birfffday

My 22nd Birfffday.

I hate celebrating my birthday. And so this year I didn't plan anything, but I knew for sure I was gonna do two things: pick up my wedding gown from alterations & eat my annual grand slam at Denny's.

I woke up & skyped with Jeremy before work.  Oh...and I actually got READY for the day...as in, I did my make-up and my hair...and actually put some thought into my outfit.  I figured since it was my birthday that I should probably look cute..or something.

After work, Kori picked me up and we headed to Orem to get my dress! It actually fits now & makes me even more excited!!! Afterwards Kori was driving through some neighborhoods and I was so confused as to where we were going! I kept asking her where she was taking me and the response I got was: it's a surprise. WHAT?

She pulls up to a house. Umm..who are we visiting? We walked in..and it was a massage therapist! haha. The funny this is that I HATE getting massages. I think they are so uncomfortable and I hate the idea of people touching me. Gross. But I figured-hey, it's my birthday. Whatever. Just do it and don't stress.

My massage experience was so gooooood. Oh my goodness, I felt like a little baby. My upper back was really tight and I'm really feeling the after effects of my massage. Overall, I really liked it other than the fact that I was butt naked while some random woman was rubbing on me.

Then...Kori had another suprise for me! We went home to drop off my dress and Emily joined us. We were finally going to DENNY'S! As we were driving up, I saw my co-worker/best friend/partner in crime Laura!!! She surprised me there :) So sweet. For my birthday dinner I ordered my favorites: hashbrowns, sausage links, bacon, & pancakes.  Our food took forever to get there and I was starving! I literally swallowed my food so fast that I didn't even get a chance to taste it.

Kori had another surprise! They prepared a spa night for me. I did my nails, soaked my feet in warm water, watched Mean Girls, and had some brownies & ice cream.  My 22nd birthday was not a dissapointment at all. I had so much fun with the surprises & spending time with my girls :) Thanks y'all! & thanks Kori!!!

epic end to my epic win

Guess what??????

I did it!! I FINALLY ran my 6 miles!!

It's been tough work but I finally did it. Luckily, this was just a prep run for the real thing.

I had a pretty good pace the entire time.  I was running a lot faster than usual for a long distance run. My running style is pretty good. For the first half of the run I increase the speed, during the middle of the run I try to stay a constant speed, and by the end I usually start increasing it again to FINISH STRONG. The truth is, I run it faster at the end just so I can it over with.

When I reached mile 5, I about wanted to die.

My legs were aching.

I couldn't handle my breathing.

All the negative thoughts were creeping into my head.

I wanted to quit.

I pushed through it and finished!! :)

This run did not make me excited about my 10K. I can't believe I signed up for this. haha

It's gonna be terrible running up that hill. And I'm dreading it. But I WILL do it!

true story

After my run, I headed over to Kori's apt to watch PLL. This is our weekly event.

During the show I kept complaining about  my stomach hurting.

I felt like I wanted to barf, but then I figured that if I had ice cream then it would make it better. Everybody knows that ice cream makes everything better.

I couldn't even enjoy the last 10 mins of PLL. All I could think about was running home to lay down and talk to Jeremy. As soon as the show was over I ran out of the apartment. I walked two steps outside... and then I felt it...it was coming. I tried to run as fast as I could up to my apartment right above Kori's. When I reached the turning at the stairs... I exploded. Everything I had eaten in the past week came out.  I ran inside my apartment and left a trail of nastyness leading to the sink. Let's just say, it was terrible. I then called Jeremy crying, I felt so weak, and I was annoyed that I still had to clean up all my mess. Even my running shoes couldn't escape it, they were covered. UGH. Lucky for me, none of my roommates were home to be witnesses.

So, I painfully ran those 6 miles and then suffered the consequences of not staying hydrated. 

I hate water.

first date

July 8, 2011
I went to the gym, you know, the usual-no big deal. While I was working out my awesome calves, Jeremy went to talk to me.  He asked what I was doing later that night and then he invited me to watch the movie Up on campus. Jeremy was my home teacher and so this is the only real interaction we ever had.

Many people don't know this, but I was filling out my mission papers last summer.  I was about to turn 21 and had all the paper work filled out.  I was so excited about missionary work and was preparing like crazy. It was all I could talk about. The only problem: I wasn't sure when I should go. Either it was August or December. After meeting with my Bishop, I decided to put my papers on hold for a month until I figured some things out.

So in BYU culture, when a girl fills out her mission papers "boys start coming out of the woodwork"-Nancy. haha. I really didn't believe this but it is so true! My roommates always were teasing me about all the dates I was going on, but I kept telling them that this really never happened to me!

After the gym, I went home and told my roommate, Andrea, that Jeremy had invited me to go see a movie on campus! She was SO EXCITED! She really liked Jeremy and kept telling me all summer that I should date him. BLAH BLAH BLAH. But I wasn't interested in Jeremy, I was waiting for another guy.

I wasn't sure if Jeremy had invited me on a "date" or if he was inviting me to hang out with a group of friends. His wording was vague and so it left me in confusion.

Andrea and I made a plan: When Jeremy came over to pick me up, she would just so happen to be sitting in the living room. If it wasn't a date then Jeremy would invite her to join us. But if it was a date, then he wouldn't say anything. 

Jeremy came over in the evening and talked to Andrea for a little bit. I came out to say hi and then we left to campus! It turned out to be a DATE. bahaha. The movie was showing outside on campus on a HUGE screen. Jeremy brought some blankets and candy for us.  We chatted, ate candy, and laughed during the movie. Since this was a first date, the classic questions had to be asked. What is your favorite movie? Phantom of the Opera! Heck yeah. Then Jeremy mentioned that he was heading down to Cali in two weeks and was going to stop in Vegas to watch Phantom! I was so jealous! I kept telling him that it has always been my dream to watch Phantom!!!

Then we went to his apartment and he made me a smoothie with crazy stuff mixed in. Sidenote: I am a germaphobe. I think it is gross when people share drinks, don't wash their hands, etc. The smoothie that Jeremy made was in ONE CUP. Umm..did he expect me to share with him? Or was this only for me? Nope.

We were s h a r i n g.

I decided to swallow up my fear and not mention to him my germ issues. haha except I did make sure to drink on the opposite side of the cup as him. HAH! Then his roommate, Sam, walked in. Jeremy says,"Hey, TRY THIS!" I'm in pure terror as I see another person drink out of that cup! Ugh. I guess Jeremy couldn't get enough of our date because we ended up watching Stardust. I LOVE THAT MOVIE. And of course, this date had to conclude with the awkward side hug at the end. CLASSIC.

The date was super fun. I was just grateful that I didn't act all awkward. Yes, I am awkward.  After the date people would randomly drop comments like, "You should date Jeremy, he is a great guy."

"You went on a date with Jeremy? How did it go?"

"Natalia, I think you and Jeremy should date."

Hmmm...oh really?

early birthday present

Two weeks from today I will be in SAN ANTONIO!

I can't wait to see Jeremy again. It's been almost two months since I last saw him and, boy, does it feel like it has been eternity!

YES YES YES!

This definitely gives me something to look foward to and I'm sure the next two weeks will fly by.

I love him :)

bring it on

Yes, I finally registered for that 10K I have been wanting to do for a long time.

The description for this race? Here it is:

"This won’t be your typical 5k – 10k race…the 10k course includes the now famous “Goliath” hill. We guarantee Goliath will take you to the limit! This is the race that you’ve been waiting for to really test your grit." -Doesn't sound very comforting to me.

I've only ran this hill once before and it was right when Jeremy and I started dating.  I think it was probably our first run together. And I felt like I wanted to die it was so hard.

My goal has been to run every day after work but it's been pretty difficult to keep that goal. I have meetings, wedding stuff, and other things to do that take up alot of my time. Not to mention, I am exhausted by the time I get home from work and the last thing I wanna do is be dead tired from a run.

blah blah blah...excuses excuses excuses.

So guys, I'm posting this so I can be held accountable on my running.

I WILL DO THIS!!!

only the beginning

Unexpectedly, a year ago I decided to move into my old apartment from my freshman year at the Riv. During the first couple of weeks at my new apartment, a cute boy walked into my apartment asking for a wrench and mentioned that somebody told him that my roommate, Nikki, had one. NOPE, no wrench here. About a week later this cute boy walked in again asking for a screw driver. I said, "Didn't you just come in here asking for that?" hahaha. NOPE, no screw driver here.

After that, I kept noticing this cute boy walk by my apartment every day.  I didn't know his name, I just knew that he wore different outfits almost every single time I saw him walk by my apartment.  He was either wearing his gym clothes, church clothes, or nice/date clothes.  I remember commenting to my roommates that this guy probably went on different dates every night because he was always wearing something different at night. Okay, this sounds super creepy now that I'm typing it out. But you would notice too if you saw him wearing something different every hour.

Exactly a year ago today. 

I went on a date with a friend from back home that I had been crushing on for quite some time. After the date I went to my roommate's going-away party at my apartment.

My roommate, Alek, was about to leave back to her hometown and then serve an LDS mission to Brazil. 

We had chocolate fondue with strawberries and bananas at her party.

If you know me, then you know that I LOVE TO EAT.  I'll confess, I'm the biggest social eater in the world.

And so naturally, I was enjoying the strawberries and bananas dipped in chocolate.

I heard SOMEBODY talk about how they just wanted to eat the fruit but not with the chocolate because...of this... and that....

Yes, this was Jeremy with his silly talk. Oh goshhhh.

Over my kitchen sink I put a sign that stated,

"Your momma ain't here, do your own dishes."

Jeremy and I were in the kitchen and he asked, "Who made that sign?"

Guess who.

"Somebody that is a hick...Alek?....Nikki?..."

Nope. It was me.

"Oh really? Where are you from?"

Alabama.

And then it started, his sweet charming personality won me over. haha not yet...

Jeremy was very eager to share everything he knew about my home state especially since he had written a report in the 5th grade about Alabama.

I remember thinking that he was easy to talk to and this was the beginning of our frienship.

:)

a lovely surprise

Yesterday I came home from a long day of work.

And what do I see when I walk into my apartment?

two large boxes.

Yes, the much anticipated wedding supplies have arrived.

And wait, there's one more box...

WHAT IS IT?????

I opened it with so much EXCITEMENT!

Because let's face it, we all love getting packages in the mail.

Admit it.

Instantly I knew it was from my lovely fiance.

However, the surprise was...something different.  Definitely not what I expected.

It was an interesting old country, rustic lamp decor that would have easily come out of a home decor blog.

So kudos to my man for knowing exactly what kind of cute stuff I like.

This is where my new lamp would belong.

summer.summer.summer.

Summer time has finally arrived, or so I thought. For the past couple of weeks I have been working 60+ hours with two jobs. FINALLY IT IS OVER. Now I am working full time with regular 40 hours a week.

Jeremy got a pretty sweet internship for the summer and so he will be in San Antonio until the week of our wedding. Can I just say that long distance engagements are no fun? It is terrible, I miss him.

WEDDING PLANS?

Now that school is out and less hours of work...I can finally start planning this wedding!

Less than 3 months until the BIG day.

A couple of weeks ago Jeremy and I went to Colorado to visit Aunt Katy.

It was so much fun. This is the first time I have visited Colorado, and I must say, I was very impressed.

It was so great spending a week with Jeremy before he left for the summer.

Aunt Katy was so sweet to let us come visit her! We had so much fun together.


First time kayaking. I'm so intense.

Did I mention that we made some delicious cooking?

Hot springs in Pagosa.

I love him :)

 

 

I can officially say that I'm a proud owner of a Gold's Gym pass.
I'm actually pretty stubborn when it comes to joining a gym because...
Well there are plenty of reasons but I hate the idea of having to join a gym when I can do a full body workout at home.  Seeing as I'm about to get married it's time to work on my LGN.
I never noticed before, probably because I didn't care, but almost all my friends in Provo go to this gym.
As said by Ryuki, "Gold's Gym is the new facebook because you can always find your friends here."
Oh gosh..ain't that true.