If you know me at all, you probably know how strongly I feel about dating, especially dating just for fun. I wrote my date ideas book (365 Date Ideas A Date a Day) because of it. I started my Facebook page for the book (https://www.facebook.com/ADateADay365DateIdeas). Now I've started a Facebook group to get more people dating more often.
Right here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/157506554446549/). It's called the Twenty Date Challenge and I'm so excited for it.
Check out my group and if you haven't joined yet, be sure to.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Benjamin's turning me into an entrepreneur.
I have neglected this blog recently, but I wanted to share some of the exciting things that have been happening in my life.
First, Ben and I have been doing a lot to better promote my book. And, I think it's actually working! I've been more active with my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ADateADay365DateIdeas), inviting more people to like it, sharing it with various groups on Facebook, and sharing new date ideas that aren't in my book every week. It's really fun for me to watch as my page gets more likes. A couple weeks ago, I got my second check from them--this time for $110! That's the most I've gotten for it so far, and it came right after Ben and I put in the effort to advertise my book more. I am getting so excited about getting my book out there. It's fun for Ben and I to work on the advertising aspect of it together.
I've also been working on writing more. I have my foot in the door at Deseret Book, since they've already published some of my work and also because I have the email of a lady in charge of choosing what to publish. Ben and I figure that making sure my book does well won't hurt my chances of getting more work published. Right now, I'm writing about my hundred dates in a novel form, putting together a date ideas book for married couples, and trying to work on a date advice book for teens. I'm making the most progress on my hundred dates novel--I'm trying for 2500 words a day; some days, though, I have to admit I fall asleep before reaching my goal. I'm getting far in it, though. All of these books are ideas that I've had (and wanted to write) for a long time. I'm so excited to finally be making progress on them.
Benjamin is also building me a website. Right now, it's focused on the one book I already have published, but as soon as I get more, I'll be able to put it up there. It's charlytroff.com. We have the "rough draft," if you will, up already. We'll be adding more content and making it better, but I think it looks wonderful so far. Ben is really good at that kind of thing, and the ideas he has for the website will make it even better.
I'm also really excited about the blog Benjamin and I started together. It's http://lovegogglesbc.blogspot.com/. We decided to name it love goggles as a kind of reference to looking through love glasses. Of all our brainstormed ideas, that name just struck a chord with us; it seemed especially like a blog name. If you haven't started following us yet and enjoy our blog, then ... you should. We try to come up with either a funny story from the previous week or an original idea. It's so fun to write it, but the funnest part for me is checking our stats of views.
I also got a job. It's with Response Marketing. They're an outbound call company. I didn't think I would like it and I was actually planning on keeping it only until I could get a different job, but I actually really like it. I enjoy talking to people on the phone, even when they aren't interested. The only time I don't like it is when they're rude and that rarely, rarely happens. There is quite a bit of time between calls and I get read then. When school starts, I'll be able to do homework during that time. They also are going to be really good at working around my schedule; that is the biggest relief to me. I have been very worried this past month about finding a job that would work with my schedule. This job is the perfect job for me during school.
Now that I've written a novel, I think that's about it. I feel really excited about all the different projects I'm working on, and being able to work on and talk about them with Ben makes them all the better. We have so much fun planning and working on these things.
First, Ben and I have been doing a lot to better promote my book. And, I think it's actually working! I've been more active with my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ADateADay365DateIdeas), inviting more people to like it, sharing it with various groups on Facebook, and sharing new date ideas that aren't in my book every week. It's really fun for me to watch as my page gets more likes. A couple weeks ago, I got my second check from them--this time for $110! That's the most I've gotten for it so far, and it came right after Ben and I put in the effort to advertise my book more. I am getting so excited about getting my book out there. It's fun for Ben and I to work on the advertising aspect of it together.
I've also been working on writing more. I have my foot in the door at Deseret Book, since they've already published some of my work and also because I have the email of a lady in charge of choosing what to publish. Ben and I figure that making sure my book does well won't hurt my chances of getting more work published. Right now, I'm writing about my hundred dates in a novel form, putting together a date ideas book for married couples, and trying to work on a date advice book for teens. I'm making the most progress on my hundred dates novel--I'm trying for 2500 words a day; some days, though, I have to admit I fall asleep before reaching my goal. I'm getting far in it, though. All of these books are ideas that I've had (and wanted to write) for a long time. I'm so excited to finally be making progress on them.
Benjamin is also building me a website. Right now, it's focused on the one book I already have published, but as soon as I get more, I'll be able to put it up there. It's charlytroff.com. We have the "rough draft," if you will, up already. We'll be adding more content and making it better, but I think it looks wonderful so far. Ben is really good at that kind of thing, and the ideas he has for the website will make it even better.
I'm also really excited about the blog Benjamin and I started together. It's http://lovegogglesbc.blogspot.com/. We decided to name it love goggles as a kind of reference to looking through love glasses. Of all our brainstormed ideas, that name just struck a chord with us; it seemed especially like a blog name. If you haven't started following us yet and enjoy our blog, then ... you should. We try to come up with either a funny story from the previous week or an original idea. It's so fun to write it, but the funnest part for me is checking our stats of views.
I also got a job. It's with Response Marketing. They're an outbound call company. I didn't think I would like it and I was actually planning on keeping it only until I could get a different job, but I actually really like it. I enjoy talking to people on the phone, even when they aren't interested. The only time I don't like it is when they're rude and that rarely, rarely happens. There is quite a bit of time between calls and I get read then. When school starts, I'll be able to do homework during that time. They also are going to be really good at working around my schedule; that is the biggest relief to me. I have been very worried this past month about finding a job that would work with my schedule. This job is the perfect job for me during school.
Now that I've written a novel, I think that's about it. I feel really excited about all the different projects I'm working on, and being able to work on and talk about them with Ben makes them all the better. We have so much fun planning and working on these things.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Missing my other half. Literally.
A year and a half ago (about a week after Jeremy left on his mission), I went to the New Year's Eve dance with some of my friends. It made me miss Jeremy so much. I actually didn't even want to go at first, because I knew Jeremy wouldn't be there, but some of my friends talked me into it.
And, just like I knew would happen, it broke my heart without Jeremy there.
My poor friends, I'm sure the only thing I talked about for the entire dance was "Jeremy and I used to do this at dances ..." and "I wish Jeremy was here ..." and "this reminds me of Jeremy ..." But they put up with it. I have good friends. But really.
One of my friends, Ben Jensen noticed how much I was missing Jeremy. Obviously. He told me not to worry too much, that the longer Jeremy was out, the less I would miss him. He was right, and wrong.
He was right, because missing Jeremy doesn't consume me anymore. That's not the only thing I talk about anymore. In fact, Jeremy is hardly even a part of my life nowadays (side note: nowadays is my new favorite word). I don't think about Jeremy with everything I do. I can go to family parties and plan dates and go to parties without every single thing reminding me that my other half is missing.
He was wrong, though, because I do still miss Jeremy, just as much as the first day he left. I don't think about it as much, but the missing is just as strong. And sometimes, it just hits me.
Like today.
I was going through pictures today on Facebook. I got to this picture, but it took a long time. There were way too many pictures and too many events between now and then.
This picture was the last picture that Jeremy and I took together before he left. It was Tuesday night, the eve of his departure to the MTC and the absolute last time I was to get to see him before that. I knew it was the last picture; see my red eyes, the tears that were almost in them? Yep. I knew it.
After Jeremy left, I missed him so much. Too much. I knew I needed to stay busy, to do fun and good things to take my mind off it. So, I went to a Christmas party with my dance class. I had Christmas with my family. On my birthday, I went shopping with mom and Jon and then had friends coming and going all night, playing Just Dance, visiting Yogurtland, and playing card games. I read the Mistborn series and then went back to school. I started dating Ben and hung out with so many people. I planned date after date. Then I moved home and hung out with more people. I tried to visit all the temples in Utah with Jon and DJ (and got close). I danced and danced and danced, and started teaching dance. I broke up with Ben. I put in my mission papers and was preparing for that. I got married and started attending BYU. I made new friends and got comfortable with the idea of being a college student. I went to so many dances and young single adult activities and institute classes. I fell in love. And all of that, all of it, happened without Jeremy.
And that, that is the worst part of Jeremy being gone. And that is why he needs to come home.
Because, it doesn't matter how long it's been or how busy I stay. When you're missing your other half, 5,000 miles and nineteen months and a fair share of life changing events don't matter.
It will still break your heart everyday.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Love Goggles.
Is it weird to blog about another blog? Well, I am.
Ben and I have started a blog together. So cute, right? And it was idea.
Our blog is called Love Goggles, you can check it out here:
http://lovegogglesbc.blogspot.com/
We're each going to do a new post every Sunday morning. Sometimes our posts will be different, but they'll be themed similarly. For example, if we tell a story, we might not be telling the same story, but we'd both be telling one. This week, we decided to do our "how we met and got married" story in twenty lines.
I'm excited about this blog. I think it's adorable and with Benjamin writing half the posts, it'll be hilarious too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been!
Ben and I have started a blog together. So cute, right? And it was idea.
Our blog is called Love Goggles, you can check it out here:
http://lovegogglesbc.blogspot.com/
We're each going to do a new post every Sunday morning. Sometimes our posts will be different, but they'll be themed similarly. For example, if we tell a story, we might not be telling the same story, but we'd both be telling one. This week, we decided to do our "how we met and got married" story in twenty lines.
I'm excited about this blog. I think it's adorable and with Benjamin writing half the posts, it'll be hilarious too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Just an update on my life.
I finished my first semester at BYU. I got a B- in my mythology class, so at least I didn't fail it. I was actually pretty happy about it, considering how much work I put in. Oops.
Ben has me eating things that I just didn't eat before. Like bacon. And jerky.
We got a bread machine and a Blendtec. We are doing a lot better with eating healthy. We eat wheat pancakes (no sugar), German pancakes (wheat flour, no sugar) with real maple syrup (no sugar), eggs, or a green smoothie for breakfast. Ben's big on breakfast. Especially eggs, for the protein. I made my first loaf of bread with our bread machine two days ago. It was so good (also wheat flour, no sugar). It's already gone. Now that we're starting to get settled, we're doing a lot better at eating better than we were when we were first married.
I applied to Wells Fargo, as a teller. Ben's working on getting me an interview, and then hopefully I can start working. Right now, without school or work, I'm basically doing nothing. Now with dance done, that's literally true. I'm going to go insane soon.
Also, I changed my major from Psychology to Family and Consumer Science Education. This is why. A bachelor's degree in Psych is basically useless unless you use it as a stepping stone to more education. Ben and I both want to have kids now. SO badly. But, we're waiting, because now is not the right time. We want to finish school first (especially me) and I want to be on BYU's folk dance team, not to mention dance. Also, we want to be able to save up a 20% down payment on our home (which we want to buy when Ben finishes school) and kids are so expensive. With school and me not working (which if we had a child right now, that's what would happen) on top of that expense, there's no way we would be able to do that. So. Here's our plan.
We'll both work part time, go to school full time and finish as fast as we can. We'll save as much as we can and when we're finished, we'll buy a house. Then, we'll have kids :) and all the rest of the stuff that happens with a family will follow.
Here's the other thing about my major. The classes that I need to take for the major are so me. Things like meal planning in the home, or nutrition. There are some classes (like organic chemistry or sewing) that I'm not really looking forward to, but that's how it is with every major. I am so excited about this major. So excited.
Well. That's it. Ben and I are still in love and happy, of course. We love our apartment and are figuring things our for the future. In the meantime, we love where we are.
Ben has me eating things that I just didn't eat before. Like bacon. And jerky.
We got a bread machine and a Blendtec. We are doing a lot better with eating healthy. We eat wheat pancakes (no sugar), German pancakes (wheat flour, no sugar) with real maple syrup (no sugar), eggs, or a green smoothie for breakfast. Ben's big on breakfast. Especially eggs, for the protein. I made my first loaf of bread with our bread machine two days ago. It was so good (also wheat flour, no sugar). It's already gone. Now that we're starting to get settled, we're doing a lot better at eating better than we were when we were first married.
I applied to Wells Fargo, as a teller. Ben's working on getting me an interview, and then hopefully I can start working. Right now, without school or work, I'm basically doing nothing. Now with dance done, that's literally true. I'm going to go insane soon.
Also, I changed my major from Psychology to Family and Consumer Science Education. This is why. A bachelor's degree in Psych is basically useless unless you use it as a stepping stone to more education. Ben and I both want to have kids now. SO badly. But, we're waiting, because now is not the right time. We want to finish school first (especially me) and I want to be on BYU's folk dance team, not to mention dance. Also, we want to be able to save up a 20% down payment on our home (which we want to buy when Ben finishes school) and kids are so expensive. With school and me not working (which if we had a child right now, that's what would happen) on top of that expense, there's no way we would be able to do that. So. Here's our plan.
We'll both work part time, go to school full time and finish as fast as we can. We'll save as much as we can and when we're finished, we'll buy a house. Then, we'll have kids :) and all the rest of the stuff that happens with a family will follow.
Here's the other thing about my major. The classes that I need to take for the major are so me. Things like meal planning in the home, or nutrition. There are some classes (like organic chemistry or sewing) that I'm not really looking forward to, but that's how it is with every major. I am so excited about this major. So excited.
Well. That's it. Ben and I are still in love and happy, of course. We love our apartment and are figuring things our for the future. In the meantime, we love where we are.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Ben wins the best husband award.
I don't have to ask him to do things, like unload the car. He just helps.
He believes in me.
He still will send me texts and write me notes, even though we're married now. And I still like them just as much as I did when we were dating. Maybe even more.
He makes me eggs in the morning.
He always opens my door for me. I think he's missed once, and he was mad that he did.
He takes me on dates.
He buys me books.
He makes me laugh even when I'm not in the mood to laugh.
He supports me in dancing, and loves that I love it.
He is the most patient person in the world.
He wants a baby just as badly as I do. (don't worry, we're waiting, the time is not right). It's just nice to know though.
If he knew something was really important to me, he'd say yes or make sure it happened.
He likes my cooking.
He works hard.
If he thinks he's done something wrong, he always apologizes.
He wakes me up for prayers and scripture study if I fall asleep before him.
He dances with me.
He's quiet when I'm studying or choreographing (believe me, that's a tough one for him).
He prays for me and with me.
He puts his arm around me in church.
He always lets me know how much I mean to him.
He shares his ideas and goals and problems with me, and lets me do the same.
He helps keep the house clean. And does the dishes.
He teaches me things.
He shares books with me.
When I need to cry, he just lets me cry (sometimes, it just happens).
He doesn't ruin surprises.
He teases me.
He loves me. And I'm the luckiest girl in the world for it.
He believes in me.
He still will send me texts and write me notes, even though we're married now. And I still like them just as much as I did when we were dating. Maybe even more.
He makes me eggs in the morning.
He always opens my door for me. I think he's missed once, and he was mad that he did.
He takes me on dates.
He buys me books.
He makes me laugh even when I'm not in the mood to laugh.
He supports me in dancing, and loves that I love it.
He is the most patient person in the world.
He wants a baby just as badly as I do. (don't worry, we're waiting, the time is not right). It's just nice to know though.
If he knew something was really important to me, he'd say yes or make sure it happened.
He likes my cooking.
He works hard.
If he thinks he's done something wrong, he always apologizes.
He wakes me up for prayers and scripture study if I fall asleep before him.
He dances with me.
He's quiet when I'm studying or choreographing (believe me, that's a tough one for him).
He prays for me and with me.
He puts his arm around me in church.
He always lets me know how much I mean to him.
He shares his ideas and goals and problems with me, and lets me do the same.
He helps keep the house clean. And does the dishes.
He teaches me things.
He shares books with me.
When I need to cry, he just lets me cry (sometimes, it just happens).
He doesn't ruin surprises.
He teases me.
He loves me. And I'm the luckiest girl in the world for it.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Today was an eat-everything-in-the-fridge-before-it-goes-bad for dinner day.
Poor Ben.
Here are my problems with cooking:
1. I know the general of idea of everything. My mom always cooks. I know the gist of what you do to make things and I know how the food is supposed to turn out. Somehow, though, in the middle, all the details get mixed up.
2. Seasonings. I just have no idea?
3. I'm scared of not cooking the meat enough. So I always end up overcooking it. Even when I know that I overcook it.
4. I don't pay enough attention to what I'm doing.
5. Keeping track of what needs to be eaten first. Oops.
6. Sometimes, when I mess up, I try to fix it. Only, it makes it worse. And then we have to throw it away.
7. I actually don't know what I'm doing, so every meal turns into an experiment.
8. Cooking.
Maybe Ben and I will just live off of potatoes and brownies for the rest of our lives.
At least I know how to cook those.
Here are my problems with cooking:
1. I know the general of idea of everything. My mom always cooks. I know the gist of what you do to make things and I know how the food is supposed to turn out. Somehow, though, in the middle, all the details get mixed up.
2. Seasonings. I just have no idea?
3. I'm scared of not cooking the meat enough. So I always end up overcooking it. Even when I know that I overcook it.
4. I don't pay enough attention to what I'm doing.
5. Keeping track of what needs to be eaten first. Oops.
6. Sometimes, when I mess up, I try to fix it. Only, it makes it worse. And then we have to throw it away.
7. I actually don't know what I'm doing, so every meal turns into an experiment.
8. Cooking.
Maybe Ben and I will just live off of potatoes and brownies for the rest of our lives.
At least I know how to cook those.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)