Engagement Pictures!

Well folks, it is official! I am getting married in just over a month! AAAH! Okay, okay...granted--I guess it has been official for a while now, but it feels especially official right now, because Jeremy and I got our engagement pictures taken on Wednesday.

I was so nervous to get pictures taken; I have a really hard time smiling naturally for a camera. Not to mention that Jeremy doesn't like cameras at all! So, needless to say, the thought of engagement pictures was a bit overwhelming.

For one thing, Jeremy and I both love skiing. We have wanted to go skiing together, but the weather has not yet permitted that to happen. We wanted our pictures to be taken somewhere meaningful to us. Luckily for us, Ryan (the photographer) is the official photographer for the Snowbasin ski resort, so we actually got to have our pictures taken at the resort. It was awesome!

We were able to act naturally, and we were able to get a TON of pictures in just over an hour. Which is awesome, because Jeremy and I went from having zero pictures (oops, sorry. One picture) together to having two hundred! Woohoo! I can now prove to my friends and family that I really am engaged!

You can see the pictures here. Our photographer was amazing! Seriously, he did such a great job, and our pictures look fantastic! I was so pleasantly surprised, and would highly recommend RLT photography to anyone who is looking for a great photographer.

My Recent Quest

Tonight, I shall be brief. I have decided to embark upon a great quest. My quest? To seek the best homemade hot chocolate!

The reason I decided to embark upon this quest is simple. I love hot chocolate, but I hate when my hot chocolate is either too watered down or too rich. There is an ideal for hot chocolate--a hot chocolate utopia, if you will. Not too bitter or sweet, not too thick or watery, and NEVER clumpy. However, just like any utopia, this is difficult to achieve.

Homemade hot chocolate is customizable. And, for the most part, is incredibly easy. One of my favorite things is to grab a mug and spoon, put two or three scoops of sugar, a scoop or two of cocoa, then fill the rest of the mug with milk. Then I heat it up and mix it together. If I am feeling daring, I put a splash of vanilla in, or even use powdered sugar instead of regular sugar. I know, I know. Adventurous move, Darcy.

But I daresay there are hundreds of different cocoa recipes online. I want to find one that is both easy and delicious. I have to say, as far as quests go, this one's going to be mighty enjoyable. Let the quest begin!

Need A Good Read? You Won't be Disappointed with This!!

Can I tell you what I hate about science fiction? Apart from those terrible movies that never really should have become movies in the first place (I am obviously generalizing here--not ALL science fiction is terrible). What I hate is the hopelessness of science fiction.

Again, generalizing, but it seems to me that most science fiction movies (alien-based science fiction, at least) have a couple things in common that they regard as absolute truths:

1- At some indefinable point in the future, an alien race will visit earth with hostile intent
2- The human race will be obliterated

Granted, many of the more modern science fiction shows have a bit of hope. There is often a handful of survivors. However, take a look at older Sci-Fi alien films, such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and you will see what I mean. There is zero hope for the human race. Gee, well, existence has been fun. Sorry it will be cut short.

So when I learned that Brandon Sanderson had written a science-fiction based superhero story, I wasn't too enthused. Perhaps the reason I picked it up was because it was by Brandon Sanderson. I have to throw in a plug here--Brandon is incredible! He has written so many fantastic books, and he just keeps bringing out more! I wish I had half of his creative genius.

Anyway, I wasn't too excited, but that changed almost as soon as I started reading (and listening. I admit, I listened to a bulk of this book at work while I do my computer stuff--please don't hate me!). I mean, the first sentence reads "I have seen Steelheart bleed." What an incredibly intriguing first sentence. It made me want to continue reading.

 Steelheart takes place on a futuristic earth. A star has appeared that has granted men and women super abilities. Unfortunately, those "blessed" individuals have become corrupted with the power they now have, and are all fighting for ultimate power--dominating cities and killing as many as they see fit. The main character, David, has a personal vendetta against these "epics," as these people are called, and joins up with a group called the Reckoners, whose main goal is to kill epics and give the power back to normal humans.

I cannot tell you enough how much this book drew me in, and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It ended well, although there is a sequel in the making that I am super excited about. The ending was neat, because after I finished, I was able to think "Oh yeah. I can totally see how that worked." Brandon Sanderson does such a fantastic job at laying down the story and strategically placing key bits of information, that although the ending is not predictable, it certainly had an element of "Oh yeah. I thought that might happen." It was absolutely fantastic.

There is cool technology, great characters, and the best part? HOPE! Every epic has a weakness, and although the road to victory is difficult, it is possible in Sanderson's world.

So, as for the real question, would I rather have to rebel against a conquering group of hostile aliens or a group of power-hungry epics? Hmm. Tough choice, but I think I am going to take the epics. Unless, of course, the aliens gave me a ride on their spaceship. :)

Uniquely Their Own

Do you ever wish your life were a story? You know, “once upon a time” and all that? I have thought about it. Quite seriously, actually. Especially the part about how “they lived happily ever after, the end.” Sounds great, right? To be quite honest, I think this typical fairy tale sounds boring. And, quite frankly, it is a bit predictable.

Now, don’t get me wrong; I love the idea of happily ever after! In fact, I recently got engaged. I am getting married March 7th. I am so excited to spend eternity with my best friend and the man I love, Jeremy. A happily ever after sounds fantastic to me! But I don’t think that a happily ever after that is predictable and one-dimensional like a fairy tale is something that I want.

I am not a perfect person. I wish I were—life would be a lot easier! But alas, I’m not. And as an imperfect person, I can’t expect that Jeremy and I will have a perfect lifetime together. However, lest you say that I am completely pessimistic, I DO know that Jeremy and I will have a happy marriage—even a joyful marriage. But there are going to be times when we struggle. There are going to be some times that are more complicated than happens “once upon a time.”

So here’s what I think: I want something a little bit different from your typical “happily ever after.” My ultimate goal is for Jeremy and me to be happy, and for us to find joy, but I want an ending that is unique. I want an ending that is special for us—for me and Jeremy. Nothing in my life so far has been cookie cutter perfect, and it has been pretty good! So why would I want to start having a cookie cutter life now?

Here is an ending I see some more depth in: “And so, our prince and princess continued on, battling dragons and conquering foes, enduring pain and experiencing incomparable happiness. Through it all, they grew closer and stronger, in an ending that was uniquely their own. And in this way, they found joy and love. The End.” It’s not a perfect fairy tale ending, but I like the fact that it is unique.

My purpose today actually wasn’t to talk about fairy tales. Surprised? Yeah…sorry about the tangent. What I actually wanted to emphasize is the name of this blog. The astute observer may notice the title of this blog appearing in the previous paragraph. Apart from some blatant title placement, my goal for this blog is simple: I wanted to create a space to share thoughts and ideas, but I wanted it to be unique. I wanted this blog to be uniquely mine. But, since I am getting married, and I am sure this blog will cover some of the aspects of my life with Jeremy, this blog is really about the both of us. I expect it will cover food, books, things we do, and whatever else happens to cross my mind. Therefore, I want it to be uniquely ours. (Score one for Darcy for another blatant tie back!)