A bun in the oven

Its been a little over three years since this happened:

We have sure enjoyed our time over the years

We have laughed

And we have cried (ok maybe me more than Kenny, but he has definitely shed a few tears)

We have added new family members

And finally after much begging and pleading from our parents :) and much joy for us, this family of 2....

Will become a family of 3

So put in your guesses folks. Boy or Girl??

Cool Experience

This experience was sent around in my ward. If you have not read it yet I highly recommend it!

http://crazycluffcrew.blogspot.com/2010/05/we-thank-thee-oh-god-for-prophet.html

He lives.

He lives. Two words. Such a simple yet profound phrase. A wonderful couple in my ward sang "I know that my Redeemer lives," as a duet today. This song has always been one of my favorites. Each time I hear it the Spirit testifies to me that He does live. The words of the song are amazing and if you haven't truly listened to them I encourage you to. Whenever I am in need of comfort these words seem to bring immediate ease:

He lives to grant my rich supply.

He lives to guide me with his eye.

He lives to comfort me when faint.

He lives to hear my soul's complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears.

He lives to wipe away my tears.

He lives to calm my troubled heart.

He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives my kind, wise heavenly friend.

He lives and loves me to the end.

He lives and while he lives I'll sing.

He lives my Prophet, Priest and King.

He lives and grants me daily breath.

He lives and I shall conquer death.

He lives my mansion to prepare.

He lives to bring me safely there.

Oh sweet, the joy this sentence gives. "I know that my redeemer lives!"

What a great blessing this song is. What comfort it brings to my often troubled heart. There are often days that I realize that if it wasn't for Him, for his life and death, I would be in an awful place right now. I am so grateful for the atonement, for His example, for both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. There are many days that they have to carry me, because I just cannot do it myself. I know through this next year they will continue to carry me, and they will never tire or complain. Even when sometimes my prayers and thoughts are nothing but complaints. They are still there. Preparing my mansion, and helping me conquer all the trials, tribulations and situations that I just cannot do on my own.

I feel as if I need to bear my testimony. I don't know if I have ever done it in such a public venue before, but I hope that you can take something from it. I Know that the Lord with NEVER leave you alone. I know that He will never give us more than we can handle. I know that he prepares us for the trials and tribulations that are coming our way. And even though sometimes I think He forgets who I am, I know that He will never leave me alone. He knows each and every one of us. He knows our trials and tribulations, our strengths and weaknesses. He is my Savior. Amen

I've been waitin' on this long hard day to get over So I can rest my head right here on your shoulder

Sometimes life is tough. There is no doubt about it. Sometimes Heavenly Father throws you curves and you wonder how you are going to handle it. Sometimes all I wish I had was some time, and that sometimes time could be extended. When I was a little girl, I had the same dream as most others, grow up, get married, be a mom, live "happily ever after." When I was a little girl, this was definitely not the life that I dreamed about. But is anyone's life really what they dreamed about? Most likely not, because we are thrown curves, sometimes they are easier to cope with than others. As I think about life, and the next year that will be full of curves, I often wonder what will be the hardest. How do I prepare for those curves so that they are not as hard to deal with when they actually get here? I know that I have done this before and with the Lord anything is possible, but that doesn't mean that it still won't hurt, or be hard. These days I find myself lost in thought more, my mind is constantly running every possible scenario, and often I am wondering what life would be like if Kenny was still here participating in the everyday activities with me.

So what triggered this post? I seemed to have gotten off of topic, but that happens when my mind is running a lot faster than my fingers. Blessings. That's what has been on my mind lately. We are so extremely blessed. The Lord has never left us "high and dry" and the saying goes. We always seem to have enough money to get by (even if we are scrapping by), we have always had a roof over our heads, food to eat, clothes to wear, opportunities for work and education. We are so extremely blessed. Besides the materialistic blessings that we have been given, we have also been extremely blessed with nonmaterialistic blessings. We were both brought up in the gospel, we both have great families that would do anything for us. We have a temple marriage and are sealed together for all eternity, along with our future children. And it is those blessings that I am most thankful for, those treasures that I will keep with me for eternity. That is what I am most thankful for. As I often tell Kenny, I would rather live in a cardboard box on the side of the road with him, than have to live life without him. Nothing else really matters.

Which brings me to the title of my post, "I've been waitin' on this long hard day to get over, so I can rest my head right here on your shoulder..." What I miss the most, is just being able to come home and rest my head on his shoulder, what I miss the most is all those little blessings, moments and treasures shared with my best friend. I feel like so much time was wasted watching TV, sitting on Facebook, and on many other unnecessary things. I am going to try harder, not to waste such precious time, because you never know if that second will be your last. It is not worth the few extra minutes checking statuses, or seeing who wins some reality TV show. Make sure you are recognizing your blessings and making those small moments count now, while you have them, before they are gone.

3 years

Three years ago today, this happened. We were married in the Mesa Temple for all time and eternity. I am so thankful for that day and for a husband that was worthy to take my to the temple. He is pretty much the most amazing man that I know. He is always willing to do anything for me, literally, like even serving in Iraq and Afghanistan so that the war will be kept off our soil. I don't know an adequate way to express how much I love him and all that he does for me. So here are just a few of the thoughtful things that he has done for me, and the things that I am definitely grateful for!

1) He recently sold his Bow, and quads so that we could take a trip to Disneyland before he deployed. (if you know my husband you know what kind of a sacrifice that was for him)

2) He has stayed up many nights into the wee hours of the morning helping me study for finals and test, most recently last night he stayed up and texted me until one thirty in the morning to keep me awake so I could study for a final, even though that meant he probably would not get much sleep that night.

3) This past month during the most stressful part of school for me; finals, projects and so many other things, I would come home to find the house clean and dinner cooking, so that I would be able to dedicate my time to my schoolwork.

4) He has placed his hands on my head many times and given me personal blessings of strength when they were much needed.

5) He has given up hunting trips, camping trips and many other things when I am feeling neglected or we just really didn't have the money for him to go. (Again if you know my husband, you know this is a huge sacrifice for him).

6) He was deployed our first year of marriage, but managed to make sure that I received a gift for every occasion, anniversaries, holidays, birthday etc, all while being in Iraq with limited internet and phone

*most recent example, I received these at work today*

7) He is always willing to drop everything when I need him.

8) He is positive, optimistic and always looking at the bright side even when I may not see a bright side.

9) He constantly calms me down when I am stressed, frustrated, or upset.

10) He is my best friend, which is luckily not a sacrifice for him :)

So here is to 3 years and an eternity more.

I love you with all my heart to our star and back, forever and eternity.