Missing Her... :(

Well tonight I was getting ready to go meet up with Tim and Ashton to rent a movie and hang out for the night and started looking through some pics and came across this one...

Whew and the tears came a tumbling down. To be honest, it's been a few weeks since the thought of not having Granny boo around has hit me so hard. I saw that picture tonight and went to pick up the phone to call her :( Sadly that is not an option of mine anymore, but it made me think of how thankful I am to have had her in my life for the time I did have with her. I feel so incredibly blessed to have had her at my wedding and to have caught such a timeless photo as the one above. When I look at that picture, I feel of her love and am reminded of her sweet smile and loving hugs and kisses I received often. She was my best friend and someone I respected and wanted to be like.

This beautiful lady wasn't afraid of anything and NEVER GAVE UP. There have been times this semester when I have just wanted to quit and be done, but I have put a picture up of her on my mirror in my bedroom and know that I can do anything I set my mind too. I want to continue to do things that will make her proud as she looks down upon me from up above.

I know that I will continue to miss her every day and probably will have many more days of break downs from missing her and wishing I could talk with her just one more time, but I also know that she is always there for me and feel her spirit with me every day! I hope one day I will have people look up to me the way we all did to her and that I will have grandkids who consider me one of their best friends and hero someday :)

Love you Granny Boo!

Birthday Boy

Well my honey bunches turned the big 26 yesterday!!! It wasn't quite the day we had hoped it to be, but we made the best of what we had. This week was a pretty busy one with Luke and Stephanie Walburger and their two kids staying with us on Monday-Thursday and then Ryan Anderson came up Wednesday and stayed over till Thursday night too. Party at the Sheen's house! haha

So I went to my 8 o'clock class and came home to Dustin making breakfast for the guys, which I thought looked wrong. Dustin should not be making breakfast for them, they should be making breakfast for him, so I took over quickly :) Once they had finished breakfast, I just couldn't wait any longer so I gathered up Dust's gifts and organized them neatly in front of him. He LOVED all of his gifts especially the cheese knife! That's right daddio... loved it haha. Dad has been bugging mom about getting him that, but he seriously was sooo excited :) Tyson's gifts, the two lil plastic animals, caused a little confusion and a good laugh.

I think he was least impressed with the Comet shirt haha but I did pack it for him to wear this weekend, so we'll see if he actually wears it lol

Then it was my turn! I got him some sweet new kicks...

a new, bigger book of mormon (he had mentioned he wanted the bigger ones)...

AND my favorite... I got a deck of cards, cute some scrap booking paper and wrote 51 reasons of why I loved him. He got a lil teary eyed, but quickly wiped them away as he had to look tough around his guy friends :) so he saved the reading of those for later, but he said it was his favorite gift, which made me feel really good and glad that he could appreciate a thoughtful gift!

Then we headed out for lunch at Earl's and had some delicious past and bread with spinach dip, which we demolished before we remembered to take pics, but we managed to get a cute one in the car before we left :) (oh and did i mention I am now a brunette and love it!!!!

I feel so blessed to have Dust in my life. He is my best friend and every day I feel closer and more in love with him! He lights up my days with his little hugs, kisses, and words of love and I couldn't ask for a better friend to be with forever!

Gorgeous Lady

When I think of the kind of person I want to be when I'm all grown up (he he), I think of my mommy. It's her birthday today and I decided that seeing as I can't be with her because of the distance, I would do a little tribute to her instead.

My mama is talented at EVERYTHING! Even the things she doesn't think she's good at, she is. She is smart, funny, energetic, goal driven, strong, independent, kind, creative, fabulous cook, good listener, organized, humble, selfless, positive, and a friend you could ride the river with!

Mom has a passion for life and making every minute count. She doesn't let life get her down, but lives it to the fullest! She fulfills her church callings with love and commitment even though she works full time and runs the home too! She is always willing to sacrifice time for herself to help others. She never thinks of herself (although I think she should more often) and give anything to make her family happy!

She loves to dance and be goofy with the girls of the fam and every once in awhile, we get the boys up and moving too! Our dance moves are just too irresistible. She has always been so supportive of me in whatever I am doing in my life and gives advice and direction when I need it.

She makes any circumstance a better and more fun one with her contagious happiness and zest for life. I couldn't ask for a better mother and friend and treasure the time I get to spend with her! She is a gem and deserves all the love and happiness in the world!

Can't wait to come home and see your smiling face! I love you mama!!! Eleventy-four!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Recipes with Good Friends

Hey yo... it's been a while. Here's a quick update. Dustin and I have moved back to Edmonton after finishing my final practicum in Raymond at the elementary with a grade 5 class that I LOVED and miss a ton. I stayed super busy the first few weeks putting my teaching portfolio together for my presentation with the board at Concordia on the 16th. It went really well and it feels great to have that off my chest. One of my closest friends, Ashton, graduated from U of A in December and they sent her off with zero info on how to do and what to put in her portfolio, so I was able to help her as Concordia was all over that :) I feel really blessed to be gaining such a great education at Concordia and feeling like I will be prepared to get into the teaching field right after I graduate rather than feeling like I'm starting from the beginning again.

Dustin is attending the U of L satellite campus up here in business management and he has two more classes next semester and then he graduates too! It's exciting for us to think that we will both be graduated within the next year and that we will be able to move on to the next chapter of our lives!! Whoo hoo! We've moved into a condo in south Edmonton and love our ward! Tim and Ashton are in there and a few other young couples that I'm sure we will get together with every now and then for some fun!

Today we invited Tim and Ashton Whidden over for dinner and I decided to cook up one of our newer recipes. I have found being out on our own as newly weds, I gotta up my game on home cooked meals because spaghetti and soup get old quite fast :) So tonight we are eating brown sugar salmon with veggies and rice. I got the salmon recipe from one of our friends and I dont' think I'll cook salmon any differently from now on.

Introducing my BEST friend!!!!!

We got married August 27, 2011 and I feel so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing man as my eternal companion!!! I knew I was lucky before the wedding, but since we've been married, I've become even more aware of how much better her makes me!

Dust is patient! I'm a pretty stubborn individual and am pretty stuck in my independent ways. Dust has and will continue to assure me that I don't have to always figure things out on my own and that it's ok to depend on someone else every now and then! He listens to my crazy ranting and then ever so kindly explains a different point of view in a way that is kind and caring.

He is a hard worker! I am so thankful that Dust grew up on a farm where he was taught the value of working hard! I know he will be successful in whatever he chooses to do just based on his work ethic! He makes goals and he accomplishes those goals. Even when he wants to quit, he keeps on going a little further and I love that he is so driven!

He shows/tells me he loves me every single day in small actions! Dust makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world every day... even on the days I roll out of bed and go about my day! I know he loves me for who I am and I feel so lucky to have a man who assures me daily of his feelings for me :)

Dust is a blast to be with! He loves snowmobiling and playing sports and it's so fun to see him in his element having a blast! He's active and takes chances, which sometimes scares me, but I'm glad that he isn't boring! He's not a afraid to branch out and try new things!

He's my best friend and I love him eleventy four!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Thought...

I watched this video tonight and it was one that hit me deep. I, too, am quick to judge at times. Shame on me. I was also reading my patriarchal blessing the other night where it mentions that I will help clothe and feed the poor and needy of the world who will be my friends, and that I will learn much from them. I think this could be a great blessing to me and my future family, but a sense of humility and kindness needs to be greatly evident and is something I will have to continually work on!

Have you ever met someone, who has caught you off guard and made your initial judgment way out in left field!?!?!? I feel like God puts people and situations in our lives to help us and sometimes those people come in many different circumstances and if we are not humble and open to hearing and learning from another, we will miss out on the blessing. I want to try to be more open, kind, and through those initial and ignorant judgments out the window and see what inspiration and blessings I can receive from having the true love of Christ and treating other how I would like to be treated too!

Ride the River With

When I was young, I always struggled with knowing who my TRUE friends were. The girls in my grade were always so catty and I spent a lot of time crying or being sad about the way my 'friends' were treating me. I remember coming home from school one day and finding my daddy sitting on the couch waiting for my arrival. He said he had something important to talk to me about. I quickly reviewed my daily actions to make sure I hadn't done anything that would've upset him and I was pretty sure I was off the hook, but the conversation that followed has been something that has stuck with me throughout my life and also a conversation I will be sharing with my kids when the time is right. This is a little of how it went...

Dad ushered me over to the couch and asked me to look up to the ceiling. As I glanced up, my eyes became focused on about 10 rectangular shaped pieces of paper. He continued to explain that they were cheques that were made out for different amounts of ranging from .02 cents to $1000.00. I shot a sly smirk his way and he continued to tell me that he was going to give me one chance to jump up and grab one of the cheques. If I got the $1000.00 cheque on my first try, it was mine. I, of course, didn't believe him, but he assured me he was SERIOUS, which in our family means it is the truth and there's no going back, so I took the challenge! I quickly scanned the ceiling for the winning cheque as visions of my future shopping spree played in my head. I finally zoned in on THE ONE and I leaped like M.J. to the ceiling.

I was pretty sure I had it... I turned it around... 5 cents... :( Disappointment quickly flowed over my face. Dad goes 'You know, I'm pretty confident... I'll give you another try'. So again I leap up... more like Lebron this time and grab another cheque.. I'm pretty sure this one was $2.00. Just when I thought my luck was gone, what does Dad do, but give me ANOTHER try, so up I go and down with my last chance cheque... it was made out for some measly amount like $1.24.

My dad then had me sit down with him as he explained that in our lives, we have the chance to meet many individuals with different values and more often then not, those values are not always measured up to our goal or desire. My wise father explained that many of the so called 'friends' I had at that time in junior high were not horrible friends, but they didn't treat me the way a TRUE friend should. He then had me jump up and grab the rest of the cheques... after a few more jumps I came down with the $1000.00 cheque and a big smile on my face. He then explained that every now and then in our lives, we are blessed to have a $1000.00 friend come into our lives. He reminded me that our family will always be a consistent friend in my life and that if I am patient and practice being a good friend to those around, I will be lucky enough to be blessed with a couple more of my own.

I thought I understood what he meant when I left the conversation, but as I have grown a little older and experienced life a little more, I have gained a strong testimony of this. My dad has always said, 'Find a friend you can RIDE THE RIVER WITH' and I have always remembered and used this saying with my close friends. To me, the river represents our lives. Sometimes the river can be rough with quick turns and sharp boulders poking out of the rapid water that flows down the narrow way. At times the river can be peaceful and flow at a steady pace, but you never know what's around the corner and what peace and a blessing it is to have a friend to help guide and support you through those rough, good and wild times on the river of life.

I have recently gained another friend to RIDE THE RIVER WITH. Her name is Robin and she has become one of my closest friends. We met early in Fall 2010 when we both entered our first year of the Education After Degree Program at Concordia University. We were put in the same group for a project in school and began bonding as friends. It didn't take long for us to realize the similarities we had in both our values, goals, and desires in life. Robin has consistently pushed me to be better every day. When I was feeling down about life or school, she found a way to make me feel like superwoman. She made and continues to make me feel like I can accomplish anything and I know she will be right beside me every step of the way!!!

I got flooded out of the previous house I was living during the school year and you know what Robin did... offered for me to move in with her family and her. She talked to her parents and explained my situation and they welcomed me in their home for the summer with open arms. I feel so blessed! They have been so supportive and kind and I will never forget the humility and selfless service they have shown to me! It's no wonder Robin in such a great individual... she comes from a quality and inspiring home!

Robin is driven!! She works harder than anyone I know. She always gives 120% and doesn't settle for less than she deserves. She does the little extra things that make a significant difference in your life. She has been an amazing help with my wedding plans. Her, along with my family, have kept me partly sane during this wedding prep business. Robin will text me randomly with ideas to help with the wedding! I truly cannot thank her enough. She is beautiful, talented, selfless, kind, funny, and a wonderful wonderful friend!!! It is her birthday today and I wanted to dedicate a little blog to her to remind her that I am so thankful for her friendship! Robin... love you eleventy-four (this is something my family say to each other and it means the very most love you can love someone :))

Happy Happy Birthday to one of my BEST friends!!!! You are AMAZING!!!!