the story of zach and jan.

december sixth: i was on a blind date with someone who just happened to be one of zach's friends. for the date we went skating and i was introduced to zach. zach is REALLY good so he was definitely eye catching.

throughout more weekends of december i kept seeing zach at disco skating. we just so happened to both miss the same week and then come to the one disco skating night before new years eve. the next monday at work i was talking to a friend who just so happened to also know zach. at first i couldn't believe it, so we used Facebook to make sure we were both talking about the same person. sure enough we were. i asked her some questions and said, "he's not that type of guy that is looking for a relationship right? i just want to be his best friend. he seems super rad" she didn't think he was looking for anything serious (and he actually probably had the same mind set i did. but not the rad part. ;) ) so i added him. we exchanged phone numbers.

a few days later zach asked me to come over to their vineyard house where they were watching a movie. i just so happened to end up getting out of what i was going to be doing that night and went and joined the party. but let me just paint a picture for you: this house was down a real poorly lit street, after arriving i go around to the basement with zach and go into the family room where there are SO many people. so many couples. everywhere! in the back there is just one little sofa chair. we proceed to walk through a maze of people in the dark because a movie is on, i am sure i stepped on so many people. zach sits down on the chair and says, "well…" and pats on his knee. i first can't believe this is really happening and was wondering what i had gotten myself into, and then sat awkwardly on the arm rest and zach's knee and watched the rest of the movie. truly comical. when the movie was over and people started leaving zach and i just talked. we moved to sit on the couch so it wasn't so awkward (thank heavens) and just talked. for hours. you know those talks that seem to only last a few minutes but really its been hours? it was one of those. and i was living at home for the holidays. yikes. so i go sneaking back into my sister's bedroom in the wee hours of the morning. wake her up (double yikes). katie says, "you did not just get home". caught.

fast forward another few days to the first actual date. i was worried about what to wear because he said dress warm but kept what we were doing a surprise. he comes and picks me up and i awkwardly asked if what i was wearing was going to be okay to which he assured me it would. we drive down to the provo bowl and i find out we were going sledding. it was pretty dark outside and the hill was more ice than snow but it was seriously the best thing. we were FLYING down that hill and since it was dark we had no idea what was ahead. zach wore terrible shoes and at one point as we were walking back up he was struggling and slightly sliding but still holding on and then all at once he goes flying down the hill. i almost peed from laughing so hard. after sledding we went and got hot chocolate. then another surprise. we pulled up to the craft store (at this moment i really had no idea what was going on). it was closed but zach said it was okay because he had all we needed at his house. closet avid crafter? that was my thought. we get to his apartment and he pull out a crochet needle and some yarn. that's real. this guy taught me how to crochet on our first date. pretty great right?

a hat zach made. our friend wanted one too.

after our first date i saw zach almost every day. on another one of our first dates i died by hair pretty dark. and told not a soul. when he picked me up his face was classic. but our relationship continued. we would crochet, talk, and occasionally start country dancing in his apartment. (i'm pretty terrible. i thought clogging would help. i was wrong.) he introduced me to The Porcupine which is TO DIE FOR. if you haven't gone there, go. right now. just get the nachos and split them. it's cheap. nice. and incredible! we kept going disco skating every week, discovered all different places to eat using calendar coupons, and literally became best friends. here's a little side note: one night at disco skating i was trying to learn a new trick and was holding onto zach's arm. his friend came up behind him not knowing what was happening and we took a pretty big fall. i smacked my head on the ground really hard. zach came running over, carried me off, got me ice, looked up all signs of concussion and checked me for each little thing he could find, and was the cutest worried guy i have ever seen. that's when i knew he was going to be something special.

one of the first of many disco nights.

koosharem.

i made a bet with zach that if the heat lost to the jazz at the game we went to, we had to go to disco matching.

skating the park. 

i love photo booths. so after lots of convincing zach finally did one with me.

zach has a few questions he ALWAYS asks. over and over. and over. they are: what kind of bands are you into? how many people have you met? what's your favorite section of the newspaper? and the last two are classic: do you want to fall in love? and want to get married? he asks these questions to everyone. when i first heard the last two questions i was a little taken back. not sure if he was kidding or serious. he thought that was hilarious. as we started getting more and more serious we joked how one day he would ask me those questions and actually be serious and i wouldn't know how to respond. but i figured it out.

katelyn and kinley's wedding. 

zach told my cousins they needed to come skate with us. he's managed to get basically my whole family to come.

katie's graduation.

when i found out i had to stop dancing i went over to zach's and cried and cried. but he supported me until the end.

we are both pretty obsessed with this girl. 

this picture describes us perfectly. zach loves selfies.

hiking the narrows.

seeing the little mermaid with my family.

4th of july in koosharem. jesse dean joined us. him and zach really are the best of friends. i love it. jesse later posted this picture on instagram and said "don't mess with out girl" 

i love four wheelers, he loves dirt bikes. it works pretty well.

before i met zach i had decided i was going to go to ecuador to work in an orphanage. i was going to go last fall but ended up having a change of plans and decided i would go this summer. at first i thought i would go for 3 months or so but after meeting zach i thought two weeks would be just the right amount of time. he teased me about going (typical) but i decided i really wanted to go. i left to ecuador july 9th. remember that cute worried guy in the earlier story? he was back that day. and probably more nervous then ever. and i was too. but i went. the experience i had was incredible. (post coming soon). i missed zach but we face timed every night so that was really nice.

don't mind the greaser in the corner.

at the equator just showing the distance from quito to salt lake. 

 i had sent him pictures of five or six rings i liked just in case he wanted to pick something up while i was gone. :) when i came back to the US of A we went straight up to a cabin in heber to be with my fam. i was running on very little sleep and probably was the worst but it felt so good to be home. the next day sickness hit both of us. hard. we did absolutely nothing. zach slept for basically the whole day and i just tried to keep swallowing even though my throat was on FIRE and scratchy and gross. after trying to eat some food and deciding we would try to go get ice cream with my family, we went out to soak in the nice summer evening. zach mentioned we both smelled really terrible and should probably shower. i really didn't want to. but i did. as i was getting ready i noticed zach looked pretty great to just go get ice cream. as i was doing my hair i kept thinking "maybe it will happen tonight" but then quickly reassured myself that we were going to look at rings on monday so it won't happen. well as i was brushing my teeth my sweet little brother (who is like best friends with zach) came in and set a car key down and told me to look at my phone. i had a notification that zach had tagged me this photo:

"is this real life?!"

i had seen that blanket in his car earlier and went running. yes mid tooth brushing. well i couldn't figure out how to get the trunk open for quite some time but when i did i read the note and went running to the back yard where it had directed me. out on the golf course (with the sun setting i might add) was my cute zach. he was holding a rose and just standing there. no box. so i though well no ring but this is still great! when i got to him he said some cute things (still not pulling out a box) and then got on a knee and pulled a box from his back pocket! i squealed (its like my signature thing to do). he reminded me i actually needed to say yes before he could get up and i could get the ring. people do that? apparently ;) i turned around and all my family was on the deck. it was a pretty special moment and i couldn't stop looking at my hand.

the classic "we are engaged" picture

thankfully we had a few more days in heber and were able to relax and try to not be so sick. he went on the alpine zip line and zach is terrified of heights. classic. and we went swimming. 

notice zach's face. haha poor guy.

swimming and stuff.

since then wedding planning has been in full swing. dress, suit, shoes, ties (who knew they were so hard to find), a belt (the worst), bridesmaid outfits, engagement pictures, flowers, renting reception stuff, getting addresses (if i don't have yours please comment below!) temple information, etc. etc. it's been crazy, especially because my family has been moving. but it has also been so fun. i feel like the luckiest girl and i am so happy. everything has come together so well and i feel so blessed! zach is the best guy out there and i'm so excited i get to spend eternity with him. he has become my best friend and i can't imagine life without him. 

so cheers to weddings and love and all that mushy stuff. i guess it really was love at first skate. and it's only gotten better from there. 

please leave your address below if you haven't done so already. we are so so so excited! it's real life!

a perfect weekend.

memorial day weekend was a success. so good i decided i really needed to blog about it. plus it's been too long.

first it's time the blogging world met this cool cat:

(isn't he the cutest? that smile gets me every time)

zach, zach attack, z, z-babe, the skater, are a few names he goes by :) i met him while i was on a date with one of his friends skating and really didn't think anything of it except for the fact that i wish i could  skate like him. i went skating a few times after that and saw him and talked to him a little bit but was quite intimidated because he really is so good at skating. i was telling KT at work about my weekend and what my plans were for new years eve that night and after i told her i had been disco skating a few times recently and telling her who i met she said, "wait zach cherrington?" after some facebook stalking it was confirmed. he was that really good skater guy. i added him on facebook and a few days later he messaged me and we went on a date January 4th. (or something like that). we started hanging out lots and soon that turned into everyday and well he's stuck around so i must not be too crazy. :) 

so there's that story. he's the best and makes me laugh hard. plus has helped me learn so much about the world and see it from a little of a different view. 

anyway. the perfect weekend. 

friday FINALLY came along. it really took it's time. we got in the car and headed to Koosharem after we got off work. We stopped at maverick for some treats and gas and were on our way. we spent the drive talking and laughing. zach's trying to practice his spanish accent so that we can communicate while i'm in ecuador. it's going.. well interesting ;) haha. after getting to Koosharem (this tiny town in central utah) and meeting up with his parents at the home they have their we went to sleep.

saturday we drove to st george. i was a little worried that our dreams of it being a hot weekend where we could golden up our pasty skin was going to be ruined by the clouds but they lasted maybe an hour. we arrived in st george and stayed with some of zach's family friends. they have a son and daughter in law around zach's age that we hung out with which made the trip even better. we went and rode the jet skis which was so much fun, came back and had great food, swam in the pool, showered and went to the new X-Men movie. I've never really been big into the series but i really liked the movie. 

the next day we basically did nothing. sleep, eat, swim, eat, catch some sun rays, eat, shower, and decided we wanted to see Divergent. it was good but not my favorite. maybe cause i was so tired. but it felt like it went on for forever. i also learned how to make rolls that i hope i can actually make without having help. and without setting something on fire. practice makes perfect right?

the next day we woke up and came home. the worst part about having great weekends is that they all come to a close. however it was so fantastic all the same. plus we get to go back to st george and do a whole lot more of nothing here soon. i really love summer. 

but this guy sure makes my heart happy. he also loves selfies. 

hooray for warm weather and the best guy around :)

Help me help Ecuador!

hello wonderful family, friends, occasional stalkers:

i need your help. and i feel a little silly for asking for it but who really likes asking for help? not many i would say.

i got accepted to go with the OSSO program to go to Quito Ecuador for a few weeks in July and am beyond excited. this program runs a few different orphanages in Ecuador and has volunteers come year round to assist them. we play with the kids, read to them, teach them different games, and even get to go out to other orphanages and bring them bags of flour/rice. you can learn more about them here and see just how amazing this program is. volunteers to 40+ hours a week in different orphanages. i've been told it will be one of the hardest yet most rewarding experiences and i couldn't be more excited.

here's how you can help me: donate! help me get to Ecuador, purchase books, craft supplies, bags of flour/rice, etc. help me help these wonderful babies, toddlers, and kids of all ages. 

if you would like to donate here is the information:

they prefer you send a check. it can be of any amount. in the memo of the check just put JanaLe Henderson Volunteer. All checks need to be made to OSSO and sent here: 

Orphanage Support Services Organization (OSSO) P.O. Box 345

Rexburg, ID 83440, USA

If you prefer to pay by card you can do that as well! however, you will be charged a 3% charge. to do this you need to go HERE and scroll down to "Other Donation". 

If you do donate, I would love to bake you cookies, watch your kids/pets, do your vacuuming, or whatever you might be in need of. if you can't donate, praying that i can relearn spanish also would be great :)

please send me a quick text/email (janalehenderson@gmail.com) if you have any questions or to let me know you donated so i can bring you cookies! 

i can't wait to have this opportunity and feel incredibly blessed by the continuing support in my life. 

OSSO.

if you know me or have read any of my blog posts you know that i love to travel. i have always wanted to see the world and have been so incredibly blessed to be able to do so. i love the feeling of being put into a place where i don't know any one and the culture is totally different. i love to learn how they see the world from where they were raised and learn from them. however i have always wanted to travel and really make a difference. i had an experience a little like this when i went to China. since i was dancing with BYU i was there for a different purpose than ever before. to spread the gospel through dancing. it was truly incredible and a feeling i can hardly describe. one of the dances that the team we were with (CDT) danced to was this song. i truly, as cheesy as this is going to sound, felt infinite and realized that is why i loved to travel, especially when it's not about me at all.

so that's why i'm about to do what i'm about to do. 

today i got a phone call during my biology class from an Idaho number. thinking it was probably just one of my aunts asking me about an up coming clogging event i decided i would call it after class. after listening to the message it went something like "Hi JanaLe, this is the OSSO organization.." once i heard that i started freaking out thinking "why are they calling me? aren't they just supposed to send me an email? on no, i didn't get in" i had to come to terms with whatever was going to happen which took the long walk home from campus. i got in my car to go to work and called them back. no answer. killer right? i breathed waited for what felt like days (probably was 3 minutes) and called back. someone answered and transferred me to the person i needed to talk to. they asked me about the rules and if i was willing to abide by them and after saying yes, yes, yes (please can you just tell me so i can breath again) "We would like to accept your application and are so excited tha

t you would be willing to join us." 

AH! I got pretty excited, tried to hold in a squeal (which if you know me, it was hard to hold in that high pitch of excitement!) and kept saying thank you. she hung up and i was probably still saying thank you. i couldn't believe it. a dream come true! i know they accept basically all volunteers so i mean i have been planning on it for a while now but after it actually being real i just can't believe it.

so here it is: for a few weeks in July i get the amazing opportunity to go serve the sweetest little babies/toddlers/kids/teens in Quito, Ecuador. wanna know something else pretty cool? one of my besets friends/sister Hannah is is Ecuador serving a mission. we will probably be a good 6 hour bus ride away but still,

same country! 

i'm so incredibly excited and grateful to be able to serve and love the people of Ecuador. i've heard that it will be one of the hardest yet most rewarding things i will ever do and i couldn't feel more blessed. 

is this real life?