Sitting in the living room, listening to Grant sleeping in the room, worrying if his fever will ever break, I'm watching the show "Say Yes To The Dress" where women go to this giant wedding dress store and fuss over price, style, and if they look good in the numerous dresses they try on. A woman came on who brought 3 male friends from college with her to pick out her dress, the show made it a big deal that she brought men. Her explaination was perfect, men aren't like girls about what looks good. Guys aren't afraid to tell you if something looks bad...they are just honest because they know you won't get mad at him.
I never really thought about it until I saw it on TV, that having a guy pick out your wedding dress with you was a big deal. My mom nor anyone in my bridal party could not help me pick my dress since they are all 1500 miles away. I actually had a really close guy friend come with me to pick out my dress. I had the same thought about it as the lady on the show...he was going to be dead honest; he was, I got the most beautiful wedding dress. I wasn't the first girl that he helped pick out a dress, he actually picked out his brother's fiance's (now wife) dress. I would suggest to anyone having a male help you pick out your wedding dress!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Only The Good Die Young
This should have been written on April 15th...
You, Aaron, and Morgan came to the hospital when I was born, Carol brought all of you because just like every weekday until I was 6, she would watch all four of us while our parents were at work. I'll never forget all the times we would spend all day swimming in the pool and then going and laying on the blacktop driveway to warm up. You and Aaron would tell me scary stories, that still to this day freak me out if I think about them. All the nights we spend "camping out" in your back yard, playing in the woods, sledding down the huge hill at Pinkley's, Awanas on Wednesday night at church, and so many other childhood memories that I could never forget. Even when we moved away, we still would see eachother often, even as we got older there was always a bond.You had a huge impact on my childhood and you and your brother Aaron were my first friends.
I'll never forget the day in 8th grade when I got off the bus to have my mom meet me in the front yard, which was rare. When she walked up and gave me a hug I could tell she had been crying and something was horribly wrong. When she said "there was an car accident and Bradley is dead." I couldn't beleive it I felt my stomach drop and my heart sank. I burried my head into my mom's chest and cried. I was almost in shock, two of my grandparents had died and I didn't feel this way because it was kind of expected, they were sickly. But this was a total surprise, a young man should not die. At your funeral, my dad was talking to your mom and I'll never forget what she said "it feels like a part of my heart is missing." Your funeral was so hard, the hardest part was when my dad started crying and put his arms around me and Morgan, as if to embrace us as he realized how precious life was.
Your time on this Earth was over on April 15, 2003. God wanted you to come back to him, you had fulfilled your duty. I know that you are protecting all of us and watching over us. I know when we get to Heaven, you'll be there.
R.I.P. Bradley Paul Stauffer.
You, Aaron, and Morgan came to the hospital when I was born, Carol brought all of you because just like every weekday until I was 6, she would watch all four of us while our parents were at work. I'll never forget all the times we would spend all day swimming in the pool and then going and laying on the blacktop driveway to warm up. You and Aaron would tell me scary stories, that still to this day freak me out if I think about them. All the nights we spend "camping out" in your back yard, playing in the woods, sledding down the huge hill at Pinkley's, Awanas on Wednesday night at church, and so many other childhood memories that I could never forget. Even when we moved away, we still would see eachother often, even as we got older there was always a bond.You had a huge impact on my childhood and you and your brother Aaron were my first friends.
I'll never forget the day in 8th grade when I got off the bus to have my mom meet me in the front yard, which was rare. When she walked up and gave me a hug I could tell she had been crying and something was horribly wrong. When she said "there was an car accident and Bradley is dead." I couldn't beleive it I felt my stomach drop and my heart sank. I burried my head into my mom's chest and cried. I was almost in shock, two of my grandparents had died and I didn't feel this way because it was kind of expected, they were sickly. But this was a total surprise, a young man should not die. At your funeral, my dad was talking to your mom and I'll never forget what she said "it feels like a part of my heart is missing." Your funeral was so hard, the hardest part was when my dad started crying and put his arms around me and Morgan, as if to embrace us as he realized how precious life was.
Your time on this Earth was over on April 15, 2003. God wanted you to come back to him, you had fulfilled your duty. I know that you are protecting all of us and watching over us. I know when we get to Heaven, you'll be there.
R.I.P. Bradley Paul Stauffer.
On The Road Again
I never thought that I would ever find someone that was as spontaneous as I was. Well, I did and I'm marrying him.
Last Monday, April 6th, Grant found out that when he got off work on Thursday, April 9th, he didn't have to go back for a week. I had Friday through Tuesday off of school as well. Being the crazy couple we are, we decided to drive to Michigan to see my family for Easter. At 6pm on Thursday we took off in my car and headed across country for the 1500 mile drive...oh man. We made it to Rapid City, SD when we had to stop and sleep, we obviously are getting older and can't drive all night, even though I did it alone in January. Getting back on the road at 7 am Friday morning, only 40 miles away from Wall Drug...Grant just had to stop there, even though I warned him it wasn't worth the time...he agreed after we left. We drove ALL day and didn't get home until 1 am on Saturday morning. My mom was waiting up for us and was so excited when we pulled in.
We spent Saturday visiting with friends and family. Sunday was a beautiful sunny Easter, which was spent with my wonderful family. Monday we spent a day relaxing, getting rested for the long drive ahead of us. At 6am on Tuesday we packed the final things into my car and took off. I drove all day and by the time we crossed the Wyoming state line we were both exhausted and couldn't keep our eyes open. We decided to find a hotel and stay the night and drive the rest of the way in the morning. We got to Gillette...and every hotel with rooms under $100 were completely full. With no other options we continued to drive. Singing songs, telling stories, anything to try to stay awake. We made it to Buffalo at 12:30 a.m. and couldn't stand it any longer. Staying at some random hotel that had a queen bed and then a twin bed separated by a half wall and the smallest bath room I've ever seen. We left the "far-from-Hilton" hotel early Wednesday morning. We crossed the horribly snow covered mountain and got home at 10am. I had a quick shower and got ready, I had to be at school at noon.
People ask why we would drive all that way for just 3 days of being in Michigan? Our answer...so we wouldn't we bored. We're so spontaneous and perfect for each other.
This is the only picture with eachother we took the whole trip. This is at the Mississippi River.
"We were a lot of things...but we weren't crazy"
Last Monday, April 6th, Grant found out that when he got off work on Thursday, April 9th, he didn't have to go back for a week. I had Friday through Tuesday off of school as well. Being the crazy couple we are, we decided to drive to Michigan to see my family for Easter. At 6pm on Thursday we took off in my car and headed across country for the 1500 mile drive...oh man. We made it to Rapid City, SD when we had to stop and sleep, we obviously are getting older and can't drive all night, even though I did it alone in January. Getting back on the road at 7 am Friday morning, only 40 miles away from Wall Drug...Grant just had to stop there, even though I warned him it wasn't worth the time...he agreed after we left. We drove ALL day and didn't get home until 1 am on Saturday morning. My mom was waiting up for us and was so excited when we pulled in.
We spent Saturday visiting with friends and family. Sunday was a beautiful sunny Easter, which was spent with my wonderful family. Monday we spent a day relaxing, getting rested for the long drive ahead of us. At 6am on Tuesday we packed the final things into my car and took off. I drove all day and by the time we crossed the Wyoming state line we were both exhausted and couldn't keep our eyes open. We decided to find a hotel and stay the night and drive the rest of the way in the morning. We got to Gillette...and every hotel with rooms under $100 were completely full. With no other options we continued to drive. Singing songs, telling stories, anything to try to stay awake. We made it to Buffalo at 12:30 a.m. and couldn't stand it any longer. Staying at some random hotel that had a queen bed and then a twin bed separated by a half wall and the smallest bath room I've ever seen. We left the "far-from-Hilton" hotel early Wednesday morning. We crossed the horribly snow covered mountain and got home at 10am. I had a quick shower and got ready, I had to be at school at noon.
People ask why we would drive all that way for just 3 days of being in Michigan? Our answer...so we wouldn't we bored. We're so spontaneous and perfect for each other.
This is the only picture with eachother we took the whole trip. This is at the Mississippi River.
"We were a lot of things...but we weren't crazy"
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
"Make New Friends, But Keep The Old"
Best friend...what does that really mean? I always thought it was someone who would do anything for you and you would do anything for them, you loved being around eachother, could tell secrets...and most of all no matter how far apart you are, you still remain friends. Since moving to Wyoming, my best friend, Kristen, and I are still best friends and talk all the time.
My senior year of high school I had a wonderful best friend and we always said we would remain friends forever. The following fall she left for college and that was about the last time anyone from home ever heard from her. She always would say that she wanted to get out of our small town and never look back, I always supported her because I wanted to do the same thing. I went to college and lived at home for a year and she moved only an hour away and went to college. She was the only one in our group of friends who left (right after high school). It seemed once she left, she was WAY too cool for any of her Mattawan friends. As the months went on the calls and texts became less and less. Even when she was home for the summer, we only hung out a handful of times. Since I've moved to Wyoming I've only talked to her maybe 5 times! I just figured she was busy with school and life. When all the wedding talk came about and Grant proposed, I called her in hopes of excitement. Nothing. She didn't seem happy at all, not that she was mad or upset, she just didn't seem to care. I called her later that month and asked if she'd be out of school in time to be able to make it down to the wedding, "I'll be out of school, but its a long drive and I don't think I want to go that far!" Keep in mind that 4 of my other friends and most of my family is making the drive to Tennessee. I was heartbroke, how could my best friend in high school say that she didn't want to drive 9 hours to my wedding, the most important day of my life?! I'm not the only one who is getting this treatment, all of our other friends say the same things, "she seems stuck up, she doesn't return my calls, she has her new college friends now"
Well you moved and hour away, and I moved 1500 miles away...and yet I still manage to stay in touch with my high school friends...its not that hard.
I'm truely blessed that I have kept my true friends and glad I'm marrying my true best friend.
"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget."
My senior year of high school I had a wonderful best friend and we always said we would remain friends forever. The following fall she left for college and that was about the last time anyone from home ever heard from her. She always would say that she wanted to get out of our small town and never look back, I always supported her because I wanted to do the same thing. I went to college and lived at home for a year and she moved only an hour away and went to college. She was the only one in our group of friends who left (right after high school). It seemed once she left, she was WAY too cool for any of her Mattawan friends. As the months went on the calls and texts became less and less. Even when she was home for the summer, we only hung out a handful of times. Since I've moved to Wyoming I've only talked to her maybe 5 times! I just figured she was busy with school and life. When all the wedding talk came about and Grant proposed, I called her in hopes of excitement. Nothing. She didn't seem happy at all, not that she was mad or upset, she just didn't seem to care. I called her later that month and asked if she'd be out of school in time to be able to make it down to the wedding, "I'll be out of school, but its a long drive and I don't think I want to go that far!" Keep in mind that 4 of my other friends and most of my family is making the drive to Tennessee. I was heartbroke, how could my best friend in high school say that she didn't want to drive 9 hours to my wedding, the most important day of my life?! I'm not the only one who is getting this treatment, all of our other friends say the same things, "she seems stuck up, she doesn't return my calls, she has her new college friends now"
Well you moved and hour away, and I moved 1500 miles away...and yet I still manage to stay in touch with my high school friends...its not that hard.
I'm truely blessed that I have kept my true friends and glad I'm marrying my true best friend.
"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget."
Friday, April 3, 2009
You and Me Going Running In The Dark
Ever since I can remember I have been scared of the dark. If I'm climbing stairs, I run up them really fast because I'm scared someone is behind me. I always have to have a light on if its dark outside. Its actually a blessing in disguise, having this chronic fear actually lead to me and Grant's relationship, but that's another story.
One night, when Grant was working 2nd shift, he got home at 11 like usual. We sat in the kitchen and talked for a while and then decided to go to bed. I started walking to the bedroom while Grant was still taking care of things in the kitchen. I knew what he was going to do and of course he did it. I knew he was going to turn off the kitchen light before I could make it to the bedroom. On top of that, he made a growling noise because he knows that really freaks me out. Upon me screaming, he realized he had made a mistake and starting running toward me to comfort me. Not knowing that he was running towards me, I starting running toward him...BOOM!!! My 120 pound body was no match to his 200 pounds. You know that flash you see when you hit your head on something...I saw my first flash when we hit each other. Needless to say I flew, literately flew through the air and proceeded to land on my right hip/butt cheek area. I didn't stop when I landed on the floor, I slid...on carpet. The whole time I was the 10 feet, I was thinking "oh no, oh no, I know there is a wall coming up soon!" Not only was it the wall, it was the door frame, which was when I saw my second impact flash, when the back of my head hit. Laying in the hallway in some what of shock of what just happen and crying from the pain, I heard Grant frantically saying my name and asking if I was alright...You have to remember there are still no lights on at this point. For some reason Grant crawled to my side, I'm not sure why he crawled! He reached up at turned the light on to find me curled up in a ball holding the back of my head. By the tone of his voice, I think he thought he had killed me when he repeatedly asked if I was okay. I couldn't talk...not because of my head injury, but because I was laughing/crying so hard. Once he saw I was laughing, he joined in. We sat on the floor and laughed until our stomachs hurt (or drooled in Grant's case). My head still felt like it was getting ripped apart because it was swelling so much so fast. After the bag of frozen okra Grant got to stop the swelling, we finally made it to bed.
"Pain is deeper than all thought; Laughter is higher than all pain" -Elbert Hubbard
One night, when Grant was working 2nd shift, he got home at 11 like usual. We sat in the kitchen and talked for a while and then decided to go to bed. I started walking to the bedroom while Grant was still taking care of things in the kitchen. I knew what he was going to do and of course he did it. I knew he was going to turn off the kitchen light before I could make it to the bedroom. On top of that, he made a growling noise because he knows that really freaks me out. Upon me screaming, he realized he had made a mistake and starting running toward me to comfort me. Not knowing that he was running towards me, I starting running toward him...BOOM!!! My 120 pound body was no match to his 200 pounds. You know that flash you see when you hit your head on something...I saw my first flash when we hit each other. Needless to say I flew, literately flew through the air and proceeded to land on my right hip/butt cheek area. I didn't stop when I landed on the floor, I slid...on carpet. The whole time I was the 10 feet, I was thinking "oh no, oh no, I know there is a wall coming up soon!" Not only was it the wall, it was the door frame, which was when I saw my second impact flash, when the back of my head hit. Laying in the hallway in some what of shock of what just happen and crying from the pain, I heard Grant frantically saying my name and asking if I was alright...You have to remember there are still no lights on at this point. For some reason Grant crawled to my side, I'm not sure why he crawled! He reached up at turned the light on to find me curled up in a ball holding the back of my head. By the tone of his voice, I think he thought he had killed me when he repeatedly asked if I was okay. I couldn't talk...not because of my head injury, but because I was laughing/crying so hard. Once he saw I was laughing, he joined in. We sat on the floor and laughed until our stomachs hurt (or drooled in Grant's case). My head still felt like it was getting ripped apart because it was swelling so much so fast. After the bag of frozen okra Grant got to stop the swelling, we finally made it to bed.
"Pain is deeper than all thought; Laughter is higher than all pain" -Elbert Hubbard
Thursday, April 2, 2009
I know my dad's name is John and so is yours...but you're not my dad!
My Thursdays consist of Intro to Literature at 9:25- 10:50, then Biological Research at 1-1:50 and then Ecology Lab at 2:25-4:15. I have the same teacher for the two later classes. I have him for another class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'm around this guy a lot! Well he's the kind of teacher that really cares about certain students but has a very funny way of showing it. He is blatantly rude some times. Well today during the 35 minute break between the last two classes he told me that I have a lot of knowledge that I don't put to use and am very inconsistent in class. He proceed to inform me that I pay attention some days and not at all other days....honestly name one person who can pay attention to a 50 minute long lecture three times a week and not get distracted sometimes! Earlier in the year he informed me about a job position in Cody. I decided not to apply for it since I have 20 credit hours and I really need to graduate this Spring. He told me today that I wasted a wonderful opportunity by passing up this job and he felt insulted that I didn't apply. I proceeded to explain to him my situation and he came back with "Studies show that when people have jobs when they are in school, then tend to do better in school." Sorry old man, I just didn't want to have the stupid job! He asked why my test scores are sometimes really low and I said "honestly, its because I don't study enough, I get lazy and don't do all the readings." He said something under his breath and walked out of the room.
It's my life, if I don't want to take a job that's my decision, if I don't study for a test and do poorly on it, I'm the one that suffers the bad grade. I know he cares and wants me to go far in life but he doesn't have to call me dumb.
Okay enough venting for one day...please forgive me.
"Stupid is as stupid does"
It's my life, if I don't want to take a job that's my decision, if I don't study for a test and do poorly on it, I'm the one that suffers the bad grade. I know he cares and wants me to go far in life but he doesn't have to call me dumb.
Okay enough venting for one day...please forgive me.
"Stupid is as stupid does"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
