Hangin by a thread

Nothing like this...

2011-10-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

As a little girl you imagine your future with Prince Charming but can’t grasp the specifics of when, where, and how. Well this is the when, where, and how my happily ever after begins:

I was walking on the backstreets of Beijing with my little sister Annie, our friend Christian Richter, and our personal tour guide Shannon. We had just gotten done riding tandem bikes through the Hutong and were walking through some alleyways filled with teenagers and vendors selling stinky tofu on sticks.

I cleared a corner and saw him. He was tall, handsome, and best of all… AMERICAN. We talked all evening about Chinese corn flavored popsicles, communism, and how he is NOT related to President Thomas S … we went our separate ways, me with his business card, and him only with my name. I spent the remainder of my time in China smiling and recalling the encounter- and came home to a Facebook message from him. We proceeded to Skype for hours at a time about once a week, making lists of things we wanted to do once he returned to the Motherland. He got home from China at the end of August and we have been inseparable ever since. It was the easiest most peaceful courtship I could ever ask for. No complications, no dishonesty, no differences of opinions on the big stuff… and he treats my like a princess. We fell in love real quick and I knew right away this was the man I was made for.

So yesterday started out like any other day, I got up and got ready for my internship at Intermountain Hospital in Murray. I got a kind of late start to the morning (due to studying) and didn’t have time to pack my bags for the weekend trip Dave and I were taking to Arizona. (Rumor has it he and my Dad were going to have a little chat involving a blessing, and someone’s hand) I made a mental note to make sure and pack once I got home from work. I spent several hours in my Microbiology lab and he came to meet me for lunch. Later that evening he told me his plan to climb a billboard, because it had been on our ‘bucket list’ for a while. He let me pack my bags and we left the apartment a couple hours later.

So we hopped into his brother’s truck with a giant ladder, and pulled over on the side of Wasatch BLVD. I was terrified that we were going to get hit by cars zooming by on the highway. I kept saying, “we’re gonna get in trouble with the cops…” He remained casual and confident that we would be just fine. So we unloaded the ladder, hopped over a median, and approached the fateful billboard. I climbed halfway up and Dave stops me so he could “take pictures.” He said he wanted to test the ladder before I went up and by the time he was on the middle rung, 2 cop cars surrounded his truck on the side of the road. They IMMEDIATELY separated us barraging us with bad-cop mumbo jumbo. “TRESPASSING IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE... you are under arrest… LIABILITIES… Incarceration… 2 hours of processing… and least a week in prison…I’m sorry ma’am but there is NO way your boyfriend is making it to Arizona with you tonight.”

At this point one of the cops had me in the back of the car, David in handcuffs, and both cops were really giving us a wicked hard time. I started laughing when he called it a “federal offense” and said Dave would be in prison for a week. I looked over at Dave, and said, “Is this a joke? Please tell me this is a joke… if this is a joke… oh dear.” The cops said they were going to take him away in the other squad car, and gave him one opportunity to say any last parting words to his distressed girlfriend. David got down on one knee, with his hands cuffed behind his back, shuffled around so I could see that his shackled hands were holding a sparkly diamond ring with a red ribbon wrapped around it… he cocked his head back towards me and said, “Katy, will you marry me?” I laughed, jumped up, and told him, “Yes, you stupid boy!” and kissed him while he was still detained. The cops left with smiles and congratulations on their lips, and I left with distaste for abuse of authority.

We went and had a fancy dinner at a place called Tuscany, but I was shaking and over coming the shock from the whole ordeal for at least an hour. (Cops make me super nervous). I think we ate some food, and talked, but mostly I was just looking at my ring. A couple hours later we hopped on a plane for Arizona, where I thought he would just be asking my dad for my hand, not announcing our engagement!

Turns out the little sneak had called weeks ago, and had the ring for over two weeks. He apparently really likes the element of surprise.

Now we are sitting in a big chair in my house here in Mesa, we just went on a family walk, had some breakfast, and I’m as happy as a clam.

The big day is going to be on the 17^th of February in Mesa, and an open house will be arranged in Utah a week after that. So keep your calendars open, people.

MUCH LOVE!

Katy Michelle (soon to be) Monson

Opposites Attract.

2011-06-21T00:51:00.000-07:00

Some people say, "It was a once in a life-time opportunity," and often times I don't think we accept the gravity of that statement. In my limited experience with such an opportunity, I have discovered that most people will never in their lifetime experience what I experienced... and I find myself feeling very undeserving of the gift I received. I saw China in a light that I never expected. I LOVED IT.

Oddly enough its polar opposite from “The America” in a lot of ways. Annie and I have been working on a long running list of reasons why China is different from the good ol’ USA, and this is what we’ve come up with so far. If you want to add… feel free.

· They eat with chopsticks; we eat with miniature shovels.

· They love giving gifts; we love receiving gifts.

· They use skin whiteners; we fake-bake, lay out, and use bronzer.

· They love communism; we love McCarthy. (Kidding, but seriously)

· They live to work and we work to live. (They also like to exercise... their playgrounds are all composed of workout equipment.)

· They love their tourists; we treat tourists like they are a burden. (A couple of times we were asked by locals to stop and take pictures. I think orange hair is hard to come by in Asia..)

· They read from right to left bottom to top; we read left to right top to bottom.

· They eat plain fruit for dessert; we eat a concoction of fat and processed sugar.

· They surgically add a wrinkle to their eyes as a sign of beauty; we remove them with creams and face-lifts.

All in all, it was a pretty amazing trip.

Its not all peace signs and candy wrappers..

2011-06-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

I had some MAJOR misconceptions about what China would be like. Call me prejudice, but I was halfway expecting a world of anime and neon lights. Instead I've discovered a beautiful people that live in a world of lush countrysides and elaborate cities. The buildings are some of the most impressive manifestations of expert workmanship that I have ever seen in my life. The main architecture seems to defy basic laws of physics, and are full of meaning. And above all of this, people always make room to regard tradition, spirituality, and community. The elderly meet up at the parks in the morning and work out on the park equipment, the kids go to museums together AFTER school, best friends hold hands everywhere they go, and they are extremely generous. Nearly every person we have interacted with has presented us with a gift at some point. We have spent time in three cities so far.

Gaungzhou- This city was incredible! Buildings as far as your eyes can see in EVERY direction. We were dazzled by the museum, swam in the olympic sized outdoor swimming pool, met our gracious hosts (Chairman Zhong), and ate more food than I care to think about.

Huizhou- This city is surrounded by a vast amount of countryside. It is simply stunning. Just 5 minutes from the resort we stayed at we saw rural farms and villagers that came right out of a story book. The people work so hard and live so humbly. It was beautiful to witness such simplicity. They have their family and food on their table, and that seems enough to make them happy.

Hong Kong- WOW. Now I understand why this place has been fought for by so many nations. I don't have time to give this place justice. But between the local seafood, the cityscape, and the yacht ride... I'm sold.