Calling All Angels

I was born in Idaho Falls but my family moved to Arizona when I was in 6^th grade. It was hard to move away from many friends and family members but I quickly adapted and made new friends. I loved Phoenix – the heat, our swimming pool, my friends, and being so close to my grandparents. My mom and dad came to us once again and told us we’d be moving BACK to Idaho and I was devastated. I cried all the way to Idaho.

But God really blessed me we an angel. My mom took my sister and I to mutual to meet the other young women in our new ward before girls camp and I met Angie. She was this tiny little girl with the biggest heart. She immediately took me in and became one of the best friends that I have ever had. Angie has been such a great example in my life. She was there in 8^th grade with me as my father faced thyroid cancer. She was there through the tough high school years. She was my roommate in college as I tried to make the decision to serve a mission. She wrote letters of encouragement as I served in Texas and she was there the day I married my sweetheart.

Angie has given to others her whole life. She has lived her life like a true disciple of Christ. She serves and she loves others as Christ would. I know that when Angie meets her Savior she will know Him because she has become like him.

But Neil and Angie lost their little boy a few hours after he was born. I know that their little boy was so perfect that he had no need to remain on the earth. They provided him with the only thing that he needed – a body. I also know that they will have the opportunity to raise that little angel later on in the Plan of Salvation. But despite the trial of losing their son, Neil and Angie have reached out to others. They have been doing a service project called “Calling All Angels” where they have been collecting baby blankets to donate to hospitals in California for other little babies. They are amazing examples of love and Christ-like service.

I know that it was hard for Angie to lose her little child and although I don’t have any children of my own yet, I know how specials they are. I teach second grade with 24 of the sweetest children in the world. They are busy, funny, and sometimes a handful. They are small little people with big hearts like Angie’s. We were learning about people who do great things even when their lives are hard and I told them Angie and Neil’s story. We decided to make a blanket as a class to show Angie and Neil how amazing we think they are. These little children were so sweet about this one little blanket. They tied each knot with love and were so excited to give something to someone else. Children are so special and such great examples!

I hope and pray that God will bless Angie and Neil with another angel to watch over on this earth. I also hope they know how incredible they are. People all over have been making blankets to donate because of these 2 extraordinary people. My little 2^nd graders and I are grateful for people like you!!

Fun Stories

Life since the wedding has been busy but really exciting. We have made so many memories and have so many fun stories to tell!

Honeymoon: Derek took me on the most amazing Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon. It was the greatest week ever! But we never thought we would actually make it on the boat. It was quite the experience getting it booked. We first booked a cruise to the Mexican Riviera a few months before the wedding. In November that boat caught on fire and our cruise had to be canceled. We rebooked it for the first week it would be ready but that one got canceled a few weeks later. We had to cancel flights and try to find yet another cruise. We were really frustrated but with the help of John and Judy we got a Caribbean cruise booked and all the flights switched over. It was the most amazing week. We went to Cozumel Mexico, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. It wasn’t what we had first expected but it was much better. We had so much fun together!

         

Our apartment: We are renting a basement apartment in Riverton and it is the perfect little place for us. We have had so much fun making it our home. Derek was so amazing to get boxes unpacked and to get our home set up. I called him my little slave driver (and housewife) because we would come home from work and he would want to go shopping for things we needed or decorate the walls. He hung every picture, shelf and clock we have. He was so great at making our home so cozy and cute! I love him so much. Bed, Bath, and Beyond became part of our regular daily routine. We went there every single day one week. We were looking for a comforter for our bed and we bought a nice comforter set. We got it home and put it on the bed and it had lots of snags and puckers. So the next day we returned it and bought an expensive duvet cover. The next day we decided we could find another one cheaper. So we returned it an bought another duvet cover that was on sale. The next day we needed to get the decorative pillows and pillow cases. By the end of the week we had our bed all bought and ready and had spent less on all of it than we would have on one comforter with no pillows. We love it!

  

Couponing: I have gotten into couponing in the last few months. My sister-in-law Cassie is amazing at finding great deals and she has helped me a lot. We went to Walgreens and I got 16 items (razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and medicine) for $0.58! We were so excited. Another time we went and saw Jerry Sloan. That was a great couponing trip!

School: School is winding down and we only have 1 month left. It has been a crazy but fun year. My mom found this cute idea to make mini hamburgers out of Nila Wafers, chocolate cookies, and frosting. On April Fool’s Day I told my students that we were going to have big juicy hamburgers. They were so excited. My mom came in with these mini hamburgers and they thought it was so funny. One of my students told her, “Hey, I ordered fries with that!” They were so cute and my mom was great to come in and see my class.

Family Time: One of the greatest things that has happened since we moved to Utah is that my parents moved to Utah also. We tease them that they couldn’t live without us! They moved into a condo about a mile from our apartment so we get to see them A LOT. I am not sure how they feel about it but we love it!! My dad teases us that we come around everyday around dinner time- what a coincidence! We have had so much fun spending time with them. Derek is even being a good sport about watching our girly shows- American Idol and Dancing With the Stars. Growing up with 4 brothers did not entail watching these kinds of movies. They watched sports and scary movies. But we think he secretly likes them all.

We also love spending time with Tyler, Cassie and the girls. We babysat the other day and had so much fun watching movies, playing games, and doing art projects. I love my little nieces and am so grateful for all that Tyler and Cassie do for us.

 

Easter: Easter this year was so fun! The week before Easter Derek and I watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (my favorite movie). Our favorite part is when she gets him the love fern and he lets it die. So for Easter I bought Derek an Easter Love Fern and I think he might let it die. His reaction was really funny! We also got to color Easter eggs and eat Sunday brunch with Sue. They were the pretties eggs we’ve ever painted. We love spending time with Sue. We made Easter dinner for my parents when they got home from Idaho and it actually turned out pretty good! I made no bake cookies and formed them so they looked like little nests with eggs in the middle. They were really cute and very delicious.

Our Love Fern!!

  

My Best Friend: The very best thing about being married is always having by best friend! We may not have a lot but we have a lot of fun together. We are enjoying married life! We got nerf guns from Derek’s friend Tyson and now every day is like war in our apartment. I am becoming a great shot! We spend Family Home Evenings at the Nickelcade playing our favorite childhood arcade games. We go out to dinner, make dinner, and eat lots of ice cream. One weekend in the winter we were trying to think of something fun to do so we decided to build a fort in our family room. We made the world’s best fort and it was a blast. I am so glad that I got to marry my best friend!