valentimes

♥♡♥♡♥
It's been a week, but HusBen kept asking if I was going to post about it, which I consider rare enough to oblige—despite the grainy photos. I'm a big fan of love, so it is fun to celebrate. I laughed when Ben came home a few days before V-day, admitting his ponderings that we should know each other's expectations for this holiday. "Are we going to boycott the commercialization or. . . get super into it?" This is certainly not our first Valentine's Day together, so I'm not sure why it came up now, but I took advantage to let him know I didn't expect to watch a Jazz game. ;)

When the day came, it was the final kick in the pants I needed to get that tidy house I lied about! I thought it would be the best surprise for Ben, and considered it a near-miracle to finish all I did (the miracle included Cohen napping well) before he walked in the door that evening. I fed Cohen dinner as Ben began prepping our dinner of fresh spring rolls with the ingredients he stopped for on the way home. He brought me home a bunch of tulips-to-be and my 2 bottles of my favorite treat (Odwalla Superfood)! Hiding behind the love note I forgot to remove is my other favorite lately—CHOCOLATE. Cliché, I know, but I can't help it. Ben went straight to the top with a bag of Ghirardelli "Intense Dark Twilight Delight 72% Cacao" squares. I couldn't have asked for more.

I'm glad he found his own favorite treat as well, being that my only offering was the tidy surroundings. He loves big buckets of lychee jellies! He treated us to a plethora of asian beverages too. My favorite was the white (green?) grape juice with whole grapes in it. We topped off our night watching Adam, having remembered that our last Valentine's Day movie was Temple Grandin. It was a good day of love.

P.S. Before the tulips arrived, there was a bright red camellia adorning the table, which fell to its death just as we set the table. I felt extra romantic spreading the petals across the table, but get this—they were greasy! Weird.
P.P.S. I missed taking a photo of the 'budding' stage, when we were guessing the blooms would be white, but by Monday, we had a bunch of precious pastel pink in the window!

a walk and a breakfast-for-lunch

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This is the story of a January 18, where the sun was so shining that hellebores were poking through the ground. This mid-January day called for a walk. A walk in sandals, because I'd just found them at the bottom of a bucket o' clothes. (The Jesus Sandals have their own story—about coming home to them on my top bunk when I lived in the Annex. Circa 2005? A surprise gift from Amy and Megan K!)

Cohen loved this walk, as usual. He was cute, as usual. I noticed and loved that all the yellow-and-silver fire hydrants are stamped with "American Darling." There were other things blooming.

And when we came home, the boy retired to his bathroom bed, and I enjoyed sunshine through the windows while I made some eggs and bacon that I'd been craving ever since reconnecting with flatmate Anna, of London 2005 times, now an accomplished foodie. (Yes, my serving is ginormous. I have no excuse other than I eat for two, and it was a late lunch.) My beverage was water with mango chunks in lieu of ice cubes. To quote my sister, it "wasthebestEVAR."

And the story ends with a mesmerizing steam in the sun that looked like a painting or a movie, but certainly not like real life. I dined happily ever after!

throw-back thursday: graduation

Who am I kidding? All my latest posts are "throw-backs" whether it's Thursday or not.

Today's memory is our graduation. We both officially graduated from BYU in August 2010 (after having completed the same online course together for our final needed credits).

What, you didn't know? Oh, don't worry—it's because we didn't really have a graduation. We didn't walk the walk or listen to the talk. We sort of had a ceremony with my design class which was awesome, but we did not wear that cap or gown and we did not take pictures together with the tulips or the cougar.

Let it be known that I regret this. That wasn't my original plan. I had all good intentions of following every graduation formality. I even prepared film to letterpress announcements, but in the end, maybe it wasn't meant to be?  I kind of knew in the moment that I would regret ditching it, but I still succumbed to the fact that I was really busy with finals and preparing my final show, not to mention my loved ones insisted it was a boring, pricey hub-bub for all involved. But if I knew all along that I would regret it, I wonder why I didn't just do it for myself? And for my posterity? And for my Grandpa? Yes, Grandpa Ord would have loved to be boring with me!

I settled on the idea that we could borrow robes and take pictures before the tulips were plucked. (If you aren't familiar with BYU, you should know their flowers don't die. They are plucked. Not picked by rude students, but uprooted by student employees. I know.) But alas, there was no real "deadline" for that and it never happened before we left Utah. And this is why I'm sad about it:

This degree was the hardest thing I ever did. And actually, it still is. It was harder than a mission. And I didn't know know this at the time, but it was also harder than labor & delivery (and even recovery). All you other college grads may snicker, but to each his own, right? Are there any law school grads that read this? Would you be offended if I said that I think my Bachelor's was as hard as your JD? I know, I've never been to law school, but I worked at BYU Law School for almost 5 years and I really think us BFA graphic design students across the street were working just as long and hard. (In fact, ultimately, the BFA was why I had to quit that wonderful job). I'm not saying it was hell. It wasn't. I really, really loved it and I wouldn't have chosen any other way to graduate if I could go back. But it was still really, really hard for me. It involved many successes and failures. Much stress and stretching. Lots of good learning and loving. And lots and lots of really late nights/all-nighters. (My school sleep was way worse than sleeping with a newborn, or even with the current Cohen who wakes more at night than he did as a newborn.) There are lots of nitty gritty details I'd be happy to share, but I'll spare the blog world and instead you can call me for that. (Because I officially have a 'real' phone now after about 3 years!) Are you feeling me yet? This little paper I'm holding above: It's a big deal.

Poor Ben probably had to learn this the hard way—I was planning at least a little dinner "ceremony" with homemade paper graduation hats when the diplomas arrived in the mail—something to make a big deal of this big deal. My pregnant self broke into tears when he opened it right from the mailbox. He was a good sport though and at least we have these crappy pictures even though I later destroyed my homemade caps and I don't even remember what "special dinner" we ate.

Anyway, so now you know I am evil and don't consider Cohen my greatest accomplishment. If I had to choose between the two, you're right, I'd choose my babe. But my other baby, The Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Brigham Young University, was a more challenging accomplishment I am proud to call mine.

So proud, in fact, that I am blogging about it over a year later.

5 years ago

Today I'm thinking about mission stuff. Five years ago today, I left the world and entered the MTC. Will I eventually forget this date? Why does it seem like I remember this date more than any other? Like I can't quite remember the date I came home. (Of course, that could be because I was supposed come home one day and then the stupid Denver airport made me wait til the next day, but still—I should remember those dates more, right?)

As I began to type the post title, I was sure it had only been 3 years, but that cannot be if we just celebrated 3 years of marriage. So weird. I counted twice: 2006, 7, 8, 9, 10! 11!

What‽

Anyway, here is a photo of a P-Day where our zone decided all we wanted was a good ol' fashioned, home-grilled hamburger. It was a pretty big deal. A member that lived across the street from us agreed to host it in her back yard. Her son's name is Tommy, as seen behind me. Maybe he was named after this guy.

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*special thanks to hermana ashley who loaned me this "interview dress" for the extent of my mission. it was just as fancy-feeling and classic and easy as she promised. to my understanding, it was passed on to another sister after i was done.

3 days for 3 years

 

 

 

Would you believe I've never posted photos of our wedding? You would? Yeah, well at least you know me well then... We're coming up on 3 years since that day so I'm using it as a deadline to share a bit of the best wedding day ever. All I can say after looking back at these photos is I'm so happy I married who I did, where I did.

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And, I'm super happy I chose Ashley Thalman to be the one to document this. Not only because of the stunning images I now have to remember my wedding by, but because of all the wonderful fruits that have come from a relationship with this Ashley. She has made my life (and those of my family) better.

The fifth of June

Today would have been our anniversary had we gotten married when Kurt & Becky told us to. Oh, you haven't heard this story? It's the greatest. Before Ben and I 'announced' if/when we'd be married, they announced that they'd called the Provo temple and scheduled a sealing for June 5, 2008.
It was at the Knudsen dinner table. Ben responded, "But Olivia doesn't want to get married in the Provo temple." And then there was a Knudsen hush. Not that Knudsens are all that gabby, but it was still a stone-cold silence. {"You won't feel rushed at the Provo temple," I was assured. But I knew my preference. Yeah, yeah, yeah, everyone gets married there, but SLC was special to ME. Especially fresh off my mission—don't ask why.} So we scheduled our sealing in Salt Lake for June 5, because... when else would we do it?
Then at General Conference 2008, I found out Ben didn't want to get married June 5. So the plans changed yet again and we married on Ben's date in my temple. OK, it wasn't just Ben's date. It was our date. Our first real date. (Not to be confused with our first fake date, to the Halloween dance).

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And, I've had a sore throat since I woke up. It hurt to sing Hymns today and King of Limbs tonight.