walking

last weekend jimmy had an unfortunate run-in with the broken base of a lamp post in a parking lot. since i don't have my own car, and jimmy drives us both wherever we need to go, that means we were carless for a week. we walked a lot more than normal. i took the bus and the train to places i've never gone before. it was actually a really good week. it reminded me of being carless in mongolia and having to rely on my own two legs or public transportation to get around. there is a feeling of satisfaction that i savor when i haven't driven myself to my destination. he and i have both decided we need to walk more even when we get his car back. we'll start by walking to work in the mornings and then see where it takes us. :)

registry fun

last night jimmy and i went to macy's for a "sip n scan" event. we got to start our registry there and they spoiled us with lots of goodies. we got snacks, gift cards, a red tote bag, and two champagne flutes - all just because we registered there during the event. i love being engaged and getting free things because people love to celebrate engagements. even if those people just happen to be the sales clerks at macy's.

where has my mind gone?

i need to start blogging more regularly - even if it's just for me to read. i want to have my mind more engaged in what i do everyday. i want to notice the little interesting moments that make me feel like i'm truly living my life and not just surviving it until october.

engaged!

jimmy and i are engaged! he proposed on march 1, 2010 at the grand lux cafe in downtown chicago. he surprised me after picking me up from Bible study by saying, "let's go do something fun."it was almost 10:30 by the time we got to the restaurant, so there were just a few other people there having late dinners or dessert. jimmy and i split a sandwich and then he started telling me about some of the events in his life that he considers major turning points. it all seemed pretty unremarkable, and i had convinced myself that he wouldn't propose that night, so i was totally relaxed and just enjoying the chance to do something spontaneous with him. then he told me to close my eyes and suddenly i was suspicious.

i sat with my eyes closed for what seemed an eternity and then he told me to open my eyes. "i've lost my train of thought" he said. by then, i was pretty sure that he was going to propose, and i practically ran to the bathroom to fix my hair a little bit and make sure i didn't look too tired at the end of a long day. hehe

when i came back, we talked a little bit more and then he told me to close my eyes again. this time i knew it must be "the moment", and i was trying so hard not to peek. :) he read me a letter i had given my dad for christmas about 10 years ago. in the letter i had given my dad a blank key and told him that it represented the key to my heart. someday when a man gave me that key, i would know he had my dad's blessing to marry me. jimmy told me to open my eyes, and then he gave me that blank key.

right after he gave me the key, our dessert arrived - with the open ring box on the tray with our creme brulee. i was totally surprised and jumped up to give him a kiss and hug. the super

amazing waitress said, "put on the ring. it's so sparkly!" and i told her that he hadn't asked me to marry him just yet. she left and he pulled out a letter of his own. he had written the sweetest letter about how much he loves me and how he can't wait to share his life with me and how Christ is and always will be the center of our relationship. when he finished his letter, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! of course i said YES and then he put the ring on my finger. the moment was pure bliss!!!!!

everyone in the restaurant started clapping and cheering for us and our waitress came over to take a picture while we still had the most ridiculously huge grins. everything about our engagement story was perfect. jimmy surprised me with his spontaneity and yet managed to have a beautiful letter prepared. he picked out the absolutely most dreamy ring and gave it to me in a fun way. by the time he proposed it was 11:30 so the restaurant was almost empty but there were still a few people there to share our excitement, and that was surprisingly fun. and of course, the best part is that i walked into the restaurant with a boyfriend and walked out with a fiance! :)

humidity

i have several friends who are/were just vacationing in thailand. i've been looking at their gorgeous pictures on facebook and being so thankful that they are sharing their vacation with people like me who are not living somewhere sunny, hot, and humid.

i can definitely say that after growing up in kentucky and living in florida for three years, i'm a girl who loves humidity. most people think i'm crazy, but i love it when the air is so thick with moisture that it feels like a blanket on my skin when i step outside. as i've looked at my friends' pix, i've been able to imagine that feeling, and it makes me smile.

i've been contemplating buying a humidifier for my bedroom. maybe i should, and then i can turn it up full blast and look at the pictures again. hehe

near, far, wherever you are.....

sheesh, my neighbor has played enrique iglesias's hero, shania twain's forever and for always, and now, you guessed it, celine dion is belting out that her heart will go on. i was trying to take a nice little afternoon nap, too. booohooo.

first time for everything

yesterday was the first time i caught a student doing something in class i never really imagined i'd deal with. oh i've had sleepers, nose pickers, phone callers, sneaky text message senders. but yesterday, one student whipped out his nail clippers and started cutting away, right in class! i let him do it for about 30 seconds and then just looked right at him and said, "Mr. Q. Can you do that at home?" He nodded sheepishly and let the nail clippers that were hanging around his neck drop silently onto his shirt. He's been wearing those nail clippers for the past few weeks now. How come I never expected him to use them? hehehehe

il divo

thanks to my friend sally, i know who i'm listening to. it's il divo, and it's driving me insane. actually, i can't decide which is worse, the stream of il divo italian opera or the interspersed celine dion. i am totally serious when i say that one of the first things i heard this morning was "my heart will go on". yikes!

new year, new goals

i have no idea if anyone will read this, since it's been months since my last post, but lately i've been feeling the urge to have a place to catch some of the random thoughts and things i experience each day. today i'm overcome by the urge to tell someone, anyone, that my neighbor has LOUDLY played an opera version of mariah carey's "without you" at least once a day for the past week. how do i know it's this song, and that it's an opera version? well, she plays it so loudly that i can hear the first verse in english, and the rest of it in italian. i can't help but be reminded of this video and want to laugh while i listen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RgL2MKfWTo

30th birthday

i will post pictures and details soon, but i just have to say THANK YOU jimmy, jaemey, nikki, rachel, stephanie, and yen for making my birthday special and memorable. i feel so loved and blessed to have you in my life!

5am airport

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Originally uploaded by mongolmanda

these girls from church came to see me off at the airport. such sweeties!

lunch with friends

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Originally uploaded by mongolmanda

after breakfast with muugii i joined oyuka (L) and mandy (R) for lunch at a fun place called "edelweiss". i wish i had known about it earlier, because i would have definitely eaten there a few times. it was no nice of these girls to take time out to see me before i left.

muugii

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Originally uploaded by mongolmanda

muugii and i went out for breakfast and my favorite french cafe on my last morning in ub. oh how i miss muugii and those chocolate croissants!

in darhan

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Originally uploaded by mongolmanda

i got to spend a few days in darhan with my dear friend melanie just before i left mongolia. it was so good to live a few hours away from her instead of halfway around the world now.

last sunday english class

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Originally uploaded by mongolmanda

this was my second to last sunday in mongolia and the last sunday we had english class. i miss these girls so much!