{the proposal}

The next post in {the wedding series} is all about the proposal.

 
Although I had hinted to David that I was ready to get married, I had no idea when (or even if) he would actually propose. Several weeks went by and we didn't really talk about it much - we were just enjoying our lives together. One day we drove past Chili's on main street in Logan, and David made the comment that it had been over a year since our first date. We talked about how we should go on a recreation of our first date to celebrate our one year mark of dating each other.

That Thursday, David called me during the day to "ask me out." He pretended that we didn't really know each other and that he was asking me out for the first time. I caught on and pretended that it was the first time he had asked me out -  and of course I said yes. The next night he came and picked me up from my apartment. (We had been doing homework earlier in the day, but he went home so that he could come back and "pick me up.") I was still in the bathroom getting ready, and so my roommates answered the door. Generally, David would just come back and talk to me while I finished getting ready, but this time he just sat on the couch and waited. The entire time we pretended like we were on our first date. We went to Chili's and while we ate dinner we asked questions like "How many people are in your family?" and "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I should also note that without talking about it with each other - we both ended up wearing the same thing that we wore on our first date. This was a little bit more difficult for me because I had borrowed a brown polka dot shirt from my roommate at the time, Cassie. However, she was no longer my roommate. But I called her up, and bless her heart, she let me borrow her shirt again. It was so fun to see him realize that I was wearing the same outfit and to see that he was wearing the same shirt as well. It just added to everything. (Thanks Cassie!)

The rest of the night was basically identical to our first date. After dinner at Chili's, we went bowling. We made a bet that the loser had to buy the winner Aggie ice cream. I don't remember who won, but we just had a great time bowling and laughing. Afterwards, David wanted to go straight up to Aggie Ice Cream. I didn't really want to go, so I convinced David to come back to my apartment for Otter Pops and Dance Dance  Revolution. (You can tell that at this point I had no idea he was going to propose. I just thought that it was a fun "recreation of our first date.")

David finally convinced me to go and get ice cream, but it was closed. This was actually fine because he didn't really want ice cream - he was just trying to find a reason to get us up on campus. It worked out well, because after we found out that Aggie Ice Cream was closed David said that he needed to stop by his office to pick something up. He worked in the basement of Old Main. He was rummaging around in his desk while I was messing around - and then all the sudden he told me that he wanted to show me something. We ended up on the fourth floor and walked through several hallways until we were in the bell tower. Only when I saw the cherry kisses in the windows did I think that something was up. I didn't know what to do, so I just went over to the window and looked out at the Logan Temple. David came up behind me and started singing. He had written me a song that he would sing to me sometimes- but he added a final verse to the end about us being together forever. Then he dropped to a knee and proposed. It seemed that all of the time that we had spent dating flashed before my eyes along with all of our future. I was so happy and I dropped to my knees and said yes. David says that I waited for hours before I said yes, but it really was only seconds. We were SO happy!

So that's it! From that day forward we were known as David-and-Shantel instead of just David and just Shantel. I wish that I had some pictures- but I am pretty sure that the only ones we took were dark and blurry and I had running mascara from crying. So instead, I will post this picture - it's one of my favorite engagement pictures. :)

Food.

In general, I would say that I am a fairly good cook. I can follow a recipe with confidence that it will turn out right and I can invite people over for dinner with the knowledge that I will most likely be able to prepare something that they will enjoy. I teach high school students how to cook, for goodness sake, I can't be too terrible.

picture from here.

But sometimes it all falls to pieces. Sometimes I will try to make a complicated recipe without setting aside enough time, or enough patience, and end up with mush. Sometimes I make recipes with ingredients that neither David nor I like, and hope that "this time" we will miraculously like it. (Mustard Powder and Cayenne Pepper are the two main culprits here.) But sometimes, I make a tried and true recipe and something completely unexpected happens. For example, I was making my sister-in-law, Wendy, and her family dinner because poor Daniel had to have surgery on his leg from a "big plastic ball on the trampoline" accident. Daniel had requested something with rice - so I decided on one of my favorite easy-to-please recipes: a Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole. Everything was going along splendidly until it was time to take the casserole out and I found that the rice wasn't done. That sucker baked an hour longer than it was supposed to and the rice still wasn't completely done. I took it over to the Rencher home anyway - and just hoped for the best. All the while, I was utterly baffled at the undercooked rice. I still don't get it.

However, like I said, I am a fairly good cook. I like to try new recipes, but I also love our tried and true family favorites. The hardest part about cooking for me is not the cooking itself - but it is the coming up with what to cook. You may remember this post about our "Ten-Day Forecast".  This is a lifesaver for me. Every weekend we sit down and plan out our meals from Monday to the following Wednesday. It gives us a good meal structure - and we save money when we go to the store. (If I go to the store without a list and meals in mind - then I end up buying things that I forget to use before they go bad.) We have been using our ten-day forecast for a while now, and we absolutely love it. But it has still been difficult to come up with meals to fill our meal plan with. We have several cookbooks with our favorite recipes buried within, David has a file folder of his favorite recipes, and I am constantly finding good recipes that I want to try online. Finally we came up with a solution to this problem, and I am so excited about it!

David and I started a recipe file blog as a way to file all of our favorite recipes. We have been going for several months now, and are loving how well it works for us. This way we are able to have all of our favorite recipes together in an easy-to-search manner. If we feel like eating rice for dinner, we can just search for any recipe containing rice - instead of searching our millions of cookbooks for "that one rice dish that we ate a couple of months ago." I haven't posted about it, because it really is more for us than for anyone else. I'm not really a "foodie" and don't want to compete with all of the other amazing food blogs out there. However, you are free to check it out if you would like: www.thepeadenkitchen.blogspot.com.

Pretty much nothing I make (or post) is my own creation. I am a master at finding great recipes online to feed my David. I just re-post them (giving credit where credit is due) on my kitchen file so that I can keep track of all of the amazing recipes that I find. My top two favorite recipe hunting spots are Howe to Cook and Our Best Bites.  The ladies over at these websites are truly talented - and they always post great recipes that are realistic and delicious. I honestly think that we would starve (or go back to eating pasta every night of the week) without them. I'll all about recipes that have been tested, and found successful, by others. So, this is where you come in. Do you have a favorite recipe that is simple and delicious? If so, please share! I would love to get some new ideas to put into our dinner rotation - especially good summer dishes. However, any family favorite would be welcome.

So.. go ahead... don't be shy. What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?

Dear Netflix,

Many of you may have heard the news that Netflix is raising their rates. Although this news doesn't really come as a shock to me, it certainly is unwelcome.  There is a part of me that wants to join the 77,000 people who have commented on Netflix's facebook page swearing that they will discontinue their service. I definitely believe in the "dollar vote" and will pay for something simply to support a company - or not pay for something, even if I want it, to make a statement to a company I don't like. I'm kind of an extremist that way. However, the big question is: "Is it worth it?" 

For those of you who aren't sure what is going on, and you do care, you can check out the price restructuring here. But basically, to get the same services we are getting now - prices will increase by 60%. I think that Netflix is trying to push it's customers away from DVD's and trying to focus them on streaming movies instead. However, it is probably going to push us the other way - and all because of this baby. (Which we totally recommend by the way.) 

With our Clear Play, we are able to watch whatever we want without fear of something inappropriate in the movie. (This is a great example of our dollar vote, we pay for this service every month, because we think it is important for them to stay in business.) Unfortunately, you have to have a DVD in order to use clear play. It won't work on streaming videos.

As much as we love to watch movies together on our clear play - it will be a sad day in the Peaden Home if we are no longer able to stream TV shows. It's nice to be able to watch a little show while I am designing wedding announcements, or working on lesson plans. Some of my favorite TV shows that Netflix has so kindly provided for our/my entertainment (in no particular order): 

*sigh* Such great entertainment -  I am really torn. Sixteen dollars a month just might be worth it! (Especially because we don't have TV, right?)

However, here is my question for you. Do any of you have any other websites or places you like to rent/stream movies that might be a good alternative to Netflix? Any good experiences with Hulu (I've never really used it, i've just heard about it.) Any comments would be helpful! Thanks.

To conclude, I will join the mass of Facebook/Twitter statuses by writing my own "Dear Netflix" letter.

Dear Netflix, 

I think that we need to take a break. We had such a good thing going - but now things are changing. (Like, 60% rate increase type changing.) I need to start looking into my other options. I know we used to scoff at Redbox and Blockbuster, but I can't be tied down to you right now. We have been through a lot together, and I will treasure that time. You gave me Psych, and Lois, and Murder She Wrote (not to mention the many movies you have sent directly to my mailbox, week after week). I love to think back to the excitement of the transition between the casual relationship with my 13" Macbook screen to the much more serious relationship with my 24" television set. You kept me company (and helped me keep my sanity) as I stayed at my school until 7 or 8 writing lesson plans during my first year of teaching - and I will always be grateful. 

This breakup is going to be hard for both of us. (Especially because of the 125 DVDs left in my Queue and the 65 items waiting for me to stream.) However, I think it is probably for the best. I've been so attached to you, so loyal, that I haven't really been looking for any other options. I hope that you understand.  Don't worry though, we can still be friends.

Shantel