Saturday

Christmas!!
We had a wonderful Christmas. For Christmas Spencer got a new dress shirt and tie, a jacket/coat, candy, a brain teaser from our friends, a new suit, and IFly Gift card so he can go do that skydiving thing. It's not really skydiving it is just a big tunnel that blows air up and it feels like you are skydiving. He thought that was awesome. I got new shoes, Work and the Glory trilogy, a painting that I have wanted by Liz Lemon Swindle, a box set of all the Christmas movies, crazy sixs from our friends and of course candy. We both gave each other pajamas on Christmas Eve. We got Dusty a huge bone in the shape of a candy cane. He loves that thing even though he can only drag it around. The bone is bigger than he is! It was a lot of fun at our families houses on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. What a great holiday. I can't wait till next year. Hopefully this time next year we will have another one in our family to share a wonderful Christmas with. We love all our family and friends and want to say thanks for everything the past two years. You guys have really got us through the good and the bad. This next year is going to be awesome!!


Sunday

Love it, or hate it?

Well I did it!  I cut my hair.  I went to get my hair trimmed and had a daring moment.  I was sick of my hair and had her chop it off.  I love it!  I know my mom will hate it, as well as a few other people. Sorry mom!  Spencer was a little shocked.  I will probably end up growing it back out, but in the mean time, I like it.  It feels so weird to not have long hair.  I mean I have been through different lengths of hair, but it has been 5 years since I have cut more than an inch off of my hair.  Let me know if you love it, or hate it?




Who, me? Couldn't be.

So the mystery of, who stole the cookie from the cookie jar, has been solved!!
  It appears that little Dusty Bottoms has been caught red handed.  
Spencer had his back turned and Dusty took this opportunity to snatch the one thing he had been eyeing for the last two hours.  I happened to be coming down the stairs and noticed something in Dusty's mouth. (hey at least he obeys the rules of food staying in the kitchen)  I couldn't help but burst into laughter and grab the camera.   Dusty was enjoying this festive  cookie very much while Spencer sulked.  Spencer needs to learn not to put his food so close to the edge of the table.  

Monday

Family Night!!


Whoever came up with family night was a genius.  On my way home tonight I stopped by the store to pick up some yummy garlic french bread for our lasagna dinner, when I spotted this kit.  That was it, I knew what we would be doing for family night.  Yes, we were going to decorate a gingerbread choo choo train.  Who said when you don't have kids you can't have any fun.  
It has been a while since we have posted.  Time has just flown by. Spencer and I have been a little bit out of the Christmas spirit lately.  We have tried a few things, like driving around looking for a live Christmas tree.  Saturday we even drove through the park and looked at the city parks Christmas display.  We have even sipped hot cocoa while watching every Christmas movie on t.v.  I think we have just been so busy lately that the Christmas season is passing by too quickly.   So tonight we just sat at the table, relaxed and had some fun. Here our some pictures of our masterpiece.

  My personal touch was the M&M cobbles stone ground.  We couldn't do as much as we would have liked because our kit did not come with our white frosting.  We got gypped.  We made due with what we had.

Birds eye view.  Spencer came up with the cinnamon bear strapped to the tracks in front of the train and you can't forget the decapitated cinnamon bear lying on the railroad tracks.  Boys will be boys.  I think we may have reverted back to our childhood a little too far. 
Ahh, Bellissimo!
I promise that is not a wine bottle in the background... or is it?  No, just kidding it it sparkling cider.  Apple Peach to be exact.

Tuesday

Come What May, and Love It

We try to read Ensign articles every night.  (If we at least try to do this, then I figure we can probably get through the Ensign cover to cover in a month's time.)  Tonight Spencer felt it only appropriate to read the Conference talk of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. Elder Wirthlin passed away last night. He will be very missed.  We hadn't read his talk yet.  I absolutely loved it. I summarized it a bit.  It starts out with a story of when he was a boy:

When I was young I loved playing sports, and I have many fond memories of those days. But not all of them are pleasant. I remember one day after my football team lost a tough game, I came home feeling discouraged. My mother was there. She listened to my sad story. She taught her children to trust in themselves and each other, not blame others for their misfortunes, and give their best effort in everything they attempted.

When we fell down, she expected us to pick ourselves up and get going again. So the advice my mother gave to me then wasn’t altogether unexpected. It has stayed with me all my life.

“Joseph,” she said, “come what may, and love it.”

I love it.  The rest of the talk goes on to say that the way we act in adversity can effect how happy and successful we are in life.   He gives simple steps on getting through adversity and living happily.

Learn to Laugh   The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.

Seek the Eternal   Because Jesus Christ suffered greatly, He understands our suffering. He understands our grief. We experience hard things so that we too may have increased compassion and understanding for others.

Remember the sublime words of the Savior to the Prophet Joseph Smith when he suffered with his companions in the smothering darkness of Liberty Jail:

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”1

With that eternal perspective, Joseph took comfort from these words, and so can we. Sometimes the very moments that seem to overcome us with suffering are those that will ultimately suffer us to overcome.

The Principle of Compensation  The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.

Trust in the Father and the Son  The fourth thing we can do is put our trust in our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”2 The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in.

He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong.3

His Conclusion

Although my mother has long since passed to her eternal reward, her words are always with me. I still remember her advice to me given on that day long ago when my team lost a football game: “Come what may, and love it.”

I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it.

As we look for humor, seek for the eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, and draw near to our Heavenly Father, we can endure hardship and trial. We can say, as did my mother, “Come what may, and love it.” Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 This talk really hit home for me. So many times in my life, when going through adversity, people would ask, "how can you joke and laugh about something so serious and/or life threatening"?  My family has a unique way of coping with adversity and life trials.  We like to joke around, laugh and enjoy the small moments in life that can usually get us down. Positive thoughts, or PTO's as my cheerleading coach would call them. Don't get me wrong we have our times of tears and pain as well. We are only human, but I could let my illness get me down and kill me, or I could try to live every moment I had with a smile on my face. 

This talk explained something that I could not explain to people at the time.  I always knew that no matter what everything would be ok. Whether we live or die, Heavenly Father has a plan for us.  I have seen many of my blessings and compensations from my trials in life.  I have an amazing husband, a wonderful bond with my family, and a different outlook and perspective on life.  Some days I do have to remind myself that life is great.  Lately I have been a little down and I needed to read this talk to remind me what a blessing life really is.  OK, blah, blah, blah I have talked way too much now. 

Sunday

God's Love

"When filled with God's love, we can do and see and understand things that we could not otherwise do or see or understand. Filled with His love, we can endure pain, quell fear, forgive freely, avoid contention, renew strength, and bless and help others in ways surprising even to us."

John H. Groberg

Thursday

Weekends


Last Friday Criscell and I went to Jarem and Lindy's to eat dinner and play games.  After dinner while Criscell and Lindy were taking care of their two boys and putting them to bed.  J'Romeo, (Jarem) and I played Sonic the Hedgehog.  I used to play that game a lot as a kid and we were trying to unlock the other games.  Sadly I am not 10 anymore and we did not win.  After that game we all played a card game called Crazy Sixes.  It is a fun fast paced game.  Overall we had quite a good time.


Below you will find a picture of Jarem and Lindy.  The disappointed look on their faces are because we were dominating the game.  No really I am just kidding.
Saturday my brother Andy and his family came over to watch the BYU and Utah game.  We did not have the best time.  That is all I will say about that.

Later that night Criscell went to Gardner Village with Julie.  Here they are with an elf.  After I had to go back to work to make enough money to pay for the shopping trip.  No really I didn't they used some wisdom in what they spent.  Greg and I played games and watched a movie while they were gone.


Monday

Thought of the week - God's Grocery Store

On life's path I saw a sight I'd never seen before,  A simple building with a sign that read "God's Grocery Store,"  Curious, I stepped inside to see what might be there.  The worker's were God's Angels and they were everywhere.  One pointed to a shopping cart, and said in manner mild. "Be sure you shop carefully, and prayerfully, my child.  This store is always open, each customer a guest,  the owner is the Lord of Life, His merchandise the best.  I took a box of patience and filled a bag with love.  On the lower shelf was fortitude, and wisdom just above.  With faith I filled my shopping cart of that I need much more.  I saw a special sale on grace in the middle of the store.  In the front I found salvation with a sign that said, "It's free!" My name was printed on one box, reserved there just for me.  My cart was full but I exclaimed, "I must come back for more!" the Angel said, "Come back anytime, this is God's Grocery Store."  Then at the checkout counter, I found peace I hungered for, And next to it I saw spirit and joy I hadn't known before.  The angel at the register tallied up my bill, but when I saw the total cost, it made my heart stand still.  "This cost," I said, "is far too great; something is amiss in all the world there is not enough, to pay a bill like this!"  "No need to worry dearest one," the angel then replied, "Your bill has long ago been paid, the day that Jesus died."  - Author Unknown

Wednesday

Tagged

My Cousin Kayla tagged me.  I am going to do three quirks of mine and three quirks of Spencer's.

Here are the rules:
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about six quirks you have.
4. Tag three fellow bloggers to do the same.
5. Leave a comment to let them know.

Quirk #1
I have to have all my clothes in my closet organized by Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple black, and white, then by length of shirt, pant and skirt.

Quirk #2
Spencer's quirk. He thinks he is perfect in every way, and he has no quirks.  Ha, Ha, Ha!!!  He said it not me.

Quirk #3
I have to sleep on the left side of the bed and sit on the right side of the couch.  If Spencer is already on the right side of the couch, I make him move. 

Quirk #4
Spencer gets in the shower at 5:30 in the morning and sleeps the first half of his shower against the wall.  In fact I don't think he can take a shower in the morning without sleeping. When we were first married I thought he was worse than a girl with how long he took in the shower, until I realized he was sleeping. 

Quirk #5
Every time I go to get in the car by myself, I have to have my cell phone in hand, 
I check the back seat and the minute I get in I have to lock the doors. A women can never be too safe.  O.K. I am just weird.

Quirk #6
When Spencer is tired he plays with the back of his hair.  When he is thinking really hard he plays with the front of his hair.  It is really cute. 
I tag anyone who wants to be tagged or who just wants to write their quirks down.


Sunday

The big 5

It was our 5th anniversary this last weekend.  It has been a long road, but a good one.  O.K. five years is not that long I guess.  Spencer and I have tried to celebrate our anniversary every year by doing something fun and exciting.  Last year we spent it in New Mexico, and didn't get a real chance to celebrate, so this year I made sure we did. 
 A little background on the date that we were married.  The original wedding date to be married was November 22nd, 2003.  It was a good day, a Saturday to be exact. We would get married and have the reception that evening at my stake house.  Well low and behold I was informed that if we had our wedding that day, many would not show up, and others would leave early. As people went through the line, my new husband would be asking if anyone knew the score and a fight might break out between families and friends depending on the outcome of the game.   Yes, the great holy war of football was on this day!!   The U vs. BYU.  To a normal family this would not be a problem.  Have you met my husband? Have you met his family?  Have you met my Grandpa and Uncles?    It would be the Romeo and Juliet of Football.
Well, I conceded and changed the day to November 15th.  First problem, I could no longer get my stake house, so we had to opt for Spencer's stake house and of course we couldn't get it on the 15th.  We ended up having our reception on Friday the 14th and were married in the Bountiful Temple on the morning of the 15th.  This seems weird I know!  Reception before getting married?  I have to tell you it was awesome.  I had all day to get ready for my reception.  The next day Spencer and I were sealed for eternity, went to the wedding breakfast and were off for the rest of our lives.   It was all so stress free.  O.K. that would be a lie.  It was less stress free.  I do have to say that sometimes when Spencer and I are having a bad day and arguing I tell him "all of our problems are because we were suppose to be married on November 22nd."  It is interesting that next week, November 22nd is the BYU vs. U football game.  I am just glad it didn't fall on our anniversary,  we would have had to change our anniversary date this year. LOL!! 
So, I was having a bad day on Tuesday.  A little stressed out from work and other things on my mind.  Spencer called me on my way home.  He could tell by the tone of my voice that I had been crying.  I was just plain having a bad day.  He asked me to meet him in Bountiful for dinner.  We met in a parking lot so we could drive to dinner together and headed on our way.  He started winding through some streets before I knew it we were at a park.  This happened to be the park where we met and he proposed.  
As we are walking he is telling me how much he loves me and cares about me and promising me that I would not have to work much longer.   All I could think was "the next words out of his mouth are going to be that we are moving to Elko".  (Now mind you we have been joking around at home that he might get sent to the middle of no where for his job.)  So I am crying a little bit more now.  
Then out of no where he pulls out a ring box.  Of course by now I am balling hysterically.  As I open the box and notice the ring inside I start balling uncontrollably.  When we were first married I told him that for our fifth anniversary that I wanted a ruby band to go with my wedding ring.  Ruby's are my favorite and it is my birthstone.  HE IS SO CUTE!!!  I love my husband.  He decided to give it to me that day, because I was having a bad day, and he knew that I would probably find out when I looked at our bank account.  Don't worry we didn't go into debt to get it.  Look how pretty!
I wanted to embarrass Spencer so I sent him this on Friday to his work.  Ha, ha, ha. He loves his candy!! 
Spencer and I had out 5th anniversary family picture taken.  Look how good we look after five years of marriage.  It's amazing how well we have kept our shapes.

I chose the Spaghetti Factory for dinner. We hadn't been there forever.  It was yummy!
After dinner we went to see "Into the Woods" at the Hale Centre Theater.  We really like that place.  It was a good play with a lot of metaphors about life.  It was a great night.  

Thought of the week - You know his Number

You Know His Number


His line is never busy,
Pick up your phone and see,
You will always be able to reach Him,
just drop to your knees.

You have unlimited minutes,
I know you have been told,
And I will guarantee one thing,
you'll not be asked "will you hold?"

I'm not a "little prayer rock",
so don't tuck me in your drawer.
Don't put me under your pillow, 
or chuck me on the floor.

But keep me close beside you
and use me all the time.
For in this world around us,
Satan's at is prime.

You can call when you need Him
or just to have a chat.
Just bow your head and call 
"Heavenly Father, where are you at?"

And when there's an emergency,
no need to dial 911.
Just close your eyes and say
"help me out or forgive me for what I have done."

It's never too late to call Him,
He never goes to bed.
Remember, "ask and you shall receive"
is what He has said.

So next time when your feeling down 
or maybe feeling blue.
Just pick up your little prayer phone,
he'd love to hear from you.

Saturday

Thought of the Week

I have decided to post a quote, motivational, or thought that has touched my heart every week.  So here is the first one.  
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule.  The mule fell into the farmer's well.  The farmer heard the mule "braying" or whatever mules do when they fall into wells.  After carefully assessing the situation the farmer sympathized with the mule but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving.  Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.  Initially, the old mule was hysterical!  But the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back... a thought struck him.  It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back... HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.  "Shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up!" He repeated to encourage himself.  No matter how painful the blows or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on Shaking if off and stepping up!  
You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him.  All because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.  This is like life. If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us, usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us.  Remember that Forgiveness, Faith, Prayer, Praise, and Hope all are excellent ways to "Shake it off and step up"  out of the wells in which we find ourselves. 

A Little Behind


Halloween
I know it is past, but I am a little behind, and waiting to get some of my Halloween pictures still.  We had a great Halloween Carnival for Families Supporting Adoption on the 25th of October.  It was a blast.  I will post those pics as soon as I get them.  I went as a witch and Spencer went as Fletch.  If you are not sure who Fletch is, just google him.  It is Spencer's favorite movie.  We had a great turnout for our Carnival.  I was so excited to see so many people there.  Thank you to everyone that helped.  It was a success.

   At work I went with a costume that I have had for a while.  I went as Strawberry Shortcake.  Our department at work goes all out for Halloween.  We had a lot of fun.  Many of my co-workers were pirates and of course Davey Jones from "Pirates of the Carribean" tried to take me down to Davey Jones' locker.  

Cheryl, Me and Lilian (with her eyes closed).
The ladies

I love Halloween!!

Sunday

Watching Spencer Play Football and Playing With Dusty


So last Tuesday I decided that Dusty and I were going to go watch Spencer play flag football.  Dusty loves football.  It is really cute to watch him follow the guys as they run up and down the field.  While we were watching some little boys came over and were trying to teach Dusty some new tricks.  It was pretty fun.  


Spencer not paying attention to the game.  ha, ha, ha.  I didn't yell his name to get his attention or anything.  I think it was shortly after this picture was taken, that he had a run in with a player from the other team, and let's just say, he was a little sore after.

The Bishop leading the team.  Such a great pic.
Spencer and I were playing with Dusty and I was taking pictures.  Dusty was on the floor, but by the time I snapped the picture he was up on my lap and this is how the picture turned out.  I thought it was great.  You can really see his one blue eye.
Spencer trying to hug Dusty.
Attack of the little dog.  I was trying to get up and Dusty decided to attack my shoe.


Spencer and Me!!!

Saturday

So Elicia came over the other night and we had fun taking some crazy pics. I love my little sis!!  Spencer and I are just being goofy.


Elicia
Our little Dusty got, umm, well you know, last week. He had to wear this cone for a while so he won't pull out the stitches.  He just sat there while we took pictures, thinking we were crazy. 

Monday

WII Party


So last weekend we had a Wii party at one of Spencer's Co-workers/friends house.  It was a blast.  Unfortunately I pulled the camera out too late and only caught the boys playing Mario Cart.  The bowling tournament we had was spectacular.  The newbies to the sport won of course.  We think they secretly practiced before they came.  Their form was precise.  It was  a lot of fun and next time I guess is at our house.   

Here is Landon playing with this really cool toy.  You put the little ping-pong like balls in and they float.  I think they are suppose to fight or something.  It looked like tons of fun and it kept him entertained for hours.  He didn't even want to eat dinner. Landon is Lindy and Jarem's little boy.  He is adorable.

We took our little nephew Jackson with us to the party.  He got to play with the big boys.  He had a lot of fun while his parents were at some boring old Navy Ball where you have to dress up really nice and dance and stuff.  JK
Spectators!!  Criscell, Lindy and baby Titus,who's head you can't see.

Nick, Jamie and Landon.
Ahhh! Re-living the teenage years again.  Oh, wait, they don't ever stop playing video games.  In fact Spencer is playing football on the X-Box right now. LOL.
I think Jackson is winning.  You big boys don't stand a chance.  Especially Josh.

Sunday

Dusty and the Snow

IT'S SNOWING!!!
So, seeing as Dusty is only five months old, he has never seen snow.  We got home last night and it had snowed just a little bit.  When we took Dusty out, he thought he was in another land.  He was so cute.  He kept running around trying to figure out what this white stuff on the ground was and why he couldn't pick it up with his mouth.  Of course it snowed all through the night and we got 4 to 5 inches and counting, as it is still snowing. 

 Fall is my favorite Season.  I love the change of the seasons.  So much for the crisp cool Fall air and the turning of the leafs.  Now it is just a soggy slushy mess out there.  I would expect this more in November than October.  Don't get me wrong here.  I love the snow, when it is time for snow, like for Christmas, but hello, what happened to Fall people?    Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and there better not be snow on the ground.  BRING BACK MY FALL!!  Well, I always try to make due with what lies before me so,  I guess it is time to curl up with Spencer on the couch with a warm blanket, some good hot chocolate, and a good flick. 


Our Wet Fall Drive

Our trip was a little bit disappointing seeing how it was rainy the whole time.  We made the best of it though.  We didn't take too many pics so here are some of them.  Spencer and I listened to conference on our way up to Logan.  When we got to Logan we stopped at Gossner Cheese of course for some great squeaky cheese and crackers.  After that we drove around for a while in the middle of no where.  I think the city was called Benson.  It was near the Bear River.  Then we went to lunch with Bryan and Jen to a really nice restaurant, which right now the name slips my mind.

Spencer Eating Squeaky cheese.

For all those who don't know what squeaky cheese looks like or is.  It's just cheese curd.

The rainy road to Logan

Some fall leafs unfortunately on the ground already

Standing in the rain

After we visited with Bryan, Jen and my little sister Elicia's, we left for home.  We had a great time up in Logan despite the rain.  We couldn't go home without stopping at Peach City for their burgers, fries, and "home made ice cream" shakes.  Yummy!!!  I won't post the pics of us eating, those ones aren't too pretty.  Peach City is an old fashioned drive in.  Not like Sonic's.  You pull up and the menu is on the side of the building.  When you are ready to eat, just flash your lights.  They even bring those trays and put them on your window.  

After the long day I was tired and Spencer went and got a hair cut.

Doesn't he look nice?
Later in the evening we played with Dusty.  Spencer even got a dog to be into football.  We had lots of fun throwing the little football and tackling Dusty.  I think we had more fun than Dusty.  He is so cute though.




I never thought I would love a dog as much as I love Dusty.