To start out this post, let’s just go over our weekend. Friday night we helped our friend Haley and her husband Daniel move into their new apartment! It was a good night of chatting and unpacking and food! Saturday was a CRAZY day. We drove to Payson to be at our friends Vanessa and Chris’s sealing. It was so amazing. We loved being in that beautiful temple and hearing the words of the sealing. It reminded us of our own wedding and was such an incredible time. We then stayed at the temple to do an endowment session, and that was incredible.

We then hit up Vanessa and Chris’s reception, and then our friends’ Kara and Silas’s reception. It was a great day full of happiness and weddings and so much love. It was also one of my favorite couples in the world’s anniversary! My mom and dad are incredible, and I am so lucky that they met each other, fell in love, and decided to make it forever. They are a wonderful example of marriage to me, and I’m so blessed to learn from the best.

And speaking of anniversaries…..Randy and I celebrated 4 years of dating on Thursday. We have celebrated the 13th for years now, and it was so wonderful to celebrate together, married this year.

So in honor of 4 years, we headed to Takashi Sushi in SLC. It was SOOOO good. Best sushi I’ve had in Utah. Randy is a little spoiled sushi-wise (that’s what going to Japan will do to you) but even he said it was good! We hit up our friend Meg Storey’s reception after that, celebrated some love and then spent some time with my family.

Now, in honor of our first 13th together, I’m going to post the entire story. The whole she-bang. And Randy is going to help. Buckle up kids. It’s the next post.

Enjoy that why don’t ya.

Randy and I went to our Ward Luau the other day and it was soooo fun. Our ward is awesome and we love hanging out with all the great people in it.

Here’s a quick story for you

The other night we had one of Randy’s mission buddies over, along with a couple of our good high school friends. We ordered pizza with Randy’s buddy before the other girls got there, and as our pizza got delivered, our next door neighbor poked her cute head out to see what the noise was. We quickly invited her over for dinner, which she protested, but finally we got her to agree to come over. What followed was an hour of pizza, and talking about the Church. Our neighbor isn’t a member of the Church, but had learned about it extensively in her time living in Utah.

The conversation came up when she looked at our wall, and saw our wedding pictures in front of the temple. She asked if we’d been sealed, and we told her yes. She went on to tell us how much she loved the Law of Chastity, which I had never, ever thought about before. She said she loved that in our belief, you knew if someone really loved you because they were willing to wait for you. Then the three of us there went around and talked about how much we loved the Law of Chastity, the temple, and the knowledge we have that families are forever.

There was a moment when I looked around at my husband, our friend, and this wonderful neighbor. I almost started crying. Missionary moments are not just for missionaries. They’re for every single one of us. And that moment showed me again how useful each one of us can be to this gospel, no matter where we live.

Who knows what will happen with our neighbor. But I know one thing for sure. She told us this herself. That when people she knows talk about how weird our church is, she defends it. Because hopefully, she can see through Randy and I and any other people that she encounters, that we are good people. Who love God. And everyone around us. I hope when she remembers her young newlywed next door neighbors, she remembers how much we love her, and how much we love the Gospel.

Now I’m off for a weekend full of relaxation and fun! Happy Friday everyone!

My brain is wandering today. It has been for a few days actually. I’m caught in this rut of deep thoughts and targeted musings and I’m not really sure what to do with them all. I get in these moods sometimes, where it feels like the best thing to do is write it out and hope for the best. It’s nostalgia and hesitation and the back corners of my brain all getting together to spit something out.

It’s a million things that fell together and make me feel like a writer for a minute. Even though I’m really not at all.

It’s listening to “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran and feeling a tug – remembering how often I listened to it when I was waiting for someone to come home. It’s a particular discussion on a late night drive home about the past and the future and seeing his eyes focused on the road ahead of us. It’s reading a paragraph outside in the city that understands me. It’s looking at the lives of other people on my little screen, and realizing that there’s some things I’m not missing. It’s chocolate melting on my tongue as I cross a busy street after a long day. It’s the quiet morning where I almost start to cry because I can’t believe how lucky I got.

I’m not really sure what the point is here. Just that it takes courage to be alive. Not just to live, but to actual feel and care. It takes courage to accept the things you can’t change, to forgive, to move on when you need to and hold on when you need to.

So I guess this has just been brain wanderings today.

Happy Thursday

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Happy blogging!

In between working and routine, sometimes Randy and I get to do fun things. This weekend was one of those fun times!

 Randy and I got to drive to Idaho to spend time with my family, and go fishing on the Teton river. I’ve floated the Teton every year since I can remember, and it’s always so much fun. We go with my Grandpa who is a master fisher and has fished the Teton since he was a little boy. He knows everything about that river (at least I think he does) and it’s so wonderful to get to hear his stories and spend time in a place he loves so much. I also love that I get to spend time with my family in a place that’s special to us. It’s just a really great time, and I’m so glad that Randy got to finally join in!

This trip was a little crazier than normal though. There was a dead weasel incident, a herd of cattle being moved that changed our plans, fish that didn’t want to bite in the morning, and a rain, hail, thunder and lightning storm in the afternoon. Luckily we had a blast, and caught lots of fish!

Guys. I didn’t take like ANY pictures over 4th of July! I’m crazy! I’m pretty sure this has happened the past few years – I just get too busy to remember to snap any pictures!

But our 4th was awesome, we spent time at home watching the parade, eating DELICIOUS salmon and turkey and salad, and flan, watched the Kaysville musical (it was rocking. go see it. and shout out to my friends who were in it and KILLED it.) hung out with Randy’s brothers, and hit up the hometown firework show. All in all it was a fantastic weekend and I’m so happy we got to spend the 4th with my family.

Also, a few days before the 4th, Randy and I went a little crazy and made CRAB LEGS for dinner. Ok. So easy. So good.

Just buy crab legs either frozen or fresh from your grocery store.
Fill a pot with water and a splash of lemon juice or vinegar.
Bring to a boil – then throw in the legs!
Bring back to a boil and let them go for about 5-10 minutes, depending on if they were fresh or frozen. They’ll start to turn pretty red when they’re done.
Melt some butter in the microwave to go on the side.
Pull out the crab legs with some tongs and VOILA.
Just use a fork to crack those babies and pull the meat out!

On another note, I need to write about something that’s been bothering me for the past few days.

I was just scrolling through my Facebook feed, when I saw several people post about how the 4th of July is all about celebrating rich white people who were really awful people, how America isn’t the great country everyone wants to think it is because of this and that and the other.

Now, I understand people are entitled to their opinion.

I understand there are frustrations from many parties right now.

I understand there is confusion and a desire to be better.

I understand that some people in the past made mistakes.

Guess what.

We do too.

We don’t stop celebrating people, what they did, and how they got us here, because they weren’t perfect.

I am so thankful each and every day for the men and women who fought, struggled, and even died to make this country what it is today.

It’s not a perfect country.

But I happen to think it’s amazing. Incredible, And wonderful.

This country wasn’t built on the backs of perfect people.

And perfect people don’t live in it today.

But it’s a country full of people who are still struggling, fighting, dying, to make it even better.

Isn’t that the whole point?

So I’m thankful to the imperfect founding fathers for doing everything they knew how to do.

I’m thankful to each and every president for doing the best they could.

I’m thankful for each person who lived their lives, while trying to make our country better.

I’m thankful that those imperfect people decided to try.

Decided to work.

And I’m so thankful for people who are still out trying, and working today.

You don’t have to think this country or its founders were perfect to love it, to celebrate, and to be proud.

There are always things we can improve. But we don’t have to push anybody down in order to prove that there is room for improvement.

Be thankful for people who wanted to make a change – just like we want to today.

Don’t tell me what they didn’t isn’t worth celebrating.

Because if it wasn’t for them, there’s no chance we would even be here.

I guess I’m a little baffled at the lack of respect I see around me.

Whether or not you agree, there’s a level of civility and respect that should be shown by everyone, at every time. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland encouraged members of the LDS Church to “defend your beliefs with COURTESY and with COMPASSION, but DEFEND them.” You can say what you believe with courtesy and compassion while not backing down from what you think.

Be kind.

Be respectful.

To America.

To laws.

To religions.

To people who are thankful for new laws.

And those who are not.

And most of all, be respectful to every individual person you converse with. Whether on social media or in person.