2 weeks with a girl named Paige

We had the fun opportunity to have my little sis down for a few weeks. She is one busy person, so when she finally had some free time Brent & I snatched her up. She is such a fun person to be around and we enjoyed the time we were able to spend with her! We had so much fun and were able to do a lot of things while she was here, like seeing "The Avengers" and "Snow White and the Huntsman" (both great movies!). We drove through the Kolob part of Zions and showed her the amazing park, had amazing dinners (one of which she bought ingredients and cooked - and boy is she a great cook!), went shopping and site seeing around town, watched a million movies at home, played games, and just simply had a blast!

My absolute favorite thing we did while she was here, was going to St. George. We took her out to eat at the Olive Garden - it was her first time and I think she LOVED it! Afterward, we took her to do Baptisms at the temple. It was such a special moment for me and my sis. A little back-story: Paige got baptized a few days after Brent & I were married, and because of us being on our honeymoon, we weren't able to attend - so being able to take her to the temple to do baptisms was amazing, and even more so because it was her first time. And to make it truly special, it was the day Brent & I celebrated our 6th anniversary of being sealed in the temple for eternity! When we got to the temple it was amazing to feel how strong the spirit was. The temple patrons were so in love with Paige and doted on her the whole time which I was an amazing thing for her! I am so appreciative of those ladies making her feel so comfortable and letting her know how special she was. Brent was even able to baptize and confirm us.  How amazing right! I absolutely love the St. George Temple and it was so wonderful to have it be a special place for her too!

Then on Sunday both Paige & I had the opportunity to bear our testimonies in Sacrament Meeting. Paige's testimony was so sweet and special. For her to tell her thoughts and feelings on the temple and how much she loved it and knew it was a special place, was the most wonderful thing for me to hear. I love the temple so much and to be able to share my love with my sister was the most amazing experience and I am so grateful for it! I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and that I have a strong testimony of Temples. I am so grateful that I know I can be with my family forever because of them. I am so grateful to have a Heavenly Father who loves us so much. I hope someday to have the opportunity to have all of my family gathered in the temple with us.

Thanks for spending time with us Paige. We love you and hope to have you back down again soon!

7 years FULL of love!

I can't believe we are celebrating our 7 year anniversary!! These past 7 years have been such an amazing time and I have loved every minute. Not everything has been sunshine and rainbows, but I'm so grateful to have a husband who tries to make me smile and laugh everyday, who never gives up on me, who apologizes when he does something wrong even if he doesn't always agree, and who always does everything he can to make our life better. I am so lucky to be married to the man of my dreams, the most youthful, faithful, truthful, respectful, trustful, meaningful, cheerful, thoughtful, careful, skillful, hopeful, playful, mindful, and just plain WONDERFUL man I have ever met! These past 7 years have been so full of love and happiness and I have truly been so blessed to have Brent by my side. Brent you are my everything, my best friend, my support, my love, my LIFE! Thank you for everything you have done, for loving me, and sharing your life and eternity with me.

To start our adventure off we headed up to Sanpete. We were able to stop by and have lunch with my parents and sister. My family is so funny when we all get together!  Paige and Dad really know how to tease the crap out of each other... which in turn makes great entertainment for the rest of us. The evening went from Paige poking my dad's eye with a straw to making fun of Titanic in 3D to Paige's talent of nostril flaring - it was quite the meal. By the time we got our food we were all laughing so hard that it was a challenge to eat. I'm sure everyone in the restaurant was wondering what the crap we were doing!

We headed up to Salt Lake the next day. We ate at Olive Garden and then Brent surprised me with tickets to see The Hunger Games at the IMAX theater in the Clark Planetarium. It was so fun walking around Gateway Mall and going to the Planetarium. It had been so long since the last time I was there. We both loved the movie and had so much fun!

Brent then surprised me with a night stay at the Anniversary Inn. I have always wanted to go to Italy and Brent made my dream come true for a night (So sweet right! Made my heart melt!!!). Our room was decorated like Venice, including a bed in a gondola! It was so beautiful! There were rose petals sprinkled all over and cheesecake & sparkling cider in the fridge waiting for us. It was absolutely perfect! We ordered pizzas from room service, and snuggling in the reclined couch while watching movies all night. They had a huge jet tub with overhead fountains that I especially loved! Can't beat a nice relaxing bath!

 

On our way home we stopped at Brent's all time FAVORITE place to eat - Tucanos (a brazillian grill that is so very, very yummy!) I even got the servers to sing happy birthday to him since his birthday was only a few days away!

 Thanks again baby for the amazing and so special anniversary! I look forward to many, many more with you!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Four weekends and a Wedding

Life has been pretty busy lately....

Weekend #1: Brent & I celebrated our 5 year anniversary of being sealed in the temple for eternity. I really can't believe it has been that long ago! We were able to go up to Sanpete that weekend to do a session in the Manti Temple to celebrate and also so that I could make it to Jenessa's bridal shower. I love the Manti Temple. It always has such a wonderful and special feeling that is different from all other temples. It was wonderful to see Nessa again and to spend more time with Jason. I'm so glad she loved the sign I made them.

Weekend #2: We were able to go up to Sanpete again but this time it was to see the Mormon Miracle Pageant. We were able to meet up with my cousins Amanda (who is currently living in Hawaii), her fun in-laws, and my other cousins Laura, and Arianne. It was so wonderful to see the pageant again..especially since I grew up being in it pretty much every year. I was still able to quote most of it! We were also able to do another session in the Manti Temple. It really is the hardest thing to put into words how strong the spirit is there.

Weekend #3: Again up to Sanpete. This time to be with Jenessa as she went through the temple for the first time. I loved every minute I was able to share with her on that beautiful and wonderful day. The spirit was so incredibly strong and I know her mom was there with her. Seeing Jenessa in the Celestial room really brought back so many memories of when I went through to receive my own Endowments. I am so truly grateful for the gospel in my life and for the precious experiences I have been able to have because of it. We were then able to go to Brent's parents house to help them put a sprinkler system in their yard. It was hard work but it was great to be able to spend time with them and being able to work hard to accomplish our goals. We were also able to visit with Brent's mom since she had her surgery. We wish you a speedy recovery mom. We love you.

Weekend #4: Back up to Sanpete for my DeLeeuw Family Reunion. It was so great to go camping and to see so much family...most of whom I haven't seen in years. It was so fun!! I have such a goofy and loving family! Also this weekend Jenessa and Jason were married and we were blessed to be able to be there. It was so neat to listen to the sealer marry them and to hear and know that the spirit was directing him to things he needed to say. We were able to spend the day with them through the pictures, lunch, and reception. It was so wonderful to see Nessa so happy and seeing how much Jason really loves her. Nessa, I love you and I am so grateful that you found your prince. You are the most special person I have ever met and you are the best friend anyone could ask for. I am so lucky that I have been able to know you and have you for a friend for 18 years...and I look forward to many many more. Thank you Jason for treating her the way she deserves and making her happy. And thank you so much for letting us be a part of this special day! We wish you the most happiness in your life together!!

A lot happened during these 4 weeks. It was amazing being able to go to the temple each week and to feel the spirit so strongly. It has made me more positive about things going on in my life and the trials I am facing, and I am trying to remember those feelings I felt and incorporate them in every day. I love my family and I am so grateful for this chance we had to spend so much time with them. And I am especially thankful for the wonderful blessing of sharing this time with Jenessa and Jason. What a wonderful life we have because of our family, friends, and the gospel!

Has it really been 6 years?

It is so unbelievable how fast time flies!! We just celebrated our 6th Anniversary!

Brent had so much fun planning our Anniversary trip last year that he decided to plan it again this year. It always amazes me how romantic he is!

The night before our anniversary we stayed up till midnight to exchange gifts. I bought Brent a very nice tungsten ring to replace his wedding band (which was getting pretty dinged up) and a CD. He gave me Glee! I was so excited! He also told me what he had planned. He got a cabin for the night at Zion National Park! I couldn't believe it and went to bed so excited for the next day. I woke in the morning to Brent making a bunch of noise in the bathroom. I got out of bed to see what it was. The door was locked and he said he had just knocked something over in the tub...numerous times. I knew something was going on but he wouldn't let me in "because he was using the toilet and his stomach hurt". When he was done, I went in to pack up our toiletries and opened the shower curtain to find my new amazing shower head! It is so great - I spent half an hour in the shower the first time I used it. It was such a surprise and so funny!! We left for our adventure right after work. It had been raining so when we got to the park it looked so amazing! Everything was so green and foggy! It looked so mysterious and exciting. It was great to see such a different view from all the other times we had been there. Our cabin was such a cute thing. It had a little porch, fireplace, beds, bathroom... and that's about it. We headed down to St. George for dinner at the Olive Garden. It was delicious. I don't know if it was because of the special occasion or what... but the food seemed even better than usual! We had stuffed mushrooms, calamari, soup, salad, tortellini, and stuffed chicken marsala.

It was dark by the time we got back to the park, so Brent took me star gazing. With no moon out and being so secluded, it was the most perfect night for it! The stars were amazing and so bright. I don't think I have ever seen so many before in my life! When we got back to the cabin it was so nice just curling up by the fire and talk all night. It was wonderful not having any distractions and just being able to remember all the past years, our wedding, and all the reasons we fell in love.

In the morning we checked out, ate breakfast, and hiked to the lower Emerald Pool. The waterfalls were breathtaking! It started raining so we just drove around exploring new places and taking pictures from the comfort of the car. We stopped at a few stores and bought two puzzles, books, and Brent got me a beautiful necklace. We drove to every end of the park, through tunnels where it was snow on one end and just rain on the other, and taking as many pictures as possible. It was truly such a perfect anniversary!

I love you so much Brent. I am such a lucky girl to have you by my side throughout eternity! I look forward to many many more years with you!

5 years together!

This week we had our 5th Anniversary. I can't believe that it is already been that long! For dinner that night Brent cooked the BEST EVER corned beef with baked potatoes and green beans. It was soooo yummy! Later we went out for ice cream at the yummy Maggie Moo's. Since our anniversary was in the middle of the week we decided to really celebrate the weekend after. Brent planned it all and was keeping it a secret from me... which I have to admit drove me crazy!! I am such a planner and I have to know what is going on! Anyway... on Friday we left around noon to go up to Salt Lake. We met Karen and Ryan at a restaurant.... which was actually really gross.... and then went back to their place to stay the rest of the weekend. It was so good to see them and to be able to spend time with them.

On Saturday, Brent took me to see "The Bounty Hunter" which was really funny. After he took me to the aquarium. It was really busy but really awesome. There was a lot of really neat and fun stuff. I loved feeling the rays and starfish. They had opened their newest exhibit the day before (which is probably why it was so busy) of penguins. We also went to Walmart and bought Brent the first and second season of bones and me the movie "Did You Hear About the Morgans?".

On Sunday we woke up early to go to the zoo. It was the most perfect day to go! I really loved seeing the baby elephant playing! The zoo has always been one of my favorite things to do. We were able to ride on the train and of course the new carousel which was awesome! It was such a great day and such a fun anniversary. Thank you Brent! I love you so much. I am the luckiest wife ever! Thank you for marrying me and working so hard to make me happy and provide us with a good life. I can't wait to spend many more years with you!

60 years

Grandpa & Grandma Sorensen just celebrated the journey of 60 years of marriage. It was so wonderful to see family and to hear Grandma & Grandpa tell their love story. 60 years, 7 kids, who knows how many grandkids and great grandskids later they are still so completely in love!

An Anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated our 3 year Anniversary of being sealed in the temple. We are so grateful for this blessing in our lives. We are so glad that we can be an eternal family - not just until death. That we have the opportunity each year to celebrate this huge blessing. Brent & I are so happy together and we are more in love then we ever have been. We have grown so much. I am so lucky to be with my best friend everyday! It is amazing to know of the possibilities we have for growth as companions.

For our Anniversary we went to St. George to go to the temple and do sealings. This is a tradition we have done every year. It is so wonderful inside the temple, there is such peace! Being dressed all in white and kneeling across from your eternal companion is the best feeling in the world! The spirit was so strong and I was remembering so vividly the day we went to be sealed. It is nice to hear the blessings that are promised to us if we are faithful to the covenants that we have made.

After the temple we went out to eat at the Olive Garden. It was so yummy and fun. It was a great Anniversary and I can't wait to celebrate it again!!!

I love you Brent!!

Our 4 Year Anniversary

Has it really been 4 years already?

Being married to my best friend has been wonderful! Sure we have our ups and downs... but it has truly been 4 wonderful years!

To celebrate we started out by spending the night before in a suite at the Marriott (thanks again to Ryan) here in Cedar City. We ate lasagna and had sparkling grape juice. Brent took me to the movie "Duplicity", and we had a wonderful time just cuddling and being with each other. We woke in the morning and headed down to St. George. We got there close to noon and since we didn't really wake up in time to eat breakfast, we were pretty hungry. The Olive Garden was so good, especially because we had a gift card thanks to a Christmas present from Brent's sister Cait. Afterward we headed out to Fiesta Fun for miniature golf. We drove the go-karts twice, and played multiple games of golf. I won once and I am pretty sure Brent won all the rest. It was so much fun! I loved being able to spend the whole day with Brent without worrying about anything!

Later that day we went to the mall to get Orange Julius's and to browse. We had a Primerica meeting that night so we postponed the fun till after. The meeting went longer than expected but we learned a lot. We really can't wait to be able to help people! After the meeting we headed home. Brent surprised me by stopping at Walmart to pick up a copy of Wii fit! We stayed up till 2 in the morning playing and exercising!

For our gifts Brent decided he wanted some motivational Cd's so that is what he got. Brent surprised me with the movie "Pretty in Pink", the Twilight soundtrack, and a Twilight poster!

All in all it was an awesome Anniversary! I look forward to many more! Below are some pictures of us just having a blast!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!