Love At Home

I am blessed.


I am blessed to be a part of a family that expresses their love for one another both verbally and physically. I am blessed with two wonderful parents who not only show unconditional love to me, my husband and my brother, but also to each other. I am blessed with a temple marriage to my best friend and eternal companion. I am blessed with a little brother who will stand by me through thick and thin and who I look up to. I am blessed with aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents who are an important and invaluable part of my life. I am blessed to have married into a wonderful family who has welcomed me in from day one. I am blessed with friends who are simply chosen family.

I am so blessed.

My parents are the perfect example to me of a successful marriage. They are not perfect. In fact, they bicker and snap at each other fairly frequently. But that’s why I think they are perfect. Marriage is not always easy and it’s not always fun. It’s being able to work through the bickering and the snapping that truly shows the strength of a relationship.

As most of you know my parents are currently building a house. Anyone who has ever gone through the process of building a house (and we’re talking from the drawing board, to construction, and soon furnishing) knows it is not an easy process. Because Mom and Dad have been staying with us through much of this process, I have gotten a front row seat to “the show”. Let’s just say that there have been a few “tense moments”. Mom is very opinionated and… so is Dad. We’ve gone round and round about window heights, stair widths, bathroom layouts, adequate storage space, heating vent placements and where to put the trap door to the crawl space. There have been raised voices, sharp tones, and some careless retorts. It has been “entertaining” to say the least.

One night, after a particularly rough day on the job site I was blessed with a reminder about the solid foundation of my parent’s marriage. Jeremy and I had gone to bed, but I wasn’t asleep yet. The acoustics in the back hallway of our house carry any noise from the kitchen straight downstairs and into our bedroom. As I was falling asleep to the sound of my parent’s “house” chatter I heard my dad say to my mom, “I’m so glad that I’m going through this process with you. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be building this house. I love you, Sharon.” My mom returned the sentiment and I fell asleep. What a blessing to have heard those simple feelings shared between two of the most important people in my life. The scriptures say that the wise man built his house upon a rock, and, although this wasn’t exactly what the scripture referred to, my parents built their relationship on the solid rock of their love for one another. When the rains have come tumbling down for them, their house has stood strong because of that amazing and firm foundation.

My parents set a precedence for me regarding what a marriage should look and feel like. It’s okay to have hard times, just always remember the rock you built upon and be sure to appreciate the small and simple things you do for one another. Two nights ago I was at school until 11:45pm working with my thesis chair on my thesis. I was supposed to be home at 7:00pm for dinner, but obviously that didn’t happen. I walked in the door a little after midnight tired, but even more hungry as I hadn’t eaten since 2:00pm. I walked downstairs to find Jeremy and Lani asleep on the couch. The thought of going upstairs and cooking something was daunting and unwelcoming, but what choice did I have. I walked into the kitchen to find dinner waiting for me on the stove and a bowl and spoon laid out for me on the dining room table. I broke down. This simple act of kindness from my husband was enough to move me to tears. I left the food on the stove and ran downstairs. I walked over to the couch and hugged Jeremy. He woke up and immediately asked, “Why are you crying?” When I told him, his response was, “It’s only dinner.” Well sometimes that’s all it takes. “Only dinner” can mean everything. As a side note, however, I found out later that it wasn’t only dinner, Jeremy had also given our dog a much need bath, teeth cleaning, ear cleaning and hair trim.

I’ve had this topic of love at home on my mind for over a week now. It has been a period of reflection and gratitude for me. I guess it’s fitting that I finally wrote these thoughts down on my dad’s birthday. Not that it needs to be reiterated, but he and my mom are ideal examples of love at home. Jeremy and I are not perfect, but we also haven’t had too much practice. Our relationship has come a long way in our short four and a half years of marriage, and I’m grateful for every triumph and every trial. I hope that we continue to perpetuate the love in our home so that someday one of our children can write a journal entry about a sweet, silent expression of love he or she hears one of us say to the other.

There truly is beauty all around.

I am so very blessed.

An Exercise in Humility...

I can remember that it seemed like EVERYONE took piano lessons when I was a kid. And, almost always, they HATED it. Hated everything about it... lessons, practice, recitals. I suppose to a child there are a million better things to do than sit in front of a big wooden box and pluck out melodies on black & white keys. Well... I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I wish my parents had forced me to take piano when I was younger. If they had, I wouldn't be writing this post.

I love music. There are feelings and emotions that can only be conveyed through music... sometimes mere words just don't hack it. I always have music on... the radio/CDs/iPod while driving in the car, iPod while working out, iTunes on my laptop while cooking/cleaning, XM Radio through my TV while getting ready for work in the morning. Music is an addiction for me. I also love to sing. I'm no Celine Dion but I do just fine. :) All of this being said, I've always wanted to be able to play the piano.

I've been dancing hula with some friends for over a year now and just a couple of months ago one of my friends, Sheila, brought one of her close friends, Amy, to check it out. Amy was instantly hooked and now comes regularly. Two weeks ago, after practice, she was discussing piano lessons with Sheila. Come to find out... she teaches piano as a small side job. I immediately told her about my dream to learn piano and she told me she had an opening on Mondays. Right now, time isn't as much an issue for me as money is so I jokingly said, "So... I'll teach you hula and you'll teach me piano?" AND SHE SAID IT WAS A DEAL!

So yesterday was the first lesson of the season. Every first Monday of the month is a group lesson. It was great. There I was with two 5 year olds, two 6 year olds, two 9 year olds, and two 12 year olds. Each month Amy spotlights a different composer during our group lesson. Yesterday we learned all about George Handel and his music. It was fun and informative! Then we set goals for the semester (til December). I'm supposed to get to pg. 21 in my lesson book and (this may be a stretch) I'm hoping to be able to play either "Away in a Manger" or "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Christmas.

Finally, we picked out songs for our Halloween recital... That's right... In two months I will get up in front of a bunch of people (predominantly the parents of the other students) and play a song. Amy picked out mine first. She said it would be good because I don't have to have mastered sight reading in order to play it. It's called "The Haunted Clock" and it is embarrassingly easy. To add insult to injury, she assigned the two 5 year olds more difficult songs. Awesome... Oh well, you have to start somewhere... and apparently in this case, it's the bottom! :)

Although I'm not thrilled about being shown up by "little people"/my fellow classmates, I am SO excited about learning to play. Hopefully, I'll take to the piano like a duck to water and blow everyone else out of the water with my inspiring interpretation of "THE HAUNTED CLOCK"... A girl can dream, can't she?

The Unexpected

It's always so much fun when you think everything is going to be fine on any given day and then BOOM life hits you right between the eyes. Awesomeness. Jeremy and I walked outside this morning to go to work and found part of our front yard completely under water. Not knowing what the problem was Jeremy immediately turned off our water at the street. I must admit it was pretty cool watching the puddles and mini-lakes instantly start to recede. After twenty minutes of scooping water out of the sprinkler and water turn-off  holes, and another ten minutes of soaking up the rest of the water with a sponge, we turned the water back on and found our problem. A previous tiny little crack in our sprinkler manifold had now become a huge crack in our sprinkler manifold.

This made me think about all of the little cracks that sometimes work their way into our lives. A small problem here, a minor issue there... but if you don't take care of them immediately you could end up with a flood. In this case Jeremy did try to fix it but his temporary plastic cement just couldn't stand up to the immense pressure of the water flowing through the pipe. Sometimes a bandaid just doesn't hack it... or the repair can only last so long. So... moral of the story... in sprinkler systems and in life, nip your problems in the bud. If not you'll end up ankle deep in water and muck.

Stress...

I have never been one to "stress out". I don't get cranky or break down when there is a lot going on... In fact, truth be told, I thrive off of chaos and distractions. And because of this, when I DO stress out I don't know how to handle it. Last week I broke. I came into work on Wednesday and literally cried to my boss. Lol... luckily we're really good friends!

The hole is dug and the work has begun!!!!

August has been, by far, the busiest month of the summer. Which is a bit ironic because I truly believed it would be the most laid back. Gotta love surprises! My parents and brother came to town on July 31 because... drum roll please... my parents finally started building their house here in Utah! They stayed until the 10th which was wonderful! I love my family so much and love having them close to me! Although I am SO sad about my parents leaving Hawaii, I am twice as happy that they will be so close to me! Jeremy and I have already warned them that we'll be out there every weekend and over for dinner every night. :) (To which my dad said... "Now let's not wear out your welcome." Right... like my parents could ever get sick of me!) As much fun as it was having them here it was crazy. My schedule always needs tweaking when I have guests. And Mom and Dad were at the constant beck and call of the contractor and sub-contractors. It was just nuts. Jeremiah left for NAU on the 10th and the same day Mom and Dad went to go stay in a hotel for a few days before camping. Plans changed and instead of camping they ended up driving down to AZ to see Uncle Brent & Auntie Dor. Jeremy and I were both jealous!

The bride and groom with the Bride's Family and Friends

The same day Mom & Dad left, Ms. Melanie came to town! It had been two years since we had seen each other and it was fabulous! Mel's little sister, Melissa was getting married and Mel, Shaun and her two cute little boys stayed with me and Jeremy. It's always interesting to me that there are some people who you can go years without seeing and yet, when you get together, you can pick up right where you left off! Mel is definitely one of those people in my life. As soon as we start hanging out we're right back in Helaman Halls, giggling and scheming. :)

There was lots to be done between Wednesday, when they arrived and Saturday, when the wedding was. There were lots of late nights, after midnight runs to Smiths, and getting really silly once "the drunken hour" hit... once again, all throw backs to "the good old days". Mel did all of the bouquets, boutonnieres and centerpieces for the wedding. They all turned out marvelously! The wedding turned out to be a huge success and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves!

On a less positive note.... Well, I shouldn't say that... On a more business-like note, I HAVE to finish my thesis by the end of August! Anyone who is reading this probably knows me well enough to know that I am the Queen... Empress... GODDESS... of PROCRASTINATION! Seriously.... I freakin' rock at procrastinating... I know... nothing to be proud of. Anyway, this is it. I'll have a rough draft done by Wednesday (yes, that's tomorrow) night, meet with Dr. Brown (my chair) on Thursday, do some edits next week and then set a date to defend on Aug. 27th. I can do this... I just have to keep telling myself this.

I have decided not to teach this fall. I'm very sad about it, but feel it's the right decision right now. I need time to be able to finish my thesis, and get a good start on my dissertation. Plus, I can make more money just working the 30 hours BYU allows grad students to work. And I love my job. My co-workers are wonderful, I have the best boss in the whole world and my work is almost always interesting. Also, I WILL be going home some time in September or October. The plan was to go home during August but if you have read this posting you know that's not happening. Not teaching gives me the flexibility to go to Hawaii during the semester. So, no teaching. :( but also kinda :)

Sheila and I dancing in Vegas

I've been dancing hula all summer with my friend,
 Sheila, and in the month of July we had three other ladies join us. In June, Sheila and I performed at a beauty pageant luncheon in Las Vegas, which was SO much fun. [I'm still planning on writing a whole entry about the Vegas trip... Someday.] Performing is simply the icing on the cake for us. It's not imperative but it's fun and an added bonus. As I was thinking about performing I had a wonderful idea. I shared with Sheila and she also thought it was a great plan. Each month we will choose a retirement center in Utah Valley and perform there. We feel it give us a chance to perform and would double as a great service to the elderly in our community. In July we visited Jamestown and had a blast! We're planning on continuing through the fall and winter semesters! Hula is such a beautiful art form and I just love sharing it with others! I'm grateful for my upbringing in Hawaii and the culture that I was immersed in. My heart is made so full when I am able to share the Aloha spirit with others and see their growing appreciation for hula and Hawaiian culture.

Jeremy & a Rainbow 7.10.10

Let's see... I think that's all for me! Jeremy has been having a good summer. He's been doing a lot of fly fishing and has become passionate about tying his own flies! I'm happy to see him enjoying a sport/hobby so thoroughly. It's good exercise and, much to my chagrin, has given him an amazing tan! (His new favorite game is... "Let's see who's darker!") He likes his new job although I don't think it's challenging enough for him. Hopefully that will become a blessing once school starts again! Speaking of school, I think (hope) he's excited to jump feet first into his new major courses this Fall! I hope he finds a passion that will fuel his desire to learn and grow.

Well, this is a pretty long post and I haven't even begun to cover everything I've missed in the last little while... but it's a start!

Failing.... So Miserably

Okay... this is me trying to kick my butt into gear in terms of being better about blogging... I seriously need a blog warden who reminds me STERNLY that I need to keep this thing up to date. As is quite typical of me... I fall behind on one post and then get hung up on doing that one before I do any others. Consequently, what happens? Oh that's right... I don't do any and then I fall farther and farther behind. :( Pathetic.... So this is me promising that I will have a real post finished and posted by tomorrow at midnight... We'll see...

A Slightly Sad but Essentially Enjoyable Trip to Yellowstone

So... started this post ages ago... determined to finish today!

I gotta finish up these posts about my girls trip because in two days we'll be in Vegas and there will be other things to write about!

Monday, Julia had planned for us to go to Yellowstone. Despite the grim weather forecast we decided to go anyway! It was about a two hour drive but, like the trip to Jackson Hole, it was beautiful country to drive through! When we got to Yellowstone we immediately realized it was definitely spring/summer time. There were babies everywhere! It was so fun! Baby bison, baby elk, baby deer... LOTS AND LOTS OF BABIES!!!!

Our first stop was at Fountain Paint Pots springs. I had been here once before with my family but I didn't remember a lot. It was very fascinating. They have boardwalks all over these hot springs that are EVERYWHERE! Some of them, because of the minerals in them, were colored blues, yellows, rusts... So beautiful! The pictures really don't do them justice! However, as is the case with most hot springs, there was lots of sulfur in the air... and my my... so stinky!

Julia had her heart set on doing a hike and in spite of the crummy weather we decided to press on! We went on a little hike up to "Mystic Falls"... and this is where the fun begins! We got about 50 yards from the car on our "hike" when we were dismayed to see that most of the next 50 yards were basically under water. Apparently thunderstorms and late spring thaw runoff were the culprits. We stood there, looked at each other, briefly discussed and then with my encouraging words of "Oh well... you only live once", still ringing in our ears, we did our best to leap over the first big "puddle", and then proceeded to wade through the next part of the path. The water was cold but it wasn't too bad.

Shortly after wading, we saw a large bison just a little ways off the path. I reached into my pocket to grab my camera and.... nothing. Hmm... I must have put it in the backpack. Nope... not in the backpack. Because Julia was the only one in waterproof hiking boots (Mary Ann and I were in mesh tennis shoes... hehe) she was volunteered to go back to the car to see if I left it there. After five minutes I was concerned. She came back empty handed and was just about to re-jump over our first "puddle" when she stopped, bent down and picked something up from out of the water.... Any guesses what it was??? :( No bueno. So... most of the pictures from this day of the trip and the rest of the trip are NOT from my camera. ***A note: Since then I am happy to report that I was able to rescue the SD card... the camera turns on... but the flash doesn't work... and it only takes pictures in some of the modes. Sounds like it's time for a new camera!***

But after the tragedy was accepted, we mourned, the poor camera was honored, and then we pressed forward! Through muck, up hills, over mini falls and finally, we arrived at Mystic Falls! It really was breathtaking. I am always amazed by the power of Mother Nature. It has a humbling way of making me feel so small. We ate lunch at the lookout over the falls and then decided that instead of going back the same way we came we'd take the loop up and around. It was worth it... we were privileged with some more amazing vantage points and spectacular views!

All in all it was a great hike! We ended the day by visiting Old Faithful! Julia had missed an eruption last time she visited with her family and was bound and determined to see one this time! Mary Ann had been young the last time she was there and didn't remember too much. It was fun! We didn't have to wait too long either... We were only sitting there for about ten minutes! Once again, it made me appreciate the power and majesty of nature!

After the eruption we hit up a couple of the buildings and shops just to check things up. We were all starving so we grabbed some overpriced marginal food (but what are you gonna do? :) ) before leaving the park. The drive home was fairly uneventful with the exception of it taking us 45 minutes to exit the park because some bison decided to just stand in the middle of the road. We all joked that that's probably what they do for fun... dare each other to walk out and stand in the road just to screw with the humans. I wouldn't doubt it! ;)

Celebrating Sunday!

I wasn't able to write much for the rest of my girls trip... so now I'm catchin' up... starting with Sunday!

Sunday was a great day. Julia's kitty came home, (after a 24+hour adventure in "the wild"), at 4:30 in the morning. I'm sure after all the excitement he was happy to be home and decided to show his enthusiasm by mewing ALL morning. By 5:30am I knew I was not going to be able to sleep anymore so I got up. I figured there was no sense in having all three of us get no sleep! I tried to calm Oliver, the kitty, down but to no avail. He kept going over and standing by Julia's bedroom door. I thought he just wanted Julia but we realized later that he was looking for Devin. Oh well... we were just happy to have him home!

We went to Julia's ward on Sunday and got to watch her teach Sunday School to two very nice thirteen year old boys. They were very much 13 year old boys... sat there unengaged and trying to stay focused. But Julia handled them so well! It was fabulous to watch her in a teaching position. I was very impressed! You could feel the love she has for them!

We skipped Relief Society to come home and nap before going to Rigby to see Jeremy's family. We got to watch Aunt Karla teach RS in their ward and then we headed over to the house to have family dinner. Before dinner we walked around outside and hung out with the horses! Julia and I loves horses and while Mary Ann claimed to have a love-hate relationship with them but I suspect she enjoyed it too.

Then we had a fabulous BBQ and were introduced to cookie salad! (If I can find that reicpe on line I'm FOR SURE posting it on our recipe blog!) It was wonderful! Both Julia and Mary Ann commented afterwards how easy it was to feel comfortable and "at home" with Jeremy's family. I am very blessed with a wonderful family-in-law! We got to play with Candace's (Jeremy's cousin) twin boys and the evening was made complete with a piano performance by Julia, and Mary Ann showing off her talent of standing on her tippy toes (slightly creepy)! All in all it was a wonderful day!

We're goin' to Jackson, aint never comin back... (Well technically we already went and we definitely came back)

Well.... these next few posts will be pretty much just about me (Jess). I'm on a little girls retreat with Mary Ann and Julia for the next few days. So far it has been wonderful! Mary Ann and I drove in Friday afternoon. The four hours flew by! Friday morning I went to the Provo library and got a library card (I know... I'm such a big girl!) and checked out Eclipse on CD for the drive. I haven't borrowed anything from a public library in YEARS! It was pretty cool. You do self-checkout now! Crazy! Anyway, Mary Ann and I got through five chapters on the drive up! It was awesome. We're brushing up before the movie comes out at the end of this month! Wooohoooo!

Friday night we did a little grocery shopping and then went to bed. We were all exhausted! Yesterday was a blast. We woke up too early (Mary Ann and I were up by 6:30am... and Julia shortly thereafter) for vacation. Julia informed us her kitty ran away in the middle of the night, so spent a good 45 minute wondering her neighborhood looking for him... but no kitty. :( So we went to work out. ***Side note: I am both blessed and cursed to have friends who, even when I'm on vacation, encourage me to work out... mostly by doing it themselves. They truly lead by example!***After workouts we showered, got ready and headed to Jackson Hole.

It was a fabulous day! We had a beautiful drive through "God's country". ;) It really was gorgeous. I've decided I could definitely live in this area. The first thing we did when we got into Jackson was go on an alpine slide. It was mine and Julia's first time and Mary Ann's second. We took a chairlift up to the top of this mountain with a spectacular view!

And then we got to slide down... it made us all feel like kids again (please see exhibit A... Mary Ann's face in the following picture!)

Then we headed into town and had fun looking at shops (and, of course, doing a little shopping), meeting Big Foot (quite an honor) & taking lots of pictures (the ones below is taken in front of the arches in the town square - they're made of elk antlers! Very cool!)



We stumbled across a chocloate shop while wandering and Julia pulled us in. You know... I could have resisted until I was in there with temptation staring me in the face. What's that thing they say in the church... avoid putting yourself in compromising situations... Anyway, it ended up being some of the best candy ever. Their Raspberry Cream covered in Dark Chocolate was to die for! Below is Mary Ann and I enjoying the last few bites... Uh... heaven...

We couldn't resist going and getting an "Old Time Photo". Julia and Mary Ann had never done one before, and it has been years since I have (remember that, Claire?). It was so much fun. I mean how can you not have a ball when you're laced up so tight in corsets you can hardly breathe and you're wearing bloomers! :) Oh and we totally loved the "frame" it came in. Apparently we are ladies of breeding... meaning we are well bred. Is that any better than the alternative??? Hmm.... something to ponder...

Then we set out on a quest to find a place for dinner. We visited several locations, including the “Million Dollar Cowboy Bar” (see pics below), but settled on Bubba’s BBQ. Not everything was amazing… but the stuff that was, was DELICIOUS! Seriously some of the best fries I’ve ever had!



The drive home was pretty and uneventful, a lovely combination. We were all beat so we went to bed pretty early. Oh! And good news... Julia's kitty came home! 4:30am... and wouldn't stop mewing once he did... but we're just happy he's back! :) More to come soon!

Workin' for the Weekend!

Well... it was a wonderful holiday weekend. Spent Friday doing some service for my boss... scraping, sanding & painting her garage door and her outdoor patio. Spent Saturday doing some service for our own house... scraping, sanding & painting OUR garage and new fence. Spent Sunday doing some service in church (well, our callings, but that's still service)... watching, playing with & having fun in nursery (yes... that's right Jeremy and I just got called to nursery!) And spent Monday honoring those who have served our country... and doing more painting, and having a fabulous BBQ with the Merrills. And here are the pictures to prove it!

Ryder enjoying the hammock (or as he calls it "hellmuck) -

The Merrills... what a cute family photo!

Enjoying a dinner outside!

Mary Ann and I going green... in a sense!

Ryder & Rianna giving Lani some love. They both love Lani so much... but they still get a little nervous around her... It's a love-hate relationship! :)

Ben & Mary Ann chillaxin... Hey... who's watching your children????



SUPER RYDER!!!!

I detest this picture of me but I just had to show that all three of us were in the hammock together! If you could see the weak ropes holding this thing up... trust me... you'd be impressed! :)

But alas... it is Tuesday and it is back to the old grind... However, it is a short four day week and then it's off to Idaho with Mary Ann to go visit Julia! I've said it before and I'll say it again... Friday cannot come fast enough!!!!

My First Blog

Well... I've finally decided to take the plunge and start my own blog. I've been debating about starting one for a while but kept thinking, "Who really wants to read about my boring life?" Hopefully someone out there does! :)