He'll Carry You

This morning, as I was getting ready for church, I was listening to my Sunday music. As I was doing this, a very special song came on. You probably know it. It is “He’ll Carry You”, by Hillary Weeks. It was, and has always been, a song that has touched me deeply. I feel impressed to share my thoughts with you about it!

So, the chorus goes something like this:

“He knew there’d be moments when no earthly words could take away your sorrow, and no human eyes could see what you’re going through. When you’ve taken your last step and done all that you can do, He will lift your heavy load and carry you.’

I stand as a witness to this truth. I can testify that the Savior came to this world for you and me. He came to live for us. And while He lived, He experienced a mortal life. He suffered for us. I know with all surety that He is perfectly aware of all the trials of life; there is nothing that you will ever go through that He hasn’t. He experienced all of the heartache and sorrow that you could ever endure, and He did it for you. There have been, and will be, moments in your life when you feel alone. There will be those times when you feel like no one understands your hardships. And even when people try to help, there will be times when their kindness cannot ease the pain. In these times, you must look to the Savior. In these times, know that He knows exactly what you are going through.

It is possible that there are trials that only you will experience. In those trials, understand that the Savior experienced that specific trial just for you. He wanted to know how to comfort you and give support. He loves you. He loves you so much that He sacrificed His life and atoned for you. He died for you. He did this so you could live to return back to the Father.

I believe all these things to be true. I believe in Christ. And not only do I believe in Christ, I have come to know of Him. He is my Savior, the one who will redeem me. He is my friend, and He is my brother. I am beyond blessed to know of these truths.

In addition to this, I add my testimony of God. I know that God is our Father, and we are his precious children. We are not just some number to him, but we are his literal children. He knows our names, our circumstances, and our hearts. He is our Father, and he loves us with a perfect love that we cannot comprehend. Our Father in Heaven loves us so deeply that he gave his son. With this, he enabled all of us to return back to him. With this, the Great Plan of Happiness was put into place.

I am forever grateful for this. I love this gospel.

1st Anniversary

Happy Anniversary, Love!

Today Dan and I have been married for a year. To celebrate, Dan made quite the surprise for me. He told me to get dressed because we were going on an adventure. I got in the card and he gave me a handful of envelopes. I had to open the first, read it, figure out the riddle, and then tell Dan where to drive. It went something like this:

Riddle 1

""A hunt! A chase! Beware, this is not a race. Search for the places which you must find, and surely you will not be left behind. Focus on the events that led to the date when we became sealed as eternal soul mates."

 Riddle 2

"'Twas here that I first did spy, the cutest girl girl who caught my eye!"

If you know our story, you know that we were anatomy and physiology lab partners. It is were we met, and it is where everything began! So, we were off to the place were it all started: the Benson Building on campus!

Riddle 3

"A surprise! What a treat! Next to you I took my seat. Though we sat near while in our group, to be closer to you, I would jump through a hoop!"

I clearly remember the day that this happened. It was Valentine's and I needed to study for an upcoming anatomy test. The group that I studied with said that we'd meet in the library. About five minutes into our studying, my handsome lab partner walked in. Apparently, he was part of the study group and I had no idea. What a pleasant surprise! It was our first Valentine's together...studying at the library! 

Riddle 4

"'Twas the first place that we did 'hang'. We made those pool balls go 'bang'!"

This riddle made me laugh quite a bit. The first time that we "hung out" without studying was this occasion. After class one day I was sitting alone in my apartment. I knew that he was at his apartment, just a couple hundred yards away...(not that I was a stalker or anything). I wanted to be with him and I was feeling brave. I invited him to come to come over to my lounge. It was one of the most nerve-racking things that I have ever done. I was afraid that he wouldn't want to, but he happily came over! We played pool together for awhile. And, oh my, it was then that I already started to fall for Dan. That is a day I'll never forget. 

Riddle 5

"Quick! To the spot where we first kissed! I was so nervous, I practically missed."

And this one made me laugh, too! That night Dan told me that he couldn't go back to his apartment until he got a kiss. Of course, I couldn't leave him out in the cold! It was outside of my apartment at midnight. We kissed. Haha and let's just say that our heigh difference was something to get use to. 

Riddle 6

"It was as if a proclamation from above, when we first began to express our love. In this place I asked you a question. By the look in your eyes, I'd got your attention. To each other we promises made-to one day make cute babies ;)"

Shortly after we began dating, Dan and I fell completely in love. It really was not long before I knew that he was the man that I wanted to be with forever. One day, while we were sitting in the lounge I asked Dan what was on his mind. He brought up marriage. It was that moment that we decided that our relationship was going to be forever. 

Riddle 7

"Food without cooking, cause funny faces looking at fish that looks bad, but makes us both glad!"

And from there, we were off to eat sushi! However, once we got into town we decided that we wanted Texas Roadhouse. Haha but you get the idea: yummy dinner! To end the night, Dan gave me one last riddle. 

Riddle 8

"An eternity is seemed that I had to wait to behold your face gleam as my perfect (and eternal) soul mate! :)"

Dan took me to the place that we were married: the temple. It was such a special moment. It has only been one year together, but we have been sealed together forever. I cannot wait to spend an eternity with this man. He is my everything. This is just the start of our story.  

You know, since we have been married I've heard a lot of things. I've heard it said that the 1st year of marriage is the hardest, but when you are married to your best friend nothing could be easier. This past year has been filled with lots of love and joy! I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us. Cheers to one year, and cheers to forever!

Dan's Birthday

Dan turned 24 today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I guess that you could say that he is growing old on me. But, he is convinced that he is even older than what he is suppose to be. Apparently, the day he was born should have been his first birthday. At least that is what he is claiming. So, we are pretending that he is 25 for the day. It makes me feel younger, and it makes him feel old. We are quite the special couple. 

Thankfully, Dan was able to take the day off to celebrate. He did not have school, and there was no work to be done. You can just imagine his joy! So, being the rich college kids that we are, you can imagine the things we did! (PS I hope that you can sense the sarcasm...) First off, we started the wonderful day by being awakened by the blazing temperature in our bedroom. Our apartment, which came with air conditioning, is not working out too well for us. The air does not turn on and we are HOT! 

So, Dan woke this morning to try to cool off. I rolled over in bed and grumbled "Happy Birthday" to my sweetheart. He grumbled back, "You passed the test." I know, we are just romantic. We then fell back asleep. Unfortunately, I had to wake up Dan a little bit later to take me to work. He did not even get to sleep in. Poor boy. 

Homework followed work, and then other chores. But as the afternoon rolled on, I told Dan that it was time to leave and go out for his BIRTHDAY! We went to Sportsmans (an outdoors store) and shopped around from some sort of knife that Dan wanted for his birthday. Let's just say that everything there was a bit overpriced...but we got a new hat for him! Then we went to the Barnes and Noble. That was fun.

You see, now that we have been married for nearly a year, Dan is showing me his true colors. So, here it is: Dan is kinda a nerd! I love it! At Barnes and Noble, we bought a book for his birthday. It was HALO...like, the video game...but a book. I must admit, I started reading it! It is good! And we got a new game: Bananagrams! 

Dinner completed the end of the night. In case you did not know, Dan is in love with sushi...and he converted me, too! Our favorite place to have sushi is called Blue Hashi. It is kinda this fancy place in Idaho Falls. We had some of the family come to celebrate. It was a good time. 

I know that it may not have been the best birthday ever, but I think it is okay. Right now, in college,  I feel that things do not always go the way I envision. I wish that I could have woken up early to make Dan breakfast in bed. I wish that I could have spent my whole day with him. I wish we did not have homework. And I wish we had more money. I wanted to give Dan a new gun, new boots, and a new camera...but those things are pricy. My whole vision of things is unrealistic, but I am realizing that it is okay. All these things are not of importance; they do not matter. 

I loved today. I loved being with my husband. I am so grateful for our marriage and for the time that we do have together. I need to learn to appreciate the time that we have now. 

So, happy birthday to my wonderful husband! Here is to today, and for many years to come! Although we are young, it looks like we have already began to grow old together. I love you dearly now, and I will love you forever! 

Foster Care

My parents' hearts are HUGE. Within this past year and a half, my parents have gladly accept the role as foster parents. It all began when there was a family in need. With a child needing a home and an empty bedroom in the house, my parents took a baby girl. This was not something that they had planned to do with their life; they just knew they needed to help. This baby's name was Mel, and she sure was precious. Soon, Mel became part of the family and everyone fell in love with her!

A few months later, another surprise came. After receiving a phone call from a state worker, my parents were asked to take another child. This time, it was a 5 year old in need. Her name was Lilly, and she was Mel's older sister. Happy to keep sister together, my parents opened up their hearts and homes to another child. Although this REALLY was not in their life plan, they never complained. Just like Mel, Lilly was swooped up, loved, and welcomed to the family. 

With two children in the home, my parents really seemed to keep busy. On top of raising two foster children, they had three of us kids! And, on top of that, they both had full-time jobs that they had to maintain. Life was challenging for them, or so I believe. But, believe it or not, a few months later my parents received another phone call. This time, a state worker was asking my parents to welcome a teenager into the home. Without hesitation, my parents said yes! We now have Kaela in our family! 

As time has progressed, these three girls have made a special place in my heart. I consider each of them my sisters, and would do anything for them. I love them dearly, and I cannot begin to imagine how much my parents love them. As I said, my parents' hearts are HUGE! Just when I think that they cannot possibly love another kid so much, they go and prove me wrong. They are just so willing to help, love, and care for anyone and everyone. 

Today, my mom told me that they have welcomed another child into their home. I have not met her yet, but I know that her name is Hailey. She is a teenager like Kaela. I have a feeling that they will become good friends. I also have a really good feeling that my parents' hearts are about to grow even bigger! 

Something Worth Celebrating

Today my parents celebrated their 23rd weddings anniversary! I feel especially blessed to have them in my life to lead and guide me. They are truly wonderful people. Since the time that I could remember, my have been by my side. They have taught me what was right, and steered me away from the things that are wrong. Time after time, they have allowed me to make decisions, supporting me even when I was not making the best choices. They have allowed me to fail, and have picked me up to help me succeed. They have pushed me to be better, and taught me to settle for nothing than my best. They have given countless hugs and words of encouragement. And when I've had bad days, they have shared tears. But we have shared more than that. Together, as a family, we have shared countless laughs, good times, and memories. Without a doubt, they are some of my very best friends.

Ten Months Ago

Ten months ago I married my very best friend in the world. By the world’s standards, you could say that we married pretty fast: engaged after three months and married after six! Many shook their heads and wondered if it would last. And while it has only been ten months, I can confidently say that it will! It has been nearly a year and Dan and I are completely and totally in love; we have not left that “honeymoon” stage. In fact, I believe that our love grows more and more each day.

So, here ten months…and here is to eternity! CHEERS FOR FORVER!

Of course, Dan and I had to have the first look! Dan waited patiently as I tapped him on the shoulder and told him to turn around. I was excited, but I think he was even more excited. So, there I was: his bride!

We were married and sealed in the Rexburg, Idaho Temple on August 24, 2013.

And for our pictures, we went out to the sand dunes! It was so much fun to run around in the sand with a wedding dress on, and the sunset was picture perfect.

That day was a happy, grand day! And since that day, the happiest continues! We love each other. We honestly just LOVE each other!

Love From Mel