The Beginning

Six years ago, I returned home from my mission to the Baltic States. (Has it really been that long?) Since I had graduated from college before I left on my mission and my parents moved while I was gone, I came home to a whole lot of...nothing. No job, no friends, and no plans--except to get a job and find some friends. The benefit to coming home to nothing is that the world is, at that moment, full of hope and possibilities.

Being used to mission life, I dug in and got going. I started attending the singles' ward in my new stake and began to make many friends. In fact, Elizabeth, (my former mission companion), and I started attending every possible ward activity. As is typical with most wards, there was a core group of kids that also attended every possible activity--and we started getting to know them all better. Within 3 months after returning home, I started dating someone. The relationship had a LOT of ups and downs and it felt like life just shouldn't be that complicated. Between this relationship and my job hunt, the ups and downs were becoming quite exhausting. And then November rolled around.

To celebrate the two year anniversary of the beginning of my mission, the guy I had been dating broke up with me. One week later, one of the guys from that core group of kids called to see if I wanted to get a group together to go shooting, like we had recently talked about doing at one of the many ward activities. This particular young man was one who had caught my interest a few times over the previous weeks, so I was more than happy to go. It was my job to get a group together. But, knowing that I wanted to get to know this young man better, I called one person, (whom I knew couldn't go), invited my younger brother, and decided that was enough. When we went on the shooting excursion a few days later, I made sure that this young man knew I was currently available.

A few days later, the core group got together to head to the desert and watch a meteor shower in the middle of the night. It turned out that this young man and I were both underprepared for the cold temperatures--but somehow ended up on a big, thick foam pad under a nice warm blanket. As we watched for shooting stars, we talked. And talked. And talked. I had such a great time talking to him that night. I hoped he did too.

It soon became obvious that he also enjoyed talking with me, as he called me up the very next day to ask me out for that weekend. As luck would have it, I woke up the day before our date deathly ill. I spent the entire day in bed, resting up, and hoping it was a 24-hour bug. By that evening, I wasn't feeling much better. Out of all of the dates I'd been on in my life, this was one that I wanted to go on more than almost anything in the world. I HAD to be well enough to go the next night. So, I asked my dad for a blessing. (Little did I know at the time that this young man was also deathly ill and also requested a blessing in order to go on the date.) By Friday night, armed with our determination and DayQuil, this young man and I went on our first date.

Two weeks later, we were officially a couple. A few days later, chatting by the glow of Christmas tree lights, we talked about our future together. I was scared to death to admit that this was it, although I knew in my heart that my single life was quickly drawing to a close. I remember telling this young man that I knew we had a future together, I just wasn't sure what that meant. When he went home to Seattle for Christmas break, we talked daily. I had never wanted to be with someone so much in my life. One night, we talked until the wee hours of the morning. That night, he told me he was never going home again without me. That was also the night we decided what our future together meant to both of us: marriage. I remember the "Oh my goodness--this is IT" feeling I had when I told my mom the next day that I was getting married.

The day after he came back from Seattle, we went ring shopping. Three weeks later, he proposed to me in the Salt Lake temple. Four months after that, and six months and one day after our first date, we were married in the Mt. Timpanogos temple. That was 5 years ago.

When I married Ryan, I knew I was getting a good guy. After all, up to that point, without any prompting, hinting, or requesting from me, he had done all of the things that I had always wanted a boy to do for me. But, the past five years have shown me how incredibly lucky I am. He does everything in his power to make sure that I am happy and well cared for. On top of all of that, he is truly my best friend. I honestly don't know how I got a guy who is so perfect for me! I look forward to the rest of forever with him! Happy Anniversary, Ryan!

DONE!!! DONE!!! DONE!!!

Do you think I could be any more excited? Today, Ryan defended his thesis, got the paperwork signed, is in the process of binding his thesis--and HE'S DONE WITH SCHOOL! DONE! I can't say it has been particularly difficult, because he takes such great care of our family. But, I can say it's been a while. When we got married, we weren't planning on this road--but I am absolutely thrilled that this is the road we've taken. Ryan has been able to accomplish so much and has learned so much in the process. I'm just so glad it's over now! On to "normal" life...whatever that is.

The Value of Reading and Listening

Several weeks ago, when I was first coming out of my first trimester fog, I saw everything that I had missed for the 3 previous months and started feeling very overwhelmed. My house was not organized, my kids were running wild, and my personal growth even felt like it was on hold for that period of time. It all settled back on my shoulders at once and I knew things had to change. With a new living space, a new family routine, and growing children, I was at a loss as to what I should do next. Usually in these situations, I turn to the internet--with its wealth of information--for ideas and education. This time, however, I remembered a conversation I had with my mom a while back. She explained that, as a parent, she didn't have all of the resources that I have today. There was no information conveniently at her fingertips, so she often turned to the greatest source of knowledge she knows--prayer. I decided that instead of looking first and then asking later, I would turn the situation around and ask first, then look later.

I prayed for guidance and inspiration, then read my scriptures. A flood of ideas washed over me. Do this, organize this way, try this...I made a list of several items that I needed to accomplish and how it could be done. The blessing of this method was that I immediately felt much less overwhelmed with the challenges before me. The drawback was now that I had written them all down, I wasn't as concerned as I had been before. Within a week or so, I was sick again--and none of the items on my list had been accomplished. Another week or two later, I found myself once again frustrated by the exact same issues I had prayed about and received solutions for earlier.

This time, I turned to my inspired list and determined to make progress, since my health and energy had finally returned for real. I started with the issue that was most frustrating for me at the time--which was Kallie's potty training regression. While I had received guidance on what needed to happen, (making a potty chart), I wasn't quite sure what the specifics should be. I knew she didn't need 3 m&m's with each potty success, as we had done at the very beginning, and I knew that she needed support that was more immediate--but should she get a reward daily? Weekly? etc. Armed with the knowledge of what the overall goal was, I turned to the wealth of information in cyberspace.

Within a few taps on the keyboard and a few clicks of the mouse, I discovered one parent's story that I felt would work for my child. Feeling inspired once again, I made a simple chart with four squares on each row. If Kallie kept her panties clean and pooped in the potty each day, she would get a sticker before bedtime. Once the row of four squares was filled, she would earn a reward.

I am absolutely amazed by the change this chart has brought about for me and my daughter. From the moment I showed her the chart, I have been able to completely turn her potty issues over to her, (something I have had a challenge doing). I no longer require her to use the bathroom when she needs to go, because I know that if she wants her reward, she'll go. I do remind her that she gets a sticker for staying clean and dry, but whether or not she earns her sticker is completely up to her. The first four stickers took a little over a week to earn, the second set took a day or two less, and she's already half way through her third set. (A pair of "Hello Kitty" panties are apparently a better motivator than even strawberry ice cream!) I haven't had to clean dirty panties in a couple of weeks now and we're all very pleased with how this is working for Kallie.

What's amazing to me is that in the month between receiving the inspiration and actually doing what I was inspired to do, I was still getting SO frustrated by these issues. All it took was a few minutes of my time to just do what I knew I should--and the change has been honestly miraculous. I am grateful for an eternally patient Heavenly Father who still blesses me--even though it sometimes takes a while for me to actually get it. Now, I look forward to accomplishing the other 20 things on the list because I know the change will be just as great.

Pink or Blue?

Growing up, Ryan was never really around girls much. He is the youngest of 6 kids, but his closest sibling is a brother. He never dealt first-hand with the female emotions that most brothers have the opportunity to experience. In high school, he wasn't much into dating. It could have been that he's a more reserved person--or just that he felt it was a waste of time at that point in his life.

Since we've been married, Ryan has been thrown head first into girly-ness. He started out with a wife...and learned that girls (at least the ones at our house) cry, talk, and emote a million times more than his guy friends. Add two dramatic daughters to the mix and Ryan is practially an expert on females. I love to think about how his life has completely changed in the past few years. Not only does he now know what to do when someone is crying, he also knows the names of all the Disney princesses, that hairbows, lacy socks, and jewelry are a must, and that flowers are VERY MUCH appreciated, even though they just die.

As a result of these things, Ryan has been commenting for the past 4 1/2 months (and longer) that he is destined to be a dad of all girls. (I actually believe his word was "doomed," but when asked about it, he did decide a different word was in order.) Well, today, his destiny changed. We are expecting a healthy baby boy! We are all incredibly excited about this news. At least now, can add a little more blue to our mix and try to off-set the pink in our family!

Taming the Weeds

Today, I spent a little over an hour pulling weeds out of our garden plot. I headed out this morning with high hopes and gripper-finger garden gloves...only to find that pulling up the dandelions was, in most cases, like pulling up cabbages with carrots for roots. My little gripper-finger gloves could only handle so much. So, after 30 minutes, I retreated into the house, then marched over to Lowe's to pick up a few tools.

Once the girls were fed and down for naps, I headed back out to conquer the dandy-cabbage-lions. I whipped out my new little weeder, which worked as well as spitting on a bonfire. That's when I pulled out my big guns...the trowel. Within 40 minutes, the worst of the weeding was over. I only did half of the area, but it was the most densely overgrown section of the garden box.

And, by the way, if anyone is planning to go fishing in the next few weeks, stop by to pick up your bait on the way. I don't think I've ever seen so many worms in one place before. And, as a result of jamming my trowel into the dirt over and over, within a few days, we'll have enough worms to start our own worm farm.

The Good Dr.

Remember how I posted about loving my GPS a few weeks ago? Well, I still love it. But, lately, it's been making me laugh. Ryan somewhat recently changed the personality on our GPS. Apparently, Plain Jane thinks we know the area better than we do, because she doesn't give as much information as Ryan wanted. So, Plain Jane's job was given to British Girl. Only problem is that someone didn't inform British Girl that "Dr.," in relation to street names is "Drive." Thus, British Girl will inform me to "Turn left at 55th Doctor North-East in 0.1 miles." I don't think this little quirk will ever get old to me!

Scentsy Giveaway!

For all those who love Scentsy, (and those who don't know that they do yet), my friend, Charissa, is hosting a giveaway on her blog. This is a great one if you're just learning about Scentsy because she's giving away a beautiful wickless candle warmer. Head on over and leave your comment! And, if you don't know much about Scentsy, click on the link to the left for more info.

The Little Known Use for Your Belly Button

Since she was tiny, Whitney has been obsessed with all things baby. This has only been exaggerated by talk of the baby now coming to our house. She knows that there is a baby in my tummy and will comment several times a day that there's a baby in her tummy, too.

Last night, while we were eating dinner, Whitney decided that she didn't want to eat what was served. The rule at our house is that you don't have to eat if you don't feel like it, but you need to stay at the table with the rest of us until dinner is over. At one point, Ryan was trying to convince Whitney to just taste her rice. Since Whitney had just mentioned the baby in her tummy, Ryan decided to make a play on Whitney's assumption. He said, "Whitney, you need to feed the baby in your tummy so it can grow." A few seconds later, we realized that Whitney was indeed trying to feed the baby by spooning small amounts of food into her belly button. We tried suggesting she put it in her mouth so it would eventually get to her baby, but she wouldn't have any of that trickery. Instead the belly button dinner sufficed and Whitney soon after pronounced herself done.

On Unity

It has been a while since I last posted something that I've really been thinking about. I've actually started keeping my more personal thoughts on a different blog, leaving this one for more family related material or lighter topics. However, this is something I felt I should share.

Yesterday, I read President Eyring's talk from last General Conference, which is all about unity as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After reading this talk, I happened to have a discussion with a friend about how we sometimes choose disunity by allowing ourselves to feel separated or different from other members of the church. It (obviously) really made me think about this concept.

We are certainly all made differently. We have different opinions, different ways of looking at things, and different preferences. Thank goodness, too. This world would be pretty darn boring if we all thought, acted, and dressed the same way. Associating with others who do things differently from us allows us to learn and experience new ways of looking at life. However, these differences are also what allow us to separate ourselves from each other. As I was reading President Eyring's talk, it was reinforced to me that our belief in Jesus Christ and His Restored gospel are the only things that can unify us. Coming from so many different backgrounds and beliefs, especially in a world-wide churhc, when we join our testimonies of the Restoration and of Jesus Christ, we come together and share a very strong common bond.

When we know that we all have the same eternal goals in mind, does it really matter what our political beliefs are? Does it really matter where the furniture is placed? Does it really matter what hobbies we each choose to participate in? While these things certainly matter to us as individuals, they do not matter in the course of testimony.

I recently moved into a new ward. A few weeks ago, it occurred to me that it's not important to me what the personal opinions of these people are. I do love to know what they think and why, but not so I can make a judgement call or decide that they are or are not my "kind" of people. I think what people think and feel is interesting, whether it coincides with my opinions or not. What I do know is that I see them each week, coming to church to worship their Savior, to learn and grow in understanding--just like I do. THIS is what unifies us.

I am sad when I see another member of the church saying, "But no one really gets me," and they choose to stay away because of that--because of the very differences that make them interesting. (I have had plenty of "not feeling part of the group" experiences, so I'm not just speaking hypothetically here.) I often think that perhaps it's not everyone else who doesn't get it, but maybe that one person who doesn't quite get it. The point is not to come into the church and become clones of one another. The point is to bring all the good that we have--to accept the good that others have--and rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to find confidence in Christ as we embrace His Atonement and allow others, (and certainly ourselves), to have weaknesses. By coming together and enjoying unity as followers of Christ, we can strengthen and support each other no matter what our personal opinions may be.

I can see the light...

Ryan and I were IMing today. We do that pretty much every day while he's at work. Today, he casually mentioned that he had heard back from his professor. The same professor he's been working with over the past 3 1/2 semesters. The same professor who received the most recent thesis draft last night. The same professor who told Ryan today that, except for a few minor changes, the thesis is READY! Had I been physically capable of any kind of gymnastics, I would have done them after reading that. Now, this doesn't mean that Ryan has come to the end of the Master's Degree tunnel. The next step is submitting his paper to the second committee member. While that is being reviewed, he will be preparing a presentation for his defense. And, after much practicing, he will have to take a trip to Utah to defend his thesis. None of those things seem insurmountable, though, now that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.