K-I-S-S-I-N-G & I Love You's

Well people, it is the 10th of September. You know what this means.... (Actually you don't, and if you did I would be pretty freaked out...) This means that Kyler and I have been OFFICIALLY dating for 4 months! (Yes, I am that girl.) Okay, yep that's not very long. But those of you who know us have known that we have been doing this love dance for over a year now... ANYWAY! We used May 10th as our official date because that is the day we had our first kiss! ...Well...the day I punched him in the mouth with my mouth that turned into a kiss.
Interested? Good. Cause here is the story.

Once upon a time, I had had the worst day in the history of the world. I was already having such a hard time with some situations that I had been going through and some major changes in my life, and this day just flat out sucked. I was at my friend's pageant until about 9:00 that night and I was texting Kyler the whole time. I told him that I was having a bad day. He told me to not worry and that when I was finished he would come and pick me up and he would take me on a treasure hunt. Sweetest thing ever, right? Now, keep in mind that we were not dating at the time. We had held hands, and we both knew we loved each other, but we didn't really know where this thing we had was going.
Needless to say, I couldn't wait to see this guy. The pageant ended, and I got home only to put on some warm clothes and meet him at the door. :) He hugged me, and said "Hey, let's go have some fun!" He explained in the car that we were to find "The Treasure Of Ultimate Cuteness". I had no idea what that meant. I didn't know if he had planted a treasure, or if he was just trying to take me on a walk to make me smile and feel happier. Heck, I didn't care what it was, being in his presence made me the happiest little girl in the whole entire world.
We drove up to a random spot and parked. He told me to pull out the treasure map from his bag and tell us where to go! I was so confused. Like what?... Anyway, he grabbed my hand and lead me to a trail to hike up. We passed the twin caves, and many more "landmarks" that he named himself. We had made it to the destination of a beautiful waterfall. He turned on his flashlight and told me to hurry and look around for the treasure! I had NO IDEA what on earth I was searching for. After about 5 minutes of wandering aimlessly being timid and not knowing what I was doing, I saw a little soggy box hidden under a pile of rocks. "You found it, Heather, we did it!" he said. (Why is he so adorable tho?) we opened it up and I found things in the box including a set of tiny Uno cards, the teensiest little Tabasco bottle in the world, an itty bitty baby shot gun, and so many more cute mini things! I was dying. Those of you who know me know that I have heart attacks when I see cute tiny things. Taped to the lid of the box decorated in poinsettias and mud was a note that read, "Out of all the cutest things in this world, Heather Marie Woodcox is the very cutest!!!"... But I didn't discover that adorable note until about a month and a half after...
After we basked in the glory of the "Treasure of Ultimate Cuteness", we found a flat spot on the ground and laid down together with blanket he came prepared with. Nervously, I grabbed his arm began to cuddle up next to him. We laid there and talked and stared up at the bright stars and the tiny sliver of a moon. This whole laying on the ground with our faces inches away from each other became a reoccurring thing, and it was getting cutely annoying that we hadn't kissed yet. Now, I knew he wasn't going to make the first move because he knew that I had a boyfriend on a mission, and he didn't want to start anything with me unless I was totally sure that it was a good idea. I was so nervous but guess what. I WANTED TO KISS HIM SO BAD. I mean, COME ON. His mouth was RIGHT there, inches away from mine. Our gaze kept switching from the sky, to each other's eyes. It became silent. I asked what he was thinking. He said "I just really love this moment. I love being here with you." Yep, melted. He then asked, "What are you thinking?" I hesitated for a little bit and said "...You sure you wanna know?" He responded with yes. I hesitated again, and got up the courage to say, "I really want to kiss you right now." I took a deep breath because that was super hard for me to get that out of my mouth because I was so nervous. I thought he would kiss me. I have never been so nervous!
"Oh."

OH? OHHH?!?!?! THAT'S IT? He said "Oh.", smiled, and turned his gaze back to the stars. Excuse me, but if that wasn't asking for a kiss from you, I don't know what was. I felt really stupid. I then turned and looked up and the stars. "Yep." I said. After another pause, he said, "I want to kiss you too." THAT TOOK FOREVER! But STILL he didn't make a move or anything after. He just laid there starring into the stars. WHAT WAS THE DEAL! I didn't get it at the time, but he was actually trying extremely hard to respect me and holding himself back.
All of the sudden, we were rudely interrupted by the rustling of bushes and voices of teenage boys. We sat up to see them, and they responded "OH MAN, I'm so sorry guys. You can continue, don't mind us. Sorry to ruin your moment." Guys, for real? Well, we became very uncomfortable after they started lighting up their Pot. Awesome. So we just laughed at the strange situation, and started walking back down the mountain.
I wasn't too butt-hurt about the "Oh" comment. I knew now that he wasn't going to pull a move until I did first. He later told me that he was terrified because then next day I would talk to my missionary over Skype for Mother's Day and he didn't want to make things more complicated for me. Hence, the 2 "oh's" and hesitations. What a respectful man. I loved him even more.
We continued talking and headed down the mountain. When we got in the car, it was about midnight. I didn't want to go home yet. I didn't want to leave him just yet. We sat in the car and talked. We played "The Question Game" where one of us asks a question about the other person, and they respond, but then the person who asked the question has to respond with THEIR answer for that same question. We played that for a while and got into some deep stuff. That made me love him more. Could he be anymore irresistible? Clearly he couldn't, because we found ourselves in that silent situation again. He asked "What are you thinking?" I hesitated again and giggled. Well, I was gonna be honest! "I just.... really really want to kiss you."
"Oh."

"Oh" again, huh? Well, must be time to take matters into my own hands.
I could tell he was thinking of saying something, but I knew that if I didn't do this now, I never would. Here goes nothing!!
I LUNGED out of my seat and smacked his mouth with my mouth. He wasn't kissing me back.... What in the world? Well, maybe if you just keep kissing him he will kiss you back. Just keep kissing him.
I was correct. He did kiss me back. :) We kissed, and I didn't know until this very night that fireworks really were a thing that happened when you are kissing the love of your life. I believed in a spark, but some people believe that a first kiss will tell them everything they need to know about a relationship. I wasn't so sure about that, but now I am. The fireworks that were felt when my lips touched his were unexplainable.
When I pulled away, I backed up and said "....Sorry..."
He was just so surprised. I will never forget that face. He laughed and said "Don't be sorry........wow........" This was bliss. We were both smiling so big. This had finally happened.
I sat there staring at his smile and I knew that everything was okay.
"You realize this is going to make things a lot more complicated, right?" he said.
"Yep....." I said quietly, and we both giggled. He grabbed my face delicately, and pulled it to him slowly and kissed me more. (Boy, is he a good kisser...)
He pulled away and said, "I don't really know if this is okay to say right now, but Heather I have waited so long to say it. I love you, Heather Woodcox. I'm sure I do. ...You don't have to say it back, I know things are complicated, but I love you, and you need to know that. I have loved you for the longest time. I love you!
It was like the love in that car was tangible. I could almost physically touch it. It was the most romantic moment I have ever experienced, I wished I could stay there forever with him.

And the rest of that night was history. We drove home, and listened to "On Top Of The World" by Imagine Dragons on repeat and said it perfectly described that situation. :)

Kyler is the love of my life and my soul mate. Every time we kiss, those fireworks are still there and sometimes ever more are there! Every kiss is still as thrilling as the first time, and I wouldn't change a single thing.

I love you, Kyler.

{Feeling Crafty} Canvas Quote Project

Now that I have given this awesome present to him, I can now POST about it!!

For Kyler's Birthday, I gave him some lovely pearl cuff links that he pulls off like a CHAMP. (How did I get so lucky to get someone with such an amazing personality AND dashing good looks??) The cuff links match the pearl necklace he gave me for my birthday last month. :)
ANYWAY, along with those, I gave him this lovely canvas that I made for him!

Sorry the pictures aren't super awesome...

Since the beginning of our relationship, I started saying to him "You are my favorite human being." I think he always thought it was just a weird way to say it like that, but I always liked it because it was different. I guess it grew on him, and he one day said it back to me. So it has just been this saying that we use. :)

So, there's the back story. NOW FOR THE TUTORIAL!


Supplies

- White canvas
- Reusable letter stencils
- 2 foam brushes
- Decoupage glue
- Paint in the color of your choice
- White paint (optional)
- thin paint brush (optional)




STEP ONE:
Lay out the letters on your canvas to make sure they fit. Nothing worse than starting to glue on your stencils realizing there isn't enough room for all the words!

STEP TWO:

Remove some of the letters, and spread a thin layer of decoupage glue over the whole surface. Then press the letters onto the surface. Since I was starting from the right side, I had to press on the letters backwards. (Don't mess up!) I also found that it is easier if you spread the glue only in the place where you are placing the letter currently, since the glue dries so quickly.

Finish gluing. Very little drying time is needed.

STEP THREE:

Begin painting! I started painting the area with no letters first to allow a little more time to dry, but you can paint really anywhere. I don't have a picture of this, but just paint right on over the stencils! It actually looks awesome...

Let the paint dry, and paint multiple coats if desired. I painted two.

STEP FOUR:
After it has dried all the way, used a tack or some tweezers to peel up the letters. You don't want to peel up the paint at the same time, so be very careful.

It should look something like this:

After all the letters are peeled, this is what it should look like! 

STEP FIVE (optional):

I don't have pictures of this final OPTIONAL step, but there were a few spots where the blue paint had gotten underneath the stencils. I just took the white paint, and a skinny paint brush, and painted inside the letters that needed it so they all looked white and correct. 

AND THAT IS HOW IT'S DONE!

Thanks for reading, and HAPPY CRAFTING! :)

Heather and Kyler

I love this man more than anything.

The Answer is "Yes"

Well hey there!

I have been asked lots of questions about my life lately. And when I say lots, I mean LOTS. 

The answer to all of them is "Yes."

I am dating "this Kyler guy" as he is commonly referred to (even though he is much more than that). I have gotten many judgmental comments, and messages, and I am quite surprised with a lot of my "friends" to be quite honest. I'm not going to tell the whole story, but before you jump to the conclusion that I have left my missionary, Tony, or that I am cheating on him with someone else, or even that I'm just lonely and I just need to have attention, keep in mind that maybe it's not entirely my fault or decision.

Lately, I have felt that so many of you have viewed me and a terrible person for "messing up his mission" or "distracting him", but have you ever thought that it's just as hard, if not HARDER for me than it is for him?

Anyway, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that, with ANYTHING, jumping to conclusions about someone can be very hurtful. Everyone does it, it doesn't make you horrible. Heck, even I catch myself doing it. We are human and it's just how we work. I have been hurting so bad about the situation with Tony, but I decided I wanted to stop keeping mine and Kyler's relationship a secret, so we went "Facebook Official" (haha;) for lack of a better phrase... and I got SO many great comments like "Finally!" or "You two are very cute! I'm so happy that you are happy!" or even "It makes me happy that you are doing what makes you happy, even when it's probably really hard." I can't tell you how relieved that made me feel. But it was the comments like "What about Tony?" or "You're screwing with his mission." or even a few choice swear words directed toward me, that's made me laugh. I laughed and tried to not let them get to me because I knew that this would happen from the beginning. I was prepared. But I can only do that to an extent. Those of you who REALLY know me know how hard it is for me to hurt people, and how hard it is for me to be hurt by someone that I love the most. If you know me, you should know that I don't take this lightly, and I wouldn't throw away something so wonderful for something temporary. It's those people that I really should care about.

I would like to thank EVERYONE who is supportive or even if you aren't supportive, those who were still kind about it. I would like to tell everyone who keeps up the messages and comments that are hurtful to please consider thinking about all of the possibilities that are going on before you jump to conclusions about a situation, or a person.

We all have our trials, we all deal with them differently, and I know without a doubt that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing right now. That's what is happening, so now you know.

"Yes." 

There is my answer to all of you. :) And I am truly happy with the situation because I am trusting in The Lord and His plan for me. I have no idea what is going to happen in the long run, but I do know that He always knows what I should do better than I ever will. 

One year ago when we were "chickacritt".

And then we went on an adventure and attempted to fish with a homemade fishing pole.
(As you can see, it was unsuccessful.)

This Memorial Day weekend in Moab.

Rainy Day Playlist

It has been so cloudy lately, and I really LOVE rain, but when it's just cloudy, I just feel so sad. I have wanted to make a playlist of songs I can listen to on gloomy days that won't make me depressed, and I wanted to share a few of my absolute favorites! So if you are also seeking songs that fit the rainy mood, but won't make you want to crawl into a hole and wallow in your grief, here are 20 of the best ones! :)

1. "Stop This Train" - John Mayer
2. "By The Grace Of God" - Katy Perry
3. "Wonderful" - Gary Go
4. "3x5" - John Mayer
(Pretty much any song by John Mayer...)
5. "Love Me" - Katy Perry
6. "Crazy Love" - Mindy Gledhill
7. "All The Pennies" Mindy Gledhill
8. "Crack the Shutters" - Snow Patrol
9. "Snails" - The Format
10. "Slow Love" - Michael Alvarado
11. "Underdog" - Imagine Dragons
12. "You & Me" - Dave Matthews Band
13. "Sweet Love" - Megan Joy
14. "Stolen" - Dashboard Confessional
15. "Lost Year" - Mute Math
16. "King And Lionheart" - Of Monsters and Men
17. "No Matter Where You Are" - Us
18. "The Heart of Life" - John Mayer  (a personal favorite)
19. "The First Single (You Know Me)" - The Format
20. "Closer To Love" - Matt Kearney

And there you have it! 1 hour and 19 minutes of pure goodness for that dull, cloudy day of yours.
Spotify Users!! I am on Spotify, and you can have access to this playlist on my account by clicking HERE. Listen to this playlist at home, or on the go with your mobile device!

I hope this makes your dreary days a little more sunny and bright. :) Enjoy!!

Yours Truly,

Heather

Jumbled Thoughts: No Regrets

Well, here I am! I'm alive and kicking! I have been having a little bit of a blogging rut, and haven't known what to write. Heck, I STILL don't know what to write! But here I am, plastering some words onto your screen.
My favorite songs this week have been "What Now" by Rihanna, "Cheer Up!" by A Great Big World, "Magic" by Coldplay, and "Hold On" by Colbie Caillet.  Can you say "emotional roller coaster"?
My best friend, Zoey, left on her mission on Wednesday, and I have made it almost a whole WEEK without my other half! Surprising, right? I would not have been able to do this without my OTHER best friend, Sydney, and without my friend Cassidy, AND without my parents, for sure. Those people are my rock. I have had so much drama lately, that if you were to crack open my brain and take a look at my thoughts, it would look like this:

Cool, yeah?
This week was filled with happiness, depression, anxiety, excitement, confusion, and every other emotion that one could ever feel, and after all of that, I do not regret one single thing. Crazy, right? Every day this week, (maybe even every hour!) I have said something along the lines of, "I shouldn't have done that." or "Why did I just do that?" And then proceed to beat myself up. Guess what. I am done! I don't regret anything! Everything that has happened this week has happened for a reason. I am stronger because of it. At the moment, I don't feel so strong...in fact, I feel very weak and vulnerable...but I have faith that I will be so much stronger in the long run. I remembered why I do the things I do. I doubted myself. I doubted my feelings, I doubted my words, I literally doubted almost everything. I felt embarrassed and stupid about some things that had happened, and that they had happened because of stupid decisions I have made, but I now know that our Father in Heaven has given us free agency. He wants us to CHOOSE! He has a plan for us. And according to our choices, that plan changes. But there is ALWAYS a plan B for us. He gives us this life to make mistakes. He gives us this life to be stupid! (Not to be taken in the ways of YOLO.) Because how else would we learn what to do without being completely idiotic? ;) Trial and error, right? I would not be where I am right now if I hadn't said the things I said, or done the things I had done this week, good or bad! Sure, I still don't feel totally great about them, but I know that I have made my choice and there is no going back. I will never regret something that made me smile. When you live with regrets, you are living in the past.
Don't look back with regret, look forward with hope.


"We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future."
-Steve Maraboli

Yours Truly,

Heather

Become as a Little Child

One day, I was walking around Downtown Park City, Utah with my best friend, Zoey. We were wandering around all over the strip mall, and I noticed that there was a big building that, in huge letters, read "FAMILY TREE CENTER". I was ECSTATIC! Being a missionary for the FamilySearch Library in Riverton, Utah, I was so elated to see this tiny little building woven into all of the little shops of downtown. I told Zoey that we HAD to go inside. We went into the center, and were greeted by a sister missionary. She introduced herself, got to know us a little, and asked if she could give us a short tour. Of course I said yes! We were introduced to different paintings on the wall, and a massive tree that was"growing" inside the building, with its branched intertwined with the things in the room. (Like so...)

We spent a few minutes at each spot in the room and learned a little bit about each thing. We then came to a painting that I had seen many times before. In fact, if you are "Mormon" (or religious in any way), I am almost positive you have seen this painting before. It is titled "Christ and the Children" by Harry Anderson.

I had never paid too much attention to this painting before. I have always really liked it, but it wasn't my favorite. I always liked the religious paintings that were more majestic looking, for some reason. I looked at this photo expecting the sister to tell me something along the lines of  "Christ loves everyone, but he always calls upon the children to see first." I had heard that many times, and I know that Christ loved children, which is very tender to me. But what that sister missionary said definitely changed my perspective on this painting. She told us what I expected her to, that Christ loves the children, but then she also pointed out something that I had never noticed before. There are children in the front that are all happy to see Christ, but in the background, there are adults just looking at Him. Maybe they are thinking it is strange that the children love him so much, maybe they are longing to be near him as well... Whatever they may be thinking, each one of those people have something in front of them, holding them back, if you will. (The woman with the vase, the men with the donkeys.) Whereas, the children have Jesus Christ as the first thing before them. For example, the little girl with the vase behind her, and Jesus in front of her. In Mark 10:14-16, it reads, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." We must become as a little child in order to enter into Christ's presence. How do we become as a little child? Children are innocent. Children are have a willingness to learn. Children are humble. Children are accepting, and full of love.

I know that if we have a desire to one day be in the presence of our God, and to feel His presence around us even today, that we must try our best to become as a little child. It is easy to have anger outweigh the love you have for someone. It is easy to be stubborn, and not want to learn. It is easy to judge people by their appearance and past experiences. Jesus Christ and our loving Heavenly Father do not want this from us. In Mosiah 3:19, it says, "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

Become as a little child. I promise you, to be in the presence of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is incomprehensibly wonderful. It is true when everyone says that we are to be examples to the children around us, but more importantly, we must let those little ones be an example to us.

(Jean A. Stevens, the First Counselor in the LDS Primary General Presidency, gave an AMAZING talk titled "Become as a Little Child". If you have the time, read it!)

Just a little smile:

Here are a few photos of my most favorite kiddos in the whole world! :)

Yours truly,

Heather