Engaged!!

That's right, folks. Phil has finally popped the question! For two weeks straight, following finals, he disappeared into secrecy and covert operations. I thought I would see more of him when he was out of school, but alas! We would go into a store and be wondering around, suddenly he would say "Ok, you need to go wait outside now!" Um, okay. So, after two weeks of this type of behavior he finally let me know that he was finished with his project and was ready to ask me. He picked me up after work on Thursday (I got off at 7:45 pm) and we drove to Salt Lake City. He made reservations for us at Tuscany. We arrived a little early and he kept ensuring that the restaurant knew we were there for a special occasion! I was getting a little nervous, but I shouldn't have worried. We order dinner: Me with my Hawaiian Sea Bass. Delicious!! Although, I thought the Hearty Chicken Vegetable Soup may have been even better. (Gasp!) Here is Phil with his Up Scale Meatloaf! That's right, folks. Meatloaf.

When we were done eating Phil came to sit by me and pulled a little wrapped gift out of his pocket. "This is for you, but open it carefully."

I unwrapped a little book . . . as I opened the cover I started to realize that this was a very unique book. Phil had written the story of our dating experience. It was witty and charming. But, not only had he written up the highlights of our years of dating he had figured out how to paginate the page segments, sew them to the binding, create the cover and publish the entire thing from scratch! He was even very careful to make sure that he used all acid free products so that the book would be preserved over time. It is totally impressive. In a later post I will document the process he went through, as he was good enough to document his efforts with pictures. :)

This is me opening the book.

This is me reading the book. I had strict instructions not to go past a certain place in the book. When I got to the marked place, Phil took that book and turned it a couple more pages. Inside the book he had created a hidden compartment. Inside the compartment he had tied my ring! It is so beautiful. He took the ring out of the book and knelt down . . . right there in the restaurant! I said yes, of course! He gave me a hug and said, "We're getting married!" "It's about time," I responded. :)

Ring on my finger!

Room where we got engaged. Our adorable waiter took this picture!

Beautiful blown glass chandelier, Tuscany entry way. Below are some more glamour shots of the ring! I am so blessed. Phil is the best guy I have ever known. He is so patient with my flaws and makes me feel like a gorgeous and dynamic woman. I am so in love, and I have the distinct impression that I am only scratching the surface of how in love I will fall with Phil.

For More On Nicki and Phil, Wedding Style, Visit our Website: philandnicki.blogspot.com

Since we last talked . . .

Dear Readers,

So many things have happened since I posted last. I know this would not happen if I wrote more frequently. I am a flawed soul.

In December Phil's parents took us ice fishing, where I caught my first fish ever! Behold:

It was a lot of fun and not as dramatic as I thought it would be. ;)

When I was struggling to find employment a great friend of mine offered me a position at the Maverick he manages. I have had requests for visual proof of this so here it is:

I actually learned a lot of interesting things while I worked there, not least of which is that I have very good, very patient friends!

I have since moved to a part-time postion with the Davis County Library System where I have been given the Young Adult reposibilities for the Bountiful Library. I am loving the position. There is so much opportunity for growth and I am excited to help improve YA services.

In April I went to a baby shower for my good and wonderful friend Mary. I was overjoyed to see so many good friends there and pictured below are two very adorable ladies who are both expecting additions to their families!! Mary is on the left and Heidi is on the right.

Mary actually had her baby boy the same day that this young lady tied the knot:

This is the best picture I had. Not to say that it was the best picture taken, but I think (even cropped) it is beautiful.

Congratulations Krystle!! Everything was gorgeous. It was so great to see everyone and I was continually impressed with the talent of yourself and those helping you to decorate, coordinate and capture the event.

Now, certainly and by far the least. I got my hair cut. Here is what I look like now.

This is a little longer than when I first got it cut and I can finally pull it up in a pony tail without looking like a three year old!

Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you soon!

Fun Tidbit:

I have published an article that I wrote during my Master's work at the University of Iowa. It is an electronic Jornal entitled B Sides. It is about Young Adult Services in Public Libraries. If you want to take a glance you can find it here: http://ir.uiowa.edu/bsides/2/

Or, type: ir.uiowa.edu in your browser's web address line. Next use the search bar to search for b sides. Finally scan the page for the article title: Raising the Bar in Public Libraries and my name.


Happy Reading!!

Master's Graduation

I graduated!! Three months ago. Here are some of the things you missed. Don't feel too bad, I feel like I almost missed them!

In December of 2009 I graduated from the University of Iowa with a Master's in Library and Information Science.

In order to do so I had to present a poster in November (this was not a smooth process):

(Don't too closely, there is a lot I would change.)

Here are some of the people I captured supporting me at this event:

Left to Right:

Amber Skoglund, Angela Murillo, Jim Elmborg (Program Director), Me

Left to Right:

Katie Pauls, Me, Annette Bramstedt

My roommates also showed up between the busy events of their day. And my family and boyfriend were helping from a distance. Don't underestimate this statement, they went through a lot to get this done. I felt so supported and blessed. It almost made the misery worth while!

Graduation was December 18th, but I did NOT walk or get all cap and gown-y. There are many reasons for this

1) My family and boyfriend were in Utah

2) My good friends and roommates were busy enough with finals and winter break depatures (moving, vacation, etc.)

3) I didn't want to pay for the event

4) I was moving to Utah the day after the event.

All in all is just wasn't going to be worth the added headache.

Instead I decided to spend time with the people fell in love while in Iowa.

Here are some picutres:

This is my fellows group. Nine of us were awarded a fellowship because we wanted to make Digital Librarianship the focus of our degree. The man on the right is our advisor: Paul Soderdahl. One of our cohorts (Minglu) is not pictured because she had already gotten a job. Two others currently have jobs. The rest of us are still looking.

This is the picture of the group of December graduates who decided to show up for a party and pictures along with some of the faculty of the department. Patricia Katapol is the one hiding her face.

I had a going away cupcake party at our beautiful historic home and invited the LDS Iowa City Singles Branch. Here is a great picture of my roommates (minus Heidi who is elusive).

Left to right: Amy Scott, Kristan Sorenson, Lina Feirra, Me in front

There are many, many more. They are on my other computer, but I believe they are on my facebook page as well.

Here are two of my best friends from the program, Annette and Katie. They are scheduled to graduate this Spring. Yay!! Yay, them!

There are many more people of which I did not get the pictures I wanted. I guess there just weren't enough hours in the day.

Within 24 hours of when several of these pictures were taken I had myself and the rest of my belongings (most of them made the journey in a moving truck over Thanksgiving break), along with Lina and Kristan and their luggage piled into my car for the journey back to Utah. We made the trip with a good friend, German Ellsworth who was also moving back to Utah. Two cars, two people moving and two people coming to visit family for Christmas. What a great adventure!! I couldn't have found better people to make the drive with.

Next week I will post another backdated update to let you know how Christmas and my brithday went! Stay tuned.