Life is Good...

Yes, life is good because I just came across this amazing picture of McKenzie today, and I've been in a major Harry Potter mood, so it made my life a little better.

But mainly because I love this boy.

I woke up this morning next to my sweetheart, and the first thing he says is, "I'm so happy." I asked him why, and he responded with, "I just am." And then he kissed me, in all my morning breath glory. He's cute. Here's a few reasons I think he might be happy.

#1... His boss at work FINALLY got around to talking to him about a raise and a promotion at the bank since he's a big graduate now. He told him that he needs Jordan at the bank, and would do anything to keep him there. He got a nice raise and promoted to Commercial Loan Officer. (Jordan didn't officially accept, he has a few other resumes out, and is waiting to see if anything else is in the works, but this is good news.)

#2... He gets to go clean out the creek in our neighborhood this morning, so we don't flood since all we get is rain here in Utah this Spring. Seriously, I live in a SWAMP!!! (Okay, I have a feeling this is not why he is happy. But I needed to document the insane rain and cold weather, hello it's almost May Mother Nature!! Give me some Sunshine!!!)

#3... We have an insane bird that LOVES our front porch, and tries to build a nest on our front porch light every morning. Jordan has been having dreams of buying a pellet gun so he can sit outside and pelt the bird each time it brings sticks for the nest each day. He's been smiling a lot lately thinking about this. (No worries, I won't let him do this)

#4... I'm not pregnant. Jordan informed me this week that he doesn't want us to have a baby because QUOTE, "HE WANTS TO ENJOY HIS LIFE!!" Hahaha (I can laugh at this right now because I'm not ready for a baby yet either, so for now this might be why he's so happy)

#5... Because I let Jordan choose where to eat last night and he chose FIVE GUYS hamburgers.

Well for whatever reason... I'm glad he's happy, and I'm happy too. We have a wonderful life, and are blessed beyond measure.

He's a Graduate!!

Jordan graduated from Weber State University with his Bachelors in Economics on April 22nd. I'm so proud of him. He worked so hard to get here.

Here's the announcements I sent out. We invited both of our families to our house afterward for a big graduation dinner. We were hoping the weather would be nice to be outside, but since it was a little cold, we had to have everyone indoors. It was the true test of our house to see if we could hold everyone. There was a ton of people there, everyone fit, the food was delicious, and we had a great time all together. It's nice to have a home where we can have family and friends over comfortably.

The Handsome Graduate. He's still working at the bank, hoping to move up, and has also sent out a few other job applications. So now, we'll just see what happens job wise.

I'm sooooo proud of him

Lots of supportive family

On Jordan's last day of class I came home to a beautiful bouquet of flowers. He said it was to celebrate that he could be a "normal husband" now that school is over. (He's always been more than normal, he's wonderful.)

My parents gave him a weed eater. He was ecstatic about this gift, and ran straight home and edged the whole lawn.

And now we're off to celebrate in Cancun. He's definitely due for some relaxation.

(PS... the relaxation won't last long, he's starting his Master's program in the Fall.)

San Diego

My office took this week off for Spring Break so I had no choice but to take advantage of time off work, and VACATION!!! Sadly, Jordan still had work and school, so I bummed along with my family and we headed off to sunny San Diego, while Jordan stayed at home and studied and wrote research papers. (I promise one day we'll take a trip together Jordan. Promise) I drove down with Kim, Adam, Ethan, Alyssa, Mom, Dad, and McKenzie, and we met up with Julianne and her family once we got to the hotel. It was so fun to be together, and not so fun coming home to snow, rain, and cold weather.

La Jolla Cove- This beach was amazing!!! We could walk right up to the seals that are in the background. And there were really neat tide pools full of crabs and fish in this tunnel Paul is walking through.

Everything here was just beautiful!

A neat statue at Fisherman's Wharf- We also saw some cool pirate ships here.

Brooklynn posing in front of the beautiful San Diego Temple.

I love my sisters. We missed you Camille!

My absolute favorite part of the trip... playing with my nieces and nephews. I love them all so much. I wish I had a picture of Paxton laughing in the swimming pool with me. We had so much together. Here we are having fun playing in the sand together. We made a killer sandcastle and buried all the kids in the sand. I promise they liked it.

I love my family, and had so much fun spending the week with them. But I did miss my husband. When I came home he told me that if I'm going to keep leaving him behind like I have been, he's going to have to get a dog to keep him company. So.... I guess no more vacations alone :)

Kenny Chesney Birthday Bash!

Our dear Kenny had a birthday this Saturday. So in honor of this AMAZING, DELICIOUS man we had a huge birthday bash. That's right... we're awesome.

All the girls from work + McKenzie (because we love her and she's a MAJOR fan) all got together at Erin's house to watch the DVD "Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D" in Erin's awesome new theater room. It was amazing!!! The only thing that could've topped it was Kenny being there himself.

Bad Camera... Awesome Theater Seating

Me and McKenzie made some super fabulous Kenny Cupcakes

Now there's some true Kenny Fans.

Delicious!!! (Referring to the cake topper of course)

What's a Kenny Birthday party without Kenny Cups?!

*****

Happy Birthday Kenny Chesney!! Thanks for giving us a reason to celebrate.

Two Very Special Angels

I have been overwhelmed with emotion as I had two special people in my life return to their Heavenly Father this week, to become His perfect angels.

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This is my beautiful friend Charlotte. I love her so much. We met in Hygiene school 3 years ago, and instantly became great friends. I have always admired everything about her. She has a way of seeing the best in everything around her, and has an incredible amount of faith. She was blessed with a beautiful baby boy, Brannick Benjamin, last September. He was born 3 months early, and weighed only a tiny 14 ounces. I remember the day Char told me I could come to the hospital and finally her little Brannick. I don't think I've ever felt the spirit more strongly than when I was around this little guy. This baby boy was so close to the spirit that every time I was near him, it was as if we were standing with angels. Brannick lived to be 6 months old, and 8 whole chubby pounds. He was darling, but his precious little lungs just wouldn't hold up. Charlotte asked me to come visit with him one last time before his passing this last week. It was the first time I was able to see her hold him. He knew him Mommy that's for sure. It was a beautiful moment that I will always hold dear. Charlotte is a beautiful woman, wife, and mother. I watched her kiss her baby one last time on this earth at his little viewing, and admired her unshakable faith. Brannick was sent to this earth for a purpose. He has strengthened my testimony. He has made me recognize that this is not the end. Our time on earth is so short, and it is meant to serve and love others. He served his mission well, and is on to bigger things now. I am grateful that I was able to be a part of this sweet, little miracle of a boy's life.

*****

This is a picture of some of my good friends from Hygiene school taken last summer. The beautiful girl with the long dark hair, and gorgeous smile on the top, in the middle is my dear friend Pam. She also passed away this last week. She found out she had a rare form of cancer in her heart the summer after our 1st year in school. She took a year off for chemo treatments, and then came back to school to finish her last year once she was feeling better. She is amazing. The cancer came back this last year attacking her lungs & then her spine, but she kept fighting. I was told she was at school every day doing her best, and staying positive even though she was bound to a wheelchair, on oxygen, and in terrible pain. She was awarded an honorary diploma last week, just before her passing. She truly deserved it. I am grateful that I was able to know this sweet, beautiful girl. She is truly a fighter, and a wonderful example of a true friend.

This week has been rough, but it would be so much harder without my knowledge of the gospel. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that has brought these beautiful people into my life. I'm grateful for the atonement. I have a glimpse now at how hard it might have been for our Heavenly Father to watch his Son suffer, as I watched how hard it was for my friend to watch her son in pain. I wish I could've taken it away from her. I wish I could've carried that burden for her. I know our Savior can, and I find peace in that. I'm grateful for the temple, and for eternal families. This is not the end. Charlotte will be able to raise Brannick one day, and when she does, he will be free from tubes and pain. That will be a beautiful day. I'm grateful to be a member of this beautiful gospel, and can't wait for the day when I will see those sweet angel friends of mine again.

Going Private

I'm making my blog private. I decided I want to make my blog more personal, and need it to be private to do so. If you want an invite leave me your email address in a comment, and when I figure out how to actually make the blog private I'll let you know.

Sisters In St. George

For Christmas my parents invited all of us girls to have a "sister weekend" to St. George in February. Julianne's husband even flew her up to Utah from Arizona so we could have the whole group together. We drove down to St. George all together in Camille's van, and laughed and laughed the whole way there. It was so fun to be all together without the distraction of kids and husbands (even though I really do love being with my hubby- and he is SOOOO great to constantly let me travel with my family alone while he's stuck at home studying for school.) But it was a trip that doesn't happen very often, and it made me realize... I LOVE MY SISTERS!!! I'm so lucky to have 4 beautiful sisters that I can also call my best friends. The older I get the more I realize how important my family is to me. I am so blessed. I'm so grateful that my parents raised us to love each other.

Who could tell we're sisters? We don't look anything alike ;)

We also went to the Parade of Homes while we were in St. George. The homes were beautiful, but nothing came close to the way I feel about my own home. I'm so happy.