Merry Christmas To All And To All A Goodnight.......

We hope everyone's Christmas is wonderful! We love you!

Quotes

Those of you who know me, know that I love quotes. I was cleaning out one of my email accounts today and came across these that I had received through LDS Nuggets. I thought I would share them with you today. Enjoy!

The Gift of Gratitude

"Let us remember, too, that greatness is not always a matter of the scale of one’s life, but of the quality of one’s life. True greatness is not always tied to the scope of our tasks, but to the quality of how we carry out our tasks whatever they are. In that attitude, let us give our time, ourselves, and our talents to the things that really matter now, things which will still matter a thousand years from now."

-- Spencer W. Kimball, "A Gift of Gratitude"

Gratitude

"Gratitude expressed to our Heavenly Father in prayer for what we have brings a calming peace—a peace which allows us to not canker our souls for what we don’t have. Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure. Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or desire in the future. A recognition of and appreciation for our gifts and talents which have been given also allows us to acknowledge the need for help and assistance from the gifts and talents possessed by others."

-- Robert D. Hales, "Gratitude for the Goodness of God"

Character

"We are not born into this world with fixed habits. Neither do we inherit a noble character. Instead, as children of God, we are given the privilege and opportunity of choosing which way of life we will follow—which habits we will form. Confucius said that the nature of men is always the same. It is their habits that separate them. Good habits are not acquired simply by making resolves, though the thought must precede the action. Good habits are developed in the workshop of our daily lives. It is not in the great moments of test and trial that character is built. That is only when it is displayed. The habits that direct our lives and form our character are fashioned in the often uneventful, commonplace routine of life. They are acquired by practice."

-- Delbert L. Stapley, "Good Habits Develop Good Character"

Today

"This life is not so much a time for getting and accumulating as it is a time for giving and becoming. Mortality is the battlefield upon which justice and mercy meet. But they need not meet as adversaries, for they are reconciled in the Atonement of Jesus Christ for all who wisely use Today."

-- Lance B. Wickman, "Today"

Life's Struggles

"Some of our struggles involve making decisions, while others are a result of the decisions we have made. Some of our struggles result from choices others make that affect our lives. We cannot always control everything that happens to us in this life, but we can control how we respond. Many struggles come as problems and pressures that sometimes cause pain. Others come as temptations, trials, and tribulations."

-- L. Lionel Kendrick, "Strength During Struggles"

Eating For Life

OK..........I'm pretty proud of myself. Ever since my last post, I've been thinking and researching (somewhat) about getting healthier. I've started trying to make this change many times in the past, but have never REALLY and truly followed up on it and I've always given up way too easily....mostly because of my own stupid reservations and excuses. I'm determined that this time will be different!

SO........The reason I'm proud of myself..................

I went grocery shopping today and I didn't buy anything fattening!! No junk food!

I HATE going grocery shopping without being properly prepared, which requires a little bit of work before I actually go. I always make up a "menu" of sorts for the next 2 weeks (since I go shopping every pay period).............and then I make up my shopping list from that menu. This way I can be sure that I will have all the necessary ingredients and I don't end up running to the store 50 times to get things, which then results in spending a lot more money!

I am a big fan of Biggest Loser...........but I've also always really like the ideas of Bill Phillips as well. I firmly believe that your body needs a little of everything............in moderation. I don't believe it's healthy to 'cut' certain things out of your diet, so I'm pretty picky about what kind of 'diet' I will actually do. I want one that's really, actually going to be healthy for my body in the long run. Anyway, I have both of Bill Phillips books Body for Life and Eating for Life. In Body for Life, he basically talks/teaches about changing your mind frame to a healthier one and making the necessary changes to becoming a happier, healthier you. (Which is why I also really like Jillian Michaels books as well. She does the same thing.) In the book Eating for Life, it's full of healthy recipes to make..........and they're pretty good! I've tried 1 or 2 of them out in the past and have liked them. However, today my entire menu came from that book! Hopefully, they'll be yummy...............and that Matt will like them, too! LOL We'll see what happens.

This is the first step. I also have Jillian Michaels books as well from The Biggest Loser. Between all of them, I should be able well on my way to learning how to make the necessary changes for healthier eating habits.

I also weighed myself this week ask well (UGH!). I know exactly how much I need to lose to be a healthy weight for my height and body type. The next step is to get back to exercising regularly again....................

Biggest Loser

OK..........I have been thinking about something for quite some time now, and I have come to the conclusion that I need to finally, actually DO something about it. I've also been debating whether or not to even post this for everyone to see. It's kind of personal, but I've decided to go ahead and do so in hopes that this will help kick my butt in gear. Here's the deal.........

For the most part, I like who I am as a person and I'm pretty proud of all of the things that I've accomplished in my life. There's always room for improvement, obviously, but I think that for the most part I'm doing pretty well. I don't mean for this post to be seem like I'm 'putting myself down' or anything. That's not my intent at all. But I do have to be perfectly honest in saying that................I HATE to look at myself in the mirror and I HATE pictures of me! Who doesn't, right? :)

My whole life I have had a constant battle with my weight. When Matt and I met and started dating, though, I was working in Pediatric Ophthalmology up at the University of Utah/Primary Children's Hospital. I LOVED my job for a number of reasons! One of which is that I was more active and running around the clinic all day long, for long hours. I had lost quite a bit of weight and was feeling better, both physically and mentally, than I ever had! When I quit that job and moved on..........I found myself at a job that required that I sit at a desk all day, every day.........and the weight has all come back, plus some. I HATE it!

I don't like the way I look and feel these days.................I know that there is so much that I could change and improve upon to make myself so much healthier! So here's my plan: For the new year, I want to make those changes to help make me a healthier, happier person. However, I don't necessarily want to wait until the new year. I want to start now, today. I want to get the confidence in myself back that I seem to have lost somewhere along the way, which I know will also help my relationship to be even stronger with Matt. He's such an incredible person and truly loves me for who I am! He thinks I'm beautiful just the way I am, and I love him so much for it! He's the greatest!

Matt and I have had some trouble getting our family started in the past, but there isn't a doubt in my mind that we WILL have children someday when the time is right! In the meantime, I feel that it's important that he and I start now to be healthier so that we can pass that along to our children as well. I want both of us to be able to run and play with our children someday, and to be healthy and strong for them. Both Matt and I have some very unhealthy traits and genetic diseases in our family medical histories, which we are very prone to getting some day. If possible, I hope that we can be healthier and avoid those things so that we can live long, happy, active lives with our children and families.

Matt and I have been watching Biggest Loser:Families this season for the first time, and it has been very inspiring! Watching the transformation that has taken place in these people's lives, not just physically, but mentally as well has been incredible!

My goal is to lose weight in a healthy manner by being more active, watching what I eat better, and cutting down on my portions. I have several good friends who have been great examples to me of becoming healthier and looking GREAT!! I'm looking for suggestions from others of things that have helped them in the past and present to be healthier, such as exercise regimens, healthy recipes, etc. I'm open to all suggestions! So please comment away and help me out!!

Soldier's Silent Night - by Ted Berndt

So Matt came home the other day and was telling me about something he heard on the radio while listening to KOSY 106.5. He was trying to express to me and put into words how moved he was by it, but was having a hard time describing/expressing it to me. This morning he got a chance to share it with me when he heard it come on the radio again while he was driving to work. He called me and told me to hurry and turn the radio on so I could here it.........which I did. After it was over, he called me back again to make sure I had heard it and to hear my thoughts on it. I was actually too choked up with tears to say much!

Having grown up in the military myself with a wonderful father who served and fought for this country every day for so many years of my life..................it makes me even more emotional and proud of our military. I love my Dad and I'm so grateful to him and to all of the other soldiers in the past and present who are constantly fighting and giving up their lives for our freedom! Words can't even express how grateful I am to you all!

This video really touched me very deeply and I wanted to share it with you all as well. In this Christmas Season especially.........lets all remember the true meaning of the season. Let's remember Christ and the sacrifice he gave to each of us. Let's remember the thousands of soldiers who are also sacrificing for us every day as well.............

Click on the link below and it will take you to the video. (Don't forget to turn off the music on my blog for a minute first so that you can really hear it.) Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INj75VHjthk

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving..........one of my favorite times of the year! I love all the great food and getting together with friends and family to remember all that we are grateful for. I thought I would take a minute to mention some of the things that I'm so grateful for in my life.

First and foremost............I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for guiding me to Utah and allowing me to meet Matt. Life just wouldn't be the same without him in it! Matt is truly my best friend! He's such a great guy. He's someone who loves and accepts others for who they are and makes people feel so comfortable to be around him. He truly loves people!

When Matt and I started dating, I was pretty much DONE with dating! But he really was like a breath of fresh air. He is known to bring flowers home just for the heck of it and is probably one of the most caring people I've ever met! He makes me laugh and always tells me how beautiful he thinks I am (sometimes I think he needs his vision checked!)...................and we always have fun together. Like I said, he's truly my best friend! I love you and adore you, Matt!

I have so many other things to be grateful as well. I'm grateful to simply have a beautiful house and 2 cars to drive. I'm grateful that we both have jobs. Sometimes money gets tight, but I have to remind myself that at least we do have an income coming in. I do have food on my table every day, gas in my car, and a warm house to sleep in at night. I'm grateful for the ability to be able to go on so many great vacations and to be able to see so much of this great world out there! I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been able to live overseas in Germany for so many wonderful years! I wouldn't have traded those experiences and memories for anything! I'm grateful for all of the many, many friends and people I've met over the years and still keep in touch with. I think, quite often, about others that I don't keep in touch with very well or have lost touch with completely. I'm extremely grateful for the wonderful friends that Matt and I have today and get to spend so much time with.

I'm also very grateful for families and for the knowledge that I have of eternal families. I have 2 really great families! I wish I could see my parents and Tammy more often, but I'm happy that Pauline and her family live close by and we get to spend time with them. I'm also happy to live so close to Matt's family and to be able to spend so much time with them as well. I couldn't have married into a better family! They are amazing people!

This Thanksgiving Matt's Mom, Carolyn, decided to book her condo up in Park City and the family was able to go up and spend a few days up there, which was very enjoyable. Suzie, one of Matt's older sisters, and her husband and kids also have a condo up there as well. Carolyn and Julie, and Suzie, Darcy, and the kids stayed up there pretty much that whole week. Matt and I went up on Wednesday night, stayed all day Thursday, and came home Friday morning. Unfortunately, we missed Paul (Matt's older brother), Halley and Brenna who came up on Friday morning after we were already gone. Here are some pictures that I took of the family as we were up in Park City on Thanksgiving:

This is a picture of the room Matt and I stayed in.

This is some of the family relaxing after dinner.

Matt was playing cards with our niece, Bethany, and nephew, Josh.

Here is Sarah playing a board game on the floor.

A little while after dinner we played the board game, Life-Pirates of the Carribean. We split up into teams and these were our teams.

This is Julie (the oldest child in Matt's family), me, Matt, and Sarah (Suzie and Darcy's youngest).

This is Darcy, Suzie, and Bethany (their 2nd to oldest).

This is Josh (Suzie and Darcy's oldest), Raquel (their 2nd to youngest), and Carolyn (Matt's Mom).

Later, some of us went over to Suzie & Darcy's condo and went hot tubbing. It was FREAKIN' COLD outside!!

Cabela's

On the way back from Lehi for Seth's baby blessing, Ryan & Trisha, Ryan & Chrisy, and I all stopped at Cabela's to hang out a little longer and kill some time before going home.

If you haven't been to Cabela's, located at the point of the mountain on the way to Provo..........it's a pretty cool place to go. It's a HUGE camping/hunting/outdoor store...................but it's a fun place to just take your kids and wander around for an hour or 2. And it's FREE! Unless you buy something, of course. So that's what we did. We wandered around with the kids and checked out all the animals, etc. Here are some pictures I took.

Seth Lund

OK............I've got a bunch of pictures, etc, to catch up on from the end of the summer till now. So here goes.

On Saturday, November 29, 2008...........I went to a baby blessing down in Lehi of some very good friends of Matt and I. (Unfortunately, Matt was unable to go with me because he had to work.)

Matt and I have a group of really close friends that we get together with fairly often. I have to tell you a little about this group of friends, since they are all really special and important to us.

Matt has been friends with Ryan Bruerton for YEARS............even before he met his wife, Trisha. Ryan and Trisha were dating when Matt and I started dating almost 7 years ago (how time flies!). Ryan and Trisha are 2 of our very best friends! We've been through a lot together and have always supported each other through all of the good and bad times we've all been through. That's the way this group of friends is.

Anyway, Trisha went to high school with Sheree, Laura, Drew, and Ryan Keddington............who have all since married other people as well, but have all remained really close friends throughout the years. Matt also went to school with them, but didn't really hang out with them much, even though he and Ryan Keddington were best friends back in Elementary School. (Incidentally, they are now best friends again! LOL) Matt and I have become close friends with all of these people through Ryan and Trisha.

The thing that's a little unique about this group of friends, though, is that none of us had kids for quite some time...........except for Ryan and Trisha! They've been lucky enough to have never had any trouble having children, and now have Kaylee and Jax. However, every single one of the rest of us have all had quite a bit of trouble getting pregnant and it's been nice to have others to talk to about it and really understand what each of us have all been through in the past few years. Slowly, with time and lots of tears and complications............everyone now has children. It started with Drew and Tauna, who now have Caleb and Kaden. Then Ryan and Chrisy, who now have Bridger and Lydia. Sheree and Wayne have been blessed with Michael. And now Ruben and Laura have Seth.

As each of the kids have been born, we've all gathered together to see each of them be blessed and celebrate with each other the birth of each child. Saturday, November 29th, was no exception. We all gathered in Lehi to be there for the blessing of little Seth Lund. (Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, though. Sorry! But if you REALLY want to see pictures of him, there are pictures on their blog. I have a link to their blog under 'Ruben and Laura'.)

Congratulations, Ruben and Laura! We love you and we're so excited for you!

Sugar Bowl

So the Utes finished off their season 12-0, which we are very happy and proud of. We've been anxiously waiting to see which BCS Bowl they are going to play in on New Year's Eve, and they finally made the announcement last night.

Sugar Bowl in New Orleans............here we come!!

Go UTES!!

Joseph B. Wirthlin

It was announced in the news this morning that another beloved Prophet of God has passed on from this life into the next.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, the oldest living apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, died peacefully last night in his sleep at the age of 91.

You will be greatly missed, Elder Wirthlin! Enjoy being reunited with your beautiful wife again..............

12-0 Utah!

By the way..........also an update. For those who didn't already know.........Utah did win the big game and we are now just waiting to find out which bowl game we are going to play in! Go UTES!!

Birthparent Letter

A lot of you already know that I've really been struggling for a couple months now to get our 'birthparent letter' written so that we can finally get our approval for the adoption. I'm happy to update and report that it has now been written and emailed yesterday to our case worker to preview before it gets posted on the LDS Family Services website that we will then create so that all of the prospective birthparents can learn about Matt and I and, hopefully in the not too far off future, choose us to be parents! Wish us luck and keep us in your prayers! I'll keep you posted on when we get the final approval.

We love you all!