Showing posts with label blessings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blessings. Show all posts

Sunday, May 12, 2013

mamas day

My mother is really one of the most amazing women I know.  And I'm well aware, everyone thinks their mother is the bees knees, no other mother is as amazing as theirs, I get that.  However, I believe mine is an outstanding one.  She's got an amazing story, which makes her even better. 

My parents circa April 27, 1991 at their wedding reception.
(FYI, that hair piece in her hair, became my bridal veil at my own wedding.  Love having such a precious heirloom)
 
 
My mother and father were married in the Las Vegas Nevada LDS Temple in April 1991.  My father had three children from a previous marriage, which my mother loves with all her heart.  Their entire family was sealed together in the Las Vegas Temple, for time and all eternity long before I was born.  I was born in October 1992, to a wonderful family with amazing big sisters and a big brother who watched over and protected me throughout my childhood.  Sure, we fought, like siblings generally do, but their care and watchfulness was unwavering.  My mother taught me what unconditional love means.  She has unconditionally loved my siblings and I through all of our trials.  All four of us kids have made some really, really, really questionable decisions, borderline stupid sometimes.  However, even when mom didn't agree with us, she gave us unwavering  support. 

 
The whole fam damily, Easter 2008
 
My mother taught me how to listen to the spirit.  In her single years, she traveled around the country working at various horse ranches as a ranch manager/veterinary technician.  Her life is continually led by the promptings of the spirit.  If my mother feels a prompting, action is taken immediately.  When she was preparing to go back to school and moving back to Salt Lake City, UT, she felt prompted to move to Overton, NV (a tiny, tiny little town) and care for her Uncle's horse ranch located there.  Moving their made absolutely no sense, but the spirit prompted her so she packed up and moved to Overton.  While managing her uncle's farm, she began working for a local veterinarian.  Later, she met my father.  If she hadn't followed that simple prompting, none of my siblings nor I would have ever had the privilege of being her children.

My mother taught me what it means to be a true friend.  If my mother even suspects someone needs help, she will go to the ends of the earth to ensure they are taken care of.  We joke and say she is almost "charitable to a fault."  Even sick and tired, she will give whatever she can to whoever is in need.  Friends care for one another, not just in a superficial sense, but in a deeper way.  My mother truly knows how to love as Christ loves, unwavering and unyielding.  For example, the day before my wedding, my mother was violently ill.  She was so sick.  However, the next morning she picked herself up, took some medicine and participated fully in the entire wedding day.  She helped plan things, she helped get me ready, she did everything regardless of how much she was hurting and how ill she was.  Then, on my honeymoon when I got the same terrible flu, my poor husband didn't want to leave me alone in such a state.  So my mother, still recovering from how incredibly sick she was, went to the store and bought crackers, soda, Gatorade, medicine, even pajamas for me and brought them to our little bed and breakfast.  She gives, even when she is in desperate pain, even while she is recovering from eye surgery (like right now!), even when she is on the verge of being in the hospital, she will continue to give. 

My mother is the most inspiring woman I know.  There are so many other women in my life who helped shape me into the person I am today and acted as mother figures in my life.  My grandmothers, my aunts, my teachers, my church leaders, my sister, countless others and of course, I have my wonderful mother-in-law who has been such a lovely, welcoming, beautiful woman and treats me as one of her own children.  Needless to say, JD and I have both been blessed to be raised by amazing women. 
 


So today, JD and I are so grateful for our mothers.  The ones that raised us and the ones that influenced us.  We're so grateful for you.  I can only hope that whenever I become a mother, I'll be half as wonderful as you all are.

P.S. I got Wreck-It-Ralph as a mother's day present from the hubs because, eventually, I'll be the mother of JD's kids.  SCORE! 

 


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

i love to see

Fun fact...I love the temple.  Okay, that's actually a huge understatement.  Since I went through the Salt Lake City LDS Temple for the first time in May of this year, I have constantly craved going back to the temple to feel that peace and that spirit.  When we were married we were given brilliant, amazing counsel from our officiant to return to the temple as often as we could.  Where we live in a remote area of Wyoming, the closest temples are 2 1/2 hours away in Utah.  Gasoline is expensive.  We don't make a whole lot of money (we're newlyweds, in college...it happens), so traveling that far is difficult.

However, we've been fortunate enough to have opportunities to travel with family (saving us money) and we save up money specifically to attend the temple. Any loose change, any extra money we randomly come into, it goes into our "temple fund."  Each time we attend we grow closer together as our little family unit of just the two of us.  I just love it.  Since we were married we try to make a goal to attend the temple once a month.  I'll be honest, we've missed a month and in our years and years of eternity to come I'm sure we'll miss more.  We've been fortunate to do sessions at the Salt Lake City, Jordan River and Mount Timpanogas Temples.  Most recently we attended a session last week for Cody Adams, one of my closest life long friends.  He made the decision last year that he wanted to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  And I couldn't be prouder of him. We weren't able to spend the day with him, but we were able to spend the most important part of the day with him and that's what counts.  It made me so grateful for the opportunity and priority we've made temple work in our family life. 

My point is this: If you are LDS and have been through the temple: GO OFTEN.  Even if you only have your recommend for baptisms, go.  Baptisms for the dead are great preparation for feeling the spirit in the temple and understanding the higher ordinances you will one day take upon yourself.

If you aren't LDS and have no idea what I'm talking about, no worries.  You can basically ignore this post.  However, go to a temple open house someday.  It gives you a great opportunity to learn about the gospel and see what temple work is about.  Also, talk the missionaries or to a mormon friend...LIKE ME!  My email inbox is always open :)   (go to the Me. page for my contact info)

Jordan River Utah Temple


Mount Timpanogas Temple

Salt Lake City Temple

"The temple is concerned with things of immortality. It is a bridge between this life and the next. All of the ordinances that take place in the house of the Lord are expressions of our belief in the immortality of the human soul."
—Gordon B. Hinckley


Tuesday, July 31, 2012

married without children

So, I've learned something happens when someone who got married around the same time as you...gets pregnant.

My awesome cousin, Jenni Winn (now) Hansen, is preggo!  She's having a little, cute baby and I'm so thrilled for her!

She got married to her sweet man, Josh, 1 1/2 months before I married JD.  We were planning our weddings at the same time and both had them in Northern Utah.  Hers was in Manti and mine was in Salt Lake City.

Then I found out she's pregnant.  And, I suddenly got super,....jealous.

And I felt this feeling to be incredibly strange.  I was so happy for her.  And the other three cousins between JD and I that we have that are expecting beautiful babies.  And I hadn't gotten really baby "jealous" after those couples got pregnant.  But the difference was, they were older.  They'd been married for years.  Jenni and I both just got married.  Jenni and I are both the exact same age.   And now she and Josh are already beginning their family.

JD and I both have prayed and agreed that now is not the time.  We want to have our own space, i.e. not living with my parents.  We want JD to have a steady job, i.e. not be looking for a job.  We want to have at least a bit more of my education finished, i.e. at least my Associates Degree done.

Still, I just felt this pulling at my heart.  To have a little baby that was mine in my arms.  To shop for cute baby clothes.  To have late nights caring for my child.  To kiss scraped knees.  To sing them to sleep.  To just have a little tiny someone to be my own. 

Then, I realized, that's just not me and JD's story right now.  We're still trying to figure ourselves out in our marriage.  We're still trying to establish some kind of income for our family.  We're still trying to get the basics mastered.  Once we figure things out further, you can bet we'll start planning for little Megans and JDs to be running around.  Watch out, world!

For now we'll just keep preparing ourselves for that great blessing. And I'll just keep pinning cutesy tootsey baby things in Pinterest. 


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

my blessing

Our First "official" Valentine's Day
February 2011


My husband is probably one of the greatest blessings of my life as of lately.  Especially this morning when I lost my wedding ring.

Seriously, it was tragic.  Here's the story: Last night, we had a ward party at a pool.  I got in the water with my niece and swam with her.  I didn't want to lose my ring in the pool, so I put my rings in my purse.  This morning as I was getting ready to go to work, I couldn't find them. 

I. Freaked. OUT.

I ran into our bedroom screaming and crying for JD to get up and help me look.  Mind you, he was still sleeping.  He remanied very calm and went through my purse while I was still in hysterics.  He then sat me down, held my hands and said a wonderfully sweet prayer.  Thanking Heavenly Father for me and asking for help to find the symbol of our great love for one another.  After the prayer, I felt a little more peaceful.  However, I was still just trying to pull myself together.  So, my husband went outside to my truck.  And, somehow, he found it.

You may or may not know this, but I have a tendency to "panic" pretty easily.  It's something I try to deal with, but sometimes I just can't help myself.  But my husband knows just want to do and what to say to keep me calm.  He never panics, he never gets upset with me when I get anxious or worked up.  He's truly my blessing in my life.  When I get worried or upset or scared, he always comforts me.  I'm truly a lucky woman to have him in my life.

The end.  Also, I probably need to finish my filing before blogging at work...bleh, oh well.