honeymoon

Ben and I have been brainstorming honeymoon ideas the past couple weeks and I thought I'd make a post to take a poll on great Alaskan honeymoon destinations. We are planning on staying in the state to honeymoon b/c of time, $$, and we both love being in Alaska. Neither of us has had a summer there in awhile and we may or may not move back there when all is said and done with seminary sooooooo we are planning on hiding out in beautiful country away from the big city life we are immersed in now. :)

Our tentative plan is to spend some time north near Denali and then head south to Seward to a B & B or cabin in the woods where we can get out and hike, maybe take a deep sea fishing trip and just REST in the MOUNTAINS away from lots of tourists. :)

Any great ideas or secret Alaskan get-aways you know of are welcome! Post your comment and let us know!

P.S. As a side note for all those who have been asking my mom about where we are registered we are registered at: Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target, REI, and Pampered Chef. Go to any of those websites and type in Eller/Mosier wedding and you can access our registry.

home made birthday cake

Being that last night was a late night after a long week for Ben and me we slept in today, had a slow start and then planned to get together later around 5 p.m. I was going to make dinner . . . actually have Ben grill hamburgers and we were going to do some wedding planning and just relax together.

To my surprise when I opened the door tonight Ben had a giant smile on his face and a home made birthday cake in one hand! By "home made" I mean a Betty Crocker box cake. It was amazing! He made a two layer circular chocolate (my favorite) cake with frosting (evenly spread), sprinkles, and a hand written/frosted message saying "Happy Birthday Anita!" I was blown away.

He spent the bulk of his afternoon getting it together. He bought the cake pans, mix, sprinkles, frosting, candles (two boxes b/c I'm 31 and he wanted to be sure I had 31 candles on the cake) and lighters . . . along with all the ingredients and slaved away. The cute part? Both cakes ballooned in the middle when they baked so he cut the bulge off of the bottom layer so they would lay on each other evenly. . . very baker savey. He also commented how the sprinkles kept rolling off the top so he did a little "magic" by throwing handfuls of sprinkles as hard has he could at the top and around the side to make them stick into the frosting. It turned out REALLY well. I was highly impressed. Truly it was the best birthday present I have gotten. A cake made with TLC just for me by the man I love. He made me feel like a million bucks! Thanks Ben! I love you!

Disney Land

in front of the Fantasy Land castle


in line for the tea cups!


Gettin' reved up


Peter Pan ride

So I am taking advantage of Southern CA perks and went to Disney Land for my birthday yesterday. Admission on your birthday is free and being that mine fell on a Friday this year I thought what better time to go. The perfect part? I had a speech path conference that day in Lakewood, Southern LA (15 miles from Anaheim) and Ben's work site that day was about 20 miles away.

After my conference ended, about 3 p.m. Ben picked me up and we headed over to the park for a night at the happiest place on earth! The last time I went to Disney Land was in 1985 when I was 7 years old. Much I'm sure has been redone but somethings never changes. Our favorite family ride the "tea cups" still very much a hit. Dad, Dave and I used to go on them over and over to see who could get going the fastest while mom watched and took pics. Tea cups made mom extremely motion sick. Ben had a similar experience when we got off. I was pumped to get our cup spinning and about half way into the ride he leaned over about ready to hurl. We "slowed the spinning pace" and he kept his food down but it took a few minutes after the ride for him to feel normal again. :)

It's a Small World, mom's favorite was still the same as I remember. Ben and I also went on the Peter Pan ride to reminisce the past, he loved it! We both thought it was too short though. We also hit Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones. We left the park just before it closed at midnight. It was a looooonng day but SO fun and memorable. The perfect way to celebrate my last birthday "single." I'm getting MARRIED! Yahoo!

profound statements from 2nd graders . . .

One of my roommates teaches 2nd grade at a private Christian school in Santa Clarita. We were going over some of her spelling test papers tonight and I thought I'd share a few. The bold words were the target spelling word, the rest is their conscious flow of thought. Enjoy!

* I ALMOST did the splits at the gym.

* I ALMOST ate the spoon instead of the rice.

* I like COUNTRY music when I get sad.

* I live in a free COUNTRY and I am happy.

* Everybody lives on EARTH except aliens.

* I ALMOST lied yesterday but I bit my tongue.

* Adam and Eve BEGAN living before all of us.

* I live in the north which is ABOVE the south.

* The roof on the house is ABOVE the people inside the house.

* Yesterday I ALMOST got picked when I raised my hand.

* The FORM of a tissue box is a rectangle.

* HOWEVER, Charlotte is going to save Wilbur's life.

* I like it when my teacher gives an EXAMPLE.

* HOWEVER, my sister is a little funny.

* An EXAMPLE of God's love is that he came down to save us. (so true)

* I will eat a cupcake DURING bath time.

* I don't think there are any ghosts in the WHOLE world.

* I once HEARD that Wilbur is still going to die.

And a final post for the evening, two answers from a Charlotte's web test.

"An example of Charlotte's friendship is she went to the fair with Wilbur even thoe she was having an egg sack. This is a good example of friendship because it is not easy to move when you are pregnet and she did it with a good additude."
~ Austin, age 8

photo website

For those interested, Carrie set up a website with our engagement photos on it. Go to "www.carrielambing.com/galleries/anita" and you can view our top 48 poses. Thanks again Carrie! They turned out great!

I would add a link to it but I haven't figured out how to do that with this blog! :)

friends and photos . . .

cala lilies


Carrie and I at the Descanzo Gardens (on the way to Pasadena) things were just starting to bloom


something beautiful that blooms in Japanese gardens (apple blossoms??) Carrie knows, I forgot


for-get-me-knots

Last week one of my best buds from Alaska, Carrie Lambing, came to visit. Carrie is marked as "my travel buddy" on this blog and I must say she of all my friends knows how to travel and make the most of life.

After finishing photography school this past summer in Montana she traveled around with her parents while they visited family helping take care of her dad who is battling cancer. When the states got too dull the three of them made a three week trek down to Brazil to visit family who are serving as missionaries. The day after getting back to Arizona, her most current home base she flew to LA to see me for 6 days.

I am thankful for her time it was great to have more AK visitors to help figure out wedding details AND have an engagement photo shoot! Yes, Carrie is officially a professional photographer and Ben and I got to reap the benefits of her shooting skills this weekend. She took over 480 photos that I narrowed down to 134 favorites that she will later narrow down (somehow) to 60 and then post on her website so we can purchase them . . . and any interested family.

Carrie's visit coincided with the Shepherds conference here at MacArthurs church, where Ben and I attend. It was a doubly blessed week with friends from Faith Bible: Ethan and Chris, Mike and Dalea, Darren, Chris and Heidi Rogey. For those who don't recognize those names they are all people that will be involved in our wedding in June. The week was filled with amazing fellowship!

P.S. For a sneak preview of our photo shoot check Carrie's blog!

Maid of Honor

our first attempt at using our new "skookie" makers . . . skillet cookies, AMAZING!


BFF's




senior photo shoot pose


having a little fun with the art at the Getty (Los Angeles)





the original Van Gogh "Iris" painting, $53 + million, Who decides the price of art anyway and who gets the royalties when the artist is dead??? Inquiring minds want to know.








Kari and I on the ferris wheel


Ben and I on the ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier, Valentines Day








for those Alaskans that are needing some sunshine and warmer temps Southern California is not a bad place to be right now :)

One of my best friends and maid of honor in my wedding came to visit this week, Kari Smith. She got here Wednesday and is hear for one entire week! It has been GREAT to enjoy my 4 day weekend with her. We've done some wedding planning, tried on b-maid dresses, looked at decorations, gone shopping, taken a trip out to the beach and Santa Monica Pier and even had a couple of movie and brownie nights! I am thoroughly enjoying her visit and enjoying the time off work to tackle wedding stuff! YAHOO, I am getting MARRIED this JUNE to an AMAZING MAN!!

thoughtfulness

My mom took some time off work to spend a long weekend in LA and dress shop last week. We had a GREAT time and got some major things figured out like finding my dress and my bridesmaid dresses. I loved having her here. There are some essentials in life that are meant as life long memory making moments between a mother and daughter ballet recitals, proms, babies/grandchildren (no I am NOT pregnant), and wedding dress shopping. Like my mom said, "Even if you don't find THE dress while I'm here I still want to be part of the experience." I am so thankful to have had that time with her.

When she left I had a harder time than I expected. I'm a pretty independent live, move, travel across the world alone kind of woman but this is a once in a life time event that made me sad, a little, to be planning so far from home. Far from my family, far from a bridesmaids (although 3 out of 5 live in different states around the country). There was just a part of me that wanted to be "home" again and plan near my family.

Ben knew that this was a hard goodbye and realization (distance) for me so that week he had a dozen BEAUTIFUL red roses sent to my work. This is not just an ordinary task b/c I cover two schools and swap days so he had to sneak a little info out of me earlier to know where I would be the day he had them delivered. He totally surprised me and made my week! Being far away is tough at times but it is GOOD. I have found a man that I can and want to share all of my life with and he demonstrates his love to me in evident ways. I am blessed and glad to be near my man. Thanks for loving me like you do Ben! You're the very best!

P.S. Mom and I DID find my dress!

the story . . .

So life has been busy as usual and it's been 3 weeks now since my last post . . . my ENGAGEMENT!! As promised here is the story of how the day played out.

Ben nonchalantly asked early in the week if we could spend the whole day together Saturday before the semester took off for him and work got crazy for me and we wouldn't have time for all day adventures. He played it off REALLY well, he suggested that I come up with something to do and he would too and whoever had the better idea or planned something we really felt like doing that weekend we would go with that. Clever. SO, engagement was the last thing on my mind. I knew it would come eventually but I didn't even know if he even had the ring yet, other things said earlier made me think he didn't have it yet. Clever again.

Well Saturday roled around and we decided to go to the mountains again to hike, shoot (guns), and have a picnic. Sounded like a great idea to me. The one thing Ben did say he would pull together was the picnic lunch. Romantic. Still not crossing my mind. I was in clueless mode, something I do on occassion which does not come as a surprise to those who know me well.

We took the jeep up to the mountains where we had in INCREDIBLE view and INCREDIBLE weather. It was 75 degrees at high altitude on January 17th!! What country do I live in?? MY mindset was a nice leisure day in the mountains soaking in the sun, hiking, eating, playing things low key. BEN on the other hand had been up, WIDE AWAKE since 5 a.m. reeling with how the day would play out. He went to Bart and Amy's (a couple we hang out w/ a lot) house around 7:00 a.m. to pull together the picnic lunch. Amy added a little feminine touch . . . heart shaped rice krispy treats for desert.

Not wanting to act TOO eager he let me sleep in being that it was Saturday and picked me up at 10:30. I did notice when I wasn't completely ready at his arrival that he was abnormally anxious to leave and start our day. I asked, "What's the rush, it's Saturday we've got the whole day." No clue. So we made it up to the mountains and the sun was baking us. When we got there I suggested relaxing for awhile before our hike to just enjoy the sun. Looking back now I think, "What outdoorsman wants to SUNBATHE when we could be hiking, shooting guns, or better YET PROPOSING!?!?!" So he played along and appeased me for about 5 minutes. He was so restless I suggested he go get his Bible and share what he'd been reading about that morning that was so good. When he called that morning he "mentioned" that he'd been reading something really good in Ephesians and wanted to share it later. No biggie, we share Scripture all the time. Still clueless.

So he goes back to the jeep to get his Bible (about 100 yards away) and is gone for probably 10 + minutes. During this time I was happily soaking in rays enjoying the rest. The thought had crossed my mind he'd been gone awhile but I figured he's a hunter if some animal or crazy man found him he knew what to do and he packed enough artillery in the jeep to take care of any problems. Finally he came back to me almost dead asleep.

He graciously asked if I would sit up while he read so he wasn't hovering over me. I kindly commented that the Spirit could speak to me laying down and he could lay on his stomach next to me and we could BOTH relax, how great was THAT idea? Perfect in my mind. Terrible in his. No man can KNEEL and propose to a woman that is LAYING down. He kept persisting so I finally caved and sat up. His passage that morning was from Ephesians 5, "Husbands love your wives, wives submit to your husbands . . ." Sweet, still nothing registering. Sometimes we read "relational" passages and share them so I was still clueless. The next part, however, tipped me off. He made a REALLY smooth cross reference transition to Psalm 34 the first couple of verses that say in essence, "and we will worship the Lord together all the rest of our days . . ." TOO smooth.

A switch went on and I started processing like crazy. This couldn't be it, could it be, is he really going to propose, this is too smooth it's not normal, he's got to propose, does he have the ring? What is he saying? I don't even know anymore. He started talking after that stumbling a little over his words. He's nervous, he MUST be proposing. I wasn't ready for this, but I am. I don't even look good. I thought it was a relaxed Saturday in the mountains with no major pictures. Then he said, "Anita I love you and I will love you for the rest of my life." That flowed into some other sweet monologue that led to him pulling a white box out if his pocket, kneeling down and asking me to marry him.

My response? Tears of course. I'm an Eller. I said something along the lines of yes I love you too. I can't remember b/c I was still processing that it was all actually happening. We were both standing by then. We stood so he could put the ring on my finger and hugged. After that he said, "Hey look at that" pointing to "his" Bible. The Bible he read from was new and had my new name engraved on it, "Anita Mosier." How amazing is THAT I ask? THIS is the man of my dreams. This is the man I am going to marry in Alaska on Saturday June 27th.

I'm ENGAGED!

the next day at my place






just after he proposed


the picnic spread, notice the heart shaped rice krispy treats . . . he's a hopeless romantic and I love it!





the view from our picnic blanket, not bad for Southern CA (not quite Alaska but pretty for a desert land)


the picnic spread he planned


a little sparkling lemonade with a sparkling diamond ring!


a ring shot


the post proposal tail-gate target practice



Jonathan and Stephanie the couple I am living with temporarily (they are incredibly hospitable)


Our first engagement present from Jonathan and Stephanie


This past Saturday Ben and I spent the day together in the mountains and he proposed!! The story is great and I want to do it justice but life has been crazy so I will post pictures now and fill in the details later for those who have been asking to see the RING. It is AMAZING!!! I am SO happy! I am getting MARRIED! The wedding will be in Alaska on June 27th for those who want to mark their calendars. :)

Fun with Guns

one of may ways to use your back seat


my first couple shots


our targets


Amy



Bart


Ben shooting a kiddy gun


Our faithful sweet action 1973 jeep


Red neck?? Perhaps. Our unattached back seat became multi-purpose


having a little afternoon snack while lounging in the sun



the 3 lb. pine cones we found, we talked about bring a truck load back next time to market at craft stores, a little gold or silver spray paint and a price tag of $10 we'd be in business, or we could keep them "natural" brown and sell them by the pound, hmmm . . .






Me and Amy getting squished in the back seat, the jeep we borrowed is a 1973 and the back seat isn't bolted in . . . makes for an interesting ride on a bumpy trail up and down steep mountain roads!

This past Saturday Ben, Bart, Amy (friends of Ben's), and I went up in the mountains about an hour out on a one lane dirt road to go shooting. Ben has been ACHING to taking me shooting and I have been anxious to have an opportunity to go so we made a day of it. Bart is one of Ben's seminary buds and his wife Amy and I get along really well. We shot EVERYTHING in the realm of guns, hand guns, shot guns, and rifles. I'd spout out all the names and numbers like a 3006 but I don't remember. I just remember that I like rifles better than shot guns, less kick and short barrels better than long, no brainer my arms are short.

We set up a homemade jungle and went to town. The guys let us go first and then they had fun shooting some still but some moving targets like 3 lb. pinecones. No joke the pine tree patch that we drove to had 3 lb. pine cones. The sharp, heavy if they hit you on the head you would have a serious head injury kind of pine cone. I have never seen anything like it before! The homemade jungle you ask? Animal kingdom paper plates from Wallmart, you can specify eye, ear, nose, etc. when you shoot. It was a GREAT way to wrap up our winter break. I started work full force this week and Ben started seminary again. We are back to "real life" now.