The best day of my Life...

"Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all the decisions and has the most far-reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness, but also with eternal joys. It affects not only the two people involved, but also their families and particularly their children and their children’s children down through the many generations"

Today is cold, just like it was 11 years ago... We went outside for pictures after the ceremony and didn't even feel it! Everyone there was shivering, but not us, we were warm...lots of adrenaline from the excitement of the day, I guess!! It did wear off eventually... not the excitement... just the warmth and after awhile it was that freezing cold air where you can't even feel your nose running because your face is so cold... good thing we were so in love!!


Glen and I dated for a year and a half and got engaged on December 7th 1996! We were married in the Logan temple on March 28th 1997! I was 19 and he was 24... ah, young love... when it's right it's right though, and I am so glad that we sort of "grew up" together!! I can't believe it has been 11 years!! I look at people who I know who have only been married 4 and 5 years and am so anxious for them to see the difference in 5 years to 11 years!! it's amazing and most people tell you that if your lucky, your love gets stronger in time... and it's true... We have been very lucky and blessed!! five years ago we loved each other, but it was nothing like it is now! The longer you are together, the more obstacles and life decisions you make together, each thing can either push you apart or pull you together! I am so grateful for a wonderful husband who made sure that we continued to pull together and I can honestly say that I love him more everyday! I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him!! I am so grateful for the examples of our parents and grandparents who have worked and strengthened their marriages and who truly love each other! We have such a wonderful legacy to follow! Here are a few of my favorite quotes about marriage and some pictures too! (remember folks, it was 11 years ago, and the stylin' of the nineties!! Yes, that is Glen... he once had curly locks... but I think bald is sexy! and yes, that is me... with a PERM and a few too many ear piercings (90's!!!!)...Even still, I think we make

a pretty cute couple!!

"Enjoy the journey, traveling hand in hand, in sunshine and storm, as companions who love one another." - Gordon B. Hinckley

"In the enriching of marriage the big things are the little things. It is a constant appreciation for each other and a thoughtful demonstration of gratitude. It is the encouraging and the helping of each other to grow. Marriage is a joint quest for the good, the beautiful, and the divine."

- James E. Faust

"Marriage demands work. A happy marriage exacts the very best of us. Yet above all, maintaining a successful marriage is a choice." - Janette K. Gibbons

"The secret of a happy marriage is to serve God and each other. The goal of marriage is unity and oneness, as well as self-development. Paradoxically, the more we serve one another, the greater is our spiritual and emotional growth."- Ezra Taft Benson

Happy Anniversary Baby!!

11 years going on.... forever!!!!

Garden Party... Planting seeds of Faith and Friendship

For our Relief Society Birthday party we had a garden party. We are all so tired of winter and thought this might lift everyone's spirits. We had a delicious catered dinner...chicken crepes, crisp green sald, fruit kabobs, fluffy pink fruit dip and strawberry lemonade. It was delicious! We had a special speaker come and she was amazing... She speaks at Women's conferences and does firesides. She spoke about all the things that we felt would be perfect for our theme and the needs of the sisters in our ward!! Some of my favorite points that she made were... we as sisters in the church are a lot like the flowers that our Heavenly Father created. she talked about how the earth is so beautiful and when you see a flower garden there are many varieties and colors and all of them combined are what make the garden so pretty. Just like all of his daughters that he created- we are all different but when put together, just right!!" She spoke about what it means to be sisters... that we should be happy for each others successes and sad for each others failures, that we should see the good and when maybe there is bad... because we love each other we love the good and the bad and we try to help each other be the best daughter of Heavenly Father that we can be. She shared lots of heartbreaking stories about her life and how having a sense of humor helped. she said when hard things happen there are two things you can do -laugh or cry... and laughing is what can get you through those times... laughter and faith! it was just a really uplifting talk and a reminder that there are so many people around us who are struggling and we may not even know it and that maybe our own trials are not so bad and that it is all in our attitude!! I loved her and we had so many comments from sisters that said they felt that she was speaking just to them... very personal and straight from the heart! After the speaker, we had a musical number "Consider the Lilies" it was beautiful. Then we did a "flower/plant swap" where all of the sister who came brought their favorite flower or plant to give away. We had each of them stand and tell why it was their favorite and through this we learned a lot about each other. We heard funny stories and heartfelt stories. Some ladies brought starts from their garden that were special to them. Others brought a flower from their wedding bouquet, a few brought whatever was on sale at walmart, or a plastic plant because it was easy to care for!! there was a huge variety and it was the perfect ending to a wonderful night!! I love being the Enrichment leader and feel so blessed to work so closely with the second counselor in the Relief Society presidency, my dear friend- Emily! We are M&M!! We have the BEST girls on our committee and the most supportive husbands and we even used our extended families for this one!! We needed our husbands for some heavy duty set up and take down and my parents came down from Logan to help (thank you!!) and I know Emily's parents watched her kids for her too so that her husband could help us!! It is always a relief when things like this are over... but this time there has been sort of a sad twinge to it!! We did so much work and put in lots of time preparing, had lots of meetings, phone calls, emails and as a committee and leaders we just really bonded... part of me is having withdrawls because my phone is no longer ringing off the hook!!! Thank you to the many people who helped make this night a huge success!! From letting us borrow your stuff to set up, clean up, support and especially to those who came and felt the true spirit of Relief Society!! (I feel like I just gave an academy award speech or something... but my heart is so full of thanks! I love my ward!!)

Glen spent a few days and many hours in the garage rigging up the props for the fence pieces and the posts for the lights...not to mention being a good dad and taking care of the kids during all my planning and even putting up with no dinner some nights!! Thanks to my hubby!! the lights were the perfect touch!!

We talked to every one we know and used every resource in gathering our garden scene. I am not going to share to what extend we went... because it's a little embarrassing! ...You know it's bad when your driving down the road and counting front porch benches to borrow and everytime you step into someone's home you are seeing things that "would be perfect for a garden party" We just had this "vision"

and wanted it to be perfect!!

Our colors (No this is not a wedding... just a bunch of crazy girls planning a Relief Society function!) were purple and green. We were "inspired" one late night while looking through scrapbook paper... but that's another story! Somebody... I think it was Heather... had the cute idea to tie toole around the chairs... "because those metal folding chairs are just "so not cute" so we did!! And it was my favorite "touch" of the night... I think...


Our centerpieces... thanks to Sunny Jo. We had NO IDEA what to do for weeks and she just showed up at my door one day and had the perfect thing flower topiaries

Not only did she give us the idea, she shopped the sales and got all the supplies and made them all look perfect! I love ya Sunny!

the overall look... it was so warm and inviting and of course... springy!!!

The dessert table... mini fresh fruit tarts and ecclairs to die for!!! seriously delicious!

these are my girls... (aren't they cute!) we served dinner in matching aprons (a gift from Emily... see I told you she's amazing!!!) We have the best of times together. We rely on each other and this evening was totally a group effort. We love each other and we love the sisters who we serve!

Back row: Korine, Heather, Laura, me and Renee

front row: Emily, Nikki, Sunny

Happy Birthday to the Relief Society... an inspired organization!!

Kiss me, I'm Irish

Our Sweet... Kissable boys!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Going Green

Our annual GREEN dinner was a little more of a hit this year. In previous years the boys tend to get grossed out at the thought of eating things that are green and are not suppost to be.... Evan was sure the Leprechauns not only colored the milk but also put

something in it to make it taste funny???? (ah, the power of the mind)

our menu this year consisted of poppyseed chicken, green mashed potatoes, green broccoli, green pears, green jello, and green cool aid. It was so fun to make!!!

(I wonder... are large amounts of food coloring bad for a person?- I hope not!)

Maybe next year we will only have Jello... It seemed to be the only thing anyone wanted to eat... could have been the mini cups I served it in... anything mini is delicious right?

Leprechaun treasure!

hard at work! Leprechauns love treasures and gold! They live and frolic in the pots of gold at the end of the rainbow... I used to imagine them using the rainbow as a slide and landing... burried in gold!! living the good life!! Well... a few years ago on St. Patrick's Day my friend Anne Parker's kids told us that leprechauns came to their house and left a treasure! Evan was amazed and wondered why we didn't have leprechauns come to our house??? I wasn't sure how to answer him and so I asked her about it and this is the secret that she shared....

If you put a "treasure box" out in the moonlight the night before St. Patrick's Day, Leprechauns will come. They will see your empty treasure box and fill it!! ... sometimes those little mischivious guys can't help but play a few "tricks" along the way!! (it's gotta get a little old, just hanging out by a rainbow all the time, right?) So the secret is out and the word is spreading...

Every year since then we look forward to St. Patrick's day and our visit from the leprechaun's


after lots of concentration and at least an hour

.... the Treasure boxes

checking for moonlight

Not only did those leprechauns turn our milk green, those little rascals strung toilet paper all over the boys room. They hid the toothbrushes, put the shoes on top of the table, turned the picture frames and chairs upside down, and hung the backpacks from the ceiling!! Everywhere they went they left a trail of gold... !!

Evan and Eli made sure to wear green to bed, so that the wouldn't get a pinch on St. Patrick's Day! Evan woke me up with a big hug pratically yelling... "the leprechauns came!"

The much anticipated "treasure!"


The boys had such a hard time going to bed the night before St. Patrick's Day!! Eli heard that if you catch a Leprechaun... than they have to grant you a wish!! He told us that he really wanted a wish to come true, so he and Evan were trying to think of ways that they could "catch" one! Eli thought he had it all figured out when he suggested that they put out one of those sticky mouse traps.... but then Evan quickly shot that down because of course... the leprechaun could just untie his shoes, slip his feet out and escape!!

we had a good laugh at all of their scheming...silly boys and oh, so cute!!

Wheelies...Heelies... whatever they're called?

for several weeks Elijah had been talking about "wheelies." You know, the shoes with the wheels in them? the official name brand are called heelies and there have since been lots of knock off''s come out... anyway to Eli they are "wheelies" and he's wanted some REALLY bad for a long time... you know the story... "all my friends have them"... "I won't break my arm"... "pleeeeeeeeease"..... So I saw some on clearance at Walmart and told Eli about them. He decided that he wanted to try to earn them. If the boys complete their jobs everyday for two weeks they get their allowance of two dollars and they can also choose to work towards something special ... like going out for ice cream, or going bowling, or buying a small treat or toy at the store. the "wheelies" were not considered "something small" so Eli did extra jobs and finally earned them. Well Evan jumped on board and started thinking that they'd be pretty cool, so he worked extra and thought He'd like them too. When we got to Walmart Evan tried them on and being the cautious sweet boy that he is... he really struggled with them. I thought for sure he was going to have a bloody nose or broken wrist before we even got them out the door!! Well...Not Eli, he is such a wreckless, jumping, running fool. He put them on his feet and just -did it!!.... I was pretty impressed! So... I ended up buying them for Eli and (with some persuasion)Evan decided to pick something else and that he'd borrow them when he was feelin' crazy...I guess! so the next day Eli put gloves on "for protection, just in case" shorts because it was "SO hot" outside and a beanie because "it was windy in his ears" then he spent the afternoon with his "wheelies"

The Lion House...mmmmm

Last week my grandma Murray had a doctor appointment at LDS hospital. It was just a basic check-up and happened to fall on a day that my dad had a work meeting in Salt Lake. So it worked out great for them to ride together. My mom and my grandparents all drove down. I talked to my mom about meeting up for lunch. As Eli was getting ready for afternoon Kindergarten I told him that I was going to meet grandma and grandpa Murray and my parents for lunch. He looked at me with big sad eyes and pleaded with me, not to send him to school, so that he could see his great grandparents and my parents too! I felt like it was a pretty special thing that they were so close and it's only kindergarten , right? so I took him with us. Since my dad was at his meetings I went and picked up my mom and my grandparents from the appointment and we met my dad at the Lion House Restaurant. it had been a long time since I'd eaten there. My dad treated us all to luch and let Eli pick out whatever he wanted. Eli's lunch consisted of two cookies, a roll, red jello cubes carrot cake and a bottle of juice!! (grandpa's are the best!) It was really fun to see and to visit with my grandparents and my mom and dad too! Lunch was delicious and it was a perfect afternoon!!!

Bunnies, Eggs and Candy?....

I was so excited one day last week when my sister Sara called me! She was on her way home from Seagull Book and was calling to share a great find! I love my two sister's, it is so fun to have them to learn from. They are way more "hip" than me and are always sharing style tips, recipes, new books, friend advice, husband advice, church calling ideas etc... we trade our new found favorite lip glosses, accessories, and "mom stories." They truly are my best friends...even though they are both many hundreds of miles away (so sad)!! Anyway, Sara called and was really eager to tell me about this book that she came across titled "A Christ Centered Easter" by Janet and Joe Hales. She shared with me what the preface of the book says and it exactly mirrores our thoughts about the Easter Holiday.

"For years I felt that our family's Easter celebration was as hollow as the cholcolate bunnies we devoured on Easter morning. All my life I had been told that the atonement and the ressurection of Jesus Christ are the most signifigant events in all creation. If that is true I reasoned, then shouldn't Easter- the commemoration of those events- be the highlight of our year?

It certainly was not the highlight in my family. Christmas with all those presents and candy, was the undisputed favorite in our home, followed by Halloween and then Thanksgiving. Though hard to admit, Easter fell somewhere between Valentines's day and Independance Day in actual importance to the children.

Quietly I began to make plans for a new kind of Easter celebration of our Lord's resurrection above witches and goblins or even of bunnies and eggs.

It didn't take long to review what we normally did for Easter.... our main focus rested on eggs and a lot of cholcolate. We had few, if any, other traditional activities. There was the special Easter dinner... I was so worn out by the end that the meal brought little joy.

it would be an understatement to say that I believed there was room for imporvement. My husband Joe, had also begun to feel dissatisfied with our family's shallow concept for Easter. With the parents in agreement, then, the stage was set to change our family's Easter focus from peter cottontail and his basket to Jesus Christ, his atonement, and his resurrection. We wanted our family to better honor and praise him. We sought to draw nearer to him..."

I love this part of the preface because it just hit me that Easter really does commemorate one of the most signifigant events and is what our faith as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints is centered on. If you ask my kids why we celebrate Easter they will recite for you the typical Sunday School answer "the ressurection." which is ok, but I'm not sure how deep their knowledge of the life of the Savior really is. Most years we have a little Family Home Evening about the first Easter. But I must admit that we haven't done enough to celebrate and appreciate the true meaning of Easter.

I am so excited this year to start some new traditions for our family that include focusing on our Savior and his life and the events that lead up to his resurrection. We are hoping to do a service prroject, sing songs, eat as Jesus ate, learn from his parables, talk about his life and his great gift to all of us. This book gives ideas for short devotionals that include scriptures, thoughts, discussion and fun recipes, activities and games to make the week leading up to Easter... more meaningful!

Here are the topics for the week

Day 1- Jesus' Triumphal Entry

Day2- Cleansing the Temple

Day3-Parables and teachings

Day 4-Rest in Bethany

Day 5- The last supper and Jesus' prayer and agony in Gethsemane.

Day 6- Jesus' trial and crucifixion

Day 7- The Jewish Sabbath

Day8- Jesus' Ressurection and apperances

I love the ideas in this book and I think you will too! like I've mentioned before... I am a big fan of traditions -they are so fun!! we will still keep our old traditions of bunnies, eggs, and candy, but hopefully they will be second to the excitement we feel about celebrationg our Savior!! And I'm sure depending on the year things will need to be adjusted for our needs. This book has each idea and activity seperated into age groups(preschool, grade school, teen, adult, entire family etc...) and I just love it!! Even if you don't have children or they are little, or you feel you can't spread this out over an entire week, I totally reccomend this book!! It is such a great resource about the life of the Savior. Maybe you already have traditions and feel good about your Easter holiday, if not, I hope that you are able to focus more on our Savior this Easter too!

Another Guest Post

I am sitting in the airport at St George getting ready to get on to a plane to come home! I am ready to be home to my cute wife and kids. While I was sitting here I decided to take a look at the blog and had to leave a note to let Em know how incredibly awesome she is. Everyday I think how lucky I am to have hooked up with her! I have truly been blessed. Well it's time to board the plane.

Glen

Spring is just around the corner, right??

I am so glad that we live in a place where we get to experience all of the seasons! I love looking for the little evidences that a new season is coming. My favorite seasons are Fall and Spring. They are both the milder seasons, I guess thats why? Wait a minute though... I do love Summer and Winter for so many reasons too!.... Ok, so maybe I can't pick one over the other... I just love all the seasons!

I am a big fan of traditions and I feel that the setting in any environment completely affects the mood. For example... I can't imagine enjoying Christmas shopping without the cold, and having to be bundled up and drink hot chocolate. And I can't imagine the leaves not changing color in the fall or not inhaling the smell of harvest everytime I walk out the front door, what if flowers were around all year? I do love flowers... but my favorite thing is to see them peeking up through the cold ground in March and to see the grass change from yellow/brown to bright green.... I love the bright colors that mean it's springtime and seeing new life after a cold winter.

One of the many other reasons that I love springtime is because that is when my all time favorite candy... TA-DA... Cadbury Mini Eggs...arrive on the shelves at the local stores. The thing that's special about this candy is that they are ONLY out for Easter. I have thought about stocking up, so that I can treat myself year round, but decided against it because I really enjoy looking forward to them, not to mention the pounds I would gain if I ate them all year! I am not normally a chocolate lover... I usually like sweet candy better...but I could seriously be buried in these little chocolate morsels and never be tired of them. They are best washed down with a cold Diet Coke on the rocks, with a bendy straw... Seriously HEAVEN!!

I do have to limit myself, especially this year... eating these as much as I'd like to, I'm afraid will not help me lose the thirty pounds that are not budging since 9 months ago... I keep hoping that I'll wake up one morning and have a pre- baby body back... like SO many of my friends...but I'm sadly learning that I am not one of the lucky ones and It's gonna take a heck of a lot more than hoping... It's now two months gone by since I set my goal, and summer is quickly approaching... So I've been avoiding buying these darn (but oh, so heavenly) chocolate eggs. Then Glen sabotaged me one day last week and surprised me with a bag of them along with my favorite celebrity gossip magazine! What a sweetheart... He must like these rolls??? My first thought was "don't open them... just put them in the garbage!!" but even as I was thinking it, my fingers were tearing the bag open and it wasn't long until one (followed by nearly the entire bag!) was melting on my tongue...HEAVEN! I gave in ...and they were perfect, just as I remembered them...

Cadbury Mini Eggs are unique. While there are plenty of other candy covered chocolates...M&Ms, the Hershey's Eggs, Kissables, Jots and other imitators. There's nothing else like the Mini Eggs, Cadbury doesn't make a candy covered chocolate bean. They're even oddly shaped, irregular, more like little rounded cones than eggs, they're just such satisfying shapes.

What sets them apart from other chocolate candies at this time of years, first and foremost, is that they contain Cadbury chocolate. Cadbury is rather milky tasting, and certainly very sweet. Then it's all cloaked in this amazingly odd slightly sanded, matte shell. The shell is crunchy and has a slightly cool feel in your mouth. You can dissolve it away to get to the chocolate center, or you can crunch the whole thing together for a sweeter burst.

If you haven't tried them... DON'T!!!... you might like them as much as I do....so much that you dedicate an entire post on your blog about them... about candy... I am pathetic!!!

P.S. I did not write the last few paragraphs with the description of the candy! It is perfect so I had to add it... I bet your mouth is watering for these little pieces of heaven huh? I actually copied those descriptive paragraphs from the official Cadbury Mini Egg blog... SEE I'm not the only one who is obsessed!! I don't think I'll be joining in on their chat forum anytime soon though...s0 I'm not that pathetic right??

Enjoy!!