Happiest Moment #1

August 20, 2011- The afternoon I married my wonderful husband. It was the most beautiful wedding. We had it at his grandmother's house, in her garden. I spent the morning making sure all the tables and decorations were absolutley perfect. All 100 origami butterflies were hung up, all the white flowers were neatly boqueted in the hand decorated vases, and the tables didn't have any scatterd leaves from the shade trees. I went into my bride's party room and began to prepare for the most important day of my life. I had my best freind, Jessica, who has been by my side since fifth grade (we were now 20 years old and still helping each other put on makeup) helping me. My dress was a beautiful Oleg Cassini ivory ball gown with a sweetheart neckline and a darling flower and detailed beading on the hip. I never saw myself in a puofy princess dress, but this one was absolutley perfect. After I spent more time drying my pre-wedding jitter tears than I did curling my hair, I was finally ready to marry my high school sweetheart. I met my father at the door, and we made our way to the shade of the gazebo where Michael was patiently waiting. He looked so handsome, I almost started to cry again right then. We said our vows, shared the best kiss we ever had, and joined the crowd as Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler. I will never be able to recount the number of hugs I gave that day. It's been almost a year since that magical summer day, and I know there will never be a better summer than that one.

Happiest Moment #2

July 3 through July 7, 2008- Right after High school graduation, the first camping trip with Michael. It was at the eight lake basin on the cascade mountain range. We went with his parents, so we couldn't sleep in the same tent, but we spent every other moment together. It was my first time ever doing a long hiking trip where I had to carry everything I would need for four days in a backpack. It was hard and there was lots of sweat involved, but I never felt more proud of myself for accomplishing something I never thought I would ever do in my whole life. We satyed at a different lake every night. the first night was the Fourth of July, so you can probably imagine how hot it was. Michael's dad is incredibly patriotic. He brought a little miniture American flag with him and hung it on a tree limb every night for us to celebrate. It soon became the joke of the weekend. The next day we hiked to a lake with a little grassy beach to sit on. The water was perfect for swimming. It was my favorite lake because no matter how far out we went, the water was still a perfect turquoise color and we could see the sand at the bottom. We floated around on a log for hours, until we decided if we didn't leave soon, the musquitoes would eat us alive. I cant say anything good about the third day. My back was so sunburnt that I could hardly walk with my pack on. When we finally got to the lake, it was so cold that we couldn't even stay in forlonger than five minutes. I remember Michael and I tried huddling on a small rock resting on the lake floor to stay warm. Finally we just decided to go rest on the shore in the sun. Later that day we saw a small rocky hill that we decided to go climb. I was not excited at all, but once we got to the top, I couldn't complain anymore. The view was marvelous. We could see for miles. Every lake in the eight lake basin was right at our feet. Three Fingered Jack was so close that I felt I could reach out and grab some snow right off the side of it. At least something good came out of that day. The fourth day was the best. The hike to Marion Lake was the longest, and byfar the most difficult, but it was the most fun. That day Michael took me to his favorite waterfall. We go soaked on the log, but we sat and talked for hours. Later that evening we sat by the campfire cooking hotdogs and drinking Jack Daniel's while the guys fished. The campsite we were in had a tree so big that if the four of us held hands we still wouldn't have reached all the way around it. It was while I was sitting at the base of that tree that I fell in love with Michael. The way he looks in the sunset glow, the impatient sigh he makes when the fish aren't biting, and the way he scrunches up his face when the campfire smoke heads his way. The walk back the next day was fast and the car ride home was relaxing while I held his hand.

Happiest Moment #3

June 2010- I became the manager of the coffe shop I worked at. I hadn't been working there even six months, but the current manager hated it there, and no one else was willing to take the job. First you have to understnad...I have been a barista (that's what the men and women behind the counter making your espresso drinks are called) since I was 17. A senior in high school. It was my second real job, but I fell in love with the work instantly. The owners were slightly crazy, but when it comes to making espresso, they know what they are talking about. Everything I know, I learned from them. Actually that coffee shop is the same one I became the manager for, but it was now under different management. The original couple retired and another resteraunt owner in the neighborhood picked it up, remodeled it, and reopened it about six months later. It had the same name, but it never was quite the same as before. So I was hired as the manager, and at first I was super excited for this. But after a few months, I slowly started to hate everything about it. First of all, I have never managed anything before, so I had no idea what I was doing. The owner pretty much just threw me in shark infested waters and said "Okay, now don't die". But after a while I started to catch on. I was having fun, and suggesting new ideas for improvement, and totally kicking ass. The only thing was, was that the owner never really seemed interested in anything I was saying.Like he didn't really take me seriously as the manager for his shop.On top of that all of the girls I had for employees jated each other and I turned into the go-to for their complaing. I went home with a splitting migraine almost every night. I started to feel incredibly defeated. Like i was being used for all the dirty work. Michael said he could tell that i was was miserable, and he was right. So I started looking for another job. I knew I wanted to stay a barista, but there was no way I was going to move up where I was at. I applied at Starbucks, and I actually got an interview! They accepted me to start after my honeymoon. I couldn't be more excited. The owner told me shorlty after I put in my two weeks notice that the reason that he never took to any of my ideas was because he was actually planning on selling the coffe shop and didn't want to put very much money into it at the end. IT made me so mad that he hadn't told me that sooner. I had put so much work into trying to come up with new ideas because I felt like I wasn't working hard enough. So I moved on with my career, and I am now happier and more headache-free than I have been in over a year. I feel like this is one of my happies moments because I accomplished something I had always wanted, and learned a lot, no matter how miserable I was in the process of it all. I wouldn't have such an awesome job right now if I hadn't had such a crappy one before. You give some, you lose some.