Hey Carrie Ann

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Tax Refund- Whatever shall I do with you?

So- I just got my tax refund back (Unlike Denver, who's owing this year *snicker, snicker*).

This was the first year my pops had handed me my tax information and wished me good luck with advice to go to Taxact.com.

I left all of my information to rot for weeks. It just sat in my apartment, waiting to be revealed for the extra dough it would soon add to my bank account.

On Easter Sunday, Denver and I went to his mother's house for MoNkEy BrEaD GeNeRaL cOnFeReNcE. This is a splendid tradition where she makes monkey bread cinnamon buns for breakfast during each general conference. (It's gotten us to attend the last two sessions, so no need to explain how tastey they are.)
We also went for his mom to help him with (do) his taxes.
By the time they had finished, they had discerned that my lovely boyfriend owes a fine sum of cash to our government thanks to a payroll mistake from Discover Card (his work).
Afterwards, Mama Jensen offered to help me (do) my taxes. (I brought all of my information just in case this opportunity might come up :).
I recieved money back from my federal, state, and from my school tuition from '09. Each time a new green number popped up for my refund she and I would both squeal in excitement. It was cute.
I agreed to take her out to Cafe Rio using my new fortune to thank her for helping me.

So- I suddenly just recieved a month's worth of pay- easy as that. It was a great day.. Not to take away form the holiday and meaning of it- but it was a nice bonus! :)

The question is now- what should I do with it!?

I have had a few tempting ideas:

1) An awesome new camera? I love photography and would love to expand my skill set with a great camera. I've been following a blog recently: NieNieDialogues -She won Best Inspirational Blog of 2010 in City Weekly- check it out. :) She happens to use this camera and I am thinking it would be perfect for what I want. It's abruptly 700-800 dollars.

2)The amazing new iPAd?! Kim just got one of these, and it is SO cool! It has the internet with any apps you want to download and a bunch of awesome features. I could even use it to house my photography portfolio if I choose to advance in that someday. I would want to get the one with the most memory space, so it would be around 700 dollars.

3) save... Everybody says save, and I too know that's what I should do. I tend to save pretty well anywho- I have more money in savings right now than I've ever had before- plus like another 2,000 on top of that. I would like a decent wedding/honeymoon/house/yard one day- so it'd probably be wise of my to just stash it for later. (But where's the fun in that!?)

What do you guys think? I asked this on Facebook as well and the majority has ruled "Save!" but we'll see what the blog world has to say. (I'm sure it'll be the same, boring, wise results. :)

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Denver & Carrie's Two Year Anniversary!

April 10th, 2008, is when I consider Denver and my's initial starting point. I can't say that's when we started dating, but saying any date later than that just isn't right.

The classic picture I use all the time of him and I in 10th grade is largely what I have to thank for the amazing relationship I share with him today. We were good friends all through our sophomore year, but I had never considered him as more. Our sense of humor is so extremely compatible that I have now idea why I never saw the connection between us before this picture.

This picture was taken during the last week of our sophomore when we and his best friend, Clint Savage, were wandering around the school. For the next few days, all I could do was stare at that picture, awed by the newly unvieled potential I saw in the apparent happiness in both our faces.

A few days after that picture was taken, he and I went on a classic movie date to X Men 3 and we had a blast. The next day he told me he wanted something more serious with me, and believe it or not, I turned him down. I was in no mind set for a relationship. I was only interested in casual dating. I'd crushed his attempt, and we didn't speak for another year and a half.

I had seen him in the beginning of our senior year walking down the hall holding another girl's hand and I was happy he was happy with someone else. I remember finding it quite cute and was taken back to the memories of the friendship he and I had shared what seemed like ages ago.

During our second semester of senior year Denver and I were transferred to the same seminary class. It was our second period, but technically his first for the day. (he had 'work release' in the morning so he could sleep in.) Nedless to say, he often used seminary as more time to sleep in. When he did come, he was generally late or he'd try to sleep though class. (The boy loves his sleep!). We never really spoke to each other in there until one day when I was late and I was forced to sit in the last desk available, which was right in front of him. As I sat down I had smashed both his & mine's fingers in between the desks pretty good. This was the ice breaker.

After that day, we always sat by each other, joking with each other just as we did in 10th grade. He started to come to every class and our friendship was back on the rise. (I am probably the only reason he graduated from seminary, haha!)

I had noticed that his girlfriend also had seminary the same period, just not in our class, and every day we would step out of our classroom, it was as if he did not know me. At first this was odd to me and it eventually it grew to be quite annoying.

I had matured a lot since our friendship in 10th grade and felt there was a potential for something greater. But not only was he in a relationship, I was planning on moving to Philly to live with Marcy after graduating and he was planning on joining the marines. (We both had such drastic plans simply because we were ready for something new and exciting.) I had quite the crush on Denver and it only seemed to grow with each class.

One day, I brought a friend of mine to our seminary class because I was so frustrated with the entire situation. She happened to be good friends with Denver, his girlfriend, and me- so she was my grounding reality reminding me to get over him. I text her throughout the entire class saying, "I just want one more chance with him! Just one more date before I move to the other side of the country!" I decided that day that I was giving up. That I was to the point where I couldn't stand settling for just being friends with him any longer because something inside of me wanted to grab his face and kiss him. I didn't understand the feelings consuming me. All I knew was that I couldn't act on them, so I was done. The day was April 10th, 2008.

Later that night, Denver called me.

I was in the middle of madrigal initiations and couldn't talk right then, but I could tell something was on his mind, so I promised him as soon as I could get alone, I would call him back. Once I was able to return his call (2 hours later...) I asked him what was going on. I could tell he wasn't comfortable with what he was about to say. He started with, "Carrie, there's no easy way to say this, so I am just going to be blunt. I am never going to be satisfied with just being friends with you. I want one more chance before we graduate."

I was so suprised, I couldn't form words to say back. I eventually asked about his girlfriend and he explained that they were falling apart for months, that she was completely wrong for him and that he planned on breaking up with her months earlier, but that she had prematurely bought a prom dress intending to go with him, and he didn't have it in him to break up with her before she could wear it.

I asked him if he was sure, reminding him that I would be moving in two months, and he said, "Carrie, I'm willing to give up anything and everything just to see what could happen in two months. I've never been so sure about anything in my life. I still remember the first day of high school when I saw you walked into Wessman's class and thinking, 'wow'. I've wanted this chance since I was 15 years old, Carrie."

He literally repeated everthing I had texted to Kristen earlier that same day, and then some. I was so taken back I asked him if he had read my texts to her, which thoroughly confused him.

All I could say was yes, reassuring him that I felt the same way. It was astonishing how on the same exact page we were.

There was a process to go through from that point to get to where we are now, but I'd be lying if I were to say our relationship began any later than that phone call.

I knew then that I loved Denver Jensen.

I never knew I could love someone as much as I love him today.

I tend to hold hollywood romance expectations, and Denver lives up to those expectations every day. I never thought I would be so lucky, but I am.

And I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him.