Monday, May 30, 2011

this memorial day.

i know that memorial day is a day set aside to remember those heroic men and women who have fallen while defending our beautiful nation.

i know that many, many families have sacrificed by allowing their loved ones to be gone for months on end while they still have to deal with daily life without them.

i know that many, many families have had to say goodbye to their loved ones when they least expect it and when it is least convenient.

i know many families have had to bury loved ones prematurely.

for those who are, were or will be in the armed forces or who have family members serving i say thank you.

i am so grateful to live in such a miraculous nation. it is only through the many miracles wrought by our Heavenly Father that we are allowed to have so many freedoms.

and it is only because of those men and women willing to fight for those freedoms that we are able to have them now.

although this is a day to remember those who have fallen from war, i cant help but give the majority of my attention to my dad.

he did not fight for our country, but he was a good man. he did so many good things and helped to make others better. he was a husband, a father, a brother, a friend. a teacher, a coach, a leader.

like those families who have lost loved ones to the despair of war, i mourn for a man who lost his own war- cancer.
my dad has been gone for 10 months now. and i cant help but wish that i was sitting with my mom at his gravesite today.

i know she is sad. i know she misses him and i do too. more than i can properly convey. but i know that now he is fighting for a greater good on the other side. i truly believe that.

the past few weeks have given me the opportunity for a lot of reflection on my life and the way i have handled the trials i have been given. and although i dont feel like i have dealt with things the best way most of the time, i am beginning to appreciate that this is where my life is right now. and i cant always be sad about it. i can be sad that my dad isnt here experiencing the things that i want him to, but i cant be sad that he isnt in pain anymore.

i listened to a talk given by Brent L Top called "What is this thing that men call death" it was given at byu education week and is amazing. i feel like it has really helped me appreciate what a beautiful thing death really is. especially for those people who have lived a good, righteous life. which i believe my dad did.

and for that today i rejoice. instead of feeling sorry that my dad isnt here, i find joy that he lived a good life and is now in a place that he can give all of himself to the efforts that Heavenly Father wants him to do.


Friday, May 27, 2011

CallaghanArtGallery's shop

OH MY HECK!!

i am dying.

i am sooo in love with this!

i will have one.

i'll just probably make my own though!


x0x0

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

baby bell shower.

carlis baby shower turned out really fun and really cute.

mindy and i had a blast planning all of the little details!

mindy had a REALLY busy week that week and did so much to make the shower a success! i was super impressed!

we all had a great time.

i kept teasing carli that i chose the wrong person to throw this shower for, because she is SO healthy... and lets be honest this shower was FAR from healthy!

i mean come on it was a "circus-y" theme!!!


the invite
me carck and kaylee
the cute thank you favors were popcorn from the popcorn shop.
just another one. with my freaky eyes
tia and mindy
i had this wild idea for a banner... took cork board from ikea and painted on the letters... i didnt end up having time to finish the banner so made this funky makeshift thing... whatever.

these cute hanging circles were so easy to make and way cute. probably would have been cuter if i would have used two sided paper. and holy food and junk. we had everything you can think of.
mindy made the cute advice cards and we played a little baby bell trivia game.
we ate hot dogs, popcorn, carmel corn, chips, candy, slushies, cookies... yeah it was awesome.
annie linda shag and mattea
carli kaylee and lindsey
kirsten. lindsey. mindy. carli. mattea. kaylee. tia. me. annie

we had a great time! and are so excited for baby bell to come! ANY DAY NOW!

Monday, May 23, 2011

lifes a beach.

we have been having a wonderful time in vb.
the past few afternoons have been spent in the sun, sand and water.

summer has finally arrived.

we have mixed emotions in our home about that. glad its warm and we arent in school. sad we arent with family. sam works so dang hard in the summers. this summer is even more intense than usual.

he rocks. seriously.


{i used picnik for the first time... interesting}



i love that little dimple
sam and brit
alan. melissa. sam. me


brit... haha

brit. me. sam. alan. melissa
ive kind of been like the mother hen around here. melissa is the only other wife that has been out here up to this point, a few more wives will be arriving shortly!!! yipee! but until then i have been the cooker. we keep saying it feels like sister wives.. ha

summer is bueno. we are doing great.
come and visit this beautiful place!

Friday, May 13, 2011

what the??

my previous post has suddenly vanished?


what the? does anyone know where to find it?

ok and when i click on any other blog it doesnt show the most current post, but the previous one?

is this happening to anyone else?

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

meet virginia.

i arrived in virginia beach last night.
no baggage in hand.
two bags lost somewhere between salt lake and norfolk.
i guess thats the price of 3 layovers and 2 airlines.
hopefully they will be found and arrive on my doorstep soon.

being reunited with sam never felt so good.
im so thankful to be back with my sweetheart.

school is over.
work is over.
stress is over.
hello beach.

care to join me?

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

monsters vs. aliens

awhile back our friend breanne pointed out how a character at the beginning of the movie monsters vs. aliens looked exactly like sam.

yes i must agree. i think the creators of the movie found a picture of my husband and used it in creating this guy. hahaha its quite hilarious.


x0x0

Sunday, May 1, 2011

carli bell and baby boy

my darling cousin carli (gunter) bell is having a baby boy soon! i am sooo excited for her. she is going to be the best mom. any kid would be lucky to have her creativity and love in their life.


me and her good friend mindy decided to throw her a shower.

a circus/carnival theme with all the fixings.

i may not have invited everyone that would like to come, so if you would like to PLEASE come and celebrate with us! i made it so that people couldn't see the address and phone numbers on this, so if you want more information email me! kyrsten35@hotmail.com

or if you know where my parents live, just show up! :)

x0x0