25 Days of Gratefulness

To start of this Thanksgiving season, I thought I would make a list of 25 things I am most grateful for. Here we go!

I am grateful for...........

#1. The Gospel. Without the gospel in my life I would be lost. I am so grateful to have the knowledge that I do that the Savior atoned for my sins, died for me, and that he now lives. He loves me and wants/knows what is best for me. I know that I am not perfect .. nor do I expect to ever be, but I am trying everyday to become better in every way. And I am grateful that if I do the best I can every day, I can return to my Heavenly Father.

#2. My eternal companion. I am truly grateful for Brent and all he does for me. I am grateful that we were able to be sealed for time and all eternity in the Manti Temple 4 years ago and that every day since we have tried to be worthy of that great blessing. Knowing we will see and be with all of our loved ones after this life. And knowing when we finally are able to be blessed with kids they will be sealed to our eternal family forever.

#3. Family. I love my family so much and I am so grateful to them for all they do for Brent & I. I love being able to strengthen our relationships with each of you! I love you all!

#4. Jobs. Especially in this trying economic time, I am grateful for our jobs and for the constant income we have coming in.

#5. Blessings. I am so truly grateful for all that my Heavenly Father has done for me and my family. I love knowing that he will not try me above what I am able and that after the trial I am able to look back and see Gods hand in all that happened and the blessing that came.

#6. My little Gemma Bean... The cutest dog in the whole world! I love how she gets excited to have us home. All the kisses and the cuddling. She has made our home so much more happy since she came into our lives.

#7. The Priesthood in my home. I am so grateful to you Brent for being a worthy Priesthood holder!

#8. I'm grateful for warm bubble baths after a long day.

#9.I'm grateful for beautiful sunsets.

#10. I'm grateful for my friends and their willingness to put up with me.... especially when I get silly.

#11. I am grateful for this beautiful and amazing earth. I am grateful for the love I have of being outdoors and exploring. There are so many amazing things to see and do, especially in Southern Utah. I am grateful for being able to visit and travel to so many marvelous places like the Grand Canyon, Zions, Bryce, Cedar Breaks and so many many others.

#12. I am grateful for the chance I have to read the scriptures and Ensign everyday and the spirit I always feel because of it. I love and am so grateful for the quiet time I have while sitting in my car before work to read, search, and ponder the wonderful scriptures and talks.

#13. I am grateful for the talks I have with my Mom. I am grateful that I can go to her with all my problems and issues I am facing in my life and know that she loves me and will listen.

#14. I'm grateful for 4-wheeler rides, daddy-daughter dates, for all the time with my Dad and all the hugs that make me cry.

#15. For our health.

#16. I'm grateful for all the times I get to have my brother & sister down to visit and all the fun memories we make.

#17. For all the things that make me and everyone I love laugh. For all the moments of pure joy and happiness.

#18. I'm grateful for all the time I get to spend with my best friend & hubby. I am grateful for all the nights we snuggle on the couch, for all our adventures, and for the books we read together.

#19. I'm grateful for rain showers and for the rainbows that follow.

#20. I'm grateful for extremely yummy food especially when its my hubby making it to make me smile.

#21. I'm grateful for every kind of music. Music has always been a part of who I am. I love how every type touches your soul in a different way and you can use it anytime to escape even if it's for just a little while.

#22. I'm grateful for patience and learning to have faith that all things will happen in God's time.

#23. For our home. Its not a house and it's not that big, but it is a wonderful blessing to have shelter and a place that we can come home to from work and school and escape the world.

#24. For our Freedom and all those who fight to keep it for us all.

#25. For our amazing bodies and all that we are able to accomplish with them.

Heavenly Father has given us all that we have and are. We are truly grateful for his presence in our lives. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Black & Orange Masquerade Ball

I so wish I had gotten more pictures!!!

My best friend in the whole world - Jenessa - came down this past weekend to have our belated Halloween party! She brought her little brother Mckuhla along and my friends Shanae and Kevin came over too. It was so fun seeing everyone in their masks. Each one was so creative! ... And yes Shanae you do win for the ugliest j/k!! It was totally awesome! It was so fun just talking, eating, watching movies and playing games. WARNING: We played the mellowest game of the suck game ever!!!!! lol but it was still fun.. especially watching Kevin putting each m&m he sucked up into his mouth before trying to suck up another one!

I just loved having Nessa and Kuhla here for the weekend. It had been forever since I had done anything with them. We had so much fun playing Raving Rabbids, Rockband, and Little Big Planet. Watching movies and some great stand-up comedians (we ended up laughing more at Mckuhla than the comedian though!).

Wish this weekend could have lasted so much longer but loved all the memories we made and can't wait till next year's party!!!

Amanda & Solomon Nair and a wonderful weekend

My wonderful cousin Amanda and her fiance Solomon, who have been waiting about 6 months to get clearance to be married in the Temple, finally were able to go to the Manti Temple to be sealed for time & eternity on Thursday the 28th of October. I was so lucky to be able to attend. They looked so completely happy together. Congrats again you guys! After the wedding was a luncheon at the church. My mom and Cam were able to come. We all stood up and gave a toast to the happy couple and like a complete idiot I cried (I blame Jene Beal)!! and to make it worse it was recorded!! I felt so dumb.. but oh well I was just happy to be there... at least I wasn't calling Solomon the wrong name like Grandma (I love my silly grandma)! Love ya Manda! And I can't wait to get to know you more Solomon. Congrats to both of you!

Friday was a fun day. I did Paige's makeup really neat for her Halloween costume and went and watched her school dance with my mom. Some of the kids in her grade had some great costumes! Captain Underpants was one of my favorites. He had a superhero costume on with a pair of his old underwear on top. So funny. One of Paige's teachers was Edward Cullen. I thought it was just sweat at first. Oops. After the dance we all traveled up North... dropped Paige at a friends house for the weekend and Mom and I went shopping before going to Manda and Sol's reception. It was so fun just spending the day with my mom. I haven't been able to do that for such a long time! Brent traveled to my parents house that night. I missed him so much and was glad to snuggle up to him that night.

Saturday we had a great day just having fun with my parents. We went to a Snow College football game. It poured rain like crazy but it was way fun. I tried some kettle corn and I actually loved it! We then went home and ate yummy food and watched "The Poltergeist" for some Halloween fun. It was such a great weekend!!!!

Thriller

Yesterday I surprised Brent with tickets to see Thriller at the Tuacahn Theatre in St. George.

Odyssey Dance Company has some amazing dancers! Every act was so amazing.. we can't decide what one was our favorite!

The first dance was Thriller. It was fun to see all the zombies dance to this Michael Jackson song. Next came the psychotic clown who tried to stab someone in the audience.. but the music cut off before he could - which made him very depressed and very funny (he also kept showing up in little odd places here and there throughout the night)! The next dance is called the Curse of the Mummy which featured Egyptian dancers and a mummy rising and loving the fact that there were a lot of girls. Miss Alli's Nightmare came next. It had a whole bunch of girls acting like there were 5 year old's performing. It was so funny to watch them all get way out of control. I totally understand how that could be a nightmare for someone! This next dance was truly amazing! It is a Romeo & Juliet theme to Frankenstein and his love. Some of the moves were absolutely amazing! Frankie accidentally kills his love when she doesn't want to kiss him, and he is dragging her all over the stage. Some of the positions she is put in were unbelievable! Next came a giggling girl (who I must add is a great giggler!) who sings "I saw Mommy KILLING Santa Clause". It was incredibly hilarious! That poor doll she used to mimic what her mom had done to Santa! lol. Next was a visually stimulating dance with glowing skeletons. It was done in black light and amazing to watch (probably one of my favorites). Next was a short little number about Marie Antoinette being be-headed. Their special effects on this one was really neat! The last number for the first half of the show is called Jason Jam. It was a very funny "stomp" featuring 3 Jason's, one of which kept getting distracted and into trouble. I loved his little teddy bear with the hockey mask on. It was definitely amusing and so funny (another favorite!).

The 2nd Act started off with the dance of a sugarplum fairy who gets shot in the middle of her number by Jason. Next came the Children of the Corn. A bunch of highschool kids go into the corn field and when scarecrows start to dance join in... but it doesn't end well for some of those kids. An amazing dance with a man and his dead love. It was amazing to watch the ghost fly through the air. Next came a Michael Jackson dance where at the end he goes with Elvis. The next dance was quite funny. It was a battle between team Jacob and team Edward. I think Jacob won when at the end he turned into a horrific werewolf and scared everyone away. The giggling girl came back next singing "Do You Want to Know a Secret?". Turns out she has an alien growing out of her stomach that is her best friend and sings to her! Next came a dance about the Salem Witches. Three girls were hanged and came back for vengeance! The magic was very cool! A number titled Lost Boys featured a group of vampires who attacked a girl. Blood was spraying out of their mouths! Super cool to watch, especially the acrobatics! Next was about a magician who changed himself into a girl. Really amazing! The last number of the night is called River of Blood Dance. It featured a group of girls tap dancing the River Dance... when all of a sudden someone starts shooting them. It was really funny! Some of them were trying to sneak away before they got hit. Some were trying to dodge the bullets. And the really funny part is that the shooter ended up being Bubbles the Clown!

It was such a fun night! I really loved every minute of it! Brent & I already decided that we are going back next year!!! Here are a few pictures of the Theatre and of the zombies and acts. Also a older promo video. Enjoy!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Weekend with my family

After the funeral. I was able to go and spend some time with my family. I met them at the Theater to see RED (Retired and Extremely Dangerous). It was so funny - I loved it! After, we went to eat at the snow dragon for some yummy Chinese food. I loved every minute being able to spend time with my family. I miss them so much. Thanks for all the talks Paige, for always wanting to include me Cam, and for always letting me feel right at home Mom!

In the morning Dad and I decided to go on a four-wheeler ride up the canyon and just spend some time just the 2 of us. Dad took me on his favorite ride on the canyon. It was so breathtakingly beautiful even though we got rained and snowed on a little bit! I didn't realize how much I've missed the smell of being in the mountains! We went all the way to the top of the canyon. Such an amazing view! While there my Dad and I had a wonderful heartfelt talk, we hugged and I cried. My Daddy is the most wonderful man! I love him so much and miss being able to spend time with him. Dad I know you have been through a lot lately... but I want you to know that we love you and are so proud of you. Thanks for all you do. Love you Daddy!

Grandpa Strate

Today Brent's grandpa passed away. Kent Strate was the father of Ellen Strate Cox, Brent's mother who returned to her Heavenly Father after a long fight with cancer when he was 12.

It was a complete surprise this past Friday when we received word that he wasn't doing well and only had a few days left. We had no idea that he had been bed-ridden for over a month and hadn't been able to eat or drink for weeks. We, and some of Brent's family, decided to go say goodbye to him on Sunday. We are so grateful that we did! It was a very difficult day for everyone.

This morning around 6 am we got a call that he had passed. What a blessing that we were able to make it up there and say our good byes. Below are pictures from his funeral that took place on October 15th.

Conference Weekend

I am so truly grateful for the gospel in my life! For a worthy priesthood holder in my home and to be able to go to the temple and renew those covenants I made with my Heavenly Father. I look forward to each and every conference and the chance to hear from our beloved Prophet and the officers of the church. It is truly amazing to hear direct answers to our trials and problems from those inspired talks.

This year we were able to go up to Salt Lake to spend time with Brent's sister Karen and her husband Ryan. It was so wonderful to spend time with them. We didn't do much but it was wonderful to be able to see family and relax. We were able to stop at Mark & Emily's too. It is always so fun to see them. We really do love all you guys so much! We weren't able to watch all of conference do to the fact that Ryan is not a member and we didn't want to force him... but what we did watch/hear was amazing. I am so grateful for the internet and for the chance I have to watch it during the week, and for the opportunity to read it in next months ensign!

Sunday was my Dad's birthday and it was wonderful to be able to go and see him. I always love spending time with my daddy and all of my family. I love you guys so much. Happy Birthday again Dad. I hope it was a good day for you!