Distance makes the heart grow fonder...

It's only been a couple days since my last post, but I am incredibly lonely and sad without Jared here. We had an amazing weekend which included a double date where we cooked delicious pizza and played games. It was nice to relax and have fun conversation with friends who helped us to unwind from this past week. After Jer left to go back home I could only think of how much I wanted him here with me, and for him to comfort me as I prepared for a test. Thank goodness I got it together, studied with the help of my roomie Whit, and got a 90% on my test!

As many of our friends who were in close contact with us before we got engaged know, Jared and I's deal was we couldn't get engaged until we read the entire Book of Mormon together. We finished just a few weeks before he proposed, but have since decided that we want to always be reading the scriptures together as a couple. So we have now started into the New Testament which I'm excited will enrich our testimonies, and help prepare me to enter the temple. "It is an outward indication of an inner feeling that we have for Him. We should always remember that it is by His invitation that we come to His holy house, the temple of the Lord. We should respond to His invitation by being worthy, by being prepared, and by having the temple as a priority in our lives" (Lionel Kendrick, Enhancing Our Temple Experience).

Because engagement is a time of preparation for the life you will have together, Jared and I have started going through a marital question book. It sounds cheesy, but so far they are really good conversation invoking questions! Ha! I used to make fun of the people who did the questionnaires, but hey if you can't beat them; join them!

Here are some pictures of the book itself! It was recommended by a friend who is now married. Thank you Ren Wakefield!
























(honestly the book sits on my desk in between weekends just collecting dust. But we're getting better! It will help a ton once we're both down with semester.)

I hope that with dedication to honestly answering the questions asked and doing everything we can to find out all the smallest details about each other, then we hopefully will not be surprised by many differences of preference in marriage!

I seriously have loved this semester! Between my marriage prep class, and my mission prep class I have so much good information and critical advice at my fingertips I'm feeling rather prepared to get married! One thing that my mission prep teacher, Professor Bott suggested, was that while on your honeymoon (in marriage or with a new mission companion) you should hold a companionship inventory and make it a habit in your relationship. I brought this up with Jared, and thank goodness he knew what I was talking about because I sounded crazy while trying to describe it! We agreed that this is something of importance, and I'm sure it will help our communication as we try to better ourselves as a couple. Hopefully as I learn new things, I will be able to discuss them with Jer so we can be more prepared for life married! The next three months could not go fast enough, even though there is still a lot of details and planning left to do!

I didn't post these but here is a really fun thing that Jared and I did a couple weeks ago. We went to Color Me Mine (my childhood love) and painted a platter. Between taking turns and playfully arguing over whose team was better, I think we're ready for a test of patience. Or maybe that was our test of patience...oh well.


          
(This is the non-fired, freshly finished being painted picture)

We had a BLAST doing this and would recommend it to anyone who needs some serious stress relief. Although I think it may have caused more trying to out-do each other on our side of the masterpiece! We had a blast doing this, and I can't wait to make matching mugs, or plates or something! The world will know there is such a thing as a successful inter-marital holy war couple!!!