Sunday, April 15, 2012

Rainbows and Rain

Today I am filled with joy for all the blessings in my life. Prayers are truly answered. It may take a long time, but they will be. Most often they are answered when you least expect it and in a way you never would have pictured. I was taught by the spirit so much today. As we struggle through things in life, many times without people knowing, there is always someone who knows.


If we look around us there are constant reminders that the Lord is there. He is in everything! He is in the joy and the pain, the smiles and the tears, the heartache and the pure joy. This poem was shared today and I LOVED it!! It is long, but worth the read. It was an answer to my prayer and something worth thinking about.


Some people like to wonder

Why is my life so tough?
Mortality is full of trials
and every day is rough.

They say, "Hey Lord, I'm bein' good.
Why punish me with trials?
I thought that if I chose the right
I'd have a life of smiles."

So here's some things within a poem

We mustn't disregard.

Which hopefully will answer
why our lives can be so hard.



Nephi crossed a desert
to find a place to build a ship.
I think we'd all agree
this was not a pleasure trip.

A wilderness dark and dreary

lay before the tree of life.

You must fetch Ishmael's family

before you find your wife.



A wilderness will always come
before the Promised Land.

And before they sowed in dark rich soil,

They saw a lot of sand.



The kind of things that they went through

we go through now today.

Here's 25 examples
of how things can be that way:



You've got to eat your Cracker Jack's
before you get your prize.

You have to sit through the drive-through

before you get your fries.



I drove a Chevy Vega
before my Honda Prelude.

I had to take my finals, man,

before I got my grade, dude.



Before the 80's music came

we had to go through disco.

Before the Teflon frying pan

we used to cook with Crisco.



You do a lot of dating son

before you find your honey.

Bank officers will check your past

before they loan you money.



Endure the small apartment kids
before you buy a home.

My Franklin planner weighed a ton
before I bought a palm.



You have to pass the food court

before you reach the mall,

And I was really, really short

before I got this tall.



It takes a lot of courage boys

to ask the girls to dance.

Without the risk of asking though,

you'll never find romance.



The ugly duckling came before

the really pretty swan.

You've got to pull the dandelions
to have a gorgeous lawn.



It could take 300 Wonka bars

to find a golden ticket;
To eat that pile of chocolate

boy, you've really gotta dig it.



We shovel snow in winter time

before we get to spring.
Some guys will sacrifice their jeep
to buy a wedding ring.



It's half a dozen previews
and then the presentation,

And only after 8th grade trials

comes high school graduation.



Airport security must be passed

before you find your gate.

It's odd that much of traveling
is stand in line and wait.



You've got to go in rush hour

then you park in your garage.

You have to do stuff for your wife
to earn a back massage.



Hours of piano lessons came

before the big recital.

The Cougars played the U of U
before they won the title.



Perhaps I should get to the point

before this poem gets longer.
I guess that what I'm trying to say
is that trials make you stronger.



So when you have a problem
there's no reason to complain.

It might just be that all that's wrong
is for your eternal gain.



Next time a trial comes along

don't gripe or write a letter.

Just see what's really going on

your problems make you better.



I hope my amateurish poem

my point will not diminish.

Sometimes a rough start comes before

a really awesome finish.

-John Bytheway

One of my favorite quotes my whole life has been, "Everyone wants happiness without the pain, but you can't have a rainbow without a little rain." When life is hard remember that things will get better and when we look back on the hard times, we will see how much we have grown. The hard times are what make us who we are. 





Vegas and Peyt's Baptism

One of the cutest 3 year olds around!

Some days you just need a break...from everything. A minute to breathe, regroup, and realize things aren't as bad as they seem sometimes. I got that chance two weeks ago. I got to spend the week with my awesome family in Las Vegas. We had lots of laughs, celebrated sweet Miss Halle's birthday, and spent a lot of time doing absolutely nothing; and it was WONDERFUL!

Our awesome view...HUGE houses!






This trip couldn't have come at a better time and I am so thankful it was with the people I love most. Some of the highlights were the Coke Factory, shopping, sitting by the pool, and iPod idol. I got to see the personalities of my little cousins and they had me laughing. I can't believe how quickly they have grown up.




So proud of them





We got to finish our trip celebrating Peyton's birthday and baptism. It was such a special day! Tanner got to baptize Peyt and it was hard to hold back the tears. I am so proud of those boys. They are the best brothers out there! Tanner looked like a missionary and Peyt just glowed. They are growing up way too fast!





I love my family!