Andy's birthday was pretty low key this year-- I was really sick and didn't have the strength or energy to make him a cake (I feel so bad). Thankfully, I had purchased some birthday presents for him before I got sick. Hopefully next year will be more eventful.
I feel so blessed to have him in my life. He truly is my best friend. I look forward to seeing his face each morning when I wake and each evening when we get home from work. I don't know what my life would be like without him.
March 30, 2016
March 21, 2016
My Birthday
My Birthday was low key this year and that was okay with me. My brother and his girlfriend drove down for the weekend and my Dad flew down for the day (it was supposed to be a surprise but someone spilled the beans, oops!).
We spent the morning chatting and visiting with one another, grabbed a bite to eat, and then went to the Daffodil Festival. The festival wasn't at all what we were expecting. I grew up down the road from daffodil fields and anticipated seeing fields of daffodils at the festival, sadly no fields were to be found.
There was a band playing jazz music, carriage ride, a classic car show, llamas, flowers for sale, and lots of vendors selling handmade goods. I enjoyed watching the llama and looking at the classic cars. Dad bought me some daffodils, it's a tradition.
We spent the evening playing croquet and frisbee.
We spent the morning chatting and visiting with one another, grabbed a bite to eat, and then went to the Daffodil Festival. The festival wasn't at all what we were expecting. I grew up down the road from daffodil fields and anticipated seeing fields of daffodils at the festival, sadly no fields were to be found.
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| Andy, Me, Dad, & Jake. |
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| Flowers. |
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| Look at those teeth. |
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| Dad got lucky, the llama let him pet him. |
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| Cheese. |
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| Love this cute little pink car. |
There was a band playing jazz music, carriage ride, a classic car show, llamas, flowers for sale, and lots of vendors selling handmade goods. I enjoyed watching the llama and looking at the classic cars. Dad bought me some daffodils, it's a tradition.
We spent the evening playing croquet and frisbee.
March 17, 2016
Thursday Thought
About a month and a half ago, one of my high school friends mentioned that we had an upcoming high school reunion. Has it really be 10 years? Crazy! Time flies! It feels like it was just yesterday that I was in high school.
The invitation to the reunion was sent via social media. As I started looking at the "plans" for this reunion my heart sank. The reunion is to be held at a bar and the highlight for the evening is beer pong. I knew instantly that I would not be attending my high school reunion.
When I thought about the invitation, I thought I could just ignore it, say I'm not going, or I could be brave and say why I wouldn't be attending. I mulled over these different responses for a week or so and decided that I was going to be brave.
This week I said I would not be attending my high school reunion. I have known the person who was planning the event since 4th grade and I thought they might just understand my position. I sent them a message that more or less said, "Thank you for planning our reunion. I can only imagine how much work you have put into this." I continued on saying, "I will be not be attending the reunion. Because of my religious beliefs I don't drink and I'm not comfortable being around people who are drinking- I hope you can respect my decision. Thanks for the invitation."
The response was better than I could have hoped for. My classmate said they understood my decision and they respected it. They said they hoped things were going well for me and let me know that I would be missed. The also let me know that I could still come if I wanted.
Sharing your standards with a friend, co-worker, or classmate can be a scary thing; however, at times it is something that I think needs to be done. Sharing your standards with others opens doors, creates understanding, and who knows, maybe someday my classmates will decide to meet somewhere other than a bar.
Moral of the story, don't lower your standards for even one night of "fun." There is so much to see and do and enjoy in life that doesn't involve alcohol or drugs.
The invitation to the reunion was sent via social media. As I started looking at the "plans" for this reunion my heart sank. The reunion is to be held at a bar and the highlight for the evening is beer pong. I knew instantly that I would not be attending my high school reunion.
When I thought about the invitation, I thought I could just ignore it, say I'm not going, or I could be brave and say why I wouldn't be attending. I mulled over these different responses for a week or so and decided that I was going to be brave.
This week I said I would not be attending my high school reunion. I have known the person who was planning the event since 4th grade and I thought they might just understand my position. I sent them a message that more or less said, "Thank you for planning our reunion. I can only imagine how much work you have put into this." I continued on saying, "I will be not be attending the reunion. Because of my religious beliefs I don't drink and I'm not comfortable being around people who are drinking- I hope you can respect my decision. Thanks for the invitation."
The response was better than I could have hoped for. My classmate said they understood my decision and they respected it. They said they hoped things were going well for me and let me know that I would be missed. The also let me know that I could still come if I wanted.
Sharing your standards with a friend, co-worker, or classmate can be a scary thing; however, at times it is something that I think needs to be done. Sharing your standards with others opens doors, creates understanding, and who knows, maybe someday my classmates will decide to meet somewhere other than a bar.
Moral of the story, don't lower your standards for even one night of "fun." There is so much to see and do and enjoy in life that doesn't involve alcohol or drugs.
March 16, 2016
Evaluating Your Personal Foundation
Our stake has really been focusing on building our foundations and strengthening our testimonies. I have had the opportunity to sit in numerous meetings that address these topics. I think the thing that has been stressed the most is, building your testimony and your foundation really come back to those "Primary Answers". We hear read your scriptures, say your prayers, have Family Home Evening, etc. We've heard this same counsel for what seems like forever, but are we really living it? Are we missing out on blessings by not doing some of these things? If we were doing everything right, we wouldn't be continually reminded of the "Primary Answers."
One Sunday we did a poll in our ward, with our devices we were able to submit our answers anonymously. Our answers were then displayed instantly on a screen for everyone to see how we were doing as a ward family. It was interesting. The take home was everyone can do better in some aspect of their life.
These are the questions that we were asked.
1. How many times in the last 30 days did you read your scriptures personally?
2. How many times in the last 30 days did you participate in family scripture reading?
3. How many times in the last 30 days did you say your personal prayers both morning and evening?
4. How many times in the last 3o days did you say your family prayers morning and evening?
5. How many times in the last 30 days did you have Family Home Evening?
6. How many Sundays in the last 30 days did you delight in the peace, strength, and power of the
Sabbath Day?
How are you doing? Where are you at? Where can you improve? What is your plan?
One Sunday we did a poll in our ward, with our devices we were able to submit our answers anonymously. Our answers were then displayed instantly on a screen for everyone to see how we were doing as a ward family. It was interesting. The take home was everyone can do better in some aspect of their life.
These are the questions that we were asked.
1. How many times in the last 30 days did you read your scriptures personally?
2. How many times in the last 30 days did you participate in family scripture reading?
3. How many times in the last 30 days did you say your personal prayers both morning and evening?
4. How many times in the last 3o days did you say your family prayers morning and evening?
5. How many times in the last 30 days did you have Family Home Evening?
6. How many Sundays in the last 30 days did you delight in the peace, strength, and power of the
Sabbath Day?
How are you doing? Where are you at? Where can you improve? What is your plan?
March 13, 2016
Weekend In Review
Friday
This week we really made it a priority to get to the gym. We both worked out really hard. Friday night I went to a Zumba class, the class was taught by an instructor I had not worked out with before. This was the BEST Zumba class I have been to since we moved to Oregon! I had SO MUCH FUN! I can't even put in to words how awesome this class was. Good music, fun moves, an instructor with a lot of energy that was excited to be there- it was AWESOME!
I got such a good workout that my face was still red 40 minutes after class ended. I was so beat all I wanted to do when I got home was sit on my butt, watch TV and it banana nice cream. It was pretty great!
Saturday
You know those to-do list items that never seem to get done? The ones that aren't a high priority. The tasks that you put on the back burner because they don't need done right now. We made a huge list of things we had been putting off and spent all day Saturday getting those things done. It made for a pretty boring and uneventful day, but we felt so accomplished. It is so nice to have so many of those "little things" off our plates.
Sunday
Today was busier than most Sundays for us. For some reason our responsibilities seemed to grow exponentially at church-- not in a bad way, it was just a little crazier than we are used to.
We had the sister missionaries over for dinner tonight and it was a lot of fun! They really enjoyed all of the food we prepared and lots of laughs were shared- we are excited to get to know them better.
On a side note, we have three sets of missionaries in our ward- it's pretty awesome! We love spending time with the missionaries!
This week we really made it a priority to get to the gym. We both worked out really hard. Friday night I went to a Zumba class, the class was taught by an instructor I had not worked out with before. This was the BEST Zumba class I have been to since we moved to Oregon! I had SO MUCH FUN! I can't even put in to words how awesome this class was. Good music, fun moves, an instructor with a lot of energy that was excited to be there- it was AWESOME!
I got such a good workout that my face was still red 40 minutes after class ended. I was so beat all I wanted to do when I got home was sit on my butt, watch TV and it banana nice cream. It was pretty great!
Saturday
You know those to-do list items that never seem to get done? The ones that aren't a high priority. The tasks that you put on the back burner because they don't need done right now. We made a huge list of things we had been putting off and spent all day Saturday getting those things done. It made for a pretty boring and uneventful day, but we felt so accomplished. It is so nice to have so many of those "little things" off our plates.
Sunday
Today was busier than most Sundays for us. For some reason our responsibilities seemed to grow exponentially at church-- not in a bad way, it was just a little crazier than we are used to.
We had the sister missionaries over for dinner tonight and it was a lot of fun! They really enjoyed all of the food we prepared and lots of laughs were shared- we are excited to get to know them better.
On a side note, we have three sets of missionaries in our ward- it's pretty awesome! We love spending time with the missionaries!
March 9, 2016
Wonder
I just finished reading the book, Wonder. This book is awesome! I think it was written with a younger audience in mind, but you can't help but love it as an adult.
As I was reading I was reminded of similar experiences that happened in our family. It's funny how things like books can hit close to home.
I felt such a connections with the characters. I laughed, I cheered, I felt pain, sadness, and heartache as the main character August went through the trials of 5th grade. Speaking of August, you can't help but love him. He is truly a gem!
Now, go find yourself a copy of Wonder and read it. And enjoy it!
As I was reading I was reminded of similar experiences that happened in our family. It's funny how things like books can hit close to home.
I felt such a connections with the characters. I laughed, I cheered, I felt pain, sadness, and heartache as the main character August went through the trials of 5th grade. Speaking of August, you can't help but love him. He is truly a gem!
Now, go find yourself a copy of Wonder and read it. And enjoy it!
March 7, 2016
Weekend In Review
This past weekend was a blast!
Friday
When Andy got home from work, we hopped in the car, grabbed some food, and headed to the temple. We made it to the temple in time for the last session of the evening. We really enjoyed ourselves and the spirit that permeates within those sacred walls. Taking family names seems to somehow always make the experience that much sweeter.
By the time we got home it was after midnight, it was a very long day!
Saturday
My Mom came down to visit. She had mentioned she wanted to go thrift shopping and thrift shopping we did. Thrift shopping with Mom doesn't mean just going to one store, it mean going to store, after store, after store. That is just what we did. We did manage to sneak in some lunch somewhere along the way.
We found some really killer deals. I found a steam canner for Mom. Andy found a really high quality croquet set for $3.00, we always manage to break the mallets. As I was walking through one of the stores I looked down and noticed the corner of a table-- that was all I could see because it was covered with stuff. I stopped dead in my tracks and called my Mom over. We pulled all the stuff off the top of the table and all I could do was stare at it. I was in complete and udder shock. I called Andy over and I continued to stand there and stare at this table.
About 15 years ago parents bought me an armoire from Thailand. This armoire has served a variety of purposes over the years but currently acts as my book case. My Dad has a matching chest that I have been eyeing for years, but he hasn't decided I can have it yet.
So back to this table, it perfectly matches my armoire. Down to the color of the wood, the hardware, and rivets. The only thing that was different, it came from the UK.
As you may have figured out by now, I bought the table. I have never ever bought a piece of furniture on a whim before, my Mom was even surprised I bought it. Thankfully, it went on sale two days before I found it. It is now proudly on display in our living room.
Sunday
Andy and I went to church. The testimonies that we shared were very powerful, the majority of them focused on missionary work. I love missionary work! I feel so much joy when I share the gospel that is near and dear to my heart.
While we were at church Mom gave our living room a makeover. The style of the table didn't go with some of the previous things we had in our living room.
When we got home, Mom had already left. She had sent a text and told us she wished she could see our faces. When we oped the front door our mouths just dropped! It's amazing what a new piece of furniture and a few other touches can do to a room.
Our living room looks a lot more sophisticated and we love it! Thank you so much Mom!
Sunday night the missionaries called and asked if Andy and I would be willing to go teach a lesson with them that evening. We were excited to go and had a wonderful time! The sister we taught it going to be getting baptized next month, we are so excited for her!
Friday
When Andy got home from work, we hopped in the car, grabbed some food, and headed to the temple. We made it to the temple in time for the last session of the evening. We really enjoyed ourselves and the spirit that permeates within those sacred walls. Taking family names seems to somehow always make the experience that much sweeter.
By the time we got home it was after midnight, it was a very long day!
Saturday
My Mom came down to visit. She had mentioned she wanted to go thrift shopping and thrift shopping we did. Thrift shopping with Mom doesn't mean just going to one store, it mean going to store, after store, after store. That is just what we did. We did manage to sneak in some lunch somewhere along the way.
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| Mom, Me & Andy |
We found some really killer deals. I found a steam canner for Mom. Andy found a really high quality croquet set for $3.00, we always manage to break the mallets. As I was walking through one of the stores I looked down and noticed the corner of a table-- that was all I could see because it was covered with stuff. I stopped dead in my tracks and called my Mom over. We pulled all the stuff off the top of the table and all I could do was stare at it. I was in complete and udder shock. I called Andy over and I continued to stand there and stare at this table.
About 15 years ago parents bought me an armoire from Thailand. This armoire has served a variety of purposes over the years but currently acts as my book case. My Dad has a matching chest that I have been eyeing for years, but he hasn't decided I can have it yet.
So back to this table, it perfectly matches my armoire. Down to the color of the wood, the hardware, and rivets. The only thing that was different, it came from the UK.
As you may have figured out by now, I bought the table. I have never ever bought a piece of furniture on a whim before, my Mom was even surprised I bought it. Thankfully, it went on sale two days before I found it. It is now proudly on display in our living room.
Sunday
Andy and I went to church. The testimonies that we shared were very powerful, the majority of them focused on missionary work. I love missionary work! I feel so much joy when I share the gospel that is near and dear to my heart.
While we were at church Mom gave our living room a makeover. The style of the table didn't go with some of the previous things we had in our living room.
When we got home, Mom had already left. She had sent a text and told us she wished she could see our faces. When we oped the front door our mouths just dropped! It's amazing what a new piece of furniture and a few other touches can do to a room.
Our living room looks a lot more sophisticated and we love it! Thank you so much Mom!
Sunday night the missionaries called and asked if Andy and I would be willing to go teach a lesson with them that evening. We were excited to go and had a wonderful time! The sister we taught it going to be getting baptized next month, we are so excited for her!
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