Wounded

The last two weeks I have been getting really into volleyball again. 

There's a RS tournament here in a couple weeks so a bunch of ladies from church get together each week to practice and I have been having so much fun getting back into the swing of things!!

Although after last night Steve has threatened to not let me go anymore because I keep coming home wounded hahahha

The right knee is the worst...

Big healing bruise from last week (it looked like a golf ball was under my skin haha)

Left is actually not too bad

My poor swollen ankle :( This one hurts. I started to get tunnel vision after I rolled it. Worst feeling!

We'll see how my ankle is mending and hopefully I can go and play beach volleyball Friday night! Cross your fingers!

Synopsis in Pictures

Alright! Time for another post I should think.

Since last posting things are better. I'm finding my way around the city (got somewhere WITHOUT a GPS yesterday. Impressed? You should be), making some friends, exploring this big city with my lover, and becoming craftier by the day!

There's so much to tell that I think I'll just do a synopsis in pictures. Enjoy!

Lots of optometry appointments! To assist in his learning, I let him do tests on me. I was dilated for like 12 hours!

We took a day trip out to San Antonio with some friends to the big water park (west ed is sooo much better) and then went the the Riverwalk for dinner that night. The downtown has  rivers running through it and instead of paving over them they sunk the streets down about a story and a half and put a bunch of shops and restaurants down there!!! SO COOL!

                                                

                                                

Temple Trip!! The Houston temple is simply beautiful with really pretty grounds all around it where you can go walking or sit and ponder :)

My first two completed projects with my new sewing machine! In the works are a scripture case, a throw blanket and many others lol love sewing!

We took a drive out to this random fancy restaurant literally in the middle of the ghetto (so sketch) and it has a pretty lookout over the shipping canal.

Okay. This one Steve wanted me to do. He made us ribs and they were super good. We actually have been eating sooo good lately. Like good meals and super healthy. Kay well ribs and cheesy potatoes aren't but we eat bad yummy food on Sundays to reward our good behaviour haha

Well thats about it really... Oh! I had another optometry appointment today because somehow I got a piece of sand embedded into the underside of my eye lid so not only was it digging into my flesh, but it was repeatedly scrapping up my cornea. Ouch.

Until next week!

Love, me

The Adventure Begins

OK! So as promised (mostly to maija) I will begin faithfully blogging about my time here in Houston, Texas!

I have been here for 2 weeks now and its mostly been so very nice.

Why do I say mostly you ask?

Well as was expected there have been moments of homesickness for family, friends and the clean air of Canada (it is not clean here); some loneliness when hubby has to go to clinic; boredom when I have nothing left to do at the apartment and don't know how to drive in this city (I know how now!), but even if I did, where would I go and who would I go see? feeling. So you see there is some adjustment still to take place. Also, the fact that they were going to send me packing when I got to the boarder stole some of the bliss.

But! There has been lots of good too. Much more good than bad.

Starting with being with Steve. He is so good to me. Literally the most wonderful man. He constantly goes out of his way to make sure that I am happy and feeling loved. Rarely will he ever ask me to do anything for him but is always looking for ways to serve me. I am so blessed. Do I deserve this good fortune?! 

Mmmm next, flowers. I love getting flowers and Steven surprised me with them when he picked me up from the airport. They are probably my favourite present. Maybe its just because I'm a romantic but they make me feel extra loved.

Fourth of July fireworks also make me happy. Just laying on a blanket in the humid heat with Steve's arms around me was simply the best.


Waiting for the show to begin... Just Look at his eyes!! Beautiful blues.

Crazy crowd for the concert and fireworks

Having a space that is just mine and Steve's is awesome. I'm really glad that it's just the two of us, in our own apartment, away from anyone else. I love organizing and cleaning a place that is just my own (our own haha). I love cooking and having dinner ready when Steve gets home from school (he's only in school 2 1/2 days a week so on the other days he's happy to cook for me. score. best husband award). I haven't really gotten to decorate much yet because at the end of the month we have to move to an apartment on a different floor. I want to have as little to move as  possible so I'm waiting on that, but there will be pictures when it does happen!

Planning all my DIY projects is also the funnest. I love it. Who knew I would become so crafty? More on that later...

One more highlight is exercising together. It's fun going to the Rec Center here on campus almost every night and getting those endorphins going! FYI if I'm not super fly by the end of these 6 months then... well thats not possible. Steve is pretty h-core and has me doing his exercises with him so I will soon be iron woman.

Anyways. It's been a good first two weeks :) Time to go and get dinner started!

Miss you all.

Packing Heat

So I haven't posted my official beginning to my adventures here, but excitement has struck and I must share.

Back story: Steve has instilled in me a large amount of fear in regards to going anywhere alone in Houston. He served in the spanish speaking mission here and so he knows the scariest parts. Since he has shared so many of those stories and pointed out so many places that he doesn't want me to go by myself, I have developed a fear that everyone is packing and I'll be met with this image if I look at them wrong. Honestly, we are in Texas and everyone has a gun so I'm not off base on that account. Because of this fear I have not been brave enough to go anywhere off campus alone...

UNTIL NOW!

Today I made my first expedition off campus all by myself and guess what?! Nobody shot me!!! Or mugged me (i may have turned my wedding ring around so no diamonds were visible... lol)! I needed some honey dijon mustard (haha) for dinner and so I had no choice but to brave the great unknown. I feel pretty good about myself but I only drove to the Kroger 1 mile away and made sure I didn't get on any freeways (another fear of mine). 

Baby steps right?

Countdown!

Holy. 46 days. Then I'm a married woman. 39 till the temple. 32 till Steve gets home from school.

What am I more excited for?

hahaha I have no idea. They're all so exciting!! ...Actually right now I'm probably most excited for Steve to get back. I miss him! Once that happens then everything else will be perfect :)

Oh the stresses of wedding planning. Get me on my honeymoon pulease.

Remember when...

Hey so remember when you first got engaged and everyone said that it was your day and that they would be happy with whatever you wanted? They were totally so supportive?

Ya i remember that too. But guess what?

THEY LIED!

PS. not everyone is like this all the time... im just stressed lol

Best Surprise.

I am on cloud 9! All the time. Ever since a certain special man flew in to surprise me with a diamond ring haha. Me and Steve have been engaged for 2 weeks now and I cannot wait to get married!!!! July 7th cannot come fast enough for me...

How he proposed:

I was suppose to go down and visit him, but my dad had told me that it would be impossible that weekend because there was a problem with employee travel (my dad is a pilot for Air Canada, ps. this was all a big lie!). I was super sad of course and so Friday morning (January 13) Steve texted me saying that he was having a surprise delivered for me to his parents house that day and to call his mom to let me know when I could pick it up. I was excited, of course, and called his mom right away. Oddly she told me that I couldn't come and get it till 11:30pm that night since they were going out... but I didn't pick up on anything haha.

Steve then made up a story that he was going to Dallas with some friends that weekend to explain why he wasn't texting me while he was on the plane. Verrrryyy sneaky!

To pass the time till I could go to his parents house I went to the YSA dance and left around 11:30, but I didn't get to Steve's parent's house till 12:30. I thought it was just flowers or something that I was going to pick up! Of course I had let his mom know I would be later though... I'm not rude.

OKay, so I show up and both his parents greet me at the door (weird because John never stays up late haha didn't pick up on a thing) and bring me into the kitchen where the "surprise" was and it was, as I had guessed, flower. They were beautiful, but then there was a card... and it was in his hand writing... red flag? Not really haha I just was like, "Wow! He must have had this sent so long ago!!" Siigh. So smart. Anywho. The card was super sweet telling me how much he missed me, that he was sorry I couldn't come down and that he hoped the flowers would make up for it. He added at the end that if the flowers weren't enough, he promised that we'd be engaged before the flowers wilted (I picked my ring over Christmas break so I knew it was coming), but to help him out by putting them in water.

His mom then directed me to the dining room where I could find a vase and as I walked into the dinning room she turned the lights in the kitchen off behind me (weird right? did I think anything? no.). The vases were off to the left and so I walked straight there without looking around the room and just as I was about to open the cabinet, I hear my name said behind me. I froze haha so scared and turned around to STEVE! standing there in a suit, with candles and all this stuff set up in the room! I freaked right out and jumped on him and screamed haha so confused as to how or what he was doing here. He pulled away then and got down on one knee

and said, "Cathryn I love you more than anything in this world and I want to make you happy for the rest of my life. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?" (hahaha he didn't mean to rhyme but that's just what came out). Of course I said yes and he put the ring on my finger and we hugged and kissed and I continued to be in shock :)

Funniest thing? His parents were there for all of it and video taped it and took pictures the whole time hahahhahah

I found out after I had calmed down a bit that Steve had had this planned for weeks and my dad had made up the flying story since I couldn't be in Houston and then while I was still at the dance Steve went and asked my parents for permission. What a good boy :)

It's so funny because I had been so worried that he wouldn't do anything romantic or thoughtful when he proposed... totally exceeded expectations. Never thought of this. And I am so happy. Holy. I can't wait to be married to this man...

AND! Today I went with my mom, my sister Sarah, Steve's mom Sandy, his sister Amy and sister in-law Joylane wedding dress shopping aaaanannnd I bought my dress!!! It's beautiful and Steve is going to love it.

It's feeling more real every day :)