Umm…I got engaged this evening! Story to follow soon.

“At a certain point my novels set. They set just as hard as that jam jar. And then I know they are finished.” - Ivy Compton-Burnett

So, there was the weekend and the weekend was big in a number of ways. First, it was an odd day at work as the lady employees (all 3 that are here currently) took off to see the newborn babe of one of the other lady co-workers. What a precious little doll. Man, I love babies. I still want piles of them.

After visiting the new mom and baby, I ran a few errands with another co-worker before she dropped me off for lunch with Kevin and his parents. They had flown in the night before and we met at Applebee’s. I had the new California Shrimp Salad and wooboy is that good. Olives, avocado, shrimp, some yummy dressing…seemed rather low-carb friendly. The only questionable bit was the dressing and there wasn’t a lot. Highly recommended. It was a nice lunch, getting to catch up with his parents, though I was quite tired from being up so late finishing the last of my Spanish the night before. After lunch, they dropped me back off at work and I finished out the rest of the day doing what I do. Which is top secret and extremely important

Once I got home, I’m not gonna lie, I made a mad dash around the house to finish cleaning up things. It looks pretty good now and I have a few piles of things to organize/recycle/donate, but that’s good. I need to dive into my closets some weekend and really give those a good going over. Kevin and his parents came over and I gave them the grand tour of my 1200 sq. ft. palace. I do love my little house. It fits me perfectly.

Then, we all hopped in the car and headed over to Charleston’s for The First Time Our Parents Met. We met my parents there. And I really don’t know what else to say except that it went spectacularly. I feel like our dads are cut from the same cloth. They are both funny fellas, raised in the South. The restaurant was a little too loud for my liking, but we were still able to do a lot of talking. And the food was great. Charleston’s is one of my favorites. It’s also the place that Kevin and I first really talked while sitting next to each other at a surprise party for a mutual friend.

The next morning I was up early (though not really early, compared to when I wake up for work), ironed my gown, and headed off to Lloyd Noble to line up. Before I knew it, we were inside the center and seated. They kept the beginning short and sweet, the way that sort of thing needs to be. After the first thousand or so names were called, it was my turn (listen for Elizabeth Johnson):

It was a pretty cool moment. Happened really fast and I was back in my seat before I really knew what happened, but man, the freedom. Really, really DONE. I will be the first to tell you that I wasn’t the best student (high school certainly did not prepare me for the challenge OU would present), but I can honestly say that I worked my tail off for my last class and was unsure up until the last moment whether or not I would pass. Well, I don’t have my grade yet, but the professor told me that I’d be passing. Thank you, God.

More about the rest of the weekend later…

Not. It’s April Fool’s Day, silly. You know what that means? I’m going to call my mom in just a few hours, giggling like a schoolgirl, and say, “You will never guess.” And for .7694 of a second, my mom will think I’m getting married. And making my mother gasp has been a good reason to wake up every morning since I was 12.

I ran across this particular “Find of the Day” at FOUND Magazine and it hit me like a ton of bricks. The meaning behind it. It says the note was found in a school chapel. I can just imagine the sermon that would have gone along with it. Wish I could have heard it.

It runs in my family to have a temper. Nothing really serious, but there are a number of my relatives who put absolutely ZERO thought into any words that come out of their mouths. I’m not saying this to be critical or to out them as inconsiderate, tactless jerks because that’s not what they are. However, I’m not saying that you can’t change certain aspects of yourself, fight your flesh, and choose not to respond to crisis (or the least little thing that goes against what you want to do) in a negative way. And I won’t say that I don’t have some family members that need to do that. I’ll admit to you that it is a struggle for me to contain my emotions and not let them take over completely. With the health issues I have dealt with lately I have felt an influx of hormones take over my body and turn me into something that’s not me. Something more like this:

(Couldn’t decide who was more evil. I channel both of them a few days out of the month.)

But this subject is so very serious. Are you going to let the world around you, the way people treat you, even something so small as rain when you want sunshine determine your behavior for the day, the month, or the rest of your life? You answer to a higher power than that of this world. So, who are you going to let control you? This has made me think a lot, and I know I’ve decided Who. But I realize that I have to make that decision over and over again, every second.

“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15

I have been tagged on a number of blogs to list quite a few different things. Today I am getting to what Cricket, Destini and Lynn tagged me to do…list 7 interesting things about myself.

1. I have hitch hiker’s thumbs. You know, the kind that bend back really far. I think they’re hereditary.

2. I have only seen The Wizard of Oz one time. It was this past Christmas at Kevin’s parents’ house. Hopefully that’ll be the only time. Maybe it’s magical when you’re little, but I was not impressed.

3. I am an early bird, but only if the temperature outside my bed is close to the one inside. It is very hard for me to get up in the mornings if I’m stepping out into a cold room. My body just won’t do it. Since I try to save energy and not run heating or air at night, this becomes a problem.

4. I’ve lost 12 lbs. recently, which is pretty awesome.

5. I think I know the words to nearly every song by Trisha Yearwood. I love her. And man, she has good hair.

6. I have very manageable hair. And lots of it. I’m kind of a hairdressers dream…or worst nightmare.

7. I have a family that rivals the one in My Big, Fat Greek Wedding. Ask Kevin. They think he’s quiet, but really, he’s just normal.

Can you match the ringtone with the person it belongs to on my phone? (This may only be fun for people who are actually in my contacts…oh well.)

1. Aaryn
2. Dad
3. Delisa
4. Kyle (younger brother)
5. Mom
6. Granny
7. Ryan (youngest brother)
8. Heather
9. Kevin
10. Mom & Dad’s house
11. GodlyGals contacts
12. Jessica & Jennifer (they are twins and just happen to have the same ringtone)

a. “Nothing Left to Lose” - Matt Kearney
b. “Lovers Who Wander” - Dion and the Belmonts
c. “Alabaster Box” - Cece Winans
d. “Good Little Girls” - Blue County
e. “Low” - Flo Rida feat. T-Pain
f. “Don’t Get Me Wrong” - The Pretenders
g. “Bop” - Dan Seals
h. “Come Back Down” - Lifehouse
i. “Sweet Caroline” - Neil Diamond
j. “You Shook Me All Night Long” - AC/DC
k. “Wildfire” - Michael Martin Murphy
l. “Even the Nights Are Better” - Air Supply

Right now I am in Clinton, North Carolina meeting a few members of Kevin’s extended family. I know, I should have some crazy story to tell you by now, but the truth is, his family is pretty great. So while I’m out here spending time in a town that looks much like the one I grew up in you should read about a time when The Pioneer Woman almost had a meltdown in front of many of her “boyfriend-but-someday-husband’s” family members. It’s hilarious. And sweet.

Here’s an excerpt:

I had no choice but to surge on, to get dressed, to face the music in all my drippy, salty glory. It was better than staying in the upstairs bathroom of his grandmother’s house all night. God forbid Marlboro Man or Tim start to think I had some kind of feminine problem, or even worse…constipation or…gasp!…diarrhea. I’d sooner move to another country and never return to my homeland than to have them think such thoughts about me.

It is 11:11 p.m. and on this day Kevin and I have been dating one year, one month, one week, and one day.

This video is pure cheese, but so am I.

The other day The Boyfriend and I went to see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The music was good and I knew to expect blood–only I didn’t realize how much blood. Call me a wimp, but that was too much for me. Again though, the music was phenomenal. I can totally advocate buying the soundtrack.

Lucky for me though, going to see Sweeney Todd meant that I got to see the wonderful trailers that went along with it. Trailers are nearly the best part of the movie to me. I love them. I am exactly the type of person that they aim these things at, especially whenever they make the film sound like some kind of sweeping epic–I am so there.

On this particular trip to the theater we got to see the trailer to a musical. I am a firm believer that life should, at all times, consist of the following things: singing, dancing, kissing, running through city streets, jumping on top of cars, lots of rooftops, and weddings. I’m not sure if Kevin realized how excited I was about this, because all I did was lean over and say “I’ll see this while you’re gone this summer.” (He’s going to coach at a camp in Pennsylvania for the summer) I don’t know how much he likes musicals, but I hope that he does for the most part. I believe that there are two kinds of people in the world–those who like musicals and those who don’t. I think the latter should be euthanized.

Anyway, this movie is Mamma Mia! and it’s starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth. And I’ve had a deep love for Abba music since I was a wee little thing. Again, I’m so there. I suggest going to the official movie site to view the trailer, because it’s better there, but I’m going to post one here anyway. You can be sure that I’ll let you all know what I think about the film after I see it this summer.

This is a video of a little boy that my parents take care of quite a bit. His dad is a good friend of my dad, so they have pretty much been around him since birth. He calls my dad “Big Tim” and my mom “NeeNee” which is sadly what she has decided she wants her grandchildren (Designs by Liz™) to call her.