Sweet Thoughts

Yesterday after coming home from church, Garrett and I decided to take a nap. I absolutely love Sunday naps! As we were lying there in bed, I couldn't help but think about how wonderful my life is. I had Garrett curled up next to me on one side, and Grayson sweetly sleeping next to me on the other. I could feel Garrett's warm body next to me, and I could hear my little boy madly sucking his fingers. I couldn't help but think...I've got my whole life right here with me. What could be better than having my two greatest loves sleeping next to me? Later that evening as Garrett and I were getting ready to go to bed, I lay curled up next to Garrett with my head on his chest listening to the lub-dub of his beating heart. It reminded me of two things. The first is how precious life is. It's so precious and fragile, and I should take full advantage of the time that I have to spend with loved ones. The other thought that came to my mind was a memory. It was right before Garrett left on his mission and we were sitting in my dad's kitchen late at night. I was sitting on the counter and Garrett was standing between my legs. We were talking about him leaving, and I was getting emotional. At some point in the conversation, Garrett told me that everything would be alright. He took my hand and placed it on his heart and told me that his heart would always be mine. Luckily, he was right :). One more thought, and I'm sorry because I know this is so scattered. We were reading The Book of Mormon last night in Moroni. We were reading about how "charity suffereth long" and talking about it. We talked about how no matter what comes our way, we are in this life together and we are going to persevere through whatever is dealt to us. I know that we will hit hard times. I know that life won't always be easy, but I'm grateful that I have someone to go through it with. But, despite all of those hard things that are bound to come our way, I just have to say...life is so sweet right now.

MY LIFE

My Top 30 Favorite Songs--In No Particular Order

1. Sting--Fields of Gold (one of the most romantic songs, I believe)
2. Indigo Girls--Power of Two (memories of my lovely sisters)
3. Indigo Girls--Leaving
4. Mana--Rayando El Sol (thanks to Dave @ The Lion House for making this song memorable)
5. Eric Clapton--Lonely Stranger (so relaxing...)
6. Coldplay--Viva La Vida
7. Collective Soul--The World I Know (by the way, pretty much every Collective Soul song rocks--LOVE them!)
8. Collective Soul--Perfect to Stay
9. Collective Soul--Untitled
10. Goo Goo Dolls--Slide
11. Jack Johnson--Better Together (great for bumming around the house)
12. James Taylor--Something In The Way She Moves (love singing along with this!)
13. Kalai--On My Mind (thanks Sara F. for introducing me to Kalai!)
14. Lifehouse--Somewhere In Between
15. Marc Cohn--Don't Talk To Her At Night
16. Marc Cohn--Walking in Memphis
17. Michael Buble--Everything (reminds me of Katie's dating life :), and I've created a few memories of my own as well)
18. Michael Jackson--Beat It (can I just say...DANCE!!!)
19. Silverchair--Straight Lines
20. Nine Days--If I Am (sitting @ Katie's dads house)
21. Norah Jones--Feelin' The Same Way (love it. perfect fall-time music)
22. Rascal Flatts--Like I Am (this one is for Garrett)
23. Tracy Chapman--The Promise (also reminds me of Garrett)
24. Shawn Colvin--Never Saw Blue Like That (so sweet...)
25. Billy Joel--Lullaby (yes Liz & Scott, Billy Joel made the list)
26. The Starting Line--Playing Favorites (fell in love with this song when Garrett was on his mission in Cali--it made me think of him)
27. Keane--Somewhere Only We Know (so great to drive to)
28. AC/DC--You Shook Me All Night Long (what else can be said???)
29. Dave Matthews Band--Old Dirt Hill (I envision Jed dancing to this song on the way to the concert)
30. Frente--Accidently Kelly Street (memories of my childhood)

Shout Hallelujah for the Sun!

So yesterday, Grayson and I took a little walk. It was absolutely GORGEOUS outside! The sun was shining, and it was making me smile. It brightened my day even more when I saw flowers blooming. Ah spring... We stopped by Susan's house and played with Juney for a little while. She makes me laugh. She was running around in her underwear and batting her eyes at Grayson saying, "Ah, he loves me." I love that girl. She has so much spunk for a girl so young. After we left Susan's, we walked a little further before heading home. Grayson obviously enjoyed the ride himself because by the time we got home, he was fast asleep in his stroller. I'm so glad that spring is finally making an appearance. The sunshine and warmth is rejuvenating my spirit. Welcome spring.

I love this little face!

It seems I'm not the only one to love this face! We went to visit grandma and grandpa on Sunday. They just moved here from Idaho and were able to see Grayson for the first time. They absolutely loved him. My grandpa was saying, "I always thought that I had the cutest grandchildren, but now I can see that it is being passed down to the next generation also" amidst my grandma saying, "Well baby, he is just so strong!" We loved spending time with grandparents. Grandpa started telling us stories about the 18-wheelers that he used to drive. He loves talking about his truck driving days, and I love hearing about them. Here is Grayson with them...scroll down :).

Graduation

Lately I have been thinking about graduation (maybe because its only 2 months away!). One part of me is so excited to graduate and move on to bigger things. I'm excited to be able to work and be paid for what I'm doing. The extra money will be nice. But...there is a big part of me that is really scared to graduate. School has kind of been a safe spot for me...something that I could always focus on. It seems a little silly--even to me--to be scared to graduate. But, graduation means that things will change. I'm also scared of losing so many precious/fun memories that I have had at Westminster. I have met so many great people and made dear friends. Here are some of the memories that will be missed:





Although I will miss seeing these people all of the time--like I said, I'm excited to do new things. One thing in particular that I'm excited about is developing my art skills. I have always loved to do art, but I just don't seem to have the time to do it. Here is one of my art pieces that I am particularly proud of:
Kind of a crappy picture of it--but it will do. We will see what future projects will bring!

Most Recent Purchase

Okay--so this is kind of embarrassing, but we have purchased the P90X workout. Garrett has been bugging me for weeks to buy it. We finally took the plunge. I still feel somewhat guilty because we don't really have the money to spend on something like this, but I couldn't resist. We discovered this program on t.v. being displayed on an infomercial. Garrett quickly became addicted. I would walk in the living room to find him glued to the t.v. watching this advertisement. It cracked me up. The program promises to have you in the best shape of your life in 90 days. Sounds good to me--especially after having a baby. Today is day one---I wish I could say that I will post my beautiful bikini pictures---not so much, but I will surely keep you updated on how it is working. We are stoked!

This is Garrett

Yes, this is my husband. Oh how I love him. In the past weeks, I have grown a great appreciation for one of his defining characteristics. He is goofy. 100% goofy. I have always appreciated his ability to look at things optimistically and his ability to put a smile on peoples faces. I have to admit, however, that at times the "goofyness" has driven me nuts! Just a few months ago Garrett's mother passed away. The weeks following her passing were very hard, and Garrett was not himself. This scared me, and I realized how much I loved his personality and how it usually was. During this time, I got to see a somber Garrett--which was very appropriate, but I still missed my goofy husband who always makes me smile. Since that time, his personality has come back to life, and I appreciate him all the more for who he is. There are many things that I love about him. To name a few:

I love that he loves the outdoors.

I love that he loves being a dad.

I love that he thinks style is stupid--although sometimes I wish he cared.

I love that he supports me in everything.

I love that he's not afraid to be himself.

I love that he wants to live a simple life in the country.

I love that he is a true cowboy at heart.

Ah... So many things. Most of all I love him because he loves me.

A New Life

Okay, it has been way too long since I have blogged. I have a lovely sister who has been bugging me about this, so here we go. First of all, I have a new little baby boy. Grayson Chad was born on December 4th, 2008. He was 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 22 inches--a lot bigger than I thought he would be. The delivery went wonderfully, and in fact, in retrospective I actually kind of enjoyed the whole process. So, he is 3 months old now. He is smiling, moving all over the place, and Garrett even got him to giggle the other day (I was in the shower and missed this--I was so bummed). I'm discovering the joys of motherhood. Yes, I am more tired than I have ever been. Yes, I don't get to do all that I used to do--my schedule is not so flexible anymore, but I love it. I love Grayson more every day. He brings me so much happiness. Here is Mr. Handsome:

Right before he was born.

Day he was born.
The most recent.

Second, I graduate in 3 months with my bachelors degree in nursing. I cannot wait! I will keep you posted on the dates!