Just Couldn't Wait

I just couldn't wait for his birthday to say how much I love my Dad!! For those of you who don't know him and were just to see him on the street, you might be intimidated by his size. He is a big, tall guy with a very commanding presence. But looks can be VERY deceiving - my Dad is the biggest teddy bear in the whole world. He loves his family and his friends. He is so loyal and kind. He basically loves anyone that loves him and is kind in return. He loves Daniel Boone and Gunsmoke. He loves Elvis and Johnny Cash. He's one of the good ones and I am so glad that he is my Dad. This post is inspired by him just being him last Thursday. I stopped at my parents after work on Thursday and was returning some stuff to my mom that I had borrowed. So my hands were full and in my rush to get in the house, I locked my whole purse in the car - keys, cell phone, etc...

My Dad wasn't home yet so the missionaries, who live with my parents, came to my rescue. They worked on it for over an hour - bless their pea-picking hearts! My Dad drives up and fashions and a device out of the same coat hanger they were using. He created a loop at the end of the hanger and someone slipped it inside my car and got the loop around my window crank thing - everything in my car is manual - and turned the knob from outside of the car with a coat hanger. AMAZING! Once he got the window open a bit - he shoved his "T" square in there to finish the job. I was in my car in about 20 minutes of my Dad getting there! I just love him so much and appreciate all the sacrifices he makes for our family!

My Dad wearing my cape on our wedding day - classic picture of what a goof he is!

My Dad with my nephew Tommy - he loves being a PopPop!!

Carving the Thanksgiving turkey! He's such a happy person!

Yesterday I had a day off of work so Nick and I went to see Horton Hears a Who! and we really liked it! It was so refreshing to go to a movie and not have to worry about anything bad being in it! It was very cute and made us feel like kids again! I would definetly recommend this to anyone - everyone in the family can enjoy it. It was great to spend a whole day together. April is just around the corner so no more mid week days off :-(

Things happen for a reason..

This has been my mantra for the last couple of months as our families have been dealing with some hard things. My 27 years on earth has, indeed, cemented this truth. But more than that, my testimony of the gospel principles I have been taught and know to be true allow me to exercise my faith when nothing else can comfort me, my family, my friends. I am so grateful that I was raised by courageous parents that never gave up on the things they knew were true and good. Their example still lifts me today. Bad things DO happen and will continue to happen to good people, people we love but we must have the faith that is required to get through them. We must joyfully press on - that's what I was taught! So to my family and friends that will read this, I know that there are times in our lives when things seem unbearable. Just know that I KNOW that it is happening for reason and it, too, will pass!

Happy Birthday Krista

So today is the birthday of my fabulous sister -in-law, mother to the sweet Keira in my previous post! Krista is so wonderful and I am so grateful that she is my sister in law. She is such an awesome mom. She loves her family fiercely and I admire her so much. In addition to being such an amazing mom, she is co-owner of snug-a-bug. You can find her webite link over on the side. Krista is kind, laid back, and always aware of others and what they are feeling. She is such a great wife to my brother and is craftastic! She can sew, assemble, and create anything and her house is a stunning representation of all her talents. She is a trusted confidant and I couldn't lover her more if she were my real sister! Happy Birthday Krista!!

Happy Birthday Keira

Today is my little niece's birthday. She is such a special girl and we love her so much. She brings so much joy to our family! On the day she was born, things were not looking good. My sister in law, Krista had toxemia so she admitted early because they had to get the baby out or Krista's life could be in danger. So at 7 weeks early, Keira came and was teeny, tiny - weighing in a 4 lbs. 7 oz. *(I think) She was SO little and wasn't breathing right away. My brother watched horrified as they bagged his little girl for around 5 minutes. I am sure that felt like an eternity! We prayed and fasted for that little baby and my brother gave her a blessing.

Today she is a spunky 2 year old little monkey that we just adore. She has us all wrapped around her little finger! She is a little fashionista - thanks to a great mom, she is a sweetie pie - thanks to a daddy that adores her and she is tough as nails - thanks to a big brother! We can't wait to see this little grow up! Happy Birthday Keira -we love you!

She loves to ham it up for the camera.

She loves her big brother Tommy!

She's our little sweetie pie!

She's a Daddy's girl!

A little plug for my mama!!

For those of you who don't know, my mom is an auther - a really great writer who is published through Covenant Communicaitons. She is passionate about three things: 1) her family, 2) the gospel, and 3)the history of this country and how it ties in with the gospel, specifically the restoration. I am SO proud of her and really wanted to give her a little plug because this May, book 2 of her series FREE MEN AND DREAMERS comes out! It's so neat to see the whole writing process and if you had, you would understand why I am so excited for her! IT TAKES FOREVER to get a book on the shelf. So much time writing, rewriting, cutting, editing, blah, blah - it just goes on and on so to now have a date for the release of book two is very exciting and worth my time and blog space! If you love the history of this country or are interested in it, then you will LOVE the FREE MEN AND DREAMERS series. If you love fiction novels about love and family, she has that too. Below are all three of her books with a little synopsis of each! Feel free to go to her website as well - it is linked over at the side! Unspoken

In the midst of war, Natalie and Ben Johanson met, fell in love, and married quickly. Theirs was a marriage filled with passion and dreams of a large, happy family. But in a desperate attempt to make all their dreams come true, Natalie withholds a secret that nearly takes her life—leaving her entire family struggling to find trust and love again. Now, after years of emotional distance, Natalie and Ben find renewed hope as they attempt to rebuild their crippled marriage and rekindle their relationship with their daughter Martha, her son, and her new Mormon husband. But will the couple be able to withstand the coming events that will shake the Johanson’s world and force the past into the present?

An unforgettable story of love, loss, and second chances, Unspoken is a celebration of life that will make you want to hold your loved ones just a little closer.

Free Men and Dreamers:Dark Sky at Dawn

by L. C. Lewis It is a dangerous time for America. The years following the signing of the Constitution have been riddled with British aggressions aimed at breaking the will of the young government. Trade restrictions tear at its economy while British ships attack and kidnap Americans at sea, refusing to acknowledge their American citizenship.

Washington, Franklin, and Hamilton have died. Their inspired dream is now entrusted to their aged and war-weary peers and to the succeeding generations—men and women, born in liberty, who are prepared to sacrifice their lives in its defense.

But the divisive evils of greed, slavery, and class distinction cast a dark cloud over the promise “We the People,” even as war talk rattles the governing halls. America declares a war to reconfirm her independence . . . a war to protect her “more perfect union”: The War of 1812.

Some believe a more divine purpose awaits the Union in the wake of this war. Such seekers are Jed Pearson, the sensitive heir to both a large plantation and a mysteriously tainted family heritage, and Hannah Stansbury, the visionary woman whose family holds the key to the Pearson riddle.Treacherous forces on both shores seek to manipulate the war’s outcome for their own purposes, ensnaring Jed and Hannah in dangerous intrigue during this pivotal moment in time when the ultimate definition of liberty is about to come to light.

Dark Sky At Dawn, the stirring first volume in the epic Free Men and Dreamers series, tells of the fascinating people, events, history, and spiritual reawakening that precede the compelling moment in time before the guns blazed and the light of the Restoration dawned on a new day.

The second book in the Free Men and Dreamers Series plunges the reader into a delicate examination of these defining moments in America's second War of Independence, the War of 1812, that set the stage for the prophetic events that will forever alter American and religious history.

Thanks for reading my long post - I guess it's pretty obvious how much I love and admire my mom! Please check out her website and her new book "Twilight's Last Gleaming".

Once again.....

...my very artistic, creative friend, Shellie, blows my mind away. She is out in Maryland visiting right now and she brought me this totally cute purse she made from scratch!! What the biff! Could she be any more crafty? It's almost sickening! I love this purse and got to sport it for the first time today! I got to spend all day yesterday with her shopping, shopping shopping!! What a great way to spend a day off!! Thanks Shellie! You're the best!

Sick and Tired

This has been a long week of tissues, humidifiers, coughing, not sleeping and body aches. When will this cold go away?!?!?!?! Not even a week prior to getting sick, I was on the phone with my mom telling her how happy I was to have survived the winter without getting anything. I obviously spoke too soon. I love me some good sleep - but, alas, haven't had any. I have, however, seen lots of daytime tv which left me wishing I was at work! I am feeling a bit better today so hopefully this nasty bug is on its way out!!!