Thanksgiving and recovery

It definitely does not feel like Thanksgiving today with Olivia gone to her grandparents in Utah. She's having a blast though, especially since it snowed just for her! She ran outside screaming and yelling in excitement that it was snowing! I'm so thankful that she gets to spend the holiday with her grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins and I hope she realizes how loved she is! The choice to send her away to Utah happened so quickly! Jordan happened to mention jokingly that Olivia could go back with my parents on their drive and then all of a sudden it was a real, full-blown plan! After I realized that she was really leaving, I broke down and cried a few times. While taking care of Olivia can be exhausting due to her endless energy and incessant chattering, she had been my rock during the summer when Jordan was gone. She has the biggest heart and was comforting me before she left, telling me she would come back, which is exactly what she told me while her daddy was away for three months this summer. I'm constantly in awe at her maturity and ability to handle change. With the life we live, it is such a blessing to know how strong Olivia is! I'm so grateful for her and the joy she brings into our lives! She'll always be my first baby, but I am glad for the time we've had to just spend with Romney.

 It has been really hard adjusting to the lack of sleep since having Romney. He's two weeks and hasn't gained his birth weight back yet, so I'm still feeding him regularly through the night and now I've started pumping to help increase my supply. He seems to be healthy and he's generally a good baby, but I don't want him to fall behind. Breastfeeding is seriously one of the hardest things to learn, in my humble opinion. There's so many websites telling you what to do, books, doctors...it's exhausting just thinking about it. It's even worse when your baby wakes up wanting to nurse a whole hour sooner than you anticipated! Last night, more than half asleep myself and close to tears, I begged Romney to hurry and finish eating so I could go back to my bed and Jordan could take over. It's hard to not think dark thoughts during these hours of the night. Everyone says that this is just a phase, but part of me fears that I'm never going to get a good night's sleep again and I'll just be a zombie for the rest of my life. I'm re-learning how important naps are in my schedule and to let Jordan do more around the house, or to just let the housework slide all together some days. After all, I'm only two weeks postpartum after having an emergency C-section. My body is still healing and rest is so important right now. I don't need to worry about getting ready, or doing the dishes, or folding laundry. It's OK to just sit back and relax. Here's a picture of me, looking totally exhausted, but I am super happy to be this little guy's mommy!  

 I miss how easy it was to go on outings. It takes so much more planning now, and I've had to tell myself that it's OK if we miss out on something, especially right now. With Christmas around the corner, there's so many fun things I want to do, but I can see that I'm going to have choose carefully what things really matter. Going from one kid to two is definitely a hard transition, even with Olivia being as old and helpful as she is. My Aunt Colleen always said that THINGS TAKE TIME, especially if it's a good thing. It's just going to take some time to adjust and get used to this new life. Besides the exhaustion, I'm feeling pretty good. I can't wait to get cleared to work out again and start doing something for myself. I'm generally pretty happy and I'm so grateful for all the meals my ward has been bringing us, for my husband's help and kind words to boost my self-esteem, and for our parents for helping us so much with Olivia and coming to visit! I definitely feel loved and supported right now and I can't express my gratitude enough. Right now, I'm just grateful that I get to know this new, sweet spirit that Romney has brought into our home! He really is such a sweet baby and I think it's appropriate on Thanksgiving to say, "I'll eat you up, I love you so!"

   GOBBLE GOBBLE!

New blog title...Friends for the Weekend!

Choosing to join the Army for medical school has brought a lot of changes and opportunities to go to new places and meet new friends. We've had to learn how to quickly make a new place into a home. Sherwood wrote a song called the Town You Live In that talks about how we make choices to move around a lot and never fully rooted in one place. I feel that applies a lot to our family. It's going to be a long time before we are ever living somewhere permanently, but you can be our friend for the weekend! I don't mean we just want you as a friend for the weekend, but that although our time with you may be fleeting, we look forward to your companionship, no matter how short the time.

Romney's Birth Story

I woke up before 7 a.m. on November 9, 2016 after not getting a lot of sleep (it was the morning after the 2016 presidential election and Donald Trump had just become president-elect). I remember going to the bathroom and found that I had bloody show, which means I was having cervical changes and losing my mucus plug. I felt like I was having period cramps so I decided to take a hot bath. I remember sitting in the bathtub feeling a sense of peace about the day. I didn’t feel worried about the election and I had this feeling that my baby boy would soon be greeting us either today or tomorrow. My mom was flying in from Utah around 3 p.m., which was the same time as my 40 week doctor appointment and today was my due date. I had actually been scheduled to go in the next day, but my doctor had to move my appointment up a day. I was glad to know that my mom would most likely be here when he was born. We had a lot to do that morning and I got myself ready for the day and Olivia ready for school. For some reason I felt like I shouldn’t wear my contacts. Again I felt like baby boy would be coming soon and I knew I wouldn’t really need them today anyway since Jordan would do most of the driving around town. After Olivia went to school, Jordan and I cleaned up the house. I was having contractions on and off, but nothing regular and nothing very painful. I felt a lot of pressure down in my pelvis and I’d get these spasms suddenly that would make me have to stop what I was doing. Anyway, I was still having a LOT of discharge all day, but we carried on. We went to Target to get something for the baby, and then we went to Kohl’s to look at shoes for Jordan and buy some jeggings for me for after the baby was born, which I was able to buy for $15! Score! After that, we picked Olivia up from school and then hung out at home for a bit until I had to leave for my appointment.

It was a pretty normal day and I wasn’t anticipating much at my appointment. I knew it would be a quick one and then I’d leave to go see my mom, who would most likely be at my home by the time I was done. I was looking forward to taking her out to dinner for her upcoming birthday. When I got to my appointment I was informed that Dr. Wiener was running late in a surgery. They brought me back to an exam room and I waited a while for her. By the time she got there it was close to 4 p.m. I told her about my bloody show and she had me lie back to check me. She told me that she saw some fluid and decided to check it to see if it was amniotic fluid. She asked me if I had noticed any leaking throughout the day and I told her no, besides the bloody show. I had had nothing that resembled amniotic fluid. When she checked me, I was surprised to find that it was indeed amniotic fluid and that I was dilated to a three. Suddenly, as I was still lying down, there was a sudden gush of fluid and my water completely broke. She told me that she was concerned that there was meconium in the amniotic fluid (the baby’s first poop) and that there was more blood than she would have expected. I wasn’t too worried at the time; I was more excited that I had actually gone into labor on my own! Dr. Wiener told me that I should head to labor and delivery and so I got dressed and headed out of the room, already on the phone with Jordan while the nurse was trying to tell me what to do. I was excited as I called Jordan on the phone to tell him that my water had broken and that he and my mom (who was already at the apartment) were to meet me at the hospital. I remember telling the nurse that I had parked in the garage and I didn’t want to have to pay more. I suggested running home real quick to take the car back and Jordan bringing me back. I guess I wasn’t thinking very clearly at the moment because the nurse told me she didn’t think the doctor would want that and also reminded me that traffic would be terrible at this hour. So I headed to the triage floor and checked myself in and waited for my mom and Jordan to show up.

They finally got to the hospital and the nurse moved me to labor and delivery. I knew I probably had a long wait ahead of me. My contractions still weren’t painful, but they felt like spasms down in my bladder. I’d get a whole bunch of contractions on top of each other and then they’d stop for a few minutes before I’d get another. They were close together, but still irregular and not at all what I expected. The nurse had to give me antibiotics which burned my arm and I remember shivering and the nurse giving me an ice pack to put on my arm, which actually helped relieve the burning sensation. Dr. Espana (the on-call doctor) came in and told me the baby was having a late deceleration. Jordan later told me that the late deceleration lasted for five minutes and the baby’s heart rate went way down. Basically, baby didn’t seem to be too happy in my womb anymore. Dr. Espana wanted to continue to watch me, but he warned me if there were more decelerations then we would have to call it and I’d need a C-section. I told my mom and Jordan to leave to go get food. They weren’t gone long before the resident came in and told me I was having more late decelerations and that it was time to call it. I wasn’t scared when they told me. I knew that my baby needed to get out quickly and I felt at peace with this decision. I still needed to get an epidural so there was time to call Jordan back. First the resident tried to get ahold of him with no luck and then I got ahold of him while they were wheeling me to the operating room. I hardly had time to give him directions before they demanded my phone.

The nurses and all the staff introduced themselves and were so nice. The nurse helped me get through getting an epidural and the anesthesiologist held my hand and comforted me as they began operating on me. I remember it feeling like it took forever to get Jordan there. I wasn’t scared without him, but I desperately needed him by my side to comfort me and assure me everything was ok. He got there and helped me through the uncomfortable sensation of the tugging and pulling. Finally, after an eternity, Jordan told me they were pulling baby out and I heard my son cry for the first time. The whole operation took three minutes from the time they started cutting me open to when they pulled him out. Jordan and I looked at each other and we both cried as we were overcome by the spiritual aspects of his birth and hearing the sound of his cry. He was here! Jordan stayed by my side and I got to hold Romney on my chest while they sewed me back up. I couldn’t withstand the awful sensation for long though and I had to tell Jordan to take Romney away as I was feeling sick. The operation was over quickly and soon I was heading back to my room. It had been four hours from the time my water broke until Romney was born. I never imagined that all of this would happen this way. I feel like it was a perfect storm of events that led to this and I feel no sorrow that I didn’t get my VBAC. I’m so grateful my son is here safe and healthy and that I lived through it as well. It turns out that I had a placental abruption (my placenta was tearing away from the wall of the uterus) and I could have bled out or the baby could have died from oxygen insufficiency. Thank goodness for modern medicine!

            The rest of the evening was a blur. I was on morphine and I kept fading in and out. Jordan or my mom would be talking to me and suddenly I’d just fall asleep or black out. I was sick for the first twelve hours after the surgery and couldn’t keep a thing down, not even ice chips. I remember the nurse coming in several times and telling me that my urine was too concentrated and that I needed more fluids. Every time I’d try to feed the baby I’d have to stop to throw up. It was a rough night. The next day I was able to eat some strawberry jello and it tasted amazing! It was so nice to keep something in my stomach. Romney weighed 7 lbs 13 oz, was 20.5 inches in length, and had an APGAR of 8 and 9! After the first night, everything else went pretty smoothly. Olivia came to see me with my mom the next day after I was feeling better. It was like watching two angels meeting for the first time on Earth after being friends in Heaven. Olivia was so sweet with Romney and seemed to know exactly what her role would be from now on. I can’t wait to watch them grow up! Some things about my stay I’d rather forget (or not mention), but the food was great and Jordan stayed with me every night at the hospital because I was a big baby and started having a panic attack after being alone for a little while. I’m recovering well and Romney is doing great! Looking back now, I know Heavenly Father prepared me for what was going to happen. Things couldn’t have worked out any better and I’m just so grateful we’re safe. If my appointment hadn’t been changed and if my water hadn’t broken at the hospital, things may have gone in a much worse direction. I’m not sure both Romney and I would be here. I’m so grateful to the medical staff at the Pavilion for Women who took such great care of me and for my family and friends who helped us get through the craziness of Romney’s birth. I’m so excited he’s finally here and we get to start our lives together.  

Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes!

Anyone else here watch Seventh Heaven growing up? I don't know why, but as I was considering a title for this blog post this little line popped into my head from one of the episodes of Seventh Heaven. Sometimes it feels like nothing is changing in our lives and other times, like now, there's so many changes happening at once, you wonder how you'll get through it all.
I'm nearly 16 weeks pregnant with our second child, a boy, and I'm agonizing over what to call him. With Olivia, it was so easy to pick a name. We knew almost instantly after we found out that she was a girl that we would call her Olivia. With this baby, I look at so many names and nothing stands out to me or excites me that much. I don't know what it is, but it seriously bums me out. I really want to pick a name that I love! Maybe my expectations are too high...I guess as long as we have a name picked by the time he's born that will be ok, but I do feel a little frustrated that it seems like nothing fits, like he's not really apart of our family yet. I'll just have to comfort myself with the fact that there is still lots of time to find the right name for this kiddo.
Perhaps the real reason I'm agonizing over picking his name is because I know Jordan will be gone for two and a half months this summer doing Army officer training and an away rotation in Tacoma, WA. We've been apart for nearly a month before, but being pregnant and having a preschooler to chase around in the hot Texas summer heat for two and a half months seems a little daunting. Olivia loves her dad so much and it will break my heart to watch her cry for him. I knew that being an Army wife would be filled with absences and time apart and I told myself I could do it, but I didn't really factor in how it would affect my children. The only way we're going to get through this and every other time Jordan will have to leave us is for me to be strong. I'm lucky I have an amazing group of friends I can lean on and that there is so much to do in Houston. What gets me down is thinking about how pregnant I'll be when Jordan gets back. I'll only have about ten weeks left in my pregnancy and I'll have to go to every doctor visit by myself. Ugh, sorry, now I feel like I'm complaining. I know I need to think positive and just take it one day at a time, but I sure am going to miss Jordan.
Another change in my life is I recently graduated from college and I now have my Associate's Degree and I'm a Registered Nurse! Technically I still have to take the NCLEX and become licensed in the great country of Texas, but after all I've been through with school, the NCLEX feels like a welcome breeze. I seriously hope I'm not tempting fate right now, but I'm so happy this chapter of my life is over. I'm looking forward to being able to spend more time with Olivia and getting back to our usual activities, like cleaning, working out, going to the library, the Houston Zoo, the Children's museum and so many other awesome things! I'm especially looking forward to getting back to reading for fun. I've already read two books since being out of school: Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I couldn't put either book down although they were vastly different from each other. I also can't wait to get back to writing for fun. I've had some book ideas sitting on the shelf in my head and I can finally dust them off and get myself back in the writing zone.
So, while there are many changes happening in my life and sometimes I feel like I could be swallowed up whole by the complexity of it all and the myriad of emotions I running through my mind (pregnancy is definitely making me a little weepy), I know that change can be good, even desired. Right now, I'm just praying that Heavenly Father can get me through all of this in one piece and that we will all be stronger for it. In fact, I know we will be stronger!

You've been served!

First of all, NO! I am not being accused of anything, but I did recently get summoned to jury duty for the first time in my adult life. I wouldn't have minded going actually, since it sounds kind of interesting to me, especially if I get a really cool case, but I had to opt out because of Olivia. I've been served another way today, and not in a way I at all expected. Jordan has made friends with the local homeless people who hang out down the road from our apartment complex and today, as he was walking home, one of Jordan's new friends stopped him and gave him some flowers he had picked and told him to give them to his wife. Jordan dutifully brought them home to me. I looked at him when he entered and I could see he was holding flowers in his hands. Upon further inspection, I noticed that the flowers looked hand-picked, not store bought and I finally asked what the flowers were for.  He told me about his friends and I asked him questions, curious about the whole situation. At first, I thought in my head that the flowers didn't seem like much, but as I thought more about it, I realized that those flowers were worth quite a bit to the man who picked them. It was a hot day outside, and these homeless people sit outside all day. It would have taken a bit of effort for this man to pick these flowers in the heat. Whether the man picked these flowers for himself or to give away to someone, picking these flowers must have brightened his day a little bit, in a day where you don't have much to look forward to. I imagine most days are pretty repetitive for these people, and human interaction is one of the few things that changes for them each day.  

As I sat there folding laundry, after being given these flowers, I realized that these flowers meant a lot to me as well. These flowers represented selflessness: Someone had taken the time to do something nice for someone else in order to brighten that person's day, AND they did it when they themselves had very little, if anything, to give. To say that I was touched is an understatement. 

My mind immediately wandered to thoughts of Christ. I wondered if Christ HAD to be homeless in order to accomplish all the acts of service in his life. Christ was forced to rely on the charity of others, and yet, also gave all he could to others, whether that was a smile or touch on the shoulder to encourage someone, healing someone, sharing his meal with someone, crying with someone, or maybe, even picking flowers for someone. Christ taught, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" Matt 25:40. He further taught, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" Matt 25:34. Christ knew, that no worldly goods would get him or anyone else into Heaven. In the Book of Mormon, Jacob says, "And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good--to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted" Jacob 2:19. The riches that Jacob speaks of are not things that we can find buried in a treasure chest, or things that are bought with money. I believe the riches we receive is the joy serving another brings us, and also the knowledge that Christ has already prepared a place for us in Heaven, if we but prove we are worthy to reside with Him. We cannot just simply give large donations to charities and then turn around and ignore the person begging on the stoop outside our home. Our hearts must be turned to our fellow men. We must show love for those around us through acts of service whether big or small. I am grateful for the reminder and lesson I received today and I hope I can take it into my heart and make someone else smile the way those flowers made me smile today.      

Tale as Old as Time

I am aware that the title of this blog post may remind you of a certain Disney Princess...perhaps Belle, which is fully what I intended, although Belle was not the princess I was thinking about when I decided to write this post.  Recently Jordan and I took Olivia to see Cinderella at the movie theater.  Since she's only two and a half, movies that are not animated do not always fully command her attention, but I could tell she enjoyed seeing Cinderella.  I borrowed the book from the library and read it to her after we saw the movie to help her remember the story.

Today, while I was doing dishes, thinking to myself, I found myself musing about the Cinderella movie and wondering why Disney even felt they needed to do yet another Cinderella movie.  I mean, Cinderella has been done so many times already in so many different ways, and it's kind of old news.  Maleficent I could totally understand.  I loved hearing Maleficent's side of the story and that's probably why I love watching Once Upon A Time so much, because I love hearing new tales about the classic stories I grew up with.  When I saw Cinderella, I enjoyed the movie and I thought it was well done, but still I found myself wondering why there had to be another Cinderella movie.  Why couldn't we have a story about the Ugly Stepsisters or something like that?

It occurred to me today, as I scrubbed the dishes and mopped the floor and did the laundry that there must be something about Cinderella that intrigues us as a society, to continue watching the same story over and over.  They say the best messages are the ones that need to be repeated over and over and I believe this is true with Cinderella.

Where bullying and taking advantage of one another has become much more widespread due to social media, perhaps the world decided that we needed to remember how to be kind to one another. Though Cinderella suffered many hardships in her life, she took her mother's advice of being kind and courageous and lived her life day by day by those words.  So often people that are kind seem to be weak or a pushover, but throughout the story of Cinderella, we see that her kindness is paid back ten-fold in the end.  Being kind doesn't mean that you are weak and it also doesn't mean you let people walk all over you.

In fact, in the end, Cinderella realizes that she can still be kind, even while having the courage to stand up to her Stepmother.  Having courage doesn't mean you humiliate someone else so you can look good and it doesn't mean you do something stupid and reckless so you can impress your friends.  Having courage involves having a set of morals that lead you to stand up for the right thing and doing hard things even when you may be afraid or the task seems hopeless.

I nearly started crying as I was doing my chores as I thought about the values this movie is teaching young girls.  Thinking about my own daughter, I hope that she can remember to be kind to everyone.  A smidgen of kindness can go a long way.  I also hope my daughter can have the courage to stand up for what is right.  These are values I would hope to see in every young girl and values I hope these girls keep as they grow up into women.

While Cinderella is a tale as old as time, I believe the values it teaches still holds true today and I also believe it is a story more than worth repeating over and over again.  It seems the world could do with a little more kindness and a little more courage and I appreciate the fact that Disney recognized this and made a movie that can inspire people to be better.  While I applaud Disney for it's creative and original works, I also applaud the fact that they know when to leave something as it is, because they recognized that the old story was still just as good today as when it was first written.

So, if you are looking for a good movie to see, go and see Cinderella.  Beneath all of the magic, the true magic lies in the kindness and courage Cinderella possesses and perhaps you'll learn something new from an old story like I did.        
  

Being a Strong Family

My daughter Olivia is almost a year and a half and already she mimics everything I do.  If I'm working out, she tries to do the movements, if I clean, she cleans, if I walk to another room, often she is LITERALLY right behind me.  I can't do anything or go anywhere without my little shadow tagging along.  I am coming to realize that soon, Olivia isn't going to be picking just my good habits, but my bad habits as well.  Recent LDS general conference talks have made me think, during the rare moments I get to myself, about being a better person and how to make my family a strong unit in a society that is constantly bashing Christian-thinking and morality.  When we talk about good, better, and best in society, often there isn't a "best" choice and often we are having to choose now between good and better.  My favorite televisions shows always seem to have some words of profanity, drinking, sexual innuendos thrown about casually with some witty humor.  I love these television shows, but I wonder what the effects of watching these shows is having in our house and on Olivia.  I've never been one to completely dismiss TV altogether and I don't think that's the direction I want to head, but there may come a time when I say enough is enough.  I found Boy Meets World playing on the tv this afternoon and I happened to start watching as Mr. Feeny was giving an 11-year-old Cory Matthews one of his full-of-wisdom lectures.

Mr Feeny: (talking about Cory's family, which he has observed as a neighbor over many years) "Their real strength comes from being a family and do you know why they're a family Cory?...Because at one time a man and a woman realized that they loved each other and pursued their unlimited potential at what may come from that love...and here you are... (Mr. Feeny gestures to Cory)  There is no greater aspiration than to have love in our lives, Mr. Matthews."  

As I watched this touching scene, I realized that TV today is lacking in Feeny wisdom.  This kind of conversation would never take place on a modern television show, because as a society we have shifted our views to accept television that has little to no worth.  I am not saying there aren't great shows out there, but what does the kind of television we are watching today say about the people we are today?  Have we become lax in our beliefs?  The reason why I find this conversation so stirring is because I felt it strongly coincides with my beliefs.  Mr. Feeny (although a fictional character) is expressing to Cory what a family is and the strength that comes from a man and a woman who choose to have children.  Now, although Mr. Feeny is fictional, the person who wrote the script is not and that person must have believed and understood how important a strong family is and the components that make up a strong family.  This specific episode took place in the 90's and I can't believe how much society has changed since then.  

We no longer believe in the same components of family that being: a man, a woman, and children.  Now, it seems a family can be pretty much whatever we want it to be.  We all have choices and beliefs that lead us down certain road, but my belief is that no family is a strong as the family that has those three unique components.  I am not going to get into any other types of family makeup here.  I believe every type of family has its own strengths, but the original family type is the strongest I know of.  I have seen this family unit in action through my mom and dad and sisters.  I have seen my sisters' families thrive through hardships and struggles that would break a soul were in not for the strength of their families.  

So how do we become a strong family in this world?  I hear many people say that the world is so bad that they would never want to bring children into it.  I feel that those fears are invalid in my case.  I know, without a doubt, that I have chosen a man who will stand by me through it all, pull me up when I have fallen, and shelter me from the storms.  I can be certain of these things because I wasn't just brought up in a strong family unit, I was also raised in a house where we were taught to love the Lord and to dedicate our lives to Him through our actions and words.  My husband was brought up in this type of family as well, and so I know that together, we will be strong enough to raise our children in a world where moral thinking is crumbling.  The question still remains, how do we become a strong family in this world?

1) I believe we become a strong family by first loving the Lord.  When we take time to strengthen our relationship with the Lord, our families will also be strengthened.

2) Service.  Charity is the true love of Christ.  When we serve our family, we can only strengthen the love we have for each other.

3) Family outings.  I recall vacations with my family and going out to eat with my family and the fun and love we all shared.  I don't remember the stress of getting out of the door or if we had to turn back because we had left a beloved stuffed animal.  All I remember is that it was fun!

4) Making each other a priority.  There are a million things to do in a day with sports, music lessons, and recitals, but when we all show up to support a family member in something that they love to do, it shows that we love them.  

5) Turning to family for help.  Sometimes our trials are too much for us to handle alone and so we need to humble ourselves and ask for help.   

The list could go on and on, but if you have a family that has a mother, a father, and a child, and your family strives to serve God then you are already a strong family unit.  We must remember too, that our family doesn't just involve blood relations, but spiritual relations as well.  We are all brothers and sisters in this life struggling to get by.  Some of us do not have the luxury of having a big family cheering us on.  We must turn towards our spiritual brothers and sisters and help them out too.  We must be there for them and cheer them on.  The goal in this life isn't just to get our own family back to our Heavenly Father.  My belief is that the family unit is the foundation of God's plan to get ALL of his children to return to him and the only way we can do that is to be mindful of those around us and help them feel the love and support they need to make the choices that will guide them back to Heavenly Father.  It's hard to imagine a world where everyone is lifting each other up and where we all love each other as our own flesh and blood, but I believe it could happen.  I believe that we have the potential to expand our love to those around us.  I can just imagine a giant pyramid of people, all standing up on top of each other and helping each other climb to their highest potential.  I believe this is the kind of love we will all have the opportunity to have.  Sharing that love with our families is just the first step to becoming like our Heavenly Father.

Society may have shifted its beliefs, but my beliefs remain the same.  I know who I am.  I know where I'm going, and I know how I'm going to get there.  Now I just need to get my family there and anyone else who wants to tag along for the ride and we'll all be good.  My family is strong and we're only getting stronger.