Random Reflections

  Well, it's over halfway through June and maybe someday soon it will feel like summer!! I started swim lessons on Monday and they are going well. I am very busy, but I can't really complain too much. I am so glad it is gradually warming up because I don't like seeing my kids' teeth chatter while we're swimming. The first week is always the hardest! I am getting used to my classes, getting back into the swing of teaching, and getting my skin used to the sun. As we all know, Michelle has blond hair and fair skin that likes to burn. The first couple days I was getting sunburned and fighting with that, but I think I've got a system down now! This system includes wearing 100+ SPF special face sunscreen, 80 SPF sunscreen on the rest of my back/shoulders/arms, and reapplying these. I already have wicked tanlines and lots of freckles, so it will probably be a long summer! If I'm lucky, I'll survive it without getting skin cancer. ;]

   My kids say the funniest things and they always keep my laughing during classes. The other day I got a beetle out of the pool and one of my four year old boys looks at me and says, "Hey, that was my friend ya know." The way he said it just made me laugh so hard! Later I was working with my beginning class and we were getting ready to go "save Mr. Duck" (this is how we do front glides). While they do that they have to scare the bad guys away by blowing their bubbles and kicking. I wanted to remind them that they needed to kick and blow bubbles, so I asked how we were going to scare the bad guys away. One of my little girls goes, "ummm... Naps!" Yes Maddie, naps would probably work. But that wasn't quite what I was going for... In still another class we were working on our side breathing with our front crawl. I asked the kids when we breathe (referring to our arm and body position), and one of my boys responds, "ummm.. when we run out of air and we need a breath?" Apparently I need to be much more specific. Nevertheless, I just love working with the kids. Their enthusiasm and attitude of wanting to improve and be better always puts things in perspective for me. When I get tired or water logged from being in the pool 8 hours a day I just try to remember that I live every kids' dream, and I get paid for it! =]

  Swimming lessons or swimming lesson tasks keep me pretty busy during the week and I have come to highly value my weekends. I have also come to learn that they go way too quickly for my liking. Saturday and Sunday are the only two days that I am not wet all day and I actually do my hair and put makeup on. I actually feel like a real person on the weekends! ;]

    Now to the other things that have been on my mind! They are about to get mushy.... so be warned. I am really looking forward to this week being over for a couple reasons. 1)I get to sleep in on Friday! 2)I get to see my sweet Parker just before one o'clock on Friday. 3)We get to go to Salt Lake and see his family and friends. 4)I get to see Parker!! 5)Parker's sisters and mom are throwing me a kitchen party and it is going to be so fun! I can't wait. 6)I get to be with Parker. 7)It will be the weekend. 8) Did I mention I get to see Parker?? =]  Anyways, you get the idea. I cannot wait to see my sweetheart again. This is one of many times I wish I had a time machine! I am so glad that we have technology and we can Skype almost every night because it's amazing how much better actually seeing somebody rather than just hearing somebody can make you feel. But of course, Skype can't compare to the real thing. I am very much looking forward to be able to spend lots of time talking (in person!!) and goofing off this weekend. It is going to be great =] In a week we will have been engaged for a month... Where does the time go? I can just see myself saying the same thing when September rolls around and life REALLY gets crazy for two or so weeks.  But getting back to the point, I have been thinking a lot lately, and I've decided that life really is wonderful. As time gets closer to September and I am doing more planning and finalizing, it only makes me more excited to be getting married. It is definitely the best decision I have ever made!! As we're far apart and all Parker and I can do is talk, I still happen to find random little similarities between us like: not liking mushrooms or olives, carrying stress in our shoulders, little things between our families, us both being able to do bunny noses, etc. It's definitely true what they say... You never know what you got till it's gone. I never knew or understood that I could miss somebody SO much. I know I still have much to learn, but I am definitely starting to understand a little bit more about love. I know that just seeing his face come up on my computer makes me smile and happy.

 I am down to 3 days before I get to see him and I absolutely can't wait!! It's going to be so amazing to be able to be with him again. I always wonder what I did to get such a wonderful, sweet guy like Parker, and I always draw a blank. Whenever I ask him what I did to deserve him he just says, "I told you... You said hi." Precious much, but it still doesn't answer much.... I hope that I can always do my best to make him happy and that we can have lots of fun! I know we will =]  He always knows when something is on my mind, and he always knows just how to make me feel better. I sincerely love him and count my lucky stars to be able to spend forever with him. These last couple days I have thought back a few times to some of the random fun things we did when we were dating or even before we were dating. Things like me typing excerpts of a book in an essay for him, editing and reviewing his english essays, going out late at night to play in the snow, dancing in his front room with his nieces, leaving surprise notes on eachothers' cars, cooking things, singing together, tossing fruit snacks into eachothers' mouth from across the kitchen, watching movies.... (Ok, ok... him watching movies and me falling asleep) The list goes on and on. Parker and his family definitely made my second semester. I spent EVERY day over at his house and I always had so much fun there no matter what was going on. It is fun to have so many memories and I can't wait to make even more!! Now if only I could upgrade my memory.... =]

Aloha Summer!

 Well as we all know, I'm super slow blogging about my adventures so most of you have already heard about this! That's ok, I'll post them anyways =]. I got to start off my summer by a fabulous trip to Hawaii. It was so wonderful to be there and to see all the beautiful sights! When I got off the last plane (thank heavens) and was making my way down to where Parker was picking me up. On my way down the stairs I was looking around for him. After all, it's pretty hard to miss him! Finally I heard him whistle at me and I spotted him. (He told me later that he saw me while I was still walking to the stairs). I hurried as fast as I could, dropped my backpack, and jumped into his arms and hugged him for a long time. It was so wonderful to be back in his arms after not having seen him for a month. Needless to say, it was a GREAT way to start my vacation =]

 Parker, Me, and our friend Karlissa. While in Hawaii, we stayed with Karlissa and she showed us around. She was the best tour guide ever!! It was so fun to be with her =]

 I tried sushi for the first time and it was pretty gross. Then Parker suggested I try it with some wasabi and then it was even worse! I was lucky to even get it down..

 This is one of my favorite pictures of Parker and I =]

This waterfall was SOOOO beautiful! It was so fun to see some of Heavenly Father's beautiful creations that we don't get here in Boise.

As pretty much everybody knows, Parker proposed to me in Hawaii. Precious and romantic right?? It was so cute! We were at this scenic outlook thing and we were "taking pictures" (karlissa was really filming). Parker stooped down and said, "Ow" so I asked him if something had bitten him. Then before I know what happened he was on one knee and holding something sparkly and asking me to marry him. I responded with, "Are you serious?" He nods... "is this real??" He said, "Yes. Michelle christensen, will you marry me?" So finally I said yes and he picked me up and hugged and kissed of course. The little stinker had been saying things for the last couple of weeks to throw me off so I wouldn't be expecting it in Hawaii. Well, he did a good job because he definitely caught me offguard! But that's ok.. I wouldn't have wanted to be expecting it anyways. He picked me out a beautiful ring!

This is where he proposed at. Gorgeous right?? It was such a pretty place.

We also got the opportunity to go to the Kona temple while we were there and do baptisms. Can you say way cool? It was definitely different to see such a tiny temple! It had a great spirit though (they always do!). It is neat to be in the temples that the people have sacrificed so much to have. While Karlissa and I were getting dressed she was telling me that when she used to come do baptisms away, they had to bring all their own white clothing and such. We also had to drive about two hours to get there, but it was definitely worth it!

 We also went swimming at a beach that had sea turtles. The turtles were really social and would just come right up to you. It was pretty cool! It was funny to watch because sometimes people wouldn't realize that the turtles were right there and then they would get scared of them. Karlissa's younger brother Junior was afraid of the turtles. He said that they "eat people". So kids here are afraid of dogs... and kids in Hawaii are afraid of Sea Turtles. Hmm... There was one turtle in particular that really liked us. We kept picking grass of the shore and feeding it to him and he loved it.

When we stopped feeding him, he sat there in the water just watching us and waiting for some food I think. It was a big turtle and he must have been pretty old! I named him Bert. Sometimes if I backed up he would swim right up to me and nudge my leg with his nose. I'm guessing that was the "hey come back here! I'm still hungry." So I said I got high fived, hugged, and kissed by a sea turtle. Once in a lifetime thing =]

 Here are two more of my favorite pictures from Hawaii. Did I ever dream that I would be marrying a red head? Not in a million years... But I am so excited! But it does make me wonder... will we have strawberry blond kids? haha! Parker is so sweet and treats me like a princess. I wish he wasn't halfway across the US, but if that's the price I have to pay to spend forever with him, I guess I can live with it for now. I have realized it just makes our time together that much more special!

I am so lucky and excited to be marrying someone that I can always talk to, always knows how to make me laugh, is kind, knows when I'm down and knows how to make me feel better, treats me like royalty, is always a gentleman etc. I think I could really go on forever about all of the things I love about him. I guess I can just sum it all up and say that I cannot wait to marry my best friend! I am looking forward to a life of lots of fun, laughs, and smiles. September 3rd, here we come!!