Lake Powell ~ Wakeboard edition

Our family trip to Lake Powell over fall break was the best. Most especially because we were ALL together.
So everything was right in the world, at least for this momma and her heart. Wakeboarding photos
below. And my word, you should have seen how those kids were improving every day we were out
there. By leaps and bounds (pun intended) And that husband of mine. Yup, he's that cool. Plus a lot.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our handsome Mbappé and our beautiful ballerina (who wisely decided
one of her recital outfits for dance this year would make a fabulous Halloween costume)!

Reminder

It's been a really rough many days. Really rough. So when Jacob sent me this sunset picture
from Nate's game tonight (another night of dividing and conquering), it meant a lot.
Because it was the perfect reminder that God is always near. And always mighty.
And what comes our way is nowhere near as important as the privilege of doing it
alongside Him. I'm grateful for that reminder tonight. I needed it. Mostly, I just need Him.

This boy

This sweetest boy was nominated by his teacher to have lunch with the mayor of our town today, just for
being so outstanding and good. Due to a mix up with the paper that was supposed to be sent home, I didn't
know about it until his school called this morning to see if he had permission to go. And when he came
home and I made a big deal about it, he just shrugged and said the mayor was really nice. Oh this boy is
something else. He's just truly one of the most incredible humans I know. I'm so honored to be his mom.

His house

I love His house so much. I'm so honored He allows me to be there.

Annie's 22nd birthday trip

For her 22nd birthday, Annie wanted to spend some time with her darling friend Tay—the cutest
counselor that she met at FSY this past summer—in Arizona. So that is what we gave her money
to do. And she had the best time. Sounds like a really happy birthday memory if you ask me.

Celebrating this gorgeous girl

Exactly twenty-two years ago today, the world became a brighter, happier more beautiful place, because
this girl was born. Whenever I think of Annie, I think of sunshine. Pure and unfiltered light, warmth and
goodness that radiates out to every single person she is around. She is the epitome of kindness, love,
beauty and brilliance. Not to mention hilarious beyond belief and a writer like no other. Mostly, she just
really, really loves Jesus. And it shows. We are forever the luckiest because we get her in our family.

Happy Birthday my darling Annie! We love you something crazy.

Another year of Narnia

 

This darling girl just finished her third year participating in her dance company's
production of Narnia. It was beautiful and magical as always. And Grace loved every
bit of the practice and performance. I love watching this girl do something she loves
as much as dance. It makes my momma's heart feel a whole lot like it could burst.

Twenty-five

 

Twenty-five years ago this exact day, Jacob Allen got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I couldn't answer yes fast enough.

And minutes later, as we drove back down the mountain, our song came on (lucky thing my brand new fiancé had been playing the mixed tape I made for him not long before). Jacob pulled to the side of the dirt road, got out, held out his hand and asked me to dance.

And we did. Right there in the dark, in the middle of that dusty road, with no one around for miles. I truly believed it wasn't possible for a person to be more in love with another human than I was with Jacob Allen in that moment. I'm grateful I was wrong.

But I will never, in all of ever, forget that moment. Not in this life or the next. Because it was the beginning of the undeserved honor of having Jacob and our children for all of eternity. And nothing matters to me more. Nothing.

Twenty-five years. Yikes we are old. And yikes we are happy. So very happy. Not every moment for sure. Like so many others, we have had some incredibly high highs and horrifically low lows. And so many meh mehs in between. But I wouldn't want to do this life alongside anyone else. And I wouldn't want to have eternity ahead of me without Jacob Allen as my husband.

I guess I just wanted to say I'm really grateful. For a God who loves me so much that exactly twenty-five years ago this very day, He told the man I loved that it was His intention to have him ask me to be his wife. And then let us add to that already beautiful memory with a mountain road dance in the dark.

What a day to remember. What a life to love.

A morning in the temple, an evening on the trail

Today's primary program

This little darling had a primary program today and gave the most beautiful talk during it. Having my dad
there to support Grace meant so much. She is the sweetest, he is the best. It was a good Sabbath.

Fall piano lessons

These two handsome boys are pretty happy to be back at piano lessons again and equally
excited that I pestered them for a photo before they got out of the car for their first fall
lesson. Okay, maybe not the second part. They are so good to put up with their mom.

But that second little love was sure a whole lot excited for her very first lesson with
darling Emily and really, can you blame her? Emily's the absolute best. No contest.

 

Last, just a gorgeous sun shot that I took on the way to lessons (worry not,
Jacob was driving). It's a favorite view of mine every Monday night.

God's kindness

Yesterday morning was one of the great privileges of mortality, as our Benjamin received his
patriarchal blessing. There are moments in life when time stands still and it feels like heaven couldn't
be any closer--and that is most definitely one of them. It is sacred and beautiful and makes all that
doesn't matter in life fall away really quickly. I'm so thankful for a God that is far better to us than we
ever deserve and a son who is good and faithful to the core of his being. I'm just so ridiculously blessed.

Celebrating this amazing guy

Twenty-four years ago this very day, this tremendous, handsome, hilarious, genuine, athletic, brilliant,
people-loving boy made me a mom. And I've never been the same. Everything about my life, and our family,
is more wonderful, happy, bright and entertaining because Campbell is in it. He had an amazing year
the past 365 days--some of my most treasured memories in mortality come from that time. But even
with that, I can feel there are even greater days ahead. Especially for someone who loves the Lord,
life, his beautiful wife, his family and others as much as this guy does. He's just plain amazing.

Happy Birthday my incredible Campbell! You are so deeply loved.

Five years

The hardest and holiest of days. The longest and fastest five years imaginable.
And the most sacred of mornings acting as proxy so that daughters who have gone on
to heaven could be sealed to their mothers (and fathers) for eternity. I'm so thankful
heaven is real. And close. Both are bringing me a whole lot of comfort today.

My sacred privilege

I took this photo the other night as I was leaving the temple and I really love it.
But not nearly as much as I love the temple itself.

Yesterday I had an interview with a leader in our stake to renew my temple recommend. And I always
get emotional during those interviews because I'm just so overwhelmed with gratitude that the Lord
allows us to be in His house. To learn what we learn, to serve how we serve and to feel what we feel.
It just seems unimaginable to me and yet, every week, there I am. Being made happier, lighter,
kinder, better, closer to those who have passed on, with every second spent inside its walls.

I'm so honored to worship a God that could ever be so good to us.
He means everything to me. As does the temple.

Far more than these meager words could ever convey.

Yesterday

Celebrating this darling girl

Ten years ago this very day, I kept a promise that I made to our Gracie girl, long before
either of us came to earth. And we are forever the luckiest because this darling little love
is in our family. She is so deeply kind, so crazy brilliant, hilarious beyond words and
makes everything about life brighter and happier. She is a beautiful dancer, an amazing
artist, a constant creator and the most loving little sis you can imagine. She's just all that
is wonderful and good in the world and I'm so incredibly thankful God gave her to us.

Happy Birthday sweetest Grace! We love you so ridiculously much.

A night my heart needed

Time in the temple tonight, for a sweet and significant reason, with these five humans
that I absolutely adore. And then three additional hours at dinner afterwards because we
couldn't stop visiting and laughing. It was the best. And boy did my heart need it.

Grateful for us

Jacob and I are thankful to be in the temple often--with him going in before
work and me during the day when the kids are in school. So we don't make it as
regularly together as we'd like. But last night we did and I'm so grateful.

My favorite place with my favorite person.

Another evening on the boat

Jacob had a chance to take Ben and some friends on the boat Friday night.
Several that were planning on coming couldn't make it at the last minute, but these
three still had a blast. I'm so thankful for the friends Ben has--truly some of the most
kind, good, hilarious, outstanding teenagers I have ever known. I'm a really big fan.

Too much beauty

And then there was the sky showing off to a degree I have seldom witnessed with my very own eyes.

Yup, God sure loves me.

Glowy light and silhouettes

It was a glowy light and silhouette pics kind of night on the lake two evenings ago. I loved it so much.