I Got Married

I never thought that I cared much about aging...

... but when the male employee at the hipster pizza place in town asked me if I was Jana's mom on Saturday, I seriously contemplated botox. I mean, yes, Jana has a very youthful look, but she's only 2 years younger than me and he thought I was 20 years older than her! I used to say that I "liked" my eye wrinkle crows feet because it means I smile a lot, but maybe it's time for some wrinkle cream or something.

Making Plans

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a planner. So naturally, Gard and I have been making all sorts of plans for our life together (knowing full well that life never goes according to plan). We have a lot of similar ideas about things we'd like to do, but there is one thing we can't seem to agree on: motorcycles. He loves them, I hate them. Luckily we got that worked out over g-chat today.

me: i wish you could watch this Sunday Morning with me right now
Gard: me too! what are you learning about?
me: it's about a 100 year old ski racer who rides a motorcycle
Gard: what?? how did they interview me in the future?
me: ha. you can have a motorcycle when you turn 100
Gard: before then
like 80
at the latest
me: ok, 80
Gard: but only if you're not still around
me: ok, fair
Gard: i'm buying one the day you check out
me: i'll leave a motorcycle for you in my will
Gard: haha
me: fine by me
Gard: ok
me: deal
Gard: no point hanging out by myself
me: you can ride your motorcycle around
and then it won't be as much of a tragedy when you get run over
Gard: haha
me: because you'll be coming to see me
Gard: thanks hun
me: you're welcome

Who would've thought?

A few minutes after we got engaged.

A year and a half ago, I was at Sunday dinner with my parents and we got talking about dating. One thing led to another and I ended up laying in my mom's lap crying (yes, at 26 sometimes a good cry in your mom's lap is the only thing that will make you feel better). I just didn't get it. How did people fall in love and get married? It all just seemed so far off for me. Little did I know, the boy I would end up loving was already very much a part of my life, the time just had to be right.

I was busy looking for the guy I thought I wanted. I thought I'd marry some guy who was studying business or dentistry (maybe because that's 95% of the guys at BYU?) or maybe some guy who loved sports and dressed in business casual and had all of the same interests as me. I knew lots of those guys and they were all great, but I often found myself being self-conscious and trying to force something that wasn't there. It just wasn't working.

So imagine my surprise when I found myself falling for Gard (who was not what I was looking for, but way better for me in so many ways). We'd been friends with for a couple of years and in that time I'd become so comfortable not only around him, but more comfortable around me- more comfortable in my own skin. I was able to be myself with him. One of the first times that Gard and I went to lunch together (a year and a half or so before we started dating), I picked apart my entire sandwich and did a bunch of things I'd never do in front of a date and remarked, "It's a good thing you're not trying to date me." And that was the trick- he wasn't trying to date me, we were just becoming friends and that made all the difference.

It didn't matter that he adored all things outdoors and I'd only spent a lifetime total of 4 nights in a tent. I didn't get hung up on the fact that while I occasionally enjoyed sporting events, he was unfamiliar with the term "first down". Whether or not Gard liked The Dixie Chicks (he doesn't), I still liked them and whether or not I loved to ski, Gard still loved it and still loved me. I quit looking for all of those things I thought I wanted and found all of the things I needed (and didn't even realize it!) in Gard. I quit looking for the guy in a suit who had all the same interests and was able to look at Gard in his skinny jeans and t-shirts and fall in love with his kindness and sense of humor and intelligence (and adorable nerdiness!- the cool kind, not the weird kind) and testimony, etc etc etc. And miracle of all miracles, he fell in love with me!

It's not like Gard was looking for me either. I'm sure he thought he'd end up with a girl who loved to rock climb and ski black diamonds and who maybe knew a thing or two about science. But that wasn't me and ultimately he didn't care. Even though I still pick apart my food and have only skied 3 times in my entire life and get overly excited about stupid things and talk way too fast for any one's good, he likes me. Somehow with all of our differences, we understand each other and make one another happy. So a few weeks ago when we were baking in our pajamas and I turned around to find him on one knee in the kitchen, it was a resounding, "YES!" (well, after I said, "Really?! Wait, you're supposed to tell me nice things."). Who would've thought?

Calling Chickee to share the good news.

So I finally read the first Harry Potter...

And I thought it was okay. I mean, I enjoyed it, but I haven't been in a huge rush to read the second one (much to Gard's chagrin)- I know, I know, that makes me unimaginative and boring or something, but they're just not my cup of tea. Anyway, Gard keeps telling me that I need to read them so I understand his Harry Potter jokes. My reply is that the majority of his jokes don't involve Harry Potter, so I'm still in no rush. To which he replies, "What if I got into an accident and the only jokes I could tell were Harry Potter jokes?" Okay, fine, then I'd read them.

Oh yeah, and we got engaged and I couldn't be happier about it! More on that to come.

Note to self:

Do not apply your Burt's Bees lip balm with your finger and then rub your eye. The "soothing tingle" that the tin promises for your lips does not feel so good in your eyes.

B-Day weekend turned sister reunion

Gard had this great idea to go to his family's beach house to celebrate his birthday. So after a TON of convincing (yeah right), I was on board. After a turn of events, Gard's birthday weekend with friends somehow turned into a Rozier sister reunion with none of Gard's friends. Good thing Gard is easy going (or maybe there was so much chattering between me, Nat, and Whit that he didn't have a chance to tell us otherwise?). At any rate, I think all parties involved had a great time. How could we not in such a beautiful place?

Doing what we do best (well, besides talking).

Twin ninja hoodies. Apparently we like to match in my family.

Yes, believe it or not, that's me in the middle of the ocean on a kayak.

I think it's time for an intervention or something.

It's almost 7:oopm and I'm just getting ready to leave work. Yes, sometimes I have a tendency to work too much, but that's not the issue I'm tackling here. The issue is that I just moved a large pile of paper to find chocolate stuck to several documents that go into patient's medical charts. Oops. That, coupled with finding rainbow sprinkles stuck to my chest when I took my bra off the other night (those Banbury donuts are just TOO good), just screams for a cleanse. Okay, I'm not crazy enough to give up sweets or anything (because anyone who knows me knows my appreciation for all things sweet), but maybe I'll just start with some vegetables for dinner. Luckily I like those too.

Further evidence that I'm a 76 year old woman trapped in a 27 year old's body.

I think Sunday Morning is the best show on television. News? Check. Fun facts? Check. Sketches on things ranging from the Hoover Dam to toothpick art to pop culture? Check, check, and check. What more could I want in a television show?

I take back all the mean things I've ever said about LAX

I think I've flown into/out of LAX a handful of times in my life, but for some reason I had a total aversion to that airport- that is until this past Tuesday. I'm typically a glass half-full kind of girl, but whenever I heard someone say something about LAX, it was usually followed by a quick, "Ugh, I HATE that airport. It's just so big and busy and such a pain," or some other exaggerated response to that effect. Well, I take it all back.

On Tuesday, I was at LAX at 7:20 am (so obviously I was in an awesome mood after waking up at 6:00am). I got in the security line to be herded like a cow up to the TSA attendant to go through the huge rigmarole that is now airport travel- still in a totally awesome mood, I assure you. As I approached the TSA podium though, something was different. The attendants were smiling. What?! And on top of that, they were handing out compliments like it was candy. "Oh, Ms. Rozier, headed home today? You sure look nice!" Then I saw one TSA guy look at a lady's ID and say, "Oh, you've decided to go blond. Good choice, it looks great!" Then the lady at the next podium looked at another guy's ID and said, "Wow, nice smile!" For a second, I expected Ashton Kutcher to jump out, but then I remembered that it isn't 2003.

Some people think Christmas or Thanksgiving are the best days of the year...

...I beg to differ. If I had to pick my favorite day of the year, I think it might have to be summer solstice. I mean, 15 hours of sunlight, does it get any better than that?! I think I'll celebrate with a grilled hot dog (well, let's be honest, I've been celebrating the warm weather with hot dogs for weeks now). So maybe I'll add a quick jog in the park as part of my celebration. After all, it'll be light until like 10pm or something wonderful like that!

"Dad is da bomb"

A few years back, my dad learned how to send text messages. Shortly thereafter, I started recieving texts with phrases like the title of this post. I couldn't argue- my dad really is da bomb.

official start to summer

I've had a grilled hot dog every night for the last 4 nights. If that doesn't scream summertime I don't know what does.

"It's your birthday?!"

"It's your birthday?! Happy birthday!" I think I heard this roughly 297 times at work today. The best part is that it was from the same 7 residents. Sometimes having short-term memory loss isn't a bad thing because then you get to be excited about things like birthdays over and over again.

Once in a Lifetime

I know I pick on Utah a lot, but there are some really great perks about living in Salt Lake- namely, stake conference in the Tabernacle. Oh and did I mention that our ward was the choir? Yes, I sang in a Tabernacle choir- not THE Tabernacle choir, but I was so excited about sitting in those choir seats and singing with that amazing organ, it may as well have been. I tried really hard to pay attention to the speakers, but my mind kept wandering and thinking about all of the wonderful Saints and General Authorities who have sat in those seats.

I think the lecture went well?

Well, at least the professor invited me back next semester- so that's gotta count for something, right? Or maybe, it was the fact that I brought candy? I figured graduate students still like treats, so even if my lecture was boring, at least they had something yummy to snack on.

P.S. In all seriousness though- being a professor is my DREAM JOB. I really love my job, but being back in the classroom reminded me how much I really love school (and what a big nerd I am.)

I'm going to be a guest lecturer in a graduate social work class at the University of Utah on Thursday.

Does that mean I'm a grown up?

I'm never sad to wake up to a box of donuts on my doorstep.

Dare I say they rival Judy's Donuts in Clovis?

Perfect way to start the day.

I needed something to get me through these last few winter months.

So you may have already figured out that I'm not a huge fan of winter. In fact, I don't really hate things, but I might hate winter.

So in an attempt to think warm thoughts, I booked a trip to Hawaii!!! It's not until March, but it's all I can think about. Hopefully tomorrow when I'm scraping snow off of my windshield in freezing temps, it won't be quite so bad 'cause I can just imagine myself on the beach. March cannot get here fast enough.

Conundrum

I went to the dentist last week and he told me that I should drink out of a straw to prevent discoloring my teeth. But then my dermatologist says I shouldn't drink out of a straw to avoid wrinkles around my mouth. So I guess I have to choose? Wrinkles or stained teeth- it's a toss-up.