In our house...

• I've been super mission homesick lately. Listening to Chris Rice and Jessie Clark Funk only make it worse. This homesickness has got me thinking about how excited I am to go on a mission with the Mister. I had the two best companions in the whole world. We had more fun in our time together than most people have in their whole lives and so I can't even imagine how fun serving with the Mister by my side will be!

Sister Amber Call (now Spencer) living in Wisconsin and expecting a little one!

Sister Chrissy Colbert (now Taylor) living in Savannah, Georgia. HOW JEALOUS ARE WE?!?!?

• Mister is going to graduate from college in one short month! How exciting is that?!?! Just in time for me to go back to school. It's never ending, isn't it?
• We've been making plans for the summertime and we are getting so excited. We have a few little escapes planned. We've also got to take the parentals down to Vegas to see our favorite show in the whole world "La Reve" and the latest Celine Dion show. We loved the first, and will most definitely love the newest one.
• I've been teaching voice lessons like it's my job. Actually, it is my job.
• Mister interviewed David Beckham!!!! It was the coolest thing! I had a car full of teenage girls when Javi finished his interview with David (first name basis around here) and as Javi told us all about it, over speakerphone, the girls were going insane. Almost in tears. So hilarious.
• Girlfriend is headed out on a high-adventure backpacking trip this summer. Is this hilarious and highly unbelievable to anyone else? The things I'll do for the afore mentioned teenage girls is mind boggling.
• I am a long time MAC makeup wearer but today I made the switch. I've been wanting to try Bare Minerals for a long while and today when I was treated like a disease at the MAC counter, I decided it was time to venture into enemy territory. Don't even worry...as I was having a mini makeover at the Bare Minerals counter, I got glared at by the MAC girl and I didn't even feel bad about it. Thirty minutes later I walked away from Linda the Mineral lady with a bag full of goodies and freebies. Happy Camper.
• Last Sunday, Mister and I hung around Mom and Dad's long after the throng of people had departed. We sat around the dining room table and just talked. It certainly wouldn't be a night with the four of us if Mister and I didn't break into really terrible song and dance for the parents. They laugh really hard at us. Maybe they laugh so we'll stop. Oh well.
• I got a SONIC card for my birthday. $25 for the 25 year old. Yesterday my SONIC card ran out. I was really sad but when I think of the drink stops with lovely lady friends that that card has covered, I'm not sad anymore.
• When I took 2 year old Ethan to "Alice in Wonderland" last Friday, he contributed to the show. When the White Rabbit entered the stage and all was silent Ethan yelled "WHAT IS THAT?!?!" The audience burst into laughter. What a comedian.
• The first year of marriage is NOT HARD. Everyone who tells you that is lying. Actually, I take that back. The first year of marriage is REALLY hard. It's hard to want to clean the house because you'd rather play a game or hang out together. It's really hard to get out of the bed in the mornings because the world is a better place when you're lying next to each other. It's hard to focus during church because the Mister and Lady are flirting like teenagers at EFY. It's hard to get ready in the morning because we are far too busy having dance parties in the living room. So, I guess it is hard. REALLLLLLLY hard.

We love our lives and wouldn't trade it all for anything under the moon.

Mister, I love you to the moon and back.

Nieces and Nephews

Mister and I adore Nieces and Nephews. We like to take them on dates and play games with them. When we got married I only had one nephew but with the combining of the families, I now have thirteen little people to spoil! (Obviously, we're missing the ones from Germany and little Addie who was just born in February.)

We always wonder how we'd balance having so much fun with the nieces and nephews with having our own kids. We haven't figured it out yet...thus, no kids yet.

We have had so many good times with our nieces and nephews since we were married. One of my favorites was when David and Brittney were at our house to watch a football game. It was time to decorate the Christmas tree and I had the three best helpers in the world! Granted, there weren't any decorations on the top half of the tree because they couldn't reach, but the bottom half looked amazing!

We also love going on "dates" with Bryan and Matthew. Only one or two months after Javi and I started dating, Bryan asked me "When are we going to go on a date?" I told him whenever he wanted to. He then asked "When are you going to marry Javi?" I awkwardly answered "whenever he asks me." Bryan then turned to Javi and told him that he'd better ask me soon so that I can be his aunt and take him on dates.

Other favorite niece and nephew memories include playing Don't Eat Pete with the beautiful but drooly nieces. The game board will never be the same after that one!

We also love skyping with our littles in Germany. They put on full performances whenever we Skype! They sing, dance, show us their favorite hair accessories, and make us laugh.

I also love taking our two year old nephew on dates after work. Last Friday we went on a date to see "Alice in Wonderland" performed by a children's theatre company. Ethan loved it! He has been talking about "Tweedledee and Tweedledum" ever since. He loved those silly guys!

And of course sweet baby Adelle who just joined our family last month. My favorite memory of her so far is walking into the living room of my parents house and seeing Javi and Addie napping together on the couch. So sweet.

We are so grateful for such wonderful family all around us and we can't wait to make more memories with those lovely little people!

Service

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints puts a lot of focus on service. Our latter day prophet said this:

"The Savior taught His disciples, 'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it' (Luke 9:24).

"I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives."

President Thomas S. Monson

So, we can't just talk the talk but we have to walk the walk and TEACH others to walk the walk while we're at it. That's why I'm begging for your help. We have got to figure out a way to get our Young Women excited about service. Do you have any ideas for Wednesday night activities that are centered around service? Do you have any brilliant advice on how to teach teenagers to focus on anyone but themselves?

Help me. Please.

Girl Time

In case you were wondering, this girl lucked out in the marriage department. Did you hear what Mister gave me for my birthday?!?!?!

ONE ROUND TRIP TICKET TO CALIFORNIA TO VISIT HER BEST COLLEGE GIRLFRIENDS!!!!

So, I spent this last weekend in Southern California surrounded by the girls of my dreams. We hit up Disneyland, saw one of our dearest ladies as the lead in the Broadway Touring Company of "Legally Blonde" which was wonderful, btw. We stayed up until who knows when talking about boys and the problems of the dating life. (It made me infinitely grateful that Prince Charming has already made is entrance. Be single again? No thanks.) We ate ourselves silly. I really mean that. None of us have dared step on a scale because of the weight that we absolutely gained. No doubt about it. We ordered pizza and watched "Baby Mama" and laughed hysterically at Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

The best part of the trip? Just being together again. It seemed like no time had gone by even though a couple kids have entered the world via us, missions have been served, moves have been made to different states and even different countries, and our lives have gone in 19 billion different directions but that didn't matter. We picked up right where we left off, having sleepovers in the twin beds in our little college bedrooms, making weird faces in pictures, singing and dancing in the middle of the road, staying in restaurants until they open the doors to freeze us out so we'll finally leave, and eating lots of good food because we were never those kind of girls that "just ordered a salad". No. No. We have always been much to confident around each other for that nonsense.

Needless to say, it was the best birthday present ever. I am so grateful for friends. God was really looking out for me by giving me these girls.

So, as next year rolls around, someone remind the Mister that I'd love another round trip ticket to visit the ladies.

Pictures to follow...as soon as I get them.

Create

Can I walk with you through your life?

Dear Mister,

Thanks for letting me.

Love, Lady

I wish and I know

I wish I had the power to know what each person is going through as I cross their paths. Maybe they would like a hug or a protein bar from my purse. I wish I knew what to do to help.

I wish everyone in the world could have been at Aaron's funeral today. It was a perfect celebration of his life and I know that's how he would have wanted it.

I wish I could have told him that I love him before he passed away.

I wish we weren't so hard on ourselves.

I wish that the plant that I received today in honor of Aaron would stay alive forever.

I wish I had a green thumb so that it would even stay alive for a month!

I wish there were no such thing as addiction. Not to drugs, not to alcohol, not to pornography, not to diet coke, not to anything.

I wish I were better at making sure everyone knows how great they are and how much they are loved.

I wish I hadn't wasted so many hours of my life on facebook.

I wish life were fair but it's just not.

I wish the events in Japan this weekend could be reversed.

I wish peace and understanding for all those whose lives have been turned upside down.

I wish everyone could know what I know.

I know that death is not the end of our existence.

I know that the spirit within each of us continues on for eternity.

I know that I will see Aaron again.

I know that families will be together forever through Heavenly Father's plan.

I know that holding back tears gives me a headache.

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world!

I know that through Him we can return to live with Heavenly Father, our families, and Aaron.

I know that we can be forgiven of our sins COMPLETELY.

I know that forgiveness is only possible because of Jesus Christ and the Atonement.

I know that Heavenly Father put us all down here together so that we can help each other to celebrate, help each other to mourn, help each other to overcome hard things, and help each other to return to Heavenly Father.

All of my wishing reminded me of a quote that Aaron would love because he probably has the biggest collection of Jordan shoes on the planet and he loves Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen."

Michael Jordan

Aaron, you will always be missed but not for long. We will all meet again soon. All of the friends that surrounded your casket today as you were buried will someday be surrounding YOU as you catch us up on what we've missed and as you tell us of all the pranks you've pulled in Heaven. Until then, rest peacefully.

Pink Flamingos

Flamingos are my favorite animals. They always have been. I love the big pools at the zoo that are completely full of flamingos. I like them because they are silly and because they are pink and because they stand on one leg. Now that is funny! But yesterday, driving to work, I saw this:

Mind you, I don't like flamingos enough to put them all over my lawn. I'm still a little confused about the whole lawn flamingo thing anyway. Now, that's not to say that I wouldn't like one of these in my garden when I grow up:

My friend James is deathly afraid of gnomes and that makes me laugh. That's probably why I like them. I think I also like them because they remind me of the Scandinavian countries and those countries are some of my favorite places in the whole wide world. Mind you, I would like ONE garden gnome and it won't be very visible.

Speaking of, did I tell you that my husband is growing fresh sprouts for us to have on sandwiches? That is yummy. He is going to keep a beautiful garden for us someday. Did I also tell you that we had squash, zucchini, asparagus, strawberries, and Greek yogurt for dinner last night? Talk about a refreshing meal.

And just so you know, the pink flamingo lawn ornament is the official bird of Madison, Wisconsin.

25.

Yesterday I turned 25. I am feeling really good about 25. I am far more mature now that I'm 25 and I am way smarter too. Ok. Not really. But I do want to tell you all about the very interesting day I had yesterday. It was unlike any other birthday in my human history.

I have a very busy family and a very busy husband which means that it's nearly impossible to celebrate a birthday when it falls in the middle of the week. Tuesday, I decided that I didn't need anyone to celebrate with because I could just as easily celebrate myself. And that I did!

9am: Birthday Massage because last year for my birthday, my sweet boyfriend gave me a spa gift card. Luckily for me, I had saved it to celebrate this years birthday!

10am: a stop a Sonic for a Dr. Pepper

11am: Teach a voice lesson

12pm: Lunch at my FAVORITE place, Ruby River. Mom met me there. That was wonderful. We shared the birthday mud pie because it's mom's birth-giving day which should also be celebrated.

2pm: Afternoon snack with the homeless man on the corner of University Avenue and Center Street. For some reason, as I drove past this man, I got to thinking about how he must celebrate his birthday. I'm guessing he doesn't celebrate at all. No one sends him facebook messages or flowers and that makes me very sad. I had a bag of chips and three apples so I parked the car, got out, and strolled on over to "his bench". I said "Hey! Are you hungry?" His eyes lit up and said "Yes!" Then he looked at my food and said "I don't much care for apples but I WOULD like some chips!" That made me laugh. So we chatted for a quick second, told each other to have a good day, and I went on my way. Apples in tow. Luckily there was another homeless man down the block and he DOES like apples :) I'm so grateful for my life, my home, and that I had those chips and apples.

3pm: I taught some crazy kids how to sing. They are wild and after all of these months of voice lessons I would think that they'd sound better singing 'Happy Birthday'. Why is it that our very worst singing voices come out when it's time to sing that song? I'm guilty as well.

7pm: I taught the Young Women how to lead music. Talk about hilarious. With half-english and half-spanish conversations going on, we're always good for a few laughs.

8pm: The Young Women bought me a cake! We enjoyed birthday cake together and it was yummy and so so wonderful to share it with my favorite teenage girls! As we ate cake, we talked about Prom, boys, and soccer. Typical.

10pm: I finally got to see my darling foreigner. Oh geez, I love him. Pomegranate Lemonade and quesadilla's for dinner. Sounds like a great end to a wonderful day.

So actually, I am smarter now that I'm 25 because I realized that I can celebrate myself and still have a wonderful birthday. I learned that nothing is better than lunch across the table from your favorite woman in the world. I remembered how blessed I am to have 4 walls and a bed. I learned that no matter how long you've had voice lessons, you will still sound terrible singing 'Happy Birthday'. And I learned that I don't need a fancy dinner/restaurant/present to feel loved and important, my boyfriend can make me feel that way over quesadillas.

25: You are gonna be good.

Happy Birthday, Aaron.

I don't really make New Years Resolutions...not real ones anyway. I am always very resolute that I am going to get skinnier and then on New Years Day we eat those blasted cheese balls, rolled sandwiches, and the leftover Christmas candy. Strike one, two, and three.

But every time it's time for a birthday, I become super reflective and resolute, especially this year.

Friday I lost someone with whom many memories reside. I still can't believe the words as they come out of my mouth when I have to repeat the story over and over. I still shudder with the words "he died", "he's dead", "he passed on". Reality has yet to set in and it's got me to thinking. You see, we always celebrated our days of birth one day apart. We lived next door to each other all our lives and we used to play "trade off". That means that I got to choose what we'd do one day, and the next day he would choose. It would end up looking something like this:

Monday: Barbies, House, eat jellybeans and taffy from Mrs. Hansen's house.

Tuesday: Nintendo, Nintendo, drink punch and have a colored mustache (He ALWAYS had a colored mustache from his drinks.)

Wednesday: Barbies, House, eat cherries right off the tree in the backyard.

Thursday: Nintendo, tackle football, sneak raspberries off of Mrs. Hansen's raspberry bushes

Friday: Hours of 'Simon Says' and 'Red Light, Green Light' on Mrs. Hansen's driveway, Barbies, and Nightgames.

Saturday: Nightgames all day, sneak fruit and candy from the houses in the neighborhood

Sunday: Church, dinner, and then meet all the neighborhood kids outside for nightgames or to put on a play, whichever we were in the mood for.

Then Jr. High and High School happened. I was a choir nerd and he was the star quarterback so we didn't converse much. One Friday night, I was missing his friendship and our colored mustaches so much, I made him cookies and walked next door after he had won another football game for our High School. I handed him his cookies and said "good job buddy" and that was that. I think we both knew that someday we would reconnect.

Which we did, sitting through Young Single Adult class at church. Saving grace of those lessons? Him. Remarks under his breath always killed me. Not taking things too seriously...so refreshing.

He and my older brother stayed especially close...like talk every couple of days kind of close. We would text sometimes and he would make me laugh and we would run into each other and chat and chat. He always had something funny to say and he always had on nice shoes. He loves his shoes. I really hope that when he is buried this weekend that he will get to wear one of his favorite pairs of shoes. I think he will.

So, with 25 just around the riverbend and Aaron's passing I've decided that this is the year of relationships. They will come before everything else. I will reconnect with so many that I have lost touch with. We will "do lunch" and chat in the restaurants late into the night until they kick us out. We will spend time together because time is really all we have to give. Aaron and I missed a few years because we just didn't run with the same crowd, but it's ok because we got it back and we'll get it back even more when we see each other again.

So, Happy Birthday to us. I'm so sorry that we don't get to celebrate this one together, but I'll make up for it. I'll reconnect and give some time to so many...for you and for me.

So, please rest in peace. This neighborhood will never be the same without you. Watch over everyone. Take care of us. We'll see you soon.

xoxo

You may have already seen this

but it's still hilarious.

Miss you, Lys.