T.H.A.N.K.F.U.L

T....test and trials that have, and continue to, mold and refine me
H....having an incredible husband who can be mine for not only time, but eternity
A....always remembering the lessons and values that I was taught by my parents
N....never forgetting that tomorrow is always a new day and for the miracle of forgiveness
K...kind acts that will never be forgotten by all of the angels in my life (ones that I knew for a moment, a couple of months or years, or for my entire life)
F....for the temporal blessings of a job that provides us with food, shelter, and clothing
U....understanding who I am and who I can become
L....life experiences that increase empathy, widen perspective, and enlarge my gratitude

This Thanksgiving holiday was absolutely wonderful, and the best part is that it's not over. We have been so blessed to have Cory's parents, brother, and sister-in-law (and of course their baby, I mean dog, Roxy) with us. Our home has been filled with delicious food, plenty of laughter, and lots of love. More pictures will follow, but here are some of the ones that I took from our shopping trip the day before Thanksgiving and from Thanksgiving morning (I forgot to take some at the Turkey bowl...but Becca, mom, and I had a lot of fun watching the boys play football). It has definitely been a Thanksgiving that I will always remember.

Living without a husband....

is so not fun. For the last three weeks, Cory has been traveling like crazy for business. As grateful as I am that he has a job, I definitely do not like being without him. Not that we don't talk like crazy, text, and skype at night, but still....life just isn't the same without him. The only good thing about it is that when I do get to see him (for a couple of days if I'm lucky) they are well spent in each other's arms. The other day my friend asked me if when Cory gets home after being gone for 4-5 days, if he thinks that my stomach has grown. First of all, thank goodness he would never tell me that, even if it had!! But, it did make me wonder what he was thinking. But, my question was answered the other day when he was doing im on facebook with one of his cousins. She asked him how I was doing and how the pregnancy was going. Then he wrote (he didn't know that I was reading over his shoulder) "She's doing great. I think she looks so cute pregnant." How sweet is that? It totally made my day/week/year. :) I am not only looking forward to Thanksgiving because of all of the family that is coming to visit, but also because I get to spend a whole week with my best friend and the love of my life (cheesy, I know...but it's true).

Glass Half Full...if only it was full of m&ms

Tonight is the big night....Young Women in Excellence. We have been planning for along time and I have been spending the last three days stressing about every little detail. I have so much fun planning for things like this, but it always means that everything else in my life gets placed on the back burner. My house is a disaster, I need to go grocery shopping, and to top it all off a have a horrible cold which is keeping me up at nights and miserable during the day.

BUT....

on the other hand, I usually always snack like crazy and crave m&ms when I am in high creative/planning mode but this time I am sick and can't taste anything anyways, so why intake the calories on a delicious dark chocolate m&m when I can't even enjoy it? I'm not going to. Wahoo!! Maybe I'll actually look at the reading on the scale when I go into the doctor next time.....or.....

maybe I'll just save my m&ms for next week when I am preparing to host Thanksgiving for 15 people (this will be my first time to host and I am SO EXCITED!!).

Pregnancy Agreements

You know how when you were a teenager you always had to take a friend to go to the bathroom with you? As girls, it is just what we do. I don't know why, it's not like it is scary to go the bathroom by yourself, it is just that need and desire for companionship. Someone to do what you are doing and to make the "bathroom trip" that much more enjoyable and less lonely. As a grown girl, I no longer need a friend to accompany me to the bathroom. In fact, I'd prefer to go alone because it is one of the only times in my day when I can be completely alone.

But, I don't think I have completely outgrown that need to have companionship...either that or maybe it has something to do with misery loving company. I absolutely LOVE to be pregnant at the same time as other people. It just makes it so much more fun and when I see how adorable my pregnant friends look, it makes me think that maybe I look that cute too (even though I'm sure I don't). There is a girl in my ward who is also 6 3/4 months pregnant (yes, the 3/4 is important, Andrea!!!). I love it (except for the fact that it is her first baby so I was showing WAY before she even had any sort of bump).

My sister-in-law Amber, who was one of my teenage best friends who accompanied me to the bathroom more times than I can count, has been pregnant with me for the last 3 pregnancies. I think that in some unexplainable way the bathroom contract that exists between best friends must carry over to adulthood. :) In fact, with Clairisa we were just days apart. Cloey and Brooklynn were 6 months and now we are 4 months apart in our pregnancies. Brittney, another sister-in-law, was also part of our contract for the last two pregnancies, but apparently she has decided to break her agreement (unless there is something I don't know). But, it is okay because I have another sister who has decided to sign-up for the fun. My little sister, Katie, is now officially announcing that she is pregnant with her first. I am SO EXCITED for her and Jason. Not only because she is going to join the contract, but also because her and Jason are going to be wonderful parents and they couldn't be more excited!

I would also like to acknowledge my other contractual friends....MommyJ (blog name), Destinee, Leslie, Rebecca, and Melissa S.

I'll send your contracts in the mail. :) I think the agreement will include the following items...

1.no matter what, you must tell your friend that they look amazing

2.when they are wearing maternity clothes, you must begin to wear them as well

3.you are not allowed to gain less than 25 pounds

4. even if you feel great, you must pretend that you are as sick as I am in the first trimester

5.you are not allowed to run throughout your entire pregnancy (AMBER!!!!)

6.your rear end must get bigger (if it doesn't please stuff a pillow in it when you're around me)

Can you think of any others that I should add?

Perspective

My husband has been out of town for basically 8 days (for business). In the last 6 days I have had both vehicles die on me. The one started back up yesterday (which I was so grateful for b/c I didn't know how to get Katelund to school). But, this morning it wouldn't start once again. So now I have two vehicles in my garage that are absolutely useless. I won't bore you with all of the details of my attempts to get to the places I've needed to go and my many attempts to jump, trickle charge, and clean off battery corrosion. I won't even go into the details of the many times I have laughed, cried, and wondered what the chances are of both cars having problems (the van has never had a problem before...except for some aesthetic issues from my collision with a cat/dog/fox/bear...not sure which one it was) when Cory is out of town. Instead, I will just say how grateful I am that I have legs to walk, good friends who are willing to drop everything and help, a husband who does everything he can do from 100's of miles away, a Father in heaven who hears and answers prayers, and for two beautiful, sweet, healthy children.

This week I also learned that one of my friends from Texas has a little 7 year old boy in the hospital with what started as the swine flu and has now turned into meningitis. I also found out that one of my friends from Asheville has a 2 year old daughter who has officially been diagnosed with cancer and her chemotherapy will begin within the next couple of weeks. All of the sudden my lack of transportation is no longer a problem....maybe an inconvenience, but that's it. It's amazing what a little perspective does.

Both of these children come from wonderful families who have a lot of support. But, still I know that miracles can happen when people come together in prayer and faith. I know that the collective prayers of many friends and family brought so much comfort and strength to our family. Although it may seem like a miracle did not occur, I know differently. I was able to see the Lord's tender mercies in some of the most miraculous ways. I also was given strength beyond my own at times when I felt that I could not go on.

Please pray with me for Warren and Audrey.

{ETA.....Both vehicles are up and running now. They both needed a new battery. Seriously...what are the chances of both batteries dying within days of each other.

New batteries.....$200. Cory home....priceless!!!}

Fighting Terrorism

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8468267

A couple of weeks ago at BYU, a man named Greg Mortensen talked to the students. His speech is available to listen to at KSL's website (just click on the above link). This speech is SO GOOD and really informative!!!!! I am so glad I listened to it. It's only like 20 minutes long so listen to it while doing your dishes, cleaning, folding laundry, whatever. I promise you will LOVE it! It really makes me want to take action! Here is an excerpt about him from the KSL website....

PROVO -- A Montana man who has devoted much of his life to fighting terrorism through education spoke at BYU Tuesday.

Greg Mortensen first stumbled into a remote Pakistani village back in 1993 after a mishap on K2. He soon learned few children in the village ever attended school, especially if they were girls.

"We can drop bombs, we can build roads, we can put in electricity, we can put in computers; but unless girls are educated, a society will never change," Mortenson told students.

He said girls aren't allowed to get an education in many Muslim communities. A big reason for that is men need permission from their mothers to go on a jihad for groups like the Taliban.

"They're primarily targeting illiterate, impoverished society; because many educated women refuse to allow their son to join the Taiban or an extremist group," Mortenson explained.

Hoping to stop the spread of terrorist ideals, Mortenson has spent his life building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He also wrote the book "Three Cups of Tea."

I heart fall

There is just something so enchanting to me about the fall. I drive around in awe at the beautiful leaves and the rolling hills covered in all shades of red, yellow, and orange. I seriously drive with my camera turned on because I don't want to miss an opportunity to capture a breathtaking moment. Seeing a tree with bright yellow or orange leaves seriously takes my breath away. There is just nothing like the fall in the Appalachian Mountains. I loved it when I lived in Asheville and I love it here. There is a unique beauty that is simply irresistible.

As we were driving in the car the other day to go visiting teaching, I listened as my girls ooed and awed in the backseat as they admired all of the colorful trees. As I listened to their excitement, I couldn't help but feel so much gratitude in my heart for the beautiful world in which we live. To me it is a simple yet extraordinary reminder of our loving Heavenly Father who created all things. I felt the need to have Katelund offer a prayer of gratitude. Afterwards, I realized how much more I should be offering those kinds of prayers. Prayers where I ask for nothing, only give thanks for the many many things that I am blessed with. My mom gave a lesson in church last Sunday about gratitude. As she shared her lesson with me, I felt a greater need to show and express gratitude in my life. In the scriptures, Alma taught the Zoramites to live with thanksgiving daily. It seems so simple, and yet so often I find myself looking at all of the things that are not going the way that I want them to be. This month is a perfect month to focus on gratitude, but it is something that I know should be the focus, even the center of my life, each day of the year.

Halloween 2009

Journaling is coming soon....