This is a story about Minnie the Moocher...

Just a taste of my Christmas break :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwgS1ctxglw

Brayden and I bought ourselves the whole series of Jeeves and Wooster with a Christmas gift card on Saturday, and the whole family has been enjoying it ever since.

By "Brayden and I bought," I really mean I found it in the store and knew he wanted it and ran up to him while jumping up and down shouting "LOOK! LOOK! LOOK! We can get it we can get it we can get it LET'S GET IT COME ON COME ON LOOK LOOK LOOK!"

He looked. We got it. We love it.

Stephen Fry, you make me happy.

Hugh Laurie makes me happy too, but not quite in the same way.

FINALLY!

FINISHED WITH FINALS! It's such a liberating feeling.

Now off to take a half-hour nap before I have to get up and go HOME FOR CHRISTMAS! WOOHOO!

Simple Little Things

I put my slippers in the dryer before I put them on, so now my feet are toasty warm.

And that makes me very very happy.

Day 18 -- Organization

After almost a week of slaving and sweating, THE APARTMENT IS ORGANIZED!

This is one of my favorite things. Our end table in the living room is now my personal wedding display. My favorite framed picture of the wedding, our scrapbook and autograph album, one of our wedding gift candle hurricanes, and a bowl of our wedding M&Ms. We have about 55 of the original 60 pounds left.

Day 17 -- Bride and Groom Chairs

My chair and Brayden's chair at our dinner bar. We haven't got a table, and most of the time we actually eat dinner picnic style on the floor, but we like it that way :)

But, whenever we do eat at the bar, somehow I always end up on the left and he on the right. So I've formalized our chairs.

That was my fun decorative thing for the day.

Day 16 -- Whipped Cream

I made whipped cream today! I'd never made it before, so I was happy when my adventures in cooking continued to progress successfully.

Here's the Deal

As I sit here, curled up on the couch watching Miracle on 34th Street and drinking a cup of hot chocolate, frantically thinking of ideas for my NaNoWriMo novel this year, I realize that there is no way on earth I will ever be able to catch up on my "daily" blog without falling behind on what's going on now.

I am woefully behind on posting my "Project 365," so here's what I've decided to do. I'm going to catch up on it as I can, but I will be telling you the here and now as well. So keep checking up!

Now, back to feeling all warm and fuzzy :)

Day 15 -- Frills and Dip

This was my first time cooking in the new apartment! I made my special seven layer dip, and I wore my super special apron.

Let me say right now, I love my kitchen. It's just so easy to move around in and find everything! I am having a few storage issues at the moment, but a couple of strategically placed command hooks should sort things out.

Day 14 -- Moving Day # 2

Apparently, we needed a rubber mallet to put our dining room chairs together.

We don't have a rubber mallet.

So Brayden improvised.

1 regular hammer + a four-inch square of squishy plastic drawer liner held on with rubber bands = perfectly serviceable one-time use rubber mallet!

Today, I scrambled around trying to get as much unpacked as I could while Brayden was still off work. Tomorrow, he goes back to working full-time and I start rehearsals for A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Day 13 -- Moving Day #1

Our first day in church as a newlywed couple!

Here's us, all spiffy and dressed up outside our new apartment.

Not much else to report about today. We went to sacrament meeting, went home and joined my parents in the unpacking process, and are now going to bed, exhausted.

Day 12 -- Happy Birthday?

AUGUST 22nd -- MY 20TH BIRTHDAY!

WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN:

• Get up at 6 AM
• Finish cleaning and last-minute packing
• Get on the road by 9 AM
• Be home to BV by 3 in the afternoon
• Relax and start unpacking
• Take pictures with the family at 6
• Reception/Open House in the ballroom at 7
• Go home and sleep in our own bed

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED:

• Got up at 8 AM
• Had way more laundry to do than realized (required laundry. had to wash all the towels and dry and fold them for the next people who would use the beach house.)
• Found it entirely impossible to get all the sand off of the hardwood floor
• Ate cake for breakfast
• Got on the road at 11:30 AM
• Hurricane hit, flooding the roads
• Two hours into our six-hour drive the truck broke down
• Somehow made it to the conveniently placed gas station out in the middle of nowhere
• Called AAA
• Waited an hour for a tow truck
• MEANWHILE : Nice young redneck named Bob inspects our engine and all of the trucks inner workings. He has no idea what's wrong with it, but suggests his friend Donny as a mechanic to fix it
• MEANWHILE, BACK ON THE RANCH: The Bellamy and Cluff clans are circling the wagons. They call rental car companies, cab companies, airports, train stations, the national guard...
• No luck
• Got picked up by the tow truck. His GPS couldn't even find the street where this elusive Donny lived
• Found it eventually
• He was closed on Saturdays, but took it anyway
• Aunt Kit called to tell me that her brother just happened to live in the town where we were stranded. So this uncle once removed that I had never met was coming to get us
• He came to get us in his big yellow truck (the plan was that he would take us halfway. Then Buck and Whitni Watkins, who were conveniently in Roanoke at the time, would meet and take us the home stretch)
• Rode about three hours
• Got pulled over by a cop for going about 84 MPH
• Cop let us off when he heard our story ("These kids are on their way to their wedding reception, officer. They've had a rough day.")
• Five miles down the road, the truck stopped working. No, I'm not kidding
• Pulled into a gas station
• Buck and Whitni drove the extra miles out to come rescue us
• We left "Uncle Ben" there, where he occupied himself with the beautiful Virginia scenery and a camera, until that same cop happened upon him half an hour later. The cop was amused, and they passed the three hours in friendly conversation while Ben waited for Aunt Kit's husband Scotty to come get him
• MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH: The band that played at the reception was receiving updates of our status from my mom, and announcing them to the crowd
• Rode with Buck and Whitni for a few hours
• Were forced to go excruciatingly slowly on the mountain road into town
• Hit EVERY SINGLE RED LIGHT when we actually got into town
• Had to go to the apartment and shower and put on makeup
• Rushed to campus and got changed into our dress and tuxedo in record time
• Were announced and entered to standing ovation and a drumroll, a full hour and a half late to our two hour reception

Later, Buck and Whitni got their own warm welcome and were hailed as those who "rescued the bride and groom!" We mixed and mingled sort of like a blender, exchanging the most minimum of pleasantries before moving on with a "thankyouforcomingandhopetoseeyouagainsoon."

Crazy, crazy day. But, as Brayden kept reminding me while I was having hysterics about how many things were going wrong, "But just think of all the STORIES!" It does make a great story. Weirdest birthday I've ever had.

**PICTURES TO COME! CHECK BACK IN A DAY OR SO!**

Day 11 -- Aloe Vera

Almost drowned today. Twice. We went to the beach, despite my ridiculous sunburn. The hurricane was only 200 miles off the coast, so the waves were crashing in from three directions at once and they were stronger than they'd been before. Apparently, I couldn't handle them.

After that, I finally succumbed to the agony of my sunburn. We went back to the beach house and watched movies all day.

It was wonderful :)

Brayden had never ever used Aloe Vera before Wednesday. But in the past two days, he's decided that it is a sacred nectar of healing. He's perfectly fine and burn free now.

I, on the other hand, am swollen and sick and can't sit back against anything or eat anything substantial. But, I slaughtered him in Scrabble!

We also went on a midnight beach walk. By this point, the tide was encroaching upon the boardwalk, which was a good 500 yards away from the usual shoreline. The whole thing was incredibly surreal. The sound of the waves and the wind. The city lights far off on the horizon.

Couldn't capture it on film. Need a new camera.

Day 10 -- Fulfillment of a Dream

This day truly cannot be conveyed in words. So, the SparkNotes version:

I rode a horse on the beach at sunset.

I literally rode off into the sunset. It was Brayden's early birthday gift to me. It was perfect, wonderful, and amazing. Breathtaking. Beautiful. Thank you Brayden, for fulfilling a dream.

Day 9 -- Catamaran

6 hours on the sea + no sunscreen = REALLY STUPID!

We're sunburned.

We can't even hug.

Moving in any way shape or form is excruciatingly painful.

And this is nothing compared to what we'll be feeling in the morning.

But there is no better way to get sunburned! We went on a catamaran cruise this afternoon, compliments of Aunt Beth. We sailed out to this beautiful little island where the surf was clear and the fish were bold and playful. We collected two bags of shells, then got to sail out to the Cape Lookout lighthouse.

And I saw wild dolphins! They were swimming and jumping alongside the boat! I couldn't get my camera out in time, but they were beautiful.

On the way back, Brayden got the hoist the sails (something it took two boys to do on the way there. He's so buff.)

I fell asleep for most of the ride back. This time, I stayed in the shade, instead of out on deck.

As we were pulling into the harbor, we saw wild horses. Brayden woke me up to see them.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU AUNT BETH FOR THE WONDERFUL WEDDING GIFT! The cruise was amazing.

Next time, I'll wear sunscreen.

"If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience."

Day 8 -- Spork

We had our fancy "One Week Anniversary" dinner today. And by fancy, we mean cheeseburgers. On plasticware. But the whole evening inspired a delightfully hilarious question.

"WHICH SIDE DOES THE SPORK GO ON?!?!?"

We were doing the whole dinner with paper and plastic, so that I wouldn't have to do dishes. We had plates and cups and napkins and knives, spoons ... but no forks. But, because I'm a rotten little thief, I'd rescued a handful of sporks from Taco Bell when we stopped for lunch on Friday. They were in the glove compartment in the truck. But when Brayden brought them in and started setting the table (trying to follow proper table etiquette) he got stuck. Is it a fork? Is it a spoon? In a proper table setting, where the heck do you put the spork?

In the end, he ditched the spoons altogether and let the spork fulfill its full potential.

Day 7 -- Julio

Today, we had a race against time as we tried to build our sand castle. Brayden was on the front line, gallantly digging moats and ditches to protect our pile of sand from the rapidly rising tide.

Unfortunately, he put me on building duty. And I can't build sand castles. Instead, all I could come up with was this sand turtle.

His name is Julio. And he tragically perished just minutes after this was taken. But we loved him while he was with us. Even though he wasn't a castle.

Tide, you may have won this one, but one day, we will defeat you!

On a side note, Brayden is an awesome boogie boarder. I hope to achieve his level of awesomeness someday.

Day 6 -- SPIDERS!

There are GIANT SPIDERS everywhere!!! Brayden says they keep them around to eat the mosquitoes. They must be doing their job, because I don't have a single bug bite. But ... I think I'd rather have the bites. *shudder*

This is one of the pictures I took of them. All of the little black smudges are actually 3 inch horrors. But I wanted you to see what I had to see every day when I walked outside.

So, I found this close-up online.

Absolutely nightmare-inducing.

Day 5 -- Stir Fry

Today was a very special day for us.

*drumroll*

I prepared my first HOME COOKED MEAL for Brayden!

Now, note here that when I say "home cooked" I really mean "from a bag." But there was cooking involved! No fast food, no microwave. Me, with a pan and a spatula!

It was a very fulfilling moment.

Day 4 -- Mr. and Mrs. Cluff

The Governor's Palace has a MAZE in the back gardens! And fresh fruit trees! And a room with leather wallpaper!

Brayden and I played hide-and-seek in the maze for a good while, but then, sadly, we had to leave Colonial Williamsburg behind. And we went on our way to Reception #1.

WHICH.WAS.AWESOME!!!

**Pictures below courtesey of Laura Johnson. See more at http://www.laurajohnson.smugmug.com/

From the bottom left going clockwise: Arielle Tanner, quasi roommate from last year. Zina Card, cousin and "little sister I never had." Ashley Colton, one of my best friends from church. Chelsea Smith, my best friend since sixth grade and maid of honor.

"DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS" (those are grapes she's tossing, by the way)

Me with my maid of honor.

Cutting the

cake with a sword. Which Brayden promptly tried to

steal afterwards.

Our first dance! Ain't we cute?

Day 3 -- 1774

Here we are (wearing completely authentic period clothing) in our CARRIAGE RIDE! I have the best husband, he spoils me. End of story.

Brayden and I spent today walking around Colonial Williamsburg. Lots of walking. But it was worth it. The weather was PERFECT. We went to another tavern for lunch, we saw the armory (much drooling from Brayden) and the stables (much drooling from me) and all these awesome little gift shops. We also got to spend some time with Brayden's sister Amaree, who works there as a historical interpreter. We got to see one of her scenes, which was quite amazing.

And then, that night, Brayden took me to the best store in the world. YANKEE CANDLE! It's two stories tall, and three buildings long. There are fountains and

lamp posts and a FUDGERY! You can dip your own candles.

And yes. This is inside. Where it snows.

IT SNOWS! In the back, there are about 10 rooms ALL of Christmas stuff. And it snows. When I finally own my dream house, we're installing a snow machine for Christmas.

And here's Brayden, with a life-sized Playmobile cop. It was basically a dream come true for him.

Day 2 -- In which everyone is well fed

If you've never been to Colonial Williamsburg, I am telling you now : go. If only for the food. (I shouldn't blog when I'm hungry. Everything always comes out in cornbread and tacos. I should be telling you about the wonderful little town, but all I can think about is the Brunswick stew.)

Brunswick stew is possibly the most delicious thing I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Today we drove from DC to Williamsburg, and tonight Brayden and I went wandering about Colonial Williamsburg around dinner time. He took me to Chowning's Tavern. It was all manner of authentic. Candlelight, dark wood, musicians wandering around the rooms playing. And, poss

ibly the most interesting feature, "common seating." It's when they put you at a table with total strangers. We sat with another couple (Jeff and Heather) and had a remarkabley wonderful time. Brayden and Jeff found they had alot in common, and we all stayed for over an hour after we were done. The waitress brought us a game to play called "Shut the Box", which Brayden and I now have to get for ourselves, because it was a blast.

When we got home this evening, we discovered that our hotel has a 24/7

mini golf course on the premises. Brayden beat me 60 to 40. And then, when we got back to our room, we found that the hotel had left us a care package! Two bottles of this AMAZING apple cider, a bag of peanuts (from the tavern we'd just left) and a "Congratulations on your recent nuptials" card.

Tomorrow is the tour day. We're seeing as much of Colonial Williamsburg as we can before we have to leave on Friday morning.

Day 1 -- THE WEDDING!

Today, Kaitlin Bellamy became Kaitlin Bellamy Cluff. Brayden Cluff was stripped of his bachelorhood. Another happy couple got to change their facebook relationship status to "married," and I got to wear a pretty pretty dress :)

All is well with the world. And here's the first day of our "Every Day an Adventure Project 365." Although I REALLY have to think of a better title for it. I tried "EDAP" for short but that just sounds weird.

Anyway, the first "adventure" (and I classif

y "adventure" in this blog as anything odd, o

ut of the ordinary, generally interesting, amusing, worthy of discussion, or possibly deadly) came when we got to the hotel and opened our suitcases.

This is what greeted us. Someone in Brayden's family had filled our luggage with rice. Thousands upon thousands of grains of rice. Instead of throwing it to send us off ... well, let's just say we'll be finding rice in our pockets for the next six years.

Project 365

Project 365 : The task of taking one picture a day for an entire year. Usually a year of significance, i.e baby's first year, freshman year of college.

A large part of newlywed life involves creating your own family traditions. In the few days Brayden and I have been married, several have already sprung to life on their own. We also set goals (family prayer and scripture study, etc) and try to mesh our different lifestyles together.

This Project 365 is a goal established to solidify a tradition. The tradition of taking pictures. I took no pictures when I was younger, or even as many as I would have liked in high school and the first two years of college. So Brayden and I are going to have pictures. Every day for the first year of married life, we are taking at least one picture. Of anything. Sometimes it's a picture of us, sometimes it's a picture of the unusually large spiders nesting outside the beach house (trust me, you'll get that story later).

My hope is that we will get into the habit of taking pictures, so that even when we're done with this year, we'll be able to continue to capture our memories together.

And more important than the actual taking of pictures is looking for the right picture to take. Already we've learned that we go out of our way to make things adventurous if it's for the camera (especially me:) So we set out into this first year looking not only for a picture a day, but for an adventure a day.

Wish us luck!

~Katydid

P.S: These first few posts are me playing catch-up. I've only just now been able to find the time (and the wireless internet) necessary to post days 1-6.

Public Restrooms ...

... are sleazy, slimy, smelly, crowded, cramped and all-around gross. And women are insane when it comes to restrooms. Every one of them seems to think that their needs are far superior to the needs of everyone else in the thirty-foot line. And they let their kids run around and look under doors and wreak havoc with the automatic dryers.

And really, how hard is it to keep the countertops clean and dry? You're grabbing a paper towel to dry your hands anyway. An extra second and a half and you can wipe up the soapy scummy wet mess you made while washing your hands.

Public restrooms are messy, and in constant disrepair. Why? Because they are built to be that way. I mean really, think about it. I can't speak for the guys (having only been in a men's bathroom on a few choice occasions) but when women's restrooms are built nicer, they stay clean. When they put wallpaper up and put a "lounge" area just outside them. When it smells nice, because the company has spent the extra three bucks a month and gotten automatic air fresheners. The purpose of the restroom hasn't changed, and yet no doors are ripped off hinges. Toilet paper isn't trailing all over the floor. The countertops aren't wet and gooey. But grey tile and grey doors and two inches of wiggle room in every direction, and no wonder the ordinary public restrooms are treated as they are.

The best public restroom I've ever been to was in New York City, at a restaurant called Mars 2112 . It was clean, it was "themed" without being glitzy and tacky, and it had an attendant. Someone who was paid to stay there and clean up after every single use. She refilled toilet paper the second it was out. She was constantly wiping the countertops and cleaning the mirrors, and she was actually pretty fun to talk to. For a position like that, you've really got to get someone with personality. But she had it, and she made going to the bathroom in a public venue, something I generally avoid, tolerable.

I'll be honest. The food itself was nothing to write home about. But I'd rather go to Mars 2112 again than some of the other places we went that trip. Not because of the theme necessarily (although it was cute and fun) but because I respect a company who cares about all aspects of its business. A friend in the fast food industry once told me, "You wanna know where to eat, you check their bathrooms first. Because I guarantee you they'll be cleaner than the kitchen." Now that is a scary thought.

Public restrooms freak me out. But the bright side to all this is that the particular restroom that triggered this rant was at Union Station. In DC. Which means, I'M IN WASHINGTON DC! Which means I'm getting married tomorrow. Which means that none of this is really important in the grand scheme of things, because tomorrow at this time I'll be at the temple getting dressed, about to marry the most wonderful man on the planet.

Seriously?

What kind of world do we live in that the first time the ice cream truck comes around all season is on a cloudy not-too-hot day halfway through the summer?

Free

As a poor starving college student, I am always in the market for free stuff. AND, add to that the fact that I will be getting married in a little over a month. Free is good. Freely given is always preferred to forcibely taken, or just doing without.

One of the blogs that I follow is having a giveaway. [[I do hereby present thee, dear reader, with a link.]]

Of course, one of the ways to enter is to post something about it on my own blog. I could just post something like "Hey, here it is, have a link and an info dump and I HOPE I WIN!" All of which would be true. But instead, I would like to take this opportunity to spotlight the blog hosting the contest and yes, perhaps suck up just a little bit.

Every newlywed couple has questions, and there are boatloads of answers out there for them. But you have to be careful on whose advice you take. I trust my parents (especially my mother), my grandparents, and all of my aunts and uncles wholeheartedly when it comes to marital and familial advice. But rarely would I go to a stranger, and follow her with the same sort of trust.

I think it has something to do with the values. I found this blog by accident one day, and have been following it ever since. Because the woman who writes it voices common sense when it comes to family life, alongside the exact same strong moral and religious background that I grew up with. I've read other "family" blogs, and I know how other families operate. But I like the LDS way. We specialize in families. So I would like to tip my hat to you Mrs. Mordecai, even if I don't win. Here's to you and your values. May my new family and I continue to honor them as you have.

And here's to my mother, and my grandmother. My future mother-in-law. All of my married and soon-to-be-married friends who have kept those values alive and strong in their homes and their families. To all of you, and your free advice. I am very greatful for it.

Downhill

The thing about going downhill on a bike is this : Part of your mind is always going "Hey, I'm on a bike, so this is exercise! It's not as bad as I thought it would be!" Forget the fact that you're not pedaling, or even breaking a mild sweat at that point. It's all in your head.

But whether or not you chose to give in to this part of your mind and believe that you are becoming a more physically fit person by soaring downhill at incredible and sometimes psychotic speeds, going down is an important part of the biking process. Not only because it's a break from the painful uphill that threatens to kill you off, but because you did, after all, have to go up to reach it in the first place. It's not only your break, it's your reward. Somehow, riding downhill if you've simply walked your bike uphill is never quite as thrilling. I always feel a little bit guilty for wimping out, and I can't enjoy the ride down as much as I should.

At the risk of sounding incredibly corny, I believe life, especially student life, can be looked at the same way. Maybe it's just me, but I never trust something that comes too easy. Grades, health, physical fitness. Love. I think that if we succeed in these areas, it's because we've worked for them. Because we were willing to sacrifice more in the beginning to have more in the end. I went through six years of chorus line roles and bit parts before I ever got a lead, and I don't regret a bit of it. I never would have appreciated getting a bigger part if I didn't know what it took to get there, and if I hadn't been willing to work for it.

I'm getting married in August, and I'm facing all manner of sacrifices. In fact, Brayden keeps telling me, "Less now equals more later." I agree with him. Yes, the first year of marriage is the hardest. But the couples who make it through are even stronger. We're willing to work for what we have, because it's important to us. And every now and then in the uphill life, we get that breath of fresh air as we soar downhill. A break. A reward. But we have to ride all the way to the top of that hill first. Then, the downhill is truly worth it.

**image lovingly borrowed from http://mtnbikersblog.blogspot.com/

Fast Food

Brayden and I swore off fast food this summer. We're trying to start off our new life together on the right foot. No fast food, no excessive spending, whole wheat bread, that sort of thing.

I cheated. I was on my way home from taking my bridals the other day and I was starving, so I swung by the good ol' fallback, McDonalds. I had half of a cheeseburger and about twelve fries. Not twelve orders of fries, twelve fries.

((We interrupt your current program to bring you this important background infor

mation -- my typical McDonalds meal is as follows:

• one double cheeseburger
• one large order of fries
• a cinnamon melt
• an m&m mcflurry
• a chicken sandwich

And now, we will return you to your regularly scheduled blog.))

It made me sick. Really really sick. My body has gotten so completely out of the habit of eating anything fast food that I could hardly touch it. And now, we get to the heart of the matter.

I'd only gone about a month without fast food, and my body was already completely over it. I never would have thought that I couldn't go that long without fast food. I was sure that at some point in the last few years I'd gone without for a month.

I hadn't. I have been assured that it was an almost weekly thing. I never thought anything of it, because I shopped on the dollar menu. I grabbed a bite on the way to or from work, or rehearsal. Or when I needed a break from studying.

It's amazing how much a body can change just by getting rid of one thing. I imagine that principle goes for just about anything in life. Physical, spiritual, emotional. You can change one thing, and your whole lifestyle can alter for the better. As for me, not only am I significantly healthier, but I am saving so much money. (Yeah. I went back to my bank statements to figure out just how much fast food was costing me. I could have bought a new car by now.)

So that's my semi-profound thought of the day. Do with it as you will.

~Katydid

"Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

The Lost Days

I know I've been sort of MIA the past few weeks. Therefore, I present you with an account of my summer so far.

MY SUMMER SO FAR:

Looked for a job. Didn't find one. Spent two weeks filling out applications and making follow-up calls. Nada. Walked around three shopping centers dressed in heels and a pantsuit and looking all professional. Found out exactly how long it takes to train in retail. Got turned away. Got laughed at for asking for a job. Was promised a call. Nothing.

Stressed about finances. Argued about finances.

Got a job. A wonderful woman in my ward hired me on as summer help. Includes babysitting, helping them move, yardwork, housework, and other miscellaneous assignments. Saved my life this summer. (Will be petitioning for her sainthood next week.)

Had long involved talk with my parents about finances. Argued with Brayden about finances.

Surprised Brayden up in Virginia. Spent a practically perfect week doing absolutely nothing productive. Revelled in the relaxation. Jumped off the rock at Panther Falls for the first time. Twice. Repeated experience fully clothed two days later, and on camera. Broke cell phone beyond repair. Got apartment. Mentally started decorating apartment. Saw Seussical the Musical twice (insert round of applause for cast here) and went home with a horrible allergy-induced cough. (The two are unrelated.)

Called Brayden. He was budgeting.

Called Brayden. He was budgeting.

Called Brayden. Got into an argument about the constant budgeting. Told him to relax. Realized that in many ways he was right. Became unable to relax myself.

Worked. Stayed up late. Got up early. Worked. Looked for a second job. Worked.

Got new cell phone. Took bridal portraits. Was told I am a beautiful bride. Looked for a couch. Looked for a desk. Looked for anything cheaper than $200 that might look good in a 12 x 12 space. Worked.

Planned reception. Stressed about decorations vs dance floor. Stressed about making the reception hall look like anything but a reception hall. Thought about eloping.

Got a perfect silk flower bouquet that made every worry in the whole world vanish.

Fixed a few major financial concerns.

Called Brayden. He wasn't budgeting. Started crying out of complete and utter relief.

Add a couple of sleepless nights and a new exercise routine and this is basically my summer. But two months from today, I get married to the most wonderful man on the planet. All the stress just goes away when you measure it in the grand scheme of things. This summer will be hard. It's been hard. But now, everything is falling into place.

"Everything will be alright in the end. If it's not alright, then it's not the end." ~Unknown

Not Ready

I am not ready for finals week.

I am not ready for vocal juries.

I am not ready to pack up and go home for the whole summer while Brayden is here.

I am not ready.

Writer's Block

I have it.

And I have a story due in about 28 hours.

Kaitlin and The Awesome, Wonderful, No Bad, Very Good Day

Top Ten Reasons Why Yesterday Was Perfect:

10) Brayden told me that he likes me best in jeans and a t-shirt. That makes me

extremely happy, because that's what *I* like me best in too!

9) Even after all of the crap we've been going through lately, we can apparently still have spontaneous shaving cream fights. 

8) Brayden made us an appointment to look at apartments, all by himself. And once we got there, he was so CUTE! He knows exactly what he's looking for, and he asked all the right questions and it just made me even more excited about our future, knowing that he's just as excited about it.

7) We spent about two hours outside yesterday. On the trampoline. I've learned that I go flying when both of us are on it :)

6) The weather. Perfect.

5) I got to pull out short sleeves and flip flops. FINALLY!

4) We got to drive everywhere with the windows open, because of the aforementioned flip flop-worthy weather.

3) Brayden took me to the dance. And he didn't complain about it a single time. In fact, he wore me out by the end of it.

2) I made Brayden watch Sense and Sensibility after the dance. And he liked it! But now that I've told you, he'll have to kill you.

AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY YESTERDAY WAS PERFECT:

1) I got a goodnight kiss from the most wonderful fiance a girl could ask for.

"We used to walk along the river/and dream our way out of this town."

So I'm sitting here in the library, catching up on some homework, and Brayden is out cold on the couch beside me.  Poor boy ... all of the stress is finally getting to him.  He's got tons to do, but I think I'll let him sleep.  Later, I may take him to Arby's or something.  I have to make him eat.

He's so proud of himself, though.  All of these shirts that he's had for so long that have apparently been too small are suddenly fitting him perfectly!  He's trying so hard to work out and trim up, and we want to have a healthy household, so we're both watching our sugar intake and our "laziness meters."

But I would kill for a triple-decker devil's food cake right now.

In other news, I have no CLUE what to write my second story about.  My first one kinda got torn apart, and I'm not exactly a fast writer.  Brayden's been researching everything under the sun for his, and it has great potential.

Maybe I should write the soap opera that our life has turned into.  I'm sure there would be a market for it somewhere ... I mean, we just had to essentially put a restraining order on our ex-best friend.  How much more dramatic can you get?

Desperately seeking inspiration,

Katydid

Easter Basket

I got the coolest Easter basket this morning :)

It was full of kitchen supplies.

Whisk

Kitchen Timer

Corn Stabby Thingies

Big Cookie Scoop

Little Cookie Scoop

Egg Separator

Ice Cream Scoop

Chip Clips

And Dan in Real Life just for fun

This was one of the most interesting and enjoyable Easter mornings I have ever had!

I also got a dress for the Spring Formal!!!

Life is good.  I'm looking past all the drama.  And Brayden is getting home tonight.

Life.

Is.

Good.

"I know that God will not give me anything I can't handle.  I just wish He didn't trust me so much."  ~ Mother Theresa

Love and Laughter,

Katydid

Here's Your Sign

I really hate stupid people.

There was a woman in Berlin just recently who jumped into a polar bear enclosure at the zoo and (go figure) got attacked.  What are people thinking sometimes?!?!?!?!? Honestly, at what point does jumping into a cage with four hungry bears seem like a good idea?  And not only could she have been, I dunno, EATEN, but she could have drowned!  Ice cold water + heavy polar bear = you figure it out.

My White Knight

Ok, a new musical has come to my attention that I simply HAVE to share.

*drumroll*

SHREK THE MUSICAL!

Just ... wow.  Everyone, go buy the CD and listen to the music.  And if anyone happens to have tickets and needs someone to go with them, I'm just volunteering :)

When it Rains it Pours

I won't go into a lengthy list of everything that's gone wrong lately. Just the highlights:

~Brayden and I will be unable to be RDs next year, because they have to move in a month before we'll even be married.

That's what Brayden and I were banking on for housing. Now, we have to hope and pray for the government subsidised apartments here in town. (Make a note: they are VERY hard to get into)

~Many of my friends are single or have recently broken up.

Meaning, I am no longer a part of that group. Most of the things people have been talking about lately are boys, and how

 stupid they are. I can no longer participate in said conversations, and apparently have been bugging people with how happy I am. Yes, ironic, I know. One of the things going wrong is that I'm "too happy."

~A mutual friend of Brayden's and mine is making life ... complicated.

I won't go on about it. Suffice it to say that there are some people who don't want Brayden and I together. And that's just not cool.

~The economy SUCKS right now.

I know, that's very general and I can't particularly say it's happening directly to me at the moment. But because of it, Brayden is having a very hard time finding a job. And, because of some hostilities back home, I will be unable to go back to my job. So we're both out of work, both desperately looking for work. 

There are many many pages to this list, but I haven't the constitution to write about them all at the moment. And I'd like to end this entry on a high note. So - 

THINGS THAT ARE GOING RIGHT:

~We're still together

~We are temple worthy

~Our families have been supportive and helpful through all of this

~No matter what, we still love  and support each other through these trials

~The sun is shining

~General Conference is next weekend

~I picked my dress :)

Love and laughter,

Katydid

A Weekend in Retrospect

Friday -- DOUBLE FEATURE: Went to Brayden's house.  Went on a long walk with the dog.  Watched Sabrina (the new Harrison Ford version). Made dinner for his family.  Watched Ever After.  Jumped on the giant trampoline with Kinsey (Brayden's little sister).

Saturday -- WEDDING REGISTRY:  Had french toast for breakfast. Went to Roanoke. Registered for wedding gifts at Target and Bed Bath & Beyond.  (Available on line for your easy access.)  Registered for color-coordinated wonderfulness :)  Brayden enjoyed himself, and actually had valid opinions on things.  Even if he won't admit it.  We also both swore off fast food.

Sunday -- GROUP DATE LUNCHEON:  Went to Kory and Rachel's house for lunch.  Total of three couples (one married, one engaged, and one seriously dating with the intent of getting engaged).  Participated in general bonding activities.

TARGET REGISTRY : http://www.target.com/registry/wedding/130CCQ8RBJK8J

BED BATH & BEYOND REGISTRY : http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/regGiftRegistry.asp?order_num=-1&wrn=-549123244

Teaser

Registration = DONE!

More tomorrow. I'm exhausted.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

On this 17th of March, 2009, I will start working out.

Why? Because I want to actually be able to FIT into my dress by the end of the summer, and I know that if I don't start now, I'll never be able to start during the break.

How? Ok, that's the tricky part. I have NO idea where our gym is, or if we even have one.  I've heard rumors, but never found it.  And this is a small campus.  It's hard to hide things.

Plus, I don't really have TIME! I'm so busy and stressed out with school and the show (The Diviners, everyone come see:) that I hardly have a chance to BREATHE!

Wish me luck.

No Rain on THIS Parade!

Today was a virtually perfect day.

Mom and I went to Dillards looking for shoes. While we were there, we happened to pass by the "Juniors Formal" section. On a whim, we strolled through it JUST IN CASE there happened to be any decent bridesmaid's dresses.

~and there it was~

The PERFECT bridesmaid dress. It was knee-length, so it worked for a summer wedding. It was the right color, and it was just the kind of shape that flatters ANY figure. And it was less than half the price of the one we HAD been looking at earlier this week.

Not only did we get everyone's sizes, we also found a place for one of the bridesmaids to stay, so now she can actually be at the reception! Then, we found the perfect shoes, so OF COURSE we got them for all the girls. When we finally went to buy my dress (my perfect, lovely, sparkly dress... *sigh*...) we found that it didn't even need to be hemmed! Only one alteration to the ENTIRE thing was needed!

Life is happy, life is good, life is wonderful.

Happiness

I have perfectly ripe strawberries.

There is still snow on the ground that hasn't melted or turned to slush.

I've picked a color scheme.

Life is good.

The Difference Between Men and Women

(OR -- Why LDS weddings come and go so quickly)

I came across something interesting in my planning. If you look up "bride check list," most of the results begin your planning at "12-18 months ahead." This is when you are supposed to set a date, a venue, a color scheme, etc. Now, look up "LDS bride check list." This begins at "4 months ahead."

I think I have found the reason for this. Below you will find my personal theory:

LDS BRIDE'S CHECK LIST:

8-6 months ahead:

• Fall in love
• Pick a date
• Pick a temple
• Decide on a venue for reception (aka: see when the stake center is free)
• Begin compiling guest list
• Select bridesmaids

7-4 months ahead:

• Select wedding gown, veil, etc
• Get temple recommend
• Get measured for temple garments
• Arrange for a photographer OR
• Buy disposable cameras for the guests to use when a photographer is too expensive
• Finish guest list and send out invitations/announcements

3 months ahead:

• Register for gifts
• Make hair appointments, nail appointments, etc
• Make sure your bridesmaids' dresses fit
• Plan honeymoon

1 month ahead:

• Finish planning for reception
• Arrange for time off work
• Double-check all reservations

1 week ahead:

• Go to the spa
• Get manicure
• Pack for honeymoon

On your wedding day:

• Set five alarms
• Don't forget breakfast
• Remember, the Lord's time is not Mormon Standard Time
• Get married, and live happily ever after

LDS GROOM'S CHECKLIST:

8-6 months ahead:

• See beautiful girl across the room
• Fall in love
• Purchase ring
• Learn her name

7 months ahead:

• Work up the nerve to speak to her
• Succeed

6 months ahead:

• Work up the nerve to ask her out

5 months ahead:

• Work up the nerve to ask her out
• Succeed

4 months ahead:

• Work up the nerve to propose
• Work up the nerve to propose
• Tell yourself all the reasons she'll say no
• Work up the nerve to propose

3 months ahead:

• Finally have a plan for proposing
• Remember that you have to meet her family

2 months ahead:

• Meet her family
• Ask her father
• Have contingency elopement plan in case he says no

1 month ahead:

• PROPOSE!
• Stand back in amazement as she magically plans the whole thing so quickly

1 week ahead:

• Argue with your best man over the moral and ethical questions posed by having a stripper at your bachelor party
• Realize that the tux from your senior prom does not still fit

3 days ahead:

• Buy a new tux

On your wedding day:

• Have "the talk" with your father
• Try to think spiritual thoughts on the way to the temple, which is made difficult by the aforementioned "talk" that is still on your mind
• Get married
• Eat copious amounts of cake during the reception to keep your mind off "the talk"
• Try not to have an aneurysm when she wants to stay afterwords and help clean up
• Finally get to your hotel, and let instinct take over
• Live happily ever after

What's this?

"There's white things in the air."

SNOW DAY! ALL CLASSES BEFORE 10 AM CANCELLED!!!

... too bad my class today is at 11 ...

"This is the simple sum of me..."

KAITLIN IS:

• A freshman at Southern Virginia University
• An actress
• A writer
• Recently engaged
• Obsessed with all things aqua and dragonfly
• Easily distrac... ooh, shiny!
• In love
• "A memorizing beast"
• Perpetually hungry
• Incapable of basic mathematic equations