Taking a moment...

Since it's Father's Day today and the weather isn't overly fantastic I thought I would take a moment and make a small post to say "Happy Father's Day" to my dad and all the men in my life who have made some impact on me... there are quite a few and I wish I had pictures of all of them so I could share them but I decided to just share a few of my dad. (I wish I had other pictures too but these are the few I found on my lap top)

Come June 27th it will be 4 years since my dad left his earthly home to return to his Father in Heaven. There are still a lot of things that I don't understand, and I am sure some of them I won't ever understand in this life, but I have learned to appreciate my life more and the blessings I have! I am grateful for the opportunities we have had to meet so many wonderful people and share our life with them and allow them to serve us. That is probably one of the things I have learned to do better- allow others to help me. I am still not perfect but I have gained an understanding of the good it does to allow others to serve. I am grateful for the always present "tender mercies" that show the love my Father in Heaven has for me and my family.

I am blessed to have 11 uncles, 2 grandpas, 1 brother, 4 brother's in law, a father-in-law, wonderful men who have been home teachers, bishops, and friends, and a very understanding and loving husband. I am grateful for all of these men in my life and all the countless others who have helped me and my family.

The past few years have also shown to me that no matter how much planning we put into our life our Father in Heaven is the one with the real plan and I am constantly trying to align my life to His map. I am a very linear and task oriented person and the past 6 months have especially shown to me that there are challenges we are presented with that allow us to grow temporally and spiritually.

I am grateful for my knowledge of the Gospel of Christ and the blessing it has been to help me through life so far. I am grateful for my family and the relationships I have with my siblings and with my Husband's family as well. I am grateful that I have been sealed to my husband, and to know that we are a forever family.

I love you dad and I miss you more than could ever be comprehended.

February...March...and on to April!

Where oh where have the past few months gone? Time has zoomed by and they say spring is just around the corner- although it has been more snow/rain than sunshine lately...

February: The hi-light of February was adding a member to our little family- Jack the puppy came to us for Valentines day! Aaron surprised me with an e-mail and picture a few days before Valentines day to let me know that he had picked out a puppy he liked and we were driving to Homedale on Friday to meet him! Jack is a mini-doxie and the moment I saw him I was in love with him! He was about 8 1/2 weeks old and teeny tiny! Now he has grown a little and come out of his shell so he is running circles around and on top of his kitty sister Cleo! He loves to ride in the car- especially when it's just him and the seat warmer is on! He was also quick to find all the heater vents in the house and can frequently be found occupying one. He is a mommas boy for sure and loves to play "hide and seek" looking for me! (Its pretty funny to see his little wiggly boddy jump around when he finds me!)

March: There were a few days of sunshine in March which gave us a bad case of spring fever! We started our spring cleaning and re-arranging of the house and scouring Craigslist for yardsale ads! Yardsales are still slow to start and haven't been very helpful yet, so in our quest for good yard sales we decided to venture to one of our favorite green houses in Boise's North End- I wasn't sure how much they would have but we found rows and rows of plants and flowers and veggies! Oh I was so excited to see all the green plants! We couldn't help but buy a few, even though it was still cold and icky outside, we have been keeping them in the house until it warms up a bit and a few were okay to be planted now. So far we have added a honeysuckle, day lillies, pansies, and a forsythia bush. The warmth of a few days in March also prompted us to get our bikes out and ready for riding! We enjoyed our first bike ride on the greenbelt and can't wait for warmer weather to enjoy more of the greenbelt!

The end of March was an adventure for us to say the least! March 31 to April 3 we were "temporary" parents to two cute kiddos while their mommy and daddy went with my mom to Texas to participate in Justin's graduation from basic training with the Idaho Air National Guard at Lackland AFB. We stayed in Eagle at their house and enjoyed the life of a family of 4- we went to the park, watched Scooby Doo and other kiddo movies (pretty sure I can sing the whole Scooby Doo song and name every character in any Pixar film!) Since the weather was cold and windy for most of the time we also learned to appreciate any fast food restaurant that also had a play area to help get out all of our wiggles! I had to work on Thursday so Aaron was with the kids most all day- I got a great picture from him on my phone about mid-day showing the kids in a fort watching movies. I was so jealous! Needless to say we were all in bed by 8:30 pm and slept soundly... We were excited to hear that Justin and his flight (group-similar to a boy scout patrol?) graduated with honors! We are so proud of him and were so happy to welcome him home Monday! I had to work so Aaron went to meet Justin and Mom at the airport and they came to see me at work on my lunch! He is all grown up! I can't wait to see mom's pictures and listen to Justin's stories!

The icky weather has also brought about my crafty side! I have wanted one of the super chic beaded watches for a while and finally just decided to make my own! It has been so much fun to make the watch bands to match different scrub tops, my patients love to see which one I am wearing!

I also decided I needed a way to hold my earrings instead of a ziplock bag and a glass bowl on my counter- so I went to the dollar store and found some wood frames- a few drilled holes, some thin wire, and a coat of green paint I now have some rather cute earring frames! Two have wires strung for hoops and "dangles" and another with plastic window mesh for studs/posts! It is so fun to look at the wall and see all my options and pick out something fun to wear!

April is here now and we will be busy as usual. I am enjoying my job working for Dr. Rasmus and Beverlee our Np- every day I meet new people and have already learned so much! I love to see my patient everyday, even on days that are crazy and busy and I am at the office for 10+ hours I still love to go back the next day and do it all over again! I am so blessed to have a job and to have one I love!

The past few months have been quite the adventure for us and we have surly experienced many opportunities to grow and learn. Every day I am grateful to have my wonderful husband at my side and the family and friends who support us! There are still trials and testings ahead of us and we will be excited to one day look back and see all the things we learned!

New Year

Well 2010 is here and what a month it has been!! To start off the year I had 4 job interviews the first full week of the new year, and was offered 2 positions. I accepted one and I am the primary MA for a pulmonologist/sleep specialist here in Boise. I started work on the 13th and so far I absolutely love my job!

Aaron started working for a call center and wasn't too thrilled with the policies and goings on there so he will start working at Direct TV tomorrow! Aaron also started taking a full schedule of on-line classes through CWI and so far loves being back to school! (I am sure I will have to remind him of this in a few weeks).

My younger sister Lara married her prince charming, Michael, on the 16th in Portland. We were able to get some great airplane tickets and spent the weekend in Oregon/Washington with them! We flew out of Boise at 7 am Friday the 15th (flying out at 7 am = arriving at the airport around 6am!), and spent the day playing in Oregon! We flew with my Grandparents Campbell, Mom, and brother Justin. In all we were a traveling party of 6! It was rather entertaining to say the least! When had a rental car for us (Aaron, Me, Mom, Justin) and Grandparents Campbell had their own. Grandpa and Grandma went to see Grandpa's brother in Oregon and we headed to the Ocean!

(Grandpa reading the paper, waiting to fly out of BOI)

(Aaron and I at Cannon Beach)

The Ocean adventure was pretty exciting, since mom was the driver of the rental car I had to convince her to go- I even promised her I would be a good girl on the hairplane if I could go to the ocean! :0) We drove about an hour and found ourselves in Cannon Beach and Seaside Oregon. It was POURING rain so I was the only one brave enough to get out of the car and run on the beach! (Aaron got out too at one stop). The rain let up a little bit in Seaside and we decided we needed some saltwater taffy, so we found a place called "Bruce's Candy Kitchen" and enjoyed some yummy treats!

(Me on Cannon Beach)

(Haystack rock)

In Portland we stayed at a Residence Inn with both sets of Grandparents and my mom's brother Jeff and his family! We decided to all go out to dinner Friday night at the Applebees by the hotel, we were quite the group of 13 at that point and enjoyed spending the time together!

(Mom and I helping steam Lara's wedding dress. If you look close enough you can see Lara's legs under her dress- she is up inside!)

The next morning we went to the beautiful Portland Temple to be with Lara and Mike. It was a very memorable and wonderful experience! The rain had let up and was mostly a mist while we were at the temple, which allowed for some pictures. Lara was beautiful!

Saturday night we went to their reception in Vancouver, WA and stayed at a hotel there. It was a long day but so worth it! Sunday we slept in and flew out of Portland and were home by Sunday evening, just in time to unpack and settle in and for me to get ready for my first Monday of work!

Overall we had a blast in Portland and it was a great little vacation and time away from home! The next weekend we had a reception for Lara and Mike in Eagle. Uncle Dan and Aunt Ann came up with two of their boys from California as well as my mom's brother Matt and his family from Louisiana, and Brett and his family from Utah. It was a full house with so many Aunts, Uncles and cousins running about! We decorated for the reception most of the morning and it was BEAUTIFUL! (I didn't take pics so I will post some later from Uncles). We had a wonderful time seeing family and friends. The love and support we have from family and friends is amazing, and we would be lost without them.

Now we are just enjoying our warm home and being employed! I am enjoying my time at work as well as my time at home and I am excited to get into a routine and settle into getting a few things done I couldn't do while I was in school and working before.

I now have a very serious case of spring fever and I can't wait to start playing in my yard! The snow today has helped to settle any thoughts of digging in the dirt however. We are so grateful for the love and support of family and friends over the past few months in helping us through our trials and testings and we hope that this year can be a wonderful year of learning and growth for us.