Last week we celebrated our 8th anniversary while camping in the mountains. I can't believe it's been eight years! It seems like we haven't been married that long, but at the same time I can't imagine life before Marshall. Did it really exist? I don't want to think about it because life without Marshall wouldn't be happy.
This morning I was reflecting on what a great husband Marshall is. I have this little life growing inside of me that seems to suck away all my energy away. I am so tired and have had the hardest time getting my rump out of bed. This morning Rachel and Jimmy woke up at 6:30 and Marshall took them downstairs so I could sleep a little longer. Then he showered and got Anna up and breakfast going for everyone. How awesome is that? I can't list all the kind things he does daily. Somehow, despite his very busy schedule he finds the time to do those little things that help out so much. He is very attentive and observant, more than I often give credit, about what needs to be done.
Thinking back to when we were dating, Marshall seemed to have all the qualities I wanted in a husband and father for my kids. And he hasn't let me down at all over these past years. He loves the Gospel and serves whole hearted. It is ingrained in him. He wouldn't trade his testimony for anything. And I wanted someone who was committed beyond death to the gospel. No falling away lame priesthood holders for me! I wanted a man who was dedicated to the Lord. Marshall also is laid back and willing to help with anything; chores, kids, etc. He is very much a part of the kids' lives and takes a great interest in what they are doing and learning. I wanted a "hands on" father. It's hard to balance it all with his schedule, but he still finds time to make the kids feel special and loved. And he is hopelessly devoted to me. I know he wants me to be happy and would walk to the ends of the earth to make me happy, though that wouldn't make me happy because he would be gone for so long and I'd miss him! He is very much concerned about my happiness and well-being. Marshall is also a great provider. It has been interesting to see him excel at his schooling and now career. Often being an attorney is monotonous, but he goes to work every day. I wanted a husband like my dad, who drove truck for 29 years and didn't love it, but did it because he had a family for provide for. And Marshall has that same commitment to his family. When I hear other wives complain about their husbands, I have nothing to say. I would never complain publicly about Marshall, but even if I wanted to I could never think of anything to complain about.
So yeah, I have a good deal and I know it. I have an amazing husband who blesses me daily. Plus he is a cutie with a lovable personality. He makes me laugh. He sings to me. We can be silly together, we can be serious, we can cry, and we can work through things together. We make a great team. These past eight years have been such an adventure. I can't wait to see what the next eight years hold. No matter what, I know it'll be fun and well worth the ride since I will have Marshall right by my side.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Not Alone
I've been pondering tender mercies in my life lately, mostly due to my sister-in-law's blog about them. It amazes me how much the Lord is aware of me and my needs, especially at those times when I don't think I can do anymore. When I want to give up.
Tuesday night was one of those nights. It has been a long few days with just getting back from vacation. Marshall has been very busy and stressed catching up with work and church responsibilities. The kids and I have been adjusting to being back home and school starting. I'm still feeling weak from whatever silly disease I picked up from the mountains. It seems like Rachel and Jimmy have been fighting every chance they get and Anna, the great entertainer and leader, is gone at school all day. Tuesday night the girls were just beasts about going to bed and Marshall was late at church doing not-so-fun bishop things. I found myself in my closet (my favorite place to pour my heart out) praying and crying because I had hit the end of my strength and sanity. Wondering why now that my husband has to be bishop when we have a young family, I am pregnant with my 4th, and he is a young attorney that works many billable hours. Not knowing how I am going to do it all and wishing I didn't have to share my husband with the ward. Just feeling like I had no more to give.
Poor Marshall came home to find me in my emotional state (and I am sure pregnancy didn't help my crying) and did his best to comfort me and reassure me that it would be okay. But I went to bed feeling very bummed about life and not getting the inspiration I had wanted from my prayers.
Wednesday morning when I read my scriptures I made sure to pay close attention because I usually get revelation through my reading. And there it was "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." (Mosiah 4:9) Okay, so the Lord is aware of me. I needed to be reminded that although things may not always make sense to me concerning my husband's busy calling, the Lord knows what He is doing. He has the wisdom to see it and the power to help me and my family do it. I'm not alone. I know there will be many nights to come when I petition the Lord in tears and ask for help, when I think I can't do anymore. And I know He will come through and let me know, in some way, that I can do it. Thank goodness for the Gospel. I would be so lost without it and the tender mercies of the Lord.
Tuesday night was one of those nights. It has been a long few days with just getting back from vacation. Marshall has been very busy and stressed catching up with work and church responsibilities. The kids and I have been adjusting to being back home and school starting. I'm still feeling weak from whatever silly disease I picked up from the mountains. It seems like Rachel and Jimmy have been fighting every chance they get and Anna, the great entertainer and leader, is gone at school all day. Tuesday night the girls were just beasts about going to bed and Marshall was late at church doing not-so-fun bishop things. I found myself in my closet (my favorite place to pour my heart out) praying and crying because I had hit the end of my strength and sanity. Wondering why now that my husband has to be bishop when we have a young family, I am pregnant with my 4th, and he is a young attorney that works many billable hours. Not knowing how I am going to do it all and wishing I didn't have to share my husband with the ward. Just feeling like I had no more to give.
Poor Marshall came home to find me in my emotional state (and I am sure pregnancy didn't help my crying) and did his best to comfort me and reassure me that it would be okay. But I went to bed feeling very bummed about life and not getting the inspiration I had wanted from my prayers.
Wednesday morning when I read my scriptures I made sure to pay close attention because I usually get revelation through my reading. And there it was "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." (Mosiah 4:9) Okay, so the Lord is aware of me. I needed to be reminded that although things may not always make sense to me concerning my husband's busy calling, the Lord knows what He is doing. He has the wisdom to see it and the power to help me and my family do it. I'm not alone. I know there will be many nights to come when I petition the Lord in tears and ask for help, when I think I can't do anymore. And I know He will come through and let me know, in some way, that I can do it. Thank goodness for the Gospel. I would be so lost without it and the tender mercies of the Lord.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Curse of the toilets
I've decided that the toilets in our house or cursed. I am sure that it has nothing to do with the three small children that live here or that our toilets are ten years old. No, they are cursed.
It first happened with the downstairs toilet. After a mysterious disappearance of three pairs of My Little Pony panties, which have yet to be found, the toilet would periodically clog. It doesn't matter what business is done, the potty can still refuse to drain. So we keep a plunger by it just in case. What great decor! We go through good and bad phases with the flush ability of this toilet. What really needs to happen is someone has to call a plumber, but that would take some effort and memory and since we haven't flooded ourselves out yet we are good so far.
Then the kids' bathroom toilet kept running. Being completely clueless on any kind of home repairs, it took us two months to finally get the right parts to fix the thing. We ended up having to replace the flush valve and I can say that I feel smart because I now know what one is. We actually have fixed that toilet, go us!
Now that we are back from vacation, we discovered the toilet in our bathroom has the same running problem as the kids' toilet did. It is very annoying and I am about to take a sledge hammer to it. See that would be my choice method of repair with all things. Just destroy and buy a new one! Plus the handle on our toilet has been falling off periodically since the day we moved in. But I am not a millionaire and so bought a new flush valve instead of a toilet. Now I just need my busy husband to replace it. Despite what people think, I am bigger and am not about to squeeze this 5 month pregnant body into a tight space to fix the toilet. It ain't happening and if it does, there will be some choice words said in the process. So I suppose I'll just have to wait for my husband to do it and not risk my eternal salvation by murdering someone in the process of fixing it.
See, our toilets are cursed. Or maybe it's me and I need to learn more about home repairs. But I think I'll blame the toilets instead.
It first happened with the downstairs toilet. After a mysterious disappearance of three pairs of My Little Pony panties, which have yet to be found, the toilet would periodically clog. It doesn't matter what business is done, the potty can still refuse to drain. So we keep a plunger by it just in case. What great decor! We go through good and bad phases with the flush ability of this toilet. What really needs to happen is someone has to call a plumber, but that would take some effort and memory and since we haven't flooded ourselves out yet we are good so far.
Then the kids' bathroom toilet kept running. Being completely clueless on any kind of home repairs, it took us two months to finally get the right parts to fix the thing. We ended up having to replace the flush valve and I can say that I feel smart because I now know what one is. We actually have fixed that toilet, go us!
Now that we are back from vacation, we discovered the toilet in our bathroom has the same running problem as the kids' toilet did. It is very annoying and I am about to take a sledge hammer to it. See that would be my choice method of repair with all things. Just destroy and buy a new one! Plus the handle on our toilet has been falling off periodically since the day we moved in. But I am not a millionaire and so bought a new flush valve instead of a toilet. Now I just need my busy husband to replace it. Despite what people think, I am bigger and am not about to squeeze this 5 month pregnant body into a tight space to fix the toilet. It ain't happening and if it does, there will be some choice words said in the process. So I suppose I'll just have to wait for my husband to do it and not risk my eternal salvation by murdering someone in the process of fixing it.
See, our toilets are cursed. Or maybe it's me and I need to learn more about home repairs. But I think I'll blame the toilets instead.
Just a pet?
This morning as I was waiting to see the doctor at my monthly baby check-up, I had fun reading a brain candy magazine, "People". I call it brain candy because it's full of mostly useless knowledge that is interesting to know, but not very important at all. Just a fun read. Anyhow, I skimmed through the celebrity highlights page where all the engagements, birthdays, births, divorces, deaths, etc. of the great egos are listed and was shocked to come across the death announcement of Tori Spelling's 11 year-old dog. Um, it's a dog and it's in the celeb death column. Does anyone see anything wrong with this?
First off, like I said, it's a dog. Who cares? Secondly, it's Tori Spelling. I think I've only seen her in "Beverly Hills 90210". The woman can't act, but we still should care about not only her, but the death of her dog. I don't think so. It's just another way of showing how completely insane people are when it comes to their pets.
I had two cats growing up and I loved them. We had so much fun playing with them. There is something very calming about holding a purring cat in your lap. (But I can't do that anymore because I am now allergic to them.)I was sad when they each died, but I got over it. They were my pets. They were good animals, but pets die.
It amazes me how people treat their pets like family, their own flesh and blood, their children. Who needs to have kids when you can buy a dog, dress it up, and pamper it? Of course, it has stinky breath, is hairy, won't say "I love you" or hug you in a tender moment. I know there is a huge market out there for pet lovers who treat their animals like family, but people, pets are pets, not humans. So stop acting like idiots. I don't want to read about your pet dying in a celeb obituary column. I guess that is what I get for getting my fix of brain candy.
First off, like I said, it's a dog. Who cares? Secondly, it's Tori Spelling. I think I've only seen her in "Beverly Hills 90210". The woman can't act, but we still should care about not only her, but the death of her dog. I don't think so. It's just another way of showing how completely insane people are when it comes to their pets.
I had two cats growing up and I loved them. We had so much fun playing with them. There is something very calming about holding a purring cat in your lap. (But I can't do that anymore because I am now allergic to them.)I was sad when they each died, but I got over it. They were my pets. They were good animals, but pets die.
It amazes me how people treat their pets like family, their own flesh and blood, their children. Who needs to have kids when you can buy a dog, dress it up, and pamper it? Of course, it has stinky breath, is hairy, won't say "I love you" or hug you in a tender moment. I know there is a huge market out there for pet lovers who treat their animals like family, but people, pets are pets, not humans. So stop acting like idiots. I don't want to read about your pet dying in a celeb obituary column. I guess that is what I get for getting my fix of brain candy.
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