Mustache

Yes ... Matt has a mustache and he is very proud of it. No ... I'm not the biggest fan in the world of it but he claims he gave me 15 months of marriage mustache free so he gets to have one for a month.

He's been so excited for Halloween so it can be incorporated into some amazing costume ... but what/who should he be?????

He kinda wanted to be Freddy Mercury (but I said no) and the only other person we've come up with is Magnum PI (Tom Sellick). Suggestions????

Thankful Thoughts - Examples

I have been blessed with great in-laws. And they have been a great influence in teaching me about sacrifice and selflessness. It is something they emulate when you look into their eyes - the whole clan of them. I could talk about how each one of Matt's brothers and sisters (and their spouses) have impressed me in one way or another ... but I want to talk specifically about his parents right now.

For some reason or another - I laid awake last night thinking about the different conversations Matt and I have had about his parents and everything they have done for me and for us since we've been married.

They come to every home game. Practically every other Saturday they drive 2 hours down and then 2 hours back just to come to the game. And I know that it's not because they are die-hard BYU fans cause Becky's told me that they wouldn't come to every game if they didn't have a son on the team ... and how she swore she wouldn't go to another football game prob 15 years ago. Talk about support. And this has kinda been their story for the last 15 years or however long it's been since their youngest started playing sports. Matt remembers his parents coming to all his games as well as his brother's and sister's games always. And you're talking 7 kids each playing at least 2 sports all throughout high school and then some. What an amazing sacrifice of time. From what Matt remembers, his dad went to work super early - like around 6 - so that he was off in time to get to all the sports his kids were playing in. This is something Matt and I have decided we will try to implement as much as possible when we have kids - we want to be there at every game/concert/whatever to show our kids that support and love.

Sidenote - my dad was the same way with me. I don't want it sound like my parents neglected me or something ... my dad was at every game he could possibly be to even if meant him staying up in his office for hours later that night. I don't think it really hit me how much I appreciated it until after I graduated. The way that affected me is another reason I have determined that I will do the same thing for my children.

That's not the end of it though - they've impressed me in so many ways. They are the kind of people that genuinely care and give service with a compassionate heart. They are more concerned about the well-being of people, especially their children, and it amazes me how willing they are to give up their own things for other people. They're not out to impress anyone of show-off ... they're real and genuine.

They've helped me to think differently about life in general and about parenting aspects I probably wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

They have been great examples to me as I've gotten to know them over the past 2 years. They are amazing people and they've passed that onto their kids-Matt along with his brothers and sisters are just the same way. I'm grateful for their examples in my life and grateful that I get to call them family. Our kids will get some those genes passed on to them and hopefully they will see those examples and become a lot like them too. Thank you Putnams!

Food Storage Analyzer

So it's this cool free website that helps you organize your food storage. And if you try it and then give it a review - you get a free $10 gift card to Emergency Essentials (my work).

So - of course I think it's great. I haven't had a lot of time to really dive into like I would like to but it's definitely a good thing for really figuring out what you've got in food storage. You can calculate how long your food storage will last you based on the nutritionals and how many people and so on and so forth. You can also add your own foods - so it's not strictly food from Emergency Essential's. I like it cause your able to personalize it and break down what you have in food storage to be able to judge what you already have and what you need. Matt and I still have a long way to go but this helps us manage what direction to go while we're trying to build our food storage. So in short - I think it's a great tool - see for yourself.

AND.... you can get another free $10 gift card if you post one of their "Preparedness Pantry Blog" buttons on your blog/website. See preparednesspantry.blogspot.com in the top left corner. Free $20 = sweet! Just thought I'd spread the joy.

Thoughts on Love and Marriage

Well ... the topic in my LDS Marriage and Family class last week was True Love. So the assigned reading was of course on love (from the 'eternal marriage' manual). Talk about uplifting and happy reading for the week. And ... I absolutely love quotes! If you've known me for any length of time you know this to be true. I had quotes (on love) surrounding our reception and have a book I've been working on for years that's filled the best of the best quotes.

There certainly are a lot of them though. So many great words from prophets and apostles and other general authorities. See for yourself:

"The love established between man and woman, as they live and together and rear their family, should not die, but live and grow richer with the eternal years. True love hopes and prays for an endless continuation of association with the loved one ... love is ever warm, more hopeful, believing, courageous, and fearless ... to them happiness and the making of it have no end." -John A. Widtsoe

"Love is cleanliness and progress and sacrifice and selflessness. This kind of love never tires nor wanes, but lives through sickness and sorrow, poverty and privation, accomplishment and disappointment, time and eternity." -Spencer W. Kimball

"...respect that regards one's companion as the most precious friend on earth..." -Gordon B. Hinckley

"Perfect love is perfectly patient." -Neal A. Maxwell

"True love and happiness in courtship and marriage abe based upon honesty, self-respect, sacrifice, consideration, courtesy, kindness, and placing 'we' ahead of 'me'." -Marvin J. Ashton

"Love, as defined by the Lord, elevates, protects, respects, and enriches another. It motivates one to make sacrifices for another." -Richard G. Scott

"But such a total, virtually unbreakable union, such an unyielding commitment between a man and a woman, can only come with the proximity and permanence afforded in a marriage covenant, with the union of all that they possess - their very hearts and minds, all their days and all their dreams..." -Jeffrey R. Holland

"...most problems in love and marriage ultimately start with selfishness." -Gordon B. Hinckley, Jeffrey R. Holland

"True love blooms when we care more about another person than we care about ourselves." -Jeffrey R. Holland

"Love is a fragile thing" -Jeffrey R. Holland

"...trust ourselves totally to the one we love ... The very nature of the endeavor requires that you hold on to each other as tightly as you can and jump in the pool together." - Jeffrey R. Holland

"True love 'beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things'." -1 Corinthians 13:7, Jeffrey R. Holland

"'Charity [pure love] never faileth.' (Moroni 7:46, 1 Corinthians 13:8) It is there through thick and thin. It endures through sunshine and shadow, through darkest sorrow and on into the light. It never fails." -Jeffrey R. Holland

"Marriage is sustained by faith and knowledge of its divine establishment, and is sustained daily by energy of love..." -David B. Haight

"The Lord measures the success of a family by the quality of its relationships." -Merrill J. Bateman

"As a righteous couple grow and mature in their love, they will come to know that the fine blending of the spiritual and physical dimensions of their relationship forms a solid foundation for their eternal union." -Marlin K. Jensen

"Giving ourselves to one another in an eternal marriage is an unconditional giving of the whole person for the whole journey." -Marlin K. Jensen

"Eternal marriage is godlike marriage. The term eternal describes the quality of marriage as much as its duration." -Marlin K. Jensen

"Love is a process."

"Love is a choice."

And my absolute favorite of all: "Happiness is marrying your best friend!" -I'm not sure who said this but it's been Matt and I's quote ever since becoming engaged.

Love is awesome. Marriage is amazing. That's my opinion. I can honestly say that I continue to love Matt more everyday. And you'd be surprised what you can learn about love from a class. Perspective takes on a whole new meaning with regards to marriage. The simple daily things of life kind of float away. They always say marriage is a lot of work but it makes the work seem like hardly anything when you focus on how much you love the other one and the covenants you made at marriage. I'm finding it a lot harder to put my thoughts into words at the moment. I'm lucky to have Matt as my hubby - I'm so happy he kept after me.

Tender Mercy

Flashback to prob a month ago:

My phone rang just as I was stepping out of the bathroom at work where I had been shedding a few tears of woe is me. It was my sister-in-law Angie and I sucked it up and answered. She explained to me that her friend had read on our blog that we didn't have a dishwasher and she wanted to give us her portable dishwasher. I had never met her and she knew Matt just from when he was a little tyke - yet out of the goodness of her heart she wanted to give us her portable dishwasher ... for nothing in return!

Angie asked me if we would want which I proceeded to say OF COURSE. This was one of the moments when I knew God was watching out for me. The moment I got off the phone I could feel His arms wrap around me with a hug that said 'it's going to be ok, you can do it, keep holding on, I love you remember.' I'm almost started to cry out of happiness this time.

It may just seem like a dishwasher but it has so much more meaning to me. The last time I did the dishes I couldn't stand for the rest of the day (we're only talking an hour or two of washing too)...that's what a messed up back will do. Before football started Matt always washed the dishes because he knew how much it hurt my back plus I just don't necessarily like doing it. But football and school took over which is how it should be. The dishes were a source of stress in my life that has now evaporated. It's hard to put into words just what a dishwasher has done for me and Matt. It's not just a dishwasher, it's a blessing, it's that nudge of hope, a daily reminder that God knows me individually and is watching out for me everyday.

We picked up the dishwasher last Wednesday night and it is absolutely fabulous. All of our dishes are done (except for a few cookie sheets that didn't fit) without hours of work on our end. Thank you Amy!! We can never thank you enough for your generosity and kindness!

Matt on TV!

Click Here to watch


This aired on Sunday night on the Bronco Mendenhall Show.

And for the record ... they didn't include the rest of his answer to 'him picking on his brother's kids' ... he said he picks on them by getiting them riled up before bed time. He's adorable with kids to say the least.


But isn't he so cute? I love it.

SD Day 5 - The Beach!!

I know, I know ... I am so incredibly behind but I am determined to finish these posts on our fabulous week even if it is almost 2 months later.

First,we went to the bay just outside where we were staying and then we were off to the waves of the ocean. It was Matt's first time playing in the ocean ... it was so fun to be with him and play in the water and relax and enjoy the day together. Our whole day was spent at the beach ... as you can see the sun slowly going down throughout the pictures ... Enjoy!

Here's the bay ... we practically had it all to ourselves

This is my most favoritest picture ... isn't he so adorable?

And here's the 'real' beach ... off to go play in some waves

He loved it! He was thoroughly enjoying himself in the waves

And he had to try surfing ... just for kicks

Pretty sunset

That's Matt in the corner

If you look closely, you can see all the water splashing up on his face