A Year In Review

Another year has come and gone, though it feels like this year went a bit faster than most. Here are some highlights from the year.

Surprise, surprise. Our year started out at the Salt Lake temple.

My very own desk at work while our office was still in Orem.

We explored Park City.

I helped Jonathan find his own family names to take to the temple.

Back in February, Jonathan and I were sick for about three weeks.

In March, the company I work for moved it's office to Lehi.

In April, the wind kicked up so much dirt in the air that it was raining mud!

We went to a UVU baseball game.

We had a small Cinco de Mayo celebration.

For Memorial Day, we found the graves of our ancestors.

My least favorite day of the entire year. The day the apartment turns on the swamp cooler.

We saw fireflies for the first time!

We went to the Manti Temple Pageant. 

We went shooting on the farm in Idaho for the 4th of July.

We spent time exploring BYU with Tyler.

I searched for my cousin, Elder Van Matre.

We went to Promontory to see where the transcontinental railroad met... 

and stumble onto ATK where they build the rocket boosters for the space shuttles.

We visited the University of Utah.

We visited the mine my great-great grandfather worked at when he first moved to Utah.

We got a new nephew in the summer. Theodore Nelson.

We went to a CRAZY good BYU game against Boise State.

I got to see Stephanie Nielson speak. (It was amazing!)

We finally made it to the Ogden Temple.

We saw Abby kill it!

We went to a Spanish fireside where Elder Christofferson spoke in Spanish. (Also Jonathan shaved his beard. I think I'm still recovering from that. I LOVE the beard!)

We played in California with all of the Pattersons!

We went to a crazy good UVU basketball game against Weber State. UVU won after the game went to double overtime!

We had a wet visit when we saw the lights at Temple Square.

Our apartment was toasty with our pixel fire.

It has already snowed more times this winter than last winter. I'm dreaming of wet California winters.

We got a second new nephew just before Christmas. Spencer Wadman.

We had a merry little Christmas in Idaho. We weren't sure if the weather was going to cooperate, but thankfully it did!

It was maybe 4 degrees in Idaho. It made me happy when we got back to the toasty 20 degree weather in Utah. (You can see why I really miss California!)

We had a good year. Jonathan's getting closer to being done with school and I have a great job. We still love being in nursery and get nervous anytime the bishop or Relief Society president talks to us. (Luckily the Relief Society president has a daughter in nursery and she loves having us there!) We look forward to seeing what the new year brings us.

Our Second White Christmas

This year we had a second white Christmas. This time it was in Idaho with my brother's family. Jonathan and I decided to open our presents before going so we wouldn't have to bring them back to Utah.

 Seth and Clara were very concerned that Santa wouldn't find us, but we reassured them that he was aware of where we were. Not surprising, Jonathan and I slept in and missed out on watching the kids open their presents.

It was way too cold to go outside, so we watched Dora the Explorer and played.

Everyone loved snuggling with Ruby's new giant teddy bear.

Later, we had lunch at Annie's parents' home. They live right along the Snake River and the view from their house is just magical. (Of course I didn't take any pictures.) After lunch, we played hide and seek with the kids in their basement.

Idaho is beautiful with all the snow, but it's extra cold compared to Utah.

Merry Christmas

This year we made our very first Christmas card!

When we were out in California last month, we finally had a new Patterson Family picture taken at the Sacramento Temple. (Check out our fabulous photographers work! Click here!) Ally was sweet enough to take a few pictures of each individual family as well. This totally sums up what we've been up to this year. We had two goals regarding the temple attendance this year. First, we wanted to go every week. Obviously when we were sick we didn't go those weeks, but we still were in the temple over 40 times this year. The second goal was to take our own family names to the temple each time we were there. Thanks to FamilySearch, we were able to accomplish our goal. Being in the temple so often not only helped make our "spirits bright", but also for our family that we were doing temple work for. I have a feeling that we are going to keep both of those goals for next year too!

Click here to see how we made it!

Winter

This week winter decided to come back. I am realizing more than ever that I really am a California girl! The snow is beautiful, but I have no problem admiring it in the distance or spending a few hours in it.

The after work view from the parking lot.

Yesterday morning was rather icy. I was able to get out of the parking lot just fine, but when I got to the road in front our apartment the car in front of me was struggling on the ice. I decided to turn around and got stuck myself. I forced the car into submission and straightened out the car. I slowly backed up and turned around. (The way I should have done from the beginning!) I really hope the next place we live won't have icy winters, but the chances are slim since most of the country has these kinds of winters. At least I'm learning how to deal with it! (Also walking on slippery ice with a hurt back just is not a good combination!)

This Week

With the cold weather and finals coming up, we haven't been up to as many adventures. This week we broke the trend! On Tuesday, we went to the holiday party for my work. We ate way too much and I even won a gift card in the raffle!

On Wednesday, Jonathan got free tickets to the UVU Men's Basketball game. It was crazy! For most of the first half UVU was leading and in the second half Weber State was leading. UVU came back and tied it in the last few seconds of the half. During the first OT, UVU looked terrible until the last couple of minutes and they tied it up again. The second OT went much better for them and they won!

On Thursday, we went up to Salt Lake to see the lights. Thanks to the rain, hardly anyone was there!

After enjoying the lights, we went to the Church History Museum. We haven't visited it since the renovation. It was amazing! Our favorite part was the new video of Joseph Smith's first vision. Watch the video below and it will explain why it is so unique!

More Than We Ever Imagined

If you are on Pintrest especially in early April and October, there are countless quotes from General Conference. One that stood out to me was by Sister Neill F. Marriot.

I love this quote, but I felt like the background was lacking. It's rather placid and I just don't think it fits. So, I started thinking about what would fit better. My thoughts ended up on the old Provo Tabernacle. 

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I don't really remember it from the various visits to Utah growing up, but I remember five years ago when it caught on fire. Before the fire, it was a useful building. It was used for community events as well as for Stake Conferences. It was shocking when it burned.

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For about a year, no one was sure what would come of the shell of the building. Then it was announced that it would be transformed into a temple.

There are times when our lives burn into ashes and all that is left is a shell of the vision we had of the future. It takes time, but our life can truly be "more than we ever imagined."

"If we earnestly appeal to God, He takes us as we are—and makes us more than we ever imagined." —Sister Neill F. Marriott

#ASaviorIsBorn

I am grateful for the willing sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I can't imagine the pain he endured, but I am grateful that He didn't shirk.

Because of Him, we can have everlasting joy and true peace in our lives.

General Conference

I am grateful for General Conference. Since this past conference, I am really taking the time to study the talks. There is so much truth and guidance in each and everyone of those talks. While I was watching the General Women's Session with Annie, I felt like the speakers knew exactly what I have been feeling and they were talking just to me.

Pizza

I wasn't too grateful to work on Black Friday because it was just going to be my supervisor and me. However, I was grateful that Jennifer who heads our department ordered pizza for us. It helped me feel appreciated for working on a day that most people have off.

My Own Space

I am grateful to have my own work space at home. When Jonathan and I moved into our apartment, we agreed that he would use the second bedroom as his study space for school. It didn't take long for me to realize that I needed my own space as well. I would take over the kitchen table and the front room, but it was hard to get anything done. Thankfully, my parents were able to bring out my desk when they visited our first summer living in Utah. There was just enough room to squeeze it into our bedroom. It was so nice to have my own space, but it quickly became too cramped.

This is what it looked like before things got crazy!

I  thought about moving around our bed to make some more room for my desk. I kept putting it off, which was silly because everything is so much better.

 I have more than enough room and my desk is no longer in our way.

Family Motto

Happy Thanksgiving! We are off to my aunt and uncle's house to spend Thanksgiving with their wonderful family.

I am grateful for our family motto. During General Conference, Sister Neill F. Marriott shared her family motto and how it helped keep her family grounded through difficult times. Jonathan and I decided to copy her!

We posted this above our desks and in the hallway as a reminder that even when it doesn't look like it or feel like it, it will all work out.

My Equal

I am grateful that Jonathan and I are equals. Just over a week ago, Jonathan was telling someone from our congregation about how we started dating and realized our age difference. It's not that he forgot (because he loves how much younger I am), he instead focuses on us. He truly lifts me up.

I love the proverb Sister Linda K. Burton quoted in her talk from General Conference this past April. Through our marriage, we have had many set backs and heartbreaking disappointments. They could have destroyed our marriage, but they haven't because we stuck together. One habit that I feel has protected us, is our consistency with temple attendance. We still went through all of these difficult experiences, but going to the temple has brought us reassurance that we are doing what we need to do. I don't know what is in store for us, but as long as I have Jonathan at my side it will all work out.