I'm Getting Bad At This...

I need to post more often. I have been entirely too busy lately. Right now I am getting a bit irritated with the weather around here. It was gorgeous on Thursday at 87 degrees. Right now it's in the 30's. The dramatic drop in temperature has reeked havoc on my body, I feel stiff as a board right now. I did something stupid yesterday, I dropped a plate on my toes. You wouldn't think that would hurt all too bad but it hit me in exactly the right spot and it is seriously painful. It didn't bruise, which was strange, but it hurts if I touch it. Thankfully I was able to move it this afternoon. It seemed like every time I walked passed Grace she would throw a book at me and it would land right on my foot. She has some sort of pain radar and hurls things toward it.

I still cannot believe it, but I was recently called as our Ward's Activities Chair. This is the biggest calling I've had and I'm pretty excited about it. We both have been on the committee for a little while but after our Chair was released they apparently thought it was a great idea to have me replace her (I know, what are they thinking, right?). Our first activity is next Saturday, so for all of those in the TC Ward, please come and remember to bring your favorite soup, a pretty good prize is on the line here!

Right now I'm sitting in my dining room which seems to be the most freezing room in the entire house. We finally got a new dining room table after not having one for the last 9 months. We moved some things around in here and it looks good. I will have to post some pictures in the next few days once I get my decor all straightened out finally. I'm having a book club meeting at my house in 9 or so days, I hope everything is done by then! Wish me luck!

I'm going to go cuddle with my husband and get warm. I know it's February, it should be cold, but I wish the weather would make up it's mind! Maybe March will be better...

Our Sealing

Today I went to my friend Christi's baby shower, which was very cute! She is having her first boy after 4 girls, so we stocked her up on all sorts of very blue things. I just got home from that and I normally don't come home until 6 on Saturdays, so I have a little bit of extra time. Time to finally sit down and write about our Sealing, even though it was almost a month ago now (I can't believe it either!).

I woke up to a down pouring of rain. I was so sad that it was pouring down rain because I thought for sure we'd never get any good pictures. Here in Roanoke it stopped raining just before we left. I took my parents with me and Forest took Heidi, Mark to my sister-in-law Laura's so she could watch the kids. We were on 635 in Dallas and we realized we were driving right in the storm. My knuckles were bright white because I was driving so nervously. We passed the aftermath of two accidents and I didn't want that to be us! Thankfully we got to the Temple in one piece and it had stopped raining! Forest was a little late, but that was okay. We both got dressed and when you are Sealed, you are able to use the Bride's Room. There were several weddings going on that day, so it was a bit crammed. I was completely fine getting dressed in the changing area, but the matrons wanted me to be able to use it on my special day. We had a chance to sit in the Celestial Room for a few minutes before they called us in to the Sealing room and that was wonderful. We have only been there when there are several people there with us and we were completely by ourselves. We were called into the Sealing room and the first three people I was able to see were Christi, Meredith and Valentyna. As soon as I saw them smiling at me, I was starting to lose it!

The ceremony was quicker than I thought it would have been, but it was very to the point and wonderful. I can't wait until I can hear those words again. I was so focused on Forest and how much I loved him that I'm not sure I heard everything! I also completely forgot to look in the mirrors, I was just looking at my husband the entire time. Afterward we headed outside and took some fantastic pictures with our friends and family.





After this, we got dressed back into our street clothes and it was time to leave. It was already over, I couldn't believe it! Forest took Heidi to go get Laura and the kids so due to room constraints, Mark came with us. It was a good thing too because my car started acting funny while we were coming up Preston back to 635. It dawned on me that we were running out of gas and just a few hundred feet from the entrance ramp (and a Shell station) it finally puttered out. Mark and my Dad pushed the car into the gas station and I filled up my tank. Needless to say I quite embarrassed. In my defense, I was driving Forest's car and it doesn't have a gas light!

Despite the tiny inconveniences, it was a very nice day. I thank everyone who was able to come support us and for those that were there with us in spirit! I have some more pictures from the Sealing, but I haven't uploaded them yet. I will let everyone know when I finally do.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

and also the busiest....

The last two months have flown by in a whirl. It's hard to believe that in just a few hours we will be saying goodbye to 2008 already. 2008, despite it's flaws, was a very good year for Forest and I. Here are a few of the reasons I haven't updated this blog in a while:

Ward Christmas Party: Our Ward's Christmas Party was Dec 12th. I was asked to plan for it about 4 weeks before that. Even though I had a short time to do everything, it turned out pretty amazing in the end. It was quite the experience and I would do it again. I might even have to, next year.

Family, Family, Everywhere: On Dec 21st my parents came into town safe and sound. The day before they came, it was in the 70's and very nice. The day after they landed we took them to a drive-in movie theater (my Dad worked at one when he was in college so we thought it would be nostalgic for him to go). It was in the 30's! Even though we were kind of cold, we did have fun eating to keep warm and the movies were pretty good. We had a great Christmas Eve with the Wrights and the Myerhoffs. The day after Christmas we gained 5 more family members when Forest's sister Heidi, her husband and three kids came to stay. We had a very full house!

Sealing: On Dec 27th, Forest and I were finally sealed in the Dallas Temple! It was a really amazing day. I will post about that later, it really does deserve it's own entry!

New Years: Our family is all gone (*sniff*) and we are gearing up for a big party at the Dendy's tonight! I am working a whopping 11 hours today and hopefully not more than that because Gracie needs to sleep before midnight. I can just imagine how cranky she will be if she stays up until then.

I am sad to see this year go (because it means I'm really starting to get older) but I am excited to see what is in store for next year. Happy New Year!

thoughts on friday...

Forest and I were finally able to make it to the Temple on Friday. It was such a fantastic experience for both of us. I think we were as prepared as anyone could ever be, thanks to our many friends and family members. We were so blessed to have Jennie and Dallas there for us to be our escorts. I walked in to the main part of the Temple and saw everyone dressed in white and I felt such a feeling of comfort and peace. After I finished getting ready and receiving instructions, Jennie and I were waiting for everyone else to join us. It was so calm and quiet, the spirit speaks so strongly there. Several of our friends walked into the room followed by my dear husband. It was simply amazing.

So much of me is glad that we waited and made sure that we were both more than ready to go. We are so excited to go back and it is such a blessing that the Dallas Temple is so close. We're eager for next month and glad that so many are going to be able to attend our Sealing. It will be so special!

mid-week update

Halloween: Halloween was so much fun this year! I went as an angel, Forest went as Jim from the Office, Gracie was a Pegasus, McKay went as a nerd (or Forest's perfect date in junior high) and Alexa was a kitty. The very blonde one is a friend of the girls (and is a daughter of a friend of mine) and her name is Megan. I'm just glad I'm not in this picture!

I walked around for a few minutes with wings on and they kept wanting to be crooked, so I took them off and commented that "We're Mormon, we don't believe angels have these anyway". Gracie was being very cute. Whenever we put a costume on her she makes all sorts of growling noises. I put my sunglasses on her today and she did the same thing, it's very odd but hilarious.

Temple: We are going to the Temple the day after tomorrow! I can't believe it is finally here and that we are all ready to go without any hitches. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop! Knowing me I will forget Forest's suitcase or something trivial. I found out this week that my dear cousin was hours away from home and had forgotten her recommend when she got married! At least if we forget something we are close. I have planned and re-planned, so I think we are good to go! There are so many people coming that I thought for sure weren't going to be able to, I wonder who is watching so many people's kids...

Fort Worth Zoo: I went to the zoo today with a bunch of friends from Church, mostly the ones who read this! We had fun today didn't we? ;) I got some cute pictures but I didn't realize my camera battery was on it's last leg so I only got a few. I'll post them eventually, I am so tired right now that I don't feel like moving from this spot. We walked around so much, I'm sure the little ones that were with us are fast asleep from all of the fresh air!

Random News: We really are going to have a full house in December! Heidi, Mark, Katya, Emma and Toby are all coming on Dec 26th! We are going to have a really fun time while everyone is here. I hope my Mom actually gets to rest during her trip though, it seems like we are so busy while they are going to be here!

brr!

I am so cold! The longer I live in Texas the more wimpy I get when it finally gets cold around here. It's actually warmer in Detroit right now, so I guess I'm being pretty rational ;)

Next week is Halloween! Gracie is going to be a Pegasus. We put the costume on her last week and she was making these funny growling noises the whole time, like she thought she was some sort of evil monster. It was SO cute. I am going to have my Mom send me my prom dress and possibly go as a "guardian angel". I went as that for Halloween right after I graduated. The dress is pink, so at least I'll sort of match Gracie somehow. Here is my prom picture, purely for nostalgic purposes:

This was taken 12 days before my 18th birthday, I haven't changed much have I? At any rate, that dress has had many good uses. I wore it then, for Halloween, my sister wore it for Halloween and she wore it to my wedding. It cleans up very well and the cut is fantastic. I meant to take it home with me when we were in Michigan last but I forgot about it. It will be nice to finally have it back.

In two weeks Forest and I are going through the Temple for the first time. We are so excited! We got all of our clothing the other day. There were two dresses that I looked at, one was on sale and the other wasn't. As we are first time buyers, we were able to use a 50% discount. I tried on the one that was on sale and it was nice, but when I tried on the second dress, I knew I had to have it. It was twice as expensive (although I only paid 23 dollars for it anyway) but I just loved it so much that it was worth the extra cost.

When we are Sealed in December, we are going to have a full house! My parents are coming on the 21st and Forest's sister looks to be coming on the 26th. I am going to push the Sealing to Saturday as well, which may work out for some who wanted to come. It's going to be a busy few months!

i love to see the temple, i'm going there someday

I just didn't know it was going to take this long for me to do it!

After many years of waiting and essentially dragging our feet, Forest and I are finally ready to enter the Temple. It's been an interesting road but we both completely understand what we are committing to and we want to do it for us. It has been very exciting these last few months with preparing and learning. Like any girl, the most fun thing as of lately is picking out my Temple dress. I can't wait to be all dressed in white and sit with my husband and finally be properly joined with him. We have had a lot of adversity since we've been married and I know that everything has been done to keep us from going. Once we finally got down to the bar and decided to make huge changes to prepare, things changed for us. We have been blessed beyond measure this year and I know the blessings will continue.

We have decided to take out our endowments at the Dallas Temple on November 7th. This particular date is very special to us. November 6th, 1943 was the day my maternal grandparents were married. November 8th, 1996 was the day that my Grandpa went back to live with our Heavenly Father. I was very close with him and I know he will be smiling down on us that day. We will have a special day to remember in between a good day and a not so good day. Anyone in the Dallas area is welcomed to join us, it is during our Ward Temple Night actually. We are so excited to share this day with everyone who can be there with us.

As for our Sealing, we haven't decided on the exact day but of course we are only able to invite a few friends to come with us. It will be during the Christmas Holidays, while my parents are here visiting us. We are beyond excited and I know so many people have been cheering us on for so many years. Thank you for not giving up on us and helping us reach this goal. It's been amazing.

recovering from sleep

For some reason my body has wanted to spend the last two nights sleeping much longer than I should be. Forest and I both slept for 9 hours Saturday night. We went to church, both tired and not feeling very well. I got sunburned on Saturday afternoon at the Garage Sale, but just a bit on my arms. It hasn't even hurt, it's just felt hot. Nursery was a series of potty-trips and I soon realized that out of the 16 kids we had, only 3 were still in diapers. At least the ones that are still potty training are letting us know they need to go, that's a big help!

Last night we didn't even eat dinner! By the time we got home at a little before 6, we weren't very hungry, so we had a snack. At 8 we both decided to go take a nap. Word to the wise...never take a nap at 8pm. When 6 am came neither of us wanted to get up. We realized that we were both very cold, so Forest checked the weather. Yesterday's high was in the low 90's, but today's was forecast as 54! He climbed back into bed, threw the comforter over us and we laid there and half-chatted and half-slept. I finally got out of bed at 9. I feel so lazy. Hopefully I can get some things done today...if I would only start feeling normal again!

why i can't live without the internet

It has been an incredible two weeks. Long, sometimes frustrating, but overall rewarding. It pretty much started last Friday morning. I was picked up by Jennie to watch Grace, but the elementary school only had a half-day. Grace was picked up by the bus at 10 and we went over to the blood drive for Courtney. It didn't take very long for my donation, I must have good veins ;) I didn't feel too out of sorts the rest of the day and me and Grace had a quiet little evening while Jennie was out throwing a birthday party for her oldest. Saturday morning was spent with Grace then in the afternoon I went to help at Courtney's booth at Celebrate Roanoke. I cannot believe the outpouring of love and willingness to help in our community. It was really fantastic and I am glad we were able to help Courtney while strengthening our friendships. I even got a cute picture of me and Forest taken! That never happens!

So, Sunday morning rolls around and I have to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting and finish the bulletin before we leave. Sometimes writing your talk just before you give it opens you up to a lot of inspiration. Thankfully I had access to the internet while writing it, because after the storm we had on Sunday night, it decided to stop working.

For 5 days, our internet went up and down and Charter finally came on Friday to fix it. I know this doesn't say a lot about me, but I have a hard time without the internet for that long! The most important reason was that I couldn't post here and I had so many great things to talk about.

This Saturday was the 2nd garage sale for Courtney, where we raised over $1200! I was helping with the Bake Sale which went very well. We sold pretty much everything that was donated. It was another great day to get together as friends and help another. It makes me really grateful to be part of this community and this ward that has such amazing people in it. I can't see us ever leaving.

One more very important note. Courtney was tested on Friday to see where she stood and she is officially in remission! Prayers and thoughts are appreciated by all of us, especially Courtney, Todd and the kids. She was scheduled to come home today, but possibly tomorrow. Keep sending happy thoughts her way so she can continue to overcome this!

sisters rejoice

I noticed that quite a few of my friends weren't able to make it to the Relief Society Conference on September 29th, the first of which of course was Courtney. Meredith had asked if I could post the video I made for the program here, but I was scratching my head about how to do that. Thankfully I have a resident computer geek hanging around here all of the time! I really do want everyone to be able to see it, so I got Forest to sit down and show me how to successfully reformat the file into something I could upload onto one of the many video sharing sites.

For those of you who might not know which video I am talking about, I was asked to gather photos from our Stake to show at a program the Stake Relief Society put together just before the General Relief Society Conference. I took me quite a few weeks to gather the photos and it turned out really fantastic. I had to compress it quite a bit to make the file small enough, but it still looks pretty good! Enjoy!

Sisters Rejoice

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negative, again...

I have been feeling kind of gross the past three days. I think it has something to do with my sugar, but I haven't been able to find my glucose monitor for a little while. I need to just buy a new one! I am feeling hungry, when I am well full, but it doesn't feel like my sugar is high either. I've been doing good on my sugar intake and have found really great replacements for some of my favorite snacks. I found these amazing sugar-free popsicles from PhillySwirl. I haven't found a sugar-free popsicle that I liked remotely well but these are beyond fantastic.

Anyway, I was sitting here on my break today, with this weird headache and feeling overall just rotten when I suddenly felt compelled to take a pregnancy test. I bought a pack of them a while ago and I've been so fed up that I haven't even thought about getting pregnant or counting my cycles or anything. So, I took it and it was negative. I'm not sure what compelled me to do that, maybe it was my deep deep inner wants playing tricks on my fragile mind. I'm fine with the outcome though, I've been through this many times and will many times in the future. I have been blessed the last few months and I constantly think how lucky I am to have a job that I love, a job I wouldn't have if I had children of my own right now. I think God needs me to be with Grace and Jennie right now and I am glad I have such a good place to be before he calls on me for another job.

I keep forgetting to mention the Relief Society conference last week. Thoughts from that night keep floating around in my head and I've been putting off talking about it. I produced a video for the program that night which featured photos of the women of our stake. It turned out better than I could ever have hoped for. I came early to set up my video and help set up the food for dinner. We even had a visit from the fire department. I do hope I'm never in that building if a fire were actually started... So, we had a lovely dinner and program before the conference began. I felt it only necessary to dedicate the video to Courtney, who I had thought of often during it's production. I had forgotten to tell my fellow Trophy Club Ward sisters that the last picture was Courtney and her baby, which caused the floodgates to open for everyone Courtney has touched. I apologize for this, but it's safe to assume everyone would have needed the Kleenex anyway. The conference was very amazing, I hate to admit that I have slightly felt spiritually empty. I really needed to fill my cup and after the last week, it is truly running over.