YOU KNOW IT

I Beat Dustin in Mario Kart on the Wii today.
and NO...he did not LET me win. Don't let him convince you that he did.

Another thing to check off my list! :)

The Rainbow after the Storm

For those of you that do not live in Utah, you may not know that it has been pouring rain pretty much this entire month.

We had a couple of nice days this week,

and then today

the rain came back.

I'm NOT a rain fan.

I LOVE the heat.

So it has been driving me crazy at how the summer weather is JUST NOT STAYING!!

But today when it rained,

I miraculously had a different outlook.

It may have had something to do with the fact that I had just had about an hour long talk with Jake's family about adoption.

We talked about the good, the bad, the pain and the blessings that come from adoption...then

Jake and I left his house to go to mine just after another storm had passed, and there was a beautiful rainbow coming out of the clouds.

(unfortunately I did not have my camera with me so these are not my pictures..I found them on google! ;) but this is what it looked like)

That rainbow got me thinking.

I began reflecting back on my experiences this past year. It was a tough road. There were times that I wasn't sure I would make it through another day.....

then I looked at my life today,

and discovered that I am experiencing the rainbow after the storm.

Adoption is not easy.

It's not easy for the Birthparents,

and it's not easy for the adoptive parents,

But it reaps SO many amazing rewards.

I am a different person today because of adoption.

I am grateful for the rain as it is the only thing that can bring rainbows.

Last year has helped me realize that if we are not faced with trials, we cannot appreciate the blessings in our life.

I experienced the pain and heartache in placing Avery so that I could appreciate not only the fact that I can create a child, but so I can appreciate my future children. I cannot WAIT for the day that I am a mom. I have wanted to be a mother my entire life, but I never really understood the blessings that come from it until I experienced adoption.

Through adoption I learned how to love so much it hurts

I learned how to listen to the Spirit.

I learned how to rely on the Lord for strength.

I learned to appreciate family

I learned how incredibly painful infertility can be.

Through experiencing the death of a loved one

I discovered what I want in a husband

I learned to savor every moment with every person in your life..you never know when it will be the last.

I learned that placing beautiful Avery isn't the worst thing that could happen...at least she is ALIVE and HEALTHY.

I am blessed.

And my life right now is truly the rainbow after the storm.

I am so grateful for this Gospel.
Without it,

I would be no where.

I am grateful for the trials I have experienced.

without them,

I wouldn't understand how incredibly blessed I am today.

and I am very blessed.

an award!! :):)

I just recieved this beautiful award from an AWESOME and AMAZING friend I met through blogging, Crystal. Check out her blog HERE. She's got three beautiful kids and I LOVE reading her stuff. She seriously inspires me.

Thank you Crystal!!

There are two thing I need to do upon receiving this award:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award

1. Kim
2. Stefanie
3. Rachelle
4. Becca
5. Michelle
6. Dustin and Andrea
7. Mrs. R
8. Mae
9. Lisa
10. BreeAnn
11. Jamie
12. Mandy
13. Megan
14. Ashley
15. Adam and Andrea

**sigh***

Here's a better picture of Jake.
Isn't he SO incredibely attractive??

We're going to the opening night of transformers tomorrow

and

I'll get more pictures then..

cause he has a goatee (sp?) now...I LOVE goatee's (SP!??)

This is an amazing guy.

I'm not even kidding.

He amazes me in every way

and so does his family.

Happy Fathers Day

I have realized that I need to get more pictures of my dad.

I have the best Dad in the world.

He is everything that a father should be.

My Dad is one of my Heros.

They say that girls marry men that are like their dads

and that is EXACTLY what I want.

I am so blessed and honored to have him as my father.

He has taught me so much and has set such a great example for all of us.

Happy Fathers Day Dad!!

I love you!!

Slacker

I know I've been a slacker on posts lately...SORRY.

I can't believe how fast this week has gone. It seems like I made that last post just yesterday.

Anyway,

The weather today was AMAZING!! I couldn't get enough of it.

I will post some pictures later.

ANY IDEAS ON SOMETHING I SHOULD POST ABOUT???

I'm stumped.

Jake and Avery

So I know some of you have been curious as to how my date went.

Well,

it went SO GREAT.

Jake is an amazing guy.

Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of me and him...

Don't worry,

I will get more eventually. ;)

....and you'll be hearing more about him, so stay tuned!!!

I saw Avery yesterday and it was a great visit.

She is getting SO BIG!!

She's got almost two teeth and the poor baby girl is teething.

She's so beautiful.

I couldn't stop looking at her!!

I love her SOO much.

Seriously.

It was great to see her, Dustin and Andrea again.

We played the game transamerica, the same game we played in the hospital during labor.

The sad thing is,

Dustin cheated {again}, so I lost.

hehe. just kidding Dustin! (sorta..;)..)