Moving On

Tomorrow is the big day: we go to Provo to pack up the truck and then we are off. We get into Mesa on Wednesday and we move in on Thursday. We moved out of our apartment last Wednesday. Since we were sick all weekend, we were behind and barely made it out on time. We've been staying at Justin's uncle's place in Highland for the last week.

Everything has happened so fast that it's just finally beginning to sink in: I am done with college forever, I am moving to a new state, I will be working (hopefully), Justin will be going to school, we will have our own house, we will be starting a family this year. It's weird to be growing up so fast! Twenty-one is still young and yet I have moved on to the next stage of life.

I'm sad to go. We had a goodbye party and have been visiting some friends this past week for the last time. There are many people I will miss and hope to keep in touch with.

On the other hand, I am excited to make new friends and meet new people. I am looking forward to having time to do things I didn't have time for before (like this blog). I am excited for the heat and sunshine. And I am way excited about our new place! We bought a mattress set last week and I can't wait to buy more furniture and decorate our home.

I hope we travel safely and are able to find jobs. Those are our priorities right now!

Random Things about Justin

Here's some random facts about Justin! hahaha

He's never:

1. woken up to an alarm clock since we've been married; I always get him up in the mornings!
2. asked a girl out because girls always asked him out--that is, until he met me
3. skipped school
4. donated blood because he was a pilot and pilots are not allowed to
5. beaten me at sparring--HA!

He has:

1. hit a 385-yard drive
2. been to a ballet concert with me--he actually bought the tickets for me for Valentine's Day!
3. co-taught salsa, merengue, and bachata with me
4. won almost seventy trophies in martial arts and been Grand Champion in tae kwon do twice
5. flown an airplane
6. broken both pinkies, his left wrist, and his left elbow and sprained his left thumb and both ankles
7. solved a rubik's cube in 1 minute 3 seconds
8. been a band geek (trumpet, 9th and 10 grade)

He wants to:

1. become a pro golfer
2. sky dive
3. convert me to football (sorry, Justin, this is one goal that you will never accomplish!)
4. watch an NBA game live
5. own a Corvette
6. buzz his head (I don't think it will look good)
7. play golf at Pebble Beach and on every continent (except Antarctica, of course)

He likes:

1. chick flicks (he's a closet romantic!)
2. to cook and bake
3. to clean the bathroom; in fact, he refuses to let anyone else do it
4. afros--he insists our children are going to have them (whatever!), but for now he obsesses over Sammy J.'s hair
5. Star Wars--he even dressed up as Darth Maul when Episode 2 came out
6. broccoli--and so do I, so sometimes we fight over who gets more broccoli! jk
7. Ghostbusters; it was the first Christmas gift he opened when he was five and, to the disappointment of his parents, he wasn't interested in anything else but watching it right away. He still wants to be a Ghostbuster!
8. shoes--when we got married, he owned more pairs of shoes than I did!
9. juice--it runs through his veins
10. to sleep on his tummy and to steal my pillow in the middle of the night

He dislikes:

1. soy meat
2. country music
3. the cold, despite growing up in Wisconsin and serving a mission in Toronto, Canada
4. generic brands; he's very particular about what toothpaste, laundry detergent, toilet paper, socks, milk, hot chocolate, peanut butter, etc., we buy
5. body hair; he shaves his legs and armpits
6. ditzy women because he thinks they are really annoying, Asian women because they have flat faces, and Oneida (Native American) women because they are all his cousins

Random Things about Me

Here's a bunch of random facts about me:

I've never:

1. had a Coke, Pepsi, or pretty much most sodas and no energy drinks
2. seen "The Office" (parts, yes), "Lost," "Survivor," or "Friends" [originally I also put "American Idol," but I have since watched it]
3. been to Mexico
4. lost all my baby teeth (my molars are still babies)
5. seen an R-rated movie (I have seen The Matrix trilogy and Glory edited)
6. been able to do the splits despite years of dancing
7. pressed the snooze button on my alarm
8. seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the new Star Wars episodes (Justin is trying to get me to, though, so this one might change!)
9. gotten anything lower than an A- as a final grade since middle school (6th grade)
10. gotten the chicken pox--I had to get a shot as a teenager so I wouldn't get it as an adult
11. dyed, colored, or highlighted my hair, not even for Halloween or Crazy Hair Day
12. broken, sprained, or twisted any part of my body
13. been to a concert (like for a famous band, not an orchestra)
14. had a guy initiate hand-holding, not even my husband--LAME!

I have:

1. been to Japan, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii
2. been stung by a bee twice (yet I still love them, as is obvious by my blog)
3. chipped a tooth (my very front right one)
4. shot a 9-mm gun and an AR-15 rifle
5. gone strawberry and cherry picking
6. been to a fish boil
7. gone through the Nauvoo Temple
8. gotten third place in the school spelling bee in middle school (but I didn't even get a ribbon for it)
9. unknowingly eaten a chocolate-covered cricket
   

I want to:

1. go to Italy and somewhere in Africa
2. learn how to ride a unicycle--and juggle at the same time!
3. be a full-time mommy
4. run a 10k--I've only run a couple 5ks so far
5. be able to do 50 pushups (right now I can only do 20) and 5 one-handed pushups
6. write short stories for children's magazines
7. be a teacher or a tutor someday
8. be the voice of a character in a movie
9. visit every temple in the world
10. serve a mission--or 2 or 3--with Justin
11. speak every language in the world, or at least Spanish, Italian, and Japanese

I like:

1. pigs because they are so cute!
2. to eat tofu, chicken hearts, beans, almost all fruits and vegetables, soy meat, chocolate soy milk, fish, seafood, whole wheat and whole grain foods, sugarless cereals, brown rice, cracked wheat, and organic nonfat milk
3. to read books of all kinds, including textbooks (but only on my own schedule). I grew up going to the library, and I could read very well before kindergarten.
4. to correspond with people through e-mail and letters
5. to sleep anywhere: bed, bus, train, plane, car, floor, couch, chair, Justin--you name it, I can fall asleep in or on it
6. to drink water; sometimes I will drink juice or milk, but usually all I consume is H2O
7. to sing alto--my voice does not go high enough to sing soprano, so if I don't know the alto part, then I usually won't sing
8. kids' movies and books--they are so fun, funny, and cute!
9. hugs--everyone, everywhere!
10. soggy shredded wheat (plain and spoon-sized)--it's the only cereal that tastes better soggy
11. to eat shaped pasta; I think spaghettit is boring!
12. stuffed animals--I had a huge collection when I was younger; the net they hung on in my bedroom took up an entire wall!

I don't like:

1. mint anything
2. gum
3. scary things: roller coasters, bungee jumping, sky diving, horror movies, haunted houses, insects, spiders, darkness, etc. I am a WIMP!
4. to talk on the phone
5. to be wet or sweaty (why am I moving to AZ? jk)
6. dogs--I am usually scared of them because I don't like being jumped on
7. crude/dumb/gross humor and bad language
8. banana-flavored food or candy; real bananas are better!
9. video games; I think they're boring
10. modern dance or modern art--actually, I'm not much of an art fan in general; I'm rather picky
11. to wear jeans, because I can never find any that fit just right and they aren't comfortable
12. to paint my fingernails or take care of them in general. It takes too much time and I don't care what they look like. I do, however, paint my toenails because they look naked without nail polish!
13. money. I have never had the desire to be rich, unless it was to help someone else out.
14. to wear much jewelry. I only wear necklaces, and even then only certain ones (mostly just pearls) and when I remember. I used to have my ears pierced when I was 15, but after the 6 weeks I accidentally let them close up and haven't repierced them since.

Christmas Movies

I copied this idea from Ashley Hofer Veater's blog: my favorite Christmas movies.

10. Musical with great dancing!



9. A great reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.



8. Just really funny. And a warning to get your shopping done early!



7. The best story of how Santa became Santa.



6. Everyone loves innocence and sincerity (this is the only time Will Ferrell is like this!).



5. We rented this last week and I loved it! It's different, funny, and all about family and forgiveness.



4. Original musical with fun songs.



3. Who doesn't love this movie?



2. I like how it teaches seeing is believing and kids should be kids.



1. Hands down the best Christmas movie and Christmas Carol version! Family favorite we've watched every Christmas Eve as far back as I can remember. Gonzo and Rizzo are my favorites.



What are your favorites?

Puzzle Pieces

This idea is taken from Arica (Monroe) Young's blog: how are Justin and I alike and different?

Differences

• Justin is a jock. He loves all sports and can play almost all of them really well. He lives for Monday night football because he can't watch Sunday games. He made us wear our cheeseheads while we watched a Packer game for FHE. I, on the other hand, am a nerd. I can't play or understand sports; I am not athletic or coordinated at all. All I can do is run. In my spare time I love to read. I always enjoy telling people this because it surprises them. Last year Thanksgiving, Justin played in the ward Turkey Bowl and shocked everyone with his mad skills. Everyone assumed that because he is married to me--and probably because he's Asian--he is a nerd. Their bruises tell otherwise.
• Justin is a Wisconsiner through and through: he inhales dairy products, beef, soda, and fatty food. I grew up with a health-nut mother. The only junk food we had in the house all the time was ice cream (she's not as strict now). We never made beef at home. Unfortunately, Justin doesn't like fish--unless it's raw! And I rarely, if ever, drink soda. Furthermore, he is used to snow and cold (but he doesn't like it any more than I do), big yards you have to mow with a riding lawn mower, lots of open space, and no noise, traffic, lights, fences, etc. I love close neighborhoods, being able to walk to school or the store, street lamps, and noise. Nobody likes traffic!
• Justin likes to listen to punk, hard rock, and rap. I like latin and classical. We have a lot of music tastes in common, but the above mentioned are ones we usually only listen to when alone. That's why Justin bought me an iPod for my birthday this year.
• Justin is a bit shy in social settings, especially large ones, with people he doesn't know. He doesn't like public speaking either. I like to "mix and mingle" and I actually enjoy talking in front of people. However, when it comes to performance, Justin is in the limelight and I get awful stage fright.

Similarities

• We both love to dance, go bowling, watch movies, play board games, cook, be active, sleep, cuddle, laugh, and act silly. We actually have a lot more in common than not when it comes to likes and dislikes; it's just that sports play such a major role in his life. I mean, his career is going to be in golf!
• We both love beautiful weather and the beach. If we could afford it, we would live in San Diego.
• We have similar tastes in food: we both love Japanese food (especially tofu and seaweed), other cultural foods, rice, vegetables, onions, and garlic. The last two are nice because we don't care when we kiss!
• We love culture. We both have strong ethnic identities and traditions and we can't wait to pass them along to our children. And we can't wait to see what our children will look like!

I titled this post "Puzzle Pieces" because that's what we are. We have different colors and shapes but when put together we make a complete, pretty picture.