New Adventures

I am grateful for all of the new adventures we will have here in Texas.

We already had a few like spending Thanksgiving with some new wonderful friends.

We've spent an evening in San Antonio and plan to go back and see even more.

We're slowly eating our way through the restaurants in our neighborhood and can't wait to try the new Tex-Mex place down the street from us.

I love being here and am so glad that things have worked out the way they did. We hoped for something like this, but with all of the other plans we made failing it seems unreal that it didn't happen this time. We couldn't have done it without all of the support from our friends and family over the years. Just knowing that my siblings and parents were proud of us and the sacrifices we were making helped to reassure us that we were on the right path.

Source

It has been a hard road with many unexpected challenges along with the expected ones, but we made it. I know we are no where near done with challenges, but I'm grateful for the strength we gained over the years so we can face whatever comes our way.

Mega Desk

I am grateful that mega desk is back!

Naturally, Jonathan's side has two monitors and tons of cables while my side has more space for my projects. I really like having our desks together.

Tender Mercies

I am grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord that I have experienced. The phrase "tender mercies of the Lord" comes from the Book of Mormon. In the past few months I have recognized some big ones as well as a few little things most people would consider as a coincidence. I believe that God is in each of our individual lives in a very personal way and tender mercies are evidence of that.

Source

For me, the most obvious one was the smoothness of our move here to Austin. On Wednesday, we got the call that we needed to move and the next day we were on the road. The craziest thing that happened was a bird hit the truck somewhere in the middle of Arizona. We pulled into town without a place to live and within 18 hours we signed our contract. Throughout the experience it was unreal how smooth everything went. I know that it wasn't anything that Jonathan and I did besides being ready and willing to go.

Another one was seeing rainbows as we moved from Utah back to California as well as our move to Austin. When I saw them, they reassured me that we were making the right decision. It's sometimes hard to really know what's best and they confirmed that we were on the right path for us.

Lately, I've been missing our sweet angel babies a bit more than usual. I always miss them, but I'm feeling it more acutely. A few weeks ago, I cleaned my dirty glasses and one of the smudges was a perfectly shaped tiny footprint. It had all 5 toes and I immediately though of J and E. I felt peaceful. I know that they are where they need to be and that they can feel my love for them. I felt like that was their way of showing their love for me.

I know that there are times when it is hard to find tender mercies, but they are there if we look for them.

Team Marriage

I am grateful for our marriage. We have been tremendously blessed by having each other day in and day out. I feel like this quote sums up my feelings.

Primary

I am grateful that Jonathan and I have church callings in Primary. For the past three years we were in Nursery together and now we are in CTR 6. I love being with Jonathan and the kids we teach. The kids honestly become my friends and help me. They are wonderful examples to me.

Remembering J and E

I am grateful that 

When we were in the Rexburg Cemetery in Idaho, Garrett was really confused by one of the headstones there. It said, "Baby Budded on earth to bloom in heaven." 

I explained to him that the baby died and would grow up in heaven instead of on earth. I felt impressed to share with him that I have two babies in heaven. Garrett is a deep thinker and didn't say anything more about it until a few months ago. My parents had just spent the evening swimming with Garrett, Charlotte, and a few of Andy's kids. While driving Garrett and Charlotte back home, my mom was saying how nice it was to spend time with them even though it wasn't all 10 of the grandkids. Garrett pointed out to her that there are more than just the 10 grandkids and she agreed that my two kids are in heaven. This started a sweet conversation about them and who is taking care of them. I love that I'm not the only one wondering where they are, who they are with, and what they are doing. I know that J and E are happy and are loved by their family both here on earth and in heaven.

Holy Ghost

I am grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and learning how to recognize his promptings. For me, most of them are little ideas, but sometimes are feelings. I can't imagine what life would be like without the additional and personalized guidance of the Holy Ghost.

Photos

I am grateful for photos and how they help bring back memories.

I forgot how often Mercedes would walk around in my shoes.

I love that these three are still great friends.

I miss it when these two were so small. Soon Ryan will be taller than me.

There's nothing like a delicious cupcake to get even the most energetic little Theodore to sit still for a few moments.

Soon after taking the picture, Spencer ate the highlighter. I wasn't attentive enough...

I couldn't believe how long these two sat at the table coloring. Girls are very different from the crazy boys!

Ruby snuggles were heavenly.

I miss Charlotte's extra chubby checks.

Missionaries

I am grateful for missionaries. We've been spending time with the sister missionaries in our ward and I am so impressed with them. We visited a man in the ward with them and the message they prepared was exactly what he needed. About a week later, we had dinner with them and they had the perfect message for us. They work and sacrifice so much to help and teach those around them. Even though they are missing out on normal life, they are strengthening their own testimonies by serving others. Their lives will never be the same in the best way. I am so grateful for their examples.

Hard Things

I am grateful for the knowledge that we can do hard things. My parents have made this our family motto and this summer we lived it.

During our fun day in Idaho, a big storm came through and we hid under the rafts to stay out of the pouring rain and hail. We weren't sure how we were going to get out of it, but we prayed together and trusted that we would be okay. The kids were scared, but eventually help came and we made it back to the cars. Looking back, I feel like it was a good experience where we proved that we can do hard things especially when we are together.

Click here to read the whole story.

Flexible Job

I am grateful for the flexibility of Jonathan's job. Last month, I was feeling really sick and desperate to have Jonathan at home to take care of me. I sent him a text and he was able to come home right away. Just having him at home with me helped me feel better. As I was resting, he was able to pull out his work laptop and do some more research concerning the project he was doing. I just hope that I don't need to do that again!

The Temple

I am so grateful for the temple. Since moving to Austin, we've made it down to San Antonio twice to go to the temple. This is the furthest we've lived from a temple and now we really have to plan our trips in advance.

I am grateful that when we lived close to the temple we were diligent with going frequently and now I'm grateful that we get to make time to go to the temple regularly.

Our Neighborhood

I am grateful for the neighborhood we live in. It's different living in the middle of a shopping center, but it's also really nice. We hardly ever use our car during the week since Jonathan walks to work.

Earlier this week they hung up more lights over the streets and started wrapping trees in lights.

This really feels like home!