Oh the Promptings

Over the length of this week I have never felt the Spirit so strong in my entire life. I have had some promptings that I have tried to shake because I was scared and didn't know how to go about them. I did not want to upset anyone or make them feel angry with me. Finally last night it got to the point that I was forbidden sleep until I acted on the prompting. I am in no place to share the experience but I want to express my gratitude for this Gospel. I know that the things I shared last night were not my actual words. The Lord was working through me to help someone else in need. Whether it will make a difference in their life or not, it was a definite testimony builder to myself. I said things that I know I couldn't have made up by myself. All I wanted to do today was read conference talks, the ensign and watch Mormon Messages.

Earlier this week, a talk from general conference came to mind. This is horrible to admit but I remember very little from April's conference except for one talk in particular. It was the talk by Elder L Whitney Clayton titled "Marriage: Watch and Learn". I read this talk out loud to Jordan and was reminded of the blessing that I have to be married to him. I also sat back and realized that we both have things to work on. I definitely have more to work on because of my many flaws but nobody is perfect. No matter how many times we can read that talk and think that we have these principles down, we never will. A marriage is never perfect and a marriage is never easy. 

The five principles Elder Clayton speaks of are:

1. A priceless marriage

2. Faith

3. Repentence

4. Respect

5. Love

1. A priceless marriage: So many times we take things for granted. Having a priceless marriage to me means that no one else matters but me and my spouse. Yes, people can hurt us, hate us, talk bad about it, belittle us, not forgive us, underestimate us etc, but at the end of the day, Jordan (besides Reggie of course) is the only thing (besides what could be more important. If there is something, then you need to ask yourself why and what you need to do to put your spouse first. It reminds me of the MasterCard commercials...

Nice truck: $17,000

New phone: $299

Relaxing vacation: $1,000

Being married to your eternal companion: Priceless

2. Faith: I know that a marriage would not survive without faith. When things are hard, I know that I need to have faith to endure through the challenges and differences that Jordan and I have. We have to have faith in the Lord knowing that there is a plan for us and if we have faith and do what we should be doing, we will continue on the path to live and love each other for eternity. 

3. Repentance: Even for the little things such as eye rolling, snapping, and simply getting angry when the plate was put in the sink and not the dishwasher, we need to repent. Repentance to me always comes across so negative. I feel that if I have to repent it is something so horrible but it's not. When we repent it gives us the opportunity to ask for strength. It gives us the ability to ask for patience. If we continually ask for help, we should be able to reduce to amount of times we need to repent. 

4. Respect: When we respect each other, that means we are treating each other as equal partners. The most horrible thing we can do in a marriage is belittle one another. I will admit and my family can atest to this that I used to be disrespectful towards Jordan. I would talk him down in front of my family and it was 100% wrong. If anything, I should be talking highly and uplifting Jordan; not making him feel like he is worthless. If we continue to encourage, uplift, and praise one another not only in front of others but while we are alone, I know that we can continue to build on the love that we already have for one another.

5. Love: This word is self explanatory. We as spouses need to love each other with all our hearts. All women want in a marriage/relationship is for the man to love them and fight for them. Love each other as if no one else exists. Love each other as if there was no tomorrow because in this crazy world, there really could be no tomorrow. Too many times we get caught up in the real world and the negative things surrounding us that we tend to lose our focus on each other. The love never fades but the affection and attention can which makes a spouse insecure and question the love. Never get to a point that your spouse has to question love. Never go to bed without telling your spouse you love them. If you are having a disagreement, always no matter what, tell each other "I love you". When you wake up in the morning, you will wonder why you were so angry in the first place. Love is the most treasured.

What do these principles mean to you? Journal it, talk about it, pray about it.

Families can be together forever...

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/marriage-watch-and-learn?lang=eng

Bittersweet Moments

Well, I made it through my first two days back to work. I think I cried enough Monday and Tuesday that I did not cry much on Wednesday. I dropped Reggie off at Jacque's house and left as quick as I could. She asked how I was doing and I knew that if I stuck around I would break down.

I have the best co workers. They are what made coming back so much easier. When I got to work my desk had been sticky noted. There was a note on my screen that said, "Welcome back Kayla! We have missed..." And then every sticky note had something they missed about me. Some were priceless and definitely made me laugh. They also got me goodies to replenish my snack drawer since I am always snacking. As much as I want to just eat it all, I resist the temptation for now anyway (diets suck but it is so worth it). As much as I missed being with Reggie all day, I was glad to be back. No that doesn't mean I'm okay to stay full time or stay working forever but it definitely helps when I work for an amazing company and have the most amazing team.

I am so blessed at the fact that Reggie is in good hands. I love that I can just go home on my lunch break to snuggle him. Today when I went home, he was just cooing away, telling me about his day. Seriously, the best thing to come home to. I'm so grateful for all that I have and the blessing I have to go to work everyday. Yes, it's hard. I now have to worry about work, coming home to cook, clean, spend time with Reggie, run and do school. But right now, work is what I need to do and I know it will be worth it in the end when I can eventually spend all day with Reggie. The Lord has a hand in all things and for that I am grateful.

I love my family. Every single one of them.

I love my lunch breaks!!

Reggie Jordan Keller

Well, now that my whole pregnancy plus 11 weeks of Reggie's life has gone by, I guess I will blog. I am horrible at this just as I am horrible about writing in my journal which is more important. I always say I am going to get better too but I never do. So, I will just be me and blog when I blog.

Where to even start... Pregnancy sucked. The only awesome part about it was feeling Reggie move around inside of me and labor. Everything else about it was miserable. People have their own horror stories about labor but I was seriously so lucky. I'm never lucky either so I'm sure my next deliveries will be hell. But here is how it went down...

On Monday, May 13th, my due date, I was at work and just not feeling up to par. First of all, it was my due date for hell sakes and I was still at work and not having a baby! I was so sick of people making annoying comments about still being at work and looking like I should have been due weeks ago. Anyway, I wasn't feeling Reggie move much which was not normal. He was always so active during the day so it made me really nervous. Being this far along all I could think about was the umbilical cord and seriously no room in there for him. Around lunch time I told my boss I was going to go to the doctor just to check things out. My next weekly checkup was not until the next day. So I went to the doctor and they checked the heartbeat and ended up doing my checkup right then and there. Everything was normal and of course, nothing had changed for the last three weeks either. The doctor asked if I wanted to schedule an induction date but I was so indecisive he just told me to schedule one more weekly checkup and if I hadn't gone into labor he would have to induce me. I just kept hearing both sides about being induced I was so unsure about it and it totally stressed me out. I did a nonstress test while I was at the doctor as well and like I said, everything was normal. It took forever while I was there and I was so emotional so my boss told me I could just take off for the day and not go back to work. I was so grateful because I was such an emotional wreck. My boss was seriously so awesome through the whole thing. I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am for him and how much he actually cared for me, my well being and my feelings.

That night, Jordan and I talked about being induced and we had decided that we would call the doctor in the morning to get a day set. I started having pains Monday night but I didn't know if they were contractions or not. They weren't like people had described contractions so I had no idea. We tried timing them but they weren't consistent. I know now, they definitely weren't contractions. Anyway, just to be safe, Jordan took me up to labor and delivery and they hook me up to the machines again. I wasn't really having contractions and wasn't dilated much further so they sent me home. I did not want to start my maternity leave too early because I wanted as much time with Reggie as I could. But, Jordan and my mom both thought it would be best to just start my leave and not go back to work. I text my boss and told him what I had decided and he was fully supportive and agreed that it would be best not to come back. Thank goodness I made that decision.

I woke up Tuesday morning and took a long bath thinking that these days are going to drag being at home. Jordan decided the go ahead and take the day off as well because we need to get our yard ready. We were having sprinklers installed Tuesday night that Jordan was going to help with. Around 10:00, my contractions began. They were pretty far apart so I didn't get to excited. Around noon, Jordan and I went to get some lunch and run errands. By that time, they were about 10 minutes apart and quickly getting closer. Jordan went back to working outside and was getting so dirty with all the dirt flying around him. By about 1:30, I went outside and told him to get showered because we need to go. When 2:00 rolled around my contractions were so painful that I couldn't hold my tears back. Jordan's brother Derick came over and assisted Jordan in giving me a blessing and then we were off to the hospital. When we finally got there, my contractions were about 3 minutes apart. The nurse got me into a room, checked me, and said, "You definitely are not going anywhere because this is the real deal." Even though I was in so much pain, I was seriously so happy knowing that I would be holding a precious babe in a matter of hours.

The nurse was able to give me a pain reliever through my IV to get me through the contractions until I got my epidural. It didn't necessarily take away all of the pain but it made me tired and not really care much about them. At 4:00, Dr. Cox came and broke my water and told me he was going to go have dinner with his family and spend time with them and that he would be back. In my mind I was wondering why in the hell he was leaving me! I was in labor duh! But, now I totally understand and didn't blame him for leaving. Around 5:00 or so, the anesthesiologist gave me my epidural and it was heavenly. I have heard how horrible the epidural is but I was seriously almost sleeping through the whole thing. Once I got the epidural, I slept for the most part while Jordan and my mom watched my contractions go off the paper. The nurse would check me every so often to see how I have progressed and things were going pretty great. Finally around 9:15, the nurses had me push here and there to make the actual delivery go super smooth. At about 9:40ish, Dr. Cox and the staff were there and it was time.

Reggie arrived in my arms at 10:04 p.m. and it was the most amazing moments of my life. As I sit here and reminisce about it, I can't help but cry. He was perfect! As he was screaming in my arms, I did not know what to do so I just held him and watched as he screamed At that moment, the world stopped and all the mattered to me was Reggie. He weighed 7lbs 9oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Perfect as can be!

We were blessed to have things go so smoothly that we were able to go home 24 hours later. How great it was to be in my own home with my family. There is nothing better. Reggie has been such an amazing baby so far. He has been gaining weight great, sleeping through the night, smiling, cooing and just being happy. Never in my entire life have I thought something could bring so much joy. Being a mom is tough but I would never talk negatively about it as I have heard from other people. It is the most rewarding experience.

I tell Jordan all the time how I can't believe we got so nervous about this and talked ourselves out of having a baby. I would always ask myself if I was really ready to give up my body, being able to just go out, and really being care free. We really didn't know what we were missing because it has been totally worth it. I feel bad for those who care too much about their vacationing and other material things because they have no idea what they are missing. I also cannot believe that some people don't believe in God. Being pregnant and having Reggie in my life has been such a testimony builder to me. I know that Heavenly Father has a hand in all things. I know that Reggie was waiting patiently for his time to come and that the Lord was counseling him up until the moment he came. I know that he is constantly watching over us. I can't believe how grateful I am.

I go back to work in a week and it is tough on me already. I have amazing people watching Reggie that I know he will be in good hands. I already can't wait for the day that I will be able to be with him all day again to watch him grow and teach him everything I know... and more of course. What an amazing summer this has been and I have many more to come.

I will just say how grateful I am to have family close. I was so grateful Derick was next door that he could run over and help give me a blessing. I am grateful my parents are so close as well that they can come over often. I always love having them here even though I know it is only to be with Reggie. :) However, I wish that Sammi and her family lived back in Idaho again. I hate having them so far away and wish everyday they were here. I am also grateful to have such an amazing boss. Like I said, he was so supportive from the get go and has been such a great friend as well.

Life is amazing! I couldn't be happier to have Reggie around. He brings so much joy and love into our home. Jordan is such an amazing dad and I love to just sit and watch him with Reggie. My heart is full!

Change in the Air...and Body

The word is out! Jordan and I are expecting our first bundle of joy around May 13th. We are so excited and already can not wait for the time to come to meet our little one.

On September 7, I was not sleeping very well so I ended up getting gout of bed about 4:30 and starting a bath. I wasn't feeling well and assumed it was just because I was nervous about selling the house and what to do next. I had a pregnancy test under my sick so I thought, what the heck. Well I got in the tub forgetting that I had even used the test, and just relaxed as much as I could. My mind was running a thousand miles a minute because of what we were doing later that day. I got out of the tub and saw the pregnancy test sitting on the counter. I looked at it as if it was nothing because we had been off protection for about 4 months. I saw the lines and had to check the box... Positive? I didn't know what to do. Do I wake Jordan up now or should I wait and tell him later? Well, I waited and I think that was the worst thing I could have done. I went to work that day and was just sick to my stomach. My nerves and excitement were just out of control that it was literally making me sick. I wanted so bad to just tell Jordan but there was no way I was just going to send him a text. So, at 4:30, we went and signed papers to sell our house. After getting home, we were ready to start packing so that we could get most everything moved through the weekend. I decided that before I said anything, I wanted to take one more test just to be sure. So, I took another test and it was positive. Jordan asked me, "Are you ready for this?" I played dumb and asked him what he was talking about. Of course he was talking about the house and moving. I simply said yes and then asked him the same question. He said yes he was but I asked the question again. I pulled the tests from behind my back and just looked at him. It took him a second but we both shared our excitement and how we couldn't really believe it. Then Jordan said how the Lord really does work in mysterious ways. The timing of how things have happened couldn't really have been better. I mean, in some sense, they could have been better since I have been so sick and having to be sick while living at my in laws sucks. But we will be in a new home and have a new little one to love to pieces. We are excited to find out the sex and be able to decorate the baby's room from scratch. 

It's been amazing seeing the difference it has already made. I can tell already that Jordan is going to be an amazing father who will constantly love his family and do all he can for us. I'm so grateful that he has been by my side through thick and thin. With being sick and dealing with other things in my life, he has been right there to bring my soup, wipe my tears, and just let me know how much he loves me. So grateful that we have each other and taking this journey together. I really couldn't ask for a better person. 

-Homeless-

Within 9 days we sold the house and were completely moved out. Crazy! On Friday, August 31st, we had an older gentleman come and look at our house. Our realtor called us later that afternoon saying that he loved it and was going to sleep on it and possibly put an offer in Saturday morning. A few hours after that, we got another call from out realtor saying that the man decided to put in an offer that night. Friday night was the first night of college football and Boise State was playing Michigan. Jordan and I met up with some friends at Buffalo Wild Wings long enough to order our drink. We met with our realtor soon after, signed a counter offer and then it was done. The guy signed Saturday without problems. Come to find out, this man had lost his home in the Charlotte Fire so he had cash. There was no waiting 30 days for a mortgage to be completed. We closed on the house the very next Friday, September 7, and was completely moved out by Monday morning. What a blessing it was to have this happen so smooth and quick. We are now living in Jordan's parent's basement until we build our next home. We have found a floor plan so we should be starting within the next couple of weeks. I wish we could be even more blessed to be in by Christmas but I highly doubt that will happen. Which is okay. I really can not complain with where we are now. This has been a crazy year so far and we have so many different adventures to come as well. We are excited to start this next chapter in our lives together. Jordan was building our Marinus home when we were dating so I didn't have much say in it which I didn't care to say much anyway. But, building this new home will be a different experience for us for sure. We are excited though for what is to come.

It's going to be a busy next few months that is for sure. Jordan will be doing all of the finish work on the house again and I should be able to help some too. I will also be starting school with Western Governor's University here in October. I'm pretty dang nervous for that. It will take a lot of studying and discipline but I think I can do it for sure.

There really hasn't been anything else going on lately but I will be updating with pictures and progress on the house for sure. Jordan and I are so grateful for our family and friends and the effort they gave to help us move out of our house. We have the best family anyone could ask for. We love you all and appreciate all you do.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Well, I guess you can say, after a week back to work we have recovered from our nice family vacation with the Keller family in California. Jordan and I had a blast together and with the family. It was so much fun being with all of the nieces and nephews seeing their excitement and love for every single ride at Disneyland and Sea World. I thought it was going to be hard staying all together and what not and was surprised at how much we were together through out the week. There were definitely some interesting parts that I will keep aside but it was easy to ignore, laugh about, and enjoy our time even more. I'm not going to lie and I know my family and maybe even Rick and Alene can agree with, but I can be very negative and have an attitude quite frequently. I was so surprised with myself the entire week. I hardly complained if I really did any complaining at all and I don't think I was ever really grumpy that whole time. Okay maybe one day was really rough but I had a good excuse and I will explain later.

Day 1: Me, Jordan, Derick, Jacque and their three kids got to California a day early because we had bought tickets to the Los Angeles Angels vs. Toronto Blue Jays game. It was so much fun. Albert Pujols is known to have the best batting average in the league but since he was traded this year from the St Louis Cardinals to the Angels he has been struggling terribly. He had not hit a home run yet that season so we were hoping we would get the chance to watch that happen. After three or so innings he had struck out and hit but never got on base. So when he stepped up the to plate the next time, Jordan and I both got out our phones to record him, just in case... then WHAM!!!! Pujols hit his first homer of the season right down the left field line and over the fence. Our seats were right down left field so we saw it close up. We got it all on video too even though you can't even see the ball it still counts. So that was a fun time and loved it!

 

Day 2: This was our first day at Disneyland all together. We had a ton of fun and the weather was seriously perfect. It was hot but not super hot that we couldn't stand it. Like I said before, it was so much fun watching how much fun the kids were having not skipping out on any ride. The park was not busy at all so the wait for lines were super short. I think the longest was walking through the queve lines just to get to the ride. By the time were were through them it was time to get on the ride. The longest actual wait though was Toy Story Mania in California Adventure. It is a 3D ride where you shoot targets and play against your opponent. It's much funner than it sounds.

Day 3: Second day in Disneyland and just as fun. Rick and Alene wanted family pictures taken so every family was dressed in a different color. It was a challenge just because it is Disneyland and people are walking everyone and your not supposed to sit on the wall yada yada who cares right? They still turned out pretty good but not as great as a professional would have done in another location. I will post the family pic and not individual families because I don't want to drown the blog with too much. Which usually I already do by typing so much but oh well. Tuesday was a short day at Disneyland because I surprised Jordan with tickets to the Laker games against the Denver Nuggets. It's playoffs now so this game was crazy. I have to admit, I actually enjoyed this game a lot even though I am far from Laker lover. The atmosphere there was un real. Lakers played like crap and ended up losing but they did catch up from a huge Denver lead but just couldn't pull it off. Our seat were complete nose bleed but the Staples Center does not have a bad seat in it. Their screen above the court is high definition and so huge that it wasn't bad watching that either. I think Jordan had a good time even though they lost but did end up winning that series. Let's just face it, Lakers are struggling and we may watch them get put out by OKC too... haha shhh don't tell Jordan.

This little guy is a true Laker fan. He went to the game and as we were walking out the owner said he was pissed too that Lakers lost. Too funny

Day 4: Hooray for sea creatures! This hump day was full of Sea World fun! We watched the Shamu Show, Seamore and Clyde (sea lions), and the Dolphin Show. Shamu was lame! The trainers used to get in the water and swim and do sweet things with the whales but apparently those "killer whales" really do kill people. Now the trainers can no longer get in the water. Lame, we have soldiers sacrificing their life for our freedom, why can't the trainers who supposedly LOVE their job so much sacrifice their life to entertain people. Seriously! Okay, totally kidding but really, Shamu just splashes people and swims around. Seamore and Clyde is always fun and entertaining. It's amazing how they can train these animals to do this act everyday of the week. The dolphin show was awesome as well. Last time I was at Sea World with my Gardner family, the dolphin show was closed because they were building the new stage and show. There were dolphins swimming and leaping, trainers diving and swimming with the dolphins, and birds flying over our heads. And yes! The birds were actually part of the act. So, Sea World was fun and ended up being a great day.

Day 5: This was an interesting day to say the least. This was Universal Studios day. Universal Studios is in Los Angeles, we stayed in Anaheim all week, and San Diego is the opposite direction. So we were at Universal Studios riding Jurassic Park when I was getting phone calls and texts from my mom. Long story short, my cousin Jeremy is living in San Diego and his cute pregnant wife was back in Idaho with their cute daughter London because they plan on spending their summer here and having her baby in Idaho. Jeremy stayed behind due to finals week at school and if Kate waited for him it would be too late for her to fly. Jeremy had gone to the doctor earlier that week because of a lump he had felt. The results came back Thursday and the doctor told him that he has cancer and needs to have surgery that day. So with no time to prepare he was alone. Luckily, Jeremy had an awesome friend who helped Jeremy out all day and stayed at the hospital with him while he was waiting to go in for surgery. At this point in time, his wife was stuck in Idaho and my aunt and uncle took the first flight out which was 5:00 pm. My mom thought it would be nice to have a family member there while my cousin is going through this tough situation. So, of course, I am going to drop everything I am doing to support my family because that is what family does. It was so hard seeing Jordan's disappoint the longer the drive felt as we were making our way to San Diego. He was upset and frustrated due to the fact that my cousin was to have surgery at 2:00 and by the time we got there he should have been done already. But, a three hour drive later,r we walked through the hospital doors at 4:15 and he was rolled into the operating room. The operation was to take two hours and then one hour in recovery. I can definitely understand the frustration in this but this is family. Would you do this for your family? Jeremy's surgery went well and after he was in recovery long enough for the drugs to wear off he was able to go home. As Jordan and I were headed back to Anaheim, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and the love I felt from my family for the sacrifice we made. My cousins, aunt, uncle, parents, and sister were so grateful for being there for Jeremy when they were unable to be. Family truly is the greatest blessing. I am so grateful that Jordan and I were in California that week and this is something that I will never forget. It is a peaceful feeling to me knowing that our family would do anything for each other. I think Jordan had a humbling experience as well and I am grateful for that as well.

Day 6: Last day of the vacation!!! Booooooo... The last day we spent the day in Disneyland. Of course we had fun again that day because 1. Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth and 2. We are on vacation! There is no limit to fun and no reason why we shouldn't have fun. This day was a little annoying though because there were tons of schools there and then at night, all of the season pass holders started showing up too so it was packed. We went from no wait time at the beginning of the week to 45 minute wait times Friday night. YUCK! We did though stay at the park late to watch Fantasmic which was fun. Then it was time for bed so we could pack up and head home early in the morning.

All in all, this trip was a blast. It always sucks to come home from having fun and not worrying about anything. But then again, it's nice to come home to your own home. The other downfall... work. :( It is definitely hard taking a week off especially being a loan officer. I missed out on a weeks worth of loans so I have to work twice as hard to catch up. My motivation is always gone as well after getting back from vacation. But, I love my job so it just takes a couple of days to get back into the swing of things. I seriously could not be any happier right now. I don't know what I have been feeling over this passed month but something has come over me and I can not help but be happy and have fun with Jordan. I think I have been annoying him just a little bit because I have been a little hyper too often. I honestly think my job has been a huge change in the way my days are. But the is off topic. I already can't wait for our next adventure. I love Jordan, I love all of the Kellers and had so much fun! End of story!

Here are a few of the other pics from Disneyland... I won't post them all but if you have Facebook you can look at the rest there. :)

Somedays You Just Need Your Mama

Isn't my mom beautiful? I just had to post about my day Friday. My parents and I were supposed to go to Washington to see Sammi and her family but the weather was so bad there that we just couldn't make it. I swear that always happens to me. Anytime I plan on going somewhere, thats when it decides to storm. Anyway, I was pretty bummed out and emotional so my mom decided to just work for a little while in the morning and just have a girls day. So about noon we went up to Idaho Falls and just had the day to ourselves. I love when we are together and have to drive somewhere. That is where we have such good talks. I can't even explain how amazing my mom is and what a great example she is to me. It's hard not to even get a little emotional writing this because of how highly I think of her. I know she probably doesn't think so and would never admit it but she is an inspiration to many people.

We talked of a lot of things that just really touched me. I seriously can't go a day without tearing up just a little bit. So, I did a lot on Friday but it was good. My mom was telling me stories from the church news and things like that. She told me of a man, Philip, who left the church at 14 because of his lack of interest in religion. He went into a book store one day when he was older and a woman there had mistaken him for a model that would act as Jesus Christ for pictures. If you can imagine this man had long hair, a beard and just resembled Christ. The man had to correct the woman at the store telling her that he was not who she thought. The woman at the book store worked with photographer Liz Swindle, so she told her about this man that she met in the book shop. To make this long story short, Liz Swindle was contacted from an organization called "Mothers Without Border" and had asked her to go to Africa and take some pictures with the African children and Christ. After turning the opportunity down once, plus he had cut his hair that year, Philip said yes the next year Liz had called again asking him to go with her. He thought he was just on a paid vacation but while he was in Africa things changed. When he was with the children portraying Jesus he would tell them that he is not really Jesus Christ but he knows that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of them. Philip got very sick while he was there and a young man came and asked him if he would like a priesthood blessing. Philip turned him down at first but as he was leaving he told him that he would take him up on his offer. So later, the young man came back with a white shirt and tie on and had another man with him. They gave him a blessing and after they were done he said that he knew that the words that came out were not from the young man. He knew that the spirit was helping the young man give him the blessing. After this experience and Philip returned home, he broke up with his girlfriend, found the church again, and ended up marrying the lady who runs "Mothers Without Borders". She is older than him by about 20 years and they still go to Africa so he can pose as Christ. Here is a link to the story http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705395464/Modeling-as-Savior-helps-man-find-his-faith.html. I just thought it was so neat that this guy posed as Christ to these crying children and had no idea who Christ really was. But he knew that he was important to these children and it ended up changing his life. Just a touching little story I thought I'd share. This is why my mom is so amazing.

My mom and I also got talking about putting things off and how we always say that we will do it tomorrow. She was telling me another story resembling that but all I really remember my mom saying is, "Tomorrow may never come. Tomorrow didn't come for my mom." I can't even imagine what I would do if I couldn't have a girls day with my mom. I think that is why I was so emotional that day was because I didn't want to take a second of it for granted. I wanted to cherish every moment I got with her because I can't imagine if tomorrow didn't come. My mom is such a strong women and I know a lot of it is because of her having to be without her mom and be without those talks and quick phone calls asking if canned milk is the same as evaporated milk. :) But because of those trials we face I am so grateful of the woman my mom has become. She is a great leader, mom, wife, friend, coworker, and on and on. All it takes is a smile, note, hug, diet coke, or something small to change someones day. Because of Friday, my mom has made me want to really try to do those little things for someone who looks like they need it. Because of my mom I am who I am today. Because of my mom, I know anything is possible.

I LOVE YOU MOM


Shout out to Sammi as well... She is becoming an amazing mother just like our Mom is. She had a great post on her blog the other day that touched me as well. It was about an experience she had that made her realize that we are just so quick to judge. Here is her link so you can read it because I thought it was great. lifewiththeroberts.blogspot.com. It is in the post about Kenadee's pinewood derby. LOVE YOU SAM