Coming unto Christ

Hey everyone, it’s Derek. I decided to write a blog post about something that has been weighing on my mind for years I guess. Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. Throughout my time in the New York New York South Mission, I gained a greater appreciation for what it means to be a disciple of Christ. The scripture I used as a theme for my mission and as a guide for my life is found in 3 Nephi 5:13: “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.”

What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ? We have all heard a hundred times that a disciple is a “follower.” So what does that mean? How can we follow Christ? Well, he showed us the way when he was baptized. “Follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do” (2 Nephi 31:12).

Christ was compassionate, so we should be compassionate. Christ was obedient, so we should be obedient. Christ was humble and meek, so we should be humble and meek. Christ filled his life with teaching others the path to God, so we should fill our lives with teaching others that same path. Christ submitted his will to that of the Father, ultimately culminating in his atoning sacrifice for mankind.

The same willing submission that Christ showed as he knelt in Gethsemane and said “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42) also drove Paul to say “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6) and Abinadi to say “O God, receive my soul” (Mosiah 17:20). These men and others throughout the scriptures provide a pattern of how to follow Christ’s example. Christ is the ultimate example of submitting his will to the Father’s, and if we are to truly become his disciples, we must be willing to do the same. As Neal A. Maxwell (an expert on the topic of discipleship, not only in his teachings from the pulpit, but as a faithful example) taught, “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar.” That is the way to truly be a disciple of Christ: Follow his example of humbly submitting his will to that of the Father.

Being a true disciple of Christ is not easy. At times all the powers of earth and hell are combined against us. Satan would weaken us and destroy our faith. What can sustain us as we follow the path of discipleship? This thought may help. “When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jeffrey R. Holland). Thus Christ is not only our Exemplar, he is also the source of our strength and our commitment. Call upon Him and you will be given the power to do the will of the Father.

My conclusion echoes the words of Jeffrey R. Holland. It is a call to act on the promptings of the Spirit and to serve the Lord and His children. “In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before” (Jeffrey R. Holland).

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I have committed to follow Him. I believe in His power to save all mankind. He is the Light and the Life of the world.  My invitation is the same as Moroni's final plea to the readers of the Book of Mormon: "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him" (Moroni 10:32). I am a witness of the perfecting and enabling power of Christ. The grace of Christ is powerful enough to save all who are willing to accept Him as their Savior. This blog is for Kaylie and I to share what is important to us. We are trying our best to "come unto Christ." You come too!

Lessons from Disney

I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I seriously get so inspired by Disney movies.  Even if it’s just a Disney song that comes on as I’m cleaning the kitchen, I get so overcome with thoughts about life and a motivation to be good.  If that seems a little crazy, here’s my reasoning.

Oh.  And before I start, this is a joint post.  Derek’s words are in bold and my words are not so bold.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Embedded in The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the theme question:  Who is the monster and who is the man?  Is the monster the hideous man who rings the bell tower, or is it really our “just” minister who seeks to rid this world of what he considers evil?  Or the goat that goes around headbutting everybody? As you watch the movie, the decision is easily made.  It's the goat. What makes a person a human is their ability to feel, not necessarily what they look like.

Phoebus is definitely a man, too.

"Hey, isn't that uh Feeble?...Doofus!...Phoebus!!!"

Another theme comes from the song, “Out there.”  Quasimodo’s only wish is to live one day as a regular person.  “Not above them, but part of them.”  Even though the townspeople go through their days doing menial tasks, that’s not how he sees it.

"Out there among the millers and the weavers and their wives

Through the roofs and gables I can see them

Ev'ry day they shout and scold and go about their lives

Heedless of the gift it is to be them

If I was in their skin

I'd treasure every instant"

What if we could live our lives like that?

And just because I’m obsessed, here are the two songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3otyDyFIe8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoFqnoebywo

Other lessons from The Hunchback:

• Never sleep with your mouth open--you could end up with a mouthful of feathers
• Don’t ever tell someone that they are shaped like a croissant is
• Frollo is just creepy
• If you get pet gargoyles, make sure to name them Victor, Hugo, and Laverne

Mary Poppins

I never really liked Mary Poppins until I had an assignment to watch it in 10th grade AP Euro.  (I think I was finally old enough to understand what was even going on the whole time)  But holy cow!!!  I LOVE IT.  Two things I want to point out. 1)  Bert is awesome.   He teaches us that no matter our circumstances, there is always beauty to enjoy and things to be optimistic about.  My favorite part:   “What did I tell ya? There's the whole world at your feet. And who gets to see it but the birds, the stars, and the chimney sweeps.”  Because honestly, who wants be a chimney sweep?  Not me. But Bert rejoices in what he gets to do.  A sweeper’s as lucky as lucky can be!  From him we learn that whatever our post we should do the best we can. (We also learn that showering is optional).

2)  This movie emphasizes the importance of family.  Mary Poppin’s calling wasn't to clean the house, fly around town on an umbrella, or even to visit lonely men and then laugh on the ceiling (or even to help the medicine go down). Her job was to bring the Banks family closer together.  After so many years of leaving their children in second (or third, or fourth) place, the Banks parents finally realize what matters most.  Not huge bank deals.  Not pamphlets and marching through town.  It’s doing the little things their kids need.  And then they all go off to sing a heartwarming song about kites.

Other lessons from Mary Poppins:

• Don’t jump into a chalk drawing. You never know what might happen
• The feminist movement was still annoying, even back then. “Well done! Sister suffragettes!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvk1NZDFvZU
• The feed the birds song is just creepy
  
  

Lion King

My favorite part of this movie is when the weird monkey guy Rafiki leads Simba to a pond to look at his reflection.  After a minute of initial frustration, Simba realizes that somewhere inside of him, his father is still there.  And then through the clouds Mufasa (“oooh, say it again!”) comes in.  “Simba.  You’ve forgotten who you are and therefore you have forgotten me . . .Remember who you are.  You are my son.” 

 Um….cool, right?!

President Spencer W. Kimball said that perhaps the most important word is remember (Liahona June 2007).  We’re not just here, trying to survive and Hakuna our way through life.  We are spirit sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father.  Who LOVES US.  But we have to remember that.  And remember Him.  

With that knowledge we then have the power to go forth, fight hyenas in fire, and someday, hopefully hold our babies on Pride Rock.

Other lessons from the Lion King:

• Premarital licking is inappropriate, even for lions
• Even if you’re feeling the love tonight
• Hyenas are just creepy
• Nobody likes a bossy bird

We haven't even gotten started on the lessons from Toy Story ("You have been chosen.  You must go!"), Beauty and the Beast (Once you grow up it's okay to eat 5 dozen eggs for breakfast), and Lady and the Tramp (Seriously, the Siamese cats are just creepy). So basically, our advice to all of you is to get out there and keep watching those Disney movies!  

Rise and shout!

Hey. It's me. Derek.

My idea for the title of this blog got shot down. I wanted to call it "Are you gonna eat that?" Even though I still think that's a better idea for the title, I'll write an occasional post anyway.

So I'm sure you are wondering why I've gathered you here today. Usually Kaylie writes about cute stuff like gardens and flowers and poems. While I like cute stuff like that in its own way, it's about time we had a manly blog post.

So, I'm going to give a midseason analysis for BYU football! Now that we are six games in to the season, the team is starting to develop an identity and we are getting a better idea of how the rest of the season will go. So I'm going to push the rewind button and look at each game so far!

For those of you that don't know me well, I really really really love BYU football. I grew up going to all of the home games sitting with my family in these seats:

Any closer and you can't see over the heads of the players on the sidelines. P.S. For those non-football aficionados out there, this is a picture of the marching band, not the football team. I used to get those confused too.

I know, I know, I am spoiled. Watching a game from the 8th row on the 45 yard line is an awesome experience! So anyways, these are my thoughts on the season so far.

The Virginia game...this one hurts. The further we get into the season, the more we realize that Virginia is a really, really bad football team. The only team they have beaten other than BYU is Virginia Military Institute. Extra credit to anyone who knows who their mascot is. While a bunch of bizarre events affected the outcome of this game (a two-hour lightning delay, ankle-deep water on the field, and a late interception that never should have been thrown) BYU lost to a team it should have beaten. It's one of those games where you look back and say that even with all of those crazy side stories, BYU would still win 9 times out of 10.

The Texas game. After a lackluster performance in Game 1, this one blew the roof off the stadium. Although there was another lightning delay (I thought they said lightning never strikes the same place twice??), BYU's offense came out firing on all cylinders. Taysom Hill had an amazing game carrying the ball, and the Cougar offense set a school record for rushing yards in a game. We knew from last season that Taysom could run the ball, but he ran for 259 yards and three touchdowns! Incredible! The Longhorns are my second favorite team, but I'm glad the Cougars won that day. Because of this game, Texas fired their defensive coordinator (which now looks like a great move because they were dominant against Oklahoma yesterday...Hook 'em!!!).

And now the game I don't like to talk about. The Utah game. 16 of the last 20 games in this rivalry have been decided by a touchdown or less, and this one was no different. The Utah defense did a great job shutting down the rushing attack, especially in the first half, but the defense made enough plays to keep it close. However, Jamaal Williams was carted off the field with a concussion and severe stinger, and the BYU offense was never the same after that. The Cougars rallied to have time for a final drive, but when the ball fell to the turf as time expired, the stadium went silent. After four years of losing to the team up north, it was a long walk home. (Especially because Kaylie and I still had to prepare our talks before going to church at 8 AM the next morning...)

Middle Tennessee State was a fun game. After poor passing performances in the first three games, there was a segment of the BYU fan base that had been calling to change out starting quarterbacks (funny how a guy can be a hero after the Texas game and then the scapegoat after losing to Utah). However, in my opinion the offense just needed to do a few things differently for Taysom to be successful. They slowed down the pace, which allowed Taysom to make better reads and allowed him to have time to throw since the linemen were better at recognizing the blitz packages. They also started calling shorter, quicker pass plays to develop a rhythm and limit the pressure defenses could send. Taysom (and the offense as a whole) played much better and despite several turnovers, there was never any doubt as to the outcome of the game.

Me and my cute wife at the game! It was a whiteout.

BYU went up to Logan with a 2-2 record and with a lot of questions. Sure, Taysom Hill had thrown the ball better the previous game, but that was against a pretty weak pass defense. The game against the Aggies would be the best measuring stick so far this season, and would be key to building momentum for the rest of the season. The Aggies are a great team, and they had one of the best quarterbacks in the country leading the way. However, the Cougars came to play. On the very first play of the game (right after Kaylie and I found our seats...thanks Moons for the tickets!!!) Kyle Van Noy picked off a pass and took it into the endzone for a pick six. The Aggie students, known to be very supportive of their team, got pretty quiet pretty fast. After that play, I knew we had a shot. Later in the game on a third down attempt, Chuckie Keeton went down with an injury. While Chuckie's backup played well considering the circumstances, the Cougar defense dominated the rest of the game. Taysom Hill and Mitch Matthews had a breakout game, connecting on three touchdown passes, which answered a lot of the critics. It was a big win for BYU.

Finally, last night was the game against Georgia Tech. As a fan, I was excited about this one because the offense was finally starting to click, and there were rumors that Spencer Hadley would be back from his suspension. Hadley did return and made some big plays including a sack and a fumble recovery. Van Noy (who is an absolute beast) had two sacks and a key tackle for loss. The offense was basically unstoppable in the first half, and Taysom Hill was right on the money on all of his passes, especially this one (the catch by Hoffman was UNREAL!). Here's the video (which was #3 on ESPN's top 10 plays of the day).

In case the video doesn't work, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQEDIooczjg

While the offense slowed down in the second half, it was still a very impressive game and all of the people that wanted a new starting quarterback are pretty quiet these days.

The outlook for the rest of the season is pretty good. The most challenging game left on the schedule will be against Wisconsin in Camp Randall Stadium (always a tough place to play). My prediction is that BYU only loses one more the rest of the way. Yes--you heard it here first--that means I am predicting a Cougar win in South Bend against the Fighting Irish (going to a game in that stadium is on my bucket list for sure). After finishing the regular season 9-3, BYU will win its bowl game and end up in the top 25.

For those of you that clicked on the blog post expecting to see something a little less footballish, sorry to drag on for so long. But I really like football and I'm glad Kaylie is willing to come along to all of the games with me :) We've had some fun times together! Kaylie is learning lots about football and she now knows that "false starts kill drives." It's fun that she at least pretends to enjoy something that is really important to me. I have the best wife ever!!!

Why educate?

When I was younger, I loved the parts in the movie The Testaments when the Savior healed the boy with seizures and made the blind man see.  That’s one of the first times where I know I felt the Spirit.  Something about the Savior helping these people who were in so much pain really moved me.  Because of this, one of the things I love most about the BYU College of Nursing is the emphasis on “Learning the Healer’s art.” 

The Healer’s Art is a multifaceted skill.  Throughout nursing school, we learn how to be there emotionally for someone about to go into surgery; how to hang IV fluids, insert a nasogastric tube, or administer medications; and how to teach a child about their new diagnosis of diabetes.  We learn about the body and how miraculously it works; we also learn how to take care of it when it doesn't work.  It’s pretty fun stuff.

What a blessing it is that as I attend college, I can learn how to become more like the Savior.

But the cool thing is, so does everybody else!

Let’s take engineers for example.  [Yep, Dad.  You trained me well—I listed your folk first!] These creative minds are hired to find new ways to solve problems.  They are inventors:  creating ideas and things that weren’t there before.  If creating the world—mountains, oceans, rivers, fish, elephants, flowers, people—wasn’t inventing, I don’t know what is.

An English major learns how to write and convey ideas to people.  They learn to relate.   The Savior related to people as He told parables and was able to understand the way they think.  Similarly, those in theater and the arts are also able to communicate life experiences in a way that touches us deeply.

We have our high school teachers and our kindergarten teachers.  Our Savior taught hundreds of people according to the way they learn best.  He continues to teach us as we read scriptures and attend church.

Derek’s major is finance.  He is learning to make the most of what money we have and how to help others do the same. (Sorry love, you probably could have made this part a lot cooler than I just did.)  And based on the loaves and fishes, we know that if anyone knows how to make the most of our resources, it’s the Savior. 

So.  As Sister Dalton lovingly reminded us a conference ago, “what e’er thou art, act well thy part.”  Because chances are, whatever you’re doing is pretty important J

Somewhat related:  I read the coolest article on Sunday about how important it is to educate women in our society—even if they “just” become mothers.  While in the workforce one is able to influence hundreds of lives, but what about influencing the next generation?  Mothers have a direct impact and influence on their children and the kind of people they will become.  If we left all higher education to the men, women at home would have so little to provide for their children.  If we decided secondary education was not important for women, why educate them at all?  Do they even need a high school degree?

Anyway, I’m not exactly sure how to end this, but I really think education is important!  It doesn't matter what you study or whether or not you plan on using it for the rest of your life.  And it doesn't even need to be a college education.  But any education and any degree of knowledge we achieve in this life will put us at so much the advantage in the life to come.

So three cheers for education.  Homework is hard, tests are frustrating, and class can be long.  But just like the primary song says, “I’m Trying to be Like Jesus.” And working for our education puts us one step closer to becoming perfected. 

On Loss

These are excerpts from a journal entry I wrote a while ago, but I really wanted to share it: 

It’s amazing how awful loss is but how everyone must experience it in some way or another.  It might be lost experiences, loss of a loved one, or something as seemingly simple as a breakup.

I was reading a book yesterday that had a picture of a little pioneer family eating their meal.  They looked like they had been through a lot and had experienced loss.  They probably lost friends and family members and had to move on without them.  That’s how it can feel as you are moving into a new phase of life and saying goodbye to old friends.  Yes, there are still other people to love and care about, but you don’t feel ready to leave them behind.  And yet, you have to.

During high school, I distinctly remember realizing that if there was one thing I never wanted, it was a breakup.  I had heard songs about breakups and loss my whole life, but it finally occurred to me how devastating it actually would feel to put so much into something and then lose it completely.  That was one aspect of human experience I didn’t want to understand. 

And yet, it happens.

So this whole loss thing!  Why do we have to go through it?  We put so much of ourselves and our souls into relationships and then it must be taken away.  Why do these trials happen?  I’ve discovered a couple reasons.

One reason for trials is it helps us to understand our fellow human beings.  We finally know what the widow next door has been experiencing for 20 years.  We finally understand the emotion behind Kelly Clarkson’s hazel eyes.  We finally understand what it might feel like to switch jobs and move your family across the country.  Just as Harry began to see threstrals after witnessing Cedric Diggory’s death, so we join a group of people that know.  And with this knowing comes empathy and the chance to help others. 

Jeffrey R. Holland said of Liberty Jail, “No, Joseph was not greater than the Savior, and neither are we. And when we promise to follow the Savior, to walk in His footsteps, and be His disciples, we are promising to go where that divine path leads us. And the path of salvation has always led one way or another through Gethsemane. So if the Savior faced such injustices and discouragements, such persecutions, unrighteousness, and suffering, we cannot expect that we are not going to face some of that if we still intend to call ourselves His true disciples and faithful followers.”  That brings me to my second point.  As we go through trials, we become more like the Savior. 

Alma 7:12 states, “And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”  Because Christ took upon Himself our pains, weaknesses, and afflictions, he can succor us.  That is what makes Him our Savior.  He understands it all.

We do not have to drink Christ’s bitter cup.  Our path is much easier.  But the trials that do come give us a chance to feel a little bit of what the Savior did.  Just as He suffered to understand us, so we suffer to understand Him.

That brings me to the concept of love. Huey Lewis song, “The Power of Love” has more truth than I used to think.  “It's strong and it's sudden and it's cruel sometimes, but it might just save your life, that's the power of love.”  As explained in the lyrics, despite its glorified pedestal, love can bring us to our knees.  When I have a loved one suffering, it breaks me to the core.  I’ve spent nights sobbing because those I love are struggling with sickness, friends, school, or loneliness.  When Leslie went through cancer treatment, I think that all of us would have taken that hardship in a heartbeat from her if we could.  Our love for her caused us to ache and we longed to take that pain away from her.  And yet we couldn’t.  

But the Savior can.  And He did.  The thought of us suffering alone and without hope was enough to for love’s power to take its effect.  Love allowed the Savior to perform the Atonement for us.   Because of the Savior’s love for us, we are redeemed.   

Is this what life is about?  We come to earth, get bodies, feel happy, feel sad, grow up, make families, have kids, and start this process over?   Actually, yes!  This is what it is all about. 

“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39)

Life is one big cycle of growing and learning and becoming.  And you know what?  It’s wonderful.  Loss and suffering are involved, but so is JOY.  “Adam fell that men might be and men are, that they might have joy.”  (2 Nephi 2:25).  There is so much to be happy and joyous about.  The world is beautiful with its wooded mountains and sparkling rivers.  There are sunsets and butterflies and new baby fingers and toes.  There are friends and laughter and dinner with family.  There is running and moving and learning and creating.  There is performing and watching and reading and enjoying. 

Is it worth it?  I think so. 

Dumbledore told Harry, “If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. Love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. To have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.”   Voldemort cannot understand, but he is missing out.  There's a line in "Ever After" I really like, “a life without love is no life at all.”  Guess who has two thumbs and wants to live?

To sum it up:  “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”  (John 17:3) As we increase in love, we come to understand the Savior, and that is life eternal. 

If I am seeking life eternal and am choosing between horcruxes and love to get me there, I choose love.

Oh won't you be my neighbor?

For the last few weeks, Derek and I have been FLOORED with how awesome life is.  Here are some great parts about life lately...

1.  We live in the best location in the world.  We're in a cute little neighborhood in the tree streets so it's super close to campus.  Not only that, but we're across the street from the elementary school.  When I walk to school, sometimes we get to join forces with the 3rd graders.  My favorite sight has been a little boy (probably first grade) messing with his jelled-up hair as he walked to make sure it looked perfect.  Precious.  Little kids surround us on this street and they're always up to something fun outside.

Pretty neighborhood!!

2.  Along a similar vein, we have wonderful neighbors.  It's been so fun to come home from school or clinical and chat it up with the ladies on the street and meet their kids.  They are so good to us, too.  The other day Derek and I were working on his grandma's tree (oh!  We live in her basement, by the way) because a bunch of branches fell down in that crazy rain/hail storm.  A man from a couple houses away walked down and, in seeing our meager saw, let us borrow his.  We didn't even know the man but he was so good to us!  Neighbors are the greatest.

3.  Our ward has a garden!  Talk about the best idea ever.   Each week for FHE, a few families in our married student ward sign up to volunteer an hour in the garden. Of course too much is going to grow for just a few people to eat, so anyone in the ward is welcome to it.  It's a few houses up from us so the other night we walked up.  This is what we got:

 FOR FREEEEE!!!

And then we made salsa out of it. :)
[Plus some vinegar, cilantro, salt, other peppers, garlic etc.]

Okay, I know the video is stupid, but it's kind of awesome too, right?  This ninja chop thing is amazing!  Derek told me to see if I can upload it in slow motion.  Hahaha




*Insert a week in here*  We went back a few days after for FHE and learned how to harvest sunflower seeds and then got to take food home.  Not only did we get lots of good stuff  but we were also given some flowers to take home!!!

Okay, ignore the clock still in its package. We're still deciding where things are going to belong :)

One final funny thing--

4.  We have awesome towels.  Super soft, super pretty, gotta love them.  But I'm so glad we wash them separately.  Here's what our lint filter had in it after the wash:

When Derek took this picture he texted me the image with the caption "Somebody shaved Elmo."

Hooray for lint filters.  Double hooray for cleaning them out.

Welp, that's it for now folks!

Honeymoon! Oops, oh wait...I mean Honeypaulson....

On August 23rd, 2013, we were married!  Best. Day. Ever.  Seriously.  Ever since I was in high school,I've always been secretly worried about feeling so anxious, worried, selfish, grumpy, etc. that the wedding day would be a bumpy ride.  Gratefully, it was anything but.  It was amazing to have our family there and so many people we care about.  The weather was (almost) perfect and our windblown hair will only add to the natural effect of the pictures.  And I got to marry Derek, so basically a wonderful day.
I'll post more about the actually wedding day once we've got pictures, but today I'll put up the pictures from our honeymoon!  Our trip was a quick one...just enough to run away before school started again.  And boy, did we need this break.  Derek had been working full time in Riverton and Salt Lake all summer, and I had been working 90 or so hours a week as an EFY counselor.We went to Park City from Saturday to Tuesday, and then up to his Grandpa's ranch for Wednesday.  So much fun.

This is us eating dinner on one of the nights.  We didn't have a table to eat our food at so the ground it was!  

Pretty trees and mountains!

We loved the little shops and stores along main street.  They all have their own look to them, so that was really fun.

Fun little dining areas were outside many of the shops

We grabbed someone to take a picture of us. After we got home, I noticed that our shirts kind of match the background!  This must be true love.

We went into this store called Java Cow where eeeverything was about cows.  So funny.

And here is the piping.

Nasty kitty shirt

On our way to the ranch there's not much out there.
Taggart's Grill is basically the big tourist site of the area.
And how fun is that....they have pet peacocks outside.

Funny highlights of the trip:

-When we checked into our hotel, we had told the desk attendant that we were recently married.  She looks at me and asks, "So are you just starting at BYU?" (kind of asking, wow!  what a big step for this 17/18-year old girl to get married).  "No," I replied.  "I'm a senior there."  For the rest of the trip, I was haunted by the idea that someone might think might be high schoolers.

-After church on Sunday we were riding the elevator back up to our room.  A big black guy turns to Derek and says "You're a sharp dressed man."  And goes on to talk about how we need more sharp-looking men in the world.  My cute husband turns and says "well, I've got a pretty lady with me too!"  Our new friend turns to me and says, "See?  He is sharp."  

-There was no microwave in our room to cook our Sunday dinner. (we barely remembered to stop on Saturday and buy food for Sunday.  Almost a bonus fast Sunday there...)  So we wandered around the hotel for probably an hour looking for one.  I felt like by the end, everyone in the hotel had probably seen us and we looked like idiots.  Finally, we got brains and called the desk for one.  Promptly afterwards, we received a microwave :)

Overall, it was a super fun trip.  Three cheers for being married!!

So we have a blog.

When I was in 9^th grade, I had an English assignment from a teacher (who terrified me).  The assignment was to take ten poems and compare them in a paper.  Easy enough, right?  Because this was a trimester-long project, it conveniently turned into my 10-hour personal progress project for Choice and Accountability as well. Woohoo!  My mom helped me decide on Robert Frost and gave me many questions to think about as I read.  Cheesy as it sounds, I think this project changed my life.  Learning about the poems’ themes and thinking them in relation to my life changed the way I think about the world. Even the hard parts became more beautiful. 

Frost wrote about nature, change, and appreciation of life. One of my favorite Frost poems is called The Pasture.  It goes:

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I shan't be gone long. -- You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf
That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I shan't be gone long. -- You come too. 

I think the reason I love it so much is his delight in the little things. Even during the chore of raking leaves away, he finds joy in the life all around him. 

When I love something, I want to share it with others.  Whether it’s a funny thing Derek does or something delicious to eat, it’s better when it can be enjoyed by more than just one.

So that’s one of the main purposes for the blog:  to just share what I love (and what WE love…Derek will get on too and do guest posts) with you all J   

So…ta da!  I have a blog!  Hope you enjoy!

I feel like this post is serious-ish, but hopefully it doesn’t stay like that.  We’ll see!