Tea for Two

Christmas was crazy, but still wonderful. I barely finished my Christmas projects by Christmas Eve dinner. (Yeah, I wouldn't make a good elf.) The highlight of the evening was Tyler's reaction to the Lego set great-grandpa Patterson got him. He was shouting and screaming with excitement. It was so funny. Then we drove over to the Nelson's and spent some time with them. On Christmas morning Jonathan and I went to Church and then exchanged presents. I really think Jonathan's favorite gift was the air plane in his stocking. (I married an adult sized child.) Then we went to the Nelson's for more gifts. I love the wedding photo book Jonathan's mom made for us. It's so cute! Then to my parent's house. It was a little different this year because my mom was sick, but she loved hearing our reactions through the walls. Jonathan and I spent most of our time holding cute little Lyla. We also got to go and visit with the Machen's (my mom's side of the famil...

So, this Christmas has been crazy. (Really, really, really, crazy!) It actually started to get crazy back in August and has grown into what we have now. Jonathan's brother Taylor had been pretty sick for awhile and it got to the point where he was in the hospital for a few days and too sick to go to work. Then fast forward to September and Jonathan's other brother Adam was getting married (to a wonderful girl by the way) and Taylor was back in the hospital and still unable to work. Fast forward to October and Adam finds out he has cancer after being married for only three weeks. He ends up moving back into his parent's house and his wife is all the way in Idaho finishing up school. (Thankfully she was able to finish up sooner than initially thought and joined Adam in California.) Fast forward some more and now it has gotten to the point that Taylor and his family are also moving into his parent's house. That's 9 people in a 4 bedroom house. (That's a lot of peo...

Today was my last day with my wonderful Sunday School class. It makes me quite sad. I love my kids. They are so funny and even though they usually drive me crazy, I just can't help but love them. This past year we were studying the Presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's been such a wonderful opportunity for me to study more about these amazing men. My testimony has certainly grown this past year and I know that each one of those men were called to serve at the right time. This past week I realized that my grandma Machen has been alive to see 10 Presidents. That's more than half of them! I am so grateful for the example of these men. They are each remarkable and I look forward to continuing to study them. These are my amazing kids!

I am so excited! Jonathan and I took another step on our way to a new adventure! It's still going to be a couple of months before we find out if it's going to work out, but I'm still really excited! Don't worry, I'll fill you in on the details later.

It's true. Yesterday was the first day that I've been able to put up our Christmas decorations. I have been dying to put them up, but life has been way too busy! We've had finals, a living room full of boxes, and preparing the Nelson house for everyone to move in. Thankfully, everything's coming together very nicely. We're hoping to get our very first Christmas tree on Wednesday!! I'm really excited! A few ornaments that we had at our wedding reception. Here are some of the things Jonathan and I have found as we've been going through his boxes. There's my cute husband during a cross country meet. Here's Jonathan looking adorable! This was in Jonathan's room when he was a boy. A Star Trek card I found about an episode we just recently saw.

So, life's been a little bit crazy lately but that happens. Before we can get out our Christmas decorations, Jonathan gets to organize all of his boxes that were stored in his parent's garage! Lucky! It's actually been fun finding some things. He found notes he took on his mission, some old gifts I gave him for Christmas, and champagne flutes we got for registering at Crate and Barrel. This is just some of the boxes in our living room. I also have started working on some Christmas presents! I can't wait to see everyone's reactions to their gifts! Some of my Christmas projects! This morning we went for our first of many jogs! It was so cold, but it felt so good! We decided to be more serious about getting fit, so last night we got Jonathan new running shoes and some better socks for me. We are going to be so fit soon! Jonathan's new running shoes!

So the other day my wife came to me and said "Jonathan, can you teach me to play Battlefield 3?" I new I married the right girl! We sat down and I showed her the controls to Battlefield 2 (since 2 allows you to set up a map with nobody else or only a few computer simulated characters and has nearly the same controls). After a few minutes running around and getting familiar with what buttons you use I put her into a battle with 16 computer generated characters. She dominated! Not only did her team win she scored more than three times as many points as the nearest computer player. The best part is that she loved playing! I love my wife!

So, even though November is over, I am still feeling very grateful. I am grateful that Jonathan and I are healthy. I am grateful we've been able to help get Jonathan's parent's garage ready for the two rooms that will soon be built for his brothers. I am grateful for the love and support of both of our families as we've been discussing different options for our future. I am grateful that we have nieces and nephews to play with and love. I'm also grateful for them because when Jonathan and I do have kids, we will have lots of clothes from their cousins. I am grateful that Jonathan takes care of me when I'm sick. It helps make life easier for me. I am grateful for all of the time that we spend with each other. I am grateful for the Christmas season. I am so grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for his love for each and everyone of us. I am grateful for that knowledge and the peace it brings me and my family.

Jonathan and I are so lucky to have the two best families in the world! I felt especially blessed because all of the Patterson family was able to be together for Thanksgiving this year. (It's really hard to get all 16 of us together.) We spent lots of time with my family and not as much with the Nelson's because Jonathan and I were sick, but soon all of the Nelson's except us will be living together so we will have plenty of time to spend with them! YAY! The best part about our families is that we are all stuck with each other forever! We are all sealed to each other and if we are all worthy, we get to spend eternity together. That is the biggest blessing I have in my life! The growing Patterson family! The fighting to stay alive Nelson family!

This is another weird post, but I am grateful for this blog. When I first started it, I just thought it would be a fun way to keep people up to date on what was going on in our life. Little did I realize that it would help me express my feelings and share my testimony. This month of blogging things I'm grateful for has been such a good opportunity for me to look at my life and find things that I'm grateful for. This has definitely been a great thing for me to do and I plan on continuing to write about things I'm grateful for throughout the year.

While all of my family was all together, we celebrated our two new baby girls, Lyla and Clara. Lyla is 5 weeks old and Clara is due on January 25th. They are my parent's first granddaughters and we all love them so much! We had dinner at Fats. Oh my goodness! The food was amazing! I want to go back so badly. As soon as the table was cleared, we started opening all of the adorable presents. Both Lyla and Clara hit the jackpot! There were so many cute clothes and headbands for both girls. Some of the group celebrating our baby girls! Mom and Annie Every little girl needs a tutu! Every Apple employee needs an iPood onesie for their baby!

I am grateful for unexpected opportunities. Earlier this week, Jonathan and I were contacted about a new adventure and then we also came up with one of our own. We'll see if things actually work out, so I won't say anything more about it at this time, but we're really excited about both things! (Neither one is a child by the way...)

We've been married for 9 months?! That is so crazy!!! In some ways it seems like we've been together forever and yet it still seems like we got married yesterday . I love thinking about our wedding day. It was a very bright, sunny February morning when we were married at the LDS Sacramento Temple. I remember sitting in the temple with Jonathan before we were married. It was so calming just to sit there by ourselves. Then we were escorted to the sealing room. It was overwhelming to see all of our family and friends there to share this very special day with us. After the ceremony concluded, we were told to kiss and my dad groaned so loud! I love my dad. In the sealing room, there are two large mirrors hanging on opposite walls. As we stood inbetween them, we saw eachother standing. The interesting part is that I saw hundreds of reflections of Jonathan and only one of me and he saw the opposite. We were told that it is symbolic of who we need to focus on. Jonathan needs to f...

Think back to when you didn't have the internet. Yes, we did somehow live without it, but it has helped make things easier to do. Think about it. My oldest brother went on a mission for our church before they allowed the use of email, so we were forced to write letters to Brazil. If I remember correctly, it would take over a week for a letter to even reach him. It was nearly impossible to have a real conversation with him. Then just a few years later, when my other brother served his mission he was allowed to email us once a week. It was amazing to have him answer our questions so quickly. It was amazing! It is so helpful with school and just everyday life. I am so grateful!

So, it didn't turn out at all the way we planned, but it was still ok. We really figured it would be like last year, but that didn't happen at all. In the Nelson family, the girls bake pies on Wednesday. It was so much fun doing that last year, so I was really looking forward to it for the whole month. So of course, I get a cold this week. You see, Jonathan's brother Adam has cancer and is on chemo, so his body cannot handle being sick right now. I am super paranoid that I'll get him sick, so I'm not going over there until I feel a lot better. That means no pie baking for BJ. Lame! This year we also planned on doing the opposite of last year so we would have dinner with the Nelson's and dessert with the Patterson's. Well that didn't turn out either. Jonathan was sick for a couple of days before Thanksgiving too and was trying so hard to get healthy in time for Thanksgiving so we could spend the day with both families. But that didn't happen. His...

I am so grateful that I get to spend all of my day today with my family. (That's why this post is so short). I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with lots of family and even more delicious food! These are some of the people I get to be with today!

I love my family and I really love that it keeps growing. I grew up with 2 older brothers and an older sister. It always seemed kind of small, but it has grown a lot since then. Thanks to a few great marriages, I now have 5 older brothers, an awesome younger brother (yeah be jealous) and 6 wonderful sisters. I love my family so much and all the wonderful examples they are to me. It is such a blessing to have them around and see how strong they are in various ways.  There are times in each of their lives that they have hard trials to go through, but they rely on the Lord and are able to be better for what they've experienced. I've seen this a lot lately with two of my brothers. They are both having health problems and now both are on chemo. Instead of feeling self-pity or questioning why it has to be them, they are both full of hope and working hard to get healthy again. I haven't even mentioned the hard work that my sisters are doing to take care of them. They are such a ...

I am grateful that every Tuesday Jonathan and I go to the temple. It is such a wonderful place to go to and serve the Lord. I love the temple. It is a very sacred place. Every time I'm there, I feel like I'm home. It helps to give me some much needed perspective on my life. I have the tendency to stress myself out, but almost as soon as I step on the grounds of the temple it feels like my worries and stress just melt away. My mind is so much more clear when I am there. I know that the temple truly is the house of the Lord. I am so grateful that we live so close to the temple and have decided to make our attendance a priority. It has given our marriage even more strength. I know that we can face any challenge so long as we continue to strive to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. I attached this video because I feel like it will help show why I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints. There is a strength that comes from living the gospel of Jesus Chri...

Everybody has different talents. Anything from being comfortable with talking to strangers, to cooking amazing meals, to being a good listener. For the longest time, I didn't think I was able to be crafty and make things myself. This past year has shown otherwise. Not only can I use a glue gun for various projects, but I can sew, really well. I've never even taken a single lesson and yet if I put my mind to it I can do it. My mom even told me that my top stitching (that's when you sew really close to the edge of the fabric) was comparable to her own. It's just so neat that we can learn and discover new talents that we never thought we had. I was able to cut these out and make the cute little bows. I didn't cut these out, but I did put them up for Halloween. Some of my projects for Christmas. Printables are so easy to make! A present for my mother-in-law.

We live in such a beautiful world. It is remarkable just how much beauty there is around us. A few nights ago, I was walking to my car after class and I saw the most incredible sunset. I couldn't believe how gorgeous it was. It was a breathtaking sight. I'm going to share some words from one of my favorite church children's songs. Whenever I hear the song of a bird  Or look at the blue, blue sky,  Whenever I feel the rain on my face  Or the wind as it rushes by,  Whenever I touch a velvet rose  Or walk by our lilac tree,  I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world  Heavenly Father created for me. He gave me my eyes that I might see  The color of butterfly wings.  He gave me my ears that I might hear  The magical sound of things.  He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:  I thank him reverently  For all his creations, of which I'm a part.  Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me. I k...

It is the such a wonderful blessing to have modern medicine and so many people that are working to make it even better. My eyes have really been opened these past few years seeing how it's helped my family members. It is incredible to see illnesses that used to be death sentences for people are now treatable. We will in such an amazing time!

I am grateful for time. Yeah, I know that sounds really broad and weird, but let me try to explain. Time is a wonderful thing. Everyone gets to have a different amount of time some get over a hundred years while others maybe get a few minutes. Now, what do we do with that time that we are given? Do we focus solely on ourselves or do we use it to help others? I've been thinking about the time that I have and how I use it. I'll be honest, I waste so much time. I easily get distracted and there goes an hour or two that I could have been using in a much better way. That is a major weakness of mine. I am going to challenge myself starting today to keep a record of how I use my time. I need to be more responsible for what I do with my time because I don't know just how much I will end up having and so I should use it more wisely than I have been lately. I am going to show my gratitude for time by using it in a more productive way!

This isn't just any guy and no it isn't Jonathan either. I've been lucky enough to know him my whole life. He has been a great example to me and even though at times he drives me crazy, I can't help but love him. I'm talking about my brother Chris. I've had the opportunity to watch him over many years and see the kind of man he has become and I'm telling you, he's amazing. (It also helps that he has an amazing wife!) Chris was always loving, but I think it grew even more while he has serving a two year mission for our church. I saw him grow so much during those years that I could not wait for him to come home. As soon as he came home, he was on a new mission, finding his wonderful wife. It didn't take him too long to find her and we all love her so much. Once Chris found Annie, he became a complete person. I don't really know how to describe it, but he went from being a crazy, all over the place guy to a well grounded man. It was an amazing tr...

I love all different types of weather, but today I am grateful that it's bright and sunny. As I'm sitting outside it feels like a warm blanket is wrapped around me. It just feels good when life gets a little too crazy. In my head, I make a connection with sunshine and our Heavenly Father. There are storms that try to block out the sunshine at times in our lives, but if we persevere and do all that we can to get through the dark times, we will be basking in the sunshine once again. That is why I'm grateful for sunshine.

I am grateful for my niece Mercedes. I honestly never thought I was going to have a niece because of all the little boys in my family, but thanks to Jonathan I got my first niece. She is just adorable, sweet, and such a girl. She's incredibly quiet and then let's out high pitched skwills of joy! At first, I wasn't very comfortable around just because I'm used to little boys and their style of play. Mercedes hugs just about anything you tell her to and she loves her stuffed bunny. Lately though we have started to really get along and play together. She really has prepared me for Lyla and Chris and Annie's little girl. At one of the last Nelson family gatherings, I was sitting next to Mercedes and after awhile she decided her plate was a really fun toy to hide behind. So, I decided to follow her example and hide behind my plate too. She thought that was just the funniest thing ever! I just love playing with little kids and making them laugh. They are so wonderful! ...

Okay, so I am so grateful for the state of California. Ironic because it's usually driving me crazy with the horrible politics and all the one million regulations that are trying to interfere with everyday life. So, I married a super smart man. He has been using a Board of Governer's grant to help pay for his college education. When I signed up for my classes he told me about it and so yesterday we went to the financial aid office and took care of the paperwork. Not only are they paying for spring semester, but I'm going to be getting a check for this fall semester as well! Thank you California for making higher education possible for people that couldn't afford it otherwise.

This weekend we were able to meet Miss Lyla Nicole Patterson! She is just the sweetest little girl. It is so different having a little girl in the family. She's definitely helping calm things down, even just a little bit. We just love this little girl! Doesn't he look so cute holding a baby! A very proud older brother!

I love Sunday. I get to go to church and learn and teach and sing for 3 hours. Today was a special day because the children presented their Primary Program. They work all year long and this year was about the importance of the scriptures. It was so wonderful to listen to the songs and lessons we can learn from the scriptures. Not only do we learn about Christ and prophets, but we can learn to be better people. We can read the stories and see how we can follow the good examples there. I am so grateful that I was raised in a home that read the scriptures. This didn't happen by accident either. Both of my parents were raised in homes that read the scriptures. When Jonathan and I have children, they will know the scriptures. I don't know what kind of person I would be if I didn't have the scriptures in my life. However, I do know that I wouldn't have the same perspective and subsequently the same goals. I feel like I can handle whatever challenges will come my way becaus...

I am grateful for my crazy nephews. I have a herd of nephews and they are all so different, and yet so simlilar. My oldest brother has been in town this weekend to introduce their adorable little girl to the family. (She is the first little girl in our family since me!) I've been trying to spend as much time as possible with the kids because I just don't seen them enough anymore. It is so wonderful to be able to play with them and watch them interact with eachother. It makes me wonder what my kids will be like and how they will fit in with this crazy bunch. I am so grateful for my great, big family! Tyler is such a sweet brother! Grandpa and the big boys camping in the living room. PS Only 11 days until this kid and his parents fly in from Idaho!!!!

(11-11-11. Yeah, I feel pretty lucky.) I am really am grateful for change. Not just for the sake of change, but change that is truly for the better. I'm not exactly sure how to express just what I am thinking. I guess I am grateful that we don't stay the same way forever. We can grow and learn from the experiences that we face in life. We can always change our nature. Though, if we choose to not work for it we can easily lose all the progress we've made. As, I'm rereading this, it sounds like this is such a wierd thing to be grateful for. I am grateful that I've been able to learn a few things in my short 21 years and that I have been able to change somethings about myself. Here's to a long life of learning and changing for the better!

Sorry this is a couple of days late, I've been hanging out with my nephews and baby niece! Anyways.... This person is truly amazing. They are so selfless and loving. My day is better when I see them and we have way too much fun together. This person has made a huge impact on my life and I want to be just like them when I grow up! This person is my mom! I love my mom! We honestly are like two peas in a pod! We think alike in so many ways. She truly is my best friend. My life would not be the same without her. Thanks for being wonderful mom!

Oh boy, so if you know me you know I'm a bit of a procrastinator. (My mom can vouch for this!) Well, I had a physics lab this past week and of course waited until last night start it. I had to build a motor by making two electromagnets using copper wire and nails. I was looking forward to building it, but was also a little scared. I've never built a motor before and was so paranoid that I would mess up in any or all of the steps. So, it took way too many hours and help from Jonathan, but it was ready to be tested. At first it didn't look like I would be able to test it until today at school. (Yeah that's terrifying!) Then I realized that the battery in my phone should be enough to get the motor running and sure enough it worked! Boy was I relived! That could have been the end of the story, but it wasn't. I took my motor school and it was acting up, so I tried a few simple things and it worked. Then my lab partner looked at my motor and was telling me that I coul...

This is going to sound really weird, but I am incredibly grateful for our boring life. Jonathan and I have nothing exciting or worrisome in our life. We are healthy, we have dirty dishes , we have each other. The only thing we complain about is not being able to spend all our time with each other. We are truly blessed for all that we have.

I hope I have your attention with the title. This really is a peculiar thing to be grateful for. Tonight Jonathan and I were finally catching up on all of our dirty dishes. That reminded me of something that opened my eyes. I found a poem a few weeks ago and realized that I had the wrong attitude about them. Dirty dishes are usually just seen as a chore and a bother, but what do they really show? They show that the people in the home are well fed and very blessed. There are so many people that don't have as nearly as much as we do and we should be greatful for all that we've been given. That includes dirty dishes! This is the poem that inspired me.

I am grateful that today is the Sabbath. I get to go to church for 3 hours and then spend the rest of the day with my sweet Jonathan. At church, I get to teach the 12 and 13 year olds about the amazing men who have led our church. It has been so helpful to me as I face challenges to know that others have been standing up for the same things that I currently am. Today, the lesson is based on a famous quote by Spencer W. Kimball given in 1974. "I wonder if we're doing all we can. Are we prepared to lengthen our stride?"  I've been thinking about this quote on and off all this week. I know that I have been falling short of doing what I can a lot lately. I allow my self to get distracted by little things rather than focus in on the important. This week of writing down the things I'm grateful for has been so helpful to me. It's helping me realize just how blessed I am at this time in my life. I want to keep this attitude of gratitude all year long. That is a maj...

So, I like spending hours and hours and hours on Pinterest . I get lots of good ideas and like most people don't do anything about it. I especially like seeing cute ways to use quotes as art. Luckily, I found a tutorial from a blog (check it out  here ) on how to make them myself. So, I kind of am addicted to making them. Here are some of the things I've made, but I'm not going to post my favorite because it's going to be a baby shower gift for my newest nieces! My very first one. Jonathan and I made this for Adam's birthday.   My birthday present for Jonathan. A helpful reminder.