The end of 2008

I can't believe 2008 is coming to an end. We have had an interesting year. It has been great! As always, I think December has been the most eventful. Christmas was a blast. Paul spoiled me this year. I kind of spoiled him too. His big gift was a new tv this year. You'll have to ask him what kind it is, but its a 47 in. flat screen.My grandma has also been in town this past week. Its been great having her around. I'm kind of bummed to have to take our Christmas stuff down, but i'm looking forward to the new year. We hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year! Have a great one.

4 Years Ago Yesterday...

So, I really wanted to post this yesterday, but our computer was broken this weekend. Thanks for fixing it Dave! 4 years ago yesterday was the day Paul proposed to me. I can't believe we have been together for 5 1/2 years already.
So going back 4 years is really fun to remember. Our day was sort of ruined because Paul was wanting to have the whole day off. He had to work til late that night. Of course I had no idea what was coming. I wasn't in the best mood that night and it started snowing big time. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't love the snow. I hate driving in it and get really nervous. My sister had just been out in the snow storm and said its awful don't go anywhere. I was determined not to go out. I went anyways and was scared to death. Paul had a very old little blue car and we were sliding all over in my neighborhood. I kept telling him I didn't want to go out. So we finally stopped sliding and headed towards trax. The lights were out on State and everything was just a mess. It didn't help my mood. We went downtown and were unable to see the lights since we got there a little late. I was kind of disappointed about that but we made the best of it. We decided to take a carriage ride. That is when he pulled out the ring, got down on one knee (in the carriage) and proposed. It was way sweet and romantic.
Paul, we've survived 5 1/2 years, we still have eternity. I love you and am very lucky to have a wonderful husband.

Reception

Josh and Rachael's first dance
I thought is was way cute that he was singing
to her.

Daddy daughter dance





Mary dancing with Maclain

Becky dancing with Payton

Matthew, Aunt Lorna, Uncle Del


The beautiful cake.

Rachael's wedding was elegant and beautiful. She made one of the prettiest brides ever! Congrats!

Congratulations Rachael and Josh

My sister in law Rachael got married yesterday. These are a few pictures from her wedding. We just want to say CONGRATULATIONS Josh and Rachael. Welcome to the family Josh!



Bride and Groom with Brides Parents

Payton and Maclain playing astronauts while
pictures were going on.

Happy Couple walking towards the crowd waiting
to Congratulate them.

The first kiss coming out of the temple



Mary and Marquel at teh reception

Rhett and the boys

Salt Lake Temple

Paul and I

Teach the Children

This time of year as we celebrate Christmas and pull out the trees, decorate, bake, watch Christmas movies, listen to Christmas music, and the list goes on and on, one of my favorite things to do is pull out all the Christmas stories. Paul and I pull out our book and read through it every year. This year we have even started to read them together. I love every Christmas story. I could never really pick out a favorite, but one stands out every year. I have even used in my primary lessons, sharing time, and young womens. I even found out tonight, of all nights (since I was planning on doing this post) that this is also one of Paul's favorites. So I thought I would share this story tonight. Hope you enjoy.

TEACH the CHILDREN

Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened...I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree.

He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone.

Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement. "TEACH THE CHILDREN!" I was puzzled; what did he mean?

He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten."

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle. "Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven."

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise."

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. "Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness."

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. "Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection."

He then pulled from his bag and ornament of HIMSELF. "Teach the children that I, Santa Claus symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December."

He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF. "Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly represents the blood shed by Him."

Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that he gave..." "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. Teach the children that the wise men bowed before the holy babe and presented him with gold, frankincense and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit of the wise men."

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. "Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds' crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper."

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. "Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men."

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL. "Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return."

Santa looked back and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship Him, our Lord, our God."

The Best Time of the Year!

This is my favorite time of the year. Christmas is definitely in the air. Have you ever noticed that there is a scent to Christmas? Its all the evergreen and fires burning and wintertime smells. You also have the smells of the wonderful baking going on. Everyone you see is happy and cheerful. It's the time of year when its about service, santa, decorations, etc. I have to say though its not ALL about santa and gifts. The main focus should be the birth of our savior. This is the time of year where we should reflect on the birth of christ and what his life was like. One good word to sum it up is Service.

I love this time of year. We can get out our Christmas movies and music. I've been listening to Christmas music since Dec. 1st. I love finding new music for the year. This year my favorite CD to listen to is Faith Hill's Joy to the World CD. It is amazing and if anybody is looking for a new holiday CD I reccommend this one. I've also been watching Christmas movies. I love Christmas Shoes and all the other movies. What do you do to get you into the season spirit?

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Remember the true meaning of Christmas. Have fun. Love you all.

Traditions and Memories

I so can't believe its already December! It seems like only yesterday it was the new year. This is my favorite time of year. So my husband and I have started a few traditions during our marriage. We have decided to get out and put up our Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. The other day when I was pulling our Christmas stuff out of storage I also came across a few boxes of stuff from growing up. I set the decorations aside and went through some of those boxes since apparently this is the only time of year I really go through our storage. I think I'm kind of sentimental when it comes to this stuff but I love going through my stuff. It brings back a lot of great memories. Pictures are my favorite things to go through. I also had trophies from dance and many other little objects. In the past couple of weeks I have also gotten in touch with some of my old friends and people from my past. I have enjoyed getting reacquainted with old friends. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my life. Putting up our decorations, also got Paul and I talking of our favorite Christmases and childhood memories. It was great talking about our first Christmas with each others families and things we have done before we were together. We definitely have things we want to take from our own family traditions and work them in with our future family. It will be fun to see what we can come up with, but that is something to look forward too. I think this time of year is when people start thinking about there pasts, families, traditions, friends, and hopefully they also remember the birth of our savior. After all, that is what Christmas is all about. It's late, i'm tired, and I'm rambling on. I'll bring this blog to a close. Happy Holidays everyone!