Celebrating 15 years of marriage...

"A good marriage is not something your find, its something you work for. It takes stuggle. You must crucify your selfishness. You must at times confront and at other times confess. The practice of forgivness is essential." Quote from Sacred Marriage

"One of the best wedding gifts God gave you was a full length mirror called your spouse. Had there been a card attached, it would have said "Here's to helping you discover what you're really like!" Quote from Sacred Marriage

What we have learned...

15 years of marriage seems like the perfect time to reflect back on how much we have learned in the past 15 years together. I can't believe how fast 15 years has gone and how differently we view life now compared to 15 years ago. I would like to share a few things that we have learned along the way so far...

At a young age, Adam & I learned how to juggle full time jobs, marriage and being parents. We have learned (and are still learning) that blending different backgrounds, parenting styles, personalities and opinions is an often difficult process to master. Compromise, patience, forgivness and unconditional love is essential in all areas of parenting and marriage.

Being a parent has taught me that with each new phase that my kids enter, it seems like I have to relearn parenthood all over again. Kids are constantly changing and the techniques that worked great last month don't always work this month. I have learned that you have to be constantly learning and growing right along side your children. Getting ideas and advise from books has helped me immensly as both a parent and a wife over the years. I have learned that both Parenting & Marriage is an educational experience that you never get a diploma for. It's an education that will take a lifetime to accomplish and unfortunatly, trial & error is usually the only way to determine what works what does'nt. Sometimes I feel like we make more mistakes than we do progress but that's all part of the process that shapes and molds us into who we are and who we are becoming.

Adam & I have recently learned that our marriage is so much healthier & happier when rooted in a relationship with God. Prayer is an essential tool in marriage and is essential when raising children. Having an active realationship with our Savior has deepened our relationship with one another and has brought a peace into our home that only God can be given credit for. We have learned how to recognize and compensate for each others weaknesses and how to rely on each others strenghths. Although we have gone through difficult times, I would'nt trade them for anything. God has used each and every circumstance in our lives, both the good and the bad, to grow our faith. We have grown to trust Him and know that whatever our circumstances are, we can fully trust that God will use those circumstances to mature us and accomplish His plan for our lives.

Happy Anniversary Adam, I love you!

Disneyland!

For Spring Break AJ & Mike went to Disneyland with their grandparents. They had a lot of fun and the only catch was that both kids had to write a report about their trip for Grandma & Grandpa when they got home. To make this activity fun we all put our minds together and came up with the ABC's of their Disneyland trip....

A - Annaheim, California
B - Bad Food
C - Castle & California Adventure
D - Donald Duck
E - Eeyore (yes this is how its spelled. I googled it to make sure)
F - Fudge
G - Goofy, Golden Zephyr (another google spell check)
H - Hotel within walking distance
I - Indiana Jones
J - Jet Blue & Jungle Cruise
K - Ketsup (AJ got to much ketsup at McDonalds?)
L - Lots of laughs
M - Mickey Mouse, Matterhorn, Maliboomer
N - No School! & No room on the 6am flight
O - Orchards - Flew over orchards on the Soaring California Ride
P - Pluto & Parades
Q - Question? Was the perfect blue sky in toon town real or painted?
R - River Rapids
S - Splash Mountain, Space Mountain & Sreamin' California
T - Tea Cups, Tower of Terror & Tinkerbell
U - Up, Up & Away... Maliboomer
V - Very Crowded (It must have been crowded because nobody was in Utah the whole week)
W - Wet - Grandma got soaking wet on Splash Mountain
X - Xtremly Fun - Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!
Y - Yikes! Tower of Terror
Z - Zippity Doo Dah, Zippity Ay, My oh my, What a wonderful day - Splash Mountain. (another google spelling search)

Special thanks to google for help with my spelling issues!

ADAM'S ABC'S

A- ARGUE, LOVE TO-KEPT THE JURY DELIBERATING FOR OVER 4 HOURS
B- BOOKS, I READ A LITTLE
C- CARS, ON #25 (F-150) AND #26 (JEEP) AS WE SPEAK
D- DEBT! I’VE HAD 26 VEHICLES!
E- EYE, STUPIDTY TOOK IT AWAY-GOD GAVE IT BACK
F- FOOTSIE PAJAMAS
G- GOLF, LOVE TO PLAY OR WATCH
H- HAPPY VALLEY,USA-IF YOU CAN’T IGNORE REALITY YOU CAN’T LIVE HERE
I- IGNORANT,IMPOSSIBLE,IDIOT-NAME THREE WORDS YOUR SPOUSE USES TO DESCRIBE YOU
J- JEEP, LATEST FAMILY TOY
K- KIDS, TRAILMIX AND BONES
L- LUDLUM, ROBERT-FAVORITE AUTHOR (SORRY MR. KING)
M- MUSTANG-1969 MACH 1-MY DADDY GAVE IT TO ME
N- NEVER SATISFIED IN LIFE,LOVE OR THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
O- OCCUPATION: I SELL TOILETS!
P- PETS-RAMBO AND STANLEY
Q- QUARTERBACK-ALEX SMITH NO.1 PICK (AJ HAS A PICTURE WITH HIM)
R- RICE-ECCLES STADIUM-FAVORITE PLACE TO MEET FRIENDS
S- SHELLY, MY BESTEST FRIEND
T- TEXAS ROADHOUSE-MMMMMMMMM STEAK
U- UTAH UTES!
V- VEGAS, CEASAR’S PALACE,THE RIO,WAHOO
W- WOODS.ELDRICK-WORLDS GREATEST GOLFER AND MY PERSONAL FRIEND
X- X-MEN, COME ON WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH AN X
Y- I HATE THE Y-MAN DO I HATE THE Y!
Z- ZOO-I LOVE TO SEE CREATURES BIGGER THAN ME

Cat & Dog Diary...

I recently got this email "Cat & Dog Diary". I thought it described Rambo & Stanley so perfectly. I edidted it slightly just to personalize it. I thought it would be fun to share since they are a part of the family too...

RAMBO’S DIARY

8:00am -Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am – Playing with Stanley! My favorite thing!
10:30 am – Get rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm – Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm – Play in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm – Chase the mailman! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm – Treats! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm – Sleeping in my bed! My favorite thing!

STANLEY’S DIARY

Day 270 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the dog I are fed some sort of dry nuggets. I make my contempt for the dry nuggets perfectly clear, nevertheless I must eat them in order to maintain my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely make condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am. There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies.’ I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage. Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow--but at the top of the stairs next time. The dog is showing obvious signs of abuse. I think the prolonged captivity and the shock treatments have finally got to him. His bizarre behavior is getting worse – he barks at all the service vehicles that enter our neighborhood and runs wildly throughout the house and yard. I think it is his attempt to draw attention to our captivity and abuse. Occasionally he snaps and runs through the electric fence that surrounds the perimeter of these prison grounds. He is obviously retarded because the captors always lure him back with an opportunity to ride the family car. The cat across the street has got to be the informant. I observe him communicating with the captors regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have been feeding him MY dry nuggets in attempt to keep him from starving to death, this must be stopped! I will attempt to impress & befriend him tomorrow by showing off my tree climbing skills.

Happy Birthday to me!

Today is my 33rd birthday! As much as I complain about my job (escpecially as the dreaded summer months approach) I really can't complain. I work with so many wonderful people and they always go out of their way to make me feel loved & appreciated. This morning I entered my office to find balloons, streamers, candy, toys and personalized signs wishing me a happy birthday! I want to publicly thank Brittany & Sarah for everything they do, you make me smile and I love you dearly!

Buenos Dias Amigos,

Adam & I had the great privelege of leaving the kids for 7 days to go on a Cruise for our 15th Anniversary (with many thanks to Adam's parents for watching the boys for us while we were gone). The weather was perfect, the food was great and we had a very relaxing time. Taking a cruise was so much different than any other vacation we have been on because you have no choice but to relax while on the ship. Your only options are to relax, read, people watch, go to a show or eat. You dont have to worry about traffic, finding a place to eat, cell phones, email, work, laundry, homework I could go on and on but I dont want to rub it in too much. We spent the first two days at sea. The third day we visited Puerto Vallarta. There we joined a jeep tour with about 15 other jeeps. We drove out of town into the mountains and was able to see how some of the local people lived. The children only go to school until they are 12 years old then they are put to work farming the land or working with their families in some regard. The people live off the land and its a very simple way of life. It made me consider what technology and modernization has done to this world and how many things we have and use in our everyday lives that we really dont need for our basic survival. It really made me realize how different their lives are from ours and realized that having more is not necessarily better or necessary. Blooming fruit trees were everywhere including Mangoe, avacado & bannana trees, fishing is also a common trade for the people that live there. From there, our next stop was Mazatlan. From the ship we took a water taxi to Stone Island where there is a small community and the land is filled acres and acres of coconut palms. It is a quiet village and also a very simple lifestyle. We took a bus through town on our way to the beach where we sat and relaxed by the ocean. It was so beautiful with the palms lining the beach and the waves crashing against the shore. Picture perfect! Our last stop was Cabo San Lucas. It was much more "Americanized" and very tourist driven with lots of resorts, hotels and shopping. We did an underwater excursion where we walked on the bottom of the ocean- well kind-of. It was a learning experience and we probably wouldnt do it again but the kids thought it sounded cool. When we got back to shore we only had about an hour before we had to get back on the ship so we quickly walked to the center of town where all the shopping was. We learned that everything was "Almost Free Amigo" & "No thank you" seemed to be all we said for the hour we were there visiting. We visited the Cabo Wabo Canteena, a famous resturaunt and bar - nothing really to brag about really but I guess we can see that we saw it. We then got some souvenirs and then went to dairy queen and got some ice cream for $90.00 (peso's of course) but it was still strange to see $90.00 on the register display. We found that eating ice cream was a useful tool in ignoring the street vendors on the way back to the ship port. From there, we were unfortunatly on our way back home. The last night was very windy and the ship hit rough water which apparantly is normal when you get near California according to some more experienced cruisers we met (this trip was their 38th cruise! That's how I want to spend retirement!) It's been hard to adjust to land again, at least for me. Today is Friday (almost one week later) and its the first day that I dont feel dizzy. It's a really weird sensation to feel that everything around you is still moving, its hard to explain and just thinking about it right now is bringing back the same sensation - weird! Regarless of the side affects, it was well worth it and we are looking forward to taking the kids with us next spring!