Engaged Confessions in Chicago

So here's a little engaged-girl confession - one of the reasons I was always scared of marriage and settling down is because I have an addiction: Traveling to awesome cities and wandering around them for work eating in amazing restaurants and buying something fashionable to remember my business trip. For some reason I thought if I ever got married and settled down I wouldn't be able to do this again. But as it turns out things haven't changed too much and now that I have found the man of my dreams I think I will just take him and our 5 kids everywhere we go.

Right now I'm sitting in a booth at Eleven - an upscale diner that is pretty excellent. They have put the "hip" into Hebrew with this cool map on the wall and they have a macaroni and cheese vegetarian style that I am dying over.

Oh how I love city life! It makes me feel alive!! More to come soon on this Windy City (that is actually experiencing perfect weather right now) adventure.

I'm Engaged! And Here is the Story!

Many of you may know that I produce an online show called The Mormon Bachelor.  So people have asked me since our 1st season with Aubrey why I don't put myself in the position as The Mormon Bachelorette.  My usual response is "because I don't know anyone that can run this thing while I go on 22 dates!" but now I have a better excuse ... I'M ENGAGED!!!

Yes, it is true - you can find true Mormon love at the ripe old age of 32.  I was 31 actually when Seth Schurtz came into my life - a blind date - and swept me off my feet.  We both talk about how crazy this journey has been - Seth is 31 and also LDS and has been in the military for the past 6 years which has kept him out of the typical LDS single's scene.  I couldn't believe he had stayed single for so long even though I always hated it when people would say "I can't believe you are still single!"  But he was so handsome and smart and kind and a gentleman.  I truly felt blessed that he and I found a connection and 5 months later made it official.

Yesterday morning he picked me up in a limo which had scattered rose petals inside and a box with a beautiful ring in it.  He helped me inside the car and sweetly asked me to be his eternal companion.  Of course I said YES and we were on our way to some mysterious location that turned out to be an airfield in San Diego.  I thought maybe he was going to fly us somewhere (Seth works as an F-18 pilot in the Marine Corps) but he sat in the backseat with me and we took a helicopter ride all around San Diego.  It was one of the coolest things I have ever done!  You can even see sharks in the water really close to shore from up there - creepy.  It was so romantic.  I feel so blessed and excited to spend the rest of my life with this amazing man and grateful that I can tell people that I can't be the next Mormon Bachelorette because I have found the man of my dreams:).  We are getting married in the Los Angeles Temple on September 29th and will live in sunny San Diego while he serves our country (which makes me so proud:).

Here are some pictures of our wonderful day yesterday - I hope you enjoy them and know that true Mormon love can come to those who wait:).

Being a MidSingle Is a Phenomena

I thought the other day - "How did I get to 32 without getting married and starting a family?"  The thing is, I don't feel old, but in working with so many LDS singles in their early to late 20s that are worried about not finding their true love, I realized I am years beyond that and single.  It was such a weird realization - like when you notice that it has been a decade since you got home from your mission and you didn't even leave until you were 21????  I mean - What the H*!!?

I sat down with the lovely author of this article, Cathy Sundberg, about 2 months ago to talk about all things single.  It was one of the best conversations I have had on the subject because it didn't focus on anything negative - we talked about how we wanted every single LDS person to know that they should enjoy the single life that God has blessed them with - because for most of us, it will happen in this life and it will be the best thing ever.  We also talked about enjoying dating and not dreading it.  Getting to know lots of other people not just for the hope that they will be "the one" or introduce you to "the one" but because it is fun getting to know new people.

So I loved the article Cathy wrote for LDS Living and I think you will too - there is a longer version in the actual magazine so hopefully you subscribe and if you don't you should pick it up.  It is more than worth the read!

Why oh why oh why????

I haven't been watching the whole season of The Bachelorette on ABC because I've been busy creating a Mormon version - which is weird because Emily could end up being Mormon someday too since Jef is (not active but still, hopefully the fire is still burning somewhere:).  So I am watching it right now and it is supposed to make me feel great because people are falling in love but it just makes me feel horrible inside.  Especially when she just said "I'm sorry Arie".  I HATE EXPERIENCING BREAK UPS over and over again through this show!

I do have to say we see our fair share of this kind of thing on The Mormon Bachelor but it is definitely not this intense.  Now I have to go to bed with a broken heart and I'm mad about it.  But this is life right? Ughhhhhhh..........

It's Like Vice Presidential Candidate Christmas!!!

I don't know if you are a Mitt or Barack fan but seriously, the anticipation of who will be chosen as the next Republican Vice Presidential running mate is getting me REALLY excited.  Now that we are about a month away it feels like Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving - I can't wait until Christmas Day actually arrives!  So I was thinking about the behind the scenes conversations that must be going on in the Romney camp with VP hopefuls and thought I would ask what you guys think Romney should ask before choosing his VP running mate.  I think it's really important - I don't know about you but McCain lost my vote last time when he picked Palin.  So what do you think?

Love this Reuter's article on the following candidates - read it HERE

Top Left to Right: Me (Why not?), Bobby Jindal, Condoleezza Rice, Mitt Romney (The Man), Marco Rubio
Bottom Left to Right: Rob Portman, Kelly Ayotte, Rob Portman

The Harder Reality of TMB

I am so used to blogging about all the fun and wonderful and fluffy things about running a show like TMB that I thought it was time to give a little insight into the "behind the scenes" of production.  I think we could base an entire reality show off of just stuff that happens that no one ever knows about.  So now you will know - a few things at least:).

So yesterday I was running errands before going home to edit the Season Premiere of The Mormon Bachelor which took me to the far corners of Sherman Oaks, CA and Ventura Blvd.  It is one of my favorite streets in Los Angeles for the great eateries, chandelier stores, and 2nd hand clothing stores.  It is also one of the longest streets ever and incredibly busy.  So imagine my horror when I was pulling out of a parking lot onto the crazy street only to start blacking out.  I drive a Prius which was great because it has an on/off switch and I managed to push the "off" button as I was leaving the world for 3 minutes (I only know that because as I was turning off the car I saw the digital clock which read 11:59 and when I woke up it was 12:02).  I woke up half-way out of the parking lot and half-way onto Ventura Blvd. and hunched over my seatbelt sweating profusely wondering where the "h" I was and what I was doing there.  It was possibly the most terrifying feeling like something was very wrong and I was powerless to do anything about it.  The miracle was that everyone was just going around my car as if I had fallen asleep at the wheel for a power nap and like it was no big deal.  No one even honked at me or anything.  It was so weird.  I was able to back the car up into some shade in the parking lot, curl up in a fetal position, blast the air conditioning, and wait until I didn't feel like throwing up to start driving again.  I also called every friend I have in LA to help me but no one answered.  So an interesting day to say the least, I realized that I am overdoing it a little bit.  All I remember dreaming about while I was passed out was how I needed to edit the Season 4 premiere of The Mormon Bachelor before I left town the next day and I didn't know if I was going to have time because if I didn't start feeling better I was going to have to drag myself to the hospital.  I remember the first season of The Mormon Bachelorette Aubrey was so exhausted from all the late night dating and blogging that she had to go get an IV.  But we do it all in the name of true Mormon love… and reality online TV of course.

Needless to say, I drove home in tears with the worst headache of my life and the resolve to get some rest.  My sweet sister and her husband and baby drove to come over and make sure I was really lying down.  I was able to work on the season premiere of TMB, and my Co-Producer and Director, Devin Colvin made my life even better when he found someone to help him film that night's date with Chris and his beautiful date that had flown all the way in from Salt Lake City so I could finish the premiere that you guys can watch on Thursday.

It is amazing to me how much we can really accomplish that seems impossible in the face of physical and even emotional limitations.  I mean at lunchtime I thought I might die in the slums of Sherman Oaks in my Prius, and then later that day I was editing TMB and listening to Justin Bieber as happy as a clam.  Driving home after surviving the whole ordeal I couldn't stop crying but I wasn't sad - I was actually laughing about the fact that I was crying so much.  Maybe I just needed to get it out I don't know but regardless, I ended the day laughing with friends and loved ones and getting so excited about this experience I am having with all the wonderful people involved with this show that Aubrey, Emily and I started 2 years ago.

I want to thank a few people for seriously making this whole process so much easier for me to go through.  I don't know how I could do it without your help - just try to answer your phones next time I call you when I am passed out in it:).  Peter - you have been so helpful from start to finish, especially with your encouragment and advice.  You are the creative master afterall.  Thank you:).  Devin - I know I can always rely on you for anything.  You are my partner until the end - so don't quit OK?  Aubrey - even though we don't get to see each other as often the fact that you and your family are doing so well is motivation for me to keep going.  Chris - you stepped up to the plate big time and you better get married to one of these awesome 12 girls OK?  Seriously get married. :)

That's all for now - I will try to keep you updated with our progress from behind the scenes.  And not just when the big crazy things happen - like saturday.  It's not all drama - or maybe it is but that's half the fun:).