Life and Death

My cousin Spencer died in a car accident over the weekend and today I went to his funeral. Spencer was a very young father of two: his little boy is two and his baby girl is only five months old. His young wife, Mickell, is now a widow and single mother at twenty.

I definitely believe in life after death. I know that Spence is in a happier place now. My heart just aches for Mickell. She is so young and has to be strong for her two little children who need her. Luckily she has a lot of family who love her and will help fill in where we can.

His death has really made me ponder about a lot of things. I haven't really had time to sort it all out. My thoughts aren't organized well, so I'll just make a list.

• I would like to have "Families Can Be Together Forever" sung at my funeral. I am so very grateful that those lyrics are true.
• I want to take more family pictures and videos, especially with Brad and I. If something were to happen to one of us, our kids are young enough that they wouldn't remember well. I want to be sure my kids have those pictures and videos to help them remember how much we love them and how much fun we have together.
• We have life insurance, but I think we should get even more. If Brad were to die, I would fall apart. I can't even begin to imagine how hard that would be. I certainly don't want to risk adding any financial struggles as well.
• So often when things like this happen, we don't know what to say. I want to make sure I show that I am there to support and listen to others, even if I don't have any words of comfort to impart.
• Life can change so fast. You never know when someone you love could get in an accident and die. I want to be sure to show my family and friends how much they mean to me. I don't want to procrastinate playing with my children or spending time with loved ones. I can't be sure it's not my last chance.
• Spencer's brother gave Mickell one of the best compliments I have ever heard. He said, "You really brought out the best in Spencer." I really want to live in such a way that I bring out the best in others, especially my husband and my children.
• Without omniscience, it's hard to know why bad things happen. Certainly adversity can help us improve. Often our characters are strengthened as we endure trials. Struggles help us rely on our faith in Christ and help us learn patience and empathy. Hard times bring family and friends closer together. I don't know why it Spencer's time to go when he was still so young and had such a promising future ahead of him and his young family. I love one of the scriptures the bishop used in his remarks at the funeral: "And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things" (1 Nephi 11:17). I don't know why Spencer's life ended so soon. I do know, however, that the scripture is true. Our Heavenly Father loves us very much. He loves Spencer and He loves Mickell. He loves their two sweet little children. He loves all of us. I think of how much a love my husband and children, yet it can't compare to how much God loves us. I know it's true; I feel it deep in my soul that it's true.
• I am so thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ who made it possible to live again. Through His atonement, my cousin's little family can be together again someday. I cried a lot for my cousin's family today. I'm sure they cried and will continue to cry much more. Death is very devastating. We don't want to be parted from our loved ones. It is comforting, though, that the parting is only temporary. Thanks to the atonement "the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ" (Mosiah 16:8). I will be forever grateful for that.

Blessed With Great Vision

Jason has 20/20 vision! This is super exciting! In this photo Jason is trying out Parker's patch, but luckily he has no need for them himself!

If you have never had glasses or contacts, you have no idea how great you have it. Of course I feel very fortunate to see at all, but let's face it, glasses and contacts are a pain. If I had the spare cash, I would definitely get Lasic. Hopefully someday that will work out. For now, however, I'm grateful to live in a time and place that blesses me with corrective lenses to correct my poor vision. As a young child I had a patch too.Parker got glasses at 2 1/2 and started wearing a patch at four. He only wears it a couple hours a day, but it's working. At his last appointment he had 20/20 vision with his glasses. Yay! We'll probably phase out the patch pretty soon. I have worn glasses and contacts for almost three decades (yes, that dates me). I got my glasses at 2 1/2 as well. I switched to contacts just before 7th grade. I am farsighted (hyperopia), which is a condition you are born with. Brad also wears glasses, but for nearsightedness (myopia). He got his glasses around 5th grade, which is typical. We don't know yet if Jason might need glasses sometime in the future, but for now this cute little face will remain glasses-free!

I'd Rather Not Remember

You know those lousy moments? Those times when you're so frustrated you want to cry? When your house is a disaster, the kids are non-compliant and unkind (too put it lightly), you've tried on half your closet and can't find anything that seems even remotely flattering, you have a million different things should do, but you don't want to and feel horribly guilty about it. You've been angry at your kids, you let your spouse down, you feel lonely, . . . basically you just feel like throwing a giant pity party?

Remember those moments? Well, I'd rather not. In a way it's comforting to read about other people's struggles. It can give me strength to know I'm not alone in it. That said, I still tend to avoid posting about the daily trials. Sometimes my blog might make it seem like I live in a pretty rosy place. It's true, I do. Just in case you were wondering though, I'm not exempt from those super-lame, makes me want to scream and cry, lousy kinds of days. I prefer, however, not to post much of a reminder of them.

Why God Made Moms (and Dads)

I got an email that had 2nd graders asking questions about "Why God Made Moms", so I asked Parker the same questions(plus some about fathers). Here are his resonses:

Why did God make mothers?
'cause people need mothers. Otherwise bad guys will get them, but some people don’t have mothers and they have to get their own food.

How did God make mothers?
He put bones in them.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
I don’t know.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
‘cause He knows I love her. I’m glad she’s my mommy. Some people don’t like their mommies, but I do. Why don’t some people like their mommies and they want a different one like you? Why?

What kind of little girl was your mom?
A kid.

What did your mom need to know about your dad before she married him?
That she loved him.

Why did your mom marry your dad?
'cause she loves him.

Who's the boss at your house?
Daddy’s the boss as long as Mommy’s okay with it.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
Daddies play and Mommies play. Mommy does the laundry and Dad goes to work.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
What spare time?

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
She needs more food and more laughing.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
I don’t want to change anything about my mommy. I love her and don’t want to change her.

Why did God make fathers?
‘cause God’s nice.

How did God make fathers?
Put ingredients.

What ingredients are fathers made of?
Salt . . ., bones and muscles.

Why did God give you your dad and not some other dad?
‘cause our Daddy loves us.

What kind of little boy was your dad?
Like me.

What did your dad need to know about your mom before he married her?
He loved mommy.

Why did your dad marry your mom?
He loves Mommy. Kisses (giggling) . . . he loved Mommy.

What does your dad do in his spare time?
Go to work.

What would it take to make your dad perfect?
Tickling him.

If you could change one thing about your dad, what would it be?
I don’t know. I love him and don’t want to change him, ‘cause that would make him worse.

Does your mom and dad like being your parents?
They love it!

I was pretty impressed with Parker's answers. The "Who's the boss?" question is kind of a standing joke at our house, but apparently he's pays attention, because he repeated it exactly. All of the others are just whatever he said.

I'm glad he likes us, because we're pretty attached to him as well!

I Guess I'm a Wimp

Apparently I'm posting a lot today.
Anyway, it seems that I've been scarred for life- or at least scared for life as far as bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets and the like a concerned. I have been stung six times in my life, mostly by bees. My first sting was as a five year old when I stepped on a bee in the grass. My worst was a wasp, I think. Anyway, my friend and I had been playing basketball in her back yard. The ball went in the bushes adn when I went to get it, the wasp stung my eyelid. I frantically took out my contact lens. Good thing, because after a few minutes my eye was so swollen I couldn't open it for days. I looked like I'd been in quite the fist fight. Luckily I'm not terribly allegic to bee stings, but all but one hurt like the dickens. My latest sting was over a decade ago, but still I get nervous around flying stinging things.
So, I guess we've got a swarm living above our garage. I saw a few, but couldn't see any hole where they could get in. I decided to spray the wasp/hornet spray anyway. Almost immediately wasps started flying out of what looked like a regular brick. I wanted to keep spraying, but didn't have the guts, so I high-tailed it into the house. I might try again later, but I think I'll get Brad to do it. I don't want him to get stung either, but I guess I'm a wimp.

Five Years Ago Today

Five years ago today, June 22, 2004, Brad and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. In some ways it has flown by and in others it seems as if Bradley has always been a part of my life.

It was a lovely summer day and the happiest day of my life so far (having kids has brought even more joy).

My colors were a deep plum purple and silver. I had the most beautiful flowers. I wish that my bouquet could have stayed nice, because it was absolutely incredible. This photo is a view of our cake from above. It was pretty amazing too. We have a lot of fun photos, including this one. I trust my brothers and in-laws, but it felt like they were going to drop me for sure. Here's one of the whole wedding party at Seven Oaks, where we had our reception. We loved it there! We went on our honeymoon to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. What a fun first week of our marriage!

That fall I started my first year of of teaching elementary school (3rd grade).

We were lucky enough to go to Oahu, Hawaii in 2005. In March of 2006 we welcomed little Parker into our family. That May Brad graduated from the U of U with degrees in English and French. By the time Parker was born we were in our third apartment.

In 2007 we took a fun San Diego vacation. A miscarriage that year brought disappointment, but that has made having ou children even better. At the end of the year Brad graduated in accounting and got his job at a firm in Ogden, Utah. We've been fortunate to go to Bear Lake and Las Vegas nearly every year of our marriage.

At the beginning of the summer 2008 I was able to stop teaching and become a full-time stay-at-home mom. Yay! We bought our home near North Ogden. Brad and I were able to travel to New York City on vacation. Then in December, little Jason joined our family.

Now, here we are after five years of marriage with our two little boys.

I feel like a very lucky girl to be married to such a wonderful man! I love him more than ever and look forward to what the future will bring!

What do you think?

This is a photo of Brad at about four, Parker at almost three and Jen at three. See any similarities?

Here is another one.

Jen, Jason, Brad and Parker

Do are kids look anything like us? I think so.

Because You Can't Enough of Me

This list is for all of the things you forgot to put on your 25 Random Things. It's harder than you think to come up with 25 More.

26. I once skied an entire ski run backwards just to see if I could do it. I could! (Alta, Albion Lift)
27. I can solve a Rubix Cube.
28. I know a ton of great children’s books.
29. In restaurants I like to order something new about half the time and the other half stick with a favorite.
30. I like to listen to NPR.
31. I enjoy making slideshow/video compilations of my kids (wedding video style).
32. I had never flown on an airplane until I was 18. Since then I’ve flown many times.
33. I am not a fan of pickles.
34. There are a lot of people I admire, but I think that my Grandma Cannon is the epitome of generosity. I hope to be just like her.
35. I have naturally curly hair.
36. When I was a teenager, I used to draw house floor plans on graph paper. I thought I might want to be an architect.
37. I brought a lot of people together. Several of my friends were introduced to each other through me and are now friends independently.
38. I have never broken a bone.
39. I am glad that my kids get to be around pets at grandma’s and their friends’ houses, because we aren’t getting a pet any time soon.
40. I dye my hair regularly. I didn't choose the graying young hair genes, but I do choose not to let it show.
41. Some of my favorite smells are fresh baked bread, fall leaves, rain and Escape.
42. I wish that I laughed in glee as much as my two year old.
43. Most of my favorite movies are romantic comedies.
44. I don’t especially like cleaning, but I like having my house clean and the sense of accomplishment I feel afterwards.
45. When I was in college my friend and I trained with a boxing coach. We did it for exercise; I don’t think you could pay me enough to want to really punch someone for entertainment purposes.
46. Before I decided to study elementary education, I had done all of the prerequisites for nursing.
47. It is important to me to feel that I am self-disciplined.
48. I speak Spanish, but I’m afraid I’m losing my vocabulary.
49. I wish I had a piano so that I could practice. I took lessons for a long time, but am not as accomplished as I should be.
50. My family drove across the country when I was 15. We drove from Utah to Massachusettes, then down to Washington D.C. and then back to Utah again. It was super cool to see everything, but the U.S. is big. It was 137 hours in the car. We had been all along the west coast on other trips.
51. (This one is too funny to leave out.) When I was outside in 7th grade P.E. a seagull pooped on my head. Yeah, that was lovely.

Random Photos from Back in the Day

So my parents got a new all-in-one printer, so I was the lucky recipient of their old scanner. I've been having fun scanning in some pictures. Here are some totally random sweet photos.

This is inside the M & M Factory in Las Vegas! (Jen, Nina, Mayra, Janet & Me)

Brad and I in my parent's backyard when we were engaged.

My friend Lisa and I having fun at the store. This was during my senior year on high school.

Janet and Deb came to see me off on my mission to Bolivia. (Check out my super-short hair.)

Christmas when I was three. I remember loving those cute red shoes.

Deb, Kaylynn and I raided my parent's 70s clothes. Stylin'!

Thanks for coming on my trip down memory lane.

25 Random Things

1.I got married at 25. I’m so glad I had time to enjoy single life before getting married. I have many fond memories of those days, but make no mistake; Married life is better.
2.I wish I were funnier. Only occasionally do I have a witty comment and my two year-old Parker is the only person who thinks I’m hilarious.
3.I had funny college roommates. Just to give you an example, one of them thought Mr. Slim Goodbody was sexy. Yes, she was serious.
4.I enjoy sports. In college I took courses in alpine skiing, gymnastics, Latin dance and hockey. I like playing softball, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee and shooting hoops. Sadly, I haven’t played any sports in about two years. I did go rollerblading today, though.
5.I lived In Bolivia for a year and a half. Anyone who has served an LDS mission has lived somewhere different, but Bolivia is kind of random. I LOVED IT, by the way!
6.I loved teaching elementary school; except for those moments when I really wished I had chosen another career. Anyone who has dealt with naughty children knows what I mean.
7.Sometimes I want to go where everybody knows my name and they’re always glad I came. I’m referring to a feeling of camaraderie rather than a bar.
8.My internal thermostat broke when I returned from my mission. I guess it was the Bolivian heat. Anyway, I was almost always cold- until I got pretty pregnant with Jason. I still don’t get cold much anymore.
9.I used to always carry my cell phone in my sock, even when I had pockets.
10.I’m really into personal productivity. I like knowing that I use my time well.
11.I am a real people person and love to spend my time with friends and family, but I’m kind of shy around people I don’t know. I’m working on becoming more outgoing.
12.Poking me in the sides is the worst. It hasn’t happened since Junior High, but just know that if you try it, you might get punched.
13.I used to be on the track team in high school and ran a half marathon in 2003. You wouldn’t know it now, but I’m working on that too.
14.I owe my family big time. They are always doing me favors and rarely ask me to help them with anything. I am very willing though.
15.I have now worn contacts for 17 ½ years. Before that I wore glasses. I got them when I was 2 ½. Maybe I can get Lasik sometime.
16.I love breakfast cereals. Chex and Honey Bunches of Oats are some of my favorites.
17.I love it when I get compliments on my cooking. I’m becoming pretty good if I say so myself.
18.My husband Brad and I have been lucky to travel quite a bit since we got married: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Honolulu Hawaii; San Diego, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Manhattan, New York. Plus, we’ve gone to Bear Lake every year. Lucky us.
19.I used to fold my gum wrappers into roses.
20.I love my in-laws. I couldn’t ask for better parents-in-law and Brad’s sisters and their families are the best!
21.I took undergraduate courses at Utah State and the University of Utah. I had grad classes from Utah State and Weber State.
22.I enjoy blogging and reading my family and friends’ blogs.
23.I enjoy reading. Some of my favorite books are: To Kill a Mockingbird, Black Like Me, Les Miserables, Anne of Green Gables, Gone with the Wind and The Hiding Place. I also liked reading Jane Austen, J.K. Rowling, James Herriot and Gerald Lund.
24.Before I started dating Brad, I hung out with friends every day and used about 3,000 minutes on my phone every month. Times have changed.
25.Having children is THE BEST thing I have ever done. I love being home with my boys.

If you want to be tagged, then go for it!

Tagged - Fives!

(These are in random order.) Five things I did five years ago 1. Start dating Brad more seriously 2. Student teaching 2nd grade 3. Relief Society president for my student ward 4. Live on about five hours of sleep a night 5. Hang out with friends every day and still use about 3,000 minutes a month on my cell phone Five best choices I ever made 1. Marry my sweetheart Bradley in the temple 2. Have Parker 3. Serve an LDS Mission in Bolivia (I didn't choose the place, but I loved it anyway.) 4. Strengthen my testimony 5. I am sure that Baby Pratt #2 and any future children will be excellent choices as well. Five things I love about my husband 1. His desire to be the best he can be 2. His laugh and dimple 3. He's such a hard worker 4. He is so great with Parker 5. He honors his priesthood Five movies you would watch more than once 1. While You Were Sleeping 2. Return to Me 3. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 4. Three Men and a Little Lady 5. The Sound of Music Five t.v. shows I watch 1. none (I usually don't watch t.v.) 2. The News 3. Monk (I watch the seasons on DVD on occasion) 4. Bones (Brad loves it, so sometimes I watch it with him.) 5. American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance (Depends which is on.) Five places I have been 1. Bolivia (I loved serving my mission here.) 2. Eastern U.S. and Canada (New York, Palmayra, Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, etc.) 3. Western U.S. , Mexico and Canada (Oahu, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, L.A., San Diego, Las Vegas, Tijuana, etc.) 4. Mid-West/Southern U.S. (Chicago, Nauvoo, St. Louis, New Orleans, Biloxi, etc.) 5. Utah Five places I 'd like to go This is sort of cheating, but. . . 1. Europe (Italy, France, Germany, England, Greece, ect.) 2. Asia (Israel, India, China, Thailand, Ukraine, etc.) 3. South Pacific (Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, etc.) 4. Africa (Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, anywhere it would be safe to go on safari, etc.) 5. South America (I've been to Peru and Bolivia, but I'd like to go back. I would like to go more places too.) Five jobs I have had 1. Mother (my favorite job!) 2. Elementary School Teacher 3. Secretary for a real estate developer 4. Old Navy employee 5. Cashier at a dry cleaner Five pet peeves 1. Poking me, especially repetitively (If you poke my sides, I just might punch you.) 2. People who pee on the toilet seat - Gross!! 3. People who forget that their blinker is on and drive forever that way 4. When cars are driving really slowly and you can't pass them 5. Spam Five of my favorite books (This is really hard to narrow down) 1. The Book of Mormon 2. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom 3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 4. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo 5. Fire and the Covenant bu Gerald Lund I also loved the Anne of Green Gables series, the Work and the Glory series, the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, Gone With the Wind by Margarett Mitchell, the Harry Potter series, James Herriot's books, Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin, Jane Austen's books and a million children's books (I was a school teacher, what can I say?) Five of my favorite foods 1. Funeral potatoes (I know the name is not ideal, but you know what I mean this way.) 2. Cheesecake 3. Cafe Rio pork salad 4. Homemade ice cream 5. Ice cream shakes Five of my favorite things to do 1. Spend time with Brad and Parker 2. Spend time with my family (including my in-laws) 3. Spend time with my friends 4. Talk on the phone with or read blogs of the people I can't visit in person 5. It's not that I am super outgoing, but I am certainly a social individual. Five of my favorite outdoor activities 1. Rollerblading 2. Snow skiing 3. Water skiing 4. Walking 5. Playing ultimate frisbee (even though I haven't played in years) Five of my favorite indoor activities 1. Talking with family of friends 2. Eating 3. Playing games 4. Watching a really good movie 5. Reading a really good book Five things I look forward to 1. Our new baby boy 2. Christmas (I love the whole season!) 3. Hanging out with family 4. Hanging out with friends 5. The new baby (I am super excited about that one!) If you want to be tagged, you're it!

Most embarrassing, saddest, and happiest moments of my life

Most Embarrassing Moment:

When I was in sixth grade at Upland Terrace Elementary we had a lot of fun end-of-the-year activities. One such activity we got to go swimming at Skyline High School. I enjoyed swimming and the prospect of swimming with my friends during school time seemed like a great idea. Everything went well walking to 7th grade photo the school and swimming in the pool. Afterwards I went into the women’s locker room, rinsed off in the showers and went to change my clothes. I couldn’t find my underwear anywhere. I realized that it must have fallen out when I grabbed my towel to dry off from the shower. I went to check and sure enough, on the wet tile of the shower room, was my soggy underwear. I had decided not to claim them, when one of the other girls pointed to the wet wadded underwear and shouted, “Hey, whose panties are these?” She began asking everyone individually whose they were. I felt my face getting hot and ran to change my clothes so that she wouldn’t ask me directly. I just abandoned my wet underwear on the locker room floor and had to go without them the rest of the school day. There was nothing that would have connected me to that pair of soggy underwear, but I was mortified anyway.

Saddest Moment:

Growing up I loved to visit my grandparents -all of them. I have many fond memories of visiting my Grandma and Grandpa Ipson, my mother’s parents. Whenever we would come to visit, my grandpa would give us jelly beans and make us Kool-Aid. He usually wore those one-piece jumpsuits that remind me of a mechanic or flight suit, but he also wore Adidas soccer shoes, which were immensely popular at the time. He wore glasses and sometimes he would pull them out from his face so that his eyes filled the lenses. Whenever we would sleep over, he would stay up watching old movies with us, let us play around with the player piano, and during meals he would give us advice and bear his testimony of the gospel. He was very technologically savvy, so he had a nice computer and a good video camera. He would videotape us on special occasions and at all family functions. He had a special chair in the living room that was his chair and we loved to sit in it. Sometimes he would take us in his big white van to visit our cousins that lived on a dairy farm north of Logan. He always provided Circus Peanuts and those pink lozenge candies as snacks for the ride up. My grandparents had raspberry bushes in their backyard and whenever they were in season, we would go out and pick large bowls of them. I loved my grandpa dearly and was very close to him. When I was in high school he was diagnosed with colon cancer. His health deteriorated quickly. I remember one day during my junior year of high school, I was at my house and the phone rang. My mom answered it and just began sobbing. I knew that my grandpa had just died. I had known people who had died, but no one that had been as close to me as was my grandpa. I was not much of a crier in my growing up years, but I cried quite a bit over his death. I am so grateful that I knew and still do know that this life is not all that there is. I know that I will see my dear grandfather again after this life and that he is in a much happier place now.

Happiest Moments:

I have had at least three moments in my life that stand out to me as happiest. At the time they were the happiest, but then a later moment would surpass the joy. Here they are in chronological order.

Happiest Moment #1:

I was very lucky to serve a mission to some of the most wonderful people in the world. I served in the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission. I loved the people there and the other missionaries who served there. While I was there I had several wonderful experiences, but one that really stands out in my mind was with the Castro family in Trinidad, Bolivia. José and Guadalupe had nine children, despite their relatively young years (they were both 31). When we met them, they had just moved to the area and were living on the school house floor while classes were out for the winter vacation. The Castros were a nearly destitute family. Brother Castro had a job as a brick maker, but his meager income could not feed his large family. Despite their poverty, they were golden investigators. The parents loved to read from the Book of Mormon and read it aloud to their children. They accepted each precept we taught and applied it into their lives. They began to attend church, even though it was quite a walk, especially with so many young children. They lived the Word of Wisdom and tried to dress modestly. I was especially touched as we taught them the principle of Tithing. José, Guadalupe & 8 of thier 9 children

The Castro family was so poor that they had to take turns going hungry almost every day. We taught them about tithing and promised them the Lord knew of their struggles and that He would bless them if they would obey. Brother and Sister Castro did not know how they were going to have enough to eat, but they did know that they wanted to show God that they loved and trusted him. The next Sunday, Brother Castro went to church with the tithing in his pocket knowing that he would have to ask a few of his children to take a turn not eating that day. I can only imagine the amount of faith that would take, knowing that you will probably have to come home and not be able to feed your young children. The Castro family had a great amount of faith and they paid their tithing. On their way home from church another member offered them some food. The following day his boss came by with some back pay that he didn't even know was owed to him. They were still very poor, but Brother Castro said that since that day they paid their first payment of tithing, never again have they had to go to bed with nothing to eat. They had a lot of faith, but it was definitely rewarded. This family was soon baptized and later they were sealed together in the Cochabamba Temple.

I had gained a testimony of tithing prior to this, but I had never had to make such a sacrifice to pay it as this family made. I know that God blessed them for their faith. It made me so happy to be there serving the Lord as a missionary so that I could witness such faith. I knew that I was exactly where the Lord wanted me to be and doing what He would have me do- a very happy feeling. Happiest Moment #2: When Brad and I started dating, I was 25 years old. I consider that to be kind of an average age to marry. Many of my friends married much younger and many of my friends are not yet married. I am glad that not everyone is on the same time line. I am so grateful for the experiences I had being single through nearly all of my undergraduate college experience. I met so many wonderful people and also had a lot of fun.

Anyway, back to Brad. Finding the right person to marry is definitely worth the wait. In random order, here are a few things that I love about Bradley: *He is considerate of others. He tries to ensure that everyone is included and having a good time. *He is a very hard worker. When he was in school he studied well and now that he is working, he always does his best at work. *He is excellent with children.Before we were married I saw him interact with cousins and now Parker just adores him. *He has a strong testimony and is dedicated to serving the Lord. He always strives to have the Spirit with him. (I’m sure that he will be really embarrassed when he reads this section of the blog.)

Brad proposed in early March and we were married on June 22, 2004 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. It was one of the most joyful moments of my life to be kneeling across the altar looking into the deep blue eyes of someone that I had grown to love so deeply. There was so much to look forward to and so far things have only gotten better. I love Brad more than when I married him. He is so good to me and is such a wonderful father to Parker. Marrying my sweetheart was definitely a very happy moment.

Happiest Moment #3:

That brings my latest happiest moment. Brad and I were so excited for the birth of our first baby. We looked forward to it (as most parents do) as something that would be miraculous. Nothing, however, can prepare you for what it is like to really be a parent. The actual delivery process is hardly a comfortable experience to put it lightly, but seeing that little baby is so amazing there aren’t words to describe it. When you look into your little baby’s face and see someone who is partly you, partly the person you most love, and partly their own little personality, it is absolutely incredible. There are literally no words that can fully express the joy I felt holding that little boy. Parker has brought more joy to my life than I ever imagined. Parenting is certainly not easy, but I love it. Every time he runs to hug me or says something funny, I am reminded of the joy of parenthood. When Brad and I welcomed Parker into our lives was definitely the happiest moment of my life so far. We are thrilled to be having another baby in a few short months.

Memories

I've seen this on a few of my friends blogs and it looks fun. I guess I'll find out if any of you even check my blog. Here's how to play: 1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If you don't have a blog, please comment as anonymous (but include your name). 2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll be sure to write one about you..