Old Normals.

Sometimes,
I miss
old normals.
Waking up
in my
old
room.
Looking out
the window
and
seeing all
the blueberry bushes
either barren, covered with
leaves and berries or snow.
I think I miss my old normals
especially at this time,
when holidays start nearing.
I may be guilty of listening
to Christmas music already.

There is just something about Bing Crosby
singing "Have myself a merry little Christmas"
that provokes a nostalgic mood.
Memories
like
my
Momma making pumpkin rolls,
cookies,
carmel,
and
all sorts
of goodies
to take
caroling.
Honestly,
growing up
I may have rolled my eyes when
our annual caroling adventure
was mentioned.
But I can't wait to go home,
help mom and sing my heart out.
I can even smell
the
different spice smells
that always fill our
home
during
Thanksgiving
and
Christmas.
Ginger Bread House MASTER!
Hollar!
Yeah,
that's me.
By master
I mean
ate all
the candy before
it got
on my
ginger bread house.
oh yeah.
Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer!
The 1960's versions
of all those
timeless (for me)
Christmas Claymation movies.
Lets not forget sledding
and hookey bobbing...
or bobby hooking...
either way it was
still a questionable
adventure.
Especially after
my lovely
niece,
Maurya,
was ran over
by three inner tubes.

Even so there was
So much laughter.
So much Santa watching (still trying to catch him)
So much chocolate.
So many tangerines.
So much Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Harry Connick Jr.
So much of White Christmas, Its a Wonderful Life, and The Muppets Christmas Carol
So much family love.

(You know. I have had "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause" on my mind a lot. What kind of message is this song sending? I mean we find out mommy is definitely not single. So what is she doing cheating on her husband with Santa Clause??! Santa would never do that. I know he wouldn't. It is very upsetting.)

My life
has been filled with
a lot
of
new normals
lately.
And that's
good.
That's life.
It should change
every once in a while.
But I like thinking of
the
old normals
every once in a while.
They make me smile
and remember how
good life has been.
Eventually,
my news
will
become
my
olds.
No
matter
if
it is
new or old.
It can be and is
always good.

And for your entertainment, old news.

First demolition derby, we were "stoked".

 Mauyra and Nola.

     Sisters always laughing when together.




Family Picture many moons ago.                                            


















 I wonder why it was such a struggle for us to have our picture taken?

 Happy naked little girls. Either that was a really big bath tub or we were really tiny.
 Family Reunion at the coast....Trust me we really are a happy family.

 Ladies of Pendleton. Chinese food and cookies on the weekend. That's all we needed. Half of us are married now...so it must have worked.

 Halloween 2010 First roommates ever! Such fun we had.

My very clever costume for Halloween in 2011

     One of my best years of College. So much fun. Such good friends. "Oh Karl!!!! Oh Hans!!!"

 
     Jordan and I. Sitting in the cool spot in the hallway before school. It was cool because we were there

 
        Mckenz and I. Enough said.

 Annie, this is one of her cutest stages. I am happy to say she is permanently in a super cute stage.

 Tubing is a very exciting thing for me. Obviously.

 Family Reunion of 2012, we are all expert fishermen and women...taught by our very own papa.

 John and I at Horse Tail Falls. I love this picture of John because he looks so dashing! I on the other hand....don't normally look half asleep...I hope.

Enjoy!
Much love,
Nola joy

 

Cold Cereal

John and I like food.
Now, we're not talking
McDonalds
or
Hostess
or
greasy,
right next to the laundry matt
Chinese Food.
(Well....we will exclude
John from the last)

Been there. Done that.

So, anyways,
like I said,
John and I
love food.
Crab,
Shrimp,
Steak,
Warm Spinach Salad,
Kale,
Broccoli,
Tomatoes,
Lemons,
Cottage Cheese,
Many Grained Bread,
Goat Cheese,
Basil,
ect...
Does
that make us
Food Snobs?
oh well.
We both
really enjoy
cooking
too.
Which can be
a bit
of a
problem.


















Seeing

as sometimes
our very
creative minds
go
very
different directions.
Though,
in the end
most
of the
time
it
works.
This
last week
has been
I admit...
very lazy.
this last
Saturday
at 10pm
exactly
I had the
hugest
craving
for
cold
cereal.

(This is my "random food craving" face, sometimes
 its bad enough too ruin sweet pictures, like this one)

Thus,
John and I
hurried
to
Hood River's
especially
creepy
WalMart.
We
consumed
nothing
but
Cold Cereal
for the next two days.
Worst choice
I've ever
made.
I will save you
from the horrors
that ensued.
Moral?
I've learned to
quiet
some of
my cravings.
and stick to being
a
food snob...
usually.
Chocolate
Brownie
Thunder
Ice Cream...
oh great.


Enjoy!
-Much Love
Nola

The Newest Normal

Hey.
Its me.
Nola.
NOLA PERRY!
Yeah, big news. Pretty much everybody is talking about it.
So yeah.
Married woman, doin her thang.

Happy?
Yes.
What I had inticipated?
Uh....
yeah, no.
BUT!
I still really like John.
So that must be a good sign.
Though...I admit...
My sassiness....
may have gotten the better of me...


Make the bed?

This helps for sure but,
when there is that
nasty,
horrid,

abominable,
loathsome,
putrid,
gunk
at the
bottom
of the
sink,
(or should
I say
stink?)
from all
the food left
over on the plates
I put my foot
down on my so called
"wifely dooties".
Maybe its
time for me to
get
a
better
dootie!!!!!
.............
Thank goodness
John comes to my aid.
He loves me a lot.
So in the end...
the kisses
and
sweetness
and
laughs
make it all worth it.
I guess
that's
what
you call
true love.
Willing
to
get
the gunk
out of the bottom
of
the stink.

Enjoy.
Much love,
Nola Joy

JOHN. PERRY. (always with a french accent)

As it seems that I am a million hundred billion trillion miles away from John Perry, I decided to write about him. I am trying to find inner peace about it! My chi is just not feelin it today.
Therefore todays post is dedicated to my bestest friend.
John Perry in a nutshell:

KITEBOARDER
Sweet
Kind
Energy
Hard Worker
Very Competitive
Occasionally Stubborn
Understanding
Strong
Silly
Easy Going
Fun
Super Cute
Helpful
Spiritual
Gets free stuff constantly (which I get a little jealous of)



Okay, I could go on and on. And I kind of want to..so I will.

The first thing that I ever learned about John Perry was his energy level. When we were younger I remember him able to go and go and go.  In fact when I tell people who knew him when he was younger that I am engaged to him that is exactly the first thing they say to me, especially former Primary teachers.  
 His ability to rarely feel fatigued is such a unique gift.  This talent combined with his athletic ability and his competitiveness has made him a phenomenal athlete.
Now, before John and I started dating I had heard he had been competing in this sport called Kiteboarding (which is kind of like wakeboarding but with a big kite), but I did not comprehend that he was one of the best.
Till I googled him.

  
Yeah.
I don't know what it is about a man being really good at something, wether it be a sport, music or art, but there is just something about excellence that women find really attractive.
What's even more attractive is that John has been working on becoming a professional Kiteboarder since he was 11.
He worked for all of it by himself.
So a perk of Kiteboarding is that you can get certified to teach it where ever there is wind and water basically. And the money is really good. So with John being one of the best he has had a lot of job offers. But first he had to get certified which he is in the middle of right now.
Anyway, I went with him to his first week of certification. It was such a fascinating experience.
I was able to watch the riding the test, which was to ensure that those getting certified could actually ride.  As he rode, all the other participants were in awe of him. And I had never seen him that way before.
I mean I loved him and I thought he was an amazing person, but I hadn't seen him like those guys there did. I guess I saw him as a whole with his flaws as well as his good.

And there is so much more to John Perry than Kiteboarding.
One of my favorite memories of him is when we stayed in Hood River. I was staying at the Bishop's house and he was staying with a friend.
Before he left me at the Bishop's house, he asked me if I wanted my hot cereal mix ( I love love my home made hot cereal). Then told the Bishop and his wife how much I loved it.  He was really attentive about it. And it meant the world to me. I guess to me it symbolized how much he really loved me. You know?

Our Future House

It really is the little things.
Like dancing in the kitchen together.
Playing together. (This mostly consists of me being chased while John pretends to be a zombie or a shark if we are in the pool. My two worst fears. I got him hooked on Walking Dead. I regret it so much. Now I get eaten at least 3 times a day.)
Going on bike rides.
Going on walks or hiking.
Singing in the kitchen. (A lot of great things happen in the kitchen.)
Cooking together
Kumbutcha
Scaring him when he is going to the bathroom
Sitting next to each and holding hands in church
Talking ( Which is mostly me while he listens)
Communicating well
Doing little sweet things for each other.
Going out for sushi
Just smiling

I have one last memory to share and it may be my favoritest and sweetest of them all. Whenever I am sad John will always sing me our favorite song, "If I Had Words" by Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley the lyrics go like this,

"If I had words to make a day for you

I sing you a morning golden and new

I would make this day last for all time

Give you a night deep in moonshine"

It is a short and simple song.
But I love it so much.
It is just a little reminder
of the love someone has
for me.
So if there is someone you love oh so much. Give them a smile.
Remember the good.
Doubt the bad.

Enjoy.
Much love,
Nola Joy

The Woes of Wedding Planning.

Who ever thought planning weddings was enjoyable is silly.

Don't get me wrong, I cannot wait to get married.
It will be fabulous.
But the process of getting there is....
PAINFUL.
AGONIZING.
HORRID.

Seriously.
I think I'd rather get eaten by a shark then do this.
P.S. I am terrified of sharks.
That should give you an idea.

(Totally unrelated, but so funny.)






 But things get worse. 
John and I are now three hours apart. 
I have been an emotional wreck. 
It has only been 
ONE WEEK.                                                                                                                  

 This.
Is what keeps me going.
















Probably.

So please,
don't take from this that I am bitter.
Because I am not.
Mostly.
I chose my love.
And love my choice.

He passed the test.
I just wished
Tomorrow
Was our wedding day.
Skip to the good part.
Ya know, ya know?
But,
when we get
Married
in the
Temple
A day totally devoted
to us,
it will be so worth it.

Enjoy.
Much love, Nola Joy

Newer...News.

So, I probably have started at least four or five blogs. This is one of those four or five. And I have decided to restart and commit! But I do have some woes about the blog name....honestly I don't know what I was thinking. It is a rather tragic name and not at all clever. Which I think I was trying to be.  But I can't change it so I suppose you can interpret it how ever you would like.  Anyway, I really feel like this blog is more for me to cope than anything else, you know like a journal so I can go back and smile or remember that I am never going to do that again. Plus life is changing for me in so many ways, and I am more than likely bound to have many adventures. So this is for posterity folks.



Alright, newest of the newest news,
I AM ENGAGED!!!!
Weird, super weird, right? But I am loving it. And you'll never guess who my fiance may or may not be....

This is my most favoritest of him 

JOHN BENJAMIN PERRY!!! (say it with a french accent and it is super sexy) 

Best friend. Enough said. 

And here is our quite romantic story: (There may be a little embellishing)  It all started 13 years ago in Primary. We happened to be in the same Sunday School class and he totally had the hots for me. Me? Well, honestly I was oblivious. Being 8 years old and surrounded by obnoxious boys made it hard for me to really see any true potential.  Apparently John saw the potential right then and there. He confided to his mother in deepest agony over this beautiful girl he was so madly in love with for there was much competition and the odds didn't look too good. "Mom" he would cry, "who is going to get to marry Nola?!" Thankfully my John Perry does not give up and so as we grew up together he continued to try to win my heart.  

Sadly, his tactics could have used a little work.  I am still haunted by the image of him throwing my kittens up on the roof of my house during berry season.  I remember to this day how much I loathed him for doing that.  Good thing I am a mature woman and have finally forgiven him and moved on...mostly.

His older sister, Liz, and I became good friends and so I was frequently at his house, but he never said a word to me. Ever. 

Eventually, his family moved and I didn't hear from him for a few years, until facebook arrived.  And then all of a sudden people I hadn't seen in ages were right there virtually in my life again.  

During the years till John and I started dating (well...I still do this)  I remember looking at his pictures and thinking, wow this boy has gotten pretty cute. And I would day dream about him for a few minutes and not think about him for a while. Until I saw he had a picture with a girl, and I wasn't jealous per say....just I remember wondering what it would be like to date him and if it would be something I might enjoy.  Is that super creepy? Am I the only one?? Oh well at least I got the boy in the end. 

So in a nut shell we started chatting and then he came to visit and then he came to visit more and more then I went to visit. And then I moved to Medford where he was so we could finally stop all this silly visiting business. And that was that. We started doing everything together. Literally.  

He truly became my best friend.  

He adores me. 

And I love him with all my heart. 

 

 I have to tell you the engament story really quick because it is amazing. 

Okay. 

Well we were on our way home from my family reunion.  And we were going the Nevada way back to his house. First of all, this was the most amazing trip of my life.  Second of all, it was the most stressful trip of my life. 

Stressful because I locked the keys and cellphones in the car and we almost ran out of gas. 

Amazing because I am in love with John Perry and he asked me to marry him. 

So we were on the longest, straightest, most deserted road in Nevada and John says, 

"Hey, we should stop and dance in the road."

So we get out and dance in the middle of the road. Which is quite the adrenaline rush on the longest, straightest, most deserted road in Nevada. 

As we are dancing to "Miracles Happen" by Myra from Princess Diaries (totally unplanned and yes I do have the song on my ipod) John gets down on his knees, and I totally oblivious get down on my knees too because I am thinking this is some new dance that he is teaching me.  But John being oh so sweet and wonderful tells me that I am going to have to stand up for this one. Then he asks me to marry him and I say,  

"YES!!!!!!" 

And we dance and kiss in the road as happy as can be. 

He makes me so very happy. I'm so glad he came into my life.

So that is my newest of newest news more to come soon I am sure. 

Enjoy.

Much love, Nola Joy