and 2020 look really great for our Presidential prospects.
• The referendum on gay marriage. Here's the interesting thing about gay marriage. Are you ready for it? In every case where gay marriage has been a ballot measure voted on by the citizens, it has always failed (I'm about 95% confident that is correct). The only times when it has been legalized in this country has been when judges have usurped the will of the people and asserted their own opinions as law. This was the case in Iowa in 2009, and you know what happened yesterday? The three justices who were up for reelection yesterday were all voted out. Normally it's just a formality, but that was a definite referendum on those efforts. Last month PEW came out with a poll showing that the American people are becoming more accepting of alternative lifestyles, but my gut says that those results are not truly representative of what's actually occurring. In people's opinions it is always easy to say that they are open and accepting to that point of view about homosexuality, but when it comes down to it, people always vote against endorsing that behavior. That was especially true in California. Polls showed that opponents to Prop 8 were always leading, but when it comes down to it, people don't ever really want to endorse that behavior. That's my gut feeling.
• California reelected Jerry Brown to governor and Barbara Boxer to the Senate. Jerry Brown was the former governor of California back in the late 70s, and he is the current attorney general in California. He is the same guy who refused to defend the California constitutional amendment of Prop 8. Barbara Boxer is just an idiot. They were both reelected in spite of huge unemployment rates and fleeing businesses. Did you know the national unemployment rate is hovering around 9-10%, but in California it is upwards of 12-13%. It's just a terrible economy. I'm pretty sure that California will go bankrupt before the people really start to wake up to what's happening. Concerning California, Jay Nordlinger said:

  How bad does California have to get, before the voters turn from the Democrats? How dire does the state’s economy have to become? Going down the tubes, Californians still know how to do one thing: reach for the Democratic lever. As far as I’m concerned, that’s like grabbing an anvil when you’re drowning.
  
  And as the Republicans vote with their feet, California will become “bluer,” I’m afraid. Businessmen, entrepreneurs -- they’ve been hightailing it to Nevada, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina. They will probably hightail it further, seeking a state that will allow them to flourish.

  I wonder how long it will be until California is completely unsustainable. Sad thoughts. But still, it's a great place. (You're still the only person in the whole world that I know that would complain so much about living there. You know who you are.) Also from NRO:

  Why did the Republican wave stop at the California state line? There will be much speculation about problems with the Whitman and Fiorina campaigns, and some of it will be valid. Nevertheless, much of the answer lies in the makeup of the electorate.
  
  According to the exit poll, Democrats had a 13-point party identification advantage among California voters, compared with an even split nationwide. California voters approved of President Obama’s performance by a ten-point margin, whereas the national electorate disapproved by nine points. It’s just a different kind of state.

  
  
• Harry Reid was reelected to the Senate. Say what you will about him. That guy had every reason to lose yesterday, but he knows how to maneuver. He's an excellent politician, but then again, his opponent was not very strong either. Republicans should have won that seat.
• No matter how the results turned out in the places that you voted, it's always worth voting, if for no other reason than you're expression of faith in the American system of government. We live in an amazing country. The two-party system works, no matter how far off you think the government is from your own personal views. We get the most representative government in the entire world. If you don't think so, try living somewhere else for any amount of time and you'll see how wide-ranging the world's politics are. It will blow your mind.
• I think the GOP is in a really good position. Sure, they only control 2/3 of the elected federal offices, but conditions are still not very good for the incumbent party. The economy is still dragging, and probably will for a while longer. Health care is a mess in spite of the major overhaul. The war abroad is still very nebulous and we haven't seemed to make much progress since the success of the surge a couple years ago. Housing prices are still leveling out. The stock market has rebounded, but the economy continues to lag. If this keeps up, then it will do no favors for the party in power. The GOP can make small strides and the country will too, and then they'll be poised for another strong showing in 2012. The only problem I have with with 2012 is I don't like any of the possible candidates for POTUS that we have in the GOP. I love Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, and Marco, but they all still need some more seasoning. I don't think Palin is right either, but not for the same reasons that most people dislike her. There are some other possibilities - Tim Pawlenty, Huckabee, and Romney. While I like a couple of those all right, the problem is, I don't think any are really nationally appealing.

And that's about all I got.

Happy Halloween!

Let me tell you a little something about Halloween. This is what we did last month:

1. Pumpkin patch
2. Haunted Forest in American Fork
3. Heber Creeper (or Heber Crappy. Seriously, that thing was so lame. Never do it. Not even for free.)
4. Two costume parties.
5. Thriller up at Kingsbury Hall
6. Pumpkin carving with Mike and Lauren while listening to spooky Halloween...music? noises?
7. Halloween photoshoot (an Amy tradition)
8. And topped it all off by wearing coordinating black and orange outfits to church on Sunday with a Halloween treat night at a friend's place

Let me also tell you about Saturday night since that is really actual Halloween here in Utah. Our stake had this activity up at Spring Haven lodge in Hobble Creek canyon. It's a really nice locale, with air hockey, foosball, ping pong, a gym, and other things. There was also a gym where a guy we know was setup playing music for what would later house the dance.

What was annoying about that part was that being in the gym, and not having a lot of people there, people were using the gym like it was a gym, and not a dance floor. The lights were all on, guys were shooting hoops and a few people were hitting around a volleyball, that is, until they hit the DJ's $4000 piece of equipment. Some people are so dumb. This is the second (or maybe third) year in a row he has done the stake Halloween event, and he's always done it for free, just as a favor to everyone. Amy and I were ready to turn that mother out, so we suggested that we turn out the lights, and get all those nerds with the balls out. It's so funny to me that turning lights off is like an automatic call for people to come to the dance floor. And it was no different in this case.

We started the dance party, and went through about three different groups of friends who filtered in and out through the evening, while we stayed for the next three hours until everything ended with the B-52s, classic church dance song, though not my favorite.

I kind of love that Amy and I outlasted everyone there, and even better, I just love that we can dance the whole night and not give a care as to who else is there with us. Sometimes we mixed in with our groups of friends, and other times it was just us two off to the side, or outside while it sprinkled and we were trying to cool off, but not ever stopping because the rhymes he was kickin' were quite bootylicious (name that tune! not sure anyone who reads this can).

And you know what else? Maybe I shouldn't, but I get legitimately get annoyed and upset with anyone who doesn't like Halloween or doesn't properly celebrate it. What's wrong with you people? Do you not like fun? or happiness?

So to all those who enjoyed the holiday in full effect, I salute you. It's just about my most favorite month of the year.

(As always, you can find more photos on Amy's blog linked on the side.)