I want to eat at Wonderful restaurants, and listen to Wonderful music

Last night after my wonderfully inspiring dentists appointment (my teeth were the recipients of high praise. The DDS said he wished his teeth looked like mine *ding*) Matt and I had a little date night. We had a buy one get one coupon for Malawi's Pizza. Yes, Malawi, like the country in Africa. Their deal is that with each meal purchased, they donate a meal to orphans in Malawi. This sort of commercial endeavor is very hip right now. Matt adds, "Toms, Eat your heart out."  The pizza was super delicious but WAY overpriced. We prefer Nicoitalia Pizzeria.

We spent an hour or so walking around the Riverwoods. It's all decorated with Christmas lights and scattered bonfires and a brass band dressed in Victorian gay apparel (like from the song. I'm not jabbing anyone...). We spent 45 minutes in a toy store reminiscing on our childhoods and fantasizing on the childhoods of our children. We want Matt's dad to make us a Rocking Horse (maybe a hint?).

We ended the evening watching An Education. It was better the second time (and it was pretty good the first time) and surprisingly (to me) Matt liked it. We both agree that the man in the film is indescribably creepy.

It was a lovely date night. I really cannot wait to marry Matt.

Indian September

Last September we went to India Fest on our first date -but you know this.

This September during India Fest time I had a breakdown about all my homework so we did not go. No big deal, we stayed in and I calmed down.

On Monday Fiance asked me if I could get all my homework done on Monday for Tuesday so he could take me out on a special date. Well I did.

Last night we rode bikes, in a roundabout way to downtown Provo. It was lovely to ride our bikes fast down the streets in the late-summer evening with the warm wind whipping us. We arrived at India Palace. I LOVE India Palace and I haven't been there in ages! We got Lamb Tikka Masala and Chicken Coconut Korma with garlic Naan bread and Onion Bahjis. So delicious, except the Lamb. I always try to like lamb, because I don't really dislike any foods, but I guess I do not like lamb -or pickles for that matter.

After dinner we rode our bikes back up to BYU campus. Fiance had purchased tickets to see a performance by the foremost sitar player in the world Nishat Khan.

It was awesome. He played, uninterrupted, for a solid hour. No breaks. By the end of it I was in this meditative stupor, but it was also getting late, so we didn't stay for the second hour.

It was a really great date. I love Indian September. Maybe someday we'll get to spend Indian September in INDIA!

12 September

10 September 2009 I decided that I couldn't handle going back to BYU, that I needed to return to London and finish Le Cordon Bleu.

When I was leaving my Intro to Folklore class later that day, some boy walked up to me (and hit me on the arm) and said, "You going to India Fest?" I replied "Maybe, if I don't have to work." He said, "Want to go with me?" Again, "If I don't have to work."

10 minutes later (still talking and me getting annoyed that he hadn't introduced himself yet) I said, "I'm Lana, by the way."

"Oh, I'm Matthew Cole. Nice to meet you."


It was not love.

12 September 2009 we went to India Fest together. 

Thus began the awkward three months of, are we dating? hm, I'm not really interested? Why are we holding hands? Why are we kissing? What's going on? We can't be friends anymore, I'm not going to keep taking you out for nothing. You're my best friend. We're a couple now.

12 September 2010, we're engaged and happy and trying to figure out how to get everything done for the wedding while going to school.


12 September 2010, it's definitely love.

Engaged!

Last night, July 26th Matthew asked me to marry him.

He is leaving for Philmont for 2 weeks and I wont be able to talk to him or see him, or even text him the entire time. He kept telling me he wanted to have one more real date before he left. Yesterday was the day he planned. He kept every detail of the date secret, he likes to do that, but it started to rain and he had to say, if it rains my plans will be ruined. Without further clues I guessed that we were going to go on the lake in paddle boats and have a picnic. He was really disappointed that I guessed it (with frustrating accuracy he says), and he seemed a bit put off. We went to the lake anyway but after waiting a very long time dealing with Alpine Rentals we discovered that the paddle boats were all broken! Someone had some in and trashed them. Poor Matt! All his plans gone awry! 

We sat by the lake and had our picnic anyway. We talked about how lovely the overcast sky was and how it would be nice to live near a body of water. We threw bread to/at the ducks. I told him that I was really sorry that I had ruined his plans by guessing them. He said, "You didn't guess all my plans." I asked him what other plans he had and everything went still and he said, "Lana, will you marry me?" Without even responding, I took the ring from his hand and sobbed on his neck. I managed to choke out 'yes' but mostly I was crying.

 

This ring is perfect. It's rose gold with wheat scrolling on the sides and it's from Provo from around 1900. The diamond is the diamond that Matt's dad used to propose to Matt's mom. It's an antique, it's an heirloom, it fits perfectly, and I love it.

I feel just awful though because earlier that day I had a 'serious' talk with Matt about not taking positive steps forward toward getting engaged. I think I would have made him feel bad if he hadn't had all this in cache. I feel so badly about it now. He loves it because he thinks it's funny, and because it proves that he's sneaky and that I really can't guess all his plans.

I'm in love. It's super weird being engaged. I've wanted this for a long time, but it's very strange being there suddenly. I know we'll be wonderful together. The date is December 21. We'll have a reception in Redding, and a reception in Flower Mound. 

Paul McCartney

 

Yesterday at work someone casually mentioned that Paul McCartney was in Utah and was going to do a show. This was the first I had heard of it and, naturally, I freaked out. I instantly got online and searched for tickets. After two unsuccessful securing of tickets (people told me they were mine and then called back to say they weren't) I got some. I had to drive an hour to West Valley to get them and they were $75. But they were also $85 seats.

Matt, me and 25,000 other lucky persons were tightly packed into the Rio Tinto Stadium barely able to contain our excitement.

 

And there he was. Barely 300 yards from us, Sir Paul McCartney. My heart about stopped. I LOVE Paul McCartney. He's absolutely my favorite Beatle. Plus, I grew up hearing his songs from my brother's late father. Being there was amazing, and I'm sure if Darrell were alive he would have been indescribably jealous.

 

Paul was so great with the audience. He read some of the signs and laughed about them. He read one aloud that said, "Welcome to Utah Paul. Marry us!" He responded, "What? All of you?"

 

He told us that the greatest compliment he ever received as a musician was from Jimi Hendrix when he was doing a show and chose to play The Long and Winding Road. He told us that Hendrix used a lot of slides and back in those days that it would mess up the tuning really badly. During the middle of the show the guitar was way off and Hendrix turned to the audience and asked if Eric Clapton was there and if he would tune the guitar. Clapton was there, and he did tune the guitar for Hendrix. 

:) 

He also dedicated a song to John and everything left unsaid, and a song to Linda for all the lovers in the audience.

 

About halfway through, Paul picked up a ukulele and sang Something as a tribute to George Harrison. Apparently George was a fantastic ukulele player.

 

He commented on the span of generations in the audience (there were certainly a lot of blue hairs) and said to a little girl on her father's shoulders, "Welcome to our grownup concert." But he said it in this silly stuffy Britishy way and it was adorable!

 

You can't tell from this photo, and I couldn't get a better one, but during this song (can't remember which) Obama's face kept appearing in the background of the stage. I thought it was so funny. Not subtle at all :)

 

As you can see I'm in love with Paul. I documented the entire show and reveled in his silly dancing between songs and bouncing while playing. 

During Live and Let Die these spectacular fireworks and flames shot out of the stage. It was awesome. Before he left he ran around the stage with the British and Utah Flags. He did three encores. On the last he said, "I get the feeling that you want to keep on Rocking!" which was met with uproarious assent. Before the last song, (Sgt Peppers) he said "There comes a time when we all have to go home." Met with booing. "And the time when you go home correlates to the time when we go home. You've been great. This is the last song."

It was awesome. I loved every minute of the 3 hours with Paul. What an amazing concert and awesome opportunity. To think, I woke up yesterday with no idea that I would, in several short hours, see my favorite musician live.

4th of July (or Banana Bread French Toast with Pure Kenyan Sugar)

 Here in Provo Independence Day seemed to last the entire weekend because the 4th was on a Sunday. Saturday Matt and I went up to Squaw Peak to watch the fireworks. Luckily we got there several hours early, or we would never have been able to get a spot.

 

While we were up there, I kept hearing someone speak in a British accent. Finally, I mustered up the courage to ask him which part of England he's from. He said, "Reading." I asked if he knew the Perry's then. Looking stunned he said, "I am a Perry." I was so excited. I told him how I knew his little brother David Perry, and his wife said, "Oh you're Lana. Yeah, I remember hearing about you." I was so excited. It's amazing to meet someone half way across the world on top of a mountain who knows someone (let alone is related to someone) I knew well in London!

  Sunday, which was the 4th was fairly uneventful. We all went to church and before we watched our Sunday Documentary, I got to visit with Becky, and then Matt blew up some fireworks. We put bottle rockets down the tube of a broom, and placing the bristles on our shoulders like guns, shot them into the sky. Then we blew up a disgusting tissue box holder sent from Korea. Sorry Sophie, Lauren made me do it. (Though I honestly didn't protest.)

 

Monday was a long day. The parade was going on in the morning. We didn't go see it. But Matt and I tried to navigate threw it to get to a bakery that ended up being closed. So I made Banana Bread French Toast with Pure Kenyan Sugar. It was delicious. It was especially delicious because I didn't have milk, so I had to water down sweetened condensed milk into which I whisked the eggs. 

After Breakfast, we all (which always means Me, Matt, and Lauren) worked on my garden. It now looks beautiful! And then headed to Lauren's grandparents house for a barbecue (which we learned is not actually spelled with a "qu", who knew?). We had hoards of children attacking us. And it was wonderful.

After the Barbecue, we all met up with some other friends to float down the Provo River. I was advised strongly to not take my camera on the river, though, having completed it unscathed, I wish I had.

 

The river was SO COLD! We had a really hard time getting used to it. We had a really great time all in all, even though Lauren claims she hated it. We know we had fun. All of us had fun, except one. She was hurt pretty badly. I felt really awful for her. But she's alright now. 

  

After the river, Matt was craving bucketed chicken. So we had to go to KFC. I can't remember the last time I actually ate there. At the time it tasted really good, but I'm kind of regretting it now. I picked some green beans from my garden, and we made some fries and had a picnic in my living room and watched The Edge.

It was a really good weekend.

Last Tuesday's Special

                                                                                  

By the way... On our way to Salt Lake last Tuesday, stopped innocently at a stoplight, a woman in a huge Trailblazer backed into the passenger side door -where I was sitting. It's been a big to do. We were hit outside the police station but it took them 30 minutes to come outside to help us... The whole situation seems to be taking the same sort of feel. Nothing has happened so far with the claim and the perpetrator wont answer the insurance calls, so we're stuck, until at least Friday, sharing Monty.

 Something great happened Tuesday morning, however. I made this skirt. I took an old dress that was really too short to be allowed and I transformed it into a great high-waisted skirt that I LOVE! I was wearing this dress the first time Matt talked to me. <3

California

This weekend Matt and I roadtripped out to my hometown of Redding, California. Driving out there isn't bad, unless the rental car you secured doesn't have cruise control!

The Sundial Bridge

When we were walking on the river trail with one of my oldest friends, Adrienne, we found a mulberry tree. Some of the berries were too high for us so Matt had to take his shirt off (the berries stain EVERYTHING) and pull down branches for us. Mulberries are so tasty.

Skipping rocks at Brandy Creek.

The area around Whiskeytown Lake is so beautiful. It was especially green from all the rain. I shot so many photos, while we were eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Nor Cal...

My little brother graduated from High School, so some old family friends came to help us celebrate. We had a lot of really delicious foods. Matt couldn't stay away from all the berries. My mom supplied us with a refilling cache of berries. Matt was in heaven.

The day of the graduation it poured all day. We weren't sure how that would go for the walk. But by the time it started the sky was dry and beautiful.

When I'm in Utah, I miss my cat Noni. Matt loves her now too. Especially since she slept with him every night.

Saturday we went to Lake Shasta Caverns with Adrienne and Evan.

The caves were so cool. Photos from my little Cannon just don't do it justice.

Cave Bacon.

Sunday we drove back to Utah. I was unbelievably carsick almost the entire time and poor Matt had to drive a lot. We saw this lovely little gem of an election poster in Lovelock:

She needs a better photographer.


When we arrived in Utah Valley there was the most beautiful lightning storm overhead. I was still too sick to take many shots but I got this one over the Jordan Temple. I couldn't believe how colorful the sky was. I was in awe. And I am very thankful to be home and not in a car anymore.