Grateful

We are in full season of the holidays here at our house. I have done a lot of thinking this past month of just how blessed my life is. There are things that happen in every one's lives that make you wonder why. These past 2 weeks since Thanksgiving I have tried to look for the good in my day, instead of the negatives and hardships. I have found out a few things. I have 4 of the most amazing kids. I don't know why I was entrusted with these strong, special spirits, but they teach me every day and make me want to be a better person and mom. Looking at them they remind me of what I am working towards and that is eternal life with them and Ben. I may not have a degree, we may not have a lot of money, and I know I am far from the perfect mom, but having their love and being able to share their lives is the best and most important job I could have. It is not easy and in the process you loose who you thought you were, but at the end of the day when they come snuggle up with you or you walk in to climb into bed and your pillow is showered with love notes from them, you realize that they are what matters, and they are your life. 

Ever since I have become a parent and since I lost my Dad, I have come to appreciate all that my parents did for me growing up and everything that they still do. No my Dad isn't here anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't feel him in my life. I am thankful for things they taught me and for the people they were and are. 

I am thankful for the Gospel. It guides and directs me to the path that will bring me the most peace and happiness. I went to my relief society's Christmas program and as I was sitting there among these great ladies I had such a feeling of peace come over me. I know Ben and I are where we are meant to be. I love our new neighborhood and ward. We feel at home, something we haven't felt for over a year. I think of how close we came to not being able to move here and I see how things worked out for us and I know that Heavenly Father's hand was in our life guiding us and blessing us along this path. We have had things happen daily since moving here that to some people seem like not a big deal, but to us they have been huge. So very thankful for our new "home". 

I am thankful for the man I married. I look at what Ben and I have and I know that not everyone is blessed with what we have together. No, our marriage is not perfect, we have had some rough roads, but we have got through them together and we are better and stronger because of the trials. I am thankful for the type of person he is. He is not afraid of standing up for who he is. Ben is what you call a quiet giant. He doesn't have to say a lot for his words to impact and change your life. He has a lot of wisdom and strength. He is an amazing father to our children. You can see and feel the love he has for each one of them. He is always there helping them push for their dreams. 

I don't know what life has in store for us in the future. Nobody does. I hope that I can live my life to the fullest so that I will have no regrets. I am going to love my kids and Ben everyday and enjoy the time I have with them. I had a friend pass away a couple of months ago leaving behind her husband and three young kids and I have thought so many times how hard it would be to leave my family and it makes me want to be better and love more. I hope we all take time this Christmas season to see the good in our lives and to realize it's not the money, or the high paying job, or what gift we get this year that is important. It is our families and the love we share with them. 

Pictures

 My sister Susie is trying to get a photography business going. Lucky me, that means I got some free pictures of my kids. These are just a few, my computer has been having a few issues and we have not been able to get them all on here yet. I think she did an awesome job and she definitely has a knack and love for it.  Thanks Sus I love them!!(Except they show just how big my kids are getting)

Mission

 My baby brother entered the MTC on Halloween. I can't believe he is old enough. He will be going to San Diego, California where he will serve for the next 2 years. What will life be with out Cameron? It will be boring. My kids already miss him like crazy. But we have had some very special experiences since he has gotten his call.

 He was set apart Tuesday night and that was one of the top spiritual experiences of my life. Words cannot describe what I experienced that night. I know that there were people there from the other side. I know that my Dad was there with us that night. I know that Cameron is where he is supposed to be. I don't have any doubt. I loved in his blessing when it said the Heavenly Father is excited to have Cameron as a missionary. Cameron is going to do amazing things and have amazing experiences. The Stake President also talked about how my Dad will be there to help Cameron with his mission and finding the people and answers he is searching for. The Spirit was so strong we didn't want to leave that room. I am thankful for experiences like that. I am thankful for the knowledge I have of the Gospel and the life after this. I know that Cameron will do amazing and I know that I will see and be with my Dad again. I can't wait for that. I feel blessed and humbled for the times I have been able to feel my Dad's presence since his passing. I am so proud of my little brother and for the decision he made to go. It was not an easy decision but it was the right one.

Whirlwind!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. We found a house we wanted to buy and we have been trying for the last couple of months to find someone to take over our lease at our house up on Cliffside. We had shown it so many times and we had several of those people interested but the owners were being very selective on who they were going to let take over our lease. A couple of weekends ago Ben and I decided we were done showing the house and we would just stay in the house for the remaining 5 months or our lease and that we would let the house go we were trying to get. Monday morning I took my ad off of KSL and an hour later I got a call from a lady wanting to come see it that night. I decided to show it that one more time. They needed something short term and our lease was perfect for them. We waited all day Tuesday and finally heard at about 5 pm that they were able to take our lease over. The big hurdle was going to be moving as fast as they needed us to. That was the evening of the 23rd and we needed to be out no later than Halloween. Luckily we had boxes from our move from Vegas, so we grabbed them and started packing like crazy people. I took my first load to the new house Wednesday, Ben took Thursday and Friday off. Thanks to everyone who helped us we were able to get out by Halloween.

We were able to do a lot of unpacking yesterday and by the end of the day it was finally feeling like home. It isn't our "dream home", but it is pretty close. We have had to do a lot of soul searching if you will since our move back north. I have found that no I don't love Logan yet, I still miss Vegas a lot!!!! But my kids are thriving here. They love being around family, they are doing awesome in school. Ben wants to be back in the warmth more than anyone, but he loves his job and he is pretty awesome at what he does. We have learned over the years(the last 5) that loving your job is pretty important. We have also found that no matter where we are we can be happy. That one is completely up to us. So for us it is an exciting time. We are finally settling down. We hope this is our last move until Ben retires and we fly south for the winters or all year. 

We are excited for our new neighborhood and ward. We went for our first time to our new ward today and the kids love it. I have a great feeling about this ward and can't wait to become more involved and make some more friends. So here's to settling down. We are hopefully finally where we are supposed to be.

Pumpkin Walk

 Friday I took the kids to North Logan's Pumpkin Walk. I haven't been there in years. It was a lot of fun. We went at the perfect time of day, it was warm and not a million people. They have different people donate the scenes. It was really interesting to see what different ideas people came up with. They had Madagascar 3, Nacho Libre, Wipeout, Clue, Twister, Snowball fight, of course Hunger Games, candyland, and Alice in Wonderland. That is just naming some of them. It was a fun time. The best part for me was it was FREE! It was nice to take the kids to something fun and not have to pay a million. Everything is so expensive now. A big thanks to all the people who are in charge of this and to all the people who decorated. Lots of fun.

14 Years

Ben and I celebrate 14 years of marriage today. WOW! That is a long time. I think back to that day and so much has changed. So much good has come to my life since I met Ben. When I first met him I didn't think there was anyway I would marry him. I was just being nice and going on the date because his Dad who I worked with set us up. By the end of our first date I was in love. I remember telling my Mom when I got home that I was going to marry him. 6 weeks later we were engaged and we were married 5 months to the day of our first date. He is amazing to me. He has such a love for life and enjoys the simple things. I couldn't have married a better dad for my kids. I know for a fact I got the best Dad out there. I didn't think it was possible to love him more today than the day I married him but I do. We have had a few downs in the 14 years and a lot of ups, but those are what makes us who we are today. I love that I still can't wait for him to get home from work, I love that I can't get enough time with him, and I love that we can do nothing and still be happy together. I am so blessed that he is my husband. I can't wait to spend the next 14 years finding more things that I love about him and more things that we will love to do together. I love you Ben.

TOU

 I don't know how I missed getting this on here. Ben ran his 1st marathon!!! He has been training since early spring. He decided after Ragnar since he had already trained for that why not go for a marathon? We figure he has put around 350 miles on his running shoes since he started training. It is said that only 1% of the population can say they have run a marathon and now Ben is part of that elite group. Training is brutal and you have to have drive, determination, and perseverance. All of which Ben has. He got up early 2 to 3 times a week and ran before going to work and then he would do his long run on Saturdays. We didn't do much this summer with him training. He was up at 4:30 a.m. on September the 15th so he could get bused up to Hardware Ranch where the race would start. The race started at 7 and the 2500 runners wound their way down the canyon and through Cache Valley where they came across the finish line by Merlin Olsen Park. Ben said that he felt awesome at mile 20 but then around 23 the pain set in. He said that simultaneously it was one of the worst experiences of his life and one of the best. He had a few of his family jump in at mile 20 with him, his aunt Tia and brother Dillon. Then at mile 23 he had his Mom and sister-in-law Crystal with him also. He said that his brother helped him a ton. At that point in the race you are just looking a few feet in front of you and taking one step at a time. Ben is not a man of many words but Dillon knew that he needed support and would run shoulder to shoulder helping him in those last few miles. I was at the finish line and it was amazing watching these men and women come across the line. Some of them looked like they could go another 20 and others literally could not take another step. Ben came across in 4 hours 12 minutes. When Ben came across it was so emotional. He ended up 644 out of 2500. This was such a big accomplishment for him. It was Ben's day and he has not had many of those in his life. He had worked so hard for this and I am so proud of him. Will he run another marathon? I don't know, I don't think he knows, but he has already been running. He never ceases to amaze me with his determination. If Ben wants something he usually gets it, but with a lot of hard work on his part. I love you Benjamin. 

With his Aunt Tia, who talked him into doing a marathon and helped him train. Thank you.