14 years ago.....

....this picture was taken.

(It's obviously a picture of a picture.....but it's fun to remember.)

Serious Catching Up....

So I am way behind on a lot of fun memories and experiences....thus we're playing "catch up".

Jordan Sessions Photography

She's good.

....Right? And as luck would have it......she's my little sister.

Sometimes....

Our new bishop and second counselor came over last night to visit with us for a little while. The conversation was fun and we were able to talk about the connections we have with the Bishop's family in Utah. We talked a lot about politics and Austin's new job. It was all going okay until the bishop asked me what I would be doing. I feel like I usually handle these questions with relative ease, but for whatever reason I just didn't want to explain the whole situation again. I stammered and stuttered that I didn't know what I would be doing, trying to justify why I didn't need to have a full time job right now. In all reality I probably only stammered for seconds.....but it felt like I'd been carrying on for a half hour. Finally I looked to Austin to "save me". He quickly explained we'd been having a hard time getting pregnant and that I would probably be staying home in order to have time to figure things out. He told them we'd been getting set up for adoption through LDS Family Services before we'd left Idaho and that we'd been thinking lately about foster care.

I was so surprised with myself. I feel like I usually can quickly explain the situation with ease and not really show any emotion or the stress I feel. As they were leaving the bishop shared a scripture with us. I have heard it before, but I think it took on new meaning for me last night.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it's hard when you see young families playing together. Sometimes it's hard when a child at school calls you, "mom" instead of, "Miss Shawnee". Sometimes it's hard when people tell you they know how you feel because they know someone who knew someone who had the "exact" same problem. Sometimes it's hard when people are shocked you aren't working full time. Sometimes it's hard and you don't go to Sacrament Meeting on Mothers' Day Sunday because you don't want to be given the potted plant because "someday you will be a mother". Sometimes people tell you, "Don't do foster care. Some of those kids come with a lot of baggage. It would be super hard." Don't those kids need someone to love them? I know all the sometimes will pass, and my time will come. I am willing to wait, but if in the meantime all I am doing is waiting, am I showing faith?

Someday all my sometimes will go away. And in the mean time, I may not be working full time.....please don't judge me. If I work full time, all my sometimes will remain "sometimes" and being a mother will always be "someday".

President Monson gave a talk titled Showing the Love in Your Heart

Love causes change. Love brings healing to the soul. But love doesn't grow like weeds or fall like rain.

Jesus taught, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another". (John 13:34)

...Love had three different meanings: (1) It is a feeling in your heart. (2) It is a word you can say. (3) It is an action. The best way to show the love you feel in your heart is to tell others you love them and do something nice for them too.

It may not make sense to some. If I am working full time, yes I may be bringing in a pay check, but I can't put the time and effort into doctor's appointments, researching the best way to either get pregnant or finding other ways to build our family. But by me staying home, at least part time, I feel I am showing my love and a little bit of faith to my Heavenly Father, my husband, and my future family because I am doing all I can in order to get my future family here.

Grateful....

My cute husband works so dang hard. He seriously is the best and takes such good care of us. His new work hours are to say the least, brutal. He gets up in enough time to be to work at 3:30. We quickly have found that me being a night owl, this creates a problem. I decided I was going to run to the store around 5:30. Aust told me he was going to take a nap for about an hour and then we would hang out before he went to bed. I came back and he was totally out. I couldn't bring myself to wake him back up.

He is such a stud!

The Beach....

Don't you just want to go to the Beach and hang out with this cute girl?

I do.

Does she have Grandpa wrapped around her finger?

I think YES!

Such a cute grandpa, and an amazing dad. Everybody jokes that he finally has boys now that there are son-in-laws around. But we all know he has a handful of "daddy's girls" and is a big softy when it comes to his girls.

Love you so much daddy! Higher than the flags.

It's a small world after all....

Everyone knows how the first day at a new ward works. Awkward, lots of introducing yourself, etc, etc. So I was surprised when all our meetings were over to find Austin talking to a guy who was giving him directions to a place unknown to me. I soon found out he had invited us to dinner. I couldn't believe it. Usually those conversations happen, but don't always follow through, or at least not that day.

Come to find out the Conover family is fabulous. We had a a lot of fun talking to them. As we were talking about families, Mark asked me where all my sisters lived. When I said one lived in Alpine, WY Lindsay said her sister lived in Alpine. She started texting her sister and later I talked to Whitney. Come to find out not only are they live in the same ward and Lindsay's sister is Whitney's kids' nurse at their pediatrician's office.

Then the world got smaller....

It came up a couple of minutes later that Austin's dad is involved in state politics in Utah. Mark then told us that our new Bishop Valentines father is also involved in politics in Utah. I looked at Austin, he looked at me like, "What?" I said, "Yes we know who John Valentine is.....senator." Then it clicked for him.

Seriously, it's a small world.