BYU v. UTEP

Two weeks ago, in an unlikely, yet very fortunate turn of events, I got work off so I could go with Blake and his brother Luke, his brother-in-law Matt, his dad, and Tom's friend Cami to watch Tom play in the New Mexico bowl.  It was so fun to have a weekend off and to hang out with Blake and his fam.  It was a short, but very fun trip.

Tom warming up (#52)

Cami and I sitting on a semi-creepy Santa's lap

I laughed my head off when I saw Blake wearing his beanie like this.  This is him right after he said "What?? This doesn't look funny!" He looked like a cute little Christmas elf.  I thought that was the funniest thing, until I noticed:

  
That he and his dad were wearing theirs the exact same way! Oh man I laughed so hard.  They are so funny together.

 

Blake and Tom after the game.  I'm sure if Luke had noticed someone was taking a picture, he would have made sure he was pulling a really creepy face.  Luke is always making everyone laugh.

I know it looks like Blake and I knew this picture was being taken, but we really didn't.  Luke, however, looks like that on a regular basis. 

Cami and me

The Steele boys

Chad Lewis was excited to see Blake's dad, who coached him in high school.  They stayed and talked on the field for a really long time.  I thought it was so cool! I kind of just stood like 3 feet away and stared at him, too shy to say anything, but apparently brave enough to stare strangely for an extended period of time.  Makes sense right? Cami kept daring me to go get a picture with him but I was too scared so she took one when I didn't know:

 This one's going on the fridge for sure.

I'm so glad I got to go.  It's always fun to spend time with Blake.  He's the best and we always have a ton of fun together.  

I really liked the trip, but realized I never want to live in a desert-y place.  So St. George, New Mexico, Arizona, Vegas, and parts of Southern California, send me a postcard.  I also realized how much I HATE Kokopelli's.  (You know, the little guys who play an instrument with the curved backs that are found in desert-y places and on the necklaces of old women? What? That wasn't descriptive enough? Here's a picture):

But we had a TON of fun and I'm so glad I was able to come.

P.S. That sweet old school BYU coat I'm wearing was given to me by Papa a few months ago.  Everytime I wear it I think of him.  Even though it's a few sizes too big for me, it always brings back great memories.

Big News!

This has been a really exciting month because:

• I found out I got 2 internships that I REALLY wanted! Starting in January, I'll be working for BYU's University Communications writing press releases, helping host and plan press conferences, and writing feature stories on anything and everything newsworthy that happens at the Y.  (which, by the way, is a lot.)  I'll be there all the way until next December and I can't wait to get started. The girl who I'm replacing had some of her stories published in Shape Magazine, Self Magazine, and CNN.com.  Pretty cool! I'm SO excited and can't wait to start! (Bonus: I'm working on the same floor just a few doors down from the great Cecil O! *Cecil O. Samuelson, the President of BYU.)(Oh, another thing, that bio I linked to on President Sameulson? That was put out by University Communications :)
• Bigger news, in April I'll be moving to Manhattan for two months for the second internship. I'll either be working for LDS Public Affairs or Fleishman-Hillard Public Relations.  Still hammering out those details :)  The downside is Blake can't come with me because he'll be taking the MCAT and applying to med schools.  But he'll visit... a lot, so maybe I'll survive? Too soon to call it.
• Blake took another MCAT practice test today and scored a whole 5 points higher than his last one. That's awesome! He's planning on taking it in April and we're still trying to narrow down the schools he's going to apply to.  So this is an exciting/stressful next few months for us.
• I'm still working at Nordstrom in the Women's shoe department.  Because this will be my 4th Christmas in a row closing on Christmas Eve, I have a love/hate relationship with working retail and Christmas.  Example: I love Christmas, but I hate that I will be working 50 hours this week.  
• Finally, I'm REALLY excited about one of the presents I got Blake for Christmas.  Seeing as how he just asked me what the URL was for our blog... again... I could probably just tell you what I got him and confidently know that he would still have no idea.  But in the spirit of Christmas, I will not divulge that information.

So Season's Greetings, from, the Steeles. Can you tell how excited Blake is for Christmas!!??

Ok now for a real one..

Oh yeah, I'm blonde again.

Attn: BYU Students

Have you seen this? It is HILARIOUS! However, may I point out two discrepancies: 


-One of the girl's hair looks a little too polygamist-y for my taste during the wedding dress chase scene.  Let's keep that distance girls.  Keep in mind the number of people who will come across this video from random googling.  In fact, that whole wedding dress chase thing near the end is kind of "sister wives"


-Allow me to point out that EVERY single person that both Blake and I know that got married/engaged after like two weeks or some other obscenely short amount of time goes to UVU, not BYU! 


Seriously! I can give you like 12 couples off the top of my head.  NONE of them go to BYU.  So take that!

A little background

I STILL can't find my camera! I really want to post pictures too because we've been doing lots of camera-worthy things lately. But to feel better about myself as a blogger, I'll answer this tag, mainly so I can have a post tied me over.  


1)When is your "marriage" anniversary? "engagement" anniversary?


We got engaged on December 19, 2008 and married on May 1, 2009.  

2) Where/how did you meet your spouse for the first time?


Well we went to junior high AND high school together, but we didn't really meet until the summer in 2008 when we saw each other at an outdoor concert thing.  That one's that one that counts. 
3) How long have you known your spouse:


I don't know how to answer this since we knew who each other were in high school, technically... 8 years? That doesn't really count though, I'm going to say 2 1/2 to stay on the safe side.

4) How long did you date/court before you were engaged?


Well... we got engaged after six months, and married four months after that. We actually got married ten months to the day of our first date.  This is where you go "awwwww"
5) Do you have any children:


Yes, four.  Have I never blogged about them? Really? That's so weird..
6) Do you have any house pets:


Oh geez.  No but I bet Blake would answer this yes because we happen to dog sit for friends and family quite a bit.  I love it because I think dogs are so fun, but Blake pretends to not love it, even though I know he really does. Good thing he has me to tell him that he actually loves things he pretends to hate, like cucumbers. (Who hates cucumbers??) 
7) What are some of your favorite activities together:


We like to not have homework together, but that never happens, so we are avid red box patrons, we like to go out to eat, we love to play sports together and we like to go on bike rides together.  We're going to start training for triathlons this spring hopefully!


8) Do you have a favorite vacation spot:

Well we've basically been on one vacation, and it was to EUROPE, so we're pretty spoiled.  I'm going to go ahead and say Italy and look really cool.  
9) Where was your first date?


We went bowling with Blake's friends Brandon Hill and Dallin Larsen and their dates. Then we hiked the Y.  (It wasn't a competition, but I'm so competitive that I turned it into one, and I really wanted Blake and I to make it to the top first, so by the time we got up there we were all sweaty and tired.  But we totally wasted everybody else, and that's all that matters.)
10) When did you first kiss? 


This is pretty sad, neither of us remember exactly how long after our first date it was, but we both pretty much agree it was about 3-4 weeks after our first date.  It was really cute :)

11)Who said I Love you First? 


Blake did, but I said it back right away.

12) Did you get married in a church? 


No we got married in the Salt Lake Temple.

13) Where did you go on your honeymoon:


We went to San Diego, and it was so much fun.

14) How long did you know each other before you started dating?

You're getting a little repetitive here, survey.  We've kind of been over this.  Probably five years. But I'm using the term "know each other" very loosely, we knew who each other were, but we didn't necessarily know each other.

15)What do you call each other most of the time?


We both kind of think it's annoying when couples call each other "babe" or "hon," so we mostly call each other "love," oh, you know, like old people. When Blake's with his friends though I like to call him embarrassingly mushy nicknames, such as "lover-bottom", and "honey-babe," and "shmoopy-shmooperton".  It's a new game I made up called "embarrass your husband," and I am REALLY good at it.

16)Where do you each work or go to school?

We both go to BYU and I work at Nordstrom in the Women's Shoe department.

17) Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?


Probably how much time we have to spend apart.  We are busy newlywed students.
 18) Did you go to the same school?


Yes, the same junior high, high school, and college.

19) Are you from the same home town?


Yes we're both from Orem.  I LOVE that!
20) Who is smarter?

We both have our strengths, but overall Blake is the smartest.

21) Who is more sensitive?


You're kind of dropping the ball on these end questions here survey.  It's like you just gave up.  Where's the effort? I am more sensitive ok!? Are you happy??

22)Where do you eat out most as a couple?


Iggy's, Wingers, Cafe Rio, Mi Ranchito, Olive Garden... man we eat out way too much.

23) What attracted you to him first?


Hello, have you SEEN him??? He is a very beautiful man.  One might even go as far as to say he is like a greek god. 
24) Who is more social?


Again, the topic of much debate in our lives.  Blake would for sure say that I am way more social, and that he doesn't like to be social or something, but Blake is one of the most social people.  It's that thing he does again where he pretends he is not a certain way but he actually is.  Like when he says he is not very smart but then he gets a 95% on his Advanced Physiology final, or whatever hard class he is currently taking.

25) Who is the neat-freak?


ME by FAR! I hate it so bad when people come over and the house is messy.  Probably one of my biggest pet peeves.  

26) What are HIS favorite things and HER favorite things?


His: cereal, football, playing with nieces and nephews, bread, watching sports, laughing super hard, and america's funniest home videos (to which he laughs super hard)


Hers: family, holding babies, writing, ice cream, watching movies with Blake, hulu (I'm just going to say it) and PR




I tag: Camille Juergens, Jennica Myra Faye Felsted, and Michelle Cannon