Matagorda Bay and Kaylee's Birthday!

 

What a morning.  We have already been to the doctors this morning and TWO pool stores, made two orthodontic appointments, one ophthalmology appointment and am on my way to getting kiddos busy with projects.  I’m tired already which is never a good sign at 10:30am, hahaha.

 

We just returned from a weekend trip to Matagorda Bay with the Ford Family.  It was a lot of fun and we really had some fun moments.   Shane’s coworker (a surgeon) owns a river front home near the beach in southern Texas and he offered it to him for a weekend…so we got to tag along as well!  The first day there we got in the river, fished and canoed.  The river was, um, seriously gross.  It brought out the shrieking crazy woman l may have inside of me as my feet sunk into the mud at the bottom of the river all the way up to my KNEES!  I think the neighbors actually came out of their home to make sure no one was dying, hahaha.  Yes it was that bad.  I nearly died (okay not really, but seriously it give me the willies just thinking about it).   We also spent a good half day at the beach which was MUCH better than I anticipated.  We boogie boarded, cast nets for fish among the other normal beach stuff.  Good times that is for sure; although I think Cami was exhausted most of the time.

 

The big news of last week was I got released from being YW’s president.   I have been in YW’s for almost 4 years this time and I have truly LOVED the girls…it has been one of the best callings I have ever had.  I found out Sat afternoon and boo hoo-ed all weekend long…when they actually released me in sacrament meeting it turned into the ugly cry (that was slightly embarrassing in hindsight), but I just couldn’t help it!!  I just love those girls like my own.  I really do.  Fortunately that Tuesday night we still had the activity we had planned which was a end of summer pool party at my house.  It turned into a “goodbye” party instead and I was quite taken back with all the gifts and cards that were given to me.  The cards especially meant a lot.  One of the girls that I have worked particularly hard with wrote some very meaningful words to me that I will cherish forever.  It made it all worth it.  

 

The timing of everything I found to be very interesting.  Two day prior to being told I was getting released I had been in the temple with TWO of my older YW (from the last time I was YW Pres in Humble).  The older one (I was closer to as she helped me when I was on bed-rest with Audrie) talked to me quite a bit and in the celestial room she said, “I just have to thank you.  I didn’t know how much of an influence you would have on my life, but you YW leaders really do have great influence.”  It was so nice to hear those kind words and upon hearing about my release those were the words that kept running through my mind over and over again.  It was a great comfort hearing that and I know the Lord was watching over me as he knew this was coming.  Several LTM’s have happened since then (Little Tender Mercies) and I can’t help but recognize the Lord in the details of my life. 

 

I made all the YW a cute little jar of cookie mix as my good bye gift to them.  I think they turned out pretty cute (see pic), as I turned them into a value experience that they could pass off for Personal Progress.  Fun fun!

 

Today we celebrate THIRTEEN YEARS of marriage.  Um.  I am seriously starting to think I should be feeling old.  I cannot believe we have been married that long.  Time sure flies when you’re having fun!!  And we do have fun.  Andy is such a comedian and I love that about him.  He is always lightening the mood and doing everything he can to make sure we always have a smile on our faces.  Even with that humor he is also a VERY hard worker.  He really keeps us comfortable.  The affect of our electronic cleanse has continued in our home.  Andy has particularly tried VERY hard to follow through with his own personal goals regarding electronics and I have really seen what an amazing man he really is.  He has yet to turn on the TV…I think it has been 4 or 5 weeks for him now.  He started doing his own version of cutting out before we did as a family and I am amazed by his willpower.  He has always been amazing, but man he is MUCH more amazing than I ever realized.  Love you babe.  You have always been a great companion!!  Can’t wait for eternity!

 

For the last three weeks we have had lessons on marriage, which  is interesting.  I taught a lesson on eternal marriage, then last Sunday Andy had a lesson on Marriage in EQ and then this week while in Matagorda we had yet ANOTHER lesson on Marriage.  It is very interesting and I don’t think it was coincidence.  I have seen several marriages fall apart recently.  One friend is right in the thick of it and I can see what hardships a failing marriage can have on a family, not to mention the rippling affects on everyone else around them.  I think the Lord is trying to tell us that we need to make sure our marriage is always a priority  (which honestly I have always tried really hard to keep in balance with my callings and other duties) and to keep trying to better and better what we have.  I haven’t even told Andy this yet, but I got a distinct impression last night while talking with Heavenly Father that there is going to be a new responsibility that will challenge us and we need to be prepared.  I don’t know what that means, if Andy is going to get a time consuming calling or what, but right after that I felt quite the outpouring of love directly from my Father in Heaven, like a direct infusion of pure love to my heart.  I felt truly connected to Him in a way that I have never felt before, like I was feeling His love directly into my spirit.  It was amazing and wonderful all at the same time.  We shall see what the Lord has in store. 

 

We celebrated Kaylee’s birthday last week.  It was great!! I think most of you have heard about Kaylee and her weird obsession with eyeballs….if you haven’t, just ask her.  She will explain the “eyeball game” in great detail.  It usually involves you “taking out” your eyeball and rolling it to another person as she takes it and puts it into her eye socket….then she does the same.  Like I said, very strange.  We have no idea where this eyeball obsession came, but for the most part everyone she comes in contact with knows about it.  So about 6 months ago Andy jokingly suggested that she should have an eyeball cake for her birthday.   So we made that a reality and gave her just that!  See attached.  Pretty dang cute and made by yours truly, HA!

 

Well I better end this eternal note and get moving on my household duties.  I ignorantly shocked the pool this morning unknowingly causing the inability to swim today, so we may actually have to go somewhere today (heaven forbid) and use one of the community pools.