I'm Still Alive! :)

HEY GUYS!

Long time no seeeeee!

I like talking in videos more than I like writing. Which doesn't make sense as to why I have a blog. I often ask myself, "Why do you still have a blog when all you do is post videos? Isn't that what a YouTube channel is for?" So go check out my YouTube channel, and watch this video to see my little update!

I love you all! :)

Stay strong!

화이팅!!

10 Months Down

I'm about 4 days late this with this post. But I figured better late than never, right?

My love, my sweetheart, my other half has been gone for 10 months! The fact that we're finally in double digits kinda makes my head hurt. I'm finally getting to that stage where I catch myself thinking, "I swear he just left..."

During this last month I moved back to Hawaii. Which is where Jared and I met, exactly 2 years ago this month. So I'm constantly feeling like we just barely met here a year ago. When really, it's been two. Which just goes to show that time really does fly by. 

I've been really struggling with being here without him. The place we met. The place where my life completely changed. The place where I fell in love with the man of my dreams. I see him everywhere and in everything. We spent the first 6 months of our relationship here on the beach, at the temple, on campus, and just loving the fact that we finally found each other. We both knew something was missing in our lives. We just didn't know what. Until we met each other <3

Safe to say I fall more in love with him every single day. 

He has my whole heart. Always and forever.

Get to Know Me

I decided to do a post of 50 things that most people might not know about me :) You obviously know I'm a missionary girlfriend, but that's only part of who I am :) So here are a bunch of random facts about me.

My name is Desiree! :)

1. I was born in Las Vegas and have lived in multiple different states and countries. I guess you could say that's why I hate staying in one place too long. Traveling has been distilled in me ever since I was little.

2. I absolutely love candy stores. Whenever I'm walking around a city and see a candy store, especially in foreign countries, I HAVE to go in. I actually think a perfect date as well. Take me to a candy store and I'm a happy camper :) 

(candy porn right there ^)

3. I would love to get married in September or October :) 

4. I'm not really a party person. I don't exactly enjoy going out to parties. I'd rather go on a walk under the stars with just one person, and have some good conversation, rather than being surrounded by a ton of people. 

5. I have the smallest stomach in the world. I can never completely finish a hamburger, or most of my meals for that matter. I get full after a few bites and then I have to wait a bit before I can continue eating. 

6. My favorite words are: Harvest & Serendipity.

7. I document EVERYTHING through video. Literally, everything. (ie killing spiders, cool looking meals, conversations with my mish, my thoughts, etc...)

8. I'd rather have conversation with kids than adults.

9. I hate confrontation and arguing. Like, more than anything in the world. I'm a very passive person and I just can't handle it. I have to leave the room because I hate arguing back with someone.

10. I have to drink orange juice every morning with my breakfast :) 

11. For the past 4 years, I listen to The Main Title from The Notebook one time through before falling asleep every night. Music is very important to me and helps in so many different ways. In this way, it helps me prepare to fall asleep :)

Click here for a link to the song

12. I am mildly dyslexic. Which causes me to be terrible at math, spelling, and reading out loud.

13. I absolutely hate flying. I'm constantly imagining ways the plane could crash. Yeah, It's a problem.

14. My favorite song of all time is Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles. If you've never heard it, I'm sorry, and here's the link to listen to it.

Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

15. I am a perfectionist. 

16. Purple, teal, and champagne pink are my favorite colors :)

 

17. I am a somewhat reserved and shy person. A lot of people think I'm not a nice or friendly person because of it. 

18. This basically describes me every time I check the mail.

19. Overcast is my favorite weather. I'm actually not a huge fan of sun.

20. I'm a night owl. Night time is when my mind is most creative and productive.

21. I listen to The Osmonds the way some girls listen to One Direction. And it's my dream to meet Donny Osmond.

22. My favorite city is Venice :)

23. I hate spiders with a passion... I know most people hate spiders. Especially girls. But me? I really REALLY hate them. 

24. I have a dad crush on Victor Garber and Denis Quaid.

25. I am obsessed with old movies! Especially Jerry Lewis. When I found Rock-A-Bye Baby was on YouTube I acted like a 13 year old girl meeting Justin Bieber. Click HERE to watch it. I promise you won't regret it. It's absolutely hilarious with an adorable love story :) 

26. I'm a snowcone and hot chocolate addict. During the summer I could get snowcones every day. And during winter, it's the same only with hot chocolate :)

27. I eat homemade popcorn (not the nasty microwave stuff) weekly, and I have to have my salt and vinegar seasoning to put on top. Basically anything salt and vinegar flavored is just amazing.

28. Besides the scriptures and textbooks, Nicholas Sparks books are the only ones I read.

29. I hate the word, "someday." ex: "We'll definitely go there someday!" It's just a word with not much promise to it.

30. I like making forts and camping in the living room :) I really don't think I'm a very high maintenance person. I've slept all night on an airport floor, lived without wifi or internet for weeks, went 4 months with no tv or hair straightener, plus more. I think life is more fun that way anyway :) 

31. Every time after I get gas, the first thing I do when I get back inside my car is put hand sanitizer on.

32. I have a constant love affair going on with Canon cameras.

33. I absolutely hate going out by myself.. Shopping, or even going to the post office. I prefer always having someone with me. I've been an extremely needy person ever since birth (my mom can attest to that).

34. I love cheese. Like.... a lot.

35. I don't know any other languages, but I can have full conversation in movie quotes.

36. The 4 months I spent teaching English in China were the best 4 months I've ever experienced in my life thus far.

37.  Half the music on my ipod is that of Nat King Cole, Sam Cook, Jimmy Durante, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, The Temptations, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Steve Tyrell, Seal, Elvis, The Beatles, The O'Jays, Lionel Richie, etc.. Basically everything 80's and earlier. 

38. The Gospel and the church is everything to me. My reason for living. My happiness. And I honestly don't know who I'd be without it.

39. I've met Taylor Swift :)

40. I've ridden an elephant.

41. Autumn is my absolute favorite season :) Everything about it makes me so happy :)

42. One of my favorite parts about Thanksgiving is waking up in the morning to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade :)

43. I believe animals have feelings and emotions. Especially dogs.

44. I don't watch much TV. But when I do? It's gotta be Fresh Prince or Full House.

45. I never get sick of hearing songs on repeat. In fact, when I do homework I have to have one song on repeat the whole time. It drives my sister nuts, but it somehow helps me focus :)

46. I'm a hopeless romantic, but at the same time, I have issues believing in true love and happy marriages.

47. I had to go to the ER once for getting a pill stuck in my throat. 

48. This boy right here has my whole heart :)

49. One of my favorite pastimes is playing guitar :) 

50. And last but not least.......

I'm So In Love :)

Sometimes I have nights where I just sit here and think, "I'm so blessed, and so lucky to have Jared in my life." I thought I knew what true love was. But I honestly didn't know this level of love existed until I met Jared. For me, true love is when you can look at the person and just know that you love them, no matter what. Having no doubts, just knowing that your love for the person is stronger than anything else. Is true love perfect? Of course not. I used to think that love was about always being happy together and never arguing. While dating Jared, I realized I was wrong. Do we argue? Yes. But you know what? It makes us stronger. Jared challenges me. I used to think that maybe our personalities didn't match up. I realized though that our personalities didn't have to be perfect together. He challenges my weaknesses and helps me grow. The best kind of love is the kind that makes you a better person, without changing you into someone other than yourself.

I've never felt so comfortable with someone before. Not once have I ever felt embarrassed for being, well, me. As a matter of fact, he specifically loves the things about me that I used to try and hide. I can be hyper in front of him, I can cry when dogs die in movies, I don't have to worry about upsetting him by pulling out my camera to film him every 10 minutes, I can even dance in front of him (I'm a terrible dancer. Seriously). Jared builds me up unlike anyone ever has. I've never felt so confident in myself as I do when I'm around Jared. And let's be honest, I've a very needy person. I'm overly sensitive, emotional beyond belief, and super needy. Basically everything a good girlfriend shouldn't be. In past relationships I found myself constantly doing for them, what I secretly wished they were doing for me. I realized that sometimes I'd expect more from others because I'd be willing to do that much for them. But with Jared, I don't "expect" anything. The way we show each other love is so perfect. He loves me in ways that I feel loved, and I love him in ways that I know he feels loved. For example, he takes hundreds of pictures with me. He'll stay up at night with me and we'll just talk, for hours and cuddle. He'll randomly buy my flowers and chocolate. We'll slow dance to absolutely no music. He'll tell me every time he sees me without makeup, how beautiful he thinks I am. It was just the little things that make me feel so loved. But ultimately, he respects me. He is always a gentleman, and he's a worthy Priesthood holder. And that's what I love more than anything. 

I just love so much about that boy. It's kind of ridiculous :)

•  I love his testimony and desire to serve the Lord and keep the commandments. 
• I love that I know he's going to be a wonderful dad someday. He's so good with kids :) 
• I love that he's a hopeless romantic. Maybe even more so than I am <3
• I love that he's not the least bit controlling. When you truly love someone, you don't try to control them. 
• I love that he is ambitious. He has so many goals, hopes and dreams.
• I love that he would start random spontaneous water gun fights with me outside the cafeteria in Hawaii <3
• I love that he reads Dr. Seuss books to me when I'm not feeling well :) 
• I love that sometimes he'd tuck me in and tell me bedtime stories :)
• I love that he genuinely becomes interested in stuff that I'm interested in. (i.e. Pretty Little Liars, Taylor Swift, filming videos, etc..)
• I love that he's so talented. Guitar, cooking, snowboarding, singing, writing songs, long boarding, surfing, dancing, etc..
• I love that we both eat the entire sunflower seed, including the shell :) 
• I love how well he understands and knows me. He just gets me :)
• I love that whenever we make cookies, he saves me a little dough, puts it in a bag, and puts it in the fridge for me to eat later :) 
• I love that he's opinionated. We can discuss/debate about anything. Politics, beliefs, parenting tactics, or simply our opinions of a movie we recently watched.
• I love that he's outgoing. Unlike me. He's everything I'm not :) 
• I love that he'd come over to visit me at 12:45am after getting off work, driving 15 minutes one way to drop a friend off, then driving 25 minutes the opposite direction just to hug me for 5 minutes, and then 20 minutes back home. 
• I love that he'll randomly stand up in the middle of a movie, leave the room, and come back 5 minutes later and sits a bowl of popcorn in my lap. He just knows me so well :) 
• I love that he holds my hand during prayers.
• I love that he stands up for me.
• I love that he wears purple just because he knows it's my favorite color.
• I love that we do pinky promises <3
• I love that he has always been so patient with me. Whenever I had doubts about our relationship, he never gave up on me. 
• I love that he's excited to adopt a little girl from China someday <3
• I love that when I know he's having anxiety, or is just stressed out, all I have to do is pull him close and hug him. 
• I love that we did FHE together, just us :)
• I love that he's the only person who can make me feel this way <3

I love that he is my best friend. The person I can tell everything to. The person who will pull the hair out of my eyes when I cry, and wipe away my tears. He's the person who will stand there and wrap his arms around me to let me know he's there for me and never letting go. He's the one who will call me in the middle of the night just to tell me he loves me. He's the person I can have fun doing anything with. Whether it's surfing in Hawaii, or laying on my couch just talking. We still have just as much fun and enjoy being with each other no matter what we're doing.

I'm so grateful for his decision to serve a mission and serve the Lord for these two years. I'm grateful to know that a love like this doesn't just go away, or change. It's something that will continue to grow stronger the longer we are apart. I know that to be true because it already has :) Basically.. I love Jared Lee Burnham. Basically, this is how I feel.

<3

Our Last Video Together

Before he left, we filmed one last video of us together.

The video speaks for itself. I miss him <3

See You in 2 Years, My Love

I am happy to say that Jared is officially in the MTC as of 4 days ago :)

I don't even know where to start. Jared's farewell was a week ago today. I remember him telling me how nervous and scared he was to speak in front of so many people. He told me not to expect anything good. But of course, he totally surprised us all. His talk was absolutely amazing and I'm sure everyone in the congregation felt the spirit just as strong as I did. Afterwards, we all went to his house and he said goodbye to some friends. Oh also, the day of his farewell was also  
St. Patricks day :)

That day was wonderful and happy :) We hardly left each others sides. We both knew he was needing to get ready to enter the MTC, but at the same time, we continued to act completely normal around each other. I'd walk away for a minute to talk to someone and he'd come over and say, "Hey, you were too far away from me :)" 

Then we had our last day together on Tuesday. It was amazing to say the least. I went over to his house and helped him pack some last minute items. We then played pool and made some yummy food. The weather was nice (thankfully) so we decided to go on a walk at a park we'd always go to during the winter. We'd go at night and buy hot chocolate and then go walk around the park. As we were walking he started talking about leaving and I told him he needed to stop because I could feel the tears coming. I didn't want to talk about him being gone. All I wanted to do was focus on my time left with him. After our walk, we drove to my house :) We decided to watch The Best Two Years outside with blankets on my trampoline as the sun was setting. It was perfect :) 

After the movie we went inside and sat in my room. We knew we only had 45 minutes left together. Jared said, "Come here, let's just cuddle for a little while. I know it's your favorite" so we did :) We didn't really talk, we just sat there in each others arms. We eventually started talking about our future, me waiting, his mission, and old memories :) He wanted to see me smile so he kept bringing up old memories from us together in Hawaii. 

Eventually the time came. It was 8:00 and he needed to go home to get set apart. I started crying, and I didn't even know what to say. We were hugging for a while and I said, "Any final words?" Jared waited for a second and said, "I love you. There's nothing else I can say" and then he started to tear up and by that point I was completely bawling. We stood by my front door for what seemed like a lifetime.   We had one last kiss, well technically 3. We kiss in 3's :) And then I said, "Sweetheart, you need to go.." so we walked to the door and I double pinky promised him that I'd wait :) I hugged him one last time. It was hard to get the words out through my crying, but said "You're going to be an amazing missionary." He was so emotional which was making it harder for me. So then he walked outside but just stood there looking at me. So I ran out and hugged him one last time and then stood in the doorway as I watched him walk away, realizing I needed to capture this and remember it forever. We did the "I love you" sign before he started to drive away. I came inside with my hand over my mouth, trying to keep my crying and breathing under control. 

This goodbye was SO much harder than it was with my first missionary. It's crazy. But I couldn't be more proud of my sweetheart. I know we'll both be blessed. I've come to realize that we were seriously created for each other and I love him more than I ever thought I could. Plus, I'm happy to finally consider myself a missionary girlfriend again :) Wish me luck for the next two years! <3

I Sell Bows! :)

Hey everyone :) 

I just want to let you all know that I am now selling bows on my etsy website. I started making them as a hobby, but then more and more people started to ask if they could buy them from me. So now, I have my own little online shop! 

The bows are very good quality and I spend a lot of time on them. In addition, they are pretty stinkin' cheap compared to the rest of the bows sold on etsy. 

Here are some pictures :) 

And here is what my little shop looks like :) Please check it out! If you have any requests for patterns or fabric, I'd be happy to make a custom one for you. I'm actually trying to find a pattern with the Italian flag colors... Look at me, Jared isn't even gone yet and I'm already acting like a crazy MG. Anyway, here's what the website looks like. Go to the link HERE to check it out :) 

Christmas/New Years Eve

Again.. I fail at blogging. I'm going to throw a ton of pictures out there just to catch up time. So here we go :) 

WINTER PHOTOS:

I like to have pictures taken of us once every season. Of course, I can't afford a photographer so I have to give my camera to my little sister and attempt to edit the pictures myself. I wish more than anything that I had a nice camera. The Canon T3i is will be my next big spend as soon as I get enough money.

Next, Christmas!

  

He bought me the most amazing Christmas presents :) First off, purple is my favorite color. Taylor Swift is my favorite artist, I needed new perfume and it's purple. How perfect is that? He also got me the little puppy because he couldn't get me a real one before he left. And finally, he got a necklace with a "J" on it :) I love it all!!

 My first carriage ride! :)

Eating Breaking on Christmas Eve at Kneaders :)

 <3

Since i'm not so good at writing, I put together videos that show how my Christmas break went :)

Lastly, New Years Eve!

We spent our morning watching New Years Eve (the movie) and started out night off at the Provo Mall.

We then went over to a YSA dance :)

We ended our night at Ihop where creeper friends took pictures of us ;)

Phew, now that I'm somewhat caught up, I can finally start blogging again :)