journal entry 5.15.2010

hello blog. sorry i have been neglecting you. i was just thinking. when i switched from my personal blog to this married blog, j promised to write on it once a month. haha. he has mentioned about writing some posts about politics but it hasn't happened. that's okay.

last friday was our anniversary, as you already know from the previous two posts, but want to know what we did? well we both woke up sick.. we went to einsteins for some shmears. j = cinnamon sugar bagel toasted with strawberry shmear. w = blueberry bagel with strawberry shmear. our usuals. then we went and looked at bikes. j ended up getting his from a guy on ksl, and i got mine from sports authority. (photos of our new babies will come soon.) went and ate a lovely dinner at olive garden, then off to a play on the hale center theater.

to kill a mockingbird is my all time favorite book. i have thought about naming one of my children after atticus, but i dunno about that. he might not appreciate it as much as i do. anyways, that was the play we went to! i love love loved it. and i love love love my man for taking me. i packed my purse with cough drops and kleenexes to ease our throats and noses. i ended up using my kleenex to wipe my tears.

one of my life mottos comes from mr. finch:
"you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." -atticus finch

after the play.. we went home. took nyquil and went straight to bed to wake up and start a new year together.

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tonight, while driving home from a long productive day of car washing, garden box building, and planting, j and i talked about how much we have grown in this past year. grown individually and together. we had a great first year. no marriage is perfect. in my one year of experience, i think the key to marriage is commitment. commitment to each other. commitment to love. commitment to unity. commitment to romance. commitment to our covenants. commitment to our goals and dreams.

the absolutely best part about my job, is getting to know my patients - like really getting to know them. it is kind of a selfish thing i guess, because i have found that there is so much i can learn from those around me. i am a strong believer that people cross paths for a reason. some of the best lessons i have learned came from listening to a complete stranger. often times more than words are involved. i guess that's why they call some conversations 'heart-to-hearts'.

i once met a couple who had been married for 68 years. they were so cute. i loved the way he still flirted with her, and how caring she was for him. you could feel the love in the room. after the wife left, i was helping the man walk in the halls.
i asked him what the secret to his marriage was.

the cute old mans secret: dedication.
there will be times in your marriage that you may not feel 'in love', but he will. there will be times with he doesn't feel 'in love', but you will. in times of trouble, work your hardest to be the kind of spouse you want in the other - as you do this your love will grow.

my grandpa scott died when i was two from cancer. it was a hard thing for my grandma and her children. he was a great man. a leader in the church. a leader in the military. a leader for our family. even though i didn't get to spend much time with him, i have always felt close with him. he was a journal writer too. a letter writer. i have read journal entries and letters. i have his copy of jesus the christ and i love reading it and reading his notes. a few days before he died, he called a family meeting and gave his children advice. here's something he said:

'l. o. v. e. is the most important word in this world'

i am so blessed to have a wonderful husband who l.o.v.es me. who has dreams and ambitions and a dedication to achieving them and having me be apart of them. who puts up with my messy hair in the mornings, and my singing and dancing in the kitchen. who treasures and nourishes his testimony. whose smile lightens my sometimes heavy boots and at times makes life stand still. he is my smile. i l.o.v.e him.

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i came home from work yesterday to see a row of pretty garden boxes. all built and filled by my hubby. our seedlings have graduated. goodbye weeds, hello veggies.

while writing this forever long post, i have been listening to the new songs i got off itunes a few nights ago. i spent all my gift cards on songs by peter bradly adams. and i especially like the song for you (click here to download and hear for yourself).
while listening to it. look at the following picture of the beautiful sky we came home to tonight.

okay. it is late. my man is already in bed reading. today was a good day.
love.
sunshine.
smiles.
gratitude.