Happy New Year

I am a huge procrastinator, and I was meaning to send this through email as circumstances could not allow us to send our Christmas/New Year letter through the mail. However, as I did not receive any but two or three email addresses (which made me kind of sad) I decided to just make a blog of it.

Dear Family and Friends,

2018 came and went so fast. Crazy!!

At the beginning of this year we welcomed our first child into the world, and we have been busy taking care of and loving her. We love living in Springville and look forward to spending lots more years here.

Adam has been busy with Admiral Beverage (Pepsi) as a driver supervisor. He works extra hard and enjoys what he does. He loves being a daddy.

I now work as an on-call receptionist/assistant at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. My days are filled with mostly taking care of the baby, and I love it.

Adelaide Rachel was born on January 9, 2018 weighing in at 11 pounds 15 ounces and 19 inches long. She has since lost her sumo-wrestler look. It is hard to believe she is almost a year old! Adelaide just cut her fourth tooth. Eating is a priority for her. She enjoys exploring, touching everything, and getting into everything. This baby has no fear at all and will dive headfirst off anything if she sees something she wants down below. Adelaide is close to walking and loves to practice while holding our hands as well as “walking” around the couch. She can say a few words, and jabbers all day long. Adelaide loves music and dancing along. She is very sweet, and smiles and laughs easily. That being said, she has a temper and will let you know when she is displeased.

          Victor is a little jealous of the baby, but he tolerates Adelaide’s outpouring of love. He is very protective. We love him as part of our little family. 

As Adelaide has taken over our lives, we haven't really gone anywhere or done anything major this year. Our lives are quiet, and we are okay with that. 

We love all of you and hope you all had a happy Christmas and will have a merry new year!!

Love,

Adam, Carla, Adelaide, and Victor

We are NOT Alone

I am in the mood to write. It feels like ages since I've written last. I apologize. I had a goal to write once a week that I did not achieve, but there is always hope for the future.

Speaking of hope for the future, the last couple of days were rough for me personally. I had a diabetic doctor appointment this last Thursday, and I did not hear what I wanted to hear. Probably the only good things I heard in this appointment were that my blood pressure was good and my blood work was normal. All of that was overshadowed by the fact that my A1C went up a full percentage point from where it was three months ago. For those of you who are not familiar with diabetic jargon, learn about A1C by clicking on the link. This is very upsetting to me (I cried in front of my FNP) for a few reasons. First there is not a chance in Hades' underworld that my healthcare professionals will let me become pregnant with numbers such as these. I have to be below a 7. Two, I started exercising again awhile ago and it hasn't seemed to do a bit of good. Three, it takes forever to get A1c levels back to normal. It took me around two plus years for it to drop 4/10s of a point, and that was when my metabolism was normal and young. Personal hell.

Now I have always believed in miracles. I have always believed in angels (including guardian angels), and I have always believed that God is always there even during what seems like devil himself is climbing out of his hole and rearing his head. You just have to look and find God for He is there somewhere. I have always found comfort and solace in the scripture found in John 14:18 (KJV) "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." For the last couple of days however, I did not remember that scripture. Today, in church, as we sang the familiar hymn "Be Thou Humble" I was reminded. The lyrics:

Be thou humble in thy weakness, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee,
Shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to thy prayers.

Be thou humble in thy pleading, and the Lord thy God shall bless thee,

Shall bless thee with a sweet and calm assurance that he cares. [...]

Be thou humble in thy longing, and the Lord thy God shall take thee,

Shall take thee home at last to ever dwell with him above.

 

When singing this song, I was reminded that God loves, cares, and understands. Jesus Christ understands. This is what part of the Atonement is all about. We are not alone in our life-long struggles. God knows the desires of our hearts. One of mine is to have a family. One way or another Hubs and I will have a family. Right now that journey seems so long, but I am happy and comforted to know I won't be taking the journey alone. This brings me peace even though I don't understand the obstacles. I need a miracle. To end this post I will post a poem written by yours truly way back in community college. It is somewhat fitting to the topic. I was actually talking with a friend not too long ago about this poem and told her I would share it with her. If you are reading this, friend, I hope you enjoy.

The Dove

Is there peace in chaos?

I believe there is.

You must, however, have patience

to find it. For just a moment stop

in your crazy world and 

focus.

Dive straight into Hell

where order and confusion clash.

Take all the strength you possess

with persistence and effort

to overcome blind sightedness.

Fight the war between good and evil.

Ram your already bruised body against

the cage you call reality.

Search for the peace,

there is hope.

Hell is only the surface,

for deep within your soul

lives the dove.

A Beautiful World Part One: Winter

"If you can't be in awe of Mother Nature, there's something wrong with you." Alex Trebek

Our winter was and has been unusual I suppose for my corner of Utah. Having only been living here for two years, I do not know enough to make that judgement, but everyone around me has. Why? Because it snowed like snow was going out of style and was pretty darn cold.

I, personally, enjoy winter and snow. Similar to everyone else, I am not fond of driving on icy roads, getting snow in my shoes, or slipping on ice, but I am of the opinion that winter is rather awe inspiring. Unfortunately I hear everyday, "I'm sick of the snow!" "I'm sick of the cold!" "It's so ugly outside!" etc. It gets old.

Because of this I am providing a list of reasons why to love and be happy in the winter even when it is cold and overcast.

1. There is still color. The world is beautiful. It still has colors and sparkles even when devoid of the sun. The mostly "white" or "gray" days feel like the world is making itself pure again. There have been many "gray" days this winter and many acquaintances told me, "It is so depressing. I'm sick of brown and white." I still see colors in the mountains and in the world around me. There are browns, whites, hues of yellow (in the sky, not the snow), and greens, and blues, some light lavender. When the sun is down, there are deep blues and navy, and black, perhaps even hints of purple. There are the deep greens and grays. If the sun or moon is out, the snow becomes millions of tiny rainbows. Stunning. I love it. Even the air sparkles. WOW.

2. Mountains covered in snow. Not only is this great for the farming community and all that, One cannot look at snow covered peaks and not sigh at the splendor. Majestically they reach towards the heavens. I fill with pride when I look at the mountains' winter blanket. For those of you who are not surrounded by mountains. I am sorry.

3. Winter night sky. If the sky is cloudless, there is something about the winter night sky that is so magical. The crispy air (which is another thing I love) combined with darkness which only comes in winter. The stars shine so brightly in cold air. I don't know why it is, but it makes me happy.

4. This picture...

No explanation needed.





5. Winter activities. Skiing made my ankles hurt, but lots of people love it, especially in Utah. There is also ice skating, sledding, snowshoeing (if that is your thing), and many more. Great family fun.

6. No naked bodies. If you live where I live, or have lived, or anywhere where it is considered a heat wave if the temperature reaches 10 degrees F in the winter, then one doesn't have to see people wearing next to nothing. You always hear the cliche that you can always layer when it is cold, but there are only so many layers to shed when it is hot. You can be stark naked in the summer and still be sweating. Just saying.

7. The snow is a perfect pet bathroom. It is much easier to see your dog's poop at night on the snow then on grass. With as much snow as we got this year this winter, I've not had to use my flashlight at all to pick up Victor's evidence of bowel movement. If he lifts his leg but the snow remains white, I know he's emptied himself completely and we can go home. Yeah it is hard to hold a flashlight in one hand and fiddle with a poop bag in the other.

8. Hot chocolate, hot cider, and soups. YUM!

9. Snowflakes. Not one snowflake alike. I find this fact fascinating. There is so much snow all over the world. Countless number of snowflakes and not one is like the other. I like to imagine that God has all the little children in Heaven design and make paper snowflakes as templates. They are all beautiful works of art. I especially like the fluffy cotton ball snowflakes. Even winter storms are amazing, blizzards and fogs.

10. God's love. The creation of the world and all of its seasons is amazing. Every time there is a snowstorm, or piles of snow, I am reminded of what a beautiful and amazing world we were given. I respect nature's power. Each season has a purpose and an explanation. If the weather was the same all year we would be going mad with boredom or just be extinct. Spring brings new life and blossoms. Summer brings the bright sun and flip flops. Fall brings beautiful leaves and perfect jacket weather. Winter lets much of the world rest and cleanses the Earth before starting anew with Spring. Granted I do get wary of winter because I will be ready for the change, but by that time Spring has already sprung.

God really has given us this beautiful world, and I cannot make you love one season over the other. But, you can still respect it. Cozy up under a blanket and read with hot chocolate in your hands and enjoy the season of Winter while it's still here.

Man's Best Friend

I never had a pet. The only animals I was exposed to belonged to other people. My brother had a couple of tarantulas, but we've never even had so much as a goldfish. Hubs never had a pet, but for his sister's cat. I am not a cat person. I never thought I was a dog person. My friends' dogs would come to me wanting to be petted and loved. I did not share that love, so I would push them away. When Hubs and I discussed pets before we married, we both agreed a pet was not something we wanted. Adopting a dog was never something we thought we would ever do.

Adoption Day!

Some might find it odd that the passing of two of my sisters' dogs would result in me desiring a dog. My sisters had had their dogs for a really long time, and I cried with them when the dogs died. I couldn't help but think that those dogs had really good homes. They were loved by their families, and they loved their families back. They were good sweet dogs. These two events touched me, so when I saw some puppies for sale on Facebook, I became dog hungry. I ached for something to love and that would love me back without exceptions. Short story even shorter, a few days later, Hubs and I adopted a dog, Victor. He's a two year old schnoodle, a schnauzer/poodle mix. Hubs and I are fortunate that we found him only a few days after he was surrendered to the shelter. He was so new his neutering incision still had to heal (that was not a fun thing to deal with).

Victor has been with us for almost five months now, still alive. Which is amazing because being first time dog owners, or "pet parents", we have no clue what we are doing. Our learning and training skills come from YouTube videos, Cesar Milan shows, and various websites. We are lucky that Victor had good training before we got him, so mainly it is learning what he knows. He knows a great deal, and Victor is mischievous enough that I am sure he takes advantage of our ignorance. In these five months though, Victor has become not "just a dog" to us. He is part of our family.

Don't leave me!!

It has been delightful to watch Victor's personality show itself. When we brought him home, he was so shy and hesitant. Now Victor is this energetic dog that loves to play keep-away all day and charge up and down the stairs. I would say that Victor is a typical dog that does typical dog stuff. He barks, sometimes growls, at young boys and flirts with the girls, cowers from our next door neighbor, and is super excited around kids. He loathes baths, loves walks, and loves to eat. He is smart and curious, so he wants to explore everywhere and everything. Snow, Hubs discovered, is something in which he enjoys running around. Odd because he does not like rain. Our home is littered with dog toys, yet he still wants to chew on our socks and underwear.

 As each day passes we bond with him a little more. Victor is my sweet boy. He is always ready to give kisses, but he growls when he feels he is being ignored. He loves going everywhere with us and is so sad if we leave him behind. Taking Victor on walks has been entertaining to say the least. The boy cannot walk in a straight line. He zigs zags. Just when you think he will walk straight, he takes a sudden 90 degree turn, or he will suddenly stop dead in his tracks and won't budge. Consequently, I have stepped on his paws, tripped over him, or leaped ungracefully. All the websites say to start walking a different direction when the dog gets ahead of you to teach the dog to stay at your side. I tried doing this for over an hour one day (the recommended practice is 15 minutes). Victor never showed any progress and got so irritated that he just laid down and refused to budge. Ergo, I've given up trying to keep him at my side when on a walk, he follows his nose and while he doesn't tug much anymore, he still walks ahead. Cesar Milan might say that I am not being the alpha, but there really is no rhyme or reason to where his nose leads him. Plus, he will follow my lead with gentle tugs, so I am not worried.

Victor begs for food in the kindest ways.

Although there are challenges to owning a dog, like the cost of food, grooming and toys, or finding places to put things out of the way of their jaws, there are so many more rewards. The most important of which is that Victor loves. He does not care if I don't wear makeup on the weekends, or if my nose is crooked. He loves me anyway. Victor does not care if Hubs wears his pj's all day, or doesn't trim his toenails. Hubs is loved. Victor is not going to judge us for any of that. He will judge on how we treat him. Victor, without hesitation, trusts his life to be in our hands. I love the way Victor returns our affections. My favorite is when my 21 pound dog thinks he belongs in my lap and plops down and takes a nap. I can't breathe very well, but knowing he is comfortable enough with me to do so is an honor.

I never thought I would ever own a dog. Until now. I never thought I would come to love a dog as much as I love our Victor. Until now. I never thought that a dog could ease away some sorrows of life. Until now. Until now, I never thought a dog could ever make me happy.

I love you, Victor!

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." Roger Caras

Happy Day to Parents and a Love Poem

Much to be happy about today and lately. I am truly blessed. Just a quick note today. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers. Happy belated Mother's Day to all the mothers. May was a busy month for Hubs and I, and this month has just been busy with life. I've wanted to write and just haven't done it. I am just lazy.

May is Hubs and mine's month of celebration. It is my birthday, which lands on or around Mother's day. Then Hubs and I celebrate our anniversary. Then Hubs' birthday falls a week later. It is a month of happy togetherness with lots of love and all things good.

So first a shout out to the fathers in my life. To Hubs' dad: You are very kind and patient. You raised an awesome son, and taught him well in the gospel and in life. I enjoy visiting with you, and you are an awesome example to me. We love you.

To my dad: You are the best dad. You have always been there for me and supported me in everything. You have been the one to chase away nightmares, and have been someone I can count on for a strong arm. You taught me how to be strong in my beliefs and faith. We love you.

To the mothers in my life: To Hubs' mom: You are amazing. I can see you love your children and do what you can to help them. You are always willing to help. You are talented. You are strong. You raised an awesome son, and taught him how to be strong. You are a great example to me. We love you.

To my mother: You are the best mom. You have always supported me and you are there for me when I need love and comfort. You are always willing to help and serve others. You are smart and talented and taught and helped me develop talents. You taught me the value and love of reading. We love you.

Now a shout out to Hubs, who is a great husband and I know will be an awesome father. I didn't do much for his birthday, or for our anniversary, but I thought it high time I wrote him a love poem. I've written poems to another guy (ugh), and for my parents, but I've never written a poem for Hubs. I wrote this on our anniversary in only a couple of hours. Normally I would spend days on a poem, so this is very rough. Still I think it turned out kind of sweet. He gave me permission to share. (I have yet to use my name or Hubs name on here. So where I say "husband" I had originally written his name. It has the same number of syllables so it doesn't throw off the rhythm. 9 syllables per line. It is not written in iambic pentameter like traditional couplets in case you were wondering.)

To Husband

To my husband, my darling dearest,

Please sit a moment at my request.

This poem is chock-full of cliches

"How do I love thee? Let's count the ways."

With much love and laughter and few tears,

together, side by side, for six years.

Abundance of spunk and full of sass,

I can't resist your charming a**.

You shield our family when matters wrong,

physical, spiritual, stalwart, strong.

Though I stumble when you sling socks,

you are my anchor and solid rock.

Building our home you are life-giving,

slaving all day earning a living.

I yearn for you when you're not near,

my heart skips a beat when you appear.

When you are with me, I feel your love

sealed by heaven's father from above.

Hand in hand we're blessed by an angel.

Here's to us and our life eternal.

I love you!

It's the Little Things

"It isn't the big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones." Jean Webster

"Life is made up of small pleasures. Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones come too infrequently. And if you don't collect all these tiny successes, the big ones don't really mean anything."   Norman Lear

There are times when I just want to complain and be contrary just because. These are times when I lose sight of things that I have and things I should be grateful for. I could call it the "Why don't I have this Syndrome." We all get these thoughts at some point or another. Still there is a way to get past these unpleasant thoughts. 

I am not saying it is not okay to dream. You should aim, dream, and wish for things to get better. You may and should have goals and plans to reach those dreams. The greatest achievements to have ever happened began with a dream.You have to work for the dreams to become reality though. A house just doesn't build itself all on its own. You have to have wood, screws, nails, and the correct tools. Too many people get caught up in wanting everything all at once forgetting that you have to get the little things first. It is also essential that you exercise faith. Faith in God and in yourself. Life just doesn't hand you things. 

My thing is sometimes I get so caught up in the big things that I have, and wish to have, that I believe will make me happy, I forget sometimes the little things. I have mentioned many of these things before, but it is beneficial for a reminder. So here is a list of a few little things that make up big things, but without these little things the big things wouldn't have come to fruition.

1. I am happy that I have all my fingers, toes, arms, legs, eyes, ears, nose etc that allow me to function. My body is a fantastic piece of God's work and creation. I know God loves me because he created this beautiful body for me to take care of. With this body, I can live life and make choices. This is a huge deal.

2. I am happy for time with family and friends. I come from an awesome family. I married into an awesome family. Hubs is a wonderful person who loves and cares for me. I have wonderful brothers and sisters, and they have done and do so much for me. My dearest friends are also part of my family. The friend I've had since I was three, you know who you are. My Facebook friends, a diverse bunch of individuals. All of you hold a special place.

3. I appreciate being appreciated. There are people who smile at me everyday, and truly mean their "Good morning!" One gentleman in particular compliments me on my smile, and indulges me in saying that it makes his entire day. And on days when I am feeling particularly down about myself, my supervisor doesn't even realize that her cheerful "Good morning beautiful." raises my self-esteem that day.

4. Hearing our children sing on Sunday during singing time is so great. The young kids don't even realize that they bring in the Holy Spirit like no adult can by their sweet voices. There is one song in particular that is my favorite to hear them sing. It is called "I know that My Savior Loves Me." A couple of weeks ago all the adults, myself included, were in tears as our sweet kids sang their precious hearts out. It was part of the primary theme several years back, but the song really touches me. I listened to several renditions and this family choir won the coin toss. It is such a beautiful song with a beautiful message.

5. Like the song says, I know that my savior loves me. I am happy my savior loves me. He doesn't love all the mistakes I make, but He loves me because I am His sister. Heavenly Father loves me because I am His daughter. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son." In turn his son loved us that he suffered in the garden and died on the cross for me, for you, for everyone. Jesus loves me. This makes me happy.

Now these are just a few things in my life that I love. I may not have the greatest, or most glamorous life. I don't live in a big house or even a new house. There are so many things and people that I am surrounded by that make me feel all cozy inside. For this I am truly grateful. To repeat myself, it is all these little things that build the foundation to our mansion of happiness. 

I am a Success

So I must apologize that I have been lax on publishing any posts. I've been writing, but everything that I've written has been flat and passionless. I've been in self-evaluation mode, and it put me in kind of a funk. While I'm still trying to figure things out, many blessings have come as a result of doing the right things, speaking up at the most opportune moments, and seizing opportunities when they are offered.

"If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it." Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

On Groundhog Day when I went into work I was not expecting anything special to happen. There would be 6 more weeks of winter regardless what the groundhog did or did not see. So it was not a special day. The Friday before I was asked if I was interested in more hours because there might be a position available. I, of course, expressed interest. I have been vocal about wanting more hours at work. I was told that they would have to shift some things around and chat with other people before anything could happen. I wasn't promised anything. So this groundhog day I was not expecting my supervisor's boss to walk and talk with me as I was trying to fix a button that had come undone in a most inconvenient place. I was not expecting him to tell me to chat with him after my shift. I was not expecting the offer of a promotion to happen so soon nor so quickly after being hired. I accepted with vigor and a tiny giggle (I didn't think it very refined or professional to jump up and down in celebration). If I was waiting for the opportune moment, that was it, and unlike the character in "Pirates of the Caribbean", I took the chance. I couldn't be more excited at this new opportunity, considering where I started in my "working career".

When I was old enough to start working, I promised myself that every time I went from one job to another it would always be a step up (in my mind) than where I was. I started with a summer job as a cleaner for the public schools. Then I became a sweeper (janitor), to a tutor, then a data collector (phone surveyor), to sales associate in retail, to assistant manager in retail, to phone sales person (for 2 weeks and then I was fired. haha), to receptionist, to administrative assistant. It has been quite the journey. Each job that I had/have I learned so much. People say that jobs build character, good and bad. This is true. For instance I learned a certain amount and different ranges of patience in all of my jobs. I've learned respect. I learned kindness. I learned a lot about myself and of what I am capable. I learned what I enjoy doing at the work place. Currently I am learning a certain confidence. I am used to a certain environment that could really fry your sense of self if you let circumstances get to you.

Now I am in a work environment that I absolutely love, and it is an amazing feeling. I believed that I would be in retail back in Wyoming for the long haul. The thought always made me cringe. I loved the people I worked with, and I was grateful for the work. But the thought of working in a store for a career filled me with dread. If my family didn't rely on that paycheck, I don't know how much longer I would have lasted. I always felt like I should be doing something else with my life. I am a person that thrives on positive reinforcement. I am a person who wishes to be of some use to others. If I am to be paid, I would rather I be worth my employers' money. Working as a receptionist and administrative assistant (and yes in this instance they are different), I feel I have value and am entrusted with responsibilities that give a wondrous sense of accomplishment when they are fulfilled. It is such an awesome feeling when someone who doesn't see you very often (Such as the president of the establishment) recognizes your work, thanks, and praises you for it. How many of you can say that the head honcho knows who you are?

This is the perfect opportunity for me to mention again that Heavenly Father watches out for us. When we continue to do what is right, He will bless us in so many ways. I have never been one to really be great about consistently reading my scriptures, so it has been a goal of mine to change that behavior. So when I received this promotion, it popped into my head that me reading my scriptures everyday helped me achieve this promotion. Now I really need to make sure I am reading them consistently everyday. (see my previous post about scripture study)

Just one last word of wisdom from former LDS President David O. McKay, "Let us realize that: the privilege to work is a gift, the power to work is a blessing, the love of work is a success."

I am a success.