Celebrating the Christmas Season

Ta-da!  We have a bigger Christmas tree now!  (thanks NaElle and Cody).  The box says it's a 6-foot tree, but I don't believe it, seeing as I am 5'5, and it's barely taller than me.  I love it, though.  It helps bring the Christmas spirit in our home.  We were going to sell our tiny, 2-foot Christmas tree, but since it was our very first one, we decided to keep it.  And I'm glad we did.

So, for family home evening, Jayze and I decorated the two Christmas trees, sang along to Christmas music (Josh Groban-Holiday on Pandora is the way to go), and celebrated our hard work with hot chocolate.

 

I looked up online how to tie a Christmas bow.  We still had some ribbon from one of our wedding presents and also a sheer, red ribbon, so here it is.  I think it turned out pretty good.  :)

                                                                    Thumbs up! 
                                                          

And here is our tiny Christmas tree.  Jayze decorated it, and I think he did an awesome job.

 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season so far!  I love this time of year so much.

Hard Times

Today has been hard.  This week has been hard.

And it's only Tuesday.

Finals are coming up, but I have projects that are due this week and next week (BIG projects).  And what do I do?  I blog, go on facebook, read my email, budget, go to work, practice the piano, do my "easier" homework-anything to keep from doing my BIG projects.  Why is this?  Why does that happen?

Stress.  Grief.  Wanting to be distracted.

I miss Alma so much it hurts.  I want him here with me.  I want to be taking only 6 online credits this semester instead of 13 online and on-campus credits.  I want to get up in the middle of the night and hold my little baby.  I want to cuddle him when he's sleeping and smile and laugh with him when he's awake.  I want to watch him grow and roll over and take his first step.  But he's gone, and today it hurts like it hasn't for awhile.  I think stress and being overwhelmed aids in that.

That being said, there have been so many things that have kept me going.  Number one is my Heavenly Father.  Number two is my husband, Jayze.  And number three is the knowledge that I will hold Alma again.  I'll get to see him run and play and smile and....breathe.  And cry and be sassy and explore and everything little boys do.  I'll get to see him grow in the knowledge of the gospel.

For now, I'll try to be content knowing that he is with Heavenly Father watching over Jayze and me, preparing his siblings for whenever they'll come and join us on earth.  His sweet spirit still lingers in my heart each and every day and practically every moment of every day.

This life was not meant to be easy.  Trials are hard.  This trial is hard.  I have to remind myself that everyone is going through their own person trial and that we are all brothers and sisters.  I need to help those around me because none of us can get through our trials alone.

I can't express my feelings in perfect words or in the perfect way, but I love Elder Shayne M. Bowen's talk, "Because I Live, Ye Shall Live Also," because it expresses in so many ways how I feel.  You can read it here.

I am grateful for my Savior and for His Atonement.  He knows exactly how I feel, and He won't leave me alone.  Times are tough, but it helps knowing there is someone all-knowing who understands. 

Our First Thanksgiving - Just the Two of Us

I know this post is a little after the holiday, but Thanksgiving was so fun this year, I decided to relive it.  So, come relive it with me....

This was the first year Jayze and I celebrated Thanksgiving with just the two of us, and it was soooooooo fun!  We loved cooking all the food, singing along to Christmas music (I know, we cheated a little), and playing games.  It was great because we made everything from scratch, except the gravy and stuffing.  We cheated on those, too, and used packages.

Everything turned out soooooo delicious!  We brined the turkey in salt and vinegar water and then cooked it for about 3 1/2 hours.  We boiled the potatoes in chicken broth and made mashed potatoes out of them.  We also had a green salad, stuffing, olives (I looooove black olives, as my Grandma and parents will attest too.  My Grandma even got me a can of olives for my birthday once, and I ate the whole can that night!), and cherry-limeade drink.

For the pies, we split the duties.  Jayze put together the crust, and I put together the fillings.  We just went with the traditional kinds:  pumpkin and apple.  mmmmmmmm.  Those are my kind of pies.  :)  

We played a little bit of Monopoly and Speed, skyped with Jayze's family, and watched Tangled (one of the BEST movies ever).  It was really relaxing, and I loved spending the whole day with Jayze and not worrying about homework or work or anything.  I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband.

And of course, I have to include a bit about gratefulness.  I am grateful for eternal families.  We did miss Alma, but I know he is safe in our Heavenly Father's arms.

I hope everyone else had a very Happy Thanksgiving as well.  :)

Now on to Christmas festivities....

Because it helps me love life again...

You may have noticed that I changed the title to my blog, but the explanation must come another time because I have something else I want to blog about more. 

Life is kind of like a roller-coaster.  It brings you up high where you can see all the beautiful views, and then it drops you (you know the feeling where your stomach is suddenly in your mouth) and leaves you breathless, scared, and maybe a little exhilarated (but that's only when you know the momentum will take you up high again).  Well, it seems like I have had a lot of roller-coasting in my life, and it hasn't exactly been the most enjoyable thing ever.  However, as I'm writing this, I think of two quotes by President Gordon B. Hinckley:

The first one, "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."

And the second, "Life is just like an old time rail journey ... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." (emphasis added)

I work as a student secretary on campus, and we get the Ensign and New Era magazine every month.  Learn more about them here.  Yesterday, they both came in, and I was SO excited!  Jayze's and my subscription recently expired, so I hadn't seen the September Ensign yet, and I hadn't read the New Era for months.  I had some downtime, so I flipped through the Ensign and the article entitled, "1,000 Things to Be Thankful For" caught my eye.  In short, the author's 12-year-old daughter was given a school assignment to write an essay about 100 things she was thankful for.  She rose to the challenge, asking other members of her family for help.  By the end, she had a little over 1,000 things she was thankful for.  First, I thought it was cool her school teacher gave her class that assignment, and second, it's awesome she was able to come up with over 1,000 things to be thankful for.  I also liked how she asked her family members for help, because then it helped them think about what they were thankful for in life.

Soooooo, I decided to start my own list.  Granted, I only have 172 (compared to 1,000, that's a small number!), but writing it down has helped me think about what I am thankful for more throughout the day.  I'm able to catch myself when I am being negative and think of my thankful list instead.  It really has helped me love life again and know Heavenly Father is aware of me and the different things I go through.  Life is so much better when I focus on the positive rather than the negative, and I have felt a lot happier.  :)

So, in no specific order, here's my list of 172 things (which is still growing day-by-day by the way).  :)

Thankful For:

• my husband, Jayze
• our baby boy
• the aches and pains and hardships of pregnancy because I am just grateful my body is able to be pregnant
• feeling the baby move (helps me know he's okay, and it's such a miracle that a little baby is inside me)
• that I can still fit in some of my clothes - it has been wonderful for our budget
• my Savior, Jesus Christ
• my Heavenly Father
• the Holy Ghost
• the temple - sooo blessed to only live a couple of minutes away from it here in Rexburg
• my home
• Mom
• Dad
• my brother, David
• my sis-in-law, Emily
• my nephew, John
• my baby niece
• my sister, Emily
• my brother-in-law, Silas
• my baby nephew, Breck
• my sister, Felicia
• all of Jayze's family (that would be a lot to list!) :)
• phones
• phone calls
• texts
• emails
• winks from my hubby
• holding hands with my hubby
• hugs
• kisses
• dancing in the kitchen
• our dishwasher
• pictures
• light
• rules
• warnings
• our car
• my job - seriously, it's awesome - a piece of my heart is going to break when I quit, but our baby is soooooo worth it!
• my visiting teachers - they really are the sweetest
• visiting teaching 
• my old ward
• my new ward
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• laughs
• ability to type
• stars
• moon
• sunsets
• high standards
• goals
• pictures of Christ
• personal revelation
• to be a woman
• the knowledge of eternal life, of forever
• tithing
• vacations
• faith
• hope
• foot massages - my husband is amazing at giving those!
• laundry - because it means I have clothes
• washing dishes - because it means I have dishes
• dreams
• wishing wells
• compliments - make the day so much better
• opposition - cause it makes me stronger 
• time to heal
• time
• alone time
• butterflies - proof change for the better is possible
• water fountains
• treadmills - especially in the winter when it's too cold to run outside
• support from others
• service
• Disneyland
• Temple Square
• indoor plumbing - "it's gonna be good" - Hercules  :)
• family reunions
• beauty
• improvement
• a-ha moments
• rainbows 
• the Sacrament
• covenants
• blankets
• pillows
• snuggling with my husband
• my husband's job
• flowers
• sunshine
• summer rain
• pen and paper
• to live in America
• freedom
• agency - the ability to act and not be acted upon
• internet - for the good, not the bad it brings
• repentance
• forgiveness
• ability to exercise
• date nights
• good books
• good movies
• long, hot showers
• fluffy towels
• dancing
• good music
• our full-size bed - sooo much better than sleeping on the floor like we did our first week!
• dresser
• our huge, orange kitchen - super retro, but it's awesome :)
• questions
• The Book of Mormon
• The Doctrine and Covenants
• The Pearl of Great Price
• The Holy Bible - King James version
• lds.org
• Mormon Messages
• Living prophets
• priesthood
• our current bishop
• my previous bishops
• my new sandals - just bought them, and I LOVE them!
• our budget - keeps us on track and financially honest
• good company
• lessons learned
• trials
• water
• grocery stores
• holidays
• smiles
• bed sheets
• vacuum cleaner
• kitchen towels
• watermelon
• dark chocolate
• ice cream
• home-cooked dinners
• plants
• our betta fish, Wyatt
• missionaries
• Olivia
• Erika
• Desirae
• Kelcie
• good examples
• inspirational quotes
• snail mail
• electricity
• milk
• hard workers
• success
• failures
• tender mercies
• prayer
• my body
• Plan of Salvation
• chapstick
• fans
• air conditioning
• heaters
• Ensign
• New Era
• toothbrush
• toothpaste
• good memories
• lotion
• ability to read
• ability to write
• higher education
• birthdays
• a good night's rest
• projects
• other people's ideas 
• ultrasounds
• nail polish

I know there is much, much more to be thankful for.  Right now I'm thankful that it's raining outside.  I'm thankful it's the weekend.  I'm thankful Heavenly Father is patient with me and all my imperfections.

And I'm thankful because life really is good.

Cherish the moment... 

 

July Madness

The past couple of weeks were crazy busy!  But also super fun.  Here's a quick rundown of what happened (in no particular order):

• My sister had her baby. 
• My husband and I hit our one-year mark.
• Attended the Flake reunion.
• Went to the McCleve reunion.
• Celebrated July 24th.
• Traveled in a car a total of about 28-30 hours (there and back).
• Our baby is 34 weeks old.

Who knew so much could happen in two weeks? 

The reason for all this madness is that Jayze and I were able to go to Snowflake for the 24th Celebration, plus some.  Rexburg is about 14 hours away from Snowflake, and we did the trip in one go on the way down.  We traveled with Jayze's sister and brother-in-law, NaElle and Cody, and their toddler, Crue.  It actually wasn't too bad.  We had to stop more (thanks to my pregnant body), but we made it safely.  It helped that we had four drivers in the car because we were able to rotate all night.  We left Rexburg around 9:00p.m. and arrived in Snowflake around 11:30a.m.  It always amazes me how excited I am to make it to Holbrook (those who know the area know why).  From there it's only 30 more minutes to Snowflake.  And dang, it felt soooooo good to be in Snowflake!  Jayze and I hadn't been there since Christmas.  Home is definitely where family is.  I don't think I would like being there quite as much if my family didn't live there.

The same day we got to Snowflake, we went to the Melodrama with my dad and sister, Felicia that Jayze's sister and brother-in-law, Jewel and Steve, were in that night.  It was so much fun!  I was a little skeptical of how it was going to turn out (I don't think I had ever been to a melodrama in my life).  Jewel and Steve did an amazing job - they pretty much stole the show, but maybe I'm a little biased.  :)  Wish I had thought to bring my camera!

That weekend was the Flake reunion, as well as the 24th Celebration.  I was able to have a small, breakfast baby shower before the Flake rodeo, which was so fun.  Jayze's mom and sisters helped plan and decorate for that.  It turned out really cute.  Getting baby clothes made it seem even more real that this baby is going to come out soon....

 Still making me laugh after almost a year of being married.  :)

The rodeo was really fun to watch.  I sat with the Flake's (who else?) and watched my husband wrestle cows and steers and whatever else was out there. 

The parade was on Saturday.  Sadly, I was not able to watch it because...I was in it!  Steve conned, coerced, begged, kindly asked Jayze and I to sit on the Wells Fargo wagon and wave.  It was actually pretty cool to sit in an authentic Wells Fargo wagon.  Plus, it rained towards the end of the parade, so it was good being all nice and dry. 

 Jayze, his sister Jewel, and two of her kids, Maggie and Clark.

The silly kid just wanted a funny picture!  Hence, him sticking out his tongue. 

On Sunday, we watched the play, "What Power Can Stay the Heavens."  My mom had a huge part in bringing it together, so it was neat to go watch it.  It's a play about the prophet Joseph Smith's life.  The Spirit was really strong throughout the whole thing.  I'm so grateful for Joseph Smith and all he did in restoring the gospel.  He was an amazing man.

The next week was pretty chill, which was nice.  We just hopped back and forth between the McCleve and Flake families.  I'm a little sad though, because I realized I took lots of pictures when we were with the Flake's but not so much the McCleve's.  Next year, I will remember to bring my camera battery charger!  :) 

Jayze and I hit our one-year mark on July 31st.  We had already celebrated it in Rexburg (we didn't really feel like celebrating in Snowflake), so we just took it easy that day.  We slept in, watched a movie, ate tons of watermelon and cantaloupe (thank you Dad!), and ate dinner and played games with my dad and grandma that night.  It was a good day. 

The McCleve reunion was wayyyyyy fun too.  Jayze and I actually slept in a tent!  Our first time camping together! It rained cats and dogs on Friday, but thankfully our tent didn't get toooo wet.  And I was grateful sleeping in a tent wasn't uncomfortable, even being 8 months pregnant.  We played games, ate lots of food, chatted with family, took pictures, did crafts, watched and participated in the horseshoe tournament, and had no phone service the entire time (which was nice because then I could focus on the moment better). 

It was soooooo good being with family again.  And what's great is I was able to see my sister, her husband, and their adorable little newborn on the way back up to Idaho!  They named him Breck Silas Andersen, and he is just so perfect.  When we walked into their apartment, I could feel the Spirit really strong.  I think that comes from Emily and Silas, but even more because of a little baby that just came from Heavenly Father.  I'm so grateful I was able to hold that little baby and hope my baby turns out as cute as him.  :)  Only 6 more weeks....

Welp, that about sums up the past couple of weeks.  Happy July!  Now on to August...

Single, Double...now Triple?!

Yesterday I did four loads of laundry.  In one day.  Four loads!  I think that is the most loads I have done in one week in months.  Let me explain...

When I was single and lived in an apartment with five other girls, I had enough clothes to where I only had to do laundry once a month.  And when I did laundry, I would usually only do two loads - one that had my jeans and other clothes in it and the other with my sheets and pillowcases and towels or other things like that.  The washer and dryer were coin-operated and a little pricey where I lived ($1.50 a load for the washer and $1.25 a load for the dryer).  However, since I was only doing laundry once a month, I could get by with only using a roll of quarters once a month.  $10.00...no big deal.  Now, though, the laundry has doubled since I got married...

Jayze and I have been married for almost a year, and not only has the laundry doubled, but the food and cleaning have doubled too.  Now I do at least two loads of laundry a week (okay, maybe it's more than doubled).  I make twice as much food for dinner than I did when I was single, and I do twice as many dishes afterwards too.  It was a little hard to get used to at first, but now it's like second-nature.  But yesterday when I was doing laundry, it hit me.  Once the baby comes, the laundry load is going to triple!  I'll have to wash baby clothes, burp cloths, my clothes more often (because of all the spit-up that is sure to make its way to my shirt and jeans), and who knows what else.  Good thing that baby is going to be cute.  But now I'll get off my little rant and just say...

I am thankful I have a washer and dryer.  Granted, it's not located in my apartment (it's downstairs in the other couple's apartment), but it's not coin-operated.  I don't have to use quarters anymore, and it's absolutely wonderful!  I also don't have to lug two loads of laundry down the stairs, while juggling the laundry soap on top of it all, walk across to the other building, and use the laundry facility there (like I did in our other apartment).  All I have to do is walk downstairs now.  And since I'm pregnant, and it's harder to drag all that laundry down and up and down again, my husband is a sport and helps me out.

There are so many people in other countries who have to wash their clothes by hand and then wait all day for it to dry.  And it's not just single people, but mom's who have more than one child.  Practically their whole day is devoted to laundry just because it takes such hard work and effort.  So what am I complaining about?  I'm going to get a cute little baby that, yes, is going to spit-up, throw up, and poop like crazy (and probably all over my husband and me), but that's okay because sometimes it's the simple things in life I need to be more grateful for.  My baby is more important than all that cleaning up.  My husband is more important than all that cleaning up.  And it's not about the laundry but about the love and service behind it all.  I'm way happy that I can hang up and fold my husband's clothes, and most of the time he'll help out, and we can talk while we fold and hang the clothes.  It's all about time.  And I'm just grateful I have a husband who does help me out.  It's wayyyyyyy better than being single and just doing my own laundry. 

So, all in all, whether or not the laundry is going to triple (and the clean up and food) when we have our baby, and quadruple and so on as more kids come, I'm glad that my husband and I have clothes to wash and dry, and that our baby will too.  Family is SO worth it. 

English Tidbit:  Since working on campus, I take just as long formatting the things I write as I do actually writing.  But...I have found that as tedious as formatting is, I absolutely love it!  It's like having milk with a gooey, moist brownie - soooo much better!  :)

Sometimes we pretend there's a beach close to Rexburg / aka Rigby Lake

Some of Jayze's family came up last weekend, and his sister, NaElle, had the idea we should all go to Rigby Lake.  Jayze and I went with NaElle and her husband, Cody, and their cute little toddler, Crue to Rigby Lake on July 4, and it was so much fun!  I had no idea Rigby Lake even existed, so I was really excited to go back.  It's really laid back, and even though it was really crowded on July 4, it didn't seem crowded.  There was still plenty of room to do your own thing and not feel like you were in someone else's bubble the whole time. 

 Our first time at Rigby Lake on July 4.  You can tell my husband LOVES to take pictures.  I think he was upset I stole his hat.  :)

The sand felt soooooo good!  It felt like a sandy beach - not at all like any lake I've been to.  I'm used to more wood-like lakes.  And even though the water was cold at first, it felt amazing once you got used to it.  Like my cute pregnant belly sticking out?  Baby Flake is getting so big!

The second time we went (when more of Jayze's family was up in Rexburg), it was windy and the water was colder, but it was still so relaxing and great to be in the water.  I swear, I am a water-addict.  I just wish I was a better swimmer...but that's another story.  I'm just glad I could bob around on one of the tubes Jayze's dad, Shon, brought with them.

It's a good thing I love the water too, because Jayze had the great idea (insert sarcasm here) to pick me up, confidently stride across the beach-like sand (even amongst all my protests and struggles - I find it's harder to struggle when you're 30 weeks pregnant), and dump me in the freezing water.  Okay, to be fair, he didn't actually drop me in, but he did dump me all the way under and then brought me back up.  I came out sputtering and coughing and squealing for him to let me down.  Bah.  At least he got wet too.  :)

 Round two for pictures (before he dumped me in the water):

 Don't mind our super white skin and weird tan lines...we live in Rexburg!  'nough said...

 After almost one year of marriage, still really happy!  And dang, my hubby is so cute!  What a hunk.

And for the grand finale....................................

Katie, you asked for it.  ;) 

Oh, the Irony

Last night I excitedly told my husband, "You should read my blog!"  So he, being the diligent and caring person that he is, read my blog.  And guess what?  Right after I gave my little "English tidbit", he found an error.  Oh, the irony!  That's what I get for complaining about someone's error in a newspaper article and feeling all self-righteous because I caught it and know that it's "always good to have another set of eyes look over a document."  Well, this should teach me to make my husband read over my blog posts before I publish them.  But the lazy side of me probably won't get around to it...

Enough Apologies and the Latest from the Flake Fam

So the other day I was thinking about blogs and how I started this one...almost six months ago.  Six months!  Wow, it's like my journal.  Practically every journal entry I have starts with, "I can't believe how long it's been since I have written in here!  So much has happened, so I'll just summarize since I can't write a month's worth of life in a single entry..."  Welp, I've decided, enough apologies!  Enough sorry's and feeling guilty!  I am a student at BYU-Idaho, and we have a devotional every Tuesday.  A quote from today's was, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago.  The next best time is today." (Elder W. Douglas Shumway)  So true!  So, I'm starting today and following President Spencer W. Kimball's philosophy by just doing it.  

 This post may be a little rough, but with practice, hopefully my posts will go a little smoother.  :)

My husband, Jayze, and I have been EXTREMELY busy lately.  But, what's new?  I think life is just going to get busier and busier, and it's best to just cherish each moment.  In just a few weeks we have:

•  Sold our old contract. 
• Packed our entire apartment up.
• Cleaned our old apartment, and I mean the ENTIRE thing.  It was white glove, and we wanted our deposit back, so we spent pretty much all of a Tuesday cleaning.  Baseboards, walls, the stove, behind the oven, inside the oven, above the stove, outside the stove (you get the idea - that stove was a mess), carpet, tile, inside and outside the kitchen cupboards, windowsill, windows, above the doors, the actual doors, the light switches, doorknobs....need I go on?  It would be a lot longer list.
• Moved out of our cute little one-bedroom apartment and into a big, spacious two-bedroom one.  Thank you to our ward and Jayze's sister and brother-in-law!
• Unpacked everything.
• Decorated our new place.  (It's so homey, I love it)

And all this while working and going to school and church callings.  And being pregnant.  But we are now in our new apartment!  I call that a success. 

I'm thinking the format of this blog might change.  I have a few ideas, but we'll see.  For now, I'll go ahead and share an English tidbit in honor of the current title of this blog.

As I said earlier, I'm a student at BYU-Idaho, and we have a newspaper called the Scroll.  I brought a copy home to read, and I noticed in the news section, "Action on key federal mine safety and health rules are is lagging..."

Hmmm, someone couldn't decide between are and is, so why not use both?  Saying I are is in a sentence might make people pay more attention, but still.  Even though I don't very much experience editing, I have learned that having another pair of eyes read a document is always good. 

My super cute husband and me at the campus gardens.  His mom was sweet and took this picture for us.  This is where he proposed to me over a year ago!  What a handsome man - I'm so lucky.

 

So, I finally found a design I like for this blog!  Granted, it may change some time, but for now I like it. 

Some goals I want to accomplish through this blog are:

-becoming a better English major by using this blog to practice my writing skills
-preserve memories that happen every day


Yes, I know those are only two goals, but at least I got started, right?  And most of the time that is the hardest part.