Merry Christmas

One Last Lesson

As much as I love Nursery, there is one thing I struggle with. It's when the new year begins and the three year olds start going to Primary with the older children. It's hard to let them go. Last Sunday was our final week with them since Christmas is on Sunday this year. I was able to learn one more lesson from G before he starts going to Primary. 

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My mom gave me a necklace a few months ago and it has a metal stamped charm that says "Hope". I wear it all of the time. As we were sitting around the table, G noticed my necklace and asked what it was. I told him it said hope. After telling him, I tucked my necklace under my shirt so it wouldn't distract him. A few minutes later, he looks up and is extremely concerned. "Where's your hope?" he asked. I pulled out my necklace and showed him that my hope was still there.

I know he meant my necklace, but I've been thinking about where my hope is. I can honestly say that my hope is anchored in Jesus Christ. His atoning sacrifice is what enables us to become clean so that we can return to the presence of God, our loving Father.
We make it back home without Him. I am grateful for His selfless act of love for each and every one of us.

Jonathan's Birthday Month

 October was wonderful because I was able to celebrate Jonathan's birthday throughout the month! Though I didn't take too many pictures, I want to write down what we did so we can remember.

We started out strong with a trip to Rockwell Ice Cream on the first so Jonathan could have some "A-NieNie-s" black licorice flavored ice cream. He loved it!

A few weeks later, I took him to get some fresh pressed apple juice at Rowley's Red Barn. It's one of his favorite treats and reminds him of his mission in Washington state. We went after dinner, so it was already dark and that's why I didn't take any pictures. While we were looking at all the wonderful things they sale, we saw the "Jonathan" apple variety. Of course Jonathan needed to try it, so we each got an apple, a gallon of apple juice, and some ice cream. All were delicious!

After we took the picture for Lyla's Cinderella birthday post, we took a few family pictures. Even though this one is blurry, I love it.

The night before his birthday, I had him open his presents. I knew that Saturday would be a busy day starting with our shift at the temple and then going out to dinner in Sandy. For one of his presents, I framed one of our favorite quotes that I wrote.

On Jonathan's actual birthday, we went out to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. I love the crab and he loves their key lime pie for dessert. It was perfect! Afterward we did some window shopping at Crate and Barrel, one of our favorite stores. We've started planning out what we want to buy there after Jonathan starts his career next year.

On our way back home, there were fireworks celebrating his birthday!

Birthday month was a success!

2016 Birthdays

We had a great time doing our pictures for our nieces' and nephews' birthdays. By far my favorite from this year is the Harry Potter picture for Tyler, but that's because I'm so excited that one of the kids loves Harry Potter too!

Next year we will be adding in Theodore and Spencer to the mix. I'm already coming up with more ideas!

Pioneer Day

For Pioneer Day, Jonathan and I visited Little Cottonwood Canyon to see where my great-great grandpa William McMillan spent some of his time.

He worked on a canal that was going to move the large blocks of stone for the Salt Lake temple from the canyon down to Salt Lake City. It ended up not working out though.

We walked around the old quarry and it was amazing to think that the trees and mountains haven't changed too much from what grandpa saw when he was there. I love feeling a connection with my ancestors. They had to face challenges that they weren't sure if they could conquer just like me. They overcame their challenges and I take strength that I can too.

Utah

I am grateful that Jonathan and I have lived in Utah for the past two years. We have been able to go on many adventures and experience living somewhere new.

I look forward to our next move and hope to have more adventures with Jonathan.

Creativebug

I am grateful for Creativebug. It is a website that has a wide variety of creative classes. From sewing to painting to cooking. If it's creative, they have it!

I started taking classes earlier this month and it's fantastic! Their focus reminded me of a quote from General Conference a few years ago.

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty"

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Everyone is creative in their own unique way. If something interests you, try it. Even if you are the only one that likes what you make, it doesn't matter.

Share

I am grateful for people who share their stories of heartbreak and disappointment. They help me make sense of my own story and give me more confidence to share it. Two that I especially love are Brittany Parker and Stephanie Nielson. I've been following along with Stephanie for years and love hearing her story of faith after her accident. I just started following Brittany about a month ago. Her husband suddenly died earlier this year. She is real with her struggles, but also shares hope in spite of her reality. They help me keep pushing forward, even when I don't want to.

J and E

This is something that I would not have said I was grateful for last year. I am grateful for my two wonderful children that I miscarried. It's not that I wasn't grateful for them last year, I just was not grateful for their abrupt departure. It's hard to talk about because I feel their loss so deeply even after so many years.

It doesn't look like it, but there are three people in this picture.
We took it the day before we found out we were pregnant
with baby E, though I was almost certain that I was.

I love them, but it has been painful trying and wanting to continue to face each day without them here with us. I know exactly how old they would be if we had kept them. J would be 3 and E would be 2. They would be in Nursery with us each and every week.

We went to the UVU baseball game to celebrate baby J's birthday this year.

This year we started celebrating their birthdays on their due dates. It made those days much happier than they have been in the past. It still wasn't easy, but it was so much better.

Last year we took a new Patterson family picture.
I made this necklace so J and E could be part of the picture.
I got the idea from Rachelle.

There are still many hard days that I am upset they aren't here with us, but I can hold fast to the covenants I made in the temple with Jonathan that bind our family for all eternity. They keep me anchored in my faith that heaven is real. I love them with my whole heart.

Marriage

I am grateful that Jonathan and I have created a marriage is safe. This didn't happen by accident. We have be very deliberate and thoughtful with our relationship from the beginning. We both understand our personal weaknesses and (thankfully) are extremely patient with others weaknesses.

Just last month, there were multiple people that were convinced we were still newly weds and they were stunned to hear that we have been married for so long. We are still in the newly wed phase even after going through some extremely difficult trials. It's because we are able to be our genuine selves with each other. It is incredibly freeing. I know that we are no where near finished and that more trials will come our way, but we have a strong foundation and can face whatever comes our way.

Firsts

I am grateful that after 5+ years of marriage, Jonathan and I still have "firsts". Earlier this month, we went on our first family camping trip.

It was not perfect, but it was still wonderful! I'll write a full post about the trip later.

Simply Beautiful

I am grateful for the beautiful and diverse world we live in.

It is a blessing to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the world.

Work It Out

I am grateful for the small gym at work. Thanks to Daylights Savings being over, I have an easier time getting up in the morning and can go to the office early enough to work out.

Parents

I am grateful that my parents. I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. They gave me room to grow and make decisions. I still look to them for counsel when I have bigger decisions because I know they truly want what is best for me.

I have so many of their qualities and I love that I can see them in myself. No matter how far away I am from them, they will always be with me.

Youtube

I am grateful for Youtube so I can watch all sorts of documentaries especially when I'm at work. I go through phases of what interests me. Currently, I am on an ancient history kick. It fascinating to learn about the rise and fall of various civilizations and understand different cultures a little bit better.

General Conference

I am grateful for General Conference and the uplifting messages that are shared. For the past few years, I have been really good about taking notes during Conference. 

Going back and reviewing them is a different story.

I am working on being better at that. One take away that has stuck with me is making Sacrament Meeting a more sacred experience. I want to have similar experiences in the chapel on Sundays that I have in the temple during the week. That means I need to be prepared and not let it become a common act in my life. As I sit in the chapel before church starts, I sit quietly and listen to the prelude music or read my scriptures. I'm not perfect at doing this, but I am doing better. That's what matters.

Instagram

I am grateful for Instagram and how it helps me feel a little bit more connected to my nieces and nephews. After growing up with Ryan and Tyler, it's been hard to be so far away from the kids. This helps give me a glimpse of who they are.

Coloring Time

I am grateful for coloring time. My sister gave me a coloring book and markers for my birthday and I love it!

I usually pull them out during the last hour or two of work. It really helps me relax and get my creative juices flowing.

Magic

I am grateful for magic. Back in September, Jonathan and I started listening to the Harry Potter books. They are truly magical.

I love sharing a cherished childhood memory with Jonathan. For once, I am the bigger nerd than him on a subject.

Speeding By

I am grateful for quiet little moments with Jonathan. Usually it us sitting on the couch doing our own thing.

It feels like the time is speeding by and in these moments time slows down a bit.

Bullet Journal

I am grateful for my bullet journal. In preparation for getting back into school, I was looking for a way to get and stay organized. I kept seeing pins about bullet journals on Pinterest and finally I started investigating what it is.

It is a very basic system, but the best part is how adaptable it is to the individual user. I don't have much going on day to day, but I have plenty of things to keep organized. I just started using a future log to keep track of events that will be coming up. It's mostly filled with stuff about Jonathan's graduation. No surprise there!

I like the traditional calendar format to keep track of events. I also like writing a quote that inspires me in the blank space.

As you can see, my week is so busy! I've tried a few different set ups, but this one is currently my favorite.

These are examples of a few other pages to help keep me organized. I have the Utah bucket list to keep track of things we want to do or see before we move. I also have a list of all the birthday posts we've done for our nieces and nephews. I may or may not have started making plans for next year.

Another great resource for getting started with a bullet journal is Boho Berry. Kara has tons of pictures and videos about bullet journals.

Old Friends

I am grateful for old friends and being able to pick up in spite of all the years. Back in May, I was able to spend an evening (and well into the early morning) with some of my high school friends. Aside from talking about college and careers, it felt like nothing really changed.

It was such a great night. I just hope we don't wait another eight years to do something like that again.

Nursery

I am grateful to be in Nursery. We've been in there for over two years now and I still love it. Recently we met with our bishop and he warned us that he might ignore any inspiration for us to be released. At this point, I want him to ignore it! 

 I love spending my time and making friends with the children. They are 18 months to 3 years old. I am sad with the beginning of each year because the 3 year olds start going to Primary. I am glad to see them grow up, but sad that they aren't in our class anymore. Though before the end of the year, we will have 4 more little ones joining our class.

Women of Faith

I am grateful for women of faith. I stumbled upon a video well over a year ago and never got around to sharing it. (Bad BJ!) It introduces you to five women from different time periods who faced challenges or decisions that tried their faith. (I encourage you to watch the video by clicking here.) They each trusted that God loves them and even though their path is different from what was typical for their time that doesn't mean it isn't right. I gain so much strength with my own decisions to follow the path that is right for me and not follow other people's opinions about what I should do. It's not easy, but I know I am on the right path. Below is a video about some of the actors and their own experiences with facing their challenges with faith.

Veteran's Day

I am grateful for the brave men and women who serve our country. They leave their families in order to represent something much bigger than themselves. 

This day reminds us that freedom is not free.

Book of Mormon

I am grateful for the hope and peace that come from reading the Book of Mormon. I am working on being more consistent with reading it because it truly blesses my life and helps me see what matters most in life.

Snow Adventures

I am grateful that I have lived in the snow because of the new adventures we tried. Last winter, Jonathan and I when snowshoeing and had a great time. I can't wait to go again this winter.

I miss that full, lush beard!

Voting

I am grateful that I have the opportunity to shape the future of the country. Today, I exercised my right to vote. It is a great privilege to educate ourselves and then choose who our leaders are and make decide on the various propositions.

Work

I am still grateful for my job. It is a blessing that I even got it in the first place and continues to bless me. I have time to focus on a wide variety of subjects whenever I'm not on a call.

New Adventure

To go along with Jonathan graduating, I am grateful for the new adventures that will come with his career. We don't know where in the country we will be living next year and we can't wait to find out! We've enjoyed our time here in Utah, but we are excited for our next adventure where ever it may be.

In Six Months

I am grateful that in six short months Jonathan will be graduating!

I wanted to keep track of how much time Jonathan has left.

He has worked so diligently for all of these years. He learned hard lessons along the way and has show deep determination to complete what he started. Jonathan is a wonderful example to me and I hope to emulate him as I pick up where I left off with my education next year.