Happy one year since getting engaged! It's been great!

Love, Dane

Go green with pandas

One of the greatest things for me about student teaching, is the time I have to reflect and focus my thoughts on art and on being creative all day. Well, sometimes not all day...but compared to taking classes this is heaven. I love having time to make my own art! and I am really getting excited about this shoe stuff. I finished some more yesterday, probably my favorite ones so far. As, they are the art I am working on these days, they can be found here, on my art blog. enjoy.

Homecoming Weekend

This is a few days late, but hopefully worth the wait.  Dane went to a ton of work to get the first ever, married student homecoming activity planned.  It was last saturday and  it was so fun.  We started planning it a few months ago, but it was stressing me out, and Dane wasn't stressed at all, so I asked him if he wouldn't mind, me turning it over into his hands.  He was great about it and has spent many long hours at the BYUSA offices working out all the kinks and details.  So, here it is:  

The event was called "Blue and White Laughs".  BYU Catering did a beautiful job setting up the tables.

Dane did a great job as our M.C. for the night:

During dinner, we had a special guest artist, Mindy Gledhill.  She is an LDS artist who sings both religious and secular music.  Dane always told me that basically every missionary in his mission fell in love with her through her voice...in a very missionary-ok-way of them.  (What's ironic about that is Mindy is from a town in Dane's mission!)  She brought a few friends to play the piano and guitar for her.  It was awesome.  

Here is the pianist, Mindy, Dane and me:

After dinner and desert, we had some more great entertainment from Comedy Sportz, a local improv group.  They were HILARIOUS!  And, for one of their final skits, they even acted out a day in the life of Dane and me.  They asked about what he had been up to the day before and some of my interests.  Here is a little video clip.  I am not sure it will be nearly as funny for you as it was for us, but just to let you know what was happening, Dane told them I was an artist (the dark haired guy is me, and is painting a painting of Dane at the beginning.)  Dane is played by the lighter haired guy and told them that he has been doing a lot of bike riding lately, and thus drinking protein shakes for breakfast.  Later that night, we went to a chinese restaurant for dinner....

Overall, it was a great night :)

Bring it ON!

For those of you who don't know, volleyball is just about my favorite game in the world to play--more than any sport, board game, anything.  I played in middle and high school and a little here and there at BYU, but not as much as I wished that I could have while I have been here.  It has been my dream of all dreams to some day be on an intramural volleyball team.  

This year, I had my chance.  The girls in my ward set up a team, and I was the first to sign up.  We started off the season with a pretty good start and actually won a few games.  I was ecstatic- not really expecting to win anything, but just have a good time.  (winning is a lot more fun than I thought it would be:). )

Anyway, so the tournament came about last week and we had a lot of good games behind us: a few loses, and some good wins.  We won our first game and just kept winning.  Before we knew it, we were faced with tonight's game, which we found out that if we won, we would only be ONE, yeah ONE, game away from winning the tournament in our devision!  We were excited and I was not sure if I was expecting to win or lose.  The other team was really great and we fought hard.  Lost the first game.  Won the second.  And then WON the next!  I still cannot believe it!  

We will be playing for the championship on Saturday at 11:00.  If we win, we WIN!  If we lose, it is double elimination, and we will have another chance to play a match and win!  Go team!

I never, ever, thought that we would ever come this far, but it has been really great!  I love volleyball!

The most wonderful time of the year!

Welcome fall!  Last night after a wonderful event on campus for married students at BYU planned by my dearest (about which a post is soon to come!), as we walked to our car, it was the first night in a long time that I thought, "ooh, it is a little chilly out here, I should have brought a jacket."  The cool crisp air of fall is finally here!  I love fall.  I love everything about it.  I love the colors, the sweaters and going out of my way to step on a leave that looks particularly crunchy.  

I do feel a little gipped though.  Is it just me, or does fall seem a little late this year?  I guess it is on the 10th of October, but how did it get so cold all of a sudden?  It was really warm, meaning in the 80's, all September and now it is supposed to snow today?!!  What?!  

I am remembering all too well what winter felt like last year as I now sit next to our heater with my cold little toes trying to absorb every ounce of warmth that they can.  

Last winter was so cold, and I am NOT ready for that kind of cold yet.  I have barely started getting familiar with some of my light jackets this week, and have too many of them to just skip to the cold for now.  As I get older, I think I am becoming less tolerant of the cold.  So sad.  I sometimes can not understand how I not only, survived, but enjoyed the winters in my mission.  I remember it being cold, but always thinking it wasn't that bad.  Are you crazy Bridget?!!!  You rode your bike in the SNOW for almost 6 months?!  Who was I? 

 

Anyway, I am heading off to meet Dane at the BYU vs. New Mexico football game a little later today and have been told it is supposed to snow/rain.  I am excited to wear a coat, but not excited to have cold toes.  I need a little bit more of a transition time.  That is what fall is supposed to be...right?  

Taking pleasure in the little things in life...

Last night while preparing dinner, I pulled a green pepper out of the fridge to chop and put into the mix of things.  This green pepper seemed a little different than any old green pepper because when I held it, I could tell that there was something inside.  "Hmmm...maybe the clump of seeds got loose?" I thought.  I pulled it open, and quite literally, out POPPED a baby green pepper!  It was so cute, I squealed and had to show Dane.  I let it sit on a shelf all day today because I have never seen anything quite like it before.  And for some reason, I felt that I should bog about it too.  

My baby pepper, with a ring for scale.

Bronco is THE MAN!

Okay, so hopefully all of you know that I love BYU football! I love going to the games, I'm in a bad mood for days after we lose or do poorly. And if I love BYU football, that means that Bronco Mendenhall has to be my hero! As head coach, he has turned this program around since he's been here.
The man himself. He's freaking tight!

So, this brings me to my post. Today at work, my boss came to me and told me that we needed to escort Bronco to a conference call for the press, and then take him down into the Marriott Center to speak in this morning's Homecoming Assembly. After beating a co-worker at paper/rock/scissors, I got to go! I met him at the Marriott Center and took him to a quiet room where he could talk. At this time, the Homecoming Assembly had already started, with the marching-band playing and the Student-body President hosting. By this time, I had already had the chance to shoot the breeze with Bronco and talk about common acquaintances we had. He was so chill and asked me about my life and studies.

Anywho, so I am watching the assembly, and to my horror they announce that Bronco was there to talk, and called him out on to the floor! I was still upstairs with Bronco and he was still doing his conference call! I was freaking out because the host's were standing on the floor waiting for Bronco to come out!! YIKES!
Bronco leads with courage and power!

Needless to say, my boss, Ron Clark went out and informed the audience that "Bronco is upstairs telling the media that we have already clinched Saturday's game!" to the pleasure of the crowd. I did'nt have too much time to get Bronco down, so I told him it was time and booked it down the elevator. We had some time to chat a little more about his days at Oregon and such. Then I took him to my boss, Ron. They took him right out on the floor and he spoke for about 3 or 4 minutes. He was a natural.
After that, I took him back to his truck outside of the Marriott Center and said goodbye. We shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Then he took off.
It was SO tight! He was nice, chill and easy to talk to. What an experience!