I LOVE pictures, okay?

There is just no way I could post enough. My friend Ashley did such a great job taking all of these pictures! The only problem I have now, is trying to decide which ones to hang in our house. If any of you would like to vote on which ones those would be, now would be the time to speak up.

For your (my) viewing pleasure:

The Proposal.

18,046 miles traveled. 

Two road trips across six states and 16 boarding passes later, 

I somehow snagged myself a fiancé!

I’ve never been engaged before (thankfully) so I didn’t really know how this all worked. Every girl imagines it in her head, but somehow you still just have no idea what to think or where to start. I’ve had my phone blow up with people asking for details, so I decided just to write it up and put it on here! Plus I forgot my journal (LAME) so this counts for that.

The story starts Christmas day. We had such a wonderful morning, with me and Jordan going to wake up Kasey like little kids on, well...Christmas morning...and then we all surrounded the tree to open presents and be together in our PJs. 

Christmas morning at the Hess Home

Well, the usual Christmas happened, and it was so peaceful. But the story you really want to hear starts Christmas night. Kasey’s brother and sister-in-law had just left and I went into the kitchen to get something to eat. He followed me into the kitchen, wrapped himself up in me, and started heckling the heck out of me about my feelings of possibly being an engaged woman. Since heckling is his best talent, I really didn’t think anything of it…for the first half hour at least. He said stuff like, “Mon, I bet you really wish I would propose to you on Christmas. I’m sorry, there’s only an hour and a half left, so just don’t think anything okay? You wouldn’t want to marry me anyway.” Of course there was (play) slapping and hitting and me trying to drop the subject…but he kept saying, “MONICA what do you want for Christmas?” I kept on saying, “Kasey how many times do I have to say this. You are all I want!” And since I already was dating him, I was content and everything was great. I knew it wasn’t going to happen because it was just way too obvious.

The half hour went by and by this time I was thinking that he wouldn’t be doing this for just anything. After laughing and heckling, it did cross my mind a time or two that tonight might be the night, but then he grabbed my shoulders and said, “In all seriousness, I’m just tight on money. Can’t do it right now. I’m sorry, babe.” I smiled, kissed him, said that was okay, and went back to eating whatever I was eating, fully knowing that in order for him to succeed I had to be at least a little bit ticked. So, of course he wasn’t happy with my content answer, so of course…more heckling. “Mon, don’t you want to go for a walk? I don’t have anything, but don’t you just want to go? Just me and you?” I said, no, it’s okay…but he kept asking and so I just let him succeed. He mostly loved that he had to make me ask if we were going anywhere. He pulled out this white box, shook it, and said, “let’s go for a walk.” Of course I went.

We started on this walk around the neighborhood with this white box obviously in the front pocket of his sweatshirt. Kasey did not let me even anywhere near it, so I just decided to let it go and just enjoy the walk. About every five steps he kissed me, and kept squeezing my hand. Not that normal, but okay! (The only reason I didn’t catch on to this obvious hint is because this guy is smarter than smart, and he knows exactly what I would read into and what I wouldn’t. I honestly didn’t think anything was going to happen…I thought he was just going to trick me by going for a walk with this box in his pocket and not mention it once the whole time.) We kept walking around and as we got to a little open spot with just one street lamp he stopped and grabbed both hands. He looked at me and told me seriously that he knew what I was thinking, and he felt bad it just wasn’t going to be at this time. Money really was tight (he just bought new “socks and shoes” for his truck) and he probably would propose over my birthday when he could afford a ring that I wanted. Kasey did tell me he wanted to get me something, that it wasn’t much and not very big, but it was an expression of his love. He slowly pulled out the white box from his front pocket, put it in my hands, and asked me to open it. Remember, there was just one street lamp and so I couldn’t really see anything anyway. I opened it while looking at him skeptically and out of the corner my eye saw something really shiny. I opened it quicker and inside revealed…

A Hershey kiss.

Monica: “KASEY I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”

Kasey: “WHAT, IT’S A KISS! Don’t you love me?! You can have a real one if you want!!”

I was laughing so hard. He played dumb, asked why I was laughing and said, “What, you weren’t expecting anything else were you?” He looked so confused that I was laughing and was “offended” that I didn’t want that piece of chocolate. We walked a few more steps when he grabbed both of my hands and again said, “Ok, Mon. In ALL seriousness. I’m just not going to give you what you really wanted. And I know what you wanted. You wanted me to propose to you on Christmas night because it’s all cute.” After me saying, “are you being serious right now?” about fifty times, and me still laughing, he whispered into my ear that he wanted to be with me forever. Then he just kept talking gibberish knowing full well that I would say after the forever comment, “WAIT. Wait…what did you say? Did you just say you wanted to be with me forever?” Well, of course I said exactly that.

Right after I did, I hear a big, “OUCH! Agh! Ouch!” He bent down to check out the problem. “There are ants in my boot!” (Legit though…there are crazy stinging ants in Florida. Hurts for weeks.) But he wasn’t taking his foot out of his boot! I was still laughing uncontrollably and as I threw my head back, he took my hand and slowly put one knee on the pavement. He said some cute stuff like he wanted me to be his wife, and again that he wanted to be with me forever…and I STILL didn’t believe him! He took the other hand to open another box, one that I hadn’t seen before.

Like I said, there was only one street lamp. Everything else was pitch black. When that box opened, I swear to you that box was glowing. It was only out of the corner of my eye, because again, I did not want that to be a figment of my imagination. I stopped laughing, and so did he. The next thing I heard were the words I was hoping for. And so sweet out of his mouth was,

“Will you marry me?”

“Wait, baby, are you still kidding?” At this point, I could see the seriousness in his face, and I just lost it. I didn’t even dare look at the ring because I was scared it was going to disappear and this moment would go away. I kept looking straight into his eyes, said yes, and just cried. (Oh yeah, and we kissed a lot. Of course.) It was longer than usual before he asked me if I wanted to even see the ring! I looked at it and definitely gasped…I couldn’t have designed it better myself. I still didn’t believe it was mine, so I asked through my tears, “Is this for me??” He laughed at me while I asked him if he would put it on my finger. I was still in shock walking back to the house to tell everyone…and slapping his arm on the way back because he tricked me so bad! I’m so glad he proposed the way he did because I wanted it to be just me and him, and the fact that it was so simple just down the street was that much more romantic. This is a perfect example of something I really like about our relationship; we are able to be best friends playing around one second and then immediately pull out the romance card.

Kasey also knows how much I like pictures, so he pulled out his phone and took one right after we were made official. 10:50 p.m., Christmas night.

After we went back to tell the family and of course the whole Facebook/Instagram thing, we just sat on the couch staring at the ring, yes, but mostly each other. I can’t believe I’m engaged to such a hard working, family wanting, God loving man that will always live up to his priesthood duties. I’ve always wanted to know what my husband will look like, and now all I have to do is look at my screensaver to see who that is!

Well, as Kasey could tell you, he is all I asked for. And I got exactly what I want. Forever.

-The future Mrs. Hess

Concept of hope.

“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” -C.S. Lewis

I think I started to understand the concept of faith on one of our trips to Disneyland...

                                                                            

Even when you're not a little kid, it really is as magical as everyone says it is. I don't think anyone could ever go to Disneyland and have a bad day (unless you're really trying to.) It put a hope in my life at such a young age, and gave something to me that I couldn't quite pin down. I didn't have to logically explain why it kept a smile on my face--it just did. 

Alison, Maddie and I went to President Christianson's institute class on Wednesday. He said, "Are you going to question the heart surgeon because you don't know how it works? I don't understand it one bit. And that's why I love it." 

He went on to talk about how none of us really have any idea how He will accomplish this huge task of "saving the world." When we were missionaries, I remember President saying the reason it sounds so familiar, and why we feel a pull to be more faithful is because it's literally in our DNA. It's in our nature to be like Him.  So C.S. Lewis is exactly right. We already have a glimpse of Heaven inside of us. We have to find that talent, that little something that God has given us, and use it to our fullest potential in order to find some sort of concept of hope.

Anyway, onto the events of the week. This one was probably the most fun besides the institute class on Wednesday:

NYRM groupies to the best intramural game on Thursday at 9. I've missed BYU.

Life is wonderful.

Cue the Jason Mraz song.


Out of the many disappointments, there are even more miracles that happen every day. Here's what I've been in love with lately:

• The fact that I live across the street from the temple. And I got to go this morning!
• It snowed last week. Timp is covered with snow, but even better--Deer Valley is too!
• I only have two more full weeks left of Fall semester. And no homework over Thanksgiving or Christmas.
• Looking through newfamilysearch.org, and finding out some pretty cool things. I love being a Wells/Hawkes!
• I get to try as many Pinterest recipies as I want over the break(s). Thanks to my wonderful mother who told me she would buy ingredients to sponsor my newly-found domesticity. 
• I get to sleep in a warm bed. And a queen size, at that!
• My professor emailing me this morning, telling me she thinks I'm responsible, and wants me to run class on Monday and Wednesday. Sheesh, I've got her fooled! 
• I actually got all of my laundry done in the past 24 hours. It just needs folded.
• BYU.edu made my life easier by having all of the classes I need next semester. And at much needed times!
• My best friends still love me regardless of what I complain to them about. You know who you are.
• I have 100% in one of my classes. No, not my weightlifting or cooking class! Make that THREE 100%-ers!
• Speaking of weightlifting, I'm getting really strong. Amazing what 20 minutes/three times a week will do.
• I'm doing a good job of keeping my car clean. Now my dad just needs to read this so he will believe me.

Let's talk about my friend, Jessica. Now she is one girl that loves her life.  I hope and pray that I find my children doing this daily...mostly just so I can get thousands of dollars from YouTube. And of course for the satisfaction that my kids are happy. What a way to wake up every morning. You go girl.

"It takes no time to fall in love,

but it takes you years to know what love is."

-Jason Mraz, Life is Wonderful

My weekend in Park City.

When my mom called to tell me we had a timeshare this week in Park City, I could hear the hallelujah chorus. 

It was beautiful, to say the least. I'll admit my breath was taken away multiple times this weekend. I got up there on Thursday and stayed until this morning (I had to come back to Provo to watch my Cougs kill the Bengals). Although there was no concerts, summer lifts open, or really anything going on up there, it was so relaxing just to be in the mountains. We got out the tennis rackets, went to the Olympic Park, took a 4-wheeler ride through red and yellow trees, walked along Main...basically just drinking it all in. 

Okay not that kind of drinking. But I thought this
was indicative of the weekend.

Spence found himself a new friend on Main Street.

Okay so I didn't take this picture: http://www.skisnowboard.com/parkcity/nightlife.html
But this...is Main Street.

I don't know what Park City does to me, but it does something good. Maybe it's the excitement I get going up there knowing it's almost ski season, or just the plain fact that it is Park City, and everything is either made of rock, wood, or brick. Amazing. And it's only a 45 minute drive to pure bliss. If you haven't been there, you have about a month to get up there before the snow takes over the valley. Although that is just as gorgeous, you can't miss the cozy sweater weather right now. GO!

Park City: reason #214 why I love Utah. 

Yes everyone, it snowed!

...in the mountains. But I can't not say anything about this beautiful weather outside. Excuse the plethora of seasonal blog posts for the next few months.

Why do I love this weather so much? I remember growing up and waking up to the sound of my dad's tractor shoveling snow right outside my bedroom window. He would make a huge pile of it right outside the kitchen and that's what we would play in all winter long. We tried making forts by carving mazes, but we never were patient enough to make it deeper than a foot. Sarah's glasses would get fogged up and that shaggy hair would get in her face while trying to distinguish herself as the general contractor. Nicole would try to push everyone off the top of "her" castle, and Jake would just sit there and watch, content as a blue marshmallow with dark pink cheeks cratered with dimples.


Half of us now are grown up and moved out of the house. One thing that brings us back together is this anticipation for the winter season to come. The leaves are changing, I can smell the hot chocolate, I'm planning what to surprise everyone with for Christmas, and I get a chance to spend a lot of time with my family. Since we're getting older, it's actually calm at the Hawkes' house now-a-days, so the Holidays will be relaxing and rejuvenating. Our cabin will even be (somewhat) complete to have Thanksgiving in! It will be the first of many Thanksgiving dinners in that pioneer-looking home on our farm in Idaho with a magnificent view of the Tetons.  The size of the cabin also reflects my parent's excitement for grandchildren. Maybe we'll have a big snowbank there for them to play on. Nicole?

 Halloween '97. A Spanish queen (?), a bear, and a...I have no idea.

Dad showing me what I got from Santa. Oh how I wish I could find another nightgown like that in my size...

Let's be honest, I think this weather is just getting me more excited for Christmas break to be here already. 10 weeks from tomorrow and I'll be out of my last final on my way home with a huge smile on my face.