august.  2014

wow, 17 years being married.  to me that is incredible.  incredible that i’m old enough to have been married this long, have an almost 16 year old, and a couple years away from 40.  i tell you one thing, it hasn’t been easy.  marriage is work.  the trials we have gone through have been heart wrenching.  some are still on-going-like my chronic health issues.  we have had quite a lot of hard things come our way.  i’m not saying more or less than others, but they have been very hard things.  on top of that, we don’t have any family to help us emotionally through any of it.  so we have had to rely on each other even more.  we have had good times, many trips around the world, vacations, and wonderful memories with our children.  the gospel has definitely been the fundamental “glue” that i’m not sure we would have made it through without.  it is our daily spiritual food that gives us strength to make it through whatever that day brings.  our marriage is praying together, fasting together, holding fhe and scripture study regularly, parenting together, going on dates, holding a  weekly meeting together.  we have been in a weird funk lately, and am grateful for some strategies to help us work together better and communicate better.  it’s always ongoing, which is good, because we are always growing and changing, just hopefully for the better and closer together!   i love this amazing man i am married to, and am so grateful to have gone through the things we have with him.  he is amazing, he is my best friend.  i am so grateful to have an eternal marriage with him.  love ya bud.

p.s.  having four daughters is so wonderful.  one fixed my hair, and one made us breakfast in bed.  we’ve done something right!  bicycle built for two is definitely an activity you do when you are on a “good communication” day!  it was fun, and even better, was the completely gluten free restaurant we went to, which was ahhhmazing.  thanks for a wonderful date!