Almost done.

We've been in Utah for almost a month, and we have loved spending time with family and friends. I have discovered things like "dirty Dr. Pepper" (if you don't know what it is- google it) and kindling a new love of Utah. 

It has been awesome.  Oh and I now have bangs. 

There you have it. Our time here in pictures. We have celebrated both Jack and Thomas' birthdays, ans celebrate Ben's this week. 

We still have a lot to fit in our last week here. And then we will be off to our next adventure in North Carolina. 

I'm very grateful for this adventure that is our life. We have so many people to love and to be loved by. It gives me the strength and courage I need for all of the challenges of life. 

Hugs and kisses. 

Messages.

I believe in God.  I believe in Jesus Christ.  I believe in prayer and in divine guidance.

The last few weeks have been a time of a lot of prayer and meditation for me.  Another thing that I turned to in order to find peace is attending the LDS Temple here in the area.  This is a story that happened when I attended the Temple last week.

I was just about to leave the Temple when a young missionary (probably 19 or 20 years old) came up to me and told me that he felt like he should come up to me and tell me that "it's going to be okay".  He didn't know why.  Immediately my eyes watered, and I felt the love of my Heavenly Father.  I know that everything is going to be okay.

Then, a few days, and a world away in Sri Lanka, Ben was talking to a very old man for work.  When I say very old, the man was about 92. When the conversation was ending, it turned to God and a little bit of religion, and the man told Ben that "when you do what Christ taught, everything will be okay".

Two very different messengers, but the same message.  Everything will be okay.

I know that Heavenly Father is aware of us.  He will let us know, if we look for it.  In this case, it was a simple message, but it was enough.  Ben and I don't know how everything is going to work out.  There are a lot of things up in the air right now, but we know that it will be okay. And that is enough for me.

I was out and about yesterday, and saw this- "We looked to one another for comfort"
It reminded me of one of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 18:8-9

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—


Thank you for all of you who have mourned with me and comforted me and my family.  It has brought peace of heart and peace of mind during this difficult time; I hope that the richest blessing will be yours.

Gratitude.

I haven't blogged in awhile because I don't anything to say. Maybe that means that I shouldn't say anything.  Or maybe it means I just need to get in the habit of blogging again. So today, in an effort to get back into it, I want to share some things that I am grateful for:

1. Ben made chocolate chip cookies today. It has become a Sunday tradition, and I love it. 
2. Girlfriends.  I have the best girlfriends in the entire world, and they are all over the world. I love getting encouragement and love from women I love and adore. 
3. Sunday naps.

There it is.

Happy Sunday.

Welcome November.

Today is the first day of November.  The month of Thanksgiving, and thus the official month of gratitude. As I am not one to let a cliche pass by me by, I will start off this month with a post about gratitude.

I will start off with a little moment with Jack.  A moment that I think will live in my heart forever.  Tonight Jack was in the school play as a tree.  He was a great tree.  He performed beautifully.  The moment that I am grateful for was after the play was over, and the lights were turned on.  All of the students were still on stage, as the performing arts teacher was thanking everyone.  Jack was looking around for us, and the moment he found us, his eyes lit up, and he started waving as big as he could.  He looked at his friends and announced that he found his mom and dad, and pointed us out to anyone who would listen.  He was quickly shushed, but it was so awesome to see how excited he was to see us.  

I am so grateful for Jack.  I am grateful that he loves us and is completely excited to see us. I am so grateful for how loving he can be.

Count your blessings.

Remember in the classic movie "White Christmas"? It is one of my favorites, and one of my favorite songs is about about when you can't sleep, count your blessings.

Last night, I couldn't sleep, and started counting my blessings. It very quickly turned into thinking about all my friends and family that have blessed my life. Then I started writing letters to all those who have played a part in my life. The letter started getting long, and I was afraid I was leaving someone out. I was going to simply write a Facebook post saying how grateful I am for my friends and family, but several friends and family members aren't on Facebook.

 

So I am taking this opportunity to say I am so grateful for all of my friends and family. I have been blessed with amazing people in my life.

I could never thank you enough.

And I want to say that it doesn't matter if I have known you for years, or if we have just met, or never met in person, friends are friends, and you have still made a difference.

 

Love you lots and lots.

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One year later.

On the last flight before landing in Sri Lanka.

 

 

We have been here a year, and what a year it has been!

When we first arrived here, and we were adjusting to everything- you know, the heat, the bugs, and other creatures -Ben gave us all some words of wisdom.

"All of these things have been in Sri Lanka long before we arrived, and they will be here long after we leave."

I have gone back to this many times. Every time I get frustrated, I realize that I two options, try to change Sri Lanka, or I can adapt.

I have to tell you that I have found it is easier to change myself.

 

One year later.

 

We love it here, and think it is a fabulous place to live! We have created a great life here, and we are excited for our adventures in the next year.

 

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Oh these boys.

 

Words with Friends is the only game I have on my iPad, so when the boys get ahold of it, the only thing that entertains them is the photobooth app. These are the pictures I found today.

Also from today, Jack and I were running up the stairs and Jack was winning. He looked back and said "Is that all you've got"?

It made me laugh.

I am so grateful for Jackson and Thomas; they are awesome boys. It has just been the last little while that both of them are in a place where they need me a lot less. It has made life so much better, and it is easier for me to find joy in motherhood. A LOT easier. I know there are people who gush about motherhood and how awesome it is from the very first moment, but it has not been like that for me. But it is becoming that way, slow and steady.

I am grateful to be a mom, and ALL of the lessons I am learning. I know I am a better person because I am a mother. But I am not going to lie, it is the hardest thing I have ever done. I think that I thought being a perfect mom would be a lot easier. Imagine my surprise when it has not been easy at all. One of the lessons in life, I guess. ;)

 

Another week is about to begin. I hope wherever you are, it is a fantastic week.

 

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A thought for this Friday.

If you've been around for awhile, you know that I am a Mormon.

I love being a Mormon. I also love learning about different religions. It fascinates me. I love to learn about the similarities and the differences in different belief systems.

Today I thought I would tell you a little more about what I believe.

Back in the 1800's, Joseph Smith wrote "The Articles of Faith", which are 13 statements that contain some of the basic beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). Although these statements were written back when the church was young, they are still applicable today.

The one I want to share is the 11th Article of Faith, which says:

"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

I love that Joseph Smith included this in our basic beliefs. We feel that being able to choose how, where, or what we believe is a privilege that is part of our basic human experience. We don't have to believe the same thing, but we should respect those differences.

Do we believe we are right? Absolutely.

I hope you believe you are right as well.

If not, keep looking.

Explore your options.

 

And now you know a little but more about what I believe.

 

Me and Thomas.

 

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Conquered, or virtual high five.

Thanksgiving.

Four years ago I wanted a traditional thanksgiving dinner, but it did not go as planned. I was pregnant with Thomas and extremely hormonal. I read the instructions on how to cook a turkey and thought everything was golden. Unfortunately, the turkey was severely under cooked, and in a moment of frustration and hormonal rage, I threw the turkey away. Yes, I realize I could have put it back in the oven, but at the time I was blinded by grief and despair. Since then I have not attempted another turkey, and Thanksgiving became a holiday of inviting ourselves to friends and family's homes and restaurants.

This year both Ben and I wanted big traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and we wanted to share the day with friends. We ordered our turkey (which cost us $50 for 13 lbs.), and invited some friends over. I researched how to make a turkey, and found a schedule for a Thanksgiving feast (thank you Pioneer Woman).

Friends- I brined, I baked, and I WAS SUCCESSFUL!

Miracles do happen; I conquered the turkey, and I am proud of myself.

I also conquered a Chocolate Silk Pie! (My fantastic Aunt Kay's recipe.)

Oh, and homemade rolls. Seriously, are you impressed yet? I totally shocked myself. So here is my virtual high five. And an open invite to come over for Thanksgiving next year.

I would like to thank my dad who gave me pep talk and told me I could do It.

I don't have any pictures, but it was good. We had almost twenty people over, and it was a perfect night. Great food, great friends, and fantastic leftovers.

Ben declared it one of his all time favorite Thanksgivings. Ever.

I call that a win.

Leftovers.

I am counting down to the next time I can eat.

I hope all of you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

 

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Dear Halloween.

Halloween is not my favorite holiday. There I said it. First, I don't like scary things. Second, I wish I could come up with amazing homemade costumes for my entire family to wear (you know, like my sister Jodie does for her family), but end up buying extremely generic costumes. Then I feel totally deflated.

However, this year was a lot of fun. We had Trunk-or-Treat at the Embassy, and an adult party at a friends house that was SO. MUCH. FUN.

It was a good year for Halloween, nonetheless, we are done, and moving on to the next holiday.

Thanksgiving. The holiday centered around eating and giving thanks. Now that is my kind of holiday.

 

 

Ben and I went as Padme and Obi Wan. You know, from Star Wars.

Jack and Thomas were really excited about our costumes, and told us that they couldn't wait to play dress up with us.

Thanks, Misty for these pictures!

 

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The Glad Game. Or I feel like Pollyanna.

I know, I know a picture of spices and clothes hanging in the closet doesn't seem like a big deal, but it has made the biggest difference.  I can finally wear more than the small selection of clothes I had, and I can cook our favorite meals.

Our stuff arrived and it is all in good condition.  That is good news, but it gets even better.

Continuing the "glad" business"

We put Jack in preschool, and he loves it.  I am so excited for me him.

I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the mess that was created so quickly after the boys had all of their toys, and all of the extra stuff that was everywhere- when the cleaning lady that comes once a week showed up.  Now, this is provided by the housing complex we live in, and so it isn't a big deal.  Except we were told she would be coming a different day, so it was a welcome surprise.

I love Northern Virginia.  It is so refreshing to be somewhere familiar, and since I consider this area "where I am from" it is nice to be here.  

I ordered a shirt online, and when it arrived, it was the wrong color and it had a stain on it.  I called about it, and they gave me an additional 15% off!  That was a win.  

  

A trip to the NY/NJ is in the works, and boy, am I excited. 

Who doesn't love Pollyanna?

Well, maybe not everyone, but the glad game can be so refreshing.

Becoming Grateful.

I have been greatly blessed, and the last little while I have taken for granted everything I have.

The other day, I went Christmas shopping, and met Ben for lunch.  I was complaining during lunch that I wished that we had a bigger budget for Christmas, because there are a lot of things that I want to buy for myself and everyone else. 

After lunch, we walked to exchange some money.  We saw a woman with two young boys, and she asked us for some money.  Ben gave her a few pesos - about two dollars worth.  We exchanged our money, and on the way back, we saw the woman and her two boys sitting on a curb, eating a quesadilla.  My mind went immediately to the few pesos that we gave her, and how that money very likely went to buy that quesadilla.  Ben and I both had this thought at the same time, and we gave her a few more dollars. My heart broke when I thought about this mom worrying about how to feed her children.

It is impossible to adequately put into words what this experience meant for both Ben and me.   It was a blessing for both of us to realize how fortunate we are.

I am so grateful that Ben has a job that provides a wonderful life.  Our needs are taken care of, and more.  

It made me feel ridiculous for complaining about our Christmas budget, and it put life into perspective for me.  

I hope that I will be more focused on what I have and not what I do not.  I have been blessed with so much, and for that I am truly grateful.

I went away for the weekend.

Have you ever heard of Time Out for Women?  It is a two day seminar that has motivational speakers.  It is geared towards LDS women.  This years theme was Choose to Become.  I really wanted to go, so a few weeks ago, I bought my tickets.
I left Friday morning and arrived in St. George just as the event began.  It was a long drive, and I was not in a very good mood.  The evening was just fine, and I met a new friend, but I was not in the mood to sit for another few hours after being in the car all day.
The next day, I recruited my sister, Taylor, and my aunt Keena to come with me, and my new friend sat with us.  It was fantastic.  Taylor, Keena, and I left for lunch, it was so crowded that our lunch went way over, so we didn't go back for the afternoon session.  (Sorry Amber for ditching you, I hope it wasn't too lonely.)
That night my grandpa made dinner of steak and salmon, my great-uncle gave me some great information about Sri Lanka.  It was so wonderful to spend time with family.
I left St. George Sunday morning at 4:00 am.  It was way early, but it worked out perfectly because I missed the traffic out of Las Vegas to California.
I came home to my wonderful family.

Here is the truth.

This weekend was nice.  I loved the quiet drive, I loved seeing my mom, sister, aunt, grandma, grandpa, and great-uncle.  I really enjoyed some time away from cooking dinners, changing diapers, and listening to the daily noises of two little boys.  I thought the conference was okay, but my expectations were really high, and I was a little disappointed.  I would have rather stayed in town, avoided the long drive and had a nice date with Ben and a girls night out.

Thanks Taylor, mom and Keena for driving to see me.  It means a lot.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for letting me stay with you, and making us a yummy dinner.

Thanks Uncle Al for the information about Sri Lanka.  It is exciting to learn about our next home.

Thank you, sweetheart for watching the boys for the weekend, and thank you for letting me take a nap when I came home. 

I love you all.

Then there was gratitude, again.

Ben is an amazing husband. My love and appreciation has grown for Ben, especially in the last few months. Every time we have moved it has been super stressful, and brings out a lot of our weaknesses. However, each time, we also learn a new appreciation for our strengths. We have learned to depend on each other, and pull together-especially when we most need to. In almost every situation we balance each other out, and we can make it through just about anything.



I am grateful that that I have learned how much I need and want my husband.

Definintely my son.

The other day we went to story time at a bookstore.  Jack sat in the very front row and was really excited.  He was making conversation with the story teller and was just thrilled to be there.  She told him that she was "impressed with his enthusiasm".  My very first thought was, "oh my goodness, this kid is mine".  I have heard those words so many times before. 
Jack is a great kid with a lot of fun traits.  He makes friends wherever we go, even when we went to SeaWorld for trick-or-treating, he was more interested in talking to kids about their costumes than he was in getting candy.  He can talk forever, without stopping or breathing.  He has an opinion on everything, and has a hard time with the word no.  He is a good kid most of the time.

I am grateful for Jack.

Welcome November.

November totally snuck up on me.  When I saw that it was November 1st today, I realized that there are only two months left of this year.  This year has gone by so quickly.  I am going to use this season of Thanksgiving to remind myself of how blessed I have been this year.  Although I have had several rough patches, life is good, and I have been given so much this year.  I am grateful for gratitude.  Having gratitude has really helped me a lot this year. 
I would call myself a religious person.  This year, however, my faith has but put to the test in several ways.  For awhile, I had a hard time praying.  I felt like it didn't matter if I prayed because whatever was going to happen was going to happen, regardless of whether I prayed or not.  I decided that instead of asking for anything, I would just express my gratitude for what I had and for the amazing people in my life.  I found myself becoming more and more grateful for the wonderful things that I have, and less concerned with what I don't.  It changed my perspective on so many things.  I am grateful for prayer, and I am grateful that a small thing like giving thanks can change so much.
I am hoping that this month I will be able to express my gratitude more fully.  I hope that instead of just saying, thank you or I am grateful, my attitude will lead to actions.  I will be a better person because I am grateful.  Maybe I can be a little more kind, more forgiving, and a little more patient. 

November, I think it is going to be a good month.

Debbie Downer.

I have totally been a Debbie Downer lately.  It has been lame.  Not only do I hate it, but it makes life harder than it needs to be.  To help to curb this funk, I am going back to my New Year's Resolution (yes, I still remember this one, although, I really don't remember any of the others) to be more grateful.

1. I am grateful for my husband.  Really.  That is not just because he is my husband.  The guy is amazing.  He has watched the kids the last few nights so that I could relax and do whatever I want to do.  Not only that, but when I came home the kitchen was clean.  Not just clean, but the dishwasher running, and the counters cleared.  Really.  Amazing.  Oh, and the kids in bed.  Ahhhh...nice.
2. I am SO grateful for all the visitors we have had.  This has been particularly helpful in keeping my sanity.  Ben and I have been on dates, the kids have had new people to play with, and we have had fun.  (We still have one more visit planned; Ben's brother is coming down with his family!)
3. I am grateful for life experiences.  Some are awesome, and some are completely lousy, but it is my life nonetheless. 
4. I am grateful that dinner tasted really great tonight.  It doesn't always happen, and so when it does, it makes me happy.  It was only chicken and veggies, but it tasted good. 
5. I am grateful for the sound of the boys laughing.  There is nothing like it in the world.  It makes me smile just thinking about it. 
6. I am grateful for my mom.  It is her birthday today (it is now 12:06 a.m.).  Becoming a mom has made me appreciate her even more. I am grateful she is mine.  I am lucky.

Choices and Patterns in My Life.

Before I met Ben, I had been engaged before, actually, twice before. (You can judge me-- looking back I think it's pretty crazy too.) The second engagement was broken off about two months before the wedding. I had a dress, invitations were being made, non-refundable deposits were made, and airplane tickets purchased. However, as I was planning the wedding, I felt frustrated and overwhelmed. It was not fun to plan the wedding (it was fun to have showers and try on my dress). Then one day the person I was engaged to told me he didn't want to marry me anymore. It was devastating. I was upset and didn't know what I was going to do. When I was thinking, "my life is over, now what am I going to do?" The thought came into my head, "go on a mission". (If you are not Mormon (LDS) you might have seen LDS missionaries out and about, usually young guys in suits.) As soon as the thought came into my head, an immediate peace came into my heart and I knew that I should go. It was a tender mercy in my moment of despair. I went on a mission to Rochester, New York, and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I would not be the same without it.

When I got home from my mission, I was living in Virginia with my parents, and I decided to move to Utah to go to school. The first semester I met Ben. We fell in love and got engaged. The day we got married, it was one of the most peaceful, amazing days of my life. Right before the ceremony, I had a moment just like I did when I decided to go on a mission; this is the person I was supposed to be with. It was a tender mercy to feel an assurance that I was making the right decision.

Ben’s last year of school he applied for A LOT of jobs, one day I found the State Department opening, told him it looked perfect, and he should apply immediately. We went through all of the necessary steps, and a few months later we were offered the job. When we were trying to decide if this was the best job for Ben and for our family, again, we both felt that peaceful assurance that this was the right step for us. We decided to go for it. Now, almost three years later we are working in Ben’s dream job, and my dream life (I am able to stay at home with our kids and we get to move around). Some days are tough, and there are days that I wonder if we made the right choice. I wonder if life would be easier if we just took one of the other jobs we were offered. Then I remember the peaceful assurance I received, and I am sure. I don't know what the future holds, or where this job will take us, but I know that it is where we need to be.

I am so grateful for the peaceful assurances that have come in my life so that I can recognize the hand of the Lord in my life, directing me and my family to be where we need to be. Even if I don't see it right away.

Gratitude.

Another week has passed, and I have a lot to be grateful for. 

• Restaurants in Tijuana.  Really.  I have not been to one restaurant that I would not return too.  So delicious. 
• Mail and the half-yearly sale at Nordstrom (and for a budget). 
• Friends.  I don't know what life would be like without them.  This week was a little rough in terms of my sanity, and there were several people that made a big difference.  Thank you.
•  As always, my kiddos and my Ben.  Sometimes I dream of having time alone.  I picture myself at the beach with a book, falling asleep on a lounge chair in the warm tropical air.  However, as the daydream progresses, it turns into the kids and Ben playing in the sand next to me, then I smile, and I can face the real world again.

Gratitude.

This year one of my New Year’s Resolutions was to be more grateful. However, I have not done very well. I have been suffering from selfishness. In my mind, selfishness is one of the opposites of gratitude. I feel that if I am busy about thinking about myself only, thus being selfish, there is no room for me to be grateful. This morning I was trying to think of things that I am grateful for, and all I could think about was how rough I have it.  "Rough?  Really, Emily, you are ridiculous", I had to say to myself. I am amazingly blessed. I have a lot to be grateful for.  I just need to recognize what I am grateful for.  Here are five things I came up with.

1. I am grateful that we have family coming to visit us. This week my parents are coming, the week after that, Ben's dad and his wife Lani are coming. In July my sister and her family are visiting, and then sometime in the fall, Ben's brother and his family are coming to visit us. Yippee for visitors.
2. I am grateful for Thomas. He is so funny, and loves to laugh. It is so wonderful to watch him laugh at almost everything, but mostly at his brother. SO CUTE.
3. I am grateful for Jack. He is just full of character. He loves getting his way, and when he does, he will stop at nothing to make sure that everyone around him is just as happy as he is. It is adorable.
4. I am grateful that I can stay at home with Thomas and Jack. There are so many things I love about it, I don't have to have an alarm clock and I get to watch them discover the world. I sincerely love staying at home with them, and would not want it any other way.
5. I am grateful for my amazing husband. I would rather hang out with him more than anyone in the entire world. We have so much fun together, and I feel so incredibly lucky to have him.

I really do need to work on being more grateful and less selfish. I think that will help me think my life is a little less mundane and a little more magnificent.