Sherwood!...Our weekend getaway in Oklahoma City!

Once Upon a Time there was a boy and girl who fell in love...with a band. The boy introduced the girl and ever since then, the boy and girl have made it their quest to see this band whenever possible. That band is called Sherwood. In a previous post I told you that the name of my blog came from one of Sherwood's songs. This band is PURE! Great music, great sound, great times! We found out they were doing a reunion album tour and one of their stops was Oklahoma City and it just so happened that Jordan was going to be off work. We took full advantage of the situation, found a sitter for our kids and made a plan to travel to OKC! 

I drove most of the way there while Jordan slept in the car after working his last night shift. He didn't even wake up when I made a pit stop at McDonald's and went inside. I listened to an audiobook and then as soon as we got to Oklahoma City we grabbed some food and freshened up and dashed off to see Sherwood. 

 My heart was pounding with excitement as we approached the venue. We bought some merchandise as soon as we got in and just hung out with our fellow Sherwood fans. Being with Jordan was the best thing ever! 

Rookie of the Year

Motherfolk

There were a lot of great bands opening for Sherwood and we had a great time waiting for Sherwood. One of my new favorite bands is definitely Motherfolk! They had an awesome performance and I loved their style. 

Eventually though, after waiting for so long, it was Sherwood's turn! 

These guys really know how to make you feel like you're with your kinfolk. They bring people together and make you feel like you've known each other forever. Their words are real and their music unique and upbeat. Seriously, I can't sing Sherwood's praises enough. They are one of a kind and I'm so glad we got to see them. 

At the end of the night we talked with the bands and had a good time, then went to Applebee's. Such a great night! 

The next day was crazy busy! Without the kids we could move with lightning speed and an energy that we hadn't possessed since we were in undergraduate school. We had breakfast and found out we had stayed at the same hotel as Rookie of the Year and saw them at breakfast, then we went to the Oklahoma City Memorial for the Murrah building bombing site. OKC was bombed in 1995 on April 19th at 9:02 A.M. With the Las Vegas shooting fresh in our minds, the memorial was raw and heart-wrenching. As we walked through that solemn site, there was a reverence and even a peaceful feeling. Oklahoma had overcome a devastating tragedy and it had brought the people closer together. I wish we could come together as the human race more often. 

There is a 9:01 arch and a 9:03 arch to memorialize the BEFORE and AFTER the bombing. Everything changed in an instant, but these people would only focus on what was ahead.

Each chair corresponds to the office space the victim worked in. There are also chairs for civilians that died. 

The building next door which houses the memorial museum.

This tree survived the bombing.

Loving words from fellow Americans after the bombing.

Children sent letters and love in support of OKC.

After such an emotional-draining experience, we decided to go to a place a little more light-hearted, but still embodied the American spirit. We headed to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. I never knew there was so much to learn about our Western heritage until this museum! It was HUGE and the museum was true to it's name. From plants, to clothes, to artwork, to Indians, cowboys, and western moviestars, this was a museum that would make any decent person stand up and say 'Merica! 

Our next stop for the day was Bricktown, which is a lot like the San Antonio Riverwalk. We played some mini golf (Jordan won, even though I got two hole-in-ones) and walked around, enjoying the evening. We had dinner at Fuzzy's tacos and then went to a cupcake place called Pinkitzel Candy and Cupcakes! The cupcakes were soooo delicious and the place was adorable. I LOVED it! 

We ended the evening by going to a movie after we found out the hotel hot tub was filled in with cement. We decided to go see Happy Death Day, a sort of comedic horror movie. It was a lot of fun and I actually enjoyed it. 

We ended our trip by going to see the Oklahoma City LDS temple on the Sunday we left. It was a  beautiful way to say goodbye to OKC and I'm extremely grateful Jordan and I could make this trip happen. It was much needed and strengthening to our relationship after the last two months of Jordan working night shifts. It was wonderful seeing our kids when we got home and I missed them so much, but I'm glad we made some memories for ourselves! We are the glue that holds this family together. 

Romney is 11 months, Daddy-Daughter Date, Holidays...

It's a struggle to not start bawling as I contemplate that in less than a month, Romney will have made it through the first year of his life! The joy he has added to our home cannot be measured. He fits into our family like it was meant to be, and I 100% believe that it was. He's a little mischievous and a whole lot of sweet. He's a happy boy with a bit of Hulk in him when he gets angry.

Here are some things about Romney:

He can zoom up the stairs super fast

He loves to pick at my fingers when I'm holding him

His favorite lovey is his blue muslin blanket

He loves to crawl up on things and push things around

Baths are his FAVORITE! I swear he's a fish because all of his gross motor development has began in the bathtub

He's started to yell more and goes all noodle-y on me when move him away from a place he shouldn't be, but wants to be

He's been switching to whole milk and uses a 360 sippy cup

He's walking more and more and has taken 10 steps in a row

He loves to clap, especially for himself

He's way more chatty in the car when Olivia's in the back with him 

Olivia is still his favorite person to see every day

He still takes two naps a day

I love this cutie! 

Jordan took Olivia out and a Daddy-Daughter date and Olivia LOVED it! She dressed all fancy and did her own makeup and I did her hair and then they went off to Chuck E. Cheese and had a ball! It meant so much to Olivia for Jordan to take some time to spend with just her and I know there will be more dates and more special times ahead with just her and her dad because that's the kind of dad Jordan wants to be, and that's the kind of parenting we want our kids to have. Olivia is able to be a special kind of goofy with her dad that she can't be with me. I love seeing their relationship grow and develop and it warms my heart to see the dad Jordan is becoming, despite being chronically tired right now, he still gives 110%.

As October has been approaching, we've been dreaming of pumpkin spice, the smell of apples, and crisp, cool days, but besides the weather, most of our fall dreams are coming true here in Texas. We kicked off the month of October with a trip to the zoo for some Boo Zoo fun! 

Every Monday in October we have Monster Movie Madness Monday where we normally do a fun craft or create a spooky, yummy treat, and watch a monster movie. Olivia looks forward to it and so do I! I love making fun memories with my kids and incorporating ways to get their creative juices flowing and spending some good, quality time with them. I want them to love Halloween as much as I do! 

Just a couple more tidbits to add to this update: 

I made some killer cinnamon rolls for LDS General Conference! 

Olivia drew a copy of the Winnie the Pooh sticker on this page and I am super impressed by her skills! 

And here's a picture of Jordan and me to prove that we do, indeed, exist even though 99% of our pictures we post are of the kids and we're still happy and love each other!

I've been afraid of the holidays because Jordan won't be around much, but as I've been celebrating October and making plans for the coming months, I'm finding I'm actually even more excited for this year than I thought possible. There will be new traditions, new normals, and lots of fun and love to share with our new friends and our family. It's not what I imagined, but I think we'll make the most out of it and turn these holiday months into a year to be remembered and cherished! 

Hearken to His Words...My testimony of the LDS Church

After hearing about the shooting in Las Vegas which happened at a country music festival, my heart became heavy and my mind began pondering why we live in such a wicked time. My thoughts turned to a scripture that I had read only a few days before this: Helaman 10: 18 And it came to pass that they (the people) would not hearken unto his (the prophet's) words; and there began to be contentions, insomuch that they were divided against themselves and began to slay one another with the sword.

It's not a very uplifting verse from the scriptures. It always amazes me how the people in the scriptures can receive miraculous signs from Heaven and have the wonderful words of redemption spoken to them from the mouths of prophets, and yet time and time again they reject the messages and cast out the prophets. They refuse to believe they've seen angels, or felt the truth of the gospel in their hearts. They would rather go on hurting others and hurting themselves. Later on, in the Book of Mormon, Samuel the Lamanite warns the wicked people in Helaman 14: 30-31 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity. doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. 31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you. 

While it can be frustrating and heartbreaking that so many people in this world exercise the agency they were given to make bad choices that hurt those we love, this agency has been given to us so that we can make choices in this life to choose an eternal life of living with our Creator, or to choose an eternal death, a death we brought about by the choices we've made in this life. This death isn't just a death of our bodies, but a spiritual death as well. Each bad choice we make chains us and holds us captive, dragging us down and eventually killing us, while each good choice we make frees us and in doing so we are able to help others to make good choices. 

It is so hard to watch our world unfurl the chaos of living in the last days as spoken by the prophets. 

Nephi the prophet tells us what a corrupt society looks like: Helaman 7:5 ...Comdemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the world, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills—and all of this  21 to get gain, to be praised of men, ye, and that you might get gold and silver. And you have set your heart upon the riches and the vain things of this world, for the which ye do murder, and plunder, and steal, and bear false witness against your neighbor, and do all manner of iniquity.

I think most people would agree whether religious or not, that our world has been in a moral decay for a while now and it's not slowing down. I'm not going to tell you why God allows bad things to happen to good, innocent people, and I'm also not going to tell you that God is punishing us because we're so wicked, because I don't believe that. I think there are still a great number of good people in this world and I think sometimes we get caught up in the consequences of choices that other people make. What I want to tell you is that we don't have to live in a world where we don't believe God cares about His children and isn't striving to help us. He has shown us He cares by providing a modern-day prophet on this earth and apostles to give us counsel in these tumultuous days. 

I did not watch much of General Conference this last weekend. Between taking care of my kids and wanting to hang out with Jordan, my priorities just didn't line up. I've been listening to a couple conference talks a day and I love the spirit it brings into my heart and my home. Before conference, I had been receiving a deep impression that I should be studying the scriptures with more fervor. I began this last week to really start getting into scripture study again, and that's when I came across the above verses from the Book of Mormon. I feel that Heavenly Father was preparing me for these hard times and knew I would need bolstering. My friend mentioned how watching General Conference before hearing about the Las Vegas shooting helped her to feel comfort upon witnessing such a sorrowful event. 

Not only can the words of scriptures and prophets give us comfort during times of tragedy, but they are here specifically to help us overcome the problems of the world. As I listened to the talk given by Bonnie L. Oscarson, she spoke of how service in the home is the noblest type of service and that we often forget to serve others right around us. As I listened to her words I heard a voice whisper in my mind, that I know wasn't my own thought, telling me that if I wanted my children to love and respect me and to get through their teenage years down the road, that I needed to teach them to serve. I'm following this prompting and striving to point out more service opportunities for my 5-year-old to do around the house for her family, and I hope I can lead by example as well. Sister Oscarson spoke of serving your neighbors and finding local ways to help when we feel we can't serve in a big way. She said, "instead of asking what am I getting out of [this activity], to instead ask, who needs me today?" 

I know I needed this message to help strengthen my family during these times. If we fail to follow our prophet's guidance in these latter days, then we are no better than the people of Noah's time who were flooded, or the Egyptians who had plagues set upon them when the Pharaoh wouldn't let the Jews go, or the Nephites who would not repent and were eventually destroyed by the Lamanites. 

It is a hard world we live in. Sometimes it feels like it's not worth it to go on. There is hope though, that our suffering will not be for naught. If we listen to the counsel of the Prophet Thomas S. Monson, the apostles, and our local church leaders, we will not fall from that iron rod. We will hold tight and make it through the darkness that covers us all at some point. There isn't a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but an eternal glory waiting for us. During General Conference, President Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency and an apostle of the church said, "If you will hear him (Christ), He will speak to you THIS VERY DAY." I know as I have striven to listen to the Holy Ghost, that I have heard Christ telling me he loves me and to keep going. He also said that following the gospel will not take away trials, but it will remove the barriers that keep us from getting the help we need during trials. These are words spoken by an apostle of the Lord and I know them to be true. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. The Book of Mormon is clearly another testament of Jesus Christ and His divinity and love for his people on this earth. The church of Christ's day is here on the earth today. We have a prophet to guide us and leaders who know the way, just like the primary song says! Heavenly Father has not forgotten us in our day, which is why He has given us a prophet to guide us, just like in other biblical time periods. I am so humbled by Christ's love for us and take comfort in knowing that he is the Master and Creator of this world. He is in charge and we must do all we can to make good choices and to help others to make it back to Him. Yes, this world can be terrible, but what a wonderful time and world it is, despite all the pain. There is much to be thankful for and much to look forward to. I hope this message brings you comfort and gladness, and I leave my testimony of these truths with you. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

A Little of This, A Little of That

Olivia at a Unicorn birthday party

Too hot for fall around here, so we decided to get the pool out and prolong our summer! 

It's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged and my initial thought was, we haven't done a whole lot around here lately since Olivia started school. As I started looking through our photos from the past few weeks, I realized we've actually been quite busy! We've been trying to take our minds off the fact that Jordan is gone most of the week. I probably see him for about an hour a day if that and I've been whining quite a bit. It's nice to see that despite the really hard days, we've actually been surviving and thriving for the most part! 

We told Olivia before we moved away from Houston that she could get a beta fish and we finally came through with this promise! Chips has been a great addition to the family and Olivia loves to take care of him! 

We went to the drive-in movies with Jordan on a weekend and saw Cars 3 and Despicable Me 3. It was a great evening at the drive-in and a wonderful night out with our family! 

Jordan and I have been able to go out more often despite him not being around a whole lot these days. It's been a lifesaver to our marriage and I'm grateful for the time when I don't have to share him and he's all mine! We went to a church function and then MOD Pizza, our FAVORITE pizza place! 

Romney is 10 months now! I can hardly believe he's two months away from a year old! He loves to say Hi, Bye-Bye, Night-Night, No-No, Da-Da. He doesn't say them perfectly, but he loves to mimic the tone and wave. He is SOOOOO close to walking and stands with so much confidence. He's been teething a lot and has his two uppers and two bottoms, and now he's got two more top teeth coming in. I love having my little buddy around and he brings so much joy to our family! 

Jordan was able to be involved in a march at school to celebrate father-figures being present in childrens' lives. Olivia (and Romm) were thrilled to see Daddy at school and I'm so grateful he made the effort to get there, despite having just got off the night shift and being exhausted. We are so lucky that he works so hard for us, but we are blessed that he tries so hard to be around. 

We FINALLY made it to the Torchy's Tacos in San Antonio and it was delicious! More than that though, we loved getting to go out as a family and enjoy each other's company. We've really been trying to be together as often as we can during the weekend and I'm so grateful for the time we have together. 

To fill in my days, I've been going to the gym a lot and I tried a body attack class and a pound class and I LOVED them both. It's always fun to find new classes to motivate me to work out. I've been trying to volunteer at school and keep on with girls' night when I can. Despite the hard times, life seems to go on and all things will come to an end eventually. I'm grateful for my husband and kids who comfort me when I'm feeling lonely and are right there along with me soldiering on until the sun comes out again. I sure love these people! 

Hurricane Harvey

On Wednesday the 23rd, I found out through social media that a hurricane was heading our way. The projected path of the hurricane was supposed to make a direct line for San Antonio. My mom tribe and I chatted about the storm, wondering how bad it would be. I had been through some tropical storms in Houston and at first, I was skeptical about how much damage it would do. I tried not to feed into the hysteria. But as people started posting on Facebook and Instagram about the chaos and panic at the stores, I didn't feel prepared for what might be coming. There was no bread or milk to be found, water was scarce, and there were lines at the gas pumps. Stores were running out of batteries, and flashlights, and even radios and generators. As we tracked the storm, things began to look even more grim and the hurricane became a Category 4 with winds up to 130 mph. I headed to the store a few times, making big trips to buy essentials like formula and to stock up our food storage. I also bought meals that could be easily made on our camp stove and without heat. I filled up the car with gas and took cash out of the bank to have on hand in case of an emergency. I even made up 72-hour food kits for all of us (something I should have done a long time ago). I should have been more prepared for something like this. 

Over the next couple of days, we prepared to hunker down in our home. I wasn't sure if my phone would last for very long since my battery is very old and weak. I had it constantly plugged in so it was always at 100%. The streets slowly emptied of cars, as more people were seeking shelter indoors. The storm hit us early Saturday morning, with strong winds and lots of rain...

And that's really all we got. It rained for a few days, and there were a few strong gusts (one of which, knocked down our poorly screwed-in fence), and we had a small leak through our window, but there was very little flooding, hardly any damage, and no power outages in our area. My friends and I all felt a little silly for feeding into the hype. The storm had veered off to the left of San Antonio and we narrowly escaped it. 

Many others were not so lucky. As I watched Hurricane Harvey unfold it's destruction through southern Texas, reports were coming in from Port Aransas, Rockport, Corpus Christi, Galveston, and my beloved Houston of complete devastation and flooding. My heart sunk deeply as my eyes were glued to my computer screen, anxiously waiting to see if my friends had remained unscathed through all of it. Hurricane Harvey dropped 40-52 inches of rain, created tornadoes, and intense lightning storms, cyclones, and flash flooding. 

It has killed 70 people with some people still missing, 40,000 homes have been lost, and as many as a million cars were destroyed in just a few days.

I have heard of countless rescue stories both from friends and strangers. Some of my friends have lost everything because of this storm. My friend Chelsey Meier and her sweet three children had to escape their flooded home in a rescue boat. 

Although the hurricane finally dissipated, the damage it has done will be felt for years to come. My heart longs to be in Houston, helping out my friends mucking houses and cleaning up debris. All I can think is that it could have been us. What would I want done for me in this situation? What can I do to better prepare for disasters? 

People have been so giving since the hurricane struck. My heart was lifted back up from hearing about all the generosity and kind-hearted deeds. My dear friend Amanda Anderson organized a diaper drive for the hurricane victims and took all the donations to the Texas Diaper Bank. She had a WHOLE WALL OF DIAPERS! I went over and helped her, along with some other ladies, to organize everything and make it easier for people to help haul the stuff away the next day and it took us three hours to sort through everything. I have definitely learned what NOT to donate during a crisis. 

Along with the hurricane. there have been large, disastrous fires all over Montana, Oregon, and now in Utah, earthquakes in Idaho, and now another hurricane is brewing near the Caribbean and Florida and Hurricane Irma is a CATEGORY 5! 

Needless to say, America has had a lot of disasters as of late. I think we're all feeling more generous, more grateful, and more aware of one another and each other's needs. I know I have felt Heavenly Father helping me find ways to serve others during this time. I know He is aware of what is going on in our world. Christ is the Master of the storm  and He will take care of us. Of course, we must follow the counsel given by prophets and by the scriptures to be prepared. We'll be much better off if we are self-sufficient, but Christ can heal our hearts and give us comfort through these difficult time.

All of these natural disasters and phenomenons, including the eclipse, make me feel like I need to be prepared not just temporally, but spiritually as well. 

I'm grateful all my friends are taken care of and safe. I'm grateful we survived this disaster and that it has changed me for the better. I'm grateful for the world I live in. Despite all the evil we see from the media, there is so much more good, and it's nice to see the good being highlighted for once.