Happy 30th Sweetheart!

In light of Matt turning 30 today I would like to tell you the thirty reasons why I fell in love with him then and why I am still in love with him today.

1. I always said when I met someone who I considered the nicest person I had ever met I would marry them...and that is you.
2. I have never met anyone in my life that can make me laugh like you do.
3. When you tell a story no one can take their eyes off of you. eg. Silver back gorilla with red eyes, or old salty just to name a couple.
4. I love that when we started dating, you let me know three weeks after our first date that you had every intention of marrying me. (no beating around the bush there and I love that about you...scared me at the time, but I love it now).
5. I love that you can make any situation a comfortable one.
6 I love that when you give a priesthood blessing you always put on a white shirt, tie, slacks, and even put on your church shoes. There is something really honorable about someone who honors the priesthood like that.
7. I love that regardless of how tired you are, your family always comes first.
8. I love that you love your parents so much. You look to them for support, guidance, and you honestly like them.
9. I love that you love to play hand and foot, so much that you would make a trip to St. George just to get a good game going.
10. I love that every Saturday morning you can't wait to cuddle with Ethan and watch cartoons.
11. I love that when you come home at night the very first thing you do is kiss me hello and then the kids get their kisses and hugs.
12. I love that you always have a hunger for knowledge. Every book looks interesting to you and you are always reading.
13. Even though I tease you about it, I love that you still read your college text books for leisure. There is something really refreshing about someone actually enjoying their degree and never wanting to forget what they have learned.
14. I love that your spiritual insight always makes me want to strive harder and study deeper.
15. I love that you love going to work and truly enjoy your employment.
16. I love that you will hold me, kiss me, and make a fuss over me, any place, anytime, anywhere.
17. I love, love, love that you will rub my feet every night if I asked you to.
18. I love that you don't have a selfish bone in your body. Truly you would give the shirt off your back if it was asked of you.
19. I love that you love to laugh. You always keep our home lighthearted and a fun place to be.
20. I love that you take being a Patriarch very seriously. When it comes to caring for your family spiritually you think and feel very deeply about it.
21. I love that every night you read to Ethan and sing to him from the hymn book.
22. I love that you can't wait to play cars with Ethan as much as he can't wait to play cars with you. I hope I never forget the sounds and the voices you both give to the cars, it's quiet the show.
23. I love that I have never seen you lose your temper or raise your voice.
24. I love your loyalty. I love that once someone is your friend, that is it, they are your friend for life.
25. I love your devotion to extended family. The way you talk about them and long to be with them is very comforting to me.
26. I love that you make me feel like I am the best cook, mother, and housewife. You are always praising me and it makes everything I do worth it.
27. I love that you love your children so much. I love that you can't wait to hold Sarah and take your turn for the cuddle time. I love the Ethan is your "buddy" and that he wants to go everywhere with you.
28. I love that you talk about your mission so often and that you truly look at it as the mold for your life.
29. I love that you are the smartest person I know (and that is no joke), that you are the funniest person I know by far and that your character mean more to you than anything else.
30. Most of all I love you. I love everything about you, even your little quirky habits. I love that your brilliant, yet so approachable. I love that your kindness is unmatched. I love that your dedication to the Lord is first and foremost. I love that you would rather stay home with our little family than do anything else. I love that you are you! I love you sweetheart. Happy 30th and I hope it was a fun day and that you know that you are my world and my everything. Happy Birthday!

VOTE YES ON PROP 8 IN CALIFORNIA!!

I have been contacted by my sister in law in California about Prop 8 for the voters in California. I have many friends who live in California and could be a part of the voting in November. I urge you to get registered by the cut off date of October 20th and get to the polling stations to vote YES on Prop 8. For those of you who don't live in California, but know people who do please contact them about this proposition. The church had a special broadcast regarding this issue and has urged everyone to get out and vote. This proposition is to define marriage as between a man and a woman. It does not take anything away from gay couples, they still have all the same rights as a married couple. This is to protect the sacred nature of marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman, just as it was with Adam and Eve. If you would like to know more about Prop 8 go to protectmarriage.com and you can read more about the issues involved. I applaud all of you who are walking door to door and are involved in the thick of things in California. What a terribly difficult thing to do, but standing for something that is core to your beliefs takes strength and usually is hard, so way to go! VOTE YES ON PROP 8!

Six Quirky Things About Me

Six Quirky Things About Me:
Kamie Barrus tagged me with this one.

1. I loooove...I Love Lucy! I have all 9 seasons and I watch it when I am folding clothes, when there is nothing else on, or if I can't go to sleep, it is like a gentle lullaby for me. I think she is funny, but mostly I love the time period and the clothes (if only we could wear beautiful dresses everyday and hats and gloves). Also it doesn't hurt that Ethan loves her too. As soon as the music comes on he comes running from where ever he is and yells, "Are we watching Lucy Mommy?" I have to admit that I love that he loves it too and Matt thinks I have corrupted our child, but I think his future wife will love it!

2. When I read my scriptures it doesn't matter if I have studied for two hours and had a great spiritual experience, if I haven't read a whole chapter I have to read a chapter before I can put the Book of Mormon down. I know it's weird, but when I was 16 Brother Allison asked me to read a chapter out of the Book of Mormon everyday and I told him I would and now it's just habit. To be honest I always feel like I owe Brother Allison so much for helping me to see how much I truly love the scriptures and how much they have changed my life for the better. Thanks Brother A!

3. I love my little house. My house is I believe 850 square feet. For a long time I thought it was 900 square feet, but I have been corrected too many times, so I will go with the 850. After Matt graduated everyone kept asking us when we were going to move from our 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house, we were a little confused and would say move? maybe never...we love our house. It is old and has a million things that still need to be fixed, (especially the outside we haven't even begun to champion that one yet), but we still love our old house. I love that I can stand in the kitchen and see every room in the house. I love that I live on the same street as my sister and that Ethan sees his cousin's nearly everyday. I love that when I pay my house payment it doesn't break the bank. I love my old house and I hope to be here many more years.

4. I want to get a degree in finance or accounting. I love working with numbers. Since I was about 20 I have logged nearly every penny I have spent. I love the budget I created and I love to play with our money to get the top dollar in an investment or stretch a dollar as far as it can go. I would also like to take classes in photography. I would love to go on a long road trip just to get a great picture. I would love to know how to develop my own pictures and hang them all around the house. I never want to stop learning and growing.

5. I can't relax if there is a cupboard or drawer open. I am a little OCD about stuff like that and sadly Ethan has followed suit. If I am putting dishes away I have to close the doors as I go, where as Matt will leave them all open until he is done. Just a quirky little thing, but it just makes me think everything looks a little more tidy when they are shut. I won't even begin to mention all my other OCD challenges, let's just pretend it is only this one little issue.

6. I love to cuddle and I love it just as much now as I did five years ago, when we got married. I remember when I got married everyone told me that we would only cuddle for the first few months and then it would all cool down. I can honestly say that has never happened, and thank goodness, because whenever I am sitting next to Matt I have to be touching him in some way. Whether I am holding his hand, touching his leg, or arm I just have to have some contact. When we watch a movie I can hardly wait to cuddle on the couch and have him hold me. When we go to bed at night he always holds me until we fall asleep. There is nothing better than a good cuddle and luckily, my husband is good enough to let me snuggle up anytime, anywhere. As cheesy as it may sound I love him more now than I did then and every minute I spend with him, is better than the last...he truly is my everything. Also it doesn't hurt that both of my kids love to cuddle up too. Life just couldn't be better. I say kiss them and hold them as much as you can now and cherish every minute they want to be held...because who knows how long it will last.

Well I did it, now I tag, Stacey Myers, Corinda, Julie, and Cassie.