I have 100% been a blog slacker.... Boo to me! The fact that I have logged on, began writing, then deleted my post a good number of times, still doesn't redeem me.
The semester is almost over. I can hardly wait. I need a break from school and need a few months of crafting, reading, working, cooking, and just being a wife. This semester has been a real thorn in my side. Not because of school work, but because of my desire or the lack thereof. I have really been struggling to have the desire to work hard, jump through hoops, and work towards teachers "needs". Don't get me wrong, I love love love learning, but all semester long it has felt like all I have been doing is jumping through teachers hoops. It's hard to have that desire to learn when nothing you are learning applies to you, or when you lack the desire to learn about the subject..... Pretty much..... It's really a personal problem, but school is a BOOOOOO!! anyways.
It's been really such a hard few months, not just school related, but other things as well. I won't go into detail, but I know that it's through hard things and trials that we grow the most. I have to keep reminding myself that God really is just molding me into who He wants me to be. All of these things happen for a reason and I'm going to be a better person because of it all.
On a more positive note, I have so much to be grateful for. I have an awesome husband, a one of a kind family, and wonderful neighbors/ward members/visiting teachers/home teachers! Really though. This week after my sweet visiting teachers came I went into my room and began to cry. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for their incredible ability to know exactly what I need to hear. And it's not just this month that that has happened, but every single time they come I feel the spirit and know that my Heavenly Father is 100% aware of me. It's awesome.
This semester has been loaded with so many fun experiences, wild adventures, and visits from family. I'm not going to try and redeem myself for my lack of blogging, but I will share a few favorite pictures from the past few months....I'm so grateful that I've had these days to live and experience.
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MDill and I made 300? (I think it was...) of our specialty pretzels for Chris and Julia's Wedding. It was a lot of work, but so much fun to do! |
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Chris and Julia were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Their wedding was so much fun. I loved seeing many friends and neighbors that I haven't seen in such a long time and being able to chat with them. |
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Carter boy had his first birthday! We went down to Blackfoot to celebrate with the Gunderson and Merritt family. It was such a delight to see how much little Carter Bug is loved. |
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The sisters all came to town for a visit. We enjoyed watching conference together as well as going for a 4 mile run UP the temple hill together. We really enjoyed some sisterly time together. It was nice to just relax, watch conference, and not worry about silly trivial things. |
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Um.... did I mention we went to the Downeast sidewalk sale while they were in town....So funny! |
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My dear sweet sister also did a Christmas card photo shoot for us. It was more funny than anything. I think this was right after Heather said something that included the word "boobies"? It was a beautiful fall day with wonderful colors, perfect temperatures, and great company. |
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2nd half marathon = accomplished! |
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Such a fun day! Most of us in this picture ran in a women's only race called "The Pink Series" It was on Momma Linda's birthday and it supports breastcancer, so we all got on our running shoes. Even my one of a kind mother-in-law came all the way from California to be with us. Other highlights included having good ol' Meggie girl there with us and Momma Linda strutting her stuff with the pink boa I gave her. Also, a big kudos to Shauna on finishing her first ever half marathon. |
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Momma Linda with her birthday dessert. It was an epic weekend. |
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Halloween was a definitie highlight. I made homemade costumes for Michael, Lara, and I. And, our really good friends decided we should be a themed group for the ward Halloween party, so we were. It was a hoot, especially to see Carter bug walking around like a drunken parrot. He was still pretty new at the whole walking thing. |
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I love when people come to Rexburg to visit us. Well, for Michael's birthday my parents and Heather drove up to Rexburg and spent the weekend with us. It was such a delight. I love listening to my parents, even when they are talking about insignificant things. They took us everywhere, to dinner, to bowling, to West Yellowstone.... etc... and every ounce of it was fun. Especially when an unnamed person had to use the woods as a bathroom... oh wait I think there was more than one ;) Anyway, it was a wonderful taste of home. (Personally I think they should visit more often... hint. hint.) |
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One of the sweetest treats was having Sara Smith and her cute cute cute children visit over the week of Thanksgiving. MDill loved playing with Theran and I'm pretty sure Theran grew pretty fond of him too. It was such a wonderful week jam packed full of family time, games, and of course a delicious turkey. |
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I'm pretty sure Theran would have played hide-and-seek all night if we didn't tell him we were going to eat all the pie. |
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Needless to say, within the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, and the hard things life throws at us, I am overwhelmingly blessed and would do well to pay more attention to the wonderful things my Heavenly Father continuously gives to me.