Humility

The Lord has apparently decided that I needed a lesson in humility. I have never been very good about asking for help. I hate feeling like I am incapable of success by myself. However, I have been blessed to have some amazing people around me that not only help me, even when I don't ask for it, but they do it in a manner that doesn't make me feel like I have failed but rather that we have succeeded.

I was able to ask my family and friends to come and help me move and not only did they come but they were SUPER fast. I was able to ask for support when I lost the job that was going to be basically handed to me. I was able to ask for help when my car broke down in the middle of the road. I was blessed to have a stranger be able to push me to safety until my parents could arrive. I was blessed to be able to borrow a car for Marc to get to work in when his was in the shop. I was blessed to be able to call on members of the ward when I got a car stuck coming into the driveway in the snow.

All of those blessings were able to happen because the Lord has given me the opportunity to learn humility. But if I say I have learned my lesson, can we stop being put in these situations?

I shouldn't whine today with the car I realized how prepared the Lord had had us be. The boys had been asked to shovel the driveway this morning and they were out there for a long time and had made some good progress when both shovels broke and it required a trip out to go buy new ones. off the family went and they returned with two shovels. The driveway wasn't able to be finished due to the setting sun but a car should have been able to make it up the driveway and it did several times. But when I got the car stuck coming back in those shovels came in handy as did the cat litter for traction. But most of all loving members of the ward (who had already rescued several others today including the Stake President) who came and pushed us out. They even offered to come and tractor out the rest of the snow tomorrow. I must say each time I have to call an admit that I don't have the answer or the resources to save myself it is getting easier but I am hoping the Lord decides I have learned the lesson and I can start standing on my own two feet again.

Our 2-year-old

I think one reason that I love Kiara as much as I do is because she reminds me so much of my nephew Kaelen. They both are two peas in a pod and it has been nice having her around. But lately she has hit the "terrible two" stage. Since being declawed she has been very upset that there are certain things she can't do all by herself. She used to climb up our legs and now she stands up and paws them but heaven forbid you pick her up like she wants because then she is annoyed that she couldn't do it by herself. She is very independent and very two at the moment. I was talking about that with my aunt tonight right before bedtime. I had grabbed my laptop and was hoping Kiara would follow me downstairs but if not then I would come back up and grab her. Instead of her following me she followed my aunt to her room. I came back up and went to go pick her up and she ran to the corner and laid down as if to tell me that I couldn't pick her up is she was one with the carpet. I laughed and pointed out that once again she is two because she is fighting bedtime. Any other time in the day she would have scurried downstairs after me but she knows our routine and tried to get out of it. What a silly kitty!!!

The Adventure Begins

So it is official, we have moved out and are even starting to be moved in again. One of the things we had decided was that with this move Kiara was going to get declawed. She had this awful habit of using your legs as climbing poles and it was a habit that really did need to stop. But I also wanted her to be declawed for when we have children one day and when she is still little it is better to do it then when the cat is older. So off Marc took her to the vet and they kept her a few days to make sure she was healing properly, etc. I got to bring her home a few days later and they told me she was healing fast and well and that I should just try not to let her jump from too high up or let her bite her feet. I figured this would be a peace of cake and the afternoon proved me right but by night time you could tell her feet were bothering her and she wouldn't stop chewing on them. It got to the point that I was following her around the living room and knew that there would be no sleep for me that night. Well Aunt Gerry and I started to brain storm how to fix this problem because we couldn't have anything on her feet that she could get hurt by when she chewed it off. We tried new born socks and within one flick of her paw it was off. Plan B was to try newborn footie pajamas and let me tell you they don't sell those in cat sizes but is you were wondering Kiara is the same size as a 0-3 month old. She really must be our "first child" because we have bought her clothes! Anyway the pajamas didn't work because she could climb out of the neckhole. So plan C was to try socks for children just a little bit older and tape them on. This last all of 5 seconds at the most but it definitely earned the most comical award for the night. Kiara tried to shake all 4 paws simultaneously to get the socks off as she walked and I wished I could have filmed it. Anyway from there we were able to wrap her feet and the back two paws stayed covered all night long. The next day I made Marc take her back to the vet and they coned her. Luckily she is off the cone now and her feet are healing well, when she leaves them alone. But she should be all healed up soon!!!

Post-it Notes

For those of you who don't know I have an obsession with post-it notes. I love to write myself reminders and stick them everywhere. Last semester Melissa would make fun of the post-it notes that covered my computer. In fact for Christmas, she bought be post-it notes and I love them so much that I covet them and don't use them as often because I wanted them to be used for the best possible purpose and I just might have found that. I was in a different Institute class the other day and I was blown away at all the details our instructor could tell us about each of the men in the Doctrine and Covenants. I soon realized why after looking at his scriptures, he had post-it notes with facts about each man. I was amazed at the amount of time and the details he had found about these men. I am totally going to be a copy-cat and am going to steal this idea. So we can look forward to finding post-it notes in my scriptures soon!!!

Small Joys

Since moving into our apartment complex one of my biggest complaints has been the stop light onto our road. The light sensor must be broken and we can never get it to change!! We have to wait for cross traffic before we can get a green turn arrow. There are times that we will become the cross traffic to save someone else from being stuck at the light or there are times I go the long way around to avoid this light. But the other day I was able to get the light to change all by myself. I sat at the light and all the signs pointed to me being there for a long time! The light was green and the turn arrow red, the green man on the crossing street sign was still up and there was no cross traffic. I knew I was in for a lot of waiting or a miracle. As I sat there watching the green man he turned to a flashing hand and then the light turned red which was weird because there wasn't any cross traffic. I was trying to keep my hopes from getting too high so that I wouldn't disappoint myself if it in fact would not change. But sure enough I was looking at a green turn arrow. Maybe it was the turn arrow trying to leave our relationship on a good note or maybe it was my Thanksgiving present but let me just tell you it made my day!!

I Finally Found Time to BLOG!!!

**** Confession *****

I really started this post like two weeks ago and am just now getting to acutally posting it. Oops!!!


Wow, I hadn't realized how long it has been since I last blogged. We have been running ragged between work and school and everything else. Not a whole lot to report in our lives. We will be moving in a month up north and we are super excited about it! Of course this means I should be packing but we won't start panicking just yet. I have a year left with school now and let me just say "ALLELUIA!!!!" It will be nice to have a light at the end of the tunnel. I am seriously considering going on to get my Master's Degree but we will wait to hit that mile stone until after I have finished this one. I am still studying Sign Language and Marc and I attend the Deaf Branch together. This has been such a wonderful blessing for us. I have come to truly love the Deaf Culture and have grown so much from attending with them. They are wonderful!! I have also been taking the classes necessary to become a Seminary or Institute teacher for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even if I never become a Seminary or Institute teacher these classes have helped me learn how to be a better teacher in all aspects. I have truly come to love and cherish a good teacher in that field and really wish the teachers in the secular world taught the say way the ones in the religious world do.

Marc has recently found a job doing Mall Security and absolutely loves it. He has been hand-cuffed and pepper-sprayed and likes the guys he works with. We are so lucky he found this job and that he enjoys it as much as he does. That really is a blessing in our lives.

Another blessing in our lives is our kitten. She is so much bigger than when we first rescued her and thankfully she has mellowed out quite a bit. But she has been such a blessing in our lives and we are so thankful to have her. She is constantly making us laugh by her silly quirks. Recently she has discovered she can open the bedroom door because it doesn't quite latch all the way. She also has discovered that the fridge and the dishwasher seem like really cool places to hang out. We are constantly pulling her out of both or timing when to open them to avoid her presence.

All in all, we are happy and doing well. We love life and are excited for the new changes that life will bring. We love our life and love each other.

No More Lost Sleep...

For you at least :)

Here are the pictures I had you image the other day:

Our First Broken Dish

This is our first broken dish. The other dishes had it taken out for misbehaving apparently. Another mug fell into the sink right on top of this glass and this is the final result.

Laptops

Kiara has a fedish with trying to walk on our laptops. I am constantly taking her off of them! She also seems to like to play queen of the remote as she balances perfectly on it. It really is adorable.

Your Worst Nightmare

When we first got Kiara she slept all the time which is fairly normal with small kittens but as we fed her and took care of her she started to act bigger. She was crawling around and trying to play with us and even using the litter box on her own! One day however, she wasn't acting like that again. She had slept through the night but was still sleeping when we got up. We figured she needed to eat and so we started poking at her. She would kind of open her eyes up at us and then go back to sleep. She seemed really lethargic. Marc called the vet because he was concerned about her. They advised us to bring her in but I needed a second opinion. I called my Dad and he said it wouldn't hurt to go get her checked out. We started getting things together to leave and by the time we left Kiara didn't even have enough strength to stand and was having a hard time even keeping her head up. We laid her on the bed to put our shoes on and she laid on her side and started spinning herself in circles but it was almost as if she was seizing. We rushed right over and they took her to the back without even making it through a nurse check up. The next thing we knew they were telling us it didn't look good and they were going to need to take some blood samples to see what was wrong. When we brought her in her pulse was low, her temperature was low, her glucose levels weren't even on the chart, and the grim faces just kept coming. We ended up having to leave her there while they tried to get her better. They called to let us know they were able to get an IV in her as well as a catheter. When we got her back they were able to get her heart rate back up, as well as her temperature. They found out she didn't have AIDS or Leukemia. He blood sugar levels were a little low and so they gave us a sugar substance to give her if she started acting suspicious again. We brought her home and were so grateful to have her back. But can I tell you she looked so pitiful with her bandages on her legs. She also didn't have the greatest stability when she came home. She would shake and then just fall over on her side. It made us so sad to see her this way and yet so grateful to even have her still alive and in our lives. We have only had her a short while and yet she feels like part of our family now. Marc and I will have to trade off staying up through the night with her so she can be fed every hour until she recovers completely. So if we seem a little grouchy or sleep deprived we know who to blame now.

It starts....

When we went to go see the vet one of the things they gave us was a blanket for her and she fell in love with the thing. She burrows herself inside and just keeps digging deeper each time she goes in. Anyway, like all things with little ones, eventually it needed to be washed. I didn't think this would be a huge deal because we only needed a replacement while it was in the washer and the dryer and she would be sleeping most of that time anyway. I wrapped her in a red blanket and boy could she tell the difference. Instead of sleeping well like she normally does, she was up about every 15 minutes trying to get comfortable and trying to readjust and you could just tell she wasn't sleeping as well. As soon as I could I brought in her blanket and she instantaneously crashed and was out like a light! Apparently our kitten has her own blanket and doesn't like sleeping with anything else. My kitten has a bear b.





Another story, Marc has been rather entertaining to watch since bringing this little one into our lives. He has turned into the biggest protector I have ever seen in my life. You would have thought I have never been around cats the way that boy gives me advice about her. But in other ways he has turned into the biggest softy. One day he was having her stretch her legs and explore around the apartment and so he crawled around right with her showing her things and talking to her. Let me tell you that no other cat has ever been loved as much as this little one. She is pretty spoiled rotten.

Welcome to Parenthood

Our little kitten was little enough that she had to be bottle-fed but lo and behold our kitten doesn't like bottles. So the first night we were using an eye dropper to feed her. The next day we were able to go and get her examined by a vet for free and took full advantage of that. We found out she was about 3 to 4 weeks old and only weighed 188 grams which is equivalent to .4 lbs. She is absolutely tiny!!! We were given a clean bill of health and to just continue what we were doing with her. She did say that at this point this kitten would be just like a new born baby. We were going to have to be up every few hours at night with her and take special care of this little one.

At this point we decided that she needed to have a name. Marc wanted to name her Abby and I wanted to give her a Disney name and so my choice was Kiara from the Lion King 2. She had the personality of a Kiara but looked like an Abby. As Marc and I debated he came to like the name Kiara and I came to like the name Abby. After much deliberation we came to the conclusion of Kiara. Here is a picture of our newest little bundle of joy.

Our Newest Addition

Well the start of school has been a very interesting one for Marc and myself. It had been filled with finding books, attending classes, homework, studying, and lots of being in different rooms as we work. Now all of those things are normal for the start of school but we found ourselves finding a surprise on Tuesday. It started when I found out my "back-ordered" books were actually sitting on the shelf at the bookstore. I grabbed Marc and rushed out to buy the latest books in our book buying spree. As we left we noticed there were two very young kittens under our apartment complex. Now there is a set of cats that lives under there but the kittens are always with an adult cat. These two little ones were all alone and getting to the point it was all skin and bones. We went on to the bookstore and discussed what we would do if we went back and found them still sitting there. Part of the problem with their location is it is right next to the dog park and these little ones wouldn't have stood a chance defending themselves. We still hadn't decided what we were going to do when we got home but we went to see if the kittens were there anyway. I knew from growing up not to touch them unless we were going to take them because our scent would be on them. We walked up and sure enough one little one was still there and meowing quite loudly. We sat there and kept debating and all the sudden this little one was coming out to meet us. All of the sudden this kitten was chasing Marc up and down and back up the sidewalk again. I had warned Marc about not touching the kitten and so he was backing away and yelling for help because he didn't know what to do. I about died of laughter because you would have thought that a bear was chasing Marc and not a harmless kitten. At that point we both got the impression that we needed to take her with us. So off we went with this tiny little thing in our arms to try and make her our own. Trust me the story doesn't end here. :)

Mr. Bighead

In case some of you don't know I have been studying Sign Language in school. After last semester I have learned some valuable information.

#1 - Where you sit in class is CRUCIAL to how well you can see your teacher sign.
#2 - You have to pick a good seat on day 1 because your seat will never EVER change
#3 - You have to like the people who sit at your table because you will "talk" to them a lot!

So being the ridiculous planner that I am, I have been thinking about where I will sit in class for months now. I knew I wanted to sit in the middle because you have the best seat in the house. I also knew that because of my height I didn't want to sit in the front seat because others wouldn't be able to see around me very well. So the first day of class came and I set out to find my seat.

I walked in and found the PERFECT seat. I even had a cool girl that sat at the table with me. I was getting super excited about this semester. Class was getting ready to start in about 5 minutes and things couldn't have looked better. Then Mr. Bighead came in. He asked to sit in front of me and I couldn't exactly say no. I figured I am still a little bit taller and so I should be fine, so I didn't start to stress out just yet. But then class started. This lovely gentleman in front of me not only put his head right in front of my teacher's hands but he wiggles! I have lived with kids but they don't even start to compare to his wiggling. I would shift to the left and then so would he. I would shift to the right.... and then so would he. This went on for an HOUR!!! Let me just say that next week, I will be switching seats. I didn't plan all summer long for Mr. Big-wiggly-head to sit in front of me.

You Know You Are Loved When....

For those of you who know me, you know that I have a special bond with all of my nephews and niece. I have special moments and memories, that I will always hold dear to me. One of those moments is watching Tom and Jerry with Kaelen. This was by far our show and now I can't bear to watch it without him being there, it just isn't the same. Well I decided to break my ban on Tom and Jerry and watch the new movie that came out on 8/24. I watched it and it was fine but that was all it was was fine. It made me miss the times that him and I used to watch it though. I was expressing this concern to Marc and he immediately offered to act like Kaelen for me. Suddenly he was meowing and pointing and the screen and trying to cuddle up next to me. How many husbands are there that offer to meow like a two-year-old just to make their wife feel better? Mine sure as heck does!!

Organ Party

Marc and I have both become organ donors. So because I am a dork, we had to have a party for getting the cards in the mail. Well party/FHE for the week :) So we started off the night by going out and buying food, a.k.a. grocery shopping for the essentials. Then we came home and had a four star dinner, a.k.a. Marc cooking dinner. Then we had a fabulous time signing the documents needed and then swapping thme with each other. We have had a 1-2-3 countdown as we put the stickers on our driver's licenses. It was such a fun silly date for the two of us to go on! We laughed and joked around and it was a fabulous night. So if you plan on becoming an organ donor then make sure you have an organ donor party! We even had heart shaped ice cubes in our drink that night. We figured it was fitting!

So Let Us Just Pretend

Okay so I have been planning this blog post for about a month but the problem is that I know myself too well and know that it will never actually happen the way I had planned so here is the "use-your-imagination" version. I was very fortunate to get my sister's camera when she received a new one at my brother's wedding. I brought it home and was super excited about taking pictures. In fact we had a perfect sunset one night and I rushed outside to take pictures of it before the sky started spitting on me. Anyway, I also thought I should start documenting "real-life" a little bit more, but of course hadn't told Marc my new decision.

Marc has a meeting every night on Wednesdays and so he gets all dressed up in Sunday clothes. As he walked back into our room from his meeting I quickly started taking pictures of him. I got about 2-3 and he had decided he had had enough. So he begged and pleaded for me to stop taking pictures. I apparently wasn't very good about listening because the night ended with him hiding under a blanket to stop me from taking pictures. This of course just made me take a picture of the ridiculous predicament that he had put himself in.

Now I had planned to post the pictures that had lead up to this night but that would require me being on top of it and taking the pictures off the camera. Well I am less than on top of it between two jobs and getting ready for school and trying to be a wife and so many other things. So instead I would like you to use your imagination and pretend you see a gorgeous sunset, followed by Marc looking dashing in his Sunday clothes, followed by him hiding under a red striped blanket. THANKS!! Or if you don't want to imagine it.... then I will never know the difference :)

Watch What You Say!!

Marc and I have found that we are not very fond of drivers in our area. I have been honked at for not running red lights, almost run over by people blowing through stop signs, etc. Anyway, on our way to church there was a car behind us as we pulled up to a flashing stoplight. Marc had barely stopped the car when the car behind us honked. I about flipped! So this lead to a "we hate these kind of drivers!" talks. We went to Sacrament meeting and it was still bothering me. Marc went out into the lobby and one of the new members followed him out to talk. He went on to say that he had recognized our car and had honked to say hello this morning before church. Marc then had to confess that we had been ranting about bad drivers. I guess I will have to watch what I say more carefully! OOPS!!!

Being Remembered

This last weekend, I had the opportunity to go down with my family and visit some dear friends of the family in Southern Arizona. I was so excited to get to see these two families and their children again. We arrived and I quickly learned that I didn't stand a chance in heck of spending too much time with the kids because they absolutely adored my younger brother and all of them spent so much time laughing and playing together and I loved watching it. At one point of the visit though, I snuck into the kids room to take a picture of them sitting on the bed together (imagine 1 teenager and 5 other little ones all on one bed). I took a picture of it and went to leave the room when one of the little girls came running after me. I figured she was going to get a drink or talk to her parents. So it took me by surprise when she tapped me from behind. I turned around and she asked me if I remembered going swimming with her last time and I said that I did. She asked me if I remembered giving her rides on my back as I swam around and I said that I did but I was surprised that she did. She asked me that when they went swimming with us this year if that could happen again. I told her that I would love to but I wasn't entirely sure if I would be there when they came. I told her if I wasn't there to do it that Mikkel would take my place and give the dolphin rides around the pool. She immediately lit up and ran back to go hear the end of the story in the other room. I can't tell you how much it meant to me that this little girl had remembered that from at least two years ago. It made me not want to come back to go to work so that I could be the one to swim her around. Sadly obligations called but I know that Mikkel will have done a fantastic job with them and I have nothing to worry about.

Lunch With Mom

Growing up my Mom worked from home but about ten years ago she returned to the work force as a school teacher. I was sad about the change and I didn't like that she had to drive places around the state. However, now that I am a newlywed I love this part of her job. Because she has had to travel for meetings and conferences I have had the opportunity to meet her and have lunch together on multiple occasions. It is such a nice way to see and visit with my Mom. I find it a great time to catch up and visit and enjoy each others company. The meetings that I once didn't like, I now find myself looking forward to because it means getting to see my Mom again, even if only for a short time.

So Mom, when is your next meeting down here?

What Do I Blog About?

As I read other people's blogs, sometimes I start to feel inadequate. You all have children saying funny things, going through new phases, or simply being cute. My blog can't be filled with those things since the only kids I claim are across the country from me. My life is filled with super adventures. In fact most of the time it is a simple case of wash, rinse, repeat. But my goal is to find more things to be able to blog about and really take advantage of the fact that I do have a blog and I have a wonderful opportunity to keep a journal this way. It will also serve as a great way to keep in touch with those who don't get to see me often. Now I am not going to make any drastic promises and say that I will write once a week or anything like that but my goal is to be able to write more. I need to find things that make my day they way that your children make yours. So my posts will probably be silly things like getting a new tv stand or Marc earning brownie points for taking the car to the shop early and letting me sleep in. But in my life those have become the things that are there and I am able to blog about. So I don't know whether to wish you good luck or condolences but whichever one is more appropriate I wish it to you!

Our First Piece of Furniture

Marc and I have finally bought our first piece of furniture. It isn't anything extravagant or fancy but I have completely fallen in love with our new tv stand. We had been looking for one we liked for a long time but finally found one on craigslist that I just couldn't pass up. It had all the features that we wanted, was in great shape, and was only going to cost us $15. I didn't think it would make a huge difference in our apartment but it has. This new change allowed me to have my piano bench back which has made practicing for Relief Society a lot easier. It also cleaned up the area around the tv because now all the electronics have a place and the cords aren't strewn about for everyone (okay so just Marc and I) to see. But it makes our room feel that much cleaner and I am so grateful that we made that choice. I love that I have gotten so excited about the simple things in life. But it was such a simple pleasure to be able to have our own piece of furniture. I look forward to being able to celebrate the simple things in life as we continue our marriage.

Road Trip..... Again

One would have thought that after I had loved being in a car across the country the first time that I would have been smart enough to not repeat the experience but when our trip to New Hampshire came up, I was the one who suggested we drive. It turned out to be a very good move for us financially and family wise. We planned to drive to Iowa and then drive with Marc's family the rest of the way. The trip went fairly well and was fairly uneventful except for the 3 hours we were lost in Colorado. I am not sure Marc will ever forgive Colorado and has already declared we are NEVER moving there. Colorado was beautiful but our directions were missing step, if you combine this with poor signage and the mileage also being off in our directions one could understand why we were lost the way we were. Luckily I was able to call my best friend and she was able to get me unlost and I was so grateful to have her only a phone call away. My favorite part about Colorado though was that we stopped in a town for directions and the road we wanted was a block away from the gas station we stopped at but they looked at us like we had three heads and couldn't tell us where it was.

We were able to drive to Iowa and spend a few wonderful days with Marc's family and I personally got to experience a lot of firsts. I went boating for the first time in probably 10 years. I went tubing on a lay-down tube, went water skiing, and drove a boat. I also made Pavlova for my in-laws and I loved being able to cook that for them. It also made for a good story on how I break hand mixers. When I lived with Melissa, a hand-mixer was broken when I was using it. I think I broke it and Melissa claims it was on it's last leg anyway and I just happened to be the one holding it. But then she bought a replacement and I only used that one once before it also started making noises. At this point I decided not to use a hand mixer until I actually own it so that I avoid breaking more. So when I went to make Pavlova, I enlisted the help of my Mother-in-law and asked her to use the hand mixer and I would add ingredients. She told me that she wasn't scared of me using the hand mixer and if I broke it that would be fine because it was over 20 years old and could always be replaced. I considered using it but decided it would be better if I didn't touch it. Within 3 minutes of the conversation the mixer was dead and in need of replacement. So my warning to you is.... don't ever let me near your hand mixers. Otherwise you will definitely be in need of a new one.

After a few days in Iowa we left for the East Coast. It was wonderful to go back and see friends, coworkers, and family again. I will be eternally grateful that I had that opportunity to go back. It was such a blessing to be able to mingle and catch up and spend time with loved ones back there. There are still so dear to me and I miss the East Coast. It wouldn't be the same to go back there now and if I went then I would always miss it here but part of me still loves the East Coast and always will.

The baptism and open house went really well and it was a wonderful to feel the love and support that still exists back there. It was fun to get to play with my Dad's camera and take pictures that captured the moments that were important on that trip. These pictures range from baptism pictures to a quiet walk with my Dad. Moments and memories that will forever be caught on film and I am so grateful for that.

We quickly hurried back to Iowa and more than a few tears were shed on the way back. I realized that I had seen Melissa's kids for the last time before their big trip to Jerusalem. I don't have the typical Aunt/Niece/Nephew relationship and so this separation will be really hard on me. I am already saving my pennies to make it so that I can come and visit. We also now have a webcam and I can't wait to be able to use it!

We spent a day in Iowa and then drove back to Arizona. The trip was uneventful minus the insanity that was starting to brew from being stuck in a car for WAY too long. Part of me is glad that those moments weren't caught on film. We were very blessed on our trip back. About Nebraska my car decided to sound like a race car. We found out it was a problem with my exhaust pipe/muffler and were able to continue home. We parked the car and the next day I went to leave for work and was prompted to drive Marc's car instead. I did this and then found out later that my muffler and my exhaust pipe were no longer connected. Luckily it had waited until we were home and safe to disconnect. The car is now fixed again and we were incredibly blessed with safety on our trip.

Our trip went really well. We were able to strengthen bonds, see two more states (at least for me) and see our loved ones again. It was a good, exhausting trip.

School is Out of Session

Thankfully we are doing with school for another semester. I have enjoyed going to school again but going in person wore me out faster than online classes did. I think I missed not being able to finish two weeks early or going to school whenever I felt like it rather than the designated time. But it was definitely a learning semester and I really enjoyed being where the Lord intended me to be. The plan was for me to continue schooling over the summer but after thinking some more about it I have decided to take the summer off and it has been a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my husband and actually get to see him every once in a blue moon. This is a change that I definitely enjoy. I used to scoff at people who say they saw their spouse more before they were married but with Marc and I that has proven true. During the semester I would be at school during the day and Marc would be at work at night. Now it seems that our work schedules are just off of each other. Last night Marc was getting off work when I started working. But we are grateful for our jobs and the opportunity we have to support ourselves financially.

We have several things to look forward to this summer. We had our trip back east recently, but I will save that for another post. We are looking forward to family reunions, weddings, and our camping trip to the most exotic place in the world.... our living room. It has been a joke for the last while that we are going to camp in our living room and since I love being a kid I am so excited for it. All the snack food and planning has been done and now it is just a matter of finding the perfect date. We also look forward to visiting family and swimming and finding ways to enjoy our new surroundings and get to know a little bit more about the area we live in. Overall we are very blessed and very happy and I couldn't ask for any more.

Christmas for my Birthday

I am a huge fan of Christmas and would probably celebrate it monthly if it were socially acceptable to. I love the lights and the sounds and the feelings of Christmas. Christmas just feels like a time when anything could happen. I love the way people start to treat their fellow man and I love that it is a chance to celebrate our Savior.

I became very excited this year when I received a package in the mail about the same time as my birthday. I will have you know that in my ability to mature I have never lost that childish joy of finding that you have mail in your name. This holds especially true when it is not a bill or voter registration or boring big people mail. So anyway, as I opened the package I found out that it was a belated Christmas present from my in-laws. It is the cutest countdown tree and I instantly fell in love with it. In fact I am now super excited for Christmas and the new ability I will have to be able to countdown to my favorite holiday. In fact my Mom gave it to me and I opened it while waiting at a stop light with my Mom in the car behind me. I was so excited when I opened it that I was holding it up and trying to show her through my back window. I am sure the rest of the world thought I was a big dork! But now I am super excited to hang it up in our apartment. Poor Marc will have to put up with us decorating like the day after Thanksgiving but I am sure he will survive. I must say that Christmas tree came at an amazing time and I am so thankful for my belated Christmas present! It made both my Birthday and my Christmas this year.

Mrs.

So I realized today that I am slightly behind the times. This isn't uncommon in my life as I am usually behind in the latest fashion trends, hairdos, etc. But nonetheless I realized today that what I was behind on was the fact that I am now a Mrs. I got an email today that said "Mrs. Chrissy". Normally, I would have scoffed at being a Mrs. and said that I am a Miss because I am not old enough to be a Mrs. But as I typed this I realized that in fact 3 months ago I was married...which clearly makes me a Mrs. Now if only I could keep up with the events in my life and the implications they have! :)

I Have Become My Mother

Growing up I always dreaded the day that my Mother would start to clean the house. Once she started it felt like we didn't stop until every ounce of our house was clean. I would have much rather preferred to maybe clean one room and then skip off to go play. I could never understand her need to have the house as clean as possible. Then I lived with Melissa and the same thing happened. They were like the Energizer Bunnies of cleaning. I would have definitely been done before they were. Then I moved into my own apartment and got married and suddenly I have turned into them. Last night I started by simply picking up the living room, which lead to needing to clean the kitchen, which lead to me taking apart my stove to clean the burners, which lead to me needed to put my clothes away and pick up our room, which lead to needing to take back the bathroom counter from the beauty products. After the apartment became clean and presentable again, then I could stop. But before that moment stopping wasn't even an option. I had heard my Mom say growing up that she would have been embarrassed had someone come over to visit while our house was such a disaster and that is how I felt yesterday. I would have been embarrassed. So I have realized that I am becoming more and more like my mother every day and you know what.... I am totally okay with that.

New Best Friend

I had a really spiritual experience the other day. I am currently taking a Hymns class at Institute and I am LOVING it. I get so excited to go to class and learn new facts. As we were studying a set of hymns the other day a line stuck out to me. It said, "God makes our day." This sentence made me so excited. My sister and I do this silly thing where when someone makes our day or does something that we just love we tell them they are our new best friend. Now imagine shocked looks of completely strangers as we tell them this. Well when I read that line I thought about how I have never thought of God as being able to be "my new best friend" and yet that is exactly what he is. I was so touched and humbled by that line and knew that God has gone out of his way to make my day on many occasions. Many people in my life have been instruments in God's hands as they make my day or touch my heart.

I am now MARRIED!!!

Well it is official! As of 11:30ish yesterday I am now married. It was an absolutely beautiful ceremony and lots of happy tears were shed afterwards as the spirit touched both Marc and I. It was an amazing experience to know that as of that moment we were joined together forever and that our future children would be joined with us as well. What an amazing experience to know that! It was also amazing to know that we were sealed in the same place as my parents and my sister.

We were able to celebrate with the family and take pictures and have a luncheon down in the valley. It was special to know that we were sharing a wedding anniversary of a couple that I had known all of my life and they were able to be in the temple with us. We headed up the hill and had a wonderful reception. I was grateful to be able to enjoy the reception after having hated planning it so much. It was a very nice night and I loved being able to see family and friends there to support us in this new chapter of our lives.

George, Watch out for the TREEEEEE!!!!

I have often thought of George of the Jungle as being a silly boy who should have known better than to run into trees. I mean it isn’t like trees just pop up in your way. They were definitely there first and didn’t move so that you would have to dodge them.

Marc really wanted to have a Bachelor’s party. So him and the boys decided to have a boys night out on the town. I didn’t think I had to warn any of the boys to be nice to him and I knew their bachelor’s party wouldn’t have any of the typical “bachelor” things. There wasn’t going to be alcohol or strippers or anything like that so I wasn’t too worried. Well I should have told the boys to have Marc watch out for trees. Here is how the story goes:

Marc and the gang decided to go play miniature golf. At some point in the night Eric, Marc’s little brother, had lost his pencil. Now I guess this was a big deal because Eric is attached to certain types of pencils, not just any pencil makes the cut for Mr. Eric. So Marc being a caring older brother decided to have the boys split up and search for the special pencil. Now to Eric’s credit he told the boys not to worry but Marc was insistent that they go and search. So they split up and about 30 seconds later Marc was laying on the ground after being knocked over by a tree branch. He felt his head and was relieved to not find any blood but after standing up the blood started to gush. So he had one of the guys help him find a bathroom so that they could look into the cut. Sure enough the silly George had a 2 inch gash on his head behind his hairline. Now George, being the “wonderful” doctor that he was decided to try and wash the cut out by himself. (He claims that we has just trying to clean the blood up and I think had he been able to actually see the cut then he would have been successful in cleaning it out). He called his Dad to see if he needed to get his head examined by a doctor. He was eventually taken back to the apartment where his good friend Matt was able to clean out the wound properly and dress the wound.

I found out about this fiasco on the morning of our wedding. Let me tell you between that and sleeping through my alarm….best wakeup ever! But he was fine and didn’t have a concussion or anything. His parents joked all day that he had to see if he needed to get his head examined the night before his wedding. I am not sure he will ever live down the jokes that will come from his incident with the tree but at least he was safe in the end. Now being his wife, I am so loving and sympathetic that every time we pass a tree I make sure to warn him of the tree. So I write this blog as a plea to keep George safe, next time you see him make sure to warn him of any trees nearby!!! I am pretty sure that after this blog is posted that Marc will be making sure as to the content I put up on the blog but I couldn’t resist!!

Going Through the Temple

This last Friday I had an amazing experience. I was able to go to the temple. It was such a neat experience to see all of the people in my life that took the time out of their lives to come and share this experience with me. Some of the highlights of that day was the fact that Karen Giullian was able to be there with me vicariously. One of the temple workers was named Karen Gilliland and she reminded me of my Karen so much! They way she talked and told stories and made me feel at peace. I wished that the real Karen had been there with me but it was so nice to have someone that reminded me so much of her. It was a comfort to me.

One of my favorite moments of that day was actually in the early hours of the morning. I was a little lost and wandering around after running the errands that I needed to have done before the wedding on Saturday. I had forgotten to bring my Zune that had the book on cd I was listening to and didn’t feel like listening to the radio. So I started singing some Primary songs in the car. I sang some of my favorites as I strived to feel the spirit stronger. I had sang quite a few as I started to sing “I Love to see the Temple” and I turned a corner. I was now facing so that I could see the temple straight on as I drove. It was such an amazing experience to know that I was able to go inside and covenant with my Father that day in the Temple. I have always liked that song but it now holds a special place in my heart from that experience that day. Here are the words to that song:

I love to see the temple.
I’m going there someday
To feel the Holy Spirit,
To listen and to pray.
For the temple is a house of God,
A place of love and beauty.
I’ll prepare myself while I am young;
This is my sacred duty.

I love to see the temple.
I’ll go inside someday.
I’ll cov’nant with my Father;
I’ll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place
Where we are sealed together.
As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth:
A fam’ly is forever.

Little Lost Boy

I have felt very sure that my wedding needed to be held in February. Please don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t crazy about the date but I just kept being assured that February was the right month for us. I was so grateful for the extra time that Marc and I were able to grow and the changes that have come into our life because of those changes. But another reason I was so grateful for our wedding being in February was that we were able to play a small part in the lives of a family who had lost their little boy.

As we decorated the church on Thursday, a lady and a little boy wandered into the building. I didn’t think too much about it as others had been in and out of the church all night. My Mom and I had been decorating the arch when they lady and the little boy were directed to come and talk to us. I signaled to my Mom that someone wanted to talk to her, I figured that they must know my Mom and was a little surprised to find out that neither one did. What had happened was this little boy had wandered away from home and this lady and picked him up and was trying to help him find his way back. They had wandered into the church when the little boy had recognized it. They were then directed towards us so that we could use our cell phones to look up people’s phone number or to try and find phone numbers. He told us his name and I knew that I had heard it before but couldn’t place it. After a little while we were able to correctly identify his family and we realized that we had known his family for quite awhile. I was able to talk to him about his Aunt that is living in Hawaii at the moment and that seemed to relax him a little bit to know that we knew his family. From there we were able to call other members in the ward to try and find a phone number for this family. The little boy again lit up as we were able to come up with names of families that he knew from church. After a while the little boy’s family was contacted. It was such a sweet scene to see his Mother come in and cling to her little boy as she wept. I was so grateful to have been a tiny part in returning that little boy back to his family.

There were so many miracles that allowed that little boy to be returned. The first one was that the little boy was found by an incredibly caring lady and that she took the time to try to find his family. She wanted that little boy to be found by his family. She was able to have the patience as she tried to follow directions from a lost little boy as he desperately tried to find his way back home. She was prompted to point out a brown church building not far from the highway. It wasn’t until she pointed out the LDS chapel that the little boy was able to recognize it as the one where he attended church. Since she wasn’t LDS herself, this was a little bit of a miracle because there are multiple churches in the area that are closer to the road than that church is. Another miracle was that we were decorating the cultural hall for my reception and that we hadn’t locked ourselves into the building. This allowed for these two people to wander into the building to get help. Another miracle was that we were able to recognize the little boy and the family that he belonged to. My Mom was able to recognize him from dropping my little brother off at scouts. The little boy’s Dad is in the scouting program in the other ward and so she has seen the Mom and the little boy’s family at the church. Had either our family or his family not have been active or faithfully serving in their callings, I don’t know if this miracle would have been possible. It was a miracle that we were able to find other members of the wards to help us find the phone numbers we needed and that we had been in the area long enough to know who those individuals were.
I was so grateful to have been a small part in finding this little boy back home. I know that there are angels along our way to help us back to our Heavenly home. I know that like this mother who had lost her little boy that our Father in Heaven also weeps when one of us has lost his way. I know that he wants us to come home again. I know that he has made it possible for our return and that as we follow the steps and use the aides we are given that we will make it back. I was so grateful for the opportunity to help this family in their time of need. That little boy has found his way into many conversations with my family as we have pondered the events and the prayers that were answered that night. It wasn’t just a coincidence that all of this happened but a miracle.

Melissa Coming to Visit!!!

I have had the opportunity to spend the last couple of weeks, off and on, with Melissa and her little rugrats. It was so much fun to have one last shabam with them before I got married. At one point Melissa and her kids came down and spent a couple of days with me in my apartment. I have never thought our one bedroom apartment was terribly small until you add 6 more people to it! But it was fun to eat donuts and go to the park and eat Ned’s subs and have the kids help me with my homework. I am so grateful that I got to spend time with them! I am really going to miss them until I get to see them in May for the Open House. I must say that I am so grateful for technology and our ability to stay in touch using that technology.

Here are some pictures of the kid’s visit:

Bridal Showers

I was so blessed to have two bridal showers, both thrown by amazing individuals! The first one was thrown by the Bunker family. It was held in the church building in the town I grew up in and it was so nice. The food was absolutely delicious and it didn’t even resemble a Relief Society room when they were done. It was nice to be able to be there with the women that had been there has I have grown up. Stephanie did a good job of trying to embarrass me as my mouth was filled with marshmallows. She played this game where every time I answered a question different from Marc then I had to put a marshmallow in my mouth. Stephanie did a great job of finding some of those pertinent questions that Marc and I hadn’t discussed it our year and a half together. Such as, “If Marc were a Disney character which one would he want to be?” But she also found some questions in which our storytelling of our lives wasn’t as good as it should have been. Marc got the answer wrong on what the names of my dogs were and what my jersey number in high school was. So I got to eat marshmallows for getting the answer right! We also did a game where Stephanie and I were decorated in toilet paper wedding dresses. It was fun to have that experience with Steph. We have a picture of us together at 6 months and it was awesome to have one of us together right before I was married.

The other bridal shower was a family one that was held in Queen Creek. I loved being able to be there with both the women in my family and in Marc’s family, these are women that I have been able to look up to over the years and have been able to go to for advice. It was so nicely put together and looked beautiful, they really did go above and beyond. We played this game where everyone in the group had to guess certain trivia about me and then whoever got the most right won a prize. We also played this game where we all got a person taped to our back and then had to ask yes/no questions to figure out who our individual was. Most of the pictures of this bridal shower were taken of the two little boys that attended and I loved getting to see the little ones playing that day. But some of the presents I received that day were definitely an answer to prayer and I was so grateful for them!

Please enjoy the pictures and know that we missed those of you who couldn’t attend.

Thank you George

As I prepared for Melis and her kids to come out, one of the preparations was to make the house George-proof. I have learned long ago that simply baby-proofing the house is not good enough. My house will have to be Kaelen-proof. I have also learned that you have to have something for him or he will go and find something that you would rather him not play with. So as I prepared for him to come things got put away and it forced me to be the most moved in that I have been in the new apartment. So thank you George. Without you being the little rascal, that I love so much, the apartment wouldn't be as moved in as it is at the moment. What am I going to do when that little rugrat is across the world from me? I don't know what I am going to do when any of those little ones are across the world from me? Thank goodness for technology and the ability to stay in contact. Just think, then I can talk to them and not have to worry about Kaelen being able to find the kitchen knives or other such things!

I have got to stop waiting...

I have meant to post on the blog for quite a while now. Since the road trip so much has happened. My sister keeps harassing me about not blogging. I keep thinking that I can't blog until I get the pictures off my camera or some other excuse. As I sat here today I realized that there is so much going on in my life that should probably be documented and if I wait until I get around to getting the pictures off the camera... I will be married before I even write that I moved. So to catch up:

I have moved down to the Tempe area now and am liking the new apartment. I keep waiting for my kitchen cupboards to be more useful but that hasn't happened yet. But it's my new home at the moment. It is nice to have something to call home. When I left New Hampshire and living with Melis and the kids... I really left what had become my home. So not that the apartment replaces them but it's comforting to have. I must say I had to get used to the quiet though. I keep having some sort of sound on every time that I am home. After 5 kids, having it quiet is really lonely sometimes.

I have also started looking for jobs down here. I have an interview on Tuesday so keep your fingers crossed!!!

I have started driving my sister's yellow car. That thing has a mind of its own sometimes. But it's a little piece of Melis in my daily life and I really like that.

I have decided to not stress about the wedding planning. It will happen or it won't but I am done stressing about it. The wedding is less than 3 weeks out now. I am sure there are still a million things to get done but I am not going to stress getting there. I will get there but at my own pace.

I have finally gotten to a point that I am starting to recognize roads and it doesn't scare me to just get in the car and drive. For awhile I was getting lost at least once every trip but I am quickly becoming better at finding my way around.

I have started going to school. I was a little nervous to start at a real school again. I didn't have a lot of success last time. The first little bit was nerve-racking as I came to realize that the campus was a lot bigger than Melissa's living room! There were also no little boys running around and asking me to watch Tom and Jerry. I made it through a whole week of school without having to watch a Tom and Jerry episode. Of course now that thought is making me miss the kiddos and so I will make sure to go watch an episode. But I think it will be a good semester. I learned a lot of good study habits while attending online schooling and I think I will be able to implement them into my life now.

I am taking two amazing Institute classes and love having them mixed into my day with my other classes. I feel like it helps me to do better to have that spiritual boost in my day.

I am finally taking the steps to have a Temple Recommend. I had my first interview today and will have the next one on Wednesday. It is such a blessing in my life to know that in less than 3 weeks, I will have entered into the House of the Lord. I am so excited for this opportunity to have my own recommend and to be able to use it often.

I can't think of too much to add to my updates. I am going to try to blog a little bit more regularly but I make no promises with school. But heck, there has to be some down time somewhere, right??