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Leave Me With Some Kind of Proof That It's Not A Dream

Well BFWW (and any reader(s) who just weren't able to get their questions in), it's finally time to reveal the answers! First, however, we'll get some basics out of the way:

Q: What is her name?
A: Ana Hidalgo, though I suppose that that will soon become Savage!

Q: Age?
A: 21, turning 22 this year

Q: Major?
A: Music Education, Band Emphasis

Now for the questions asked by Jill and one other! As promised, each will come with a picture.

I've labeled it so that you can actually find us.

Q: How did you meet?
A: She's a music education major whose major instrument is percussion. We met on the drumline, of course!

Q: How did I bribe her to date me?

A: Funny you should ask. I actually, mostly jokingly, gave her a monthly "bribe" to date me. One month it'd be a movie, another a concert, another a road-trip. December's bribe, surprisingly, is seeing the Hobbit. Oh, and a wedding. Mostly the wedding. As you can see in the photo, one month I bribed her with Star Wars Episode I in 3D (see the next question for more on this).  I'll use pictures from another bribe for the next question. That one was a John Williams Concert played by the Utah Symphony. The Star Wars people there were just an extra bonus!

Q: What is the most interesting thing about Ana in my opinion?

A: Actually, it would probably be that she is as geeky as I am. Not only is she a band nerd and music-lover, she's a bookworm who has seen Star Wars more times than even I have. You should try something - take the dictionary from your shelf and look up the word "sexy." The picture for that word, in most editions, is Ana in a Star Wars shirt holding a book in one hand and mallets in the other. True story. We have a lot of nerdy fun together.

Q: Where is she from?
A: Palmdale, California, though she currently lives in Logan.

Q: When and where will we be getting married?

A: We'll be getting married 29 December in the Los Angeles Temple. That night, we will be having a ring-exchanging ceremony and reception in Palmdale. The next weekend on 4 January we will be having a reception in Twin Falls. 

Q: Does Jill get an invitation?

A: Of course she does! Assuming I know her address before the invitations go out, that is.

And the only question not from Jill...

Q: When did I know that Ana was "the one"?

A: It was very early on in our relationship, within the first few weeks. I'm not sure that there was a singular event associated with it, it just came gradually starting a week or two before we starting dating exclusively and culminating about two weeks afterwards. While I can't remember a singular moment when I knew, I remember that the first time that I brought it up, at least in passing, was the night I told her that I loved her. We were watching Thor.

I hope that that answers all of the questions that you all had! If you have any more, feel free to ask. I could use more ammunition for future posts!

We've Only Just Begun

Oh dearest reader(s), I promised you big news blogpost in my last mini-post, and now I can finally give it to you:

I'M ENGAGED.

You read that correctly. I proposed to a girl, and she said yes. My family and I have gotten some disbelief because 1) she said yes, and 2) she was a girl. Despite any improbability people may have associated with either of those, they are both in fact true.

So, here's the deal. Post your comments to this blogpost with the things that you would like to know about her, us, proposals, marriage, etc., and I will write up a follow-up post that answers those questions. Should I not get any/enough questions within a couple of days, I will just put down a few facts that I think most people would find interesting. For every question I get from a reader, I will post a picture.

We're very happy, Ana and I!

P.S. - Please note the bear and how sexy he is. I would appreciate that.

The Best is Yet to Come...

The "best" being an actual post as a great deal has happened in my life, both good and bad. But first, a homework assignment:

Click on me!

This is a survey for my political science class. Please spread it around as much as possible as I need as many responses as quickly as possible. It will take at most two minutes if you take your time and there are no trick questions. Responses are completely anonymous.

Thanks for your help!!

It's Just You and Me, and All of These Lyrics...

I usually try to update this thing once a quarter. Sure I've missed a quarter here and there and haven't written since January, and sure a lot has happened, but I'm writing now, and isn't that what is important? Before I get to the RES of the day, I should probably give some updates on Life, the Universe, and Everything (though not 42 updates for my fellow nerds, I'm afraid):

1)  Pam and I broke up. As I was thinking about writing this, it occurred to me that "we broke up" is one of those phrases like "winning isn't everything" - you only get it from one side. You never hear the quarterback from the winning team of the Super Bowl running around telling his teammates to settle down because winning isn't everything. That's what you hear in the loser's locker room. No one who breaks up with someone says, "We broke up, and it was totally mutual." They say, "I dumped their sorry backsides." The first sentence on this point should clue you into what happened.

2) This summer I worked three jobs for a total of 60 hours a week. It was pretty intense, but I survived. I even had some money left over after paying rent! Of course, that was only because my parents picked up a big chunk of it, but minor details get in the way sometimes, don't you think?

3) I'm now back in school, hitting the books, the band practice field, and other such et ceteras. Busy busy busy.

Those are the broad updates of life. If you want anything more specific, feel free to ask, but I think I covered the major ones.

There are many RES that I could post, but most of them wouldn't be appreciated. They're the ones that end with me hysterically laughing and then telling everyone that they evidently had to be there to enjoy it. So this time, there will be only one RES.

I have had a song stuck in my head, and it's a sinister little bugger: You and Me, by Lifehouse. You might think to yourself, "Come now, Garin, that song isn't so sinister," but you'd be wrong. It has snuck it's way into my conversations so many times that I can't even get through the first three words without people rolling their eyes. Even worse, the melody has proven to be incredibly versatile in terms of the strange combinations of lyrics that I can put to it (though I rarely worry about getting the rhymes right. Engineering major, cut me some slack). I used it no fewer than four times yesterday alone. Some examples:

And it's you and me, and all of these people in this restaurant,
My, this food's hot.

And it's you and me, and this small telescope
With nothing to view, because of that stupid cloud.

And it's you and me, and that other couple
At your favorite spot, isn't this odd?

And it's you and me, here at Old Main Hill
Which does lack the view, but lacks other dates too

And it's you and me, and this Muppet movie
While we watch the love of a frog and a pig
And it's you and me, and this Muppet movie
And I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you.

Those are some samplings. I changed a couple of them from the originals so that they would even come close to rhyming, which should scare you considering one of the rhymes I try to make is "love" and "pig." But that's okay. You get the idea. This has been going on for weeks. I pity my friends, sometimes. But that's okay, because it's them and me, and my corny jokes here on my little blog....

Don't Lose Sight of Who You Are

I realize that I haven't written anything for a very long time. I imagine that my half-dozen or so dedicated readers are going to be very upset with me. I hope that they will forgive me and understand that things have been a bit busy lately. A lot of things have been happening. To briefly recap:

1) I got home from my mission in May (yes, it has been that long since I've written in this thing)

2) I am at school now where I am taking 17 credits, including such classes as engineering statics, multivariable calculus, and marching band.

3)No, I do not have a girlfriend (once point number one has been established, this is usually the answer to the next question asked).

There are many things about my life that I could be writing about right now, and I'm sure that there are many things that some of you want to hear (although what they are, I'm not sure). What I am going to write about instead is a question that came up that I simply do not understand. Maybe it is because of my gender, or maybe I am just one odd duck. Either way, I am seeking the guidance of the cloud - I am outsourcing my thinking to you, my loyal reader(s).

You see, I have a friend. This friend, Bob (<= her name has been changed so that my life may be preserved), is currently on some medication. This is medication powerful enough that not only can it cause liver failure, you have to go into the doctor once a month to prove that you aren't pregnant as the medication could do permanent damage to the unborn child. What exactly is it that this medication is treating that is so vital that she'd risk so much? The answer: acne.

When I asked why she would risk her life in exchange for a clear complexion, she said that everyone has something that they would do anything to change. I know that that statement isn't true, because as I pondered each physical flaw I see in the mirror (and believe me, depending on the day, there can be several), I saw not one worth the risking my health and/or my life to fix. However, is this true for everyone else?

I do not want anyone reading this to think that this post is Bash-Bob time. If I wanted to bash Bob, I would've used her real name. No, I am honestly trying to understand the rationale. (By the way, I have similar problems with most cosmetic surgeries, but that's a conversation for another time.) If your life wasn't at stake already, why would you risk it for extra beauty points? Is it better to have slightly lower self-esteem or to have higher self-esteem and lack a liver? Maybe I'm just hopelessly nerdy (<= this is an honest option - experience has taught me to never rule it out), but I just don't care about a couple of pimples that much.

If anyone out there could help me understand this, I would appreciate it. I try very hard in my life to show empathy to others, to see things the way they see them, before coming to a conclusion. However, this is one thing that I have never understood. I have had the same fight with other people before. Since I have yet to find someone who fully takes my side on this issue, I can come to three conclusions:

1) I am wrong.

2) I am revolutionary.

3) I haven't spoken to the right people.

Ockham's Razor suggests that the first is true, but a man can dream. Please help me out on this! If you do, I'll let you count it as your daily good turn. Also, if there are stories that you want to here, feel free to let me know. In my massive amounts of spare time (ha!), I'll do my best to reply. Answers for stories - sounds like a fair trade to me.