anniversary cards

okay, i thought for sure that i would win with this one for the best card. i feel like this perfectly portrays our relationship. (tyler is the dog and i am the cat).

inside reads:

the best relationships are the challenging ones.

perfect, right?

well tyler beat me.

pictured below is his card to me. i laughed for like five minutes straight. and then every time i thought about it i would start laughing again.

in fact when i was just taking the picture of it, it made me laugh out loud.

inside reads:

thought you might enjoy a quickie

wouldn't you agree he won?

on a different note, happy birthday to kelly my sister of 28 years and best friend.

i will be doing a dedicatory post real soon, probably tomorrow.

dottie = team jacob

we all know that dottie likes tv... but she doesn't just like eclipse- she LOVES it.

i turned it off when it was over and she whined and pushed on me until i started it again for her.

she goes nutso over the wolves.

i pretty much have the coolest, twilight loving dog ever.

warning: you might want to watch the volume, cause she goes high pitch bark crazy.

i swear, she's worse than a tween.

i'm feeling churchy

church today was so amazing. you know those sundays where you are just really feeling it?
so i figure i'm in an appropriate mood to do the seminary post.
here's a few quotes that have been standing out to me...

       "As I have read the scriptures, i have been challenged by the word ponder, so frequently used in the Book of Mormon. The dictionary says that ponder means 'to weigh mentally, think deeply about, deliberate, meditate.'...
      "Pondering is, in my feeling, a form of prayer. It has, at least, been an approach to the Spirit of the Lord on many occasions."                        -Marion G. Romney

       "I think we pay too little attention to the value of meditation, a principle of devotion...
Meditation is one of the most secret, most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord."                                                      -David O. McKay

these quotes really stuck out to me and made me think. they went with a lesson entitled 'prayerfully reading and pondering the scriptures invites revelation.'

okay grab your scriptures, cause i want you to look a couple up.
each of these scriptures describe what happened just before a revelation was received...
-D&C 76:15-19
-D&C 138:1-2,11
-1 Nephi 11:1
-JSH 1:11-13
notice a pattern? underline the words ponder, meditate, reflect, etc.
how often do we forget that meditation is vital to our spiritual growth?
i am the queen of having to be constantly entertained. i never allow myself to be bored. this really reminded me that we need to make time to just be quiet and think on things. we need to give the holy ghost the opportunity to guide/enlighten/instruct/correct/comfort/etc us. you can pick whichever of those is applicable.

so as i've been making an effort do do just that, i have found myself really getting some insights on things i need to learn.
for example: one of our scripture mastery's is D&C 58:26-27
it reads
       "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things , the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherfore he receiveth no reward.
       "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness."

and i'm gonna include verse 28, which says
       "For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward."

i feel like i need to read that every day. this actually hit me pretty hard today while i was pondering it...
i am not the type of person that just prays for what they want and then expects the Lord to do it. i am more the type that if i do ask for something, i step all over myself to quickly add, 'but thy will be done'. i'm not saying that's a bad thing, but i just really felt nudged by the spirit when i read this scripture again today that i can have an active part in my life. i don't have to wait to be acted upon, i can take initiative. i can make a doctor's appointment even though Heavenly Father has not seen fit to give me a baby. i can sign up for some college courses without a huge spiritual prompting to do so.
we have all been given talents and trials and now we have to show what we're going to do with them. am i going to bury all my crap in the ground, and then still have the same thing to show for it in the end? or am i going to do things of my own free will and multiply my talents, and conquer my trials?

i am totally blabbering, sorry...

one more thing.
i have to share part of this amazing quote by Bruce R. McConkie about what it means to be valiant in the testimony of the Savior... the whole thing is too long to type out, so i'll just pick out some highlights.

       "What does it mean to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus?
       "It is to be courageous and bold; to use all our strength, energy, and ability in the warfare with the world; to fight the good fight of faith.... The great cornerstone of valiance in the cause of righteousness is obedience to the whole law of the whole gospel.
       "It is to live our religion, to practice what we preach, to keep the commandments. It is the manifestation of 'pure religion' in the lives of men; it is visiting 'the fatherless and widows in their affliction' and keeping ourselves 'unspotted from the world'.
       "To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to take the Lord's side on every issue. It is to vote as he would vote. It is to think what he thinks, to believe what he believes, to say what he would say and do what he would do in the same situation."

i love Bruce R. McConkie.
anyway, i feel like i've gone on forever... or maybe this just took me forever to type out. i hope you got as much out of it as i did.

and if you were bored by this, then you are in need of some repentance.
haha. just kidding.

happy new year (plus 12 days)

so i've been thinking a lot about what i want out of this new year. i feel like good things will happen this year. i feel happy and hopeful. you could look at it as depressing that for the most part my goals are the same this year as last year.... but i feel as though i've made actual progress on each one. so instead of depressed i'm pretty proud of myself. here were last years:

1- finish my book. this is of A-1 importance to me.

2- read the book of mormon and new testament, each in their entirety.

3- reach my goal weight. (and no, i'm not telling you what that is).

4- be able to run five miles.... in a row.

5- vacation to either: NYC or a tropical island TBA.

6- reproduce.

pretty good ones, right? i can't tell you how happy it makes me to know how much closer i am to acheiving these things. i have little to no control over myself, so it's a considerable feat.

i also have some goals for our house. these make me happy to think about. they include, but are not limited to:

1- new couches
2- an actual computer, instead of just a laptop
3- many more of roberta's amazing pictures blown up and framed and proudly displayed all over the place
4- a barbeque
5- a chalk board
6- a big, full length, wood framed mirror from world market for our bedroom
7- a nice dresser and night table
8- a bookcase (sigh... my dream is really a wall full of them, but i have to start somewhere)

i'm going to feel like such a grown up when i own a dresser!  so, i have started saving in three different funds (other than the million other categories we have), entitled "furniture", "electronics", and "a vacation of nicole's choosing".
i feel like the vacation has a good chance of happening this year because i finally have tyler on board. he said to me the other day that he thinks it's really important that i get taken on a for realsies vacation, because that is literally all i have ever asked for since we've been married.

however, he did not use the words 'for realsies'.

i also want to get to tahoe as much as possible this summer. i want to beach it up. and i want to be tan for the first time in years. and swim in the lake lots. and go on lots of hikes. and maybe we'll finally get around to a little camping. and see yosemite. and visit griffin and katrina. and and and and..... you get the idea.

basically, i am in a really inspired mood right now.

also, i will be doing a post on some great stuff from seminary in the near future. i was telling kelly about some lessons and reading her quotes, and we agreed it needs a post.

after that post, i am going to do a real long one about mine and tyler's story in honor of our 5 year wedding anniversary, which is this friday. i really want to have that for posterity, and my memory is crap, so i figure what better time than now!

also i want to do a post on how much i love ashley boice, and how much i love the pictures of us from christmas.

have a great day!

guess who came to dinner / big news

kelsie foo!!!!! looking beautiful as ever. so the big news is, she is living with kenny! i am so happy for the both of them that they get these couple of months together before she graduates and grows up. the situation of how she got there (with her mom) isn't ideal... but when has the situation with kerri ever been ideal? kelsie is hanging in there though, and i just love her to death. so here's some of the info cause i know the sisters are gonna want to know.

*she is living up in tahoe, but doesn't have to transfer schools because she has a friend that also lives up there and she drives with them.

*she is doing great in school (she was working on her AP stats homework after dinner) and is currently on varsity cheer (she was wearing her letter jacket- so cute). ty and i are going to a basketball game she'll be cheering at in reno tonight.

*no boyfriend.

* everyone should call and talk to her... i know she would love love to hear from you all. she needs our family's unconditional love and support. i am so excited to be a part of her life again. last night it felt so so much like mom was (or should have been) there. in fact that just made me get tears in my eyes typing that.

we were talking about how she's been in such a weird/hard position as far as seeing kenny goes, because he doesn't have set visitation now. when she was little it wasn't up to her, so she couldn't get blamed for it... but now that she's older, it's her choice to spend time with him and she would start major crap with her mom if she did. i'll just put one thing to give you an idea...

she asked her mom if she could spend christmas eve eve with kenny and spend the night (she knew not to even try for christmas eve), and her mom said whatever and then didn't talk to her. so kelsie spent the night at kenny's then came home on christmas eve to an empty house that was locked. they have a key pad entry, not keys, and they had changed the code so that kelsie couldn't get in. she called and texted everyone and no one would answer, so she hung out with her dogs in the backyard, until her grandma found out what was happening and came to pick her up.

she went home after her family finally got there (no one talking to her) and then christmas morning she woke up to no presents.

her grandparents found out and her grandpa went to walmart and got her a bunch of stuff. 

two days later todd and kerri kicked her out and she called her dad.

there's so much more.

call her and kenny, let's love and support our family.

ps- look how cute sophia is! it was so fun to see kenny with his two girls.

pps- glor, kelsie told me that the person from our family who has really stuck with trying to stay in contact with her has been austin. she told me how much she loved him and appreciated that. i thought that was pretty cool.

ppss- i know i look super scary in that picture.

i need some love

i think my sister heather said it best on her blog when she said that her mind feels like scrambled eggs. except it's not just my mind it's my emotions too. i am walking a line of sadness/depression and happiness/inspiration.

good things:
1. we had such an amazing christmas. the cabin was amazing. it was a perfect time.
2. i bought myself really good presents.
3. bob and roberta got me (well us... but mainly me) a kindle!!! best present ever. i was speechless. it was their gift to each of the families.
4. our 5 year anniversary is in 2 weeks. i better pick myself up a card.
5. i am officially insured.
6. i ate so much delicious food the past couple weeks.

bad things:
1. the holidays are over and i am depressed. not so much that they're over as that we are gone from our families. i miss my family (real and in law). i need my sisters. i am sad. can someone come visit me please?
2. real life sucks. i am having major gag reflex flare-ups every time i think about the fact that tomorrow morning i will be up for seminary, and then at work all day. gross.
3. i ate sooooo much food, and i feel sick at myself. i seriously can feel all the cream cheese and butter clogging through my arteries, and i think i'm going to have a heart attack at 28.
4. i am a really bad person. can i just show my true colors for a second and admit that i have more repenting to do when i leave church than i do when i get there? it's not my fault... it's all the crazies. i am not very pure in heart. that being said, i think i'm going to do a lesson in seminary tomorrow about what a testimony is and how we bear it, and what is the appropriate length of a comment in relief society.
5. sisters: do you have a nagging depression leading up to January 31st? or is that just me?
6. i am ready to retire. maybe i'll be allowed to after my premature heart attack.

i'll blog more about our wonderful christmas as soon as i have some pictures and a better attitude.