Anniversaries

This time of year is always an interesting one. Devin and I celebrate our wedding anniversary just one day after we remember Chris and the anniversary of his death. These two events have caused me to think this week about how much I appreciate and love the blessings that are available in the temple. I sometimes share my thoughts and testimony here, but not that often. I don't intentionally not share, but my beliefs and religion are a big part of my life, so I feel that I should bear testimony of things that I feel and know more often. During one of our lessons in church this past Sunday, I just felt a strong spirit and a comfort come to me as I thought about the loss of Chris and others in our lives. The reason I feel this comfort is because I know that families can be together eternally, beyond this life. I really can't imagine recovering from the losses that our family has experienced without the knowledge I have that the sealing covenant is available and that we have access to it. I know that saying that I know this is a strong statement, because some people may feel that they need to see physical proof in order to know something. I don't have physical proof, but I do know that I have had the Holy Ghost powerfully witness to me many times that the temple is the way to access these, and many more blessings.

I have had a love and reverence for the temple long before I entered it. When I went through the temple for the first time, I didn't understand everything (still don't), but I felt such a peace and love there. I wish I could explain the feeling there, but I can't. I often don't want to leave and come back to the real world after I have spent time in the temple. I know that there are so many wonderful blessings available  in the temple, with the sealing being the pinnacle. I am blessed to be able to be sealed to Devin and to know that our relationship is not just "until death do you part." We can be together eternally, along with our children, once we leave this life. I can't think of anything more beautiful. This is what makes the loss of Chris, and Linda, and Charlie, and my grandfather, and the others, bearable.

I love the temple. Seriously, no place on earth is more beautiful to me.

Just a few of the beautiful temples that mean a little something to me.

The Idaho Falls temple- where Devin and I were married. 

The Salt Lake Temple. I just love it. Lots of wonderful experiences here (including the 2nd session I ever did--it was a deaf session- all in sign language! Ask me about that sometime if you want to know how that went!)

The Oakland Temple- where my brother Mikey and his amazing wife Lara were married. They were married just days after my grandfather's death and I remember distinctly feeling his presence at their wedding. 

Not completed yet- but the soon-to-be Provo City Center Temple. This will be our new Temple when it is complete (if we still live here!) So excited for this one as it is being built from the old Provo Tabernacle that was burned in a fire a few years ago. 

The Guayaquil Ecuador Temple. I am sure I have spoken of this temple before on my blog. In  a time of desperation and feeling completely out-of-control, this is where Flor and I went for a short time after we got her visa to come back to the US. Just being on the grounds of the temple for a short time brought me immense comfort. It was like being at home in a land far away from home. 

The Provo Temple. Our current Temple and one that I used to think was just not as beautiful as many of the others, but one that I have come to love deeply. I think it is beautiful now, especially set up against the mountains. This is where Flor was sealed to our family- a day I will never forget as it was one of the most sacred of my life.

The Jordan River temple- where I received my endowment.

Pictures to come of Devin and I's golf date for our 6th Anniversary. Just you wait...they are pretty great (and by great, I mean they show our really amazing golf skills. Ha.Ha.)

P.S. For the Relay for Life this year, my amazing sister has put together another FANTASTIC raffle- this time the grand prize is a $300 gift card to Amazon. Who doesn't want to win that?! All proceeds from the raffle go to the American Cancer Society. Please consider donating. And, if you do, be sure to put it under my name so that it counts toward my fundraising goal. THANK YOU!! Hope you win! :)
http://www.relayforliferaffle.blogspot.com/2013/04/raffle-time.html

And this...

In case you missed this video that I posted on Facebook, here it is again. This is a very powerful video that I hope everyone takes 10 minutes to watch. I know I am all sorts of adoption/infertility educating and advocating around here lately and I hope you're not sick of it, but my intent is to de-bunk myths and show the beauty of adoption. This particular video shows the process and thoughts of a birth mother. And, aren't you jealous that I get to work with women as amazing as this one? I know, I really do have the best job in the world.

 This video was shared with me by one of my sweet birth moms who recently placed her baby for adoption. She said that the thoughts expressed by Tamra in the video really resonated with her. She said that she feels that the last 3 minutes of the video really put into words how she feels about her placement and the process she went through.

It's beautiful. Enjoy.

 

Perspective

Yesterday was a really horrible day. On a personal level, on a local level for us, and on a national level, it was all just a pretty rough day. 

I have a little tale to tell (and mom, you should probably skip this part). 

Yesterday, Flor had an appointment at Primary Children's, so she and I left the house in the morning and started on the hour or so drive. We were cruising along, about half way to our destination, and I was completely lost in my thoughts about Miss M when all of the sudden, the car started making a horrible noise. Not only that, but my pushing the gas pedal with my foot was completely in vain as the car would not accelerate and didn't seem to want to accept that pushing the gas was supposed to warrant some response. I down shifted to see if something was wrong with the gear I was in, but got the same response. I was quickly snapped out of any and all previous thoughts about anything else and focused on getting us to safety. Before I could even feel scared, the adrenaline pumped in and with a quick backward glance at oncoming traffic,  I cut across 5 lanes of traffic on the freeway and onto an upcoming exit (luckily there was an exit right there).  The car was decelerating at a rapid pace and I had my doubts about our ability to get up the exit ramp. The last thing I wanted was to have the car die right there on the exit ramp. Luckily, we made it up with the last little bit of speed (and I didn't have to stop because the light was green--another lucky break) before I coasted down the hill and into a bank parking lot where the car came to an official and silent death. It was only then that I began shaking and processed what had just happened. We were lucky to not have anything major happen to us. If there had been too many cars in my way to cut across all those lanes of traffic, or if the car had died on the ramp, things could have been a lot worse. 

The bad news is that the engine is completely dead. UGH. Devin came to rescue us and we, along with the help of two lovely Chase bank employees (thank you kind sirs), towed the car into the nearest mechanic's shop, where the gave us the official news. We aren't too broken up about the car because it is old and we expected that it wouldn't last forever, but it still isn't really pleasant news, if you know what I mean. This means a new car right before I am starting school with student loans and blah blah blah. 

On our drive home from the lovely saga, we heard the news about the Boston Marathon bombings. Quickly my thoughts and prayers were turned toward those who had witnessed and endured such a senseless act of cruelty. What is this world coming to? It seems we can't hardly go a week without news of another bombing, shooting, or act of terrorism. It is frightening to think that we are living in such an increasingly evil world. The thought that so many people were affected yesterday was really sobering. It quickly snapped me out of the "poor me" mentality that I was definitely feeling. Realizing that our problems are so minor in comparison to the trauma and the sadness that others are facing is humbling. 

Then, last night, we heard the news of a local girl who had gone missing as she walked to school. (Update: Police have confirmed that she has been found!!! HURRAY!!!!!). This news really put things into perspective for me. I absolutely cannot imagine a scenario worse than not knowing if one of my children is safe. So what if my car is dead and we have to get a new one at an inopportune time? Though slightly inconvenient, it really is minor in comparison to what others are facing. I have my kids and I have my husband and we are all safe and healthy and happy. These are incredible blessings and ones that I do not want to take for granted. 

P.S. THANK YOU, THANK YOU for the help in sharing M's story. I had 5 people email me asking for further information! Praying that something works out for her. She is such a sweet girl and so deserving of a family. 

P.P.S. In other good news, my Uncle Judd goes home tomorrow!!! There is still some rehab ahead, but his recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. We have so much to be grateful for. 

I plead again...

Sometime after Devin and I came home with Flor, I posted about a little girl named M whom Flor and I both knew at Flor's first home. I have thought about her a lot and my heart has not forgotten her desire to have a family.

This message appeared on my Facebook feed the other day from Jaci, the director of Joshua Tree Adoptions, which is the agency we used for Flor's adoption:

"Precious 8 year old Afro-Ecuadorian girl living in a Catholic Orphanage in Ecuador. She was abandoned at birth. She prays for a family. I would love to let the government know that we have found a family for this precious girl. Are you the one??"

I knew immediately that it is M that she is talking about. Since then, little M hasn't left my mind. I have such a desire to see her united with a family that I want to do my part to spread the word again. Please help me think about any families you may know who are or who could be prepared to adopt internationally? This is a precious daughter of God and I hope that her prayers for a family will be answered soon.

Days Like These: Even in the Darkest Moments, Light Can Shine Through by Kristian and Rachel Anderson {Book Review}

My friend Megan recently posted a review on her blog of a book that she had received free through a website called Booksneeze.com. I was all over signing up for this as well because you all know that I love to read. I am happy to write a review of books in exchange for receiving them for free!

My first book arrived in the mail recently and I read the whole thing in just a few sittings. The book is "Days Like These: Even in the Darkest Moments, Light Can Shine Through" by Kristian and Rachel Anderson. I chose this book because the story was familiar and one that has hit home for my family as well as the Anderson family: Kristian, like my brother-in-law Chris, was a young husband and father who lost his fight to cancer in January 2012. His story became well known after he posted a Youtube video of a birthday tribute he made for his wife in the middle of his cancer battle. After posting the video, it went viral and people all over the world sent him messages through the blog he was keeping during his cancer journey. It became so famous that Oprah Winfrey heard about it and invited Kristian and his wife onto her show while she was doing a series of shows in their native Australia. They were under the impression that they were going on for a segment of Youtube videos gone viral, but really Oprah and other donors presented them with $250,000 so that Kristian could quit working and spend time making memories with his family. This book is a compilation of the blog posts that Kristian posted, plus thoughts written after the fact from his wife. This is an inspirational book that I would say is great for anyone looking for a faith-filled story.

I thought that the book was inspiring and very touching. It was really interesting to be able to see into the thought processes of the person going through cancer, because I think I have often heard more of the care giver's perspective. Kristian grew in his faith in God through the process and shared numerous spiritual and faith-filled thoughts throughout his blog posts. He prayed and pled for a miracle, but even when it became clear that the specific miracle he hoped for was not going to come, he continued on with unwavering faith. I usually don't highlight books, but I did highlight a few thoughts he shares in the book because I liked them so much. This is perhaps my favorite:

"I feel like faith comes from my belly, not my head. It's something planted deep within me, and it has deep roots. So when my humanity kicks in and I worry that maybe I won't be able to go the distance, my faith is there to reassure me that not only will I go the distance but I will do it well. I won't limp over the finish line; I will finish strong. And since my diagnosis, my faith has ruled over my humanity. A gift I sorely needed and gratefully received." (p. 67-8, emphasis added).

The few minor complaints I have about the book are mostly organizational things. The book is divided into chapters, but there are multiple blog posts within each chapter. Occasionally a date is given as to when the post was written, but for the most part, the posts are undated. I did not like that because it was difficult to piece the time frame together well. I know Kristian had cancer for over two years before he passed away, but I don't know exactly when each thing was happening because of the lack of dates on the individual posts. I think adding those would help a lot for clarity and for keeping the story flowing chronologically. Second, there are QR codes throughout the book (cool!) to link directly to his video, songs that particularly touched him at specific times, etc. and sometimes the codes didn't work. Maybe it was just my phone, but sometimes they did and sometimes they didn't. It was a cool feature nonetheless. 

One additional thing that I would have liked to see is more thoughts from Kristian's wife, Rachel. While it is his story and told from his perspective, I really enjoyed Rachel's voice and experience as well. As we all know, cancer does not just affect the person with the disease, it affects everyone around them and many more, but especially the spouse or other primary care givers. Rachel shares only a page or two of thoughts at the end of each chapter, and I really enjoyed her additions. I don't blame her for not writing a lot though, as this book came into publication rather quickly after Kristian's death, so perhaps it was too difficult for her to do in the midst of her heavy grieving. 

All in all, my complaints are minor. I definitely recommend this book, particularly to anyone whose lives have been touched by cancer. If nothing else, go watch the video Kristian made for his wife-- it is really sweet. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Please watch this

I think we can all use a little more empathy and understanding in our lives. This video about infertility really spoke to me about the reality that too many go through. I think many of us take for granted our ability to have children when we want and don't understand the struggle and desire of others to have that same blessing. I dare ya not to be touched by this video:

 

On Getting Old

I am officially (minus one class) registered for classes for this summer and fall at the U. I am getting a bit anxious to start school, just so that I can have it over with. :) I have received my internship assignment, which will be at the Utah County Division of Substance Abuse. Before you feel bad for me, it was my first choice, so I am thrilled. I will be getting paid and it is really close to my home, which are both bonuses. I also am really interested in addiction and addiction treatment, so it will be a great fit, I think. I will be spending 20 hours per week there starting in the fall.

So, about the getting old part. Yesterday morning, waaaay early in the morning, I sat up in bed suddenly and remembered that the 8th was my day to register for classes. I wrote it down, knowing that I would likely forget again, and went back to sleep. So all day yesterday I reminded myself that I was going to stay up late, till midnight, so that I could register for classes. I was not-so-fondly recalling my undergraduate days at BYU where everyone would race to get the same classes so I would stay up and register at 12:01 am on the day registration opened in order to get my ideal schedule. 

So there I was, up way past my normal 10:30 bedtime and really struggling to stay awake. I cleaned out two closets in order to keep myself awake and then read a little bit (not the best idea, but there wasn't anything else to do!). At exactly 12:00, I ran downstairs and got my schedule all lined up and pressed SUBMIT. I should have paid a lot closer attention earlier, because my schedule didn't submit, instead I got an error code telling me that my registration appointment was for 12:15 pm on April 8th. Didn't even notice that before. UGH. All that staying up for nothing. I was so beat...I am not so young anymore. Staying up till midnight is a tough feat. Haha. 

I finally got things kind of figured out today and registered. I do have to say that the U's online system is about the most confusing thing ever. Really, they couldn't make it any more confusing. And, the SW program has sent conflicting emails about which classes are required and which ones are not for my concentration. There is one class that is supposedly required for everyone, but it won't allow me to register, saying I need a code. The secretary in charge of answering registration questions is not-so-great at getting back to my emails, so we'll see when that gets sorted out. 

So one up for BYU on having a much more user-friendly system. I can't make a final judgement call yet, but from the short time I have spent on the U's campus, I must also say that BYU has a much more beautiful and well-cared for campus. However, I think the education I receive at the U is going to be top-notch and might be a better experience than what I had at BYU. Time will tell. 

May to May. I can do this. Wish me luck. 

Easter 2013

Easter is always such a beautiful time of year. I love all that it represents: life, love, religion, and hope. I also love the traditions that our family has implemented. I love time with family, food, egg hunts, dying eggs (though we actually forgot to dye eggs this year, though we had the stuff and everything...whoops!) and Easter baskets. We celebrate the commercial side of Easter the day before since we want to focus on the Savior and the resurrection Easter day and this has worked well for us.

We celebrated by having Easter baskets Saturday morning with Jennifer, Steve, and kids. Jennifer and I then put together a gourmet menu for our Sunday dinner and did the shopping for that. As soon as we were back, we fed the kids lunch and put them down for naps before everyone else began arriving for our annual Egg hunt. This year we had Grandma Donna and Grandpa Doyle; Mari Ann, Ron, and Hailie; Cortney and kids; and Landon and Hudson come for our hunt. Ever since we were little kids, we have always had an egg hunt with money in our eggs, so of course we carried on that tradition. We also had a lot of candy and wayyyyyyy too many eggs. Oh well- it was great fun for the kids and that is what counts! We have had the hunt at the park around the corner from our house for the last few years and it has worked wonderfully.

After the hunt, the kids spent some serious time playing on the toys at the park while the adults lounged and watched them. It was such a beautiful day. Ron brought kites, so he and Doyle spent some time flying kites. We decided to celebrate Ron and Mari Ann's birthdays that night by going to dinner, which is always fun and chaotic with such a crowd. After dinner, everyone headed to their respective places and Jennifer and I went back to my house to start preparing for our feast.

Jen, Steve, and family came to church with us on Sunday. We did our best to remember our Savior and his resurrection, but we also had a few unfortunate incidents while there, one that involved peeing on the floor of the chapel (I'll let you guess who on that one) and another that involved throwing up in the hall of the church (I won't say who on that one as to save them from embarrassment). All we needed was someone to have a poopy accident somewhere and it would have been great. Haha. We came home and enjoyed our meal before sending Jen and Steve on their way home. All in all, a fabulous Easter weekend.

And now for a million and one pictures:

Checking out her Easter basket

New shorts! Yeah, let's clothe that kid, eh? :) Not sure where his pajamas were at this point, but oh well.

Kids all ready for the hunt. Four for nine looking at the camera...hmmm.

Checking out the loot!

Grandma was really cute to help Jace unload all of his eggs. After they got done, they both may or may not have had chocolate smeared all over their faces from tasting the treats...

Way too much candy!

zero for three of the kids looking in this one- it's just getting worse!

Can you believe that these two are only three months apart? Yeah, there is a bit of a size difference.

About the cutest picture ever. Grandma and some (most?) of her great-grandchildren. 

Another adorable picture. Flor and Grandpa Doyle hanging out on the couch. 

While the rest of us sat around, we let the 80+ year old catch the kids on the slides. So nice of us, I know. (She really wanted to!)

Flying kites- we live in a beautiful world!

We had multiple attempts to get a picture of all the kids before church. I have not a one that is a success, but this one is cute, especially Brookie and Hals. 

Our sweet home teachers brought over each kid an egg with candy and a little homemade basket. Isn't that adorable?

Easter feast. Healthy? NO. Delicious? YES. We also had strawberry shortcake for dessert, which is not pictured.

Happy Easter from us!

InstaSample March

Apparently I posted a lot on Instagram in March. I like this app because it is an easy way to keep track of everyday moments as they happen. I am sorry for those who follow me on Instagram already, but as I have said before I want to keep track of the pictures here for the long awaited day when I might actually print my blog into books. I try not to repeat any pictures that I have or will post in other posts, but sorry if there is any redundancy.

Hallie wanted to draw a picture for uncle Judd shortly after he had his stroke. She decided to draw his favorite things, which according to her were a trampoline, a sun, a snowman, a porcupine, and a hot dog. Random? Yes indeed.

Two cute girls sleeping in matching jammies in matching beds. 

We officially have only one kid in diapers! Jace mastered potty training in March (we use the term 'mastered' loosely as he still has accidents from time to time and wears diapers at night, but overall he does pretty darn well.)

Jace really likes his Mickey to do everything he does. One day he took him potty then wrapped him in a blanket and threw him in a drawer for a nap. Lovely.

After taking the kids to the library one day, they posed for a picture on the steps. It was only as I was looking at the picture that I just took that it occurred to me that Hallie had been out in public like that. Oh yeesh. Mom of the year!

I was shocked that during the finale of the Bachelor, I happened to see one of my best friends sitting int the audience. At least she could have warned me that she was going?? I didn't have the presence of mind to take a picture myself, but my sister was kind enough to text me this one.

Yay for warm weather! We have loved being outside almost every afternoon. Please let it continue!

On our way to Idaho, making use of my awesome plastic Man V. Mud glasses as I can't find my regular sunglasses. Time to head to the store, I think! :)

On the drive to Idaho, this happened. So adorable, especially because Jace and Flor normally fight like nobody's business. They do love each other!

Sweet Claire. I'll claim the favorite aunt title right now!

We put up our trampoline (a Christmas present from my dad and Sharon for the kids) and it has been AMAZING. Hours of entertainment, right there! YAY!

Devin is really cute with kids. He is definitely going to be the favorite uncle. This is while we were in Idaho- playing with Brookie and Claire. 

I was trying to show how messy an eater Flor is, but this just happened to come right after Hallie commented that she was done with her food and wanted to give it to Flor because "she eats everything we give her!" It was hilarious that Flor seems to be saying, "Who me?!"

Movie night with my friend Jill-- friends since 4th grade. I especially think it is awesome that she comes over dressed to the nines with her hair and makeup done and I am wearing my pajamas, hair up, no makeup. Lovely. She is a good friend to tolerate me. 

Devin's parents are moving to the town next to us and are re-doing the inside of the condo they bought. Devin has been to help them whenever he can and takes the kids usually while I am at work. One day, he told Hallie that they were going to be painting, so she ran and got a piece of paper and asked me to spell out each of the colors she wanted to use on Grandma and Grandpa's walls. I especially loved the "sparkly glitter" (2nd to last if you can't tell) and I am sure that Devin's parents were all for that color on their walls!

Easter present from Grandma and Grandpa Strobel- new jammies! Always needed and always fun, especially Flor's. :)

While in Idaho, my brother mentioned how much he hates people posting food on Instagram, so just to bug him, I posted 5 days worth of dinners. I know, I am such an awesome sister.

Cute Flor awaiting sedation at the hospital in order to get her teeth cleaned and a few cavities filled. Or so we thought-- what she ended up with was two cavities, two crowns, and two pulled teeth. Poor girl! She was happy before, but had no idea what was coming. Waking up was quite another story...

She didn't like swinging last year, but this year she does it like a pro! 

We live in a beautiful world. 

(kperry33 on Instagram if you would like to get the pictures throughout the month.)