A Stroll Down Memory Lane {Blogtember Challenge}

Tuesday, September 17th Prompt: A memory you would love to relive.

Oh, gosh. I have so many vivid memories that I would LOVE to relive, but there's one obvious day that sticks out in my head.

I STILL can't believe I am so blessed, so fortunate to have found a man who would go to all of the trouble to make this happen for me. I can't stress how thankful I am that Dan made our engagement unique and special. He is 100% wonderful and amazing for that, and I think about our amazing day frequently. If only I had a rewind button...

I am choosing to share the story of the day Dan asked me to be his wife. It was on July 7th, 2011, and we had been dating for about two and a half years. I copied/pasted this straight from my "About Us" section at the top of my blog, and yes, I know we have an incredibly long engagement. We will be married next May, as cadets at the Air Force Academy are not allowed to have dependents. Two days later, we're tying the knot, and he'll be a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force by then!

Dan had the second half of second leave during the summer of 2011, so we planned a road trip for that time. We first went camping on an Indian reservation in southern Colorado. Then, we spent three more nights camping at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. After that, we spent a few days at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona, where Dan got to sit in on a training flight for an F-16—which caused us to get into our next destination (Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico) more than a little bit late. We didn’t get in until 1:30am, and Dan said he had a surprise for me, but we had to get up at 4:30. When the alarm went off, we were both tired and groggy from driving so much the day before, but I love surprises, so I excitedly got dressed and ready! He told me I had to wear tennis shoes, so I began growing suspicious. What were we going to do? He drove me to a Village Inn parking lot, where he said we were meeting some people. Doesn’t this sound sketchy? It was before I knew what was going on. A van pulled up with a weird looking basket on the back of it, but I still didn’t pick up on what was happening. We got into the van, and the guys told us we needed to sign a safety waiver, so I read it, and it was for a hot air balloon flight!! (During Dan’s prep school basic training, I saw a hot air balloon on my way home from work one evening, and I told him about it in a letter and how much I wanted to go in one… and he promised me that he would take me on one someday… I guess this was it!). I thought that was the entire surprise. I mean, come on! What a huge thing! I had no idea he had a ring in his backpack. When the hot air balloon pilot said that there were about 10-15 minutes left in our flight, Dan asked him to take a picture of us. We took one regular picture, and then Dan said: “Okay, one more pose,” and he got down on one knee. By this point, I was shaking (and ecstatic!) because I knew what was going on. He told me that I am the most amazing woman he knows and how he is glad that I am here to support him through the Academy and that there’s only one more thing he could ask for: for me to be his wife. I was in shock, but I said, “Of course!!!” Then he got into his backpack and pulled out a ring, and asked, “Janelle Vannice, will you marry me?” I couldn’t even speak, so I shook my head YES! The pilot got a few pictures of Dan proposing, and I am so glad that he did. I will cherish those photos forever! 

Now you know my favorite memory! I'd love to hear all about yours! 

What I'm Looking Forward To

As work is at one of its busiest points of the year, I have been feeling a little bit overwhelmed. This feeling is NOTHING compared to how I felt last year at this time, and I am incredibly thankful to teach in such an amazing little school. However, we just wrapped up our state standardized testing (TCAP in Colorado), and it has been ROUGH. Proctoring test after test gets tiring, and the students have not been themselves. They have been bored out of their minds taking so many tests, and I can't blame them! Tomorrow, we are rewarding them with an ice cream party at the end of the day -- it should be SO much fun!

Because I've been feeling stressed out, I decided to come up with a list of things I am looking forward to in the near and distant future.

1. SPRING BREAK. It starts in less than 24 hours. I am STOKED! Tomorrow and Saturday, Dan and I are just hanging out and relaxing. We leave early Sunday morning to head to the hot springs for a day/night and then to Copper Mountain to ski for a few days. We will head back to Colorado Springs on Wednesday evening, and my mom flies in then to spend a few days here. I don't know what all we will do, but I am looking forward to sleeping in.

2. Celebrating Dan's birthday in April. He turns 24, and I love the few months when we only have a one year age difference. My birthday is in July, and then we'll be back to two years apart. I have a pretty fun gift for him this year, and I can't wait to give it to him!

3. Running a fun 5K! I get to check one off for the year in April, and I'm pretty excited! I am running The Glow Run with Dan and some people on his Flying Team. It's on April 27th, it's at night (in the dark), and lots of glow sticks are involved. I CAN'T WAIT! For fun, here are a couple pictures from The Color Run last year...

4. Engagement Pictures in Colorado! Dan and I are having our wedding photographer take engagement pictures of us so we can get to know her style, etc. I have been dying for pictures at Garden of the Gods, so guess what is in our future... ;) A friend took some gorgeous photos for us last fall at the Air Force Academy, and they turned out great, so I'm excited for this last set of pictures before our big day!

5. Finishing my novel! I actually finished writing it in 2010. I didn't look at it once in 2011. I did one edit in 2012, and that felt WONDERFUL to finish. Now that I'm in my second edit, it's tougher. I love the story. I love the characters. I am just a little bit tired of trying to make it all perfect... but it will come together. I enjoy working on it when I can find the time, and I am looking forward to several Saturdays doing just that this spring while Dan is flying. I love going to La Baguette downtown to work. The atmosphere is great, and the food is even better!

6. Spending some time at Garden of the Gods. It is my favorite place in the world (so far), and I always feel completely at peace there. I could drive through it, run, hike, whatever... it's just SO nice. Dan and I picnic there sometimes, and it's so romantic and beautiful. I could basically live there. And hey, rent would be a lot cheaper too!

7. Exploring the outdoors with Dan as it continues to get warmer. This is something we both love. Hiking together is great, especially if there is a picnic in the middle! I can't wait to take our British friends hiking in gorgeous Colorado this summer when they visit. This state is so wonderful for doing things outdoors.

8. Starting our garden again! There's nothing like growing your own food. It's amazing to watch, and it tastes ever-so-slightly better... just because you watched it grow from day one. Last summer, we got several veggies, but since I didn't move into this house until July, we didn't plant seeds until mid-July... so I KNOW we will yield even more this year. We have mapped out what we want to plant, when to plant it, and where to put it. I am looking forward to lots of fresh vegetables this year!

9. Going home to Missouri for part of the summer. I do this every year when Dan is busy. I look forward to the drive through Kansas by myself because it is so calm. I take the cats with me, and we drive almost straight through for ten hours. I stop once for gas, food, and a bathroom break half way, and I make CDs to listen to for the parts where the radio doesn't even work (gotta love middle-of-nowhere Kansas). It's always fun, and I enjoy seeing my family and friends when it's nice outside... because the only other time I go home is in the winter. I always go to a Royals game while I'm home, and I can't wait to do that again this summer!

10. Marrying my handsome fiancé in just over a year and finally calling him my husband! I enjoy being Dan's fiancée, sure, but it gets old not being able to see him during the week, not being allowed to live with him, etc. I am 25 years old, and I am READY. I have been learning how to be patient (and let me tell you -- it's gotten much better over the past few years). By our wedding date, we will have been together for five years and three months -- plenty of time if you ask me! Our wedding date is just two days after his Air Force Academy graduation. Since he's not allowed to be married while he's there, we aren't going to waste any time afterward!

Well, that was fun! I highly suggest writing out all of the things you're looking forward to the next time you're stressed. Going through old pictures makes it even better. I am in a VERY happy mood right now! I just need to make it through tomorrow, and I will be on spring break for nine days! Life is good.