2 Years Ago Today...

We added to our little family.

On my awesome nephew Jefferey's 14th birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY!!! BTW) we were a family of three, TR, myself, and Mimi. On the 21st of December, 2007, TR and I got a puppy! It took a lot of convincing on my part to get TR to let me get him a puppy, but after showing him pictures from the KSL add of the puppies that I wanted to look at, he agreed.

On a cold winters day, after school and work, TR and I hopped in the car and drove out to Toole. We first looked at all of Linus' three sisters, because I thought I wanted a girl puppy, since Mimi was a girl. TR asked to see the one and only boy puppy from the litter, and after playing with him for a little bit, TR declared that this was the puppy for him. We paid the nice lady, bundled up, and got in the car.

On the way home, we discussed names for our new family member. Bowser, Moses, Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike for short of course), and other silly names were thrown about. Over the course of the next few days, TR tried to find the name that fit our little bud best. One night, to get more into the Christmas spirit, we watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas". We listened to Linus recite part of the Christmas story. Touched by the spirit and with tears in our eyes, we said our prayers, thanking the Lord for his sacrifice for us.

The next morning, while we were getting breakfast, TR asked me what the "Jesus kid"'s name was. When I told him it was Linus, he told me that was what he wanted to name our puppy. It's been the perfect name for him too. Just like Linus on Charlie Brown, our Linus can't sleep without some kind of blanket. When sleeping in the living room or just laying about with us, he would pull a blanket down from wherever he could find one. Even if he only got a small corner on the floor before laying on it, that was enough. He's so sweet and generous with his love. He almost has a naivety to him too.

We're just so glad he's part of our family. Our lives would be so different without him. He's such a goof, but we love him so very much. 2 years doesn't seem like a long time, but considering the happiness that he's given us in the last two years, it almost seems like we've had him a lifetime. I look forward to many more happy years with out greatest little buddy. We love you bud!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

4 year blogiversary!

That's right folks, What started out as an angsty horrible-college-experience get-away for me (Rachel) has turned into 4 years of awesome blog...stuff. I'll admit, I've deleted a lot of my horrible-college-experience posts, because lets be honest, no one wants to read about my angst, and I'd rather not re-live that time in my life.

Life is moving forward, and when I look back to where I was 4 years ago, I've come a long way, and although I still have a long way to go, I'm proud of where I am. I love my life.

So Happy Blogiversary! May there be many more years and many more adventures to blog about!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Pie Breakfast!!!

You may remember last year's pie breakfast, and how we're starting the tradition in our family. this year it has grown! We had lots of people over, and lots of really great times including out thankful turkey. It was loads of fun.

Yummy yummy Pies!

I love Sam's face in this picture.

Thanks to everyone who came and participated in this year's pie breakfast! We're glad you could all make it and made it such a fun tradition for us. We're thankful for you!!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Thankful Turkey

I didn't get all my thankful posts done, but now I think it's time to move on. Maybe I'll do the rest of them at random points down the road. During Pie Breakfast this year, we had a "Thankful Turkey." This was, of course, inspired by my sister Sarah who does a thankful turkey for our family thanksgiving celebration. I thought that was a great idea and so much fun to see what everyone is thankful for.

He started out kind of naked.

I like my little hand turkey. I think he's pretty cute.

He certainly filled out!

I'm so glad everyone participated. It was so much fun to see all the things I'm thankful for all the time but forget how much they actually mean to me. Here's our thankful list from our feathers:
-Happiness
-2K Austin
-Girl's Night
-Testimony
-Candycorn, marshmallows, and candy raindrops
-Xbox
-Linus
-TR
-Friends
-Wonderful Husband
-Good Job
-Justin and Jasper
-Good friends to eat good food with
-Everyone together
-A husband who lets me sleep in when I need it
-my family
-Good cooking/good food
-70's punk rock
-Family entertainment
-Wonderful friends and family I have that have supported me through this trying year
-Family and Friends
-Thomas
-Brandon
-Pie Breakfast
-Little boys that are cute
-baby-less friends
-everybody and everything
-A loud house filled with love
-Music
-Grammy and Rachel
-Babies
-My legs and toes
-TR the master chef
-Indoor plumbing (and my family)
-Bioware
-Book of Mormon
-A quiet house filled with peace
-Time spent with my husband
-Kate!!!
-A home to have friends and family to
-Lindsy!!!
-Priesthood blessings
-Mimi
-Wathol and Thomas
-Life
-Family
-Mr. T. Grimm
-Holidays off school and work
-A warm house filled with the spirit
-Pie
-Freedom of religion
-Puppies
-Tommy
-Friends that don't stab me (that....is a long story...)
-My momma is thankful for me. (Dalan)

Wow! We sure do have a lot to be thankful for!

Thankful Day 5

DADS!

Daddy: What little girl doesn't love her daddy? My dad is the best ever. He's always there to help me out no matter what. I'm so proud of how far he's come in such a short while. It warms my heart to think of what a great person he is and how much he's taught me. He taught me the importance of helping others and of being a good person. He's always made sure I was taken care of. He's letting me live in this wonderful house that he's purchased. He's always pushed me to farther than I thought I could go. I'm so thankful for his influence in my life. He's always supported me in all my endeavors. He's never missed a school play or a choir concert. He encouraged me to strike out on my own when I was trying to decide on a college. He called me often to check up and make sure I was okay a lot during that first year away from home. He even drove the 3 and half hours to Cedar to visit a few times. He's always concerned for my safety and my happiness. He's such an amazing person and I'm constantly learning from him. He's one of the most Christ-like people I know, and I've striven to be more like him with each passing day. I'm so thankful for the dad that I have and for his amazing influence in my life and who I am.
Alan: He's so smart. He's such a helpful guy. He's always doing something for one of his kids or for the people he home teaches. He tries his hardest to come to our family functions to support my mom and I really appreciate that. I'm thankful for his example of kindness. The grandkids love him and I think that's fantastic. I'm thankful for his willingness and ability give me priesthood blessings before the school year started when I was younger. That helped me so much. I've come to realize how important those things are in my life.


James: He has always been an example to T.R. A loving man who always cared for his family and their needs. Although he may seem like a quiet man he has a deep love for his family and wants them to succeed. He has always been willing to work to provide and to assist. I'm thankful for his firmness of testimony and his strong faith. I'm thankful for his unwavering support. He has taught T.R. so much about so very many things. He can definitely be called a wise man probably belthazar cause he was the coolest of the wisemen. He truely is a shining priesthood example and we love him for it. We're thankful for his awesomeness.*

*I would just like to state for the record, that I gave TR free reign over that last paragraph.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Thankful Day 4

MOTHERS!

Specifically MY mothers. I'm one off the lucky few that have three wonderful mothers!

Mommy: My mom is the greatest. She's always always ALWAYS been there for me. It doesn't matter what I'm crying about, she's always there to help me out. Sometimes I don't want to hear what she's saying at the time, but I always tuck it away in the back of my mind for another time when I really need it, or am ready for it. She taught me about the gospel, about the flowers, how to work hard, and be friendly to people around me. She's always been a teacher, a confidante, and a friend. We never really fought in high school. I wasn't the typical teenager that didn't like their mother. I love to be with her, talk with her, and laugh with her. She's been my best friend for years, and has only recently been replaced (by TR). I still talk to her every day, I love to just share my thoughts and hopes and dreams with her. She's always made sure that I'm taken care of, validated my fears, made me realize that it's okay to be silly.

She taught me how to be a good wife, how to be around people, how to write my name. She taught me some of the most important things in this life. She's a strong, beautiful, talented, thoughtful, awesome person who is always helping someone out. She very rarely takes time out for herself because she's always so wrapped up in what is going on with everyone else. She's always got some sewing project or another that she's working on for someone. I'm so so grateful for my mom!

(This is why you don't see many pictures of my mom)

Amy: I was blessed with a second mother as well. Amy is fantastic! I'll admit, I thought she was going to be an "Evil step-mother" type when I was little and she and my dad first got married. I was so wrong! Amy is the sweetest person, and she's so great for our family. She's so sweet and caring. She's always supportive and has some great advice. She's easy to laugh with and is always in pursuit of a good time. She went from being single to a new mother of 5 and she made the transition extremely well. I'm so grateful for Amy. She's just so amazing. She's kind and caring. She's patient and helpful. She's such a great example of a mom. I'm so thankful for her!

Angie: Over the last (almost) three years I've gotten to know her I feel really blessed. You can definitely tell she loves her children (and she raised one great guy). She's so sweet and she's always willing to do things for us when we need her to. She's so fun to be around. You can always joke with her. It's so great to have her in our lives. She's so helpful and kind. She's always pushing us to be better, to do better, and to be happy. She's enriched our lives.

I'm so thankful for all these wonderful women I have surrounding me, teaching me how to be a better person, wife, mother, and woman. I'm so thankful for their shining examples to me, what they mean to me in my life, and how they've helped me. I love them all and I'm constantly thankful for them.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Thankful Day 3

BROTHERS!

I have the three greatest brothers in the whole wide world!!

Tim: I cannot even come close to expressing my gratitude for my oldest brother. He was the one I always ran to when I was in a pickle or needed priesthood advice. He's helped my troubled soul through many a rough patch in my life. He's always been there when I needed him, whether it was an excuse to get out of school (I was in fifth grade!), someone to get me when I was sick, a study partner, or someone to save me when my car broke down on the freeway, Tim is always the first response. He's saved my heart and spirit when it's been broken. He is a real example to me in my life. He's always so cheerful and he works so hard to make his life great. He's strengthened my testimony and bettered my life just by being my brother. I'm so grateful to call him family.
Nate: I've always really looked up to my big brother Nate. He's such an example to me. He's such a great dad and husband. I'm so lucky to live next to him. He helps us out so much (see: TR's puncture wound). I love watching his fish with him and seeing his face light up when he's got Milo in his arms or his girls run and give him hugs. Nate taught me that no matter what you want to get out of life, if you work for it, you can get it. He's got it in spades. I'm so proud of everything that I've watched him accomplish in his life. He knows the value of hard work and he knows what needs to happen to reach his goals. He taught me how to work the stove. I think when I was little if he would have told me to go jump off a bridge I would have found a way. He's compassionate, kind, caring, loving, determined, and so much more. I'm so proud to ha ve such an awesome brother.

Caleb: This kid is hilarious. I love to watch his eyes get huge when he's telling a story or something he thinks is really interesting. I've learned so much from him, even though I don't see him very often. He's so fun to talk to when you get him one-on-one. He can just talk your ear off with all the fun things that he's learning in school and the stuff that he's read about and everything. He can be so fun to be around. I'm looking forward to seeing the man that he's going to grow up to be. He already knows what he's supposed to be doing, and he's so good with

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Thankful Day 2

continuing with my theme, today I'm thankful for...

SISTERS!

"There were never such devoted sisters!" I have the greatest sisters in the whole wide world. They're always there to help and encourage me. I love them so much. They're some of my very best friends!

Jennifer: What more can I say than she is the best oldest sister I could ever want? She's hilarious and totally fun to be around. I'm thankful that she knows the most tender ways to keep me in check. I'm glad she didn't "lose her testimony" all those years ago (you know what I'm talking about big sister). I don't know where I would be without her. She's always been there for me when I needed somewhere to run to. She's taught me so much about being a mom, a wife, and an all around better person. I can't begin to fathom how much I've gleaned from my oldest sister. She's taught me so much about the gospel and the things in life that are really important. I'm so thankful for such a good, strong sister that takes care of me, and helps me keep things in perspective.

Sarah:I am so thankful for my silly sister Sarah! She's creative, inspirational, silly, and an absolute joy to be around. Her house is always clean and organized, she does the cutest things for birthday parties, holidays, activities with her kids, etc. She's always the party planner. All of this and with a brand new baby! She's a total inspiration to me. She's one of my very best friends. No matter if I'm being silly or serious, I can talk to Sarah about anything. Gone are the days when we would stay up late on the weekends watching chick flicks and going far beyond the maximum silly quota, but those are some of my most cherished memories from high school (yes, even the times I knocked over the Sears signs). She's taught me so much over the years that are truly valuable lessons in life.

(This is a really old Picture. Sorry!)

Ella: My oldest little sister. She's so sweet and helpful. She's got a lot to learn, but she's also got a lot to teach. Every time I see her, she's always teaching me about compassion, patience, love, trust, and a mirage of other things. I always wanted a little sister and she's a great one to have. She's always doing something or another to help her mom (maybe with a little attitude, but she is 13 after all.), she's taken over my spot as the "bathroom escort" (for which I am very grateful) and she does it with a smile. She takes joy in her every day activities. I'm so grateful for such a fantastic biggest little sister!

Regan: In the short time we've known each other Regan has blessed my life so much. She's so sweet and polite. She's always happy when she's around and she's so adorable. I don't get to see her much, but when I do she always gives me a big smile and a big hug. She's taught me a lot about family, and a lot about love. I'm so grateful for this little girl.

Olivia: My baby baby sister. She's not so much of a baby anymore, but she's still my littlest sister. She's so funny! She makes me realize how much fun life is. She's always happy (unless she's tired, but lets be honest, who's happy when they're tired?) and smiling. She's such a pleasure to be around. She's not loud, she's not rude, she's just pleasant. I'm so thankful for her as my little baby sister!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

One more thing:

I just want all my friends to know that I love them and are so so thankful for them too! Whether you're old friends that have always been there for me (Casi, Andrea...that's you. I love you guys), New friends that have blessed my life so much in the short time that I've known them(Kelli, Holly, McKenzie, all my SUU and UVU friends, I love you guys too.), or friends that I haven't met yet that have already exponentially and indirectly blessed my life (Alexa, I already love you and your blog-stalking ways. ^_^) I want you to know that I thank the Lord every night for every single one of you.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

In the spirit...

We all know that in just over a week, we'll be stuffing our faces with all the yummiest food ever. I love Thanksgiving. I love the feeling. I love the family. I love the food. I love the smells, the laughter, the memories.

Thanksgiving is a time to remember all we have and to actually look around and be thankful for everything. SO In an effort to be more thankful, over the next few days until Thanksgiving I'm going to post a little bit every day about the thing I'm most thankful for: My family. Sure, I'm thankful for loads of stuff, and I'm sure that will come out in these posts, but none of it would be worth being thankful for if not for my family. If not for my family I wouldn't have the gospel (I'm sure it would find me, but without the foundation laid in my heart, I'm not totally sure I would accept it.), I wouldn't have some of my very best friends. I wouldn't have the life I have today. So Without further ado: Thanksgiving Project 2009 has begun.

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR MY LITTLE FAMILY!

I have the greatest husband I could ever have asked for. He works so hard for me. I'm always asking him to do one project or another while I'm at school or doing another project myself. He's always so helpful. I'm in school and attribute most, if not all, my success to him. Sure I do the work and get the grades, but I wouldn't be back in school, working towards a career I know I'll love, if it weren't for my wonderful husband. He works so hard to pay our bills too. I'm so grateful for a responsible, loving husband.

He lets me sleep in when I need it. He takes care of me when I'm sick. He's the absolute best choice for me as an eternal companion. We've had our fair share of trials and hardships already, and I'm sure we have many more to come, but I can't think of anyone I would rather have by my side, holding my hand, and leading me through than my wonderful TR. He keeps me strong, and faithful. He reminds me of what is really important when I can't quite get a grip on reality. He honors his priesthood which is such a blessing in my home. It's such a comfort to know that I can go to him any time, night or day with any problem and he can help me through it. He keeps the Lord at the center of our home. He keeps me on track when sometimes I stray. He's such an example to me. I love him, and he loves me back which is the greatest gift he could ever give me.


Our little Mimi is such a sweetheart. Sure, I can get frustrated with her when she barks all the time, or whines in the middle of the night, but she's such a joy in my life. You may laugh at me or think I'm weird to refer to my dog as a joy, but she really is. She makes me laugh all the time at what a spaz she is, and sometimes you just need a good laugh. She's gotten to be so well behaved lately, and she makes me so happy just by being there.

She's always in the same room as me (unless she's getting in trouble). She's happy to simply curl up and sleep on the floor while I'm watching a movie, doing homework, or working on my latest sewing project. She's always happy when I come home, and she's so energetic it makes me tired just to watch. She's been such a blessing to me in my home while going through some hard times. Both of my dogs have been.

Our little little Linus is the sweetest, most even-tempered dog I've ever met in my life. If there really was such a thing as Lewis Carol's "Galumphing" Linus would have it down pat. He's the perfect companion dog. Even from the time he was a very small puppy (yes, he used to be a very small puppy) he's never had to be on a leash. He never ran off like Mimi did. He's got such a happy personality. He loves being around people. He loves when the kids hang and play all over him. He is just perfect for our little family. As Aunt Jen put it at this year's family reunion "Sometimes you find an animal that was just supposed to be part of your family." Linus is definitely our little baby. At this stage in our lives and in our marriage we're so thankful to have our puppy "kids" that we can love, spoil, rejoice in, and cherish.