Pixar Surprise

[Email sent 17 October 2009 to some former roommates of mine]

I am lying on a couch in the ladies restroom of the Oakland Interstake Center. My feet have healing ant bites from my uncle's grave dedication and so I find it particularly soothing to jam the right one between the hard arm and the seat cushion. I am taking a break from the two temple shifts I am working today and will return shortly to iron my hair and eat in the cafeteria.

But first I'm providing an update on last evening to you.

Last night started appropriately with Bruce and I meeting at Melville* for an evening run during which we relied heavily upon our inner compasses. Bruce runs in his glasses. After the run Bruce asked me when we could go out again. I wavered slightly in my reply because I am going to Arizona for a week (a week!) starting on Monday but told him that tonight or tomorrow would work. With that we decided we would meet back at my house to watch a movie.

So Bruce arrived and selected Monsters, Inc. I sat down on the couch while he negotiated the DVD player and when he came to join me he sat directly right immediately just next to me on my left.

I wasn't making my hand too available neither was he making the move he was clearly intent upon (seriously? But yes, he was intent. This much was clear) and when my feet were getting cold I threw caution to the wind and grabbed a blanket.

"Do you want a blanket?" I asked. He answered enthusiastically. And with one deft motion grabbed one end of the blanket to pull to his side with one arm and pulled me into him with the other. Not long after that he put his other arm around me and over my hand.

And so I found myself watching pixar in the arms of one BC.

Shortly after he left he sent me the following text:

1. If you walk out your front door and look to the right, you'll see Orion at the end of your street.
2. You rock.

Love
kt

*Melville is the name of a home I shared with the aforementioned roommates for 2 years.

Our First Date: Citrus Chiffon Cake

[An email sent on 16 October 2009] previous installment here.

High quality sifting by Bruce.

Yesterday I left work early to mop the kitchen floor & vacuum. I showered, put on eye-makeup, and wore a green v-neck with a jewel green cardigan and my strawberry necklace. I was barefoot. When Bruce arrived I had just finished flat-ironing my hair and I was on the phone with Strawbs. Bruce arrived with the following:

• a carton of orange juice
• 2 navel oranges
• 2 lemons
• 1 baguette
• 2 ears of corn
• 2 pints of strawberries

Bruce wore argyle socks and showed me how to prepare corn on the cob using his grandpa's method - the microwave. He had to redo the saran wrap I put on my corn because I didn't do it right ("I should have told you," he said). He glibly suggested we put cajun seasoning on the corn if we had it - which of course we did - and proceeded to eat the corn, hulled strawberries, and baguette with strawberry jam.

After dinner we baked the citrus chiffon cake (which, Bruce informed me, is pronounced 'chiFFAW'). Bruce zealously grated the zest and I sifted the wheat. There were moments of hovering on both sides that were really, really great. Just general closeness.

Finally, we put the cake in the oven and made the citrus syrup. That was especially fun because the syrup was the color of Bruce's hair. We took turns stirring it over the oven and while we prepared it Margie and Steph came home and came to visit us in the kitchen. It was so fun to have them there and there was lots of laughing and general merriment. The kitchen smelled delicious and Margie used her finger to eat the cake batter we saved her in a very small yellow bowl.

We were supposed to wait for the cake and syrup to cool entirely, but we didn't want to wait, so we decided to cool the syrup in the sink by placing it in ice water. That, my friends, is a two person job. Holding the pan steady and stirring it. And not a lot of space, but it is MOST DEFINITELY a two person job. Or, I should say, it's more fun with two people.

And then Bruce had his moment to sift the sugar on the cake. And we got out my white china plates and we all sat down to eat our cake. Steph took the first bite and simply laughed with delight. Margie started dipping her cake in milk, then pouring the syrup in her milk. Then asking shyly for another piece.

Bruce and I did the dishes together and then he took about half of the remaining cake & syrup home.

And last night I sent Bruce a series of pictures I took on my iphone (including the one I sent you), to which he responded:

Mmm... so delicious.
I think that might have been the best date I've been on all year—and it wasn't just the cake. :)

love

kt

Dow Wilson's Meddling

 [An email sent to past roommates on 14 October 2009] Previous installment here.

Dears. I had a splendid time at the camp out. It was lovely. MH was charming and the weather was fine.

I carpooled with Scott R and Bruce C and spent most of my weekend with Bruce. We went on the 10.5 mile long hike, during which Tim H delighted us all. Tim H! What a joy! I never knew. So great.

The group on the 10.5 mile hike.
Bruce is (of course) the one jumping in the background.

Saturday night at dinner, Bishop Dow Wilson (newly released*, as you know) was teasing in a rollicking fashion. He put his right arm around me and said, 'Bruce, this is a good woman.' Then he proceeded to put his left arm around Bruce and said, 'Karren, this is a good man.' Looking at Bruce, 'Bruce, have you ever taken this woman out on a date? Now that I'm released I can say whatever I want.' Bruce replied with a twinkle, 'Oh I'm planning on it.' They looked at me expectantly, and so I blushed and said, 'Well, I do love redheads...!'**

We then proceeded to the skit night and then to stargazing. At stargazing I was rather freezing and so after laying on our backs to look at Cassiopeia, et al, we all rolled onto our bellies to look at the Zodiac. I was still freezing and shivering and Bruce put his arm around me. I was surprised, but it was really, really great. It was just lovely to be at the top of this hill, in the public anonymity of the night, looking at the stars with a boy who loves rockets.

He put his arm around me during Sacrament meeting*** again (as MH and Dan C have noted since), and Monday night I received the following text:

Bruce: Hi kt! Did you make it to Arizona?
Karren: I did :) i made it in just before noon. How is it being back in the office?
Bruce: Just fine, but not as good as camping.
Bruce: So, I was thinking now that we have the official Dow Wilson stamp of approval, maybe we should plan a date.
Karren: Haha yes that was awesome! What are you thinking?
Bruce: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs sometime this week(end)? Or we could go on a little orange chiffon cake-making adventure.
Karren: Those both sound fabulous - I vote cake baking !! (!!)

And then last night we talked after tutoring at the institute and rather awkwardly (think cute-awkward) discussed a date/time. We talked later on the phone (less awkwardly) and the date is fixed for Thursday at 6pm.

Context: Once during home teaching I made devilled eggs for my home teachers (reminder: Bruce is one of my home teachers). They were appalled that my giant cookbook has no pictures. I was appalled that they thought pictures necessary and insisted on reading the Citrus Chiffon Cake recipe to them to prove that the words would paint a better picture of the possibilities.

I love you all. All.

kt

*In Mormon vernacular, one is called to and released from callings (e.g. Bishop, sunday school teacher, organist).
**I should note here that Dow Wilson is himself famously a redhead. As is his wife. And all 7 of his children.
***Sacrament Meeting is the main worship service on Sundays during which we partake of the Sacrament (similar to communion). 


Next installment here.

A growing fondness

Previous installment here.

When Bruce and I went running at the Baylands, I was surprised by how easy it was to talk to him. When we were alone together, he spoke more openly and was not as reserved as he was in our monthly home teaching visits.

I was very pleased when later that same week I got a text from him: "Been running lately?" I felt that I wasn't just a home teaching 'duty' and that he had also enjoyed our time together.

And so we went running that next Friday instead of going to the Mid-Singles (30+) conference. He ended up coming over to my house after our run and watched a movie with me. After the movie ended, we talked and talked into the wee hours of the morning.

That night when he left, I wondered why he had stayed so late talking to me. I wondered if he was even slightly interested in me. And then of course I wondered if I was even a little interested in him. My mind couldn't quite put us together, but I liked him. I felt rather fond of him, even. I decided that I would continue to spend time with him and not create a forced crush. That meant NOT talking to my girlfriends about him.

Even though I knew better than to talk to my friends about him, I just liked him a lot. So the following (abridged) gchat with my former roommate RM was, I suppose, inevitable.

She was already engaged to marry a redhead, so the segue was simple: I confided that I was, "rather fond of a red-head myself -- and rather fond is about its level."


gchat excerpt from 28 September 2009:

RM: 
why are you fond of bruce?
btw
his hair is not red
it defies color definition
it's like.....
orange
yellow
red
blue
green

me:
yeah
it's awesome
well we run together twice weekly
and I am just rather fond of him
that is all.

RM: 
oh yeah
is he fond of you?

me: 
oh, I think so.
we hug often
and we hung out the wknd of mid-singles conference
and he stayed until 2:15am talking with me
but I think it is simply mutual fondness
but I just find that I really look forward to seeing him
I had been wanting to tell someone but there isn't anything to tell
and I am okay with that, too
I mean I don't have anything I am driving towards
if that makes sense
in my head
or heart
no experiments

RM:
yeah
that makes sense
just growing fondness/attachment
sometimes that's a lovely way to go /feel

me: 
yes, it is good to have a friend
and I know he is my friend. so that is a great thing to me.

I think that my decision to just "wait and see" was possible because I had wiped my slate free, so to speak. In previous months or years, I think I would have just made a decision immediately and either have fed a premature crush or just blown him off. It was very pleasant - and refreshing - to have a simple affection for my new friend with, of course, just the tiniest bit of curiosity. :)

Next installment here.

Unstructured Time

One of the things on my mind quite a bit summer of 2009 was how to have more unstructured time in my life.

I had been working long hours, traveling for business, teaching a summer institute course (including writing my own lesson plans), teaching gospel doctrine, and tutoring. I had finished my third move for the year and had just returned from a trip to Europe. I was burned out.

I have always struggled with giving myself alone time and not over-committing myself. I have also always struggled with exercising regularly. I felt that perhaps these two things were connected. I wasn't prioritizing exercise enough because I was crowding it out with other things.

I remembered a church conference address that had given counsel to parents to not structure their kids' schedules too much and I realized that if I couldn't do that for myself now, then I couldn't expect to do it for my (theoretical) kids.

I spent much of the summer trying to change and found it extremely challenging. I decided I had to retrench socially to get my life in order. Many of my friends were concerned that I wasn't prioritizing my social life (I was, after all 27!) but I knew that I needed to slow myself down. I felt good about skipping social activities to attend my yoga class and go to bed early.

In August, when my home teachers asked me if they could do anything to help me, I confided that I was struggling to find a way to run regularly. I told them I had always struggled with making time to exercise - and now I was concerned because it was starting to get dark and that was just another barrier to overcome.

My home teacher Nathan suggested that I just do what I could each day - even if it's just a 5 minute walk or jog. My home teacher Bruce, the quieter of the two, offered to run with me.

I was pleased with both of their answers - and promptly accepted Bruce's offer to go running together. We ran the next evening in the baylands.

--------

Postscripts

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Bruce's motives
I felt instinctively that Bruce's offer to run with me was not an attempt to pursue me, but just a way to help me and at the same time be more physically active himself. I felt that and so I trusted him. I had never run with a man before (nor had any desire to), but I felt at ease with him.

(By the way, Bruce confirmed later that he really did just want to run to help in his training to hike Mt. Rainier. HA! I was right!)

How this changed me
I know I would not have had time for a relationship prior to giving myself more unstructured time. I might have made formal dates a priority, but I simply would have been too busy for the casual shared time that is required to build the friendship that should be the foundation of any strong relationship.

Next installment here.

Tabula Rasa

I've been thinking about the past year and a half - already so many of my memories of my and Bruce's dating, courtship, and engagement are starting to fade. I've decided to blog about what I learned from those experiences to document them. If along the way any of you few, but beloved, readers have questions, feel free to post them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them.

Dating Bruce was easy, natural, and simple, but it also required a lot of change on my part. I had no idea of this up front, of course, and some of the changes took place before we even started dating.

For instance, in the spring of 2009 I felt very strongly that I needed to either walk through or close the "open doors" I had with various men in my life. I felt this so strongly that I went through a process of taking steps to walk through those open doors -- and each time I approached each one, either something in my heart or something I observed in him closed it for me.

It wasn't easy, but opportunities arrived. I saw some of my ex-boyfriends who were still single, spent time with some with whom the timing had never been right. In all of the cases, I consciously felt that I wasn't interested and neither were they. I let those "possibilities" go and by the time Bruce and I were spending time together in September, my heart was a blank slate, and as a result, I think, ready.

Wedding Pictures

We just got our pictures posted. Check them out here.

Guess what

I'm getting married on Saturday

(!!)

After approximate 7 weeks of stress my week of giddiness has arrived!

pics to follow later....

oh, by the way...

Bruce and I are getting married in October!

January 2010, Santa Barbara, California

Kind of a big deal

Yes, I am cheating and back-dating these posts. Give me a break! I have had a lot on my mind!

Why?

Because on Monday, February 22nd I gave notice at my current job and I am starting a new job on Monday, March 15th!

I'm so excited, but making the decision was an agonizing process. (AGONIZING).

I'm extremely happy with this decision, the 2 weeks off I have between the jobs, and my ridiculously wonderful boyfriend. life. is. good. (!!)

Miss me?

Dear Reader,

I haven't forgotten you, I've just been shy. I have remembered how fortune favors the bold, however, and so I've returned. Truly a Thanksgiving miracle!

Here is what I've been occupied with:
1. work (ho hum)
2. traveling an inordinate amount (this has now halted for the present)
3. cooking/baking quite a lot
4. cuddling my nephews
5. running/falling in love

More to come on all of the above! Firstly, lets celebrate the fact that the man of my affections returns today and also that my baby brother Stu returns for Thanksgiving on Saturday. How spectacular!

Let's also note what I am making for Thanksgiving:
- Layered jello (see picture below)
- Chocolate Cream Pie

I'll be sure to take pictures and post recipes!

love
kt

KT loves the Temple

For those of you who don't know, I work / volunteer at my church's temple in Oakland on Wednesdays (4pm-10pm shift). You can learn more about why we build and worship at temples here (and why I love to work there!):

Best Things about Memorial Day Weekend

• delicious BBQ pork loin sandwich at Boston Blackies
• watermelon-strawberry frescas
• seeing U of Chicago campus
• the sass (don't take that out of context)
• walking along Lake Michigan
• being with T every single day =)

go big or go home

So, I'm starting the year afresh (yes, I know it's practically June), but I'm feeling rejuvenated, and so it's time for a new motto!

Just a few ways I'm going big:
- golfing
- work
- missionary work
- dating

A weekend for the Ages

So this last weekend was, in the words of a good friend of mine,

epic

(to say the least.)

1. My friend Christina came into town to visit - we did some sightseeing in San Francisco and we saw Spiderman 3. This is me outside of the theatre, trying to steal Homer's movie candie... without success...
2. Saturday, I got my hair cut. Yes, I know, I'm kind of a big deal.
3. Sunday, I became officially single again :) ... :( .... :)

All this was just the preamble to my aunt-dom, which began on Tuesday!!!

sorry for the lull

I've been OH-SO pleasantly distracted :)

Birthday Waffles!

Come to my birthday party!!

On Saturday 10 February I threw a birthday waffle party - for myself.

The original was 4 years ago when I received a heart waffle iron from my mother for my birthday. It was a Wednesday night at BYU and my friend stopped by between 7 and 9 to eat waffles. My friend Natalie brought her mother's kitchen aid and buttermilk waffle recipe and we had some extra waffle irons - it was very memorable and I had thought about doing it again.

I decided 2007 is my year and it was time to do it again - but I decided to go big or go home. I bought 25 lbs of flour from Costco, five dozen eggs, and had 4 waffle irons cooking. We decorated the dining room with purple, red, and yellow streamers and the living room was full of 20 bright balloons. (ask me later about the balloons... there's a great story there.) I invited way too many people, but in the end they all fit in our house fine:

Some of my friends hijacked the kitchen so that I could mingle. They set up a pretty streamlined machine. Jes (not pictured), Jenna, and Tanya were major producers. (Note: the heart shaped waffle iron in the middle is mine):
Brad was also a big deal in the kitchen. He brought a retro/antique heart waffle iron that works on the stove (lessened risk of blowing a fuse) AND (like the balloons) it has a great story. He also issued special edition waffles by signing the paper plates (Note: that is my pink apron):

We had a plethora of toppings available: strawberries, bananas, nutella, jam, peanut butter, whipped cream, and, of course, gallons of maple syrup.

Even the guest list was big: my best friend from BYU Dave flew in from Arizona. My cousin Steve flew in from Seattle, and I timed it so that one of my best friends from DC Jocelyn would be there. My cousin Steve even volunteered to be the party photographer, which is why these pictures are so incredibly awesome. You can see the full set here.

The beautiful part of the party was not the waffles (although, as you can see, they were very beautiful):
But it was that I could see so many of my friends come together. I particularly enjoyed introducing them to each other. My family also came and I was delighted that they could meet so many of my friends.

Here are three people I love: my dad, my older sister Laura (beautiful at 6 months pregnant), and Dave. As you can see from their faces, waffles really do make the world a better place!
I wish you all could have been there!

AMAZING!

That's what my world looks like right now. With or without the glasses.