Wonderful-30 Years!
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Category Archives: Love
Six Years!!!
It’s been another year of blogging!!!
It’s been SIX years!!!
Let’s see…what has happened in this last year?
I became a Grandma for the second time to the cutest “Lil’ Dude.”
I got a new job,
welcomed home my sweet missionary and “Bonus Baby”,
and moved to a new home after 18 years in our old home.
It has been a very busy year!
I feel so blessed and life is full.
I haven’t been super good at posting:(, but I do love sharing fun stories and pictures and things about myself and my life. I hope you have enjoyed coming to visit and I hope you’ll come again! Leave a comment if you’d like, that way I’ll know you where here.
I keep blogging a long mainly so my family has a history of “US”. Here’s a great quote that explains how I feel:
“Every family has keepsakes. Families collect furniture, books, porcelain, and other valuable things, then pass them on to their posterity. Such beautiful keepsakes remind us of loved ones now gone and turn our minds to loved ones unborn. They form a bridge between family past and family future.
Every family has other, more valuable, keepsakes. These include genealogies, family stories, historical accounts, and traditions. These eternal keepsakes also form a bridge between past and future and bind generations together in ways that no other keepsake can.”-Dennis B. Neuenschwander
Please visit again!
Love, Joy
“Hamilton” The Velveteen Bear!
“Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit. ‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’ ‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’ ‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
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Meet my velveteen friend, Hamilton!
When I was just 5 years old my maternal grandparents gave me Hamilton.He didn’t have a name then.
He was very large and furry. He had two black eyes, and a realistic nose. His red tongue, made of felt, hung out of his mouth like he was ready to lick some honey.
I was in love!!!
We played for hours and hours.
He was my friend when I felt like no one else was. He loved me no matter what.
I’ve kept him all these years
-48 to be exact-
I didn’t know I was making him “Real” by loving him so much.
————–
Recently we have been cleaning out closets and rooms. Throwing things away and sending things to the thrift store. I came across Hamilton in the back of my closet. I thought maybe its time. I said to my darlin, should I get rid of him? He told me it was up to me and suggested that I take a picture of him. I took the picture above, and then
burst into tears. I cried so hard. I called my momma for advice. She told me, “You don’t have to get rid of him. Get rid of something that isn’t so sentimental.”
I agreed. I can’t do it, I’m not ready. I may never be ready.
And now I feel much better.
Maybe someday I can tell my grandkids about Hamilton and how “Real” he is to me.
Selfie!
Two really great dudes!!!
My Most Lovin!
We’ve spent 29 years together!
Why has it worked? We aren’t a perfect couple, but we have learned some things.
First of all, we began our relationship as friends. We were friends for years before we went on a date. In fact, when he asked me out the first time, I wasn’t sure if it was a date or if we were going out as friends. I decided if he opened the door for me, it was a date. Guess what? He opened the door for me!
Second, we understand that neither one of us is perfect. We will bug each other from time to time. We do our best to treat each other with love, respect, and kindness. I feel so blessed to have this kind of marriage.
Third, we include God in our relationship. He is the most important. If we are both doing our best to live the kind of life we know that our Father in Heaven would be pleased with, we will be treating each other right, and we will have love in our marriage.
It is hard work, but very much worth it. I wouldn’t trade him for anything, and I am thankful everyday for my life with my darlin.
HaPpY BiRtHdAy to My DaRliNeSt!!!
We had a fun day celebrating my sweeties birthday!!!
We rode on the Front Runner to Salt Lake City. We saw a movie at the planetarium, and then we saw lots of other things…. 
We saw the solar system! 
We saw a meteor and touched it!
We saw a tornado machine!
We saw this ginormous earth! What a beautiful place we live!!!
Then I saw this cute guy on Mars doin’ an Egyptian pose!!! 😉
We had dinner at Tucanos….Mmmmmmm!
They had a lovely Salad Festival. I think all salad bars should be called a Salad Festival! Don’t you? It seemed that much more special!
Then we went to the City Creek Center. Beautiful!
I love spending time with my sweetheart! We had such a fun day!
Happy Birthday to my darlin’!!
Tuesday Adventure!
We had a wonderful Tuesday!!! After a wonderful visit to the Bountiful Temple we drove to Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City! It is one of my favorite places in the world! I love the feeling you get when you step onto the square. There is definitely a lovely spirit as you walk through and see the beautiful sights. 
My sweetheart and I were married in this beautiful building (above). It is the Salt Lake Temple! It is my favorite because of that. It is a absolutely gorgeous building inside and out!
This building is the Assembly Hall. Our son, Riley, once sang with his high school choir in there. It is a very pretty building. And the statue in front of it is the Seagull Monument. It commemorates the miracle of the Seagulls.
The pioneers had recently entered the Salt Lake Valley and were trying to grow food when a huge infestation of crickets started eating the crops. There were so many crickets they were afraid that they would not have any food. So they prayed and asked God for help, and many Seagulls came and started eating the crickets. The Seagulls would fly away and regurgitate the crickets and come back and eat some more. The crop was saved and the pioneers thanked God for the miracle.
Right next to the Seagull Monument is a beautiful bronze statue of some handcart pioneers. These pioneers where so valiant. They struggled more than most of the pioneers. Imagine putting everything you own in a small handcart like the one behind the parents in this statue. You would also need supplies and food. How could you fit everything? If someone got sick or injured they would have to fit in the handcart. An awesome movie that shares the story of the handcart pioneers is called 17 Miracles. I have 8 pioneer families in my ancestry, but none of them came by handcart. They used covered wagons. All of the pioneers were the most diligent, hard working, and stalwart people. I am so happy to read about my pioneer ancestors.
Another view of the beautiful Salt Lake Temple!!! It is a sacred and holy place.
Then we went into the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was the Hotel Utah originally. Now it is a monument to a great prophet!! Joseph Smith restored the Church of Jesus Christ back to the earth. He was a wonderful man. You can hear about him here and here!
It is a very beautiful building!!
Look at the details in the trim and the beautiful chandelier!
It was a busy and fun day! We visited a few other places, but I will share those at a later time.
I love the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am so grateful we were able to visit temple square. Oh, I almost forgot. One thing I do every time I visit temple square is hug as many sister missionaries as I can and tell them I love them! I hope someone is loving and hugging my sweet Emily on her mission too!!!
God Bless America!
I am so grateful for this wonderful country, The United States of America!
I am also grateful to all of the men and women who have fought to protect our freedom. I am grateful for the leaders who have served this country with integrity and honor throughout history.
I love this country!
Happy Independence Day!!!
Tender Mercies!
When we were getting ready for Riley and Janet’s wedding, we spent many hours creating decorations. We were having lots of fun preparing! One of the things we were working on was some tree slices for the tables for centerpieces. We used some of the wood we had from a tree my darlin cut down. After he cut the first slices they started to split, and the bark was coming off. We realized we would have to do something different, or find some different wood and start over.
One other thing I need to mention is that two days after the wedding we planned on dropping Emily off at the MTC (Missionary Training Center). So we had a wedding on Monday and dropped our baby off on Wednesday. We would not see Emily for 18 months. Needless to say it was a very busy, exciting, and emotional time.
So, back to the tree slices. We called and checked around for possible replacements. My darlin had chopped down a neighbors tree a while before, so we called them to see if we could come see if any of the wood would work for our project. As I sat on the patio waiting to go to the neighbors, I started to cry. I said a little prayer, “Heavenly Father, please help things to work out.” Right after I said that, I looked near the bird feeder and there was a little puddle of water on the ground. In the puddle was a tiny little bird washing itself. It would flap it’s wings and move around. It was precious. The first thought that crossed my mind was, “Everything is going to OK!” I can’t explain why, but that little bird helped me to feel peace at that moment. I said a prayer of thanks, and we went up to the neighbors. We looked at the all the wood piled at the neighbors house, and there wasn’t anything really that we felt like would work. So we left and on the way back down the hill we noticed a long, perfectly straight log sitting underneath a tree in another neighbors yard. We passed by and both of us looked at each other and said, “Did you see that?” We turned around and my darlin went to the door and asked the neighbor if they were going to use the log. She said that she was just waiting for someone to come and take it away. Wow! We asked if we could have it. She was happy to be rid of it! That log made the most beautiful tree slices you’ve ever seen!! I felt so blessed, and loved to think that Father in Heaven had helped our situation to “be OK!” In fact it was wonderful!
I love to watch for tender mercies in my life. I know Father is aware of me. He watches out for all of us, and blesses us. Our job is to notice the little things and give thanks!!
My Baby is 20!
My little “Bonus Baby” is having a birthday today!! What a wonderful darling baby. She is truly a blessing.
One day old.
3 Months Old
2 Years Old
8 Years Old
18 Years Old
Now!
I am a blessed Mama. I hope my sweet Sister Emily has a wonderful birthday. I won’t be able to call her or hug her today. She’s on her mission for 7 more months. I sent her a package and a letter and a card. I will get to talk to her on Mother’s Day in about a month. Yay! So just for today, I’ll thank Heavenly Father for my sweet “Bonus Baby”, for her life and the wonderful opportunity to love her, and know her, and be her Mama!!!
Happy Birthday “Bonus Baby”!!! oxoxo