and the winner is...

On Saturday Emily, Kristi, Katie (Kristi's neighbor) and I went on the Bed & Breakfast tour in Cedar City. I learned a few things. One, that Cedar has a freakish amount of B&Bs. We went to seven...there are probably as many more. Two, I learned that there is a point where enough is enough, and you must ignore that point to be a B&B owner. I tried to be open minded since the decor is so different from my own style, but WOW! Some of these places had floral wallpaper and floral bedspreads and floral pillows and floral pictures and even floral light switch covers. I felt like I died and went to flower hell. I also couldn't believe the need to cover every surface with knick knacks and fake flowers. EVERY surface. Owners must spend hours every day just dusting.

But we did have fun. I especially liked the part when I was trying to explore a secret closet door and things got out of control. We were all giggling and whispering and Kristi shoved my head back in the closet to turn off the light. Then she loudly declared she was laughing so hard she was going to pee her pants. And the part when some of the refreshments were inedible and we spent 15 minutes trying to politely nibble on them or find a place to ditch them.

Here are my favorites. This library is from the Big Yellow Inn. I didn't like much else about this one, but I've always wanted a library lined with shelves. Too bad the books were almost inaccessible due to the rampant figurine placement.

And this is the Iron Gate Inn. It's the oldest B&B in town. I loved the porch and the floors. Also, the decor was tasteful.

The best part was a sign at Kristi's house that said "Bed And Breakfast- You make both".

My hero: Bob the Builder

Okay, his name is actually Robert, but he says he was called Bobby as a kid. As I've been pondering Father's Day and my amazing Dad, I thought I'd base my words on the most recent picture I have of him. Well, this is it.

Not the best picture to see what he looks like, but absolutely the best to show what he's like. First off, my dad is always dressed up. His "casual" is fancier than most people's "dressed up". His typical attire is dress shoes, dress socks, slacks or suit pants, and a button up shirt. For work he wears a white long sleeved shirt with a tie and usually a suit jacket. For ranch work or "dirty" work he wears a short sleeve or plaid shirt, button up nonetheless. I'm would bet money he doesn't own a t-shirt.

Secondly, Dad is Handy (indeed with a capital D). Though his schooling is in the human behaviour realm, he's an expert at fiddling. Fiddle with the washing machine...and it works! Fiddle with the engine...voile! I have a testimony of my father's ability to fix anything.

Lastly, this picture shows him up on my roof fixing my swamp cooler. If you look closely you can even see the water coming off the roof. The amazing thing about this is not that he's up there, dressed for cocktail hour, or that he DID actually fix it, but that my dad loves to serve. He hasn't been in the best of health, yet as soon as I wasn't looking, he climbed up on my house to help me out. He's a wonderful example of love and service. Dad is very thoughtful and caring. He always makes a point to check in with each of his kids and see how we are doing. This past week I was having a difficult time, so he stopped by just to say hi. Over the weekend he called me every day, even though he was up at the ranch and there is limited cell phone coverage.

Last week he gave a fireside on relationships for an LDS ward on the north end of town. I joined my sister and mom to listen and support him. He is so genuine. He speaks from the heart. I could tell how he truly wanted every person in that room to be happy. He made us laugh, he made us cry, and he made us feel so encouraged to change and improve our lives and relationships.

I am so proud of my dad and all the good that he does. We all talk about changing the world, but he really did it.

remember when we had a back yard?

One of the reasons we are still in Utah.

The upside is Mason enjoys watching the tractors.

The downside is it's kind of taking FOREVER!

rambling on about eternity

On Sunday I was asked to share my feelings about my marriage to a Young Women's group in my old home ward. I was married in the LDS Manti Temple. For those that may not know, when you are married in the temple you are sealed for time and all eternity to your spouse and future family. There is no "until death do you part" or "as long as you both shall live". It's forever.

I accidentally left my notes and great quotes at home. I tried not to get nervous and tried to calmly speak from the heart. I talked about the experiences growing up that helped me realize the temple was the only place for me to be married. I shared the special spirit you feel as you enter the temple. I tried to explain how the worries and concerns of the world slip away when you are in the House of God and how you KNOW He loves you and knows you and wants you to be happy. I pointed out we do not have the lavish traditions of society but we focus on the simple and profound love that our Heavenly Father has blessed us with.


The blessings of an eternal marriage are beyond what I can describe. It puts everything, everything, into perspective. We live in a world where the commitment of marriage is not valued as it should be. My husband and I committed to be together forever. It's not something to be taken lightly. When you know you will be with someone for your entire life, and beyond, it helps you be more loving, more patient, more compassionate, more understanding, more fun loving, quicker to forgive, slower to anger, and you certainly work harder because you know it's worth it.

I have a strong undoubting testimony of temple marriages. Talking to a group of girls and their teachers about it was harder than I thought. I wonder if missing my husband so much it physically aches had anything to do with it.

But I do know this: Knowing we will be together forever helps sustain me through this brief separation. I cannot imagine the grief and anguish of being separated from him once we leave this life. I often think of the pain that the rest of the world experiences when a loved one passes away. How devastating it must be to say goodbye and think that it is the final time you'd see that person. To think that it's over. To have no hope. My belief in the sealing power of the temple gives me such joy. I know I will have to face many moments in life where I will mourn the losses of my loved ones. But it is a temporary and temporal sadness. I KNOW that by being true and faithful that I will be granted the opportunity to be united with them in the next life. Indeed, I have been promised... we have been sealed... and I know that my family is forever. I wouldn't trade that for the world.

Words of the week