I am grateful for a book.

I am grateful for the Book of Mormon. It is a book of scripture and works with the Bible to teach us about Jesus Christ's mission. It is a book that the spirit flows out of the words. You can learn so much about the purpose of our lives here on the earth. It gives me direction and strength to do what I know is right in spite of all the opposition around me. It's helping bring me closer to Jonathan as we read it. We each share our different insights about what we have read. I love this book and the people that sacrificed so much so that I can read it. We live in a marvelous time. When the Book of Mormon was first printed, there were only 5,000 copies in one language, English. Now the book is available in 107 languages and over 3 million copies are printed each year. I also now have the scriptures on my phone. I am never without them and that is such a wonderful blessing. I added a video about one man's experience with the Book of Mormon and how it has changed his life.

Today I am grateful for...

I am grateful for toasty warm beds. I love being all snuggled in my bed and now especially that I married Jonathan. He truly is a professional snuggler. It's one of his favorite things to do and I've gotten hooked on it too!

Our cozy, grown up bed!

My third day of gratitude

Today I am so grateful for Institute. (If you want to know more click here.) It is such a wonderful place that I can learn more about the gospel and have my own insights on what I need to be doing. It also has some wonderful memories with friends. It's also where Jonathan proposed. (Was that really a year ago?)

Todays class was in the Old Testament. (I LOVE the Old Testament!) We were talking about how sometimes we, like the children of Israel, take the long route. It didn't need to take them 40 years to get to the promised land, but it did because of the choices they made. It got me thinking about my life and when I've taken an extra long route. There is one that comes to mind for me especially. I am grateful for that experience. It has made me aware of all the blessings I put on hold for myself. It is also helping me to trust in the Lord's timing. There are things that I want right now, but I know that things will work out better if I relax and have faith.

I am so grateful for the blessings that come from attending Institute!

I'm grateful for...

This shouldn't be too surprising, but I am so incredibly grateful for Jonathan. He has made my life complete. It honestly feels like he's always been part of my life. He is an incredible man and I still don't know how I got him.

A Grateful Heart

Trials are an interesting part of life. Everyone has them, but they vary: some are physical, some are emotional, some are obvious, some are unseen to the people around us. One of my favorite blogs is the nienie dialogues. This woman and her husband were in a terrible plane crash which left them both burned. She had much more severe burns and doctors didn't think she would survive. I started reading her blog before she was able to come home from the hospital. I remember how badly she wanted to be home with her children and when she finally made it home all the struggles she had doing everyday tasks. This woman has been an inspiration to me. She has overcome so many challenges and still faces more, but she knows that our Heavenly Father is mindful of her and has a plan for her. I know that our Heavenly Father knows us and loves us. He only wants the best for His children and He will help us through the hard times in our lives as long as we turn to Him. I am so grateful for this knowledge and I look forward to finding out what He wants me to learn from my current set of challenges.

So as I was trying to come up with a title for this post, I decided since it's November I should do a daily post for something I am grateful for, plus posts about what fun things have been going on in our lives. I'll try to be good and actually do it. See you tomorrow!

Where has time gone!

I honestly can't believe that Jonathan and I have been married for 8 whole months! It seems like we just got home from our honeymoon a week ago. Life has been wonderful. We're both still in school, Jonathan got a better job at RC Willey, and we are as happy as can be. There are many times when we still don't know how we tricked the other into marriage, but we're so glad that we did! I love you honey!

Sleepover!

So my oldest brother got a sweet job at Apple earlier this year and moved his family to San Jose. We are all so happy for him, but I really have been missing my buddy Tyler. Luckily, Jonathan and I were able to have a slumber party with him while they were visiting about a month ago. It was so much fun! We watched movies and ate pancakes for breakfast. Ty had so much fun fighting and taunting Jonathan. He kept saying, "You can't defeat me!" It was hilarious. I just can't help but love that kid.

Yummy breakfast made by Jonathan.

Tyler, the blur.

Isn't he so cute?

My handy man.

I know, I know it's been a long time since my last post. Here's a quick one for now.
So, I've known for awhile that Jonathan has lots of skills like fixing computers, moving big furniture, and reaching the top shelf in the kitchen. I didn't realize he was so handy when it came to cars. Jonathan woke up one morning and had a flat tire. So what does he do? He fixes it. I've had a slow leak in one of my tires and so Jonathan decided to fix it. It turns out that there was a bolt in my tire. Who would have known? Yesterday, the serpentine belt on Jonathan's car completely shredded. This morning he replaced it. Yeah, I think I'll keep him.

So cute, yet so dirty!

Guess who's 29!

This guy! 

Modeling some of his new clothes.

Jonathan's birthday was at the end of October, so we had to celebrate! It was very interesting decorating for his birthday with all of our Halloween decorations up too. He got some great new clothes. (I think I liked them more than he did). I copied an idea I saw on pinterest. It is a list of things that describe Jonathan. (It made his mom cry because I understand Jonathan so well).

 He also got a bluray drive for our computer. A few days later, we had a cookie party (also inspired by pinterest) with our family. Of course no pictures were taken, but it was so fun and delicious!

The inspiration for his party!

I am so grateful for Jonathan and can't wait for next year's party (which may or may not be already planned...)

Girls Camp 2011

Surprise, surprise I was asked to go to Girls Camp. I was told a couple of months ago that they needed people to help out especially on the hikes, so I decided that I would help. A few weeks later I saw the staff roster and I was assigned to be a level leader. Boy was I in shock! I was very worried about all the responsibilities that I would have. Thankfully I wasn't the only leader over the 3rd years. We had a great week that started out with backpacking to one of my favorite places on earth, Blue Lake. We had a lovely dinner and a warm fire to battle the cold wind. We made it safely to Treasure Mountain the following day to a camp full of girls. I forgot how wonderful Girls Camp is. The spirit is so much stronger when you can get away from all the distractions that surround us. I couldn't believe the number of times adults thought that I was one of the girls or on Junior Staff. They were surprised to hear that I was a level leader and told me that I was lucky to have such a young looking face. One of the highlights for the week was when I realized that I was a Laurel when the Big Sisters were Beehives and that we were in the Sacramento Temple Celebration together. I loved spending time with the older girls especially since we were so close in age.

Why yes, I do blend in with the girls.

Hannah's broken down car.

The girls all gathered together for a devotional.

A beautiful sunset.

Gathering around the camp fire for 'smores.

Poor Hannah rolled her ankle, so Victoria and Maddy helped her back to the car.

Paper lantern chandelier for our cabin. 

"We ain't nothin' but 3rd years..."

Getting camp news from the magic mirror.

The Priesthoods' version of the Seven Dwarfs.

I am so grateful for this experience that I had. I love the spirit of Girls Camp and look forward to going again.

Independence Day!

I love the 4th of July. When I was young, my mother would always plan the best parties for us and our cousins. Her love of this holiday has definitely rubbed off on me. While my parents were out of town, Jonathan and I got to house sit for them and I got to decorate her house. It was so much fun!

Every kitchen needs some red, white, and blue!

Paper fans to dress up the mantle.

The library needed some pompom garland.

One of the many printables around the house.

Sparklers to play with at the Nelsons!

It was so strange not having my mom around for the 4th, but it was still so much fun! We had a wonderful dinner with the Nelsons and then found some fireworks in Roseville to watch. I am so grateful to live in a country that offers so much freedom. I love this country with all my heart.

Hermana Leshelle Hoer

I like to think that I'm a pretty good friend, well at least that I try to be. Before Jonathan and I started dating, I was in the Roseville YSA ward and met some wonderful people. I was able to become really close friends with Leshelle Hoer (it's pronounced her) especially since we were in the Relief Society presidency together. Before we finished our presidency meetings, I would have to give an update on what was going on with Jonathan. I would usually saying I wasn't sure about how I felt and Leshelle would always ask when are you getting married. At the time, it seemed like she wasn't listening to what I was saying. I was wrong! A few months later I was engaged and she was called to serve a mission in Chicago, IL. Leshelle left for her mission the same week Jonathan and I were married. I wrote a letter to her a few weeks later and it's still safely in my possession. Luckily, I found out today that she has a wonderful blog and now I can send her that letter and many more. She is an amazing woman and great story teller.

This is from Halloween 2009.

It is so great to read about her wonderful experiences in Chicago. I am so grateful for her friendship!

Good morning!

Nothing like cake batter pancakes for breakfast! By the way, can you tell that I'm so excited for Independence Day this year?