Simply Blessed

When I was growing up we never really did a lot with the whole Easter Bunny thing.  We got simple baskets with a few treats in them, there was usually a family egg hunt with cousins, but the notion of a colorful rabbit that left these surprises never really took center stage in our Easter celebrations.  We focussed more on Christ, the Atonement and Resurrection.  For this I am very grateful.

I have been striving to make Easter similar in my own home.  This year we decided to read from a wonderful board book that tells the story of Easter, starting with Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and ending with his visit to the people in the Americas after his resurrection.  We read a couple pages each day and ended perfectly on Sunday.  After finishing this book I had a very strong desire to take my kids visit the Christus statue at the visitor's center on Temple Square.

Larry and Marilyn were in town again to visit us and we spent two busy, but wonderful days with them on Saturday and Sunday, then met for our traditional pancakes Monday morning.  Afterwards we made our way downtown.  I was so very thankful that Lawrence had taken the day off and was able to drive as the weather was less than ideal (wet, heavy snow).  We made a few stops on our way to Temple Square, then we were off the the North Visitors center.



Mr. E thought that the paintings on the walls up to the Christus were really neat, then he spied the statue.  He walked a few laps around the base, Baby J right behind, then I got down on the floor with them and talked to them about Christ and the nail prints in His hands and feet.  We talked about how we love Jesus and he loves us.  Then we took a family picture with the statue and explored the rest of the visitors center.  Mr. E grew tired of our constant asking him about the subjects in the multitude of paintings on the walls, replying often with "I already told you, it's Jesus!"  We corrected him when he was mistaken, and tried to share the stories portrayed with him.  There soon came a point when it was clear that the boys were done with this activity and we decided to head to the car.

As we crossed Temple Square to the parking garage I followed a little way behind Lawrence and the kids, taking pictures and enjoying seeing my boys walking hand-in-hand in this special place.  As I watched my sweet children point at and admire the temple I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the blessings of the temple and my family.  I am so very blessed to have a wonderful, hard-working, loving, and kind husband who is sealed to me for all eternity and is determined to keep that covenant.  I am blessed to have two smart, energetic, sweet, silly, and loving boys who love to learn and to play. These boy are also mine for eternity because of the covenants Lawrence and I made in the temple.  I am blessed to have a mortal body that can create and sustain life, despite the discomforts I have experienced in pregnancy.  I am so very blessed to feel this sweet new life growing and moving inside me.  I am also very blessed to have my angel, Ethne, in heaven, who is also mine for all eternity.  These simplest blessings in my life are the ones that make me feel the most blessed, they are the blessings I am most thankful for.

Support

Sorry for my toddler-esque tantrum in my last post.  I needed to get those feelings off my chest and I promised myself that I would keep this blog real.  I don't want to hide the ugly parts of this journey, I want to share them so others will know that they are not alone when they have the same kinds of feelings.

I have to say that I would not be where I am today without the support of my family, friends, and even strangers.  Seeing that people are reading this blog makes me feel supported.  Phone calls, texts, cards and small gifts, especially on the hard days are especially supportive.  I feel supported by the power in prayers that many are still offering in our behalf.  I feel supported when someone cries with me, hugs, or even just listens to our story.  This support strengthens me and makes it possible for me to face the hard days, the not so hard days, and even the easier days.

My biggest support comes from Lawrence.  He listens to me, he encourages me, he prays for me, and most of all, he has stuck with me.  I'm sure there have been times that he has been frustrated with me, in fact I know there has been.  But despite it all he has stuck by my side, always holding my hand and walking through the haze with me.  He is stronger than me and I need that strength every day.  Before we dated we became friends.  While we were dating Lawrence grew to be my best friend.  When we got married he became my husband.  But he is so much more than that to me, he is all these and more.  Lawrence is everything to me, he is my husband, my best friend, my biggest supporter, my strength, and everything in between.  I am so very incredibly grateful that I was led to be in a position to meet Lawrence, date him, and marry him.  I am beyond grateful for his strength, his faith, and his support.



Thank you to everyone who has helped support us in any way.  Thank you for your continued prayers, thoughtful gifts, cards, and comments, and for your listening ears and reading eyes.  Thank you for lending us your strength when ours is failing.  And my biggest thanks to Lawrence for putting up with me and for carrying and sometimes dragging me along for these last three years, and for being willing to stick with me into eternity.

First Date

I wasn't good about journalling 6 years ago (not that I really am now, but...) so some of this may not be too accurate, but it is what I remember.

Mid-September 2007 found me me moving up to Rexburg, Idaho for my first semester at BYU-Idaho.  I was going to live off-campus with my Great-Uncle and Great-Aunt, study music, and work at Walmart (glamorous, I know).  So many people teased me that I was going to a BYU school to get married and that I would be engaged before the end of my first semester.  This is not what I had in mind.

That summer I had been working at a Sam's Club, so it was easy to make the transfer to Walmart, I just had to put in a computer request, call the manager, then complete the request upon arriving in Rexburg. I pulled into Rexburg with a good friend.  We both unloaded our stuff and did some unpacking, then snagged another friend and headed to Wally-world to shop for some necessities and finalize my job transfer.

I asked, at the customer service desk, for someone to show me where to go to find a manager to get things done.  They called someone and a few minutes later a guy in serious need of a haircut and shave sauntered up.  It was Lawrence.  He walked me to the back of the store to the management offices and we talked.  We were both music majors, he was a return missionary, he was a local boy, and he was in some sort of intern program or other with Walmart.  Lawrence doesn't remember this first meeting.

After that we didn't see each other much, not even at school, despite being in the same program, and we didn't work together often either.  But about the end of October He started coming by my usual hang-out for between classes.  He would stop and talk for a minute on his way to class and then be on his way.  Then I changed my routine and started going somewhere else to while away my break between classes.

November 17-ish I got a friend request on facebook and a message that read something like this:
"I'm hoping this the Melissa that I work with at Walmart, so if you aren't just ignore this.  But I was wondering if you would like to hang out or something some time."

Being my giddy-girly self I hastily responded that I would love to do something sometime, but I was going home for Thanksgiving later in the week.  I was honestly excited to go out with him after having the chance to get to know him some over the semester.  Two days later, a Sunday, we were chatting and he had to work, but after work we decided to get together.  I had a friend over so we played some games and watched a movie, then all sat around and talked for a while.  I knew that I had found someone special and I was even more excited about possibly going on more dates with Lawrence.

Sure enough he called me the next day, and the next before I left for home for Thanksgiving.

I am so thankful for that awkward first date request and our casual first date.  I am thankful that he eventually got up the courage to ask me out.  I am thankful for this wonderful man in my life who is my rock.  He keeps me grounded and supports me through everything.  I am so very thankful that he holds the Priesthood and works very hard to support our family so that I can stay home with our kids.  I am thankful that he is a wonderful and patient daddy and loves to spoil our kids.  I am so thankful that I chose to marry this man and that we were married in the temple for all eternity so that we can have each other and our children forever.

I LOVE YOU LAWRENCE!  Thank you for asking me out on our first date six years ago.

(And no, we were not engaged before the end of the semester only a month later.  That didn't happen until February.)

Sisters from another mister

Today I am grateful for my sisters.  I wasn't blessed to have them to grow up with, but I have them now and how great it is to have them!  They are there when I need someone to spend an afternoon out with. They are there when I need someone to see a chick flick with.  They are there when I need someone to talk to.  They are there even when I don't know that I need them.

First is Heidi.  She is busy, busy with her brood of three (soon to be 4) and lives 45 min.-and hour away, but any time I need her she is there with a smile.  She helped clean my apartment after the accident, helped babysit, helped me pump milk while I was in the hospital, and is always up for a girls' night when I need a break from being a mom.  I can call her any time and know that she will listen, even if there is a toddler screaming in her other ear.

Kathryn is next.  She is always fun and happy.  She has such a positive attitude and big heart.  From the moment I started dating Lawrence she accepted me as her sister and friend (they all did).  She also helped clean our apartment, babysat, and helped me pump milk.  While she has been gone on her mission she has written letters and emails that always brighten the day.  We are all so excited for her to come home and to see what her plans are for the future.

Last is Eliza.  She is so happy and loves her nieces and nephews.  She has a creative imagination and a beautiful singing voice.  She has high hopes for herself for the future and will achieve anything she sets her mind to.  She also helped clean and helped us move more than once.  She also gave up her big bedroom for us to live in for 6 months.  She is up for girls' night any time we can make it up to Idaho.  She also enjoys to read many of the same books I do, so we can talk about them.

And don't forget about my sister, Jessica, who I talked about yesterday!

I am so grateful for the family I married into and the sisters I gained.  They may not have been around when I was younger, but they have certainly been around when I've needed them.