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I got married and moved my blog. Please read on http://hollisandmichelle.blogspot.com/ for further updates!

Fireworks!

Friday morning, I send Hollis to the store to get milk. When he returned, he immediately called my name. "Michelle... you know what happens when you send your husband to the store to get milk and we're in Utah and it's the day before pioneer day?" I knew that he had purchased something besides milk, and I might have guessed it. Fireworks! He was so excited that they were sold right there in the grocery store. So he spent 2 dollars and purchased 24 fireworks. We set them off that night outside his parent's condo. We had fun, and so a lady who also watched from her balcony.

"Red Rock" Park

On Thursday Hollis and I spent the day going around St. George. We hung out with my cousins in the morning, and then we went to "Red Rock" park where I have always loved going. It's like a giant rock playground. It's technically called Pioneer Park, but I think about 30% of the parks in Utah have this name. It's just up on the red hill on the north side of St. George.

Hollis, of course, loved it. He's part mountain goat, or so he tells me. Apparently when he was in scouts the boys called him gunky or something - it's a cross between goat and monkey. He ran and jumped and climbed. It was awesome to watch.

I also took Hollis through my favorite tiny canyon narrows. We got about halfway through and Hollis thought it was the end - he started hiking back down. I informed him that it continued up. He wondered how we could fit. It's so narrow that you can't easily turn your head around. You can face one direction - sideways - and you have to stay that way for extended hiking periods (okay, so like 25 or 50 feet - not like miles or anything). Hollis didn't know if he'd fit, but I thought he would. And he did. It was magical :)

We found this bright yellow and white golf ball. Hollis and I entertained ourselves for at least 15 minutes by trying to toss the ball into a hole and get it to stay there. Finally Hollis just climbed up the wall and placed it in a hole.

You can see how awesome the wall is. Hollis just wanted to climb everything. I won't be surprised if we return sometime with climbing gear.

Hullinger Haven

Hollis and I began our first married adventure by driving to Utah. On our first day driving, we drove through bugs so thick that it sounded like it was raining. You can see how the front of Smurf (the car) grew a fuzzy beard... of bugs.

It's pretty gross. We got some of it off at various rest stops along the way, but we need to do a good cleaning when we get home.

And this is where Hollis and I spent our honeymoon:

It's actually on Hollis's grandpa's property near Hannah, UT. Hollis's Grandpa (named Hollis Hullinger) bought some property a good while ago, and the family uses it to come hang out and play. Hollis's aunt and uncle weren't able to make it during the reunion, so Hollis and I
got to use their camper.

On Friday, we played in the river, going tubing down with the Bohon kids.

(Top L to Bottom R: Max, Ruben, Henry, Jonathan, me, Daisy, Hollis sitting in a chair with Oscar and Henry in a boat, Henry, Max posing with a random second cousin walking in the background, Hollis (a hottie :) and finally Hollis pulling Daisy, Oscar, and Ruben to shore at the end of a tubing run)

Henry was very cute, playing with the water. I also enjoyed my camera's waterproof feature, and took this picture of Henry by partially submerging the camera.

Now my husband is quite hilarious. I took several pictures of him jumping into the river and below are my favorites:

"Michelle, I'm posing!"

This might hurt...

Oh! Cold? Pain?

Wet.

And cold. Definitely cold.

I had a ton of fun, and I didn't even have to use bug repellent. There weren't any bugs!

Hat?

We were sorting through our wedding presents, and we got this awesome collapsible colander. However, it also happens to look like an awesome warrior hat when you wear it on your head! My lovely husband is modeling it below:

Hiking with the fam

I went hiking with Dad, Heather, Simon, Brian, Melinda, Uncle Rick, and Grandpa. It was fun because I got to use the new camera that Hollis and I got from my parents. Oh, and the hiking was fun too.

(L to R: Melinda, Heather, Simon, Brian's leg, Dad)

There was also this nifty feature - taking panoramic photos! I've never had a camera that did that before. Here are some of my favorites:

Oh look! Suddenly Mel has a twin!

And we all know what would happen if suddenly there were two Brians to tease us new couples:

Oh, but what if there were THREE Brians?

Hiking was fun. I only got three mosquito bites. One was on my face, so I put a band aid on it so that the swelling could go down by my wedding day. I don't want a swelling on my face for all those pictures!

Engagement Pictures!

Hollis and I have a hard time being "serious" when taking photos. So we went through several attempts and took probably about a thousand pictures before we got ones that we both liked. Well, we actually liked several of them, but I thought it would be nice if the pictures we sent out you could see both of our faces.

But on a blog, we can publish all the ones we liked! (Don't worry, there aren't thousands.)

Cleaning Out, Part II

I had to clean off the pictures of my other phone too! Here is what I gathered (and it took me on another trip down memory lane - just this time I didn't have to stretch my memory past Thanksgiving 2009). I also discovered that I divide recent time into three periods: Before Dating (BD), after dating, but before engaged (ADBE), and Engaged (Present). Okay, so I don't really use those abbreviations, but that is how I divide time in my head.

Before I started dating Hollis, he send my roommate and I this picture:

Apparently we both worry to much. It actually came at a perfect time because I had been worrying a lot about various things (I had just finished helping organize a huge service project, and that had been stressing me a lot). So it was good to get a friendly reminder. Even if it was a picture of grafiti at a bus stop :)

The week just before Hollis and I held hands I discovered a knack for injuring myself. Okay, so I didn't discover it then, but I broadcast it for everyone to see. First, I bruised my ring finger knuckle playing the whip in band class. It was swollen and discolored, and did not want to bend. Then I nicked my first finger slicing yams for Friday Friendship Feast at the Seattle Institute. I put on a band-aid and kept slicing. A few slices later I sliced into my third finger. It bled so much that I had to get help getting the band-aid on. I went to the library, kind of hoping I could ask Hollis for help, but I chickened out and asked our friend Carole instead. This is the picture of my hand after bandaging up the two fingers and taping the remaining fingers together to support the bruised knuckle.

I visited Hollis at work once, and took this picture as proof that spring was coming early to Seattle. This was after Hollis and I started dating, but before we were engaged, so in February sometime, I think.

One day after Hollis and I started dating, Maren and I were going on a walk. We saw a plane that had a banner following it that asked "NAME, Will you Marry me?" and it totally made our days. And I also wondered if I would be marrying Hollis.

When Hollis and I went to Wenatchee in February, he made fun of my over-large coats. He said we could both fit in the coat. I didn't believe him, so he just went and proved me wrong.

Also when I was at home, my brother Brian stole Hollis's phone and decided to be a little photographer. He's so adorable that way. And he took this ridiculously adorable picture of us! Well, I like it.

Right after Hollis and I got engaged, I felt like I should go wedding dress shopping, but I didn't want to. I really didn't care much what I would be wearing, so when I was shopping with my friend Lora, I found this white dress at a thrift store. I sent a picture to my mom and told her that this would be my wedding dress. Part of me kind of wishes that I had done that. I feel think it is very classy. But I only kind of wish I had. I like my dress a lot. I'm just struggling to make peace with the veil right now.

Looking at this picture makes me want to go back to the thrift store to see if they still have it. I might buy it now just to have it. Maybe wear it at the Utah open house (we aren't hauling my dress down to Utah I don't think. Maybe...? Bah. I'll decide... next week? Oh boy, wedding is sneaking up on me!)

I went home one weekend and ended up going to Costco with my mom and with Hannah my cousin. She is so adorable, and since she didn't get posted in any of the cousin pictures I posted last time, I figured I'd post her up now!

Way back in Spring 2009 my mom and I visited University of Washington to make sure that I really wanted to go there. I felt really good about my acceptance, but I wanted to walk around campus and view it as a prospective student. I met with my faculty advisor, Steve Kerr, and really enjoyed the sunny day. I felt fantastic about attending, and loved the beautiful trees.

When Maren and I were out walking, we found this quote on a rock wall:

I love it and think we could all benefit from this little gem.

Cleaning Out, Part I

As I am getting ready to marry Hollis, I have been cleaning out everything. A de-junking of things and memories that I have accumulated over my 23 year life. I started with a de-junking of my computer (see blast from the past post) and re-installing the system software. Then I moved onto my phone.

My current phone is one I got a few years ago. I have had two phones since then, but they have both recently died, so I returned to my old phone. And there were old pictures there to greet me!

The first picture is one that I took of my dad when I was playing with my first camera phone ever (fall 2007). It was a cold weekend in Provo, and my parents were down visiting. I love the shot because my dad's face is in focus and everything else is blurry. And he was asking me what I was doing walking backwards. I love it :)

Remember how I said it was cold? Well it snowed at the football game that weekend. BYU had dominated, and it was very likely that we would win, so many "fans" left. The true fans (myself included, obviously) stuck it out and LOVED the snow. I mean, our fight song states: "We will fight, day or night, rain or snow."

The year before this I waited through a 40-minute long lightning delay and was much colder then because I was soaked. But it was a ton of fun. Oh, I love college football!

That Christmas (2007) I ended up hanging out with my little cousins most of the time. They were running around like crazy, and I joined them for a while, but got tired. So I sat on the couch and took pictures of them. They are so cool. And all good friends. My cousins are cool like that.

Bottom right picture, L to R: Nat, Brian, Tory, Melinda, Sarah, Rachel.

Then I skip to Summer 2008. Apparently I didn't take any pictures between those times. My boss on BYU grounds crew was pretty awesome. So awesome in fact, that when he found a ring of dry grass, he proceeded to gather sticks to spell out his name (Lloyd) and then posed with it. Actually, I can't remember if he gathered the sticks or if one of us on the crew did, but we sure had a blast.

When I went home to visit in July, my brother proved to be just as funny as ever. He mowed the lawn in a bulls-eye pattern. This was a fairly common thing; he had a bow and arrow he loved to shoot from the deck down into the grass. Then a while later I looked out the window to see this:

Apparently the grass circles weren't enough! He went into the garage and found a can of paint so that he could make a more distinct pattern. Brian was 11 at the time. He painted a "Hi" in the grass after I took this picture. We were all extremely curious as to what my dad would say when he saw it. My dad is very particular about his grass (a trait that used to annoy me, but now I am grateful for because he trained me well). Well, as soon as Dad got home, Brian grabbed him by the hand and towed him to the deck; "Look what I did, Dad!" We all crowded around the window that we cracked open so we could hear his response. "Oh. That's nice Brian. Where did you get the paint?" Whew. No blow-ups there. :) My dad explained to Brian that he should not just get paint or tools on his own; he needs to ask permission first. And then he asked Brian to not paint the grass again. And Brian hasn't.

Also while I was home, my family went to Ensign Ranch for the day. My mom and sister Heather were certified to supervise the rock climbing wall, so we played on that for a while. My cousin Alyssa was really bored. She just wanted to go play on the giant slip-n-slide that they have there. She just looked so adorable with her helmet on too big and wearing the inflatable tube around that I just had to take a picture.

At the end of July, I went to a chemistry teachers conference in Indiana. After the conference, my friend Mary and I went to Purdue. I was thinking about applying for their chemistry teaching masters or doctorate program (it's really good). While visiting a lab, this comic was posted on the wall (they printed it out from xkcd.com).

I think it is hilariously funny, probably because it is kind of true.

For some reason or another, during Fall of 2008 Heather and I went up to Salt Lake. Maybe we went to the General Relief Society broadcast. I think that was it. When it was over, we had someone take a picture of us. The picture is dark, but I like it anyway.

Temples are beautiful, no matter where in the world they are.

That winter (2009) I went to St. George quite a bit. While I was there, I was at a person's house who had this fridge magnet:

It made me laugh, so I took a picture.

Mini Update

Life has got so busy at the end of this quarter. I can't believe that it's over this week. Crazy. And i'm moving on Friday to the apartment where Hollis and I will live. It's kind of exciting. But I don't have a summer job. I'm hoping something will turn up. The biggest problem I have is that we're going to be gone a lot: two family reunions, three receptions (ours), two or three weddings (not counting ours), and a week in Utah for family visiting and honeymoon, and them another week in Mexico for honeymoon Part II.

But before all that I need to study for my final that is tomorrow morning. But I need Hollis to get off work so I can go home and study. Because I'm waiting in the car for him so he doesn't have to wait for the bus in the rain. Aren't i so nice? He's now ten minutes late getting out, but I suppose i can survive. Oh! Here he comes!

Blast from the past - 1 year ago

I am currently cleaning out my computer (ug... the stuff that builds up in these contraptions in a couple of years!) and came across this delightful little video - me graduating! Yep. I'm a college graduate. It's a nice reminder as I'm finishing some projects and getting ready for the quarter to be over.

Enduring to the End

I was reading in 2 Nephi 31, and verse 6 made me think: "And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall ^aendure to the end, in following the ^bexample of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved."

The way we endure to the end is the way we should live our lives: by following Christ's example. I've always thought of enduring as a passive experience. I can endure, or stand strong. It occurred to me that simply sitting out and stubbornly refusing to do wrong isn't enduing to the end. To truly endure, I need to be actively following Christ's example; I need to be actively doing good.

Why I am excited to marry Hollis

I am getting married. Yep. And I am very excited. There are several reasons why, and, among the more obvious ones (such as his amazing looks and great personality ;), there are a couple more that I wanted to share.

The biggest reason is the temple. I get to marry Hollis forever. I know that the relationship we are building now is designed to last through all ages of time. And we both plan on being together for that long. It's fantastic! Only sometimes do I start to understand how lucky I am to know that I get to build something that will last. Hollis and I are building the foundation of our family, and that foundation can be strong.

Because Hollis and I will be sealed together, our children will be born to a forever family, and we get to be their parents forever. Maybe this doesn't excite everyone, but I am so happy that I get to do this. I know that our Heavenly Father is happy with our decision to marry and start to build our family.

Invitations, anyone?

I spent most of last Monday designing our wedding invitations. And here it is:

I am looking at places to get it printed and have requested samples from a site, so hopefully I'll have this printed soon and we'll be getting the announcements and invitations out!

And we took engagement pictures (real ones), but they are on Hollis's computer and I don't have copies of them yet. But when I do, hooray another post!

Hollis fixed my ring

Hollis made me a beautiful ring when he proposed, and I love it. But it is really quite big, and I was running close to breaking it. And then he surprised me with this beauty:

I had heard a rumor about it - somebody didn't know that I wasn't supposed to know anything about my ring and asked me if it had come in yet. Oops, well, so I knew that it had been ordered. But I didn't know when he would give it to me, which was just about where I had been anyway - I knew he was getting me a ring, but I didn't know when I would get it. And now I have it. :)

Hollis took my other ring and said he would fix it. And then he returned the "fixed" ring... it was the new one. I love it.

Wedding Dress!

I have my wedding dress! And I didn't even have to go dress shopping to get it. (I have been dress shopping a lot with friends, and I really didn't want to go through it myself. You can't find anything you like, and then when you do, it costs a ridiculous amount of money. And then you just get it off Craigslist anyway.)

Well, my mom was looking at the Provo craigslist, and found a dress that looked my size and a style I like for $200. My sister is about my size, and she was living in Provo, so she went and tried it on. She sent pictures back, and before she could even get home, we had called her to tell her to buy it. But I had to wait for the dress to get from Utah to Washington before I could try it on.

Then my dress made it to Wenatchee. My sister Natalie wanted to try it on, so she did.

And she sent me the picture. I loved the dress even more! About a week or so later, my parents came over to Seattle and brought the dress for me to try on. It fit well, but we didn't take any pictures so Hollis won't see me in the dress until my wedding day.

The past few weeks

I haven't done much the past few weeks. Why? Well, I came down with mono and didn't feel like doing much of anything. Before I knew that I had mono, I was wondering why I didn't want to make any plans or buy a dress or anything. But now I know.

Anyway, I'm mostly better now, so hopefully you'll get to read all about my exciting wedding planning. :)

Yes, I really am engaged.

And this is how he asked me.

On Sunday, Hollis asked me if I would like to go out to a fancy dinner with him on Tuesday night. Half of my brain was immediately thinking, "Proposal! Engagement! Yay!" while the other half was working very hard at ignoring the first half. I managed to say "Yeah, and we should dress to match because it's more fun that way!" Because it is.

So Tuesday came along. We'd decided to go with black and green - mostly because I wanted to wear my "little black dress" that I'm currently borrowing from my sister Nat. Hollis had made reservations at a restaurant called Anthony's in Kirkland. It's right on the waterfront with a view of Lake Washington. Dinner was really nice, especially since *someone* had given us a gift card to the place. (Hollis was trying to throw me off and said his friend Kyle "happened" to give him a card to Anthony's, but really my awesome, incredible, amazing roommate Carrie Marie had given him a gift card.)

After dinner we went down to a park on the water front. As we are walking along, I see that the park mostly consists of a large gazebo that is conveniently empty. The park was mostly deserted, which I think was because it was raining (not that hard though). As we get closer, Hollis comments, "I think someone is playing music," and I notice that there is music playing. He starts dancing as we walk along. I also notice that there are candles set up inside the gazebo, but I pretend that I don't see them.

Then Hollis comments, "Oh, look, candles." As if they just happen to be there. We walk into the gazebo and have a dance party. There were three songs that played that were of the peppy variety, and we had fun dancing to them. Though I couldn't dance as intensely as I wanted because I had just finished eating dinner, and I can't dance on a full stomach. But I had fun.

Then, when we were both quite winded, Hollis (pretending that he didn't know what songs were on the playlist) said, "I hope the next one is a slow song." And then our song started playing. (Yes, we have a song - "Leaving on a Jet Plane.") I didn't know that we had a song until it began to play. And as soon as I heard it, I realized, "Hey, we have a song." And I also realized that I was actually going to be engaged.

So we danced and Hollis sang in my ear. And then, right after the third verse, he gets down on one knee and proposed. I just about cried. I didn't, but I almost did.

I said yes, and Hollis pulled a ring box out of his pocket, and inside was this beautiful ring he had made:

You see, I had a dream the week before that Hollis had proposed to me with a ring that was of lower quality than a paperclip, and he had purchased the ring. In my dream, I was frustrated because he'd spent money on it. So Hollis made this ring and informed me that it was better than my dream ring - it was made from a paperclip!

One final note: Carrie Marie and Maren, two of my very good friends, helped set up the candles and the boom box with music. And then they hid in the bushes and filmed the entire thing. And both of them got very wet, but they are awesome!

Allen was right

So a few months ago, right after Hollis and I took some fake engagement pictures, Allen said something along the lines of, "Well, this will be really awkward in four months when you really do get engaged." And we laughed at him. That was silly, we weren't even dating! Nor did we think that we were interested in dating.

Surprise.

Three and a half months later, we're engaged.

(Hollis made this ring from a bead and jewelry wire and a paper clip.)

Allen really was right.

Weekend in Wenatchee

Over President's Day weekend, Hollis and I went to Wenatchee to go skiing and visit my family. Our friends Owen and Lora came too. Hollis and Lora had never been skiing before, and so Owen and I were pretty excited to see them learn.

I knew Hollis would be good, but he surprised me. He just started zipping down the mountain way before I thought he would! He is a stud.

After a long day of skiing, Lora and I had amazing hair. So amazingly beautiful, Hollis just had to take a picture of us.

The next day (Sunday) was Valentine's day. I wanted to show Hollis, Owen, and Lora some of my favorite things about Wenatchee, so we went down to the Loop Trail by the Columbia River. I think it's absolutely gorgeous, but Owen and Hollis were missing the very green Western Washington vegetation they are used to.

We found this random cement thing, and we took pictures by it. This is Hollis successfully "leaning" (see the movie "While You Were Sleeping" for a complete definition).

Before we left on Monday, Hollis was making fun of my overly large coats. I like my coats to have sleeves long enough to keep my arms completely covered. Hollis insisted that we both could fit inside one of my coats.

Apparently we do fit.