Seventeen.

Okay, I'm sure everyone is tired about hearing about the wedding.

But tough luck.

It's all I can think about.

And I can't focus on my Showcase Unit.

I can only focus on my wedding.

So I'm blogging.

About my wedding.

Instead of creating my showcase.

Oh well.

Seventeen days.

{SEVENTEEN}

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soooo crazy.

Come Saturday, I will be able to say "Two weeks from today."

Come Sunday, I will be able to say "Less than two weeks."

We have two more times at church.

Then the third time at church, we'll be Mr. & Mrs.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's SO crazy.

It's all I can think about.

It's all I can dream about.

It's all I can talk about.

It's really happening.

Thomas and I have been together for over five and a half years.

We've had hundreds of talks about this day.

I've had hundreds of dreams about this day.

And now it's finally right around the corner.

It almost seems surreal...

It's so much like when he was coming home from his mission.

After being away for two years, it was surreal.

It felt like an out of body experience.

And that's how I feel now.

I have another countdown on my calender.

People are always asking me how many days.

I'm giddy and giggly all the time.

It's exactly the same rollercoaster of emotions I had the weeks before he came home.

There's the excitement and giddiness and everything in between.

There's the good butterflies.

But there's also the bad.

There's also the questions.

Satan has to get his foot in the door eventually, right?
Every once in a while I find myself thinking things like:

"Are we making the right step here?"

"Why is he marrying me?"
"Why would he want to spend forever with me?"
"What if we don't make it?"

I know, I know.

Pointless thoughts.

But they're there.

Maybe 2% of the time.

I definitely won't be getting cold feet.

Definitely won't be the next Runaway Bride.

Or the next Kim Kardashian, for that matter.

I know we have something deep, and meaningful, and true.

I know we have real love.

But sometimes you just can't help but think, 

"Is real love going to be enough?"

I think so.

I hope so.

I love him more than words could ever explain.

I love him so deeply.

It's like a physical part of me.

So much of who I am is him.

I know there is no one else in this world I would want to spend forever with.

I know, through everything we've experienced together, that Thomas is the perfect man for me.

He is absolutely everything I could ever need or ever would have asked for.

I am so stinkin' excited to marry my very best friend.

I am so stinkin' excited for the rest of forever.

~Seventeen Days~

Christmas Equals Santa??

There's two more days left in November.

Then it's December.

So stinkin' crazy.

Time just always seems to fly.

I love winter.

I hate the cold.

But love the snow.

And the lights.

And just about everything else about winter.

There's always a buzz in the air.

From Thanksgiving to Christmas, the world is buzzing.

Life always seems brighter, better, fuller.

It's a time of family, love, and joy.

Unfortunately, it seems like that buzz always dies after Christmas.

But I'll save a post for that later...

For now, the world is abuzz and I love it.

The only thing we're missing is snow.
I really really hope we get a decent amount of snow by our wedding.

I want beautiful snowy pictures outside.

I get so excited for Christmas. 

It's such a happy time, spent with my family.

Christmas will definitely be weird this year, though.

Waking up in Tom's house and doing Christmas morning with Tom's family and not my own will be really weird for me. 

Oh yeah, have I told you?

Tom & I will be living in his parents' basement to start out.

We'll both be finishing school and we really want to avoid renting a place if possible.

We want to save our money to put a down payment on a townhouse or something small to begin with.

It'll work out quite nicely, I believe.

We'll have our own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, a family room with our TV, an office area for Tom's computer, and even a pool table!

Our own little starter home!

I've already moved most of my stuff in, and we've already got pictures hanging on the walls. It's slowly been transforming into our home.

There's a door at the top of the stairs leading to the basement.

I made a joke that I'd get a "welcome" mat to put outside the stairs.

Back to Christmas, I've got news to share.

You know that jolly fat guy in the red suit?

Goes by the name of Santa?

Yeah, that's the one.

Thomas and I have decided not to have our kids believe in Santa.

At first, when Thomas suggested the idea, I was completely opposed.

Christmas without Santa??

No. Freakin. Way.

But the more we talked about it, the more it actually makes sense to me.

What the heck does an old fat man delivering presents by magic have to do with the birth of Christ?

This is why people have lost sight of the beauty of Christmas.

Santa is the reason Christmas is so commercialized.

Well, at least one of the reasons.

But really, why have Santa?
Aside from teaching children to create a list of gifts they want for Christmas, Santa serves no purpose.

Sure, you can tell kids to behave or Santa will bring them coal, but does that really work? 

Um, no.

So, we've decided:

No Santa.

When our kids are old enough, probably around the age of four, before they start school, we'll explain to them that some families believe in Santa.

And we'll explain who Santa is, what he does, and all that jazz.
And we'll cherish the story of Santa, and watch all the classic Christmas movies.
But we'll teach them this man isn't real.

And that Santa has nothing to do with our Savior.

And yes, at that age, kids do understand who the Savior is.

Sure, they'll probably throw fits about why we can't have Santa - especially when they're in school and other kids talk about what they got from Santa.

But hopefully, eventually, they'll understand why we chose not to have Santa.

Hopefully they'll understand that Christmas is not about the presents you get - that's just a perk of the season.
Christmas is about love, charity, joy, and life.
It's about spending time with family, helping others, giving to those in need, and going out of the way to be the face of Christ to others during the season of giving.
Christmas is not about presents.
We want our children to always remember Christmas isn't about the gifts we receive. We want our kids to remember Christ on Christmas.


*sigh*
It'll be years before we actually have to do anything with the whole Santa shin-dig. 
But when the time comes, we now have a plan!
In the meantime, I'm going to relish in the fact that Christmas is right around the corner.
My first Christmas with Thomas in two years.
My first Christmas with my {husband}.

Let's cross our fingers that it's a white one!

It's NOT Turkey Day

Today is not Turkey Day.

I hate when people call it Turkey Day.

It's not a day about Turkey and food.

It is Thanksgiving Day.

A day to give thanks.

A day to be grateful.

At dinner tonight with Tom's family, we read President Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day address.

It was extremely moving.

And the first time I had ever heard it.

And so, I would like to share it with you all.

That you may remember why we have the final Thursday in November set aside every year to give thanks to our Creator for all the blessings we have.

President Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

Washington D.C., October 3, 1863

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.


No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.


I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.


Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln

Drum Roll Please....

Whelp, tomorrow marks the last day with my 8th graders.

It's been a....for the most part, fun....three weeks.
It wasn't as interactive of an experience as I had hoped for.
But overall, I had a wonderful time.
The students were great.
And I did get two whole days to run the classroom all by myself.
Which was pretty bomb.


Some highlights of my experience:


Running the classroom as Miss Barthel.
Being called "Miss Barthel" by a class of students is pretty exciting.
When you're up in front of 30 students,
and all eyes are on you,
it's a little intimidating.
Even if it's a bunch of 13 year-olds.
They're still intimidating. 
But when they call you "Miss Barthel"
and raise their hands to ask questions
and look to you for answers
and come to you for help
it's exciting.
And I enjoyed it big time.


Students asking questions.
Perhaps the biggest high was the students coming to me over Mrs. Smith for questions.
Sixth hour every day is study hall.
And it was an awesome feeling when students started coming to me with questions, even while Mrs. Smith sat at her desk with no other students around her.
Big high.


Students talk to me.
I mean like, really talking.
About their life.
About their dreams.
About their goals.
About their drama.
Perhaps the drama is the best.
Middle school love affairs.
BFFs that aren't talking one day, but back to normal the next.


Grading their unit tests.
Mrs. Smith put questions from my lesson on their unit test.
I then graded all the tests.
It was {very} exciting to see students get those answers right!
To know they had learned something from me!
I'll be honest, my heart seriously did a little flutter every time a student got it right.
And the pride I felt for students who did well on the test.
And the urge I had to talk to students and help those who didn't do so hot.


Everything about this experience reinforced my decision to be a teacher.
Those doubts I've been having, have subsided.
At least for now.
It was such a joy to actually [teach]. 
It filled my heart to help students.
I know now this is the right career for me.


I received my student teaching placements today!
Drum roll please.....


Next semester I will spend half the semester in a middle school and half in a high school.
From January 23-March 23 I will be Mrs. Macmillan at Skyview Middle School in Oakdale/North Saint Paul, MN.
I will have a classroom of 7th grade social studies,
working with Mrs. Leslie Gordman. 
Judging by her picture, she looks nice.
From March 26-June 8 I will be Mrs. Macmillan at Blaine Senior High in Blaine, MN.
I will be teaching with Mr. Bill Davids, but the website doesn't say what grades or classes he teaches. 
Guess I'll find out when I talk to him!
Nor was there a picture next to his contact information, so I can't judge the book by the cover for this placement...probably for the best. 


I'm incredibly excited for the future.
I'm so excited to be a teacher.
I'm getting closer and closer to the real thing, and it just brings joy to my heart to know I'm going to be helping and teaching others. 
This is what I'm meant to do in life.


...well, teach, and of course, be a mom. ;)

And Counting...

Today is a beautiful day.

For several reasons.

ONE: The first snowfall of the year has commenced!

And let me just say, it is gorgeous. 

The big, fat, fluffy kinda snowflakes. 

The kinda that make you wanna go outside and stand with your mouth open catching them on the tip of your tongue.

The kinda snow that makes you wanna brew up a delicious mug of steaming hot chocolate and snuggle up under the blankets with your favorite book next to the window.

It is a gorgeous day.

Perfect view for doing homework. 

TWO: Because it is snowing, I can now officially play my Christmas music without people judging me.

So yes, I had the tunes going earlier.

But now? Watching Elf.

A classic. 

THREE: Exactly four weeks from today I will be Mrs. Macmillan.

At this moment, I will be sitting beside my new husband at the head table at our reception.

We will be kissing every five minutes from clinking glasses. 

We will be dancing the night away in the company of dearly loved ones.

It is going to be one of the greatest days of my life.

Life is great right now.

The wedding plans are just about finished.

Little tiny tid-bits left to pull together.

We are working with the DJ on music.

Putting together the actual ceremony with our Bishop.

{Choosing music and readings}

Waiting for the last of the RSVPs to roll in so we can create the seating chart.
We pick up our marriage license on Tuesday.
It's all coming together.
And I can't believe how close it is!
Thomas pointed out a little while ago, that after Thanksgiving break, we will have only two Sundays, and then the third Sunday we will attend church as husband and wife.
IN.SANE.
But so, ridiculously, insanely, exciting.
Twenty-eight days.
And counting...

His Last Day of Freedom

Thomas had to write a narrative for his English class a little while ago.

What did he write about?

His proposal.

I had to beg and beg and beg,

But he finally agreed to let me post it.
And it seems only fitting to post now, exactly one month before we tie the knot!

It's the proposal from his point of view: the prep for it and the actual event.

I thought it was pretty dang amazing, even teared up at several parts (particularly the end...), but hey, I'm probably biased.

So here it is: Thomas' Story...

My last day of freedom: the best choice of my life. Katie and I had been dating for a little over five years. I had been serving a mission for the last two, minus the past few weeks. Both of us wanted to be married by this point but obstacles, mainly the mission, had postponed that desire. With that hurdle out of the way I had swiftly gone and bought Katie a ring, but with no immediate idea of when, where or how I was going to ask her to marry me. Many speak of life without marriage as freedom; I am here to prove them wrong. When both sides put their heart and soul into a relationship it will work out. And when all you want is for the other to be happy there is nothing to escape from, and no freedom to receive by leaving it. That is not the only issue with men’s thought processes about marriage. A man proposing in a “cute” or “romantic” way seems to be a thing of the past. Some will still take their future wives on a date, even get on one knee, but to take the extra effort to make the night truly memorable is almost too much to ask. For me, although it was a little rushed, I did everything possible to make it a day not easy to forget.

I woke up on a beautiful summer day, the bright noonday sun shining on my face, to a text from Katie. "I’m actually going! I'm going wedding dress shopping with the girls Friday!!!" It took a couple of seconds to register, but all of a sudden horror filled my soul. How could she go shopping before I've proposed?! Three days... wait no, two. We're both busy on Thursday. Really only one and a half... today is half over, and I can't plan with Katie around. Crawling out of bed and lazily eating breakfast as I stared into space was no longer an option. I was only partly right about that. The minutes seemed like hours as I sat there and pondered on how to propose. I still stared, just at a blank piece of paper. Nothing was coming to me. Nothing. I caught myself thinking about everything the two of us had been through over the past five years. All the fun we'd had, and the heartbreak we'd put each other through. "Were we doing the right thing? Am I good enough for her?” I had hundreds of negative questions running through my head. So much had happened and there was as much positive as negative; hopefully more. All along we had been slowly being prepared for this day and our future. I am still a little surprised as to what that preparation included, but because of it the future is exciting.

Anything spectacular was out of the question. I didn't have a penny to my name. This wasn't going to be as simple as in high school. Or could it be? That was it! I had put enough thought and effort into making special days REALLY special throughout our relationship that I could work off of those. I would put a little bit of everything into my proposal, all the way down to the Taco Bell hot sauce packets. My biggest hurdle was where to do it. It had to be in the high school; otherwise everything else would seem mediocre at best. The time for sitting around had officially ended. I could already feel my heart racing before I had even risen to my feet. I rushed back downstairs. "I should probably shower," I thought, "there's no time!" my thoughts unconsciously becoming a whisper to myself. Going back and forth with myself I decided taking an extra ten minutes to look considerably better would give me a higher chance of being allowed into the school; if there was anyone to talk to at all.

As I drove my heart was pounding in my chest. I tried looking every direction at the same time. I just knew there had to be a cop waiting for me, just out of sight. As I rounded the last corner, pulling into the parking lot, my mind slowed just enough to think of the task ahead. The reminder of the task came so quickly that it gave my heart no time to relax. I had the car in park before the car was fully stopped, jolting me forward a little and making me miss the car keys as I went to turn the car off. I jumped out of the car and ran for the door. To my relief it was unlocked. I briskly walked up and passed what looked like a teacher, she didn't question so I wasn't going to waste my time telling. I headed straight for the office, skipping steps as I climbed the stairs. To my delight I found my old counselor. I told her my plans to propose to Katie the following day, but I needed to get into the school. Twice. With her help we finalized the imagination part of the planning, making it fool-proof. I was going to be interviewed for a job opening by John; the head custodian at the school. I walked away a little calmer, yet I knew that I still had the task of creating all that I had envisioned.

Katie still had a few hours of work left so I would be able to get into her house without having to explain too much. Judy, Katie’s mum, was there as usual. As she let me in I explained that I needed Dumbo; the “cuddle buddy” I had bought Katie with a zip-up pouch in the back. Katie used it to store the jewelry I had bought her. It would be a perfect addition to the recreation of old times. Finally I ran to Target and bought a box of cake mix and two mirrors. Randomly I had “broken in” to Katie’s locker before school one day and put two mirrors facing each other inside. On the back of one I had written “I will love you forever” and on the front of it I had written “and ever” making it appear written an infinite amount of times if the reader stood with their head next to the mirror. I was done getting all that was needed. Now, with a little luck, a hopeful heart, and a stubborn mind, I would get this done.

The sun was not quite as bright, and it didn't feel like the middle of June as I stepped outside heading out to prepare the day. Luckily my hair was all over the place that morning so I had stuck on a hoodie to hide it, but my legs were still shivering a little, or shaking. There was nothing to be nervous about yet. The cupcakes had turned out perfectly, thanks to mum. I had counted and recounted the hot sauce packets they were all there, and a couple of extra ones just in case. I had the mirrors and the marker, the scissors and the tape. The notes were written and mum and I had read over them. I turned back towards my car and placed everything on the ground. I stood by my car for a second deciding where I wanted to place everything to ensure a safe drive. Speeding was definitely not going to happen. Everything was placed a safe distance apart, and I put the cupcakes in the passenger seat. As I reached over to take hold of the pan of cupcakes I thought of all the times I had held Katie's hand as I drove. Everything had to go perfectly. As I got to the school and spoke to my counselor I quickly went over everything once more. She had spoken to John. She had reminded him to tell his staff not to throw away random food hanging in and around lockers. As we finished speaking I rushed to start on the poem. “TO MY KATIE JO” was written on my first piece of paper. She had missed it when I had asked her to prom, but her friend had noticed it luckily. This time would be the same, except it would be my counselor. Each piece of paper would give Katie a little more poetic instruction. As the last piece was hung I rushed towards the staircase to start setting up the mini prizes she would find within the scavenger hunt: the cupcakes. As I turned around the corner on third floor I went to the first locker that caught my eye. I placed my first cupcake inside with the letter "W" on it, shut the locker, and hung one yellow hot sauce packet, with the words “I love you” printed on them, from its door. I had used hundreds of them to make many hearts for her over the years. From there I decided Katie would get the idea and made the second locker a little harder to find, this time with an "I" cupcake and two hot sauces. As I put the fourth cupcake in the locker I headed down to second floor for the second word. Three cupcakes this time, and "Y" "O" "U" was now ready to be found. I started to sweat as I reached the first floor. I was getting a lot more nervous about the outcome of all of this. She would say yes of course, but the issue was her reaction. Was it enough to be memorable? As I placed the second "R" the stress of it all was close to overwhelming. I was breathing heavily, but I had only been walking to each locker. What if we can't get everything ready for the wedding? What happens if we don't even make it to the wedding? Can this proposal be part of the deciding factor? Stupid questions to get caught up in, but yes today doesn’t mean I’m right for her tomorrow. Everything had to go perfectly. I stuck the "E" inside and a red hot sauce packet in and sprinted upstairs to place the word "FORVER" back on second floor. As I knelt down beside the bench I thought of Katie’s excitement as she had read the poem going down the hall and seeing me at the end. Half the school had been standing there as she said yes to going to prom with me. As I placed the paper behind the bench I took a moment to think if I had forgotten anything. And with nothing left to do I headed out to prepare for a date with the love of my life.

For the second time in 24 hours she made my heart stop as I caught sight of her beautiful eyes and her long curly brown hair. Katie had on a dark blue, long sleeved shirt that hugged tightly around her body with a few inches of a white tank top visible at the bottom, with a pair of grey-blue 3/4 length jeans that fit perfectly. I don't remember the shoes. She looked absolutely stunning. I was wearing a nice button up shirt and a pair of decent looking jeans. A little dressed up for a movie, but I had a job interview to go to right afterwards and she had to come with me. The movie was good, I think, to me it was no more than a distraction, a way to fill exactly two hours and fifteen minutes, and not have time to talk about the nonexistent interview.

The problems started on our way out of the movie theater. Katie had come to the conclusion that it would be best if she didn't come in with me to wait for the interview. "But, but, but... I promised my counselor she would get to meet you." I stuttered. "You can sit in her office and talk to her while you wait, there's nothing unprofessional about that." After a few minutes of lying through my teeth I had convinced her to come in. With one last protest as we got out of the car, Katie was holding my hand as we walked into the high school. The real theatrics started as we strolled into Mrs. Hernandez' office. "Katie this is my counselor, Mrs. Hernandez. Mrs. Hernandez, Katie." Just as we sat down I decided I had a sudden urge to use the bathroom and briskly walked out the door, and as soon as I was out of sight I sprinted for the back of the school where my Mum and Sammie were waiting for me. John came to Mrs. Hernandez' office looking for me, and since I was not there Katie and Mrs. Hernandez decided to go get me. As they headed down the main hallway Katie saw her name on the wall. She read the poem of instructions going down the hallway and headed to the third floor. We waited patiently for Katie to come upstairs, complete the task, and head back down. Then came the second hurdle: none of us saw her go downstairs. What if she didn't get it? What if she was still there? Five minutes seemed like eternity. Something had to be done. I bolted from the stairs to the next hallway. If she was there, and was looking, she would have seen me, but not likely. I snuck up the hallway, hiding behind anything I possibly could. When I reached the lockers Katie wasn't there, and now I had wasted precious time and we had to move fast. Hopefully she was no further than the second floor, still searching for “Y” “O” “U”. I sprinted back to Mum and Sammie, grabbed the bags and headed back to the lockers. I opened up the center locker. Placed Dumbo at the bottom of the locker facing outwards and the zipper undone. The ring was in its box with the box open sitting half inside Dumbo, making the ring visible as soon as the locker was opened. I stuck the first mirror to the back of the locker at the top, and hung the second inside facing the first. The words "and ever" reflected an infinite amount of times once again, but this time it was the end of a question. I quickly went to work on making a question mark the size of a large child, made of hot sauces with the words “Will you marry me?” printed on them. When completed, the message was clear. As I sat out of sight, I hoped Katie had found all the cupcakes and the bench-hidden “FOREVER.” And most importantly, that she would come up the right stairs. As Katie picked up the extra "I Love You" hot sauce packets that led from the stairs to her final stop. She found no more packets hanging from the locker but plenty lying in front of it; she knew which to open. As she did I rose from the other side with the words "Marry me Juliet, you'll never have to be alone. I love you, and that's all I really know..." from Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' playing in the background. Our eyes met and the world melted away. All fear was gone and I was filled with incomprehensible joy. I went to one knee and I gave my freedom away with the words "Katie Jo Barthel, Will you marry me?" With tears streaming down her face, and a beaming smile, came the beautiful words “Of course.” Breathless once again, I held my fiancée. We stood there for what felt like eternity, yet was only an instant. I glanced over at my mum just in time to see her wipe a few tears away also. I kissed Katie softly on the forehead and we carried everything out to the car. As the sun hit my chest I felt the warmth of wonderful days ahead. My life, our life, was going to be amazing.

Behind the scene of excitement there lies a layer of seriousness. Some say that this is the dumbest choice anyone could ever make. Many would say it is a stupid choice for someone as young as I am to make. And most would say that if they had gone through what I went through that it would have been over long before this day. "True love doesn't exist" cry the critics. "Be free, have some fun" they continue. Everyone hear this: true love is real. Sure it is not bliss every day, and it takes a hell of a lot of effort that the average man or woman is not willing to put in. But when has the average heart or head ever made it anywhere? It takes honesty and courage, stamina and boldness. Love is not for the lazy or the stubborn. But it is for anyone that wants to be truly happy. Love is shown through the smallest act of kindness to the biggest surprise of the year. The best day of my life was the day I gave my "freedom" away. I choose to have Katie and only Katie because Katie is all I will ever need to be filled with incomprehensible joy. And the days that are hardest on us are the days where I am thinking of me too much. Freedom is still there, anyone can do anything they want, while they're married or engaged, as they could while dating. But if losing your "freedom" is your mindset you need to change your attitude. It’s the best day of your life and you are lucky to have the person you’re with. There’s no real joy in the freedom you’re sorry to leave. Now if you are one that sees the beauty of true love, hardship is a part of it, but don’t be discouraged at the hard times, instead only gather in as much happiness as possible from the good times.

“To live with gratitude ever in your heart is to touch heaven.” ~Thomas S. Monson



Read. Learn. Enjoy.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has what's known as 

"The 13 Articles of Faith."

They are basically 13 bullet points that outline what we as 
Latter-Day Saints believe.

Read. Learn. Enjoy.

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

One of Those Days

You know those days where you're randomly crying?

Like all day?

And you don't know why?

Okay, if you're a guy reading this, you probably don't know what I'm talking about...

...although, I can't imagine there's too many men that read this blog...

Anywho, my fellow women, you know what I'm talking about?

You just cry.

Well, that's my mood.

And, of course, I have no idea why.

Perhaps it's my raging headache.

Or the fact I'm lacking sleep.

Or both.

Or perhaps it's just one of those days.

But I just want to crawl into bed, bury myself under the blankets, and cry.

And cry and cry and cry.

And not come out.

And I don't know why.

It's not like anything dramatic has happened.

Or anything traumatic.

Or really anything at all.

I just wanna cry.

Maybe it's a girl thing..

So, what have I been doing to make myself feel better?

Looking at adorable animal pictures online.

Feast your eyes out.

Hope these paints a smile on your face.

They did on mine...

And So It Begins...

So I started my field experience out in the real world today.

It's basically pre-student teaching. 

For three solid weeks I'm in a real classroom.

7:30-3 every day.

I'm in an 8th grade US History class.

Hudson Middle School.

Might I just say, I think I love middle school.

I never wanted to teach there before.

I was dead set against it.

I definitely did not want to deal with middle school egos, drama, and attitudes.

But, despite those setbacks, I love the middle school setting.

I love the atmosphere.

I love how you can talk to your students like adults.

I love how they're adults, like the high schoolers, but unlike the high schoolers, the middle school students still get excited to learn.

They can still get into the lesson.

Plus, to actually watch the middle school drama in front of you is rather amusing.

They talk to you about their boyfriends and girlfriends.

About the note "Lucy" gave "Jared" today.

They joke with you.

They tease you.

And you can joke and tease back.

They wanna tell you about their life.

They are fun.

I haven't actually taught yet, and I'll only teach two lessons while I'm there.

On Wednesday the 16th I get to teach 7 periods about modern Native American issues.

On Thursday the 17th, I get to review their Native American material for their unit test on Friday.

I have been working on a "Baseball" game for review.

It should be fun.

I hope.

I think I'm going to really like my experience.

My co-op teacher is great.

She's young, only been teaching five years, so we have the same mind-set about teaching.

But I still sometimes question if I'm entering the right career.

I don't think I'll really know until I student teach.

Sometimes I have my doubts.

I wonder if I'll be a good teacher.

If I'll connect to the students.

If I'll be able to manage the students when they get rowdy.

Sometimes I worry I'll get pushed around.

Sometimes I worry I'll get too worn out.

Sometimes I worry I'll lose my passion.

But I guess there's no point in worrying until I get out there for real.

So for now, I think I'm really going to enjoy Hudson Middle School.

I'll keep ya'll updated on how the lessons go! ;)

Happy Birthday, Love!

So it was Thomas' birthday last weekend.

On the 29th he turned 22.

Woot!

Here is what I made for him! 

I'm quite happy with it - it turned out great!

It's a board game of our life together!
The first 3/4 is all stuff that's happened.

Like prom, inside jokes, trips to the zoo, the mission...

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

The last 1/4 is after our wedding, so I made some fun stuff up.

Like buying our first puppy, having kids.
That sorta thing!

So the object of the game?

You travel the board collecting cards.

Every space has either a star or a heart.

(Well, some of them have lose a turn).

Hearts represent "Blessings" cards.

On each card is a scripture about blessings and joy that you have to look up.

Then there is a number - the number of hearts (or blessings!) you get.

If you land on a star place, it's not as fun.

Those are bad things - like, "Forgot to return the Redbox."

Then you take a "Meh, that's life" card.

Those also have scriptures on them you look up.

Those scriptures are about courage, strength, and perseverance.

Then is a number - the number of stars you get.

At the end of the game, you subtract the number of stars you have from the number of hearts you have.

Whoever has the more "blessings" at the end wins!

Hahaha

We played it.

I won.

;)

I also made him this:

It was a lot of fun to put together!

And yes, I did come up with 52 things all by myself!

Can you see the theme??

Games.

Since we love to play card and board games, 

these ideas came to my mind.

And since we're trying to save our money,

I thought it'd be better to make something than buy something.

And Thomas loved it.

Or so he claims...lol.

We also had our traditional dinner at Benihana. 

It was a fun night.

And full of delicious food!

We went on Tuesday, so it was also great to be able to see each other and spend time together during the week, and not have to wait for the weekend.

Happy birthday, handsome!

Next time, I can say, "Happy birthday, Hubby!"