Trick or Treat, Thank you, Happy Halloween...

I'm feeling it.  Halloween is coming.  My parents have this Halloween candy bag that is attached to a skeleton arm.  There is a button on it, when pushed, a spooky voice says "Trick or Treat...Thank you...Happy Halloween."  My little brothers and sisters would push it over and over again all night long.  So now, I can't say Happy Halloween without having the creepy voice repeating in my head, "Trick or Treat, Thank you, Happy Halloween."

For this Halloween, I've decided that Scott and I are going as Mary Poppins and Bert.  Scott usually refuses to put effort into his costume and just throws on his scout shirt or ties a bandanna around his face.  But this year, he doesn't have a choice.  Its going to be fab, here's the inspiration:


(It was on pinterest, no idea where to give the actual credit to.)

Remember 9-11

I was just waking up for school, my parents woke up earlier than usual. The phone rang, my mom answered. She turned on the TV. She kept saying "Oh my gosh" over and over. At school, adults escorted us from the bus into school, we stayed inside all day, listening to the radio.  I didn't understand what was going on, I was only in 6th grade, but all of the adults seemed really upset by everything.

Prayers to all whose lives changed that day.

4th of July Weekend at the Caffall Cabin

It was so fun at the cabin.  They had quads, a dune buggy, archery, rope swing, pretty trails, games, and a projector movie screen.  We got up to the cabin Friday evening after work and drove home Saturday evening.  On the drive home, the freeway was closed due to a fire.  So, they sent us on a detour that took us all the way to Globe.  The drive that was supposed to take only 2.5 hours, ended up taking nearly 6.  At least we had Mckayli and the former bf to keep us company, so we had a good time.  

The drive there was so pretty.

Kieran is a natural at archery.  She reminds me of Katniss from the Hunger Games.  Especially because she is so sassy.  

Brigdon.

Scott.  He got a bulls-eye way down the hill. He can bring home the bacon.

Dad and Briggs.

I'm practically pro.

The detour which took us around this pretty lake and all the way around East to Globe, which is an hour from Gilbert.

Some May Memories

Graduation Party for Scott

Meet of Champions

Brigdon's Last Baseball Game

Bike Rides

Birthday Parties

And this guy kills me.

Memories of the Early Days

Scott and I have been married for over a year now.  Work and school's been stressful, and after another meltdown, Scott went to the store to buy me the essentials: chocolate, almond dreams, and girl products. Problems solved.  Then, today he did all my laundry so that I could pack for my upcoming trip.  More proof, sweetest ever.

Thinking about these sweet things reminded me of when we were first married and I was craving a pita sandwich, so Scott made me one.  Apparently, he was not familiar with the Pita and was unaware that it opens like a pocket and the goods go inside.  Instead he took the fillings and put it in the middle of the pita, then folded it in half. When he handed it to me, I couldn't stop laughing.  Pita Pocket served hot dog style.

Maybe someday I'll stop writing these sappy love posts, but he's just too cute that I can't help it. (And I hope that these sappy posts don't end, because I am perfectly happy being spoiled by my sweetheart for the rest of my life.)

Us then:

(Scott's camera wasn't really working when we went on the honeymoon, so this is one of the rare, lucky photos of the trip.)


Us Now:

(For our 1 year anniversary, we went to the Gilbert Museum.  I moved to Gilbert when I was 8, and yet never been inside.

the sweetest boy.

I've got more proof that Scott is the sweetest boy ever.  Yes, that witty, sarcastic, ridiculous boy is really a kind, thoughtful, sweethearted man. Ask any of my past roommates, and they will tell you, I am a mess.  Like leave-a-half-eaten-fish-in-a-tupperware-forgotten-in-roommate's-car-for-weeks kind of a mess or use-every-pan-we-own-to-make-one-meal-and-then-leave-them-for-days-and-forget-that-they-are-my-dishes kind of dirty. This problem only gets worse when I'm stressed.  And I am stressed.  (ThisclassiskillingmeandIwantITtodie.)
And today, my sweet husband, waded through the nightmare of a mess and cleaned from the nasty bathrooms, to the overwhelming kitchen mess, and did multiple loads of laundry (my clothes included) in between.  No boasting.  No bragging.  Just sweetly did it all.  Like I said, sweetest boy ever.

Choosing

I have been slacking on the blogging, because I am taking one of the hardest, most time consuming classes I have ever taken in my life.  It is kickin' my butt.  Some days I completely despise this course, but today, I was required to watch this short video clip and it is so inspiring and I just love it so much, I thought I would share it.

It is about choosing success by choosing the way you respond to things.  I watched it a few times so I could better understand what he was saying and took notes:

• Leaders are the product of their own choices.  
• People must be proactive-you are not a captive of your past or present circumstances.  
• You are not solely a product of nature or nurture, you are a product of your own choice.  
• The space between stimulus and response is the freedom to choose your response.  
• Some people who may have been abused or rejected may have a very little space, others that may have been brought in a more loving environment may have a bigger space.  
• Nevertheless, no matter how large or small that space is, it can get larger if you will take responsibility and initiative and focus on it and use it, little by little, it gets larger and larger until eventually your response changes the very stimulus of your life.  
• Leaders are not born or made, they are self made.  

I just love these principles.  We can re-invent ourselves by choosing our responses to different stimuli and we can work at it and become better and better at choosing our responses.  I love that he says that we are not captive of our past or present circumstances.  Isn't that at the heart of the atonement? - That we can change ourselves, regardless of where we have been or what we are now.  God gave us agency and we are the product of our own choice.  


"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." - 2 Nephi 2:27, Book of Mormon