in denial

It is 8 pm and 78 degrees outside right now. I love it.  In case you didn't already know, I am in denial that fall is here. Totally and completely in denial... I even told God today that if He wanted to skip the cold fall and winter that we usually get this year, I would be ok with that.  I don't know if He's actually going to do it though :)
Maybe if I don't put out fall decorations and continue eating ice cream, going on bike rides, and enjoying sunny days the cold weather won't come. maybe.   or maybe I just need to move somewhere different to experience that.

Like I said, I'm in denial.

life

Monday I was able to attend the funeral for my uncle.  It made me grateful for him, for his great life and made me want to be a better person.  It also made me so very grateful for family and the chance to see them and chat with them.

my uncle's life made me want to give more service to those around me.  He will be greatly missed. 

busy weekend

we had a busy weekend (well busier than the last few).  Saturday, one of my nieces had a soccer game up in Logan so I was able to watch for a few minutes and they came over to our place afterward for a bit too.

we had fun playing with jewelry afterward.  It was such a treat to have visitors!!

wordless wednesday

a plug

I'm giving a plug for 2 different websites I have been on lately.

The first is the photographer who I am taking classes with:
http://brookesnow.com/
(BTW if I refer someone to take her class, I get a $50 credit)

I wish I lived closer to my sister so I could have her teach me, she is wonderful.


And this cute site is a interior design website. One of the girls who runs it goes to church with me and is super cute.
http://www.opalnevershouts.com/

rainbow

Have you ever seen this??

this was a first for me and I thought it was pretty funny. I had to take some pictures. 

I know, I'm weird like that.  

Anyway, Happy Friday!

families

I love knowing that God put is in families.  I believe families are a central part of the plan He has for us.   And I know that we can be together forever with our families, even after this life. This knowledge is especially helpful on a day like today, hearing that one of my uncles passed away last night. I think of his immediate family- his children- (and his grandchildren) and am so glad they know that truth also- that they will see him again, if we live faithfully in this life.

transition

this picture makes me think of so many things. 

it makes me think of the transition from summer to fall today, the first day of the new season. 

it makes me think of God's amazing creations and how each of us grow like this flower- with nourishment and time. 

petal by petal we grow,  struggling through the ups and downs, the hard times when we are trying to truly know ourselves. We are one of God's creations, his children, yet some days we may not know if we are a seed or if we will bloom to be the beautiful flower that He has intended us to be. 

And sometimes we only have half of our petals, until we are strong enough to have them all. 

And then, the seasons change, we experience more, and sometimes get hammered by the cold, weather and life.  Sometimes, we get rips and tears in our leaves, sometimes our beauty is not noticed. But we continue through life because we know that no matter what life brings, healing can always come because our Heavenly Father prepared a way through His Son.

In my current situation, I often feel like I only have half my petals because I am discovering my role as a wife, a future mother, a sister, a daughter -- and I am in transition.  

wordless wednesday

complex

(I just need to write this post- not for anyone to really read, but I just need to write it today) so don't worry, I am not trying to begin a debate.

There are many issues out there that I consider to be black and white.  Examples I can provide are abortion and same sex marriage. I believe that abortion is wrong, and will always be wrong. Same with same-sex marriage.
But there are some issues that are more complex then that. Some issues are very complex. I think the most complex political/social issue out there is immigration.

I believe that most people out there who say that all illegal immigrants need to leave and also those on the other side who say that illegal immigration is not a problem are both wrong and are not realizing the complexities involved.

Yes, I can see how our nation cannot handle all of the illegal immigrants out there.  Yes, I think it is wrong that many use public education, the health system and other programs without paying taxes to help pay for them.
Yes, I believe that leftists like the ACLU who leave leaflets along the border telling people how to get in illegally is wrong.
But, it is not black and white.  The 14th amendment to the constitution declares that anyone born here is a US citizen.  If a parent is here illegally and has a child, do you really think it is better to break up that family?  What is more important?
As a Christian, I believe that we are all children of God and should all be treated in a Christ-like way. I believe that families are the fundamental unit of society and the breaking of families will have a negative impact on our nation and our world. 
I also believe that those who want them all to leave and do not understand why they come are naive and are not thinking about both sides of the issue.  If you lived around people who rode underneath trains and walked through desserts to get here just so their family could eat everyday back in their country, you would think differently about it. And, if you had a family that was starving in one of those countries and had no way to get an education or move forward, I would hope you would do the same.  We are all children of God and deserve a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence states this: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.  
Also, if you realized the decision they made to come- knowing full well they might not make it- or the women who knew full well that it was possible they would get raped and beaten along the way and still possibly not make it- and knowing that you were being separated from your family by coming and still decided to come, maybe you would think twice.  
Illegal immigrants that are here do not have perfect lives once they arrive. They are treated like crap by many, they work for less than any of us and suffer the knowledge that they may possibly never see their family back home in their country again, but that hopefully, their sacrifice will make it so their children can go to college and get an education so that their children's children won't have to have their family separated. 
I have lived in neighborhood where the hispanics- many illegal- worked 60+ hours a week so they could pay their bills here and send some money home and the legal citizens (in that case 99% black) who were on welfare and did not work, sat around waiting for them to come home from getting paid at the end of the week so they could jump them and steal their money.  Obviously the priorities are off somewhere. 
The only way to solve the issues is to eliminate corruption in all countries- in ours, in our society, in the Mexican government and other governments.  Maybe we should start with the US first- we all know we are practically drowning in the political corruption.
Last but not least, do we forget that our ancestors that came to the US were immigrants?  Do we also forget that a huge part of the west of the United States was originally Mexico and was stolen from them? Does it matter that their ancestors were here long before us??
I am sorry for rambling, but this truly is a complex issue. 


here is a link to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' statement on the issue: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/public-issues/immigration


If anyone wants to read a book about someone's experience coming to the US, here is a good one. 

images I've been loving lately.

the temple+my wonderful husband= you can't get any better than that :)

found here.  I really want to make a quilt like this but since I highly doubt my ability to cut fabric straight, I am not sure if it will be happening anytime soon.

found here. The combination of fall colors with the white seashells gives me hope that even though the cold is coming, the summer will be back next year.  I love it!!

translation

thanks everyone for your advice yesterday, I am going to try to tackle that project tonight or tomorrow.

I was searching online today for a customer's company to get a better idea of what an asian burrito is and saw this funny picture:

on this blog.  sometimes translation is hard. I know I have probably messed up some words speaking Spanish.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to learn english, but you've got to admit it's pretty entertaining some times.

opinons needed

Hannah and I started this cute pillow months ago and after having all of the flowers done and the fabric sitting here for months, I decided I am finally going to finish it up.  But, I need your opinion.  How do you think the pillow will look better- in rows or the wave. Pictures are below. the pillow case will be 12x16. And for those of you who laugh because I am even asking... you can ignore this post :)

pillow inspiration from here

12of12 Sept

1. Jake and I  2. pictures at the temple for my photo class homework 3. someone's pumpkin at the community garden- so sad ours didn't grow. 4. Jake 5. sunflower 6. Jake doing some more posing for me. 7. the cake stand I made  8. zucchini bread  9. me at the garden 10. flower 11. peaches from the farmers market 12. more flowers for photo class homework.

holds

does anyone always have this dilemma?  i know it's really not a big deal, but I think it's ironic.

I love our local library and constantly put books I want to read on hold. The old me would just buy them, but I in an attempt to save money and only own books that are really good, I have been using the library.    Here's the pattern for me, it's just the way things go.

There is a waiting period because a lot of the books are ones that everyone else wants to read (like when I see that  I am 22 of 38 in the queue) and in that time period I read books I have had on the shelf but have never completed. Then I find a really good book I want to buy, so I get it and read the first few chapters, and then 3 of the books I have had on hold are available all at the same time.  So, I have to hurry and read them before they are due in 3 weeks. And then the waiting period begins.  It really shouldn't be hard to read a book a week, but sometimes life gets in the way.

Yesterday I picked up 3 at the library.  :) I just think it's kind of funny how it always works out.

yesterday

I realized once again how grateful I am to have a job even though I may not love it every single minute... and I prayed that I would continue to be employed

I got my hair cut so it no longer looks so triangle-ish and once again smiled when I saw all the hair that Darcy thinned out for me.

Darcy dyed my hair too. I no longer look like a frumpy grandma because my gray hair is now covered up.  I hate the fact that I am 27 and have so many gray hairs and have been protesting it for so long trying to convince myself that I am going to go all natural....but I gave in.  And I love it.

I realized, once again,  how much I admire my husband.

I started reading The Happiness Project. (Thanks Deidra for making me want to read it!) I am only on chapter 2 but I am really enjoying it. In contrast to books like Eat Pray, Love who tell us that we have to leave behind all commitments and travel for a year to be happier, I think this book is very positive and something we can all work on- to be happy with our lives in a realistic way.

I got to see some of my nieces and nephews for a few moments and they made me smile- as always.

What did you do yesterday?

happiness

I was reading through The Happiness Project blog today and liked what someone had to see in a Happiness interview:

What’s something you know now about happiness that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old? 


FEELING WHAT YOU FEEL, EVEN IF IT'S NOT WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO BE FEELING. WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I'D FEEL SOMETHING NEGATIVE, AND I'D SAY "YOU SHOULDN'T FEEL THAT WAY" AND TRY TO SMILE THROUGH IT. NOW I FEEL IT, IT PASSES AND I MOVE ON. YOU CAN'T HELP WHAT YOU FEEL, AND IN FACT FOLLOWING NEGATIVE FEELINGS OFTEN LEADS YOU TO CHANGE THINGS IN YOUR LIFE THAT CAN ULTIMATELY MAKE YOU FEEL HAPPIER. WORKS FOR ME.

goals

“I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.”

–  M. RUSSELL BALLARD 

BYU

While Jake was waiting to listen to the BYU press conference about them going independent for football, we saw this commercial...

and I cried.  Maybe its just me being emotional, but videos like this remind me of how much I loved BYU when I was there and still love it. It is such a good school and is subsidized so that those who go there can afford this amazing private school without the private school cost.  I worked hard growing up because I knew I wanted to go there, I knew I would learn so much- both spiritually and temporally. And I did.
Rise and shout the Cougars are out... BYU football starts today :)

one more

I wanted to make a little reading nook in a spot in our place. When I was in CO I didn't find any chairs for a good price, but this was available from my parent's house, so I decided to take it home to repaint and recover. Before it was brown with an ugly green cover.  We painted it white and I used this ikea fabric that I had previously made into a tablecloth. (the tablecloth didn't look great) so I used it on this instead and I love the bright cheery colors. 

Jake even offered to be the model. In fact, he was the one who sewed the covers. My husband is amazing. I love his ability and confidence to do everything. There are a lot of guys out there who wouldn't even know how to work a sewing machine. 

Happy first week of school, mi amor! 

New Favorite Youtube Video

So...the other day a friend posted this on facebook. Well, after much prodding from Kristen I am posting this for all to see. You have to watch the first video first and then the second.

--Jake

gold

Jake and I get to listen to each other talk to clients on the phone. Most of the time it is annoying, asking the other to talk softer so we can hear, often it helps us tell each other what we need to improve upon in our phone conversations, and occasionally listening to the other person's conversation just makes the other person crack up.

Example:
Today Jake answers the phone the usual way: "Hot Site, this is Jake how can I help you today?"
the next thing I hear from Jake in a very confused voice is "You won some gold???"
it was quickly cleared up to be "I want site code" in heavily accented english, but I was laughing hard for the next 5 minutes, trying not to distract Jake from helping the customer.

space

I have a new sewing space. hopefully it means I will accomplish more of my goals. I am still trying to learn how to sew straight :) Jake started school yesterday so I am trying to have a set schedule for when I am done with work also.

like the box and the wrapping paper storage in the back?  I don't have big closets to hide things like that in here.