Austin, Texas. 12/30/09. WOW!

Dear Blogging World,
I'M ENGAGED!!! I can't believe it! I'm sooooo tired right now, but I have to write down my day before I go to sleep! Today Gregor and I decided to go down to Austin, TX to see his old UT stomping grounds. (I'm in Abilene, TX by the way visiting Gregor and his family) ANYWAYS...We left at 6 am and made it to Austin around 10 am. We drove straight the the University of Texas (Hook 'em!), looked at some of the campus and walked around a bit. We then drove over to the state capital to check it out. Gorgeous building and it was even better being with my sweetie! We checked out a few things around the capital then recieved a phone call from his mom that we needed to go to this pawn shop to look at a gun for her. I thought this was weird having to run errands while we were in Austin, but we took it in stride and ran down to this seedy little place across town. When we went in, Gregor told them who he was and they took us back into the office. I've never been to a pawn shop before and let me tell you, its everything you think it would be. CREEPY. Anyways, once we got back into the office, this guy (who in fact turned out to be Gregors diamond guy) handed me this rifle and Gregor a couple boxes of ammo. Little did I know, this little side trip happened so Gregor could pick up the ring and be discreet since he didn't have it yet. Sneaky! So then we drove back into town and went to Whole Foods where he said he wanted to buy me some flowers. I got a little suspicious that he would propose, but pushed it out of my mind because all week he's been saying that the diamond came in, but it would take a while to put everything together and ship it to the jeweler and blah, blah, so I didn't think the ring was coming for at least another week. Fooled me, huh? So after Gregor bought me this beautiful bouquet of orange roses (Hook 'em), we checked out another camping gear store in town. I was oblivious, I swear. I was just happy hanging out and Austin is BEAUTIFUL, so I wasn't thinking about anything to do with proposing. He had been talking about going up to Mt. Bonnell to get a good look at the Colorado River, so that was our next stop. We walked up a flight of stairs to get to this beautiful setting overlooking the river. It was so incredibly beautiful, I was just happy to see it! He made me put my stupid boots back on (I had taken them off, they were killing my feet) to go hike down a ways for a better look. He took me onto this little secluded path and when I looked over at him he was down on one knee holding a gorgeous diamond ring. Gregor told me that he loved me and then asked if I would marry him. All I could say for a second was "Seriously?" then of course I said yes! With all my heart, I said yes!!! I think I've been on cloud 1000000000 all day! We walked back down to the car (I think I should say Gregor pretty much had to carry me, I totally was weak in the knees!) and then we hit up the Salt Lick BBQ joint, just like any other recently engaged couple would :), for some seriously great chow! Then we hit the road back to Abilene. Long drive and long day, but so incredibly perfect! I can't believe I'm going to be Mrs. Kendall Greiner! I'm sooooo happy and so glad that its Gregor! He's the love of my life and I'm so grateful that he loves me, too! What a GREAT day!!!

Merry Christmas Run

Today is Christmas! I love today! Collin and I woke up at 5:30 am to check out the loot, then crashed til about 8:30 when everyone got up and opened presents. I got sooooo much good stuff, but my favorite thing today was my new Asics Gel-Enduros. Holy crap, these shoes are amazing! Just because I could, I went for a 4.5 mile run around the winter wonderland known as American Fork. I felt like a million bucks! Those shoes were made to run, I was smiling like an idiot the whole time. Simple pleasures...Merry Christmas!!!

It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life has always been my favorite Christmas movie. The story of George Bailey makes me cry every time. I walk away from that movie feeling grateful for my life and the blessings I have. Last night I was reminded a little about how wonderful my life really is.
-I have the most WONDERFUL man in the whole world! Gregor is so thoughtful, caring, loving, and fun! He pushes me to be better and makes me feel like a princess!
-My family is the greatest group of people I have ever known! I love that I can spend time with any of them and know it's going to be fun and meaningful. My mother's mantra will forever reflect the way we feel about each other, "We're gonna stay together, and we're gonna have FUN!"
-Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! It makes me so happy to see families and friends coming together, people caring about others, and above all, remembering the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so lucky to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. The knowledge of the Gospel has saved my life in so many ways and I'm forever grateful for it!
I'm so glad to know that my life is worth while. Watching Wonderful Life always reminds me that I do make a difference. That my job, my talents, my personality, and my spirit are things that benefit those who know me and even some who don't! Merry Christmas!

It's a Wonderful Life

The Case of the Missing Calculators

I have 5 calculators for my classroom. These are NICE ones. They can graph, they can do fractions, and all the basic calculator functions. I have three brand-spankin' new ones and two oldies-but-goodies. Recently, two of my brand new calculators have gone missing. I know I didn't misplace them, and they aren't allowed outside my classroom. Hmmmm... Obviously some of my kids are taking them and losing them in the black holes also known as their backpacks. I have put note on my board for the last couple weeks asking for them back. I won't punish them, I just want them back. Guess what? They're not back yet. Bummer.

Thanksgiving update

I just realized I didn't blog about Thanksgiving! Silly me! Well, here ya go. On Wednesday the 25th, Gregor and I went up to Salt Lake to get his mom, Kathy, who was flying in from Texas. I had seen her before, but never met her and was pretty nervous! She ended up being a complete joy to be around and made that whole meeting really smooth and fun. We took her down to AF to meet my family (who weren't home, big surprise) and then she went to Provo to meet up with an old seminary student while I got my butt in gear to pack. At around 3ish, we met up again, Kathy met my parents, Mark and Shauna, and then we hit the road to Rexburg, Idaho. The drive took a while, but I got to "dj" with my new iPod touch. Sweet! I was loving that I was sitting next to my sweetie and talking with him and his mom. They have a fun relationship, it was good to see him interact with her. After a few hours we made it to Erik and Hilary's (Gregor's brother and sister-in-law) where their youngest brother, Karl, was staying as well. Dieter (Daddy Greiner) couldn't make it, but we were thinking about him! We went to Appleby's for dinner, laughed the whole time then came home and headed to bed. Kathy and I shared a room and I was loving getting to know her. It was one of those situations that could have been really bad or really good and luckily it was great!
Thanksgiving day was awesome. I went for a freezing run out in the Rexburg countryside. It was gorgeous! After coming home and thawing, we got ready for dinner. Hilary made this HUGE 24-lb turkey for 6 people and we feasted like kings! I think everyone passed out after dinner for a while then we watched movies and chilled the rest of the day.
Friday, we hit up Idaho Falls for some shopping. Of course you go shopping on Black Friday! We didn't hit any of the early sales or anything, but we walked around the mall after an amazing dinner at Garcia's. Good day.
On Saturday, Hilary, Kathy and I went and did a session in the Rexburg Temple. It was so fabulous! Such a beautiful temple and it was great to spend time with those two great women! I'm so excited to get to know them more! After we went back to Idaho Falls so Karl could return something. I can't remember everything else we did. I remember I was super happy! I love spending time with Gregor! He's awesome!
Sunday we got up, went to church and then peaced out to Utah. Long drive, but it had been a great weekend so we didn't mind too much. I'm grateful that I got to have such a great time in Rexburg of all places! Happy Thanksgiving!

10 Things I've Learned or Remembered in the Last 24 Hours

I'm going to copy Zach because I'm too tired to think on my own today.

1. Staying up til 3 am talking to your sister is wonderful, but tomorrow morning still comes early.

2. Purchasing online is not always the safest method of shopping.

3. I am a SWAMMER!

4. Stressing about things you have no control over just makes you more stressed.

5. El Pollo Loco is a very tasty and fairly healthy fast food alternative. Pollo Ceasar. Nice.

6. I have not dated the greatest boys in the past. Good thing I'm dating the best one now!

7. Oakley is a great foot warmer when he's asleep. He just lays on my feet with that little hot, furry body. We're both warm and comfortable. What a great pair we are!

8. The Eric Snider's rejected screenplays of Twilight and New Moon are super funny! Read them!

9. Even when you're wearing sweatpants, a fleece pullover and an arctic-rated coat, flip flops will NOT keep your feet warm in 12 degree weather.

10. DC in the bottle and a chocolate chip cookie can make anything better. :)