There are No Consequences

A couple months ago I sat outside in the backyard with my son while my husband worked in the yard.  He started digging up part of the backyard where we are going to plant a garden and I joined him with the rake.  I briefly thought that I should probably wear some work gloves so I wouldn't get blisters on my hands but decided against it.  I didn't want to take the time to find them and would rather just get some of the work done.  I would probably be fine.  Later when I was done I realized that my hands were sore.  I could have saved myself some pain had I just took a minute to grab some gloves!

Aren't we like that sometimes?  Somewhere in the back of our minds we know that there will be negative consequences to some choices we make but we convince ourselves otherwise and choose to ignore it and make our choice anyway.  We think it doesn't apply to us or that we will be just fine.  Pushing family away and not making them important will result in weakened relationships.  Pushing God away and not making Him important will result in a weakened relationship and will place you further away from the Spirit who gently guides us on the correct path and helps us feel peace.  Etc, etc.  Sometimes in our weakness we choose to ignore the consequences of our choices, but the truth and fact is that those consequences will still come.  No matter what I want to happen (not have blistered hands), I will still have sore or blistered hands after working in the yard without gloves.  I will still suffer spiritually if I choose not to pray regularly or live by the teachings of the prophets.

"And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell." (2 Nephi 28:21)

The adversary slinks into the weak areas of our chain link and whispers lies to us.  Somehow he sometimes gets us to think that the consequences don't apply to us, that we can choose whatever we want and we will be just fine.

There are consequences!  There are consequences to every choice we make.  Sometimes they come quickly, sometimes later.  Consequences can be bad, and they can also be good.  As we align our choices with the right goals, the consequences that will inevitably come will not be disappointing but can have the positive effect in our lives that we are hoping for.  Listen carefully and the Spirit will lead you to what is good.

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:12)

"For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven" (3 Nephi 12:12)

***** 

"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

"And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit"

(2 Nephi 2:27-28)

Bees!

And when I say bees, I mean LOTS of bees!

We found out Sunday morning that we had a HUGE cluster of bees living on one of our trees in our front yard.  Yes, on.  This specific tree is a young fellow, which broke and fell over after one of the stakes snapped (not sure how that happened either), but has since come back to life with many trunks.  We still have yet to get around to pruning it.......

But back to the bees!

Do you see them all clustered on top of each other?  This was only a small section of them.  This was the bottom, and it was a lot longer, maybe 3 times as long, and even wider than this in the middle.  I can't even begin to guess how many bees there were in our tree.  Thankfully none were flying around, that we could see.  But ICK!  I do not want millions of bees living in my front yard.  No thank you.

Mind you, this was a Sunday.  And the next day was Labor Day, a holiday.  So I left a message for our normal pest control people, in case they had an someone on call or something.  And then I Googled bee removal people in our area and found one that seemed like they knew what they were doing, and they had emergency removal, as in during nights and weekends.  So I gave them a call and talked to a guy, and my first question was how much do you charge for removal.  And his answer was... long.  He began to tell me what they would do to get rid of the bees and to take extra care in making sure they don't come back, and about all these different [apparently safe] chemicals and procedures to extinguish them.  After his long explanation he said it would cost about $500.  WHAT?!  Well, no.  We told him we'd call him back.  We wanted a second opinion, and one we could trust!

Well I called my dad and he told me some things, including that sometimes bees will live in a temporary cluster around the queen when they are in the process of moving from one place to another, and also that they usually will find residence in somewhere protected, like an abandoned couch or an exterior house wall, not likely in a young tree with flimsy limbs.  So we included this situation about the bees in our prayers that night, that they might just be a temporary cluster and go away on their own, or that we would know what to do to get rid of them at a reasonable cost, and how to handle it in the right time frame.  And we went to bed.

And when we got up in the morning, the bees were still there.  :(  I called a guy my parents know who does exterminating and left a message for him.  But then we left for Phoenix for a baseball game and didn't think about it.  And when we got home and pulled up to our house, we peered deep into the contents of the tree to try to see if we could see any bees in it (it's a very leafy and un-pruned tree) and to our surprise, disbelief, and GREAT JOY...  

They had gone!  No more bees!  Not a single one!  None!  Not a trace!!!

Hallelujah!  I was just about jumping for joy in my seat!

Of course we thanked our Father in Heaven that night, for our safety in this situation and that we didn't have to spend anymore money and that the whole thing just resolved itself, and without any incident (that we know of).  I know it's kind of a small thing, but we really were blessed.  Maybe it's a little silly, but it's just another thing that adds to my testimony that God lives and He knows me and my family and loves us and helps us through this journey of our life on Earth.  This circumstance may have been insignificant compared to a lot of other things, but it mattered to us, and so it mattered to Him.  And that's the best part.  I know I matter to Him.  And that makes me love Him even more!  It's like any relationship, when you show someone that they matter to you, it makes them appreciate you and then they return the favor and from there it's just an upward spiral and a positive chain of actions.

We matter.  Our prayers are heard.  Our prayers are answered, not always in the way or time that we want or expect, but they are answered.  We are loved, beyond any measure we can imagine!

"My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember—you matter to Him! ... 

"Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love. 

"God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him."

- Dieter F Uchtdorf

Attitude of Gratitude

This year Adam and I did our very own 24 Days of Gratitude, an idea I took from my friend Whitney.  She also does 25 Days of Christ during Christmas-time which we will be doing also, but it's not time for that just yet!  So for our 24 Days of Gratitude, every day from November 1st to Thanksgiving Day we told each other one thing we were grateful for.  And we even wrote them on a poster:

I must have written this in a frenzy - misspelled gratitude!

Here's our 2011 Gratitude list (in no order of importance):

• two working vehicles
• Kami
• pretty & fun music
• cold weather
• a job
• the Gospel!
• a body
• sports
• dance
• relaxing
• talents/skills
• technology
• family
• temple
• scriptures
• knowledge
• the Savior
• back-scratches
• Adam!
• water
• a home
• the right to bear arms
• freedom
• electric tools
• blankets
• the weekend
• money
• good food
• hot chocolate
• the Holy Ghost
• medicine
• leaders
• the prophet
• Pepsi
• a warm & comfy bed
• sleep
• to live in the USA
• revelation
• electricity
• good friends
• massages
• accessibility of things
• the plan of salvation
• happiness
• the earth
• life
• the ability to have children
• and all our many other blessings!

I hope this season of thanksgiving has inspired more thankfulness in us.  We have been given everything we have by God's hand.  He has created everything, and inspired all good things to come about.  He created us!  Both us as spirits and our bodies.  The only thing we have that is truly ours to give is our will.  I hope we can choose to be thankful to Him and happy for what we have.

Happy people aren't necessarily thankful, but thankful people are happy!

"Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God's love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to diving direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine influence."
Bonnie D. Parkin, "Gratitude: A Path to Happiness," Ensign, May 2007

Not exactly sure what to put here...

Man, everyone is having babies!  I'm a little jealous; I want one!  Adam and I are getting more and more excited each day to have kids, but the time just hasn't come yet.  In the meantime I'm learning how to be a better wife, or trying!  My organization and cleaning skills could use some work.  But isn't that true for us all?  I'm just glad I'm not alone!

Speaking of alone, Adam's going to be working graveyard security shifts for a little while.  :(  I miss him terribly!  He's going to be out at night and asleep during the day when he's not at school...  I'm not going to see him a whole lot..  :(  I guess it will give me more time to work on those things I keep putting off, like organization and cleaning.

Our lease will be ending in the near-ish future and we're considering some options.  It is such a buyers market right now and oh how we want a house!  You know, I think it's a little funny how I have a hard time sometimes committing to things long-term, yet I want to buy a house.  Hmm.  Oh and I got married...  Well, it's true what they say..  When you know, you just know!  :)

I love love love having callings in the Church (of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)!  Adam and I teach 8 (turning 9) year olds in Primary and I have grown to love it oh so much.  I'll admit that I wasn't as thrilled about it for the first while, which seemed a little weird since just about everyone loves Primary!  But as I have put more effort into it, the Lord has blessed me with such an increase of love for these kids!  I'm trying to be a better teacher and instead of being nervous or worried about the lesson (and being relieved once it's over) I'm super excited to be able to help teach them and I get a little sad once the class time is over (and man does the time fly)!  It just goes to show that the Lord is willing to bless us, but we must be willing to work.  I also get the opportunity to be with the Young Women of the stake and teach and help them play sports during the year!  It's only one night a week for a month and a half but boy do those girls make me smile!  I love to witness them learning and improving!  They are so special, and I am so glad to see them come play with us!  I can see their confidence boosting and it is a blessing to me to see that in them.  I'm glad I get to be a part of that and to help them indirectly in their lives.

Oh and I just want to say that I made a deLICious dinner tonight, fettuccine alfredo with chicken, with home-made alfredo sauce which was fantastic!  We had a roast in the crock-pot last night and it was yummy!  That was the first time we've used the crock pot, and now I'm not sure why I was so afraid of it!  It's easier to clean one pot than three!!  And we made our own concaction of fried rice with veggies and chicken and some lo mein noodles on the side, yum.  I'm trying to be better at this dinner thing...  Especially for Adam's sake (or else he doesn't eat good food)!  I just get intimidated by ingredients I don't know and also the lack of counter space and the cleaning of all the dishes afterwards and then the large amounts of leftovers (sometimes) that just sit in the fridge.  Although we're getting better at eating leftovers for lunches.  It helps when we don't let ourselves buy pizzas or pizza bites when we go grocery shopping.


From the Ferguson kitchen -

(Yummy) Alfredo Sauce:

(For a serving of 6...  I cut it in half tonight for just the two of us)

1 stick butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups grated parmesen cheese
salt and pepper to taste
(and I like to add garlic salt to taste)

Warm butter and cream in a skillet.  Add salt and pepper (and garlic salt) to season.  Add cheese.  Mix until cheese melts.  (Add more cream and/or cheese if needed or desired.)

Add your noodles (and chicken!) and enjoy!!

"Set backs" help us enjoy life

When I go to visit my GI doc I can't help but notice the "live your life" aroma that fills the place.  All the magazines have pictures on them of people with huge smiles on their faces, usually doing some fun-looking activity, and usually there is water or green grass in the background.  Today it made me think about the fact that we all have something that "sets us back" in our lives.  It could be a various medical issue, like Ulcerative Colitis like me, or a various emotional issue, or a various family issue, or whatever.  Whatever it is, it has the potential to bring us down and cause us to potentially not be happy about our lives.  As I continued to ponder on this I thought about those people in the pictures who look like they are really enjoying their surroundings and the varies titles of the magazines such as "Living with Crohn's Disease."  I believe that having problems, especially ones that are somehow or at some point life-threatening, helps us look more at our surroundings and have greater realization of our many blessings and the great beauties of the earth.  Each one of us has something that we deal with, but what a blessing it is to have that challenge to push through!  Yes, some days are more difficult than others, but it's the accomplishment of making it through each day and each trying period that can be that rising sun for us, and the motivation to push and make it through another.



Isn't life wonderful?  :)



So I'm feeling quite relieved after visiting with the doc today.  I was worried that whatever medication we ended up putting me on may be a cause for potential harm on a potential child in the future.  The medication they are trying to get me approved for (it's FDA approved for Crohn's disease, which is similar to Ulcerative Colitis, and a number of other things, but conveniently NOT for UC... yet) is called Cimzia.  The good news is that although there aren't extensive tests done on pregnant women, there have been no traces of the drug in the bloodstream of children whose mother was on Cimzia.  They believe that the drug does not cross the placenta, so the baby stays safe and drug-free.  The only problem, however, is that my insurance is denying my usage of this drug (stupid) probably because it hasn't been officially stated by FDA that it is okay for UC patients.  My doc is going to do another appeal, we'll see how that goes.  He told me though that he just found out about a study regarding UC and Cimzia and I may be eligible to participate...  That would be great!  Another plus of that would be that I wouldn't have to pay for it at all!  Hopefully one of these two options work out.  If not...  we'll just keep trying.  I'm currently on a steroid called Prednisone (which at this high dosage makes my face break out and puff up) which is only temporary, and we need to get me off of it.  This drug ain't a good one for long-term.  We're cutting my dosage in half now, thank goodness, now that my UC is under control.  So I need this in the mean time while we try to get this Cimzia thing worked out.  I feel bad and weird asking, but, prayers are always appreciated.

"It is my prayer and my blessing that when you look at your reflection you will be able to see beyond your imperfections and self doubts and recognize who you truly are, glorious sons and daughters of almighty God."

~ President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what is still possible for you to do."

I think I've finally found my happy place

It's really hard to find the words to say sometimes.  Converting feelings into words isn't so easy!

I feel like I've been filled with such great joy in the last little while, something I've been lacking for too long.  Funny how things happen and then you realize that it's an answer to your prayers!  Heavenly Father DOES hear us and he DOES answer us, in His own way and time, which seems most of the time to be something different than what we think it will be.  But it is always good, and better I'm sure!  Adam and I made our monthly visit to the Temple last night.  It is so beautiful.  I had a wonderful experience there, as always.

Looks like my camera lens needs a cleaning.  Annndd maybe next time we'll take the picture during the day so our faces aren't blurry! (dang it)


ON THE MENU!  Chicken Pillows!  These are so yummy.  I love them so much!  I forgot to take a picture of the masterpiece the night of the dinner so I captured the goodness in left-over form (which is just as tasty, don't be fooled!).

And then when I ate it for dinner the next day I took the opportunity to get the true feel of the meal on film.

This picture was actually taken before I heated it up...  But I guess you would never know the difference if I hadn't told you!  Oh well.  Just imagine it hot.  Yummm.  :)

The recipe goes as follows (makes 8 pillows):

For the pillows:

In a bowl, combine a cup or two of cooked shredded or cubed chicken* with an 8 ounce package of cream cheese (which you can leave out on the counter for a while or stick in the microwave to soften it up for easier mixing) and a cup of shredded cheese (I use cheddar but I guess you can use whatever kind you want, depending on the taste you're going for!).  Mix it good.  You can add some garlic salt and pepper for extra taste if desired.

Using one can of crescent roll dough, separate into the already perforated triangles.  Lightly smash each triangle out a little bit as to stretch them out a little, but not too much, you don't want them to rip!  Place a spoonful of your chicken/cheese mixture on each triangle and stretch the remaining dough over the mixture to cover it up and make into a "pillow."  Dip each pillow first in some melted butter or margarine and second in bread crumbs (I like Italian flavored bread crumbs, just sayin').

On a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray, place your pillows!  Stick it in the oven, pre-heated to 350 degrees, for 15 or so minutes.  They should be brown on the outside when they are done!

*The way I cook the chicken is by cutting it up into small (but not too small) pieces and putting it in a pot of water on the stove: bring to a boil then turn down to a low heat for 15-20 minutes.  Season the water with salt and pepper or whatever -- I like to use garlic salt and lemon & pepper seasoning salt.  (Extra tip:  Save this broth you just made to use in the gravy!)

For the gravy:

You can use one or two cans of Cream of Chicken Soup.  Only add half a can of water (or milk!) for each can of soup you use.  A yummy tip is to use the broth made from cooking the chicken as your water for the gravy.  Heat up and serve over pillows!

Enjoy!


Relief Society broadcast tonight!  So excited!


A few quotes for your enjoyment:

"Lack of forgiveness is like injecting yourself with poison and waiting for the other person to die."

(I don't know who said this)

"Just like everything in this gospel, it's never about skill, it's about obedience.  Because if we are obedient, God can do anything he needs with us, but he can't work through the disobedient."

-Elder Weslin Pullen, missionary of the Lord Jesus Christ currently serving and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of the Philippines-

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

Walt Disney

Today I feel very blessed...

...because I am.

There are so many things to be grateful for!

1. My job.  The fact that I HAVE a job in this economy is great to begin with.  But I have such a wonderful job!  I feel silly when I say I work for my mom but she is the best employer.  Good pay, flexible hours, fun, convenient.  I am so blessed!

2. My husband.  He is so wonderful!  He is so good to me.  I can tell he just loves me so much.  He is a good, hard-working person and I am proud to help put him through school (with my great job that I'm blessed with!) so he can be a successful businessman as an architect and support our family.

3. The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  What an amazing gift.  Life just makes sense (for the most part) and I know what great things lie ahead.  The Savior helps me so much through all the walks of life, I couldn't ask for a better Friend.  I would be so lost without Him and His Gospel.  I'm so grateful to know who I am, that I am  divine and a daughter of God and that my soul is of GREAT worth, and that the blessings which await the faithful after this life are so incredible that I can't even imagine how wonderful it will be.  Having this knowledge gives me so much peace and joy.  Every day is special.  What a wonderful life!

4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The organization of the Church is such a great blessing!  It makes available so many wonderful things.  The support system from the Prophet up top down to the ward families, which includes home and visiting teachers, is so small thing.  There are always so many people around you that love you and are willing to help out no matter where in the world you are.

5. My family.  Every family has their dysfunctions, but when it comes down to it I know they are there for me when I need some back-up.  And I know deep down they really do love me.  Isn't that just great?

Of course these are in no order of rank.

I have a good life.  :)

"Let us be no more tossed to and fro by every worldly wind and doctrine of man (see Ephesians 4:14). We declare to the world that the heavens are open and the truth of God's eternal plan has again been made known to mankind. We live in the dispensation of the fulness of times. We live in a day when we have the witness through the scriptures of the great plan the Lord has given to His children from the beginning of time down to this present and last dispensation. The evidence is well documented; we are not left alone to wander through mortality without knowing of the master plan which the Lord has designed for His children. He has bound Himself by solemn covenant to give us the blessings of heaven according to our obedience to His law. Oh, remember, remember that these things are true, for the Lord God has revealed these eternal truths unto us."

- Elder L. Tom Perry -

I love rain and lightning and thunder!

A perfect day for a pensive post.

I've been having a hard time some days lately feeling a purpose.  I know I'm preparing to eventually become a mother one day and I try to keep up with the little things to be doing that.  But what else in the mean time?  We are NO WAY ready to have kids yet, although I feel like when we do start having kids I will feel more like I have real meaning in my life, like I'm actually doing something worthwhile.  But then that makes me worried that when they eventually grow up I'm going to be left again without anything to do!  I'm sure that's not true though.  I'll probably have developed good hobbies and strings by then.  But still.

But I just don't know what to do with myself.  It seems as if my days pretty much consist of going to work and cleaning up the apartment.  I have books that I've been wanting to read so I'm trying to read more, and that helps me keep my sanity.  Reading helps me appreciate thinking outside myself and have meaningful thoughts.

I guess I don't have much to look forward to...  I've completed some of the "big milestones" of life: graduate from college, GET MARRIED...  After planning extensively for a wedding I guess my life seems pretty dull!  Maybe it's just the sudden contrast.  Maybe I'm having planning withdrawls!  It wouldn't surprise me; I like to plan.  I was one of the Activities Committee co-chairs in the singles ward before I got married.  My calling is in the Primary now where I get hardly any adult interaction and I don't have a clue what's going on in Relief Society and it doesn't seem like my ward does anything anyway.

I'm not complaining...  I have a good life and things are going well for me and for us.  Adam started yesterday at the UofA and he's working toward an Architecture degree.  He is going to do so well!  I'm just getting bored with my own track I suppose.  I don't know what to do with myself!

I'm trying to do new things and keep up on little things I should be doing, and trying to be cheerful and willing in everything that I need to do.  Let's face it, we need to ENJOY our lives!  I'm trying to do just that.

I'm going to go read a book.  :)

 "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.-

UPDATE NOTE (10:02 PM):

I feel good about life!  I love listening to the words of the prophets.  I need not worry, I just need to do.  I finally contacted my ward mission leader to go out with the sister missionaries in my ward.  I'm nervous!  I've wanted to go out with them for a while now, and there must be good reason, so I need to, and so I am.  I'm excited.  :)  Our purpose in life is to make it back to our Heavenly Father, who loves us so.  Our second purpose is to help those around us to make it back too.  We can't do it all, but we need to do what we can.  Meet a need one at a time, as Elder Christofferson taught us on Sunday.  Jesus Christ lives!  And we CAN be happy NOW.  :)

"I pray, I get an answer, and I do it."

-Stephanie Nielson-

I guess this is what I get for thinking nothing is happening in my life...

Adam broke his foot!

Yes.  It's broken.  It's really dumb how it happened.  Okay well, maybe not THAT dumb!  He was playing water basketball on Saturday with some friends, no big deal they do it all the time.  He was standing on a step in the pool and jumped into the shallow end -- a distance of about 3 feet probably -- and just landed on it bad.  Oops!  And it is very. broken.

Since I've been taking care of my sweet husband I keep kind of forgetting that he is my husband, a capable and competent adult, not my child who needs constant supervision and care and reminding of how and when to do things.  I find it a little strange that I'm feeling this way!  I think my mother instincts are kicking in.  I take it as a good sign.  I'm so excited to have kids to take care of and love and cherish someday!!

So not only do we have this crazy broken foot to throw a wedge in our days, but Adam has been without insurance since he got dropped off his parents' when we got married 2 months ago.  Saturday night we knew we needed to get his foot x-rayed to see what the problem was so we went in to urgent care Sunday morning anyway.  But we only had a $30 co-pay??!  Turns out Adam is STILL on his parent's insurance.  Phew!  But then, was he truly allowed to be?  We are looking at thousands of dollars to be paid here in the next week or so with the surgery and facility fees and getting his foot all fixed up...  We searched out many options and talked about a lot of things with his parents and my parents...   Adam's dad called him early this morning after doing extensive research and told him that Adam is still good on their insurance through August 31st, as the renewal date is September 1.  !!!  What a blessing!!!  Definitely did not expect that one!  I feel so undeserving though, I've been procrastinating getting our tithing checks written out and handed off...  We just have so much to catch up on.  But it's no excuse!!  But don't worry, I'm taking care of it THIS WEEK.

Was that too much info?  Well, the point is that the Lord is very VERY aware of us and our needs.  We would have been able to handle everything either way, though one way would have been a good chunk of our money bye-bye.  But we are trying to live our lives right and do what we are supposed to do.  If we try our best to do our part, He WILL take care of us.  He will.  He always does.

"Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you."

- Madeline Bridges -

"One can never tell what will be the result of faithful service rendered, nor do we know when it will come back to us or to those with whom we are associated. The reward may not come at the time, but in dividends later. I believe we will never lose anything in life by giving service, by making sacrifices, and doing the right thing."

- Heber J. Grant -

Hello to the blogging world!

I decided I needed something new!  Hellooooo blogging!

I'm trying to find things to do that I enjoy and that help me be excited about life.  I can only work on family history stuff for so long in one sitting!  I think I need things to help me be more dedicated...  Like I'm going to play soccer again this season, but for fun on the C league so I can feel good about myself, ha.  I'm also thinking about taking a dance class or two at Pima this semester.  I like to dance and I want to learn.  I just get discouraged sometimes because I feel like I don't know what the heck I'm doing!  But just like with anything in life you have to start where you are and keep learning!

Also in the meantime I'm going to develop skills that will be useful when I eventually become a mother (yay!).  Such as making dinners, being crafty, getting better at playing the piano, writing in a journal even!  And this can count as working on that I think.  :)  And just plain having fun!

Speaking of having fun, my cousin Trista and I sang the National Anthem at the Diamondbacks game at Chase Field last Thursday!

These are all our groupies who got to come onto the field with us and this was our personal conference room where we waited, complete with water and a bathroom.

My mom took video of us and put it up on youtube.  In about another week we'll get pictures and video from the Chase Field people.

Oh and by the way, here's a link to some wedding pictures.

:)

"You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make."

- Gordon B. Hinckley -