Tuesday, June 29, 2010

*~~Love and Marriage~~*

I have been married for 12 years now! All dozen years have been spent with the same fine man. I really can't believe how fast the time has gone by! The happy [and clueless] bride and groom,
just minutes after being married, sealed for time and eternity.





It was really hot and humid--the hottest in
20 years, so they told me. You can see the sky
behind the temple is a scorching haze.


Here's a shot of my dress, my veil, and the wedding cake.
Scanning is hard work, ya know.

So, for fun....
A DOZEN THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED SINCE TWELVE YEARS AGO:
1. We own a car (it's been 5 in total--but 0 in our first year).
2. I wear make-up.
3. He no longer gets to sleep in.
4. We make more than $5,000.00 a year.
5. We don't ration our snack food anymore.
6. I weigh 15 pounds less.
7. He weighs 15 pounds more.
8. We have made and now care for our 4 children.
9. We have had a miscarriage (between our 1st and 2nd).
10. We can't fit all our belongings in the back of a pick-up.
11. We have dental insurance and can go to the dentist regularly.
12. We own a house.

A DOZEN THINGS THAT HAVEN'T CHANGED IN TWELVE YEARS
1. His hairstyle (it's timeless).

2. Our fascination with bonsai trees.

3. We go to bed at the same time.

4. We hold hands in public--but only if the kids aren't around holding our hands :).

5. We own more fishing equipment than all our other sporting goods combined.
6. Our old desk.
7. Our meals are home-cooked.
8. My teeth (someday I'll get braces....)
9. Arguing is pointless.
10. We use the same sets of scriptures.
11. We still use the same set of dinner plates.
12. He still makes my heart skip a beat when I unexpectedly run into him.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Just had one of those moments....

I was updating my address book--the "old-fashioned" kind that's a book where you actually physically write stuff :). I don't trust technology 100%. I always use pencil so that I can erase and make changes if people move and stuff.

It's probably been over a year since I last updated it because I noticed that I still had my paternal grandfather's information. He passed away 15 months ago. Yesterday was Memorial Day and seeing my grandpa's name on the page just tugged at my heart. He is gone from us. He served in the US Navy and fought in the Korean War. He was always smiling and laughing and full of wit and humor--we were always laughing when he was around. Here he is 5 years ago. Can you guess which one he is?

(The guy with the goatee).

His step-father, my great-granddad, passed away a year and a half earlier. He, too, was a veteran. A US Marine, having served in World War II and I am pretty sure Vietnam (gotta check and make sure). He, too, is pictured above.

This is another picture of us with my great-grandparents,
one of the last times we'd all see them.

My great-grandma and great-granddad died only a few days apart. That was a touching story.... Great-granddad was more soft-spoken than great-grandma. He was always happy to have us great-grandkids over. I loved his big garden and his hugs.

Though he joined the church in the early 70's, great-grandma didn't join until 2004. The obtained special permission from the First Presidency to not have to wait a year after her baptism to be sealed in the temple.

It was a beautiful day, the day of their sealing.

My maternal grandfather passed away almost 9 years ago. I can't find the picture I have of him in uniform when he and grandma married. But this is them with their 9 children.


Grandpa fought in World War II. He was there on Normandy Beach. My mom said he never talked about his war experiences. We wonder if his wife, my grandma, still living, even knows of his stories. All my memories of him are seeing him weak, walking with a cane and going steadily blind over the years. My mother remembers his healthier days of during her childhood, his strength, stamina, and good humor as he worked their family farm.


One of my brothers currently serves our country in the US Air Force. He is a linguist and I am amazed by all the knowledge this guy can fit in his head! He and I were close growing up and perfected the art of verbal disputation, much to my father's disappointment. I'd like to think that I helped expand my brother's capacity for communication :). Seriously though, we are so pleased with this guy's devotion to family, church, and our great nation.
Happy Memorial Day....