My Sweet Valentine

First of all, thank you so much for all your support about my Facebook page for my blog, which I mentioned in this post. It was comforting to know that so many people feel the same way I do! It is a scary thing, putting yourself out there, but I'm so grateful for all the support I have.

So...thank god I was able to see Dillon this weekend. It had only been a little over a month since I last saw him but I swear it seemed like six. We had been going through a lot which didn't make the time apart any easier. This weekend together was exactly what we needed.

I have to say though, our weekend wasn't too eventful, so I won't bother you with an exact play by play. I was wanting to do something fun and exciting. My suggestions ranged from getting a tattoo to skydiving to going on a hike. Unfortunately, since I hurt my neck I wasn't really feeling up to anything adventurous. But here are the highlights of the weekend:

Picking him up at the airport. I cannot explain the amazing feeling I get when I see him walking towards me. I get the dumbest smile on my face and the first hug and kiss is just perfect. And then his first words..."can we go get food?" Just melts my heart. ;) I even tried to curl my hair for him, but I turned out looking more like a lion.

Night out at Azian. Two of our friends from high school work there so we decided to stop by and see what it was all about. We sat at the sushi bar and had a sake-politan, which I thought was pretty good! Truth is, I actually hate sushi. I hate anything fishy. It creeps me out. But it was actually pretty cool being at the bar, and I even ate some of the sushi and didn't absolutely hate it!

Hanging out as a family. We took Tuck out of his tank and let him walk around the house a little bit. In order to not lose him we tried tying the balloon Dillon got me for our four year anniversary to him, just in case he tried crawling under a couch or something.

It didn't last very long. As soon as he started walking it slipped off and it is now hanging out on our ceiling which is too high for anyone to reach. Whoops! We also took a family photo, which I think is pretty darn cute.

Seeing Dillon's family. On Sunday we decided that we would drive up to see his mom and brother. I have to admit at first I was being a little selfish and just wanted it to be only us. But we got there and played tennis with his brother and watched the Olympics together and it was a lot of fun.

Just being together. Despite the very low-key weekend, I am just so happy we got to spend time together. We mainly spent it sleeping, watching TV, cuddling, and kissing. And I wouldn't have it any other way. The fact that we can simply hang out without needing to always be doing something shows me that I can spend the rest of my life with him.

Cheesy enough for you?? Sorry about that. ;) I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day weekend! Our presents to each other was his plane tickets, and I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Beautiful Simplicities

<<Photo Credit: Emily Patten>>

Here are a few small and random things that have been going on lately. I am finding the beauty in simplicity, in these little happenings that may not get much attention, but have made me happy recently.

First, the picture used in my above graphic is a picture I took while in Canada with Dillon. We had such a fun time traveling by ourselves, and it is one of the things I am looking forward to the most in our future.

These were included in Dillon's Valentine's Day package. (I know, I'm slacking!)

Left: I used the washed out feature on Word to print out a picture of Dillon and I onto a lined sheet of paper and then I wrote a love letter to him on it.

Top Right: This is Rub-a-Dub Shaving in the Tub kid shaving kit. Dillon has been really into shaving kits ever since we saw the newest James Bond movie (because he uses shaving soap and a brush in the movie). I thought it would be a cute gag gift for him to open that first before realizing I got him a real one!

Bottom Right: This is the actual shaving kit I got him! I got it at Target, but I cannot find it on their website right now. He has used it a couple times and loves it! Shaving like this is supposed to better for their skin since the soap is less chemically harsh than shaving cream is. I would recommend it for your man if you feel it may be something he is interested in!

I also got him Junior Mints (one of his favorite candies) and colored him some inspirational quotes (super cheesy but I enjoyed coloring them at least!)

If you read my post about getting in shape then you know that as a reward for finishing my fab ab work out,  I was going to allow myself to buy a new outfit. However, I knew that it would not be smart for me financially, so I decided I would stick to one item. You can see the items I wanted to get...but I ended up getting something completely different!

I ended up going with a couple friends to our university's bookstore where they were hosting a Style Your Soles event. You could buy a pair of TOMS shoes and then they had artist's there to customize them for you! I have been wanting a pair of TOMS since forever, and to be able to get ones that were one-of-a-kind was just the icing on the cake! I am in love with them and am so happy with my purchase!

I was able to go home this weekend and hang out with my best friend Jamie! We have been friends since 7th grade, Est. 2004. We are the kind of best friends who don't have to talk every single day to know that we can see each other any time and still pick up right where we left off. I love this girl so much, and I am so blessed to have her in my life. We're both turning 21 soon...let's just say we'll have a good time. ;)

<<We starting writing on a piece of Styrofoam on the door of my dad's workshop garage, the earliest being from 2006!>>

By the way, I am now on Spring Break! This is my last spring break of my college career, but I am working all week...oh well. But I was able to go home this weekend without any worries of school, and it was such an amazing weekend. Friday night I sat outside by the fire with my parents (it was my daddy's birthday!) and had some amazing conversation. Saturday I hung out with Jamie. Sunday I went to church with my mommy, watched Mirror Mirror, and talked about weddings all day. We found this gem of a picture of my grandparents at my parents' wedding. So adorable!

I hope you had an amazing weekend and have been finding the beauty in simplicity! Save my "There is Beauty in Simplicity" graphic and make a post about your beautiful simplicities!

Missionary Love.

OKAY. I am so beyond excited to be writing this post. It has been one I have wanted to make for a while now, but I had to wait due to reasons that will be explained. First off, no, I am not Mormon, and neither do I have a Missionary that I love. (All my love is reserved for my Airman!) However, my best friend Becca is Mormon and is currently dating Lance, her handsome Missionary who has been gone for over a year now.

A little back story: Becca and I met our freshman year at the University of Arizona. We lived in the same dorm and both had boyfriends back home, so we instantly clicked. We have now been best friends for over two years and I am so lucky to have her in my life. She understands the struggles of being in a long distance relationship, is always there when I need to talk, and we just have so much fun together!

When she asked me to help her make a video to send to her boyfriend for Valentine's Day, I was completely gung ho! She made a huge sign that on one side says "I love you Lance," and the other says "My heart is in Montana." (He is currently serving his mission in Montana.) We drove all across Tucson taking pictures and videos of her holding up the sign, dancing with it, and running around. Honestly, it was probably one of the best days I have had in a long time! 

This picture is especially adorable because 1: It's on a baseball field and he played baseball in high school, 2. She is on home plate, showing that she CANNOT wait until he comes home, and 3. She is making a heart with her feet and the base.

Please watch the whole video HERE! This is a link to her Tumblr, feel free to follow her! It is honestly the cutest video ever and I am so happy I was able to help her make it. Even though she sent it a week before Valentine's Day, he just got it yesterday because he transferred to a different city (hence me posting about this so late). But he absolutely loves it! Even though I told Dillon all about it already, I'm pretty sure she's going to help me make one for him! 

Ladies, if you are in a long distance (or "regular") relationship, I would highly recommend doing something like this! For Becca, this was all about showing Lance that she loved him and how she wanted to show it to the world. If you want to do something like this, add a little creativity to it! We went all over Tucson to places that they had been together or that just reminded her of him (DQ, Cafe Rio is a Cafe that Lance goes to a lot in Montana, baseball field, LDS Church) and some, like the ones on campus and on top of the mountain, were places she goes often or just wanted him to feel a part of. You can be totally creative with this, and it's a great way to show your love, and it's basically free!!

Leave a comment and tell me what you think, and let me know if you have done anything unique like this for your s/o!

Valentine's Day

This was Dillon and my fourth Valentine's Day together. We have never done something too incredibly special in the past that I can recall, which has always been okay because our anniversary is just a month before. However, this Valentine's Day I wanted to do something a little bit more special. First, I got him a gift that I am SO excited for him to get (although I'm totally failing since I haven't even sent it yet...oops!) I'll post about it after he finally gets it.

But onto the more exciting story. After getting the idea from a few other USAFA girlfriends, I decided I wanted to have a date night with Dillon. And yes...we were able to accomplish this while still being 800+ miles away from each other. Since he would be traveling to Texas for baseball on the 14th, we decided to do this the night of the 13th. We both ordered Chinese food and decided we would Oovoo while eating and watching a movie (Thor!) together. 

Some may say I went a little overboard in that I got COMPLETELY dressed up. I wore a dress, did my makeup, and curled my hair (all of which I hardly ever do). 

I told Dillon I was "getting pretty" but I didn't tell him exactly what I was doing. I really just wanted to wear the pearl earrings he had given me for our three year anniversary! I was a little embarrassed that I went all-out, but he ended up wearing a collared shirt and told me repeatedly how beautiful I was. *Awh* 

It was one of the nicest things we have done together while apart. We have Oovoo'd and watched TV together plenty of times, but this was completely different and absolutely amazing. I was afraid he would think it was extremely cheesy (which it really was) but he liked it so much he suggested we try to do something like it once a month. Such a sweetheart! 

The next day was Valentine's Day and because of the night before, I didn't find myself becoming sad over all the couples on campus. My best friend, Becca made me a shirt to wear on Valentine's Day, and I absolutely love it!! Her man is on his mission right now, and so the shirts were perfect for us. The back has their last name's (and our *hopefully* future last names)! 

Then Dillon, being the thoughtful man he is, surprised me by booking me a massage! It was incredibly sweet of him, and honestly much needed because I have been so stressed out lately. Overall, it was the perfect Valentine's Date/Day. I feel so incredibly blessed to be in love with such an amazing man, and then to have an amazing best friend who understands the hardships of distance, but the wonderfulness of being in love.