I love this short little message from a Christmas Devotional given a couple of years ago and thought I would share, enjoy!
The First Presidency Christmas Message (2009):
"In celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ our thoughts turn to that sacred occasion when He was born “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). He promised: “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Truly, Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer who was “wounded for our transgressions … and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5)."
"Our prayer this Christmas season is that the light and testimony of the Savior's divine mission will come into our hearts and be reflected in our lives and in our homes."
"May each of us be blessed, not only at this Christmas season, but also throughout the coming year. May our faith in Jesus Christ increase as we follow His example in all we do and say."
So everyone remember our cute little entertainment center we got for $20 when we first moved into our apartment? Well it is now gone and replaced by this years Christmas. Although we haven't had it for long we have been enjoying it, not to mention it gave me an excuse to rearrange me whole apartment. Cleaning and rearranging things can be so refreshing!
Don't mind the unevenly arranged pictures on the walls, I haven't quite had the time to add all the little homey touches yet.
Not only did we rearrange our living room but we got our Christmas tree! It honestly would not feel like Christmas without it. I love coming home to the fresh smell of pine and the warmth the beautiful decorations bring into our home. For our wedding my aunt gave us a big plastic container filled with Christmas tree decorations and lights which really have been wonderful. I think it is such a clever idea to give newly weds Christmas decorations since the majority of us are poor college students that don't have any money to spend on them, especially during this time of year. My mom also gave me my box of Christmas ornaments that my Grandma Robertson has given me over the years and the one's I had made when I was young. My Grandma Robertson has the most extraordinary nativity collection and every Christmas she gives all of the grandchildren a new nativity ornament, which have now come in very good use.
While we truly enjoy the many material holiday traditions during this time of year, we are both so grateful for our Savior and the gift that he has given us. We loved the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional and their reminder to us of what Christmas is really about. This is such a joyous time of year and we have so much to be grateful for. In fact for FHE the other night Collin and I took this month's Ensign challenge to write down 100 things we are thankful for. It took some time but it was fun comparing our listz and made us realize that a list of 100 things doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of all the things Heavenly Father has blessed our lives with. If any of you want to take the "Gratitude Challenge" here are some suggestions that the Ensign gives in listing what you are grateful for:
Write 10 physical abilities you are grateful for.
Write 10 material possessions you are grateful for.
Write 10 living people you are grateful for.
Write 10 deceased people you are grateful for.
Write 10 things about nature you are grateful for.
Write 10 things about today you are grateful for.
Write 10 place on earth you are grateful for.
Write 10 modern inventions you are grateful for.
Write 10 foods you are grateful for.
Write 10 things about the gospel you are thankful for.
These were from the night Collin proposed to me. It was a particularly cold Wednesday night, October 28, 2009 to be exact. I had been sick that day with a bad cold and missed most of my classes because of it. During the time that we were dating Collin lived in West Jordan and went to school up in Sandy. We were both so busy with school and work that he normally only came down on the weekends but for some reason he was able to come to Provo that night.
I remember being asleep when Collin first got to my apartment and after waking up a little bit Collin convinced me to go to the store with him to get some medicine. To my surprise, when we got back to the apartment all the lights were off except for some candles that lit up a huge pumpkin sitting on my coffee table. Carved into the pumpkin were the words, "Marry me?" and laying in front of the pumpkin was a beautiful, shinning ring!
He knelt, proposed and I of course said YES! It wasn't long after that that I heard clapping and shouts. Slowly Hanna and Ashly crawled out from under our kitchen table where they had been watching and Eric stood up from behind the couch where he was apparently filming the whole ordeal. We all had a good laugh and then celebrated the happy event...the rest is history. Now we have been married for two glorious years, have shared so many cherished memories, and look forward for the many more to come. Looking back has reminded me of how grateful I am for our family and friends that have supported us every step of the way and for my loving husband who is truly my perfect match.
After four long weeks of waiting in anticipation we finally had our ultrasound this morning and we are excited to say that we are having a little girl! She was all curled up in a little ball and way too comfortable to move so it took some real probing to get a quick look at the gender. Also the nurse said we were a little farther behind from what was first expected so they pushed my due date back a week making my due date only two days earlier than what Hanna's was last year. Who knows, maybe our little girls will share the same birthday too...wouldn't that be fun?! The baby is still doing well and healthy but was too small from them to check the organs so we will get another ultrasound in four more weeks. It will be fun to have another ultrasound because honestly I had the hardest time making out anything on the screen today.
Oh and I forgot to mention, I had my second doctor's appointment last week and everything looks good and is on track. I'm four months along this week and am still wearing my regular jeans, although a couple of days ago I had to start putting a rubber band around the button to allow a little more room. So I'm very slowly getting bigger, but am thankful at this point that I get to wear scrubs to work everyday and not have to worry about trying to squeeze into something less comfortable. No real sickness at this point although I keep myself and my husband up all night tossing and turning. Is it weird that ever since I got pregnant I feel most comfortable sleeping on my stomach? I hope that isn't bad. Anyway we can find out in less than a month what the gender of our baby is!! We could either add yet another girl to our family or break the pattern and have the first grandson! Needless to say we are very anxious!
I've recently been thinking a lot about my Grandma Bohn who passed away last April and since it was her birthday a couple of days ago I just wanted to mention a couple of things that I loved about her. A few words that come to my mind when I think of her are:
House-dresses - from before I can remember this was the most common article of clothing in my Grandma's wardrobe. Quilts - almost every time I went to my Grandma's house she would always have a quilt waiting for my sister and I to tie. She would make one after another and give them to the Humanitarian Center; so many if fact that I'm sure they almost did not know what to do with all of them. Charity - in my eyes my Grandma was a perfect example of charity. She lovingly served so many around her and loved them no matter their situation. Every summer when my sister and I would stay there for weeks at a time, my Grandma would always take us with her to visit those in need. She taught me how to love and care for people with disabilities and how to reach out and befriend someone in need of a friend.If there is one thing I love about my Grandma Bohn its that she never let an excuse stand in her way of giving service. There are many times I think she could have told people that she had her granddaughter in town and wasn't available, but instead she gladly excepted the opportunity and took us with her-- that I will always be grateful for. Love - I feel there was more love in that woman's heart than I can only hope to have a part of someday. There was never a moment in my life that I didn't know that my Grandma loved me, loved her family and friends, loved the gospel, and loved the Savior. Humanitarian - when my Grandma wasn't making quits for the Humanitarian Center she was busy crocheting hats and booties and making colorful toys for children in need. And she never passed up an opportunity to involve me in her service projects. Hot chocolate and cinnamon toast - I can remember every morning waking up at my Grandma' s house she would make us a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and toast with cinnamon-sugar on it while we watched our cartoons. Knitting - while I never learned, my Grandma was notorious for knitting, especially dishrags which was her specialty. They always made good gifts. Journals - when staying at my Grandma's every summer, Hanna and I would always sleep in my Grandma's room. Every night was the same routine; she would get ready for bed, read her scriptures, write in her journal, then work on a crossword puzzle until she was ready to get into bed. She was an avid journal writer and rarely missed a day, even if the entry was only a quick sentence. We would always ask her questions about our mom when she was young and my Grandma would hunt down the right journal and read us some entries about our mom. I will always be grateful to my Grandma for consistently writing in her journal so that I can always have her history with me and learn from her experiences even though she is gone for now. Puzzles - along with the other many projects my Grandma had going, she always had a puzzle out that she would work on which I loved to help her with. Faith - one thing is for sure, I never had to question that my Grandma knew the gospel of Jesus Christ was true. Her whole life was centered around it's principles and teachings. I too know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and am grateful to know that I will see my Grandma again and be with my family forever. Schwan's - another sure thing at my Grandma's house was Schwan's, especially Golden Nugget Bars, French Toast Sticks, and Tortellini. Plucking Bread - This was one of my Grandma's specialties dishes and one that we all looked forward to at any family gathering (...as long as she did not but dried fruit in it). It goes great with hot chocolate and sure brings warmth to your heart and your taste buds. Christmas trees - And lastly for anyone who knew my Grandma knew she loved Christmas trees. She was an avid collector and has a whole room filled with many different kinds of Christmas trees from all over the world.
I feel so lucky to be able to call her my Grandma and am thankful for everything she did from me. Love you Grandma!
What a summer, and I can't believe it is already over and gone! Apart from enjoying the warm weather and the time off of school, this summer was definitely one of bold undertakings...at least for me anyway.
As a belated honeymoon, Collin and I spent five days in the Caribbean on the island of St. Lucia. I spent most of June working on getting a passport and the rest of the summer we both spent saving up our pennies, and in the end it was certainly all worth it. St. Lucia is truthfully one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The whole island is a giant rain-forest with exotic tropical plants, towering volcanoes, and beautiful sunsets. Having never been out of the country before, or even out of the western United States, it was definitely culture shock when we first land in St. Lucia and I must say the whole trip was quite an adventure. By far our most favorite part of the trip was laying out on the sandy beach and then swimming in the cool ocean water when the hot humidity became to unbearable.
The view from our balcony.
These are all the boarding passing it took us to get to and from St. Lucia
After getting back from our trip and having several days to recover it was right back to work, which leads me too yet another new endeavor. Annalise, Hanna, and I had be preparing all summer for the annual "Arts in the Park" held in Ely. We had decided to run a booth at this craft fair selling various crafts we had made. Much to our surprise it turned out to a big success and a ton of fun. Although we are not currently running our business feel free to check out our blog at shadesigns4u.blogspot.com to see what we were all about. With busy lives of our own running a business became very overwhelming so we decided for now to keep it stickily a hobby.
Now that it is well into September Collin and I have both been busy with school and work. With it being Collin's last year of undergraduate school he is taking a full load and trying to get involved in several research studies in order to build a good resume for graduate school. I too am also trying to get done, but working full time has slowed me down some. Although working and going to school full time can be overwhelming at times, I so grateful to have the opportunity at such a good education and a great job that I love doing.
And now that I have had my first doctor's appointment, I can officially announce that Collin and I are soon to be parents!! I am not about 11 weeks along and the baby is already growing so fast. At my doctors appointment today we were able to see an ultrasound of our baby, and even though it is still small it was amazing to see how active it was! During the ultrasound we were able to see the baby moving it's arms and legs, and even got to see it's little heart beat. Who ever it is inside there, he or she will have quite the personality; I cannot wait to meet them. I will try to be better at keep everyone up-to-date, but for now expect a baby in April :)
Summer is finally here (...and has been for several months but obviously I'm quite behind) and I no longer have to sit in class day dreaming of summer vacations. Now I just sit at work and day dreaming about them :)
Classes ended the last part of April and I can happily say that Collin and I passed with flying colors, something that definitely came with lots of work and stress...at least for me. Winter semester is always the hardest for me. Anyway, for those that don't know I started a new job in March as an ophthalmologist technician. I know, its quite a mouth full but basically I work for an ophthalmologist taking back patients and doing all the pre-testing before the doctor sees them. I've been there for about three months now and I love it! Coming from a family of many eye doctors I feel right in my element. The best part of the job is that I get to wear scrubs to work every day, better yet they tell me what colored scrubs to wear each day so I never have to get up in the morning and wonder what to wear! Collin is also working and taking summer classes.
Besides working and school we have taken a few trips home. A couple of weeks ago we flew to Pahrump for Collin's niece's baptism. Collin had the privilege to baptize his niece, Lilly and the whole service turned out really nice. Although Collin's niece comes from a rather rough up-bringing she really is the sweetest little girl I know and has so much love for the gospel. It was fun to be with family and be in the warm weather.
The week after Pahrump we drove home to Ely for the Fears, Tears, and Beers annual bike race that my dad helps put on every year. Collin and I helped out at one of the check points in the race and after spending six hours in the Nevada sun lets just say we left a little redder than before. My dad took 4th in the expert class riding about 34 miles...go Dad!! I've helped out with the race about three years now and have decided that next year I want to race. I've have enough sitting on the sidelines! It was also my dad's 50th birthday that weekend which we all had fun celebrating. My dad is truly an inspirational giant in my eyes and I'm so grateful to have him in my life.
As to the rest to our summer, I'll try be better at keeping you all up-to-date.
It is happening....I'm not even half way through the semester and I'm already wishing it was summer. The past couple of days all I can think about is how much I want a vacation. Not a quick trip to the parent's house or a little day trip to some nearby city-- I want a long, far-away, relaxing vacation, just me and my husband. Last summer we had a couple of nice trips planned but we never really followed through with them. Perhaps the lack of time and/or money.
Looking back on it, we really wish we would have taken some of those trips. Not any more! I've decided that I not going to plan trips and then never go on them, this year we are making it happen (hopefully). There are always some factors that are out of our hands, but if the stars align just right maybe we might be able to take our dream vacation this summer. We were looking up vacations in Cape Code, Massachusetts just for fun tonight and unfortunately that has left me wishing I could be there right now. We've been wanting to go there for some time. Spend a day or two in Boston, then go down by the coast near Martha's Vineyard and simply relax. Anyway that is what I'll be asking for my birthday this year.
May I first start out by saying sorry to all those who follow our blog. As you can tell I am not so good at regularly updating it; however, we are still alive and well....for the most part anyway. Collin has been sick for the past week with a bad cough and sore throat and doesn't seem to be getting much better. We got him some medicine yesterday so hopefully that will help.
Anyway onto other matters, Collin and I finished out last semester with flying colors and enjoyed a fun and relaxing Christmas break in Ely and also celebrated our one year anniversary. I honestly don't know where 2010 went, it just seemed to whiz by. Although we were only celebrating our first anniversary together it felt like we've been together so much longer. This past year has truly been one of the best years of my life. The good days always beat out the bad, and through the tough times we've learned so much and have grown so close together. I feel so grateful for all that I have and for my wonderful life.
As for the new year, Collin and I are about a month into our new semester at school. Collin is loving his classes but truthfully I am having a more difficult time motivating myself this semester. I was a little slow getting back into the groove of things at school so now that midterms are coming up I'm frantically trying to play catch-up. Unfortunately that is not the only thing I'm trying to catch-up in. With the holidays, more car repairs, and the cost of books this month has been really tight budget wise. However, I am very proud of how resourceful and creative it has caused us to be. With a budget of $80 a month (about $20 a week) for groceries, I've learned how to be very resourceful in the kitchen.
Here are some tips that have helped us stay within our tight budget.
I always plan out meals for the week based on what is on sale at the grocery store and what we already have. I've learned if you buy only what you need for the meals you have planned you spend a lot less. Secondly, I try to only take cash with me when shopping. I also use the calculator on my phone as I'm shopping to make sure I'm staying within my twenty dollars. Lastly, I've been doing a lot more cooking. I've made my own bread, tortillas, rolls, etc. Last week we didn't go grocery shopping and made due with what we already had.
Monday- BBQ Beef Sandwiches Shredded BBQ beef (given to us by my brother and sister-in-law) Homemade rolls Corn
As for this week I did go grocery shopping on Friday and was able to purchase food for five meals with only $20! Although we don't have much I truly feel so blessed for what we do have. Thank you to all our friends and family that have so lovingly supported us and helped us when we needed it. Also for all of you out there on a tight budget here are some more cheap and easy dinner ideas. Good luck!
Hot Dogs Chili and Cornbread Chicken Noodle Soup Spinach Lasagna Rolls Frito Pie Beef Stew Spaghetti and Homemade French Bread
