Some words of encouragement that we all need

Elder Holland came to our Stake Conference this weekend! Apparently Southern Cali is really struggling right now, at least that is what we hear. Another apostle is going to another stake conference in the area next week, which is pretty uncommon. Elder Holland said that he was really happy to get to come, that he only makes it to 2 or 3 stake conferences a year because they usually keep him busy with other things. He said with how many stakes there are in the world, if they distribute the apostles to each one evenly, we wouldn't have another apostle for 29 years! Crazy. Needless to say, we were very excited to have him here. We were encouraged in January to read as much of Matthew, Mark and John as we could to prepare for this weekend. His talks were so great. I especially enjoyed the session last night. With the economy the way it is, and with all the terrible things and illnesses that are happening in the world, it was just what we all needed to hear. So, I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes of his with you. I know when we take notes like this, we are encouraged to write things the spirit prompts us with, and things we learn for ourselves personally, but his talk was so great I wanted to write every word of it. I figure I can go back and add my inspiration later. :)

He started out by telling us that he knows we are all struggling with things in life. That he knows life isn't easy. He reminded us that we are not alone, and even used what I consider a High School Musical line, "We're all in this together." :) He mentioned the economy, illnesses, hardships in marriage and with children, and many more things. Referring to the premortal life, he said, "We shouted for joy about coming to earth and now sometimes we wonder what all the shouting was about!" (He was very animated which made it more fun). His main focus was no matter how tough our trials are, we need to endure. Although I feel like I'm in a really good place right now, and don't have anything weighing me down, I know those days will come and I hope to remember his encouraging talk. (Hence, the reason for this post. Someone remind me to refer back to it the next time I'm complaining.)

He compared life to a play. He said that we are in the 2nd act, which is the worst because that is where the problems usually are. But it always gets better in the 3rd act. As much as we may want to leave, we need to remember we signed on for the whole "evening".

"It takes broken soil and broken clouds to make grain. Broken grain to make bread, and broken bread to feed people. It is the cycle of life. Everything broken gets restored, just maybe not during the "act" we would like."

Sometimes it is encouraging to know that the Apostles have struggled also. He told us that he knows what it's like to walk the floors at 3am and wonder if he will ever be happy. He knows what it is like to wonder why the sun comes up for everyone else and not for him.

He said, "If we are gonna learn patience, we are gonna need to wait and wait and wait. And wait. In the middle of trouble, endure. WAIT for happiness because I promise, in the name of the Lord, it will come."

"This is the church of happy endings. It is the church of Jesus Christ. So BUCK UP!"

He told us the word "restoration" occurs more often in the scriptures than the word "resurrection". He said for every crucifixion night comes a resurrection morning. Everything that we think we have lost can come back.

He told us one thing we should not do, and that is to shake our fist when we are suffering and say that the Lord doesn't love us. He said that this is blasphemy (was funny because he seemed hesitant to use that word) because the scriptures are filled with righteous people who suffered greatly. He talked about the Savior suffering most of all, and it was done for us. He also mentioned Peter, whochose to be crucified upside down so not to be equal to the Savior.

He ended by saying, "I can't guarantee anything about the economy, politics, or problems in your individual lives, but theone thing I can absolutely guarantee in this world is that the gospel is true."

The first rule of seamanship is if, in the middle of a storm, STAY IN THE BOAT. Put on your life jacket, and pull all other safety features near to help protect you, and stay in the boat!

Finally!

I was feeling caught up after I did 5 posts in one day last month. But it is now March and I realized I haven't even done Christmas, let alone everything in between. Our camera was dead when we were in Utah and instead of charging it I just kept trying to take pictures on my phone. Which, of course, never turns out that great. Needless to say, I am disappointed in the lack of pictures we have of Christmas. I will post the ones we do have once I figure out how to upload the pictures on my camera. But we did have a great time. I definitely had the post-Holiday blues after being with both sides of our family. Kyle helped cheer me up by booking me a short trip back to MI in February. I am lucky to have such a sweet husband who understands my need to see my family. I can tell he has been a little homesick as well. We both had President's day off last month so we decided to surprise his family and head to UT for a long weekend. I think we ended up being a little bit of a disappointment, however, as most of them thought the reason for our unexpected trip was to announce we were pregnant. Sorry....

However, I do have some good news. I am officially certified to do eyelash extensions! An Eyelash Extension Specialist is what they call it. It may be a long while before I don't feel guilty calling myself that-I am hardly a Specialist after applying only one set of eyelashes. After about 15 minutes, however, I did stop wanting to pull my hair out and actually felt like I was getting the hang of it. It's pretty intense-you have a long, sharp tweezer in each hand, and with one you single out an eyelash by separating other eyelashes and holding them apart for several seconds, while, with the other hand, pick up an extension, dip it in glue, apply it to the eyelash, and wait for it to set for a couple seconds. In the beginning, it will take me about 3 hours for a full set. The goal is to get down to 2 hours. I am still trying to decide what to charge. The place I went for training charges $220 for a full set.

As most of you know, my sister-in-law Stacy has been doing this from her home for about 6 months now and she's a rock star. She put them on me in November and I loved loved loved them. I started checking into doing them myself, and got really excited about the idea of having something new to do. Long story short, (because I am not a licensed cosmetologist or esthetician, I was told I may not be able to become certified) I found out a couple weeks ago that I could, and went to training in Orange County on Friday so I'm all set. It was really fun and I can't wait to start. My plan is to practice on most of the girls I work with (there are about 15) and hopefully start booking appointments in a couple weeks. I feel like this could be my big break. It has been over a year, and although I have several returning clients at work, they haven't kept me as busy as I would like to be. I am really excited about eyelashes and have just the motivation I need right now.

Kyle is doing well, he is still enjoying his job. Our annual Disneyland passes expire in a few days and we aren't planning on renewing them (unless anyone is planning a Disneyland trip this year, and then surely we may change our minds!) so we are going tomorrow night for one last hurrah. They have an amazing Aladdin show that is comparable to Broadway and Kyle hasn't seen it yet so I'm excited. I could watch it every day.

I've started training for a 5K. Running is not on my list of favorite things to do, so we'll see how that goes.

We love and miss everyone!

One Year Anniversary

In a way it seems hard to believe we have been married one year, until I think back to that cold, but wonderful week in Boston and all that has happened since. It has definitely been an amazing year. We are enjoying the time we have now, just the two of us, while we can spontaneously leave for a day or two. Cali is a fun place to live as newlyweds because there is so much to do. We haven't been bored and probably never will be as long as we live here. People often say the first year of marriage tends to be the hardest but I wouldn't label our year that way at all. We have made a happy home in California together, and aside from missing our family, things couldn't get any better so far. If anything, moving away has brought us closer. I couldn't ask for a better husband and friend.

The highlights of our first year together:

Making new friends that are our family away from family

Kyle's new job with Merrill Lynch and passing two major tests that secured his new career

Kristen building a clientele at work that is (finally) continuing to grow

Having my parents, all of our siblings, nieces and nephews, and some friends come to visit us

Our annual passes to the happiest place on earth (aka Disneyland) and being able to experience that with our nieces and nephews

Several road trips to Utah and lots of time with our family there

2 trips to Michigan

A week (late honeymoon) in Cancun!

For our anniversary we went to the temple in Newport Beach and then stayed at the Hilton Suites in Anaheim so we could watch the Christmas fireworks at Disneyland. People rave about how great they are and I was so excited because we were supposed to be able to see them from our room on the tenth (and top) floor. And then it rained. A lot. So there were no fireworks. Not outside at least. ;)

We brought 2 of our favorite games to play. Is that lame? We played while we watched movies. We don't have cable at home so it's always a treat for us to watch TV at hotels.

Tabitha

We had the pleasure of Justin, Leslie, and Tabitha's company in December when Tabitha was only a couple months old. Justin worked a few long days in San Diego, and I was able to spend lots of time with Leslie and the baby. Kyle was able to see her soon after she was born, but it was my first time and I just melted when I saw her. She is the sweetest thing, and her hair?? To die for. She wore a harness to help with her hip dysplasia and even that was the cutest thing ever! She recently got it off, and is doing really well. We miss that baby!

Romano's Italian Restaurant....my fave

Sea World

I forgot to post our Sea World pictures!

Splashing the crowd

They showed the kids how to make the sign, I think it was for the whales to splash but I'm not sure. I love her cute little hands in this picture.

This trip reignited my love for Killer Whales.

I've always been fascinated by them, especially by the tricks they perform at Sea World

Waving

Skyler loved the sea otter show. She giggled so much, it was so much fun.

Wiped out

Ryan and Stacey's visit!

It has been way too long. I started too many posts at once because I was having a hard time uploading pictures. I finally figured it out!

We had so much fun with Ryan and Stacey and our adorable niece and nephews in November. Maddox was so cuddly from the second they arrived and I loved every minute of it. He was especially cuddly right before they left, which made it really hard for me to say goodbye. He is at such a fun age. I was able to spend a whole day at Disneyland with them and we had a blast. I was so excited for Aiden to ride the Toy Story Midway Mania ride. Although they were here for almost a week, I still didn't get my fill. Like always when our family leaves, our apartment was quiet and lonely as soon as they left. I loved the one-on-one time I had with them. It is so nice to have that time with them here, because when we go to Utah we see everyone at once and don't get a lot of time to talk to each person.

So cute!

Maddox

I would skip every ride it I could do this instead

Aiden was picked to be trained to be a Jedi!

He couldn't have had a more magical experience at Disneyland. The boy has had a sword in his hand every time I see him! This was right up his alley.

The green army men

At the mall. I love these pictures! Foxy ladies

How cute is she? With her front teeth missing, LOVE it!

6 going on 25. (She's 7 now) This just killed me when I walked in the room. So adorable.

I asked for a picture of the two of them and this is what I got. Go figure.

Lydie getting her groove on at H&M. She is so fun. She lights up a room with just her smile. But you should really see her dance.

Aside from the warm weather, Disneyland, beaches, and palm trees, my favorite part about living here is all the visitors we get that want to come to Cali. But Here's to hoping everyone comes again this year! (HINT HINT....)