03/28/11
Michael.
This last weekend was simply wonderful. Lately I have been so overwhelmed by the amount of love people have to offer. I cried a good 9-10 times over the weekend and was almost brought to tears more times than that. People care about us. People love us. Even thinking about it right now makes me smile and bring a tear to my eye. I feel so blessed to have grown up where I did and to have been surrounded by such wonderful people. I had a ward bridal shower on Saturday. I was worried, more than I should have been, that no one was going to come and enjoy the wonderful party that Sister Owens, Veater, and Jones put together. I was out of my comfort zone. Having so many people coming to celebrate me is a little overwhelming. You reassured me that everything was going to be wonderful, people would come, and we would all have a good time. Well, you were right. They did and I did. Everyone came. Many hugs were exchanged, a lot of laughs, and a lot of conversation between all the women around my neighborhood went on. It was a little slice of heaven. I’ll admit at first I was uncomfortable, silly I know. So many women who love me, why would I be nervous? It was an amazing day and as more and more people came to me, expressed their love, their excitement, and gave me countless hugs I was given a sense of reality. This is all real and is really happening. I have been blessed and you have only added to the many blessings which I have. We stayed up Saturday for the second night in a row addressing, stuffing and stamping our announcements. My favorite part of the day was sitting on the couch at 3 in the morning with you reading what ladies in my ward had written in cards, poems, and sheets of paper for advice for us. I told you stories. I cried. You cried. We both felt blessed and love. It was wonderful.
Sunday was another perfect day. We woke up at 10:15 and were a few minutes late to church. Sacrament meeting was perfect. A little girl in my ward spoke so purely about prayer that it touched me and helped me recognize the real power there is in prayer. Prayer is that little thing everyday that keeps us plugging along and holding to our faith. Sunday school was also wonderful, I love the new testament and Sister Roskelleys lesson on Christ rang true to me. She relayed how the Savior relates himself to small and simple things so that we can better understand and relate ourselves to him. It’s so true, all of it. The gospel is pure, simple, and based on Jesus Christ. Now relief society was my favorite part of church. It was wonderful wonderful wonderful…. It is exactly something I have been thinking a lot about lately. What I really loved about Relief Society was I was again overcome with a feeling of an overwhelming amount of love which my Heavenly Father has for me and for us. We were discussing character. Character is what makes us who we are, it is by the little things we do each day that builds us into who we are. One part Bonnie Vandertoolen shared with us really stuck with me. She was talking about trials and how they build us into who we become. Through trials our true character is revealed and it is through the hardest times in life, whether we recognize it at the time or not, that are character is built up and portrayed. I thought a lot about the past several months and the different things each one of us has struggled with. How they are more than likely preparing us for something, probably building us into better people and a stronger couple, probably some of the sweetest times we have had together, and probably some of the best things to help prepare us for the life we are about to begin together. It’s truly amazing isn’t it? All of it. Every aspect of life is amazing to me. We are blessed, truly blessed.
After church I chit chatted with Sister Haynes, and yet again I began to cry. I told her what I was feeling. How overwhelmed I felt by good, by love, by the people who care. She told me that she had so much fun at the shower and could tell everyone was enjoying themselves, that I am truly blessed by people who love me. She told me that she could see how I had touched so many people around me and their lives for good. And that she hoped I have felt touched by their lives too. I most definitely have. Driving down the street brings back so many memories, seeing people’s homes brings back tender memories and moments of learning I have shared with so very many of them. I have been touched. Brother Jones and I also had a wonderful conversation talking about backpacking, Eric, and life in general. There are so many people around that bring a smile to my face each and every time we talk, I love it.
A photo adventure was a wonderful way to spend a few hours Sunday afternoon. We went downtown and the more we wandered the more I found myself looking for beauty and simplicity in the little things which surrounded us. I kind of felt bad when it was time to go home, especially when I asked if we could walk back a different way because I didn’t want to be confronted by the homeless man on the corner by the trax station…. I don’t know why I would avoid contact with him, I feel bad for people that have to resort to that. I wish there wasn’t such sadness in the world. I wish there wasn’t homelessness, starving people, or pretty much evil in the world. But, I guess it’s how it is, and adversity, trials, and evil are all part of the plan.
We also made our BBQ chicken pizza for Shauna’s birthday… Mom’s homemade pizza is always a treat. But what is more of a treat is the time we have spent with my mom in the kitchen preparing and serving meals for the fam. I love when we all cram around the dinner table knee to knee, and often end up playing footsies with someone unintentionally. As we discussed things over dinner we all came to the conclusion that we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Shauna’s 4th birthday party by watching the home movie. We all gathered in the basement with our blankets and pillows, Dad had his arm around mom and the fun began. I’ll be honest. I cried watching this too. It made me so excited to have a little family of our own, and the video helped me realize that time really does go by oh so fast. We must treasure and value the time we have and look for the happy and good in all of it. Dad made us all towering Strawberry shortcake after the movie. Delicious. By this time, it was 9, getting to late to drive back to Rexburg, we still had to seal all our announcements. We voted and decided to leave super early in the morning. My mom is wonderful. She stayed up for the 3rd night in a row helping us, address, seal, and organize our gifts so the entire living room wouldn’t be taken up.
So, finally, our drive back to Idaho today was all sort of a haze. We left at 5:00 a.m. and well it took us until 2 p.m. to get back. For our personal safety we ended up sleeping a few hours at a rest stop, not once, but twice. Quite the adventure. We dropped Chris off in Brigham City and I guess by the time we got to Malad our lack of sleep got the best of us. Next thing I knew both of us were agreeing that it would be safest if we stopped at a rest stop (my least favorite place to stop) and take a 30 minute nap so that we could return to Rexburg alive. We got there, put back our seats, each grabbed our own blankets and were out cold. 2 ½ hours later and we were back on the road. We called my mom, she though we were calling to tell her we were back safe. Little did she know we were at the same spot as when she called us the first time. We told her we stopped to sleep a little, she agreed it was smart and told us to get something to eat to help keep us awake. We did. By the time we got to Blackfoot, sleep had yet again got the best of us. You had previously asked me if I wanted to drive. Are you kidding me? Is what I was thinking, if I drove we would for sure end up in a ditch. So here we were 40 minutes away from Rexburg and we again decided that for our safety we needed to stop and sleep a few winks. We did. Another truck stop. Another 2.5 hour nap. After that, we were wide awake and able to make it safe and sound to Rexburg, make it to class, all that good stuff. It was weird. The entire time from the first time we stopped to the second is all a blur. I just kept feeling that if we were going to make it back we needed to stop again. This kept coming to me again and again. I said a prayer in my heart that Heavenly Father had heard the prayer we had given at 5 a.m. and that he would hear my current prayer to get us safely to the next rest stop. He did and we got home safe and sound.
Now that I have rambled on and on and on…. Sorry, but we really are so blessed and continually I feel more and more the love our Heavenly Father has for us. We are strong, we got this! Only 23 days and a little bit and our official eternity truly begins. Love you and finish out the semester strong. Don’t worry about the little things, I will for us!
Other highlights of the weekend –
· Dad’s jamming out to classical thunder in his office.
· You trying to convince Mickey to go outside and take care of business by the tree.
· Sunday sandwiches after church.
· Suggesting we all hold hands while we pray at dinner and Carly reaching out to grab my hand.
· The line “Eat like a lady, not a pig” in the family video.
· Your stories of going to the car dealership.
Side note – I listened to classical thunder the entire time I wrote this, I loved it! And I highly recommend it for anyone and everyone.
