A Bittersweet Night

It completely caught me off gaurd last night to hear the sad news of the passing of President Hinckley. I truly thought he was going to just live forever! I will forever love that man, and the influence he has had on my life since I was young. I spent time last night reflecting on all of my favorite things about him and the things he has taught me in my life. To name just a few...

He has taught me:

-The importance of having a sense of humor. Growing old doesn't mean you turn grumpy and lazy, you can have fun and make jokes throughout your whole life!

-How important getting an education is.

-The perfect picture of what a marriage between a man and a woman should be. I will never forget the times I witnessed him with his sweet wife, the way he talked about her always, and the sparkle in their eyes. They truly loved each other.

-The importance of temples. I love the desire he had to get more and more temples built. What a blessing it has been for so many members throughout the world. May we not take them for granted.

-I admire so much his love for history, to travel the world and learn about other cultures and people. He loved every single person he met, and portrayed Christ's love for them through his actions.

-Hard work. He worked long days in his office until a few days before he passed away. He was truly committed to the work of the Lord.

Every time I look at the face of President Gordon B. Hinckley, my heart softens. I want to be like him and will miss the radiating light in his eyes.

Lastly I just wanted to write some of my favorite words of wisdom from him:

"Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great purpose in heart."

"There is no end to the good we can do, to the influence we can have with others. Let us not dwell on the critical or the negative. Let us pray for strength; let us pray for capacity and desire to assist others. Let us radiate the light of the gospel at all times and all places, that the Spirit of the Redeemer may radiate from us."

"The only way to get anything done is to get on your knees and plead for help and then get on your feet and go to work."

"My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we accentuate the positive. I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort."

So happy you are with your sweet wife for time and eternity. You will be missed.

LaUghteR...

We've all heard that "Laughter is the best medicine" right? So today I came across an article on laughter, and ever since have been thinking about how blessed I am to have so much laughter in my life. Not only is it the funnest thing on the planet and brings so much joy to my life, but there's health benefits of it too! Lots of them! You guys will seriously get a kick out of some of these! Just to name a few: The article stated, "It has been estimated by scientists that laughing 100 times equals the same physical exertion as a 10 min workout on a rowing machine or 15 min on a stationary exercise bike!" It also strengthens the abs! And get this! There is even Laughter Yoga! No idea how that works or what the constructor must come up with to make his class laugh, but I can only imagine! I learned that Gelotology is the study of humor and laughter and its psychological and physiological effects on the human body. I had no idea there was even such a thing! There is so much I could write about, it was actually fascinating. But more importantly than it's "physical fitness" pros, I am just so grateful to have a husband that makes me laugh every single day. "A day without laughter is a day wasted". Scott is the funnest person in the world to be married to. Wouldn't life be dull without laughter? I swear there isn't a night before bed that I don't get pinned down and tickled to death till I'm nothing but paining in the stomach and red in the face. It is truly theraputic. You can't laugh and be stressed at the same time! It's not possible! It is a time to escape the stresses and concerns of life. There are times when both Scotty and I will just start laughing so hard, we play off of each other and cannot stop! Oh man, life is just too much fun. So anyway, I hope you all enjoy the beauty of laughter as much as I do.

P.S. Here is the link to the article in case you're interested. It's great! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter

Winter Paradise!

It was such a great way to start the year off.... in the sunshine! We were able to go to Hawaii with my family and we had a blast! There are so many memories I could write about, and I wish I would have kept a little notebook in my pocket at all times to write down all the little sayings that were said by each person. Life is just too much fun when you're with your whole fam (all 13 people) in close quarters. We stayed at the beautiful Marriot resort in Oahu. It was so nice to relax on the beach, soak in the rays, and spend time together before a busy new year started up again! We had some great adventures including some of the following: the 24 hour stomach flu went around to the whole family -2 people who really lucked out! That virus seriously went around like the plague! The best part about it was that it only lasted for one day, and the next day you were out on the beach again! We just came to the conclusion that pretty much we were just doomed to get it while living in such close quarters! It turned out to be a humorous thing in the end. So as far as the rental car goes: we didn't have one planned in advance (big mistake) so my dad and Crystal came back with a convertible mustang! We called it 'The Stang"....not such a great fit for 13 people including 2 car seats! When we went to Costco, the car was jam packed full with stuff on our laps and the top down to provide as much space as possible! When we went out to dinner, we had to take 3 trips to get everyone there and back, crammed on each other's laps. Being able to take the top off saved us! We also had the opportunity to go to some beautiful waterfalls and walk through the jungle to get there, it was gorgeous! We spent the rest of that day at the North Shore watching all the incredible surfers. It was such a thrill to watch them! One night all the couples played the "newly wed game" and I think that was our favorite part of the trip! My dad came up with the questions and we'll just say we all learned a little too much about each other! It was a kick in the pants, and we laughed all night long. Most importantly, we just spent time together as a family and that was such a blessing. I feel so blessed to have a wonderful family, and it's so great that we can all spend a week together and get along so great. Each person has so much to uniquely add and it was so nice to talk and get insight from one another. Happy New Year!

It's Time For A Celebration!!

Well the time has finally come!! Scotty was accepted to dental school this week! We are SO excited and SO relieved that all of his hard work has paid off. He is NO DOUBT ABOUT IT going to be a dentist now! The exciting phone call came on Wednesday. I was sleeping because I had worked the night before and the lady called and asked for Dennis, and when somebody asks for Dennis I know they don't know Scott very well! Then she said she was from A.T. Still University and my stomach dropped! I was so bummed Scotty wasn't home, he was skiing (of course!) So she said to have him check his email if she couldn't reach him on his cell phone. So of course I couldn't stand it another minute...he wasn't answering his phone so I had to check his email. SURE ENOUGH there was an email saying "Congratulations! You have been accepted to our school!" It was the best feeling ever. We have been praying so hard for this important step in our life and are so thrilled that everything has worked out so well. No matter what, we know we are in, and Arizona is a great option. We would be living in Mesa and that would be so great because it's not too far from home, the weather is beautiful, I have a great friend that lives down there, and my brother and his family just moved down there today! So we would love it I'm sure. We are going to keep our options open if we hear from any other schools, but are just so happy! On Saturday night we went to Rodizzio Grill at Trolley Square because that's where Scotty has wanted his celebration place to be for so long! We definitely feasted on all the yummy meat and delicious pineapple till we were sick full, it was delish! We were laughing so hard because when we were sitting at the table waiting for the bill we all had to unbutton our pants! We are so happy and relieved and will continue to enjoy all that we are blessed with!

The Elders

Well I am brand new to this blog business, but have enjoyed so much reading everybody else's that I must start one for Scotty and I! Life could not possibly get any better(or busier)! We have been married for almost a year and a half now and time is flying! We are nestled into our little apartment at the University of Utah's married student housing on Foothill Drive and Sunnyside. Scotty calls it "the projects"; we have cinder block walls and tile floors that you would find in a high school! But we have painted and covered with carpet and it is the coziest little place, we love it so much. It's just enough for what we have! In the corner of our living room we have 4 pairs of skis, two sets of golf clubs, 2 tennis raquets, and Scott's longboard! There is just no other place for it! The location is perfect as we are both going to school at the U. I am majoring in human development and family studies.Scotty is almost done with his bachelors...just three more classes this semester! He has worked SO hard in school and we are waiting to hear back from schools for his acceptance to dental school! He interviewed in all different places, so we could be moving anywhere. We are so excited to venture out and have a change of scenery, but we will miss it here. Scotty and I budgeted all year for our season passes are living it up this last ski season and trying to ski as much as possible as it will most likely be our last season for the next 4-6 years. Along with school at the U, we are both working up here on campus as well. Scotty works for the department of pediatrics in a research lab, and I am working at the University hospital in the E.R. It is quite exciting and I have come to appreciate my health and strength and the quiet, content life that I live with my sweet husband. We are so incredibly blessed and couldn't be happier!