Rejoicing! February Highlights!

The month of February is coming to an end. Man, it flew by fast and I knew that it would. As I ponder about this last month and think of some of the best moments of my life, two words come to my mind immediately.

Love and Laughter

Truly my heart is full and plump for the people all around me. So today's highlights are going to be on the people I love. It's a doozie! Whip out the m&m's and popcorn, this could take a while!

1. Brian! (of course he is number one! psshh, I kind of love the guy for eternity and all!) This was a very interesting month for Brian and I as the trials were small but oh so consistent. We would trip over a few and then laugh about it as we looked back hind sight. I sometimes think that because I am taller than him and that he is so quiet in public, I believe that people may feel that I dominate the relationship. So completely false. We are an equal in all things. Every moment this last month we have endured together. Brian has even started working out with me and we get so many laughs and giggles when we do our core work out together. If we are wearing the same shirt, it feels like we are on a synchronized water ballet team. He tells me not to laugh when we work out together or we will get points deducted. We both had big speaking assignments this month and we share the same calling in our respective auxiliaries. Working side by side with him in our callings is so calming and peaceful to me. We are a team and our best characteristics come out when we work together. He is my equal spiritually and our parenting responsibilities are equal too . It is such a lovely balance and I am so full of love for him. He truly is a wonderful father, husband, and friend and I love him with all my heart.

2. Shaeler! She is now getting into the phase of her life where she is really quite a joy to be around and I miss her terribly when she is not with me. She makes me laugh all the time. I love to hear her deep belly laughs. She is such a kind, loving and obedient child. Last week, we took her to a different ward for Ward Conference and she sat with Christy as Brian and I had to sit on the stand. She sat like a little lady and she was so reverent. Christy was amazed. She had myself and Sister Monson laughing towards the end as she was flashing her fingers to ask me how many more minutes was left of the meeting. I could not respond because I am facing the congregation other than smile and shake my head. Shae loves to sing and play and has recently found her femininity. We have a good friend helping Brian with our storage room and Shaeler has the biggest crush on him. She was yelling at me to pull over one day as he was pulling into his driveway. She wanted me to roll down the window to talk to him. I chuckled. When Todd comes over, she has diarrhea of the mouth and she just goes on and on and Todd patiently and sweetly listens. I broke it to her that he is married and has 4 kids and she didn't care. She loves to talk to Todd because he is funny and sssssoooo nice! Ha!

3. My Parents! My parents came into town for a day and we were able to go to lunch and dinner with them. As we are pretty much regulars over at Leatherby's, we met my mom and dad for ice cream after a very hectic afternoon. Brian pulled a very sly move and paid for the entire meal as he claimed he needed to go to the restroom. Oh! That just gets my mom and dad in an up roar! As we are leaving and saying our good by's, my mom is hugging Shae and whispering in her ear. She was taking a very long time. As they started walking away, Shae comes up to me and slips a $20 bill in my hand. My mom was trying to slip in money to pay for their meal in a sneaky way. As soon as my parents heard my reply, my mom yells "Run Bob!" and they started running for the car. Unfortunately, I beat them there and threw the money back into the car, running off yelling "Love ya!" Every time I think of that night, I can't help but laugh at seeing my parents try to run away. I appreciate their gesture, but sometimes, you have to allow me to pay back such kindness. It is a memory I cherish and I look forward to many more Leatherby runs...........our treat of course!

4. My Mama Lou! I am so blessed to have such a kindred spirit in my life. Truly I am so grateful for her kindness and love. Whenever I am around her, she makes me feel like a million bucks and that I can do anything I want to. I enjoy our emails and encouraging words as we laugh and giggle about our life paths and the things that are thrown our way. My favorite our the Moo Moments. I always look forward to her hugs, her loving words of guidance and just that she is always there for me. Life is about the relationships that we have, and this is a woman that has literally changed my life spiritually, emotionally and has taught me so much. A relationship that I will always treasure. Some of my happiest moments this past month was just the small acts of kindness I could do to repay her for the love that she gives me. Moo!

5. Kristen and Mackenzie! Two of my friends that brought me great joy this month. Many of my highlights include them. I cannot express how much I wish I knew Kristen when I was in high school. I probably would have stayed at my mom's school if I would have known her then. Kristen is just the coolest gal EVER! What I love about her the most is that she is so easy going and there is no drama with her. She is honest and straight forward and also believes the best in people. You can be yourself with Kristen and she brings out the best in you. I love laughing with Kristen. She accompanied me to see the movie Young Victoria this last week as I was ready to explode from stress. She is not a big movie buff and said she forgot to bring her book to read, but she was glad to support me in my need for a romance movie. We loved the movie and talked and giggled during the entire time. Because of Kristen, the words "Dear Elder Albert" and "I have skills" takes on a whole new meaning. Thank you Kristen for being my friend. Thank you for always supporting me and being the level head in all girl things related. Oh and PS - your going down in the challenge, I am buying you a slurpee tomorrow. Ha! ;)

Mackenzie is also a highlight for my month of February. We get together ever so often to have lunch and catch up. I have known Mackenzie since my college days. We did Mary Kay together too. We even have had a couple road trips together to Reno and Long Beach CA. What I love about Mackenzie is that I can be a princess with her and she laughs with me. I love that we can go without seeing each other for months and pick up right where we left off. Mackenzie the lunch we had a while ago was so endearing to me. I love your guts woman! You will always have a friend in me, even if you live in the country. Don't worry, I will teach you the ways to master "the cone!"

6. My Blog Friends! It seems the last couple of months, my blog friends just lit on fire! Some woman I have pondered "Where have you been all of my life?" You are like a kindred spirit to me. I want to thank all of you for your kind comments. I know that not all of you comment and I am perfectly fine with that. I feel it an honor that you pop by and come back. I see you in my sitemeter, and when I see your IP address because some of you I do not know, I look at it like your waving and saying "I thought of you enough to want to pop by!" I am honored and I thank you for it! Some of my new blog friends that I have been really touched by is A Goddess in Progress, Joy in the Journey, Pulsipher Page, Queen B, Kimmie at Pink Cookies with sprinkles, In this small house, Life's Sweet Surprises and Julie Harward. Thank you ladies for contacting me and being a part of my life. You bring me great joy and happiness to have made a new friend and your blogs are inspiring. I also want to recognize my older blog friends such as Cherie at Bakow Babble, Heather from Field of Heather, my sister at Notre Folle Vie, and of course, Jennifer my longest blog friend. You guys are like family to me and I love ya! Well, my sister is family, but I believe the blogging world has brought us together even closer. Cherie, thank you for your ever encouraging words and being my pretend adopted family because you guys do cool stuff ALL the time. Jennifer, thank you for thinking of me and your sweet email. Girl! I am cheering you on all the way. I recognize that there are many others and I send you my love and positive thank you's to you also.

7. Sister Monson, Sister Taylor and Sister Keiser! I cannot express how much I love these women. I am so lucky to be able to serve side by side with some of the best in my calling. I have never experienced such a love and respect with a group of women. What an amazing way to work as a group. I love Sister Monson with all of my heart. She has my complete loyalty and my undying support. She has taught me so much that I am extremely grateful for the many lessons that she teaches me by her sheer example. I am so grateful for Sister Taylor and Sister Keyser too. Sister Taylor is so gifted in the area of decorating, invitations and running an event. She too has taught me so much. And Sister Keiser is like the friend who is always there and always so sweet. We spend a lot of time together and I am always looking forward to the next meeting. They are just good people with good hearts. I love them! I truly do!

8. Friends in my Stake! One of the greatest blessings of my callings is that it has opened the door to meeting new people. I think sometimes we can get very comfortable with our ward or our friends in our ward that we forget that we can have multiple relationships beyond the boundaries that are set. I was never one to belong to just one group. I have always enjoyed bouncing around to multiple groups and having multiple types of friends. Working on a Stake level has given me such an opportunity. I have nothing but love for many of the leaders I serve with in our stake. I am so thankful for Julie, Marisa, Michelle, Stephanie, Kate, Sarah, Lauri, Randy, Katie, Paige, Angie, Pam, Jackie, Janet, and many more. Also, the young women that I have been able to reach out to has over flowed my cup. It gives me great warmth when not only does my young women from my ward know that I always greet with a hug, but now the girls in our stake know that and come to me for a hug. THAT IS AWESOME!!

So, there is my many highlights for the month of February! YOU were my highlight! I love you and I am so thankful that you are a part of my life! Thank you for all of your kindness and love! Each and everyone of you has touched me and changed my life and I am a better person for knowing you all!

POST EDIT!

Sorry, I wrote this late last night. A couple of people that I wanted to thank that I forgot about last night. First, Katie! Thank you Katie for the Valentine's Day Cupcakes! That was a complete surprise and I thank you for your kindness. Second, my blog friend Monica! How could I have forgotten you! You are always so sweet and your creativity is amazing. Your comments are so generous and sweet. MEGAN!! for the many laughs this month over dresses and actresses! Finally, Haylie, my dear friend who not only is in my stake, but my carpool too! Thanks for the many laughs and giggles this month. I cannot wait for the end of April. Oh, and by the way, I am making the Bishop shirt. Which phrase I choose, will be a surprise! Ha!