So happy Together

Today Jonathan and I are celebrating 17 years together. As I type it, I can hardly believe it myself. We started out so young together but have grown so much over these many years. I love being his wife and am so thankful for a husband that loves his family, his Savior Jesus Christ and respects and honors his priesthood. He is very passionate about the things he believes to be true. He is not a fence sitter. Here is to us and another 17 years together....

It's all about family

Christmas day is winding down. It has been a very fulfilling day. For me, it has been amazing because I had my husband, children, mom and some of my sisters here. I truly love my family so much. They are what bring me my greatest joy. It has taken me until today to feel the Christmas spirit. Usually I make lots of goodies and take them to neighbors. I always do a Christmas card and send it to friends and family. I did not do any of it this year. I guess I attribute it to losing my Dad. I am not really sure why it has taken the Christmas spirit out of things for me. I would think it would do the exact opposite. But, today as we were sitting down to eat the most amazing meal I was filled with such an overwhelming love for my family, especially the ones that are no longer with us.
I got a great gift this week in the mail. My step mom sent me my dads very favorite shirt in the mail.


I have atleast 4 pictures of him wearing this same shirt. I was very glad to get it. She was very thoughtful in sending it to me. So, Merry Christmas to you all. I hope you had a very peaceful Christmas..

Good Reasons

So, I have a good reason why I have not posted for so long. Well, I have many reasons... The first is my lack of motivation for anything due to the lack of the sun and warm weather. I am always cold so do not leave my fire place for very long except to make some Hot Cocoa. In fact, as I am typing this now, I have my coat on. Mr. Winter is not my friend. I know lots of people are excited for the snow.. I know I have already harped about this before. But, had to keep you updated on why I have not blogged in awhile..

Oh! and the other reason, well.....

14 and counting

Devin turns 14 on Sunday. He is so excited that he can barely stand it. I remember very well the day he was born. There was a terrible storm that hit Utah County. We were living in Springville and had to drive to American Fork. I really thought we were going to crash on the way there. 

He was born early on December 7th, Pearl Harbor day as so many people reminded me. He has been such a joy to have as a son. 

I remember when he was about 3, he got a basketball hoop for his birthday. He spent hours upon hours just shooting hoops. He was so tired but would not stop. If the ball rolled further than his grasp he would just cry until someone picked it up for him. 

When he started kindergarten we bought him his first watch. It bothered him so much that not all the clocks were on the same time. He would set his watch to the one at home and than the one at school would be different by 1 or 2 minutes. He just didn't understand why they all couldn't be the exact same time. It bothered him enough that he stopped wearing the watch. 

He is precise in the things he does. He is a serious boy and a deep thinker. 

This year we have put him in a school that has really helped him find the love for learning again. He will come home and share with me the things he has learned. It is really great to see his love of learning rekindled. He is a boy that takes his priesthood responsibilities seriously. I am very thankful for that.. I am truly blessed to be given the stewardship of raising him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEVIN! 

The Best Find

I found this a few months ago and meant to blog about it but forgot. But, now with Christmas upon us, I just have to share. Have you ever heard of Pandora? It is internet radio. The coolest thing about it is you make your own radio stations. You select an artist or a song that you like, type it in and they will find artists that are similar or songs with that same type of beat. I like it for the Christmas season because I just typed in the word Christmas and it comes up with all the best Christmas songs... So, if you want to find good tunes go to Pandora.com. You will have to sign up for an account but other than that it is free and I love it!

Thankful to be a visiting teacher

Throughout my married life, I have had a hard time with being a visiting teacher. I have not ever gained a testimony of it. I really did not see the importance of it. I have had a hard time making new friends and opening up to people that I just didn't know. I must say that I have  had a bad attitude about it all. Than, I would feel guilty every month for only putting half effort out there and would sometimes find myself dodging the district supervisors call. I just did not want to report once again of my failure to come through. 

When we moved to this new ward, I decided that it was time that I change my attitude, the way I think about it and approach it. The ladies that I had been assigned to were all women I had never met before. I was scared. I did not know them and they did not know me. But, I was going to overcome my fear and make friends with them. After all, isn't that what most of us want anyway a friend? So tonight I finished up all my visiting teaching. It ended up being a great experience. My companion could not go. So, I took Haylee as my companion. She helped break the ice too. 

The message that I gave was one that I needed to hear, especially because of the recent death of my dad. I love our prophet and his inspired words.. So, I will leave you with his words.

  
Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.” We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.
Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”

Thank you for being in my life, either through allowing me to read your blog or spend time with you or  talking to me on the phone. I love my family and Friends. You truly do enrich my life!

A treasured find

Last night I was up late. Jonathan was working and I was keeping him company. There are a few boxes that have not been unpacked yet, mostly because I have no idea where to put things. There was an open box in his office with some books in it. On top of these books there was a brown folder looking book. It has been with me for quite awhile. My mom gave it to me a few years ago with all the genealogy she had in her home. So, I decided to grab it last night and look through it. To my amazement, it was my dads personal history and a list of important events in his life. There was so much information listed in there that I did not know. For instance, he was actually baptized in the Catholic church as an infant. I never knew that fact about him. It only covers the first 24 years of his life but it was full of things I never knew about my dad. It also has the original certificate of birth from Mercy Hospital in Durango Colorado and the certificate of baptism and confirmation. I love this... I don't know why I have never looked at it before but I am so glad I found it, especially now...