Coming Along!

Well, it's finally starting to feel like summer here.

Thank goodness.

Now we just have to hope it lasts...

Life as a fiance is great.

We are already making a nice big dent into our wedding planning!

My goal is to get just about everything figured out this summer, so I don't have much to do over the semester when I'm in classes.

I already found my dress!

It's perfect.

Well, I think it's perfect anyway.

I'm in love with it.

And I've already got an appointment for next week to begin alterations on it.

Because, of course, it's too big for me...

We've got the color scheme down.

But, of course, I've had that decided on my own for years now...lol.

Every bridesmaid will be wearing a different color.

They're bouquets will also be mismatched.

So, for example, if I have a bridesmaid in red, she'll be holding a yellow bouquet, and the yellow bridesmaid would be holding the purple bouquet, and the purple would be holding the blue, etc.

I don't know exactly what colors we'll be having, I'll let the bridesmaids pick their own colors.

But that's another thing we can {almost} cross of the to-do list: bridesmaids dresses!

We'll all be going shopping this Saturday for their dresses!

I'm excited!

We have an appointment to meet with a baker for our cake on Thursday, and Thursday we'll also be giving my parents a tour of the church so they can get an idea of how we want to decorate.

I've been in contact with the photographer we want.

{Check out her blog at http://paisleyannphoto.blogspot.com/}

And my parents have been talking to possible caterers.

Tom's been messing around with photoshop and some internet stuff to make our invitations.

And we've just about got our guest list figured out.

Everything is just coming together so nicely!

It's all sooo exciting!

So don't forget to save the date!

December 17, 2011.



The Proposal

Wednesday, June 22, 2011.
It's exactly two weeks from the day Thomas came home from his two-year long mission.
It's also the day I became his fiance.
Get comfy.
Grab some popcorn and a soda.
This is gonna be a long {and fun} post. Don't forget confusing.
The story of his proposal.
Thomas, because he's so amazing, has decided to help me write this post.
We will recap that day and share our story, both from our own points of view.
Thomas' experience is in bold, mine is in italics.
Here we go...are you comfy??...

The day started out normal, just like any other day. Where as my day started out bright and early finalizing everything for the proposal to ensure perfection.  I had the day off work, (I don't work yet) so Thomas and I had planned on spending the whole day together. We were originally going to go to the golfing range, because I want him to teach me how to golf, but the weather was uncooperative, (it rained) so we decided on a movie instead. He had told me he had to help his mom with stuff around the house before he came over, (teehee) so he was expecting to arrive around ten or ten-thirty, then we were going to see The Green Lantern at 11:25. So I just chilled around the house that morning. I killed time blogging, reading my scriptures, and reading an awesome book I'm working on (The Girl who Played with Fire). I gathered together all the hot sauce packets, wrote out the lines i wanted to have inside a few of the lockers and the poem on the wall, and headed over to the school. Once I arrived I had to explain my scheme to the people that were going to help me. (I only decided the day before that I was going to ask her and so I had only come up with the basic details when I got permission to do it.) Once I had the people involved informed I went on my merry way setting everything up. Half way through setting up the cupcakes I realized the custodians had not been informed not to touch the cupcakes! The head custodian did... he just failed to relay the message to all the others. So I frantically ran around the school making sure every custodian knew. :)

Thomas arrived shortly before eleven, and we chatted a bit (he teased me about my books being more important than him because I wouldn't put it down...) and then we left for the movie. Green Lantern was great - you should see it if you haven't! (This was my only regret... to all men that could possibly be reading a blog (lol)... DON'T TAKE A GIRL TO A MOVIE FOR A ROMANTIC DATE! And it's really not the thing to do before asking a girl to marry you. I did it because I needed a 2 hour excuse out somewhere for her to be with me.) The day seemed totally normal. After the movie we drove to our high school for an "interview" Thomas had for a summer maintainance job. I went with him to meet and talk to an old teacher he had who I had never met before. After chatting for a few minutes, Thomas excused himself to use the restroom before his interview, so I just chilled and talked more with Mrs. Hernandez. After a few more minutes, Jim, (Tim actually) the man Thomas was meant to have the interview with, came in asking if Tom was here yet. Mrs. Hernandez explained he had gone out to the restroom, but said she and I would go look for him and send him Jim's way. We roamed around the halls, and she asked me if the school looked different at all, to which I replyed no...wrong answer. {I was meant to notice something on the walls, which I didnt...} (Not too suprised... when I asked her to prom there was a 3'x4' piece of cardboard with her name on it facing her and she didn't notice it... =P)She led me a little further down the hall, and inquired, "Hm...what's this on the wall?..." While she was being tricked I was booking it to the back staircase of the school. I waited there with my mum and my sister (they couldn't miss it, and we needed a photographer). I, as most of you have probably seen, laid waiting for Katie to complete her collection on the 3rd floor. Once she had we rushed to the lockers and set up for her final arrival. And then went back to waiting...

Anyone remember the prom story?? He wrote a poem all along the main hall of the school asking me to go to prom with him? Yup. He did it again...sorta. On the wall was a riddle, explaining I was about to embark upon a scavenger hunt. As soon as I saw the poem, I knew today was {the} day...Mrs. Hernandez explained the scavenger hunt to me, led me to the first locker, and told me to have fun. Here's how the hunt worked...remember all the adorable things Thomas has made for me with the Taco Bell sauce packets that say "Will you marry me?"?? Yeah, those were my trail...Each locker had sauce packets hanging from them. One packet meant it was locker one, two packets was the next locker to open, three packets the third to open, and so forth...Inside each locker was a cupcake with a letter in frosting on top - - This was the way I had asked Tom to prom the first time we met. Every so often in a locker was a note with the cupcake telling me which level of lockers to go to next...

I started on the third floor where "Will" was hidden. Then I was directed to the second floor to find "You." Down on first floor was "Marry" and "M". {Once I hit the "marry" I started to tear up, and I {almost} started crying...but then the giddiness came quickly back and I once again became too excited to be anything but happy and giddy!} The "E"  to "me" was hidden behind a bench in the exact spot where Thomas asked me to Prom my senior year in high school. At the final "E" - where I thought I would find my Thomas waiting with a ring  muhahahaha- was another note sending me back up to the third floor, where I found a trail of sauce packets on the floor leading from the stairs to the center opening of the locker banks. In the center of the room was a giant question mark, again, made of Taco Bell packets. The packets on the locker had all been "Make a Wish" packets (we like 11:11 big time), and the ones with the question mark were the "Will you marry me?" packets. After giggling and staring at the packets for a minute, Tom's sister Sammie (who had been hiding and taking pics at this point) suggested I continue opening lockers....good idea! I started opening a couple, but all were empty...


...Then I heard the song. Thomas started "Love Story" by Taylor Swift on his phone - well, the last verse of it - and popped up from behind the locker bank. We kissed to the music for a bit, and then he told me to keep checking the lockers. FINALLY I found the right locker, inside which were two mirrors placed facing each other. On the back of one, Thomas had written "Forever" and on the front of the other, "And ever..." so that looking into the mirrors, the real question was, "Will you marry me...forever and ever and ever and ever and ever..." which is something he had done in my locker before back in our high school days. He's pretty awesome! At the bottom of the locker, was my Dumbo he had given me on our six month anniversary (which he kidnapped from my bed without my knowledge!), and sitting on my Dumbo was the perfect ring in its box.

Thomas picked up the ring, got down on one knee, and said, "So, my Katie Jo Barthel...will  you marry me?" To which, amid the biggest smile ever and girly giggles, I squeaked, "Of course!" And threw my arms around his neck, planting a big fat juicey kiss on his lips. I must admit here that between hearing "of course" and the kissing I almost forgot to put the ring on Katie's finger.  

It was an amazing day. It was perfect. He combined a little bit of everything he's done for me through the years, and all back at the place where it all started - our high school. It was perfect. Amazing.

We went back to my house to show my family the ring and tell the story. Then we...she... spent quite a bit of time on the phone with family and friends. That night we went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Benihana's (WOOT!!!), to celebrate. We came home and spent the night cuddling and reading Jesus the Christ together and playing cards...and calling each other "fiance" a lot.

It was the perfect day. A totally random day, so I didn't see it coming at all, and he made it magical. I am so in love with him. We can finally announce our date...drum roll please...December 17, 2011. (I thought she forgot to write the importance of where M was, but she was waiting to tell you the date till here. M was in the locker 1217: the day we're getting married!!!) I am so excited to become his wife. I am so excited to start our life together. I don't know how she gets so happy from goofy things, but I am very glad she does. Katie, as you all know, is the most amazing person on the planet. I am as excited as she is to start our life together! I love her so much!!!

"That" Girl

I think it's safe to say that I've become that girl.

You know, the one who's always with her boyfriend?

I never used to be that girl.

I always hated that girl.

That girl was definitely never me.

But ever since Thomas came home, I've become that girl.

At first, I tried not to be.

Thomas came home Wednesday, we had our blissful day together Thursday, and then Friday I went up to a friend's cabin for girls' weekend up north.

It was wonderful.

But, I'll admit, I had a hard time enjoying myself.

Don't get me wrong, I had a blast with my girls.

It was a ton of fun.

But the whole time I was thinking of (and missing) Thomas.

And I felt so stupid because it was only two days that I wasn't going to see him.

Two stinkin' days.

But it still made me sad and frustrated and made me miss him.

Then the following Tuesday I spent another girls day at Valleyfair.

It was wonderful and a total blast!

How can you not have fun at an amusement park, right?

We had a hoot.

But again, the whole time, all I'm thinking about is Thomas.

How much I wanted to be with him at that moment.

I work a lot.

I usually work Monday through Saturday.

Sometimes I'll have another random day in the week off besides Sunday.

I hate work these days because I sit and think about Thomas.

Of course.

He's just so amazing.

We've become attached at the hip...for the most part...

We do our best to have our separate lives and have fun apart.

Like I've said, I've had a handful of girls days without Thomas.

And he's spent time with friends and family while I'm at work.
And we do group things with friends and double dates.
We go to Institute with friends.
And we spend time playng games with our families together.
We haven't cut people out of our lives or become too infatuated with each other that we forget there are other people on the planet.

But we are pretty much glued these days.

On days I work, we usually see each other before and after my shift.

On the days I have off, it's kinda become the unwritten rule that we spend that whole day together.

I thought I never wanted to be that couple.

But I don't mind being that girl.
I like being that girl.
It amazes me how much I missed about him and how much I love him.
I can't get enough of him.
I can't get enough kisses or hugs.
I can't laugh enough with him.
I can't have too many tickle fights or wrestling matches.
I can't tease {or be teased} too much.
I can't hear his voice enough.
I can't get too many random "I love you" texts.
Every day that passes, every day we spend together, I only find out more that I've missed about him. I only discover more things that I love about him.
It's like falling in love all over again.
It's bliss. That truly is the only word for it.

My life is bliss.



"The" Talk

So yesterday was kinda a big deal.

Thomas talked to my parents.

Ya know, {the} talk.

I worked 11 to 7 yesterday, so Thomas went over to mi casa to talk to my father while I was at work.

Unfortunately, my dad had apparently gone to the Twins game and wasn't home.

So he sat with my mom and talked to her.

He told her our plans for the future and the wedding.

When I came home, Thomas, my mom, and I all went out to dinner and then we went and visited my cousin.

When we got home from dinner, my dad still wasn't home from the game, so Thomas and I took a walk.

It was {perfect} outside for a walk.

It was lightning a ton, but not raining, so it was awesome!

But, as we were sitting at the park watching the lightning and talking, it just started downpouring.

So we booked it home.

But obviously made a stop to kiss in the rain.

;)

We changed into warm clothes (luckily I buy my sweatpants from the men's department so I had something for Thomas to change into), and then it was "time."

Thomas, my mom, and my dad went into my room.

And Thomas asked for my dad's permission to marry me.

I don't know much about how the conversation went [Thomas wouldn't give details] but when all was said and done, I was told we have their permission!

So! Things are {finally} falling into place.

There's no ring yet, I know this because we only just looked at rings like two days ago, but the officially engagement will happen soon enough.

But Thomas and I have had some great progress planning things already!

Like I've said before, we have a date!

Which we will announce soon enough...

I don't want to spill too many details just yet, keep ya'll dangling...

I'll do a separate post all about wedding details soon enough!

But for now, the important thing is: we're {finally} gonna get married!



Our Little Project

This is the book called "Jesus the Christ"

It's kinda a beast.

It's 816 pages.

And the writing can be incredibly hard to follow sometimes.

Thomas and I are reading it together.

Our goal is to have it finished by our wedding.

Which, by the way, we think we've finally settled on a date.

But that will not be officially announced until the official engagement.

But anywho, that's our goal.

If you haven't read it, I highly encourage you to.
Thomas and I both {tried} to read it over the mission.

But it's a really deep, tough read, and neither of us could get through it.

So we thought we would try together.

We've been reading a chapter a night (or notes a night - there's a note section following each chapter).

We're about to start chapter three.

If you read it (which you all should) it might be a good idea to have a dictionary on hand.

We do.

And I like to take notes while I read too.

And having scriptures handy are good too, to cross-reference and stuff.

I'm really excited for this little project.

Even though the book can be hard to read, I love that we make time every time we're together to read it.

I love that it's bringing us closer to Christ and to each other.

I think it's the perfect way to start the rest of our life together.

The First Date

So today was the big date day!

Thomas and I had the whole day planned out!
Although bits and pieces didn't go according to "the plan,"

it was still just about the best day ever.

Okay, maybe the second best after yesterday...

...It started at about 10:30 this morning.

Thomas and his dad swung by my house to pick me up on their way back from the AT&T store - Thomas got a phone today!

Once home, we planned our picnic: we decided on parfaits and sandwiches.

I had never had a parfait before.
So we went to target to get fruit for parfaits (and so I could show him off to some of my coworkers who wanted to meet him!)

On our way to Target, there was, of course, more kissing at red lights.

After a kiss I told him, "I forgot how much fun it is to kiss you. I could kiss you forever."

To which he responded, "Good. Cuz there's gonna be a lot of kissing today."

I love that man.

After we got our groceries, we went back home and screwed around in the kitchen while cutting fruit.

There may or may not have been some playful threats with knives.

Finally got our picnic packed and headed out to the zoo shortly after twelve.

We sat at a picnic table and talked and ate for a least an hour.

I discovered I love vanilla yogurt.

But hate granola.

Even mixed in with fruit and yogurt.

Blah.

When we finally finished talking and eating, we walked over to the zoo!!

As always, I had a hoot.
I love the zoo.

We took our traditional picture in the kissing square while we were there.

Along with some other fun random pictures.

After another couple hours, and seeing all there was to see, we headed back home.

We went to my house and chilled there, surfing the net together.

We looked at all the comments on our pictures from the reunion.

(Thank you soo much for all the love, support, and excitement, everyone!)

We also watched some youtube vids.

Then I changed for dinner.

I ended up not wearing my dress I had picked out because it was a rather chilly day.

Only 60, cloudy, and very windy.

Not good dress weather.

But I got to wear my boots! ;)

We sat at Texas Roadhouse for an hour before Thomas finally went up and inquired why it was taking so long...

...we actually hadn't even noticed it had been then long, since we were pretty entranced in each other and had lots of long overdue conversation to attend to.

But because we waited so long, we got a free appetizer and dessert!
Helloooo first date! Awesome!

Dinner was delish, and full of wonderful mission stories.

I love my RM. I am so proud of him.

After dinner we went back to his house and played pool.

As always, I kicked Tom's butt.

Totally kidding. He dominated.

As always.

I'm getting a kiss from a giraffe!

After losing the second game I struck up a wrestling match in the hopes of paying him back for beating me.

But of course, I lost that too.

But it led to a tickle fight...

...which I also lost.

But that led to laughing and kisses and giggles.

Which I loved.

Then we sat on the couch and had a wonderful talk with his mum and sister about wedding plans.

We talked possible dates and ceremonies and all that fun stuff.

I'll keep you updated as things progress...!!

Eventually, the night had to come to an end (we were both exhausted) and so Thomas drove me home.

We sat in the car and talked some more about the future.

Can I just say, I am so incredibly excited to spend the rest of forever with him.

I cannot wait to become his wife.

Today was a perfect day.

Seriously, {perfect} first day together.

I am so in love.



He's Home.

Alright, it's time.

Time for the post I know a bunch of you have been waiting for.

The reunion story.

The day went great. I killed a lot of time with my wonderful friend Michelle. We went to Tom's house in the morning (so now she's met his family before she's even met him!), out to lunch, hair salon, nail salon [I'm still learning to type with fake nails on so I apologize in advance for any typos...], and shopped around Arbor Lakes. It wasn't a great distraction because we talked pretty much entirely about Thomas, but it was a least a ton of fun! And in the afternoon, Tom's mother called me to tell me if I wanted, I could just wait outside while Tom is released, and then I don't have to get dressed up in a dress. Well I was all for that, so I ended up going with outfit one: Blue top and boots - but the gray ones not tan.

Anywho, Michelle left about 6, and I spent another 45 minutes getting ready, then left and drove with shakey hands to the stake center! Well, as if I wasn't nervous enough already, go figure, I pull a Katie Jo and got lost. So I started freaking out even more. I wasn't outwardly crying yet, but the tears were definitely welling up! Lesley told me to be there about 7:15 and I was driving in circles unable to find the building. Turns out I kept missing the last turn I needed to take but I figured it out eventually. And it ended up being okay because Thomas was not done at 7:15...

...I arrive about 7:20 and immediately get out of my car. I'm staring at the doors of the church just waiting for them to open. I parked right next to their car, so I knew they were still inside. Well, eventually it got to be too much, so I had to start pacing the parking lot....But after about ten minutes I got cold (the wind really picked up, grr...) and so I went back in my car and sat to get warm...and to keep my hair from getting too damaged from the wind...sheesh.

Well, finally about 8:00, I see Tom's little brother and sister walk out of the doors, so I jump out of my car. I stand there for a minute and see the rest of the famliy behind them. As soon as Thomas walked through those doors, I was running. Literally, running. I jumped into his arms, wrapped my legs round his waist, my arms round his neck, and buried my face in neck. We were whispering things back and forth, but I honestly cannot tell you what the first thing he said to me was for certainity. I'm fairly sure it was "I've missed you." But I'm not positive. Can't remember the first thing I said to him either...

The First Kiss!

We hugged for a long time...long. Time. And when I finally loosened my grip round his neck and pulled away, he pulled me in for a kiss. It was magical. Simply magical. I could kiss him forever. I forgot how amazing his kisses were.

Finally I got down from being wrapped around him, and there was more hugging, laughing, greeting, and smiles. Thomas rode with me back to his house, holding hands the entire ride home just like we used to always do - - and kissing at red lights just like we used to do. Once we were back home, we all sat together in the family room. There were some wrestling matches (I lost of course, just like in the good ol' days), tossing of a football (which led to the breaking of some ceramics...), reading of the scriptures (Luke 8), and family prayer. Then more sitting and talking (our wedding may have popped up once or twice in convo...) once the kiddies had gone off to bed.

Eventually, Thomas and I went downstairs and we were opening his boxes. He showed me a bunch of things from his mission, his tie collection, and we went over old letters, cards, and talks. We sat and talked and talked and talked....and kissed and cuddled bunches too. Just as I was about to leave, Tom's wonderful sister Sammie came down and told us the pictures she took were edited and ready for facebook. So we quick uploaded those, then he walked me to my car and kissed me goodnight.

It was bliss. There really is no other word for it. It still feels like I'm in a dream. It was the most amazing feeling to be able to talk with him, feel him again. To be able to reach out and he's actually there. To feel his heartbeat while we're hugging. To feel his warm breath on my cheek as he whispers he loves me in my ear. It was completely blissful. So surreal. I'm almost afraid to go to bed tonight - I'll wake up and realize it really was just a dream. Tonight could not have been more amazing. It's as if no time has gone by. Everything felt perfect. Not a moment of awkwardness or questioning or doubt. It just fit. Perfectly. The night was filled with kisses and cuddles and hand-holding and "I love you's". It was simple amazing to be able to {feel} his love for me, in the way he holds me, brushes my cheek, kisses my forehead, looks into my eyes. I can't believe it's been two years. It just honestly feels like we were never apart.

I love him so much. I'm so grateful he served a mission. And I'm so grateful he's home now.

...Going Crazy...

I've been awake since 5:30am.

I finally got out of bed at 7.

After showering, dancing in the bathroom, playing with my hair and makeup, I successfully killed two hours.

Then I sat on facebook for another half hour.

I'm going crazy.

And running out of things to do.

I'm just waiting for Michelle to get here to get the day rolling.

Thank GOODNESS I've got her keeping me company today.

I'd be going CRAZY waiting all the way till 7 tonight.

Hey, it's only nine hours and 20 minutes.

I feel like I'm gonna throw up.

You have no idea how bad my butterflies are today.

It's the weirdest feeling.

Is it seriously today?
June 8?
Has this day finally seriously arrived?
Or am I dreaming?

I feel like I'm dreaming.

I can't believe it's here.

I'm going crazy.

I think I've burned a thousand calories this morning just pacing around the house.

And of course the crazy dancing to try to get rid of the nerves.

I need to eat something.

I barely ate anything yesterday.

And I'm sure I'll eat even less today.

I need to eat something.

It's a gorgeous day today.

75 degrees, cloudless starkingly blue sky, huge bright shining sun.

Totally matches my mood.

I am soooo excited.

I just gotta get rid of these butterflies.

I can't believe today is finally here.

The Past Two Years

So it's finally here. The last 24 hours. We did it. It's over.

I knew going into this that it was going to be hard - but nothing could have prepared me for the past two years. They were hands down the longest, hardest, and quite possibly darkest two years I've experienced so far. Not simply because of Tom being gone, but with everything else going on in my life as well. And even though they were as hard as they were, even though I've cried more tears than probably the rest of my years combined, I would not trade them in for anything. I would do it all again.

These past two years I have learned such an incredible amount about life, myself, and mine and Tom's relationship.

Life

I have learned the incredible value of living every moment of your life to the absolute fullest. I have learned the importance and power of optimism. I have discovered that it is far more rewarding to get out and dance in the rain instead of complain about it. I have learned to treasure time with the ones I love, and the importance of telling those around me how much I love and appreciate them. A smile truly does go an incredibly long way, and a hug can go even farther. Living for others is far more rewarding than living for oneself. I have learned that smiling through the pain does not make you fake - it makes you strong. It makes it so you don't lose a moment of life's precious time. Let the little things go - don't hold grudges, it's such a waste of beautiful time. Forgive. Always move forward. The glass is always half full - you just gotta see it.

Myself

I have learned so much about myself these past two years that I don't even know where to begin. I have grown and changed a lot these past two years. I'm much more patient, understanding, and open to others. If it's possible (Tom would say it's not) I think I've become even more compassionate and empathetic than I was before. I have learned to let go of the fear of getting hurt and to just put myself out there. I've pushed my limits, tested myself, and tried new things to discover who I want to be. I had to go through some rough times, experience some crazy things, but in the end, it was worth it. I think I have finally figured out who I want to be in life. I have discovered the importance of being true to myself. Never be what anyone else wants you to be. Take the time to discover yourself, and then be true to that person. I have busted out of my shell with gusto, and I love being the crazy wild obnoxious me with no inhibitions. As my blog says, "I am who I am...your approval isn't needed." A valuable lesson I've learned these past two years. Dare to be you.

My Thomas and I

Quite obviously, these past two years have tried and tested mine and Tom's relationship. But through it all, holy cow, our relationship has strengthened in a way that is so hard to explain. We have both come to appreciate so much more what each of us offer to the relationship, particularly all the little things. Communication, quite obviously, has had a huge impact on us. We know the importance of communicating with each other, and we have come to know that we are each others' rock through hard times. It's hard to put into words how our relationship is different, because our love was something so strong before the mission anyway. But it's simply knowing that we made it that adds so much strength to it, I think. Knowing that if we can do this, we can literally do anything. We've gone to years with virtually no communication and absolutely no physical time together. It's been an email every Tuesday, a letter about every month, and two phone calls a year - and still, we are madly, deeply in love. It's not infatuation or lust or puppylove or whatever minimal name you want to give it; it is the realest, truest, deepest love. A love that without a doubt will last for eternity.

People called us crazy. They told us the mission would be the end of us. Two years was a long time - I would find someone else while he was gone. Yes, I dated. I tried those other fish in the sea. But there is no one like my Thomas. And in {twenty-four} hours, I'll be in arms again.



Finalized!!

So it's only 2 more days until the big day.

OOFDA!

I have finally got the plans for Wednesday finalized.

You see, since I won't get to see Thomas until seven, I've got to make sure I'm super busy that day.

I've got to keep myself busy for two reasons:

ONE. So time goes by faster.

TWO. So I don't go crazy.

Although I'm not sure that's going to be possible.

So, I've finally got it officially all planned out...

To start things off, the plan is to sleep in as long as possible.

But, there's a problem.

I hate sleeping-in in the first place.

Hate it.

In fact, I've trained my body so that I pretty much always wake up around 8/8:30 every day no matter.

Seriously.

Even when I don't go to bed till like 3, I still wake up around 8.

But, I'm going to try and kill as much time as possible sleeping.

But after that, this is my day:

This is my BBFF.
I {heart} her.

10:30am: My BBFF [Best Best Friend Forever] Michelle McNamara will be arriving at mi casa to keep me company for the day and freak out with me. :)

11:00am: Out to lunch...{try} to get some food in me through all the butterflies. The last thing I want to happen is to faint when I see him from lack of food.

12:30pm: Get my hair did. Just a cut really. Gotta trim those gross split ends off and make it all purrdy for that night. Hair always looks the best right after you get it cut, right? That fresh salon look? That's what I'm going for.

1:30pm: Get our nails did. I'm getting fake nails so I can give him proper back and head scratches when he comes home. It was going to be a secret, but I spilled the beans when I talked to him on Mother's Day - he's extremely excited. :P Michelle is undecided, but sounds like she'll be getting a pedicure. I can't do pedicures...too ticklish!

2:30pm: Here's where it gets tricky. We have a big gap of time to kill. We'll probably spend the afternoon roaming Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove, or catching a movie - a movie is a great way to kill time, right? Although I'm afraid I'll be so distracted I won't even watch the movie and it'll be a waste of my moola. :P

6:00ish pm: Say goodbye to the wonderful Michelle, and do some touchups to get ready. Change into my dress. Freshen my hair and make up. Maybe throw up once or twice from the nerves...kidding! Hopefully...haha.

6:40pm: Leave mi casa and head to the stake center in Anoka. Try to blast my radio and sing and dance on the drive to kill my nerves.

7:00pm: Arrive at the stake center. Continue freak-out mode. Take deep breaths. Try to calm my racing heart...

7:15pm??: I'm not sure how long it takes for a missionary to be released from his mission. I'm guessing 15 or so minutes? The stake president will say the blessing, and I'm assuming then talk to him about his mission? So. I'm guessing this is about the time he'll be done. Which means, this is about the time I will {finally} be reunited with him. Finally get to hug him, touch him, feel him again. He'll be real. Right there. With me. I'll actually see him.

And from then on, the night will be surreal. I can already tell. I honestly think it's going to end up being one of those nights where you're kinda in a daze, so you end up not really remembering anything, just little snipits here and there of moments, like snapshots of the night.

I'm soooo excited.

No more letters.

No more emails.

Sooo exciting!

I'm nervous beyond words.

But sooo excited.

Two. Stinkin'. Days.

Because I'm Kinda a Dinkus...

Alright, so I'm kinda a dinkus.
[And apparently still learning the ways of the Mormon church...lol]
Teehee.

So you know that poll that you all participated in?

And everyone was so exciting and helpful and giving me so much feedback?

While I want to thank you all for voting

[and for being so excited with me!]

I have to admit I was a little bit of a dork.

Maybe a little too excited.

Tom's wonderful mother reminded me:

The first time I'm seeing Tom is at the stake center when he is released.

At 7:00pm Wednesday evening.

And while that's all exciting and wonderful,

I have to remember it's Sunday dress since we're at the stake center.

Oops!

So that means that all those outfits from my last post won't be okay.

Hahaha...typical Katie move.

So! I've mad a new poll with new outfits! :P

Please, if you don't mind, vote on what you like!

I like inputs!

Dress One

This is at a banquet at school.

It's kinda warm for summer, it's sweatery materail.

But I love it, it's one of my favorite dresses.

Dress Two

This is summer, {yellow!}, and cute.

Dress Three

I love this one because I love to wear my awesome red high heels. :)

So please vote again!!

I think the winning outfit from my previous vote will be what I change into later.

Haha...I'll still make use of it. ;)

Thank you all!!

Have fun voting!!

Only three more days!!!

:D :D :D