Seven meme

Nikkie (Snickers) tagged me to do a list of Sevens!

7 things I want to do before I die:
Buy a house that I LOVE
Travel outside of the US with my dh
Have grandbabies
Lose the weight I know I should (I figure if I give myself until before I die, it may happen!)
Become the crazy old lady in the neighborhood (everyone has one...I want to be that one!)
Run a marathon (again, with "death" as my deadline, it may happen!)
Finish college and become a sign language interpreter

7 Things I can't do:
NOT worry
Math
Run very far, or very well
Pass up the chance to hold a baby (crying or otherwise)
Give up on myself
Sing a solo (give me a choir...)
Play piano WITHOUT sufficient warning (like 2 or 3 weeks)

7 things that attracted me to my spouse:
His smile
His laugh
His eyes
His singing voice
His positive attitude
His desire to have the better life
His bod (yes, dear, I said your bod!)

7 Things I say often:
Dang it!
Holy Cow!!
Come here....come here....come here....
Sit down!
I'm going to sell you for a million dollars! (to Cam when he's ornery!)
No hitting!
I love you! (to my dh and Cam!)

7 Books I love:
The Work and The Glory Series by Gerald Lund (there are 9 books...does that count??)
Fire and the Covenant by Gerald Lund
Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling (6 books there...do they count??)
ANY Dr. Seuss book
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Any book by Anita Stansfield
The Book of Mormon

7 Movies I could watch over and over again:
Ella Enchanted
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Princess Bride
The Little Mermaid
Miss Congeniality
Head over Heels
A Walk to Remember

After this there was one called "7 people I'd like to tag." But since most of the people she tagged are the same ones I'd tag, I figured I'd leave this part off! As I've said before, if you feel the need...then consider yourself tagged! :)

Memorial Day in Idaho

Camping this weekend was WAY fun! It was just my parents, brothers, and a close family friend and her husband. My brothers, my friend and Cam and I were all camping in tents. My parents have what some people affectionately call, "Ho-Jo on Wheels." The first day there was gorgeous! It was sunny and not too hot. We quickly set up camp and enjoyed our beautiful day while it lasted. That night as we were sitting down to eat, the thunder-heads rolled in! It rained all night and all through Saturday. The rain was fine, as I mentioned before...I love rain. It's calming and comforting to me.

I'm very spoiled when I camp. Yes, I camp in a tent, but I have my mother's trailer to run to if it gets too bad, plus we have an amazing inflatable bed that isn't just any bed. It's three-tiered and is WONDERFUL! Well, since we have an inflatable bed, Cam has one too. His is one of the el cheapos from Walmart. It's been keeping him off the ground for several years now, but this year it decided to become holey and go flat. He would whine and complain to me, so I allowed him to sleep with me. (I didn't sleep well all weekend, what with little feet in my back and snoring in my ear...) So when the wind would blow hard or the rain would fall and startle Cam, he'd immediately complain to me and would wake me out of a sound sleep.

Anyway, on Saturday night the weather gave us something extra....SNOW! Yes, you read that right, I said, "SNOW!!" I woke up Sunday morning to an inch of snow on my tent. Then later on that day it snowed REALLY hard and Cam and my brothers had a snowball fight. I should have brought the mittens, dang it! It was cold, but we cuddled in my parents' trailer watching DVDs. (See, I told you I was spoiled!)

We giggled a lot, and had fun, but we had to keep warm. My way of keeping warm was to pile on the blankets and sleeping bags. I'm just glad that I discovered the joys of fleece sleeping bags. I probably would have frozen my tushy off without them. Thank goodness someone out there was smart enough to come up with those! Who ever you are, I LOVE YOU!

I've been trying for the last hour to post my pics from camping, but blogger is pitching a fit...I'll try to post those at another time! I'm too frustrated to try again!

My Life Monday

Since I was gone for most of Monday, I'm posting this a little late!
The topic is: In memory of....

This is my father's parents. This post is in memory of my beautiful grandmother H. She died August 25, 1999. She wasn't very old when she died, only 58, but she led a very filling life. She had colon cancer and she lived for over a year past her initial diagnosis. Her last year was an eye opener for me.
My grandma LOVED life. She was an outdoors woman that taught me to love the outdoors. She loved fishing, hunting, camping and just being outside. Thanks to her I have MANY memories of camp outs with my family and names for things that probably shouldn't be called what she called them. One of my favorite memories involves the place we went camping this weekend. She had to go to the bathroom, and the only facilities around was a small outhouse down the road. She HATED spiders and if there was a chance that one would be around, she'd take preventative measures (many times, me!) She grabbed my hand and told me that we needed to take a walk to the "pinky-stinky!" So, for many many MANY years I called outhouses "pinky-stinkies!"
I was her oldest grandchild and I have memories of her for as long as I can remember. I can remember coming to her aid time and time again when she'd find a spider (I was her spider killer) and I remember her outside of her home without shoes. The woman hated shoes of any kind and had the funniest flip-flops I'd ever seen. There was no top to them, just the soles! It was one of her prized finds! She only wore the things a few times, but it was funny to see her coming toward us, barefooted...except she wasn't really!
Going to her house, I would be assaulted with smells. Smells of yummy food and cigarette smoke. She was a smoker until about 3 or 4 years before she died. So for a long time the smell of cigarette smoke was a comfort to me, now it just makes me gag!
One of the funniest things about my grandma was her love of the color orange. EVERYTHING in her house was orange, from the carpet in her living room, to the laminate in her kitchen. When I think of her house '70's orange is the color that comes to mind! She loved collecting things too. She had a small bookcase filled with Garfield toys, her fridge was covered in magnets, and she had spoons and knick knacks on her walls. She was a mother to 8 kids. Many of them have inherited her sense of humor. My dad told me that one of her famous sayings was one that my own mother adopted when we got too obnoxious. "I'm going to change my name to a bad word, so when you say it I can slap you!" Of course, since it was from my grandmother, she'd actually put in the swear word, but I'm not a swearing person, so I've omitted it! But she was very funny and passed that quality onto her family.
One of the best memories I have of her happened a few months before we found out she had cancer. She was a bus driver for the local school district and she even taught driver's ed for CDLs! She was an amazing driver! Every year she'd have to go to Boise for the state bus driver meetings and that year she asked me to go. We had so much fun. She told me stories of her growing up years and we giggled like little girls. That trip will ALWAYS be a highlight in my life!
Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to have my grandmother come to my wedding. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I knew I wanted to be married in the temple and I also knew that she wasn't able to go because she had several faults that prevented it. So on that trip to Boise I let her know that I wanted her there. Shortly after that she and my grandpa became active once again in the church and a year before I got married they were able to go themselves! After I met Steve, she drilled him with questions about what our lives would be like and how many kids we'd have. I was happy to know that she approved of him and that she'd be able to go to my wedding. We set our wedding date for early August, but unfortunately, things weren't working out, so we had to move the date back to October. She died the end of August and I was heartbroken. I wanted her there badly! We had been praying for her to be released from the pain of her small, broken body, so it was a relief, but all the same I was upset she wouldn't be there. On my wedding day, I was blessed to know that she was there in spirit. There was an empty seat beside my grandpa and I knew that she was there!
I love and miss my grandmother. There are days when I think about her ornery attitude and I see it in Cam or feel it in myself. She was a wonderful woman and I dearly, dearly miss her!

To Read OTHER MLMs go to Rachelle's blog.

Camping and Rain

I'm finally back into my own groove...for the moment. I had, as one of my friends put it, little "L" until late last night. Her parents were trying to get out of the hospital as quickly as they could, but with all of the paperwork and the "failed" hearing test it took longer than it would have. Everyone is fine and little "L" is glad to be home with her parents!
I've been packing to go camping all morning. I'm so excited. We go to Island Park Reservoir every year! It's usually dry and windy, but with the wet spring that we've just had I think it will be different! Our normal camp outs get rained on and so we are expecting to get wet. So for me, rain reminds me of camping. I can't tell you how much I LOVE rain. The sound, the smells, the clean feeling it gives EVERYTHING! I'm just excited to be going soon! I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend...no matter what you do! :)

Crazy Woman! Crazy Night! Vacation Coming!

Last night was just plain CRAZY for me. After Cam's usual speech therapy, I wanted to veg at my mom's house for a while (plus earlier this week I was really STUPID and ruined all of the food that I had in my freezer, so we have no real food in our house.) Around 8:00, I decided I needed to get Cam home early for his last few days of school and I left. On the way I tried calling my husband to let him know I was on my way home and I got a call from one of my really good friends, "R". She sounded distressed and told me that one of her best friends committed suicide and she had just found out. My first instinct was to get to her immediately and comfort her. I told her that as soon as I dropped Cam off at home I'd be at her place to get her and take her wherever she wanted to go...to talk, try and forget, or whatever. As soon as I hung up with her, my husband called. He told me that my friend, "L", who I babysit for FINALLY had her baby and had a question for me. I told him to have the phone number ready for me when I got home. When I got home, I called "L" and found out that they needed someone to take the munchkin while they recuperated after their busy day. I agreed, but told them that I needed to help another friend and then I would be there. I hurried to comfort "R" and then we chatted while I drove to the hospital to pick up my little charge.

I got to hold the new baby boy and hear "L's" birth story. The poor woman had been in labor for almost 2 weeks before it finally got strong enough to really do any good. So I talked with her, got her daughter, and hurried home. "R" wanted to chat online with people who knew the guy that had committed suicide, so I let her use my computer while I tried to get the munchkin to sleep for the night. Finally at 11:00 last night my life started to slow down. I got the munchkin to sleep in Cam's room and I was taking "R" home. My husband told me that he wanted me to pick up some food for him, so I went to the store. While I was at the store I noticed some discounted flowers for a pretty cheap price and grabbed a couple of bunches and decided to give them to my friends. As busy as my night was, it was NOTHING compared to what they had been going through.

My sleep last night actually went fairly well, considering I haven't had a little little one at home for a long time. The munchkin only woke up once, and unfortunately she woke up Cam before she woke me. So at 3:30 in the morning two little kids wandered into my bedroom hand in hand and Cam told me that she was crying. I took her and soothed her and put them BOTH back to bed. Then they pretty much slept quietly until the alarm went off. I was amazed at how soundly I sleep now! A freight train couldn't rouse me! (Literally!)

To end on a happy note, I'm going to be leaving town for my family's annual Memorial Day camping trip on Friday morning. I'm SOOOOOOOO excited! I love camping and can't wait to go! My only problem with my trip is that my husband has to work this weekend and can't go with us. It will be the first time since we got married that we haven't been able to spend this special weekend together. I know that he's been pretty spoiled in regard to this holiday weekend, but I'm going to miss him! I'll still have fun, but it just WON'T be the same!

The Joys of Life

I'm very frustrated right now. For the past few days a message has been popping up on our computer when we log onto the internet. It tells us that some "free" trial that we apparently signed up for has expired and now we are obligated to pay the fee and sign up completely with this company for the full experience of their product. That's CRAP! My husband and I are the only people who use our computer and NEITHER of us even know what this software is supposed to be for. Now, in order for us to remove the stuff from our computer we HAVE to buy their product. I've tried telling the company online that we never ordered their stuff, but they said that it doesn't matter...we have to buy the product as agreed upon when we downloaded their product. WE NEVER ORDERED IT!! Is there any way I can complain to a REAL person and not just to some message center that will redirect my complaints to some message that tells me that I'm TOL (Tough Out of Luck)?! I think I will talk with my husband when he gets home and see what he thinks. I wish I could just complain to a person and not to the non-existent human interaction all knowing message board! ARGH!!
Okay, onto my funny story from this weekend. It has similarities to a post I've done previously that was pretty disgusting, so I will warn those who get easily disgusted to not read the rest of this post.
Okay, have we gotten rid of those prudes who think that accidents don't really happen?? I'll wait for a few seconds to get rid of them......are they gone? Good, here goes:
I was at a wedding luncheon on Saturday for one of my cousins. He and his new bride were just beaming with that new-love glow and I was having an enjoyable conversation with my grandparents, my mom, and my brothers. I had brought Cameron, but he had reacquainted himself with my cousin's daughter and they were roaming the church playing in every unlocked room they could find. I was beginning to worry when I didn't hear crashing, running feet, or the usual kid-noises. Soon we were laughing and joking around when my cousin's daughter came up to me and said in a very matter-of-fact voice, "Your son pooped his pants."
The first thing that ran through my mind was, 'Oh, no!! I don't want to clean this mess up.' The second thought was, 'It can't be that bad...he's old enough to know better, I'm sure it was just a mistake.' I turned to find my son standing behind me, here's where it gets gross, he was DRENCHED in poop. He was dripping all over the floor. I was mortified. I grabbed his hand and led him quickly out of the gym searching desperately for the room that had been destroyed by my son's accident. I ran down the hallway asking him which room he was in when it happened. He couldn't remember. I then asked the little girl who had been with him where he had pooped and she said, "He pooped his pants." I asked her again and her reply was, "He pooped his pants." She wouldn't stop saying that OVER AND OVER AND OVER! Finally I asked her the appropriate question for a 4-year-old: "What room was he in when he pooped his pants?" She told me it was in the restroom. So I searched out the restrooms feeling grateful that it was on a hard floor and the clean-up should be simple.
After looking in the bathrooms I found no evidence of his mess. So I asked them where he was when his accident had happened and they told me that he was by the piano. Okay, so now I knew he WASN'T in the bathroom like I had thought....now I had carpet to deal with. (UGH!) So searching the "piano" rooms I found a small mess in the Young Women's room. By this time I had stashed my son in the nearest bathroom for safe keeping. I hurried to him. He was completely embarrassed and I proceeded to clean him and his clothing.
After 15 minutes worth of cleaning my son, I deposited him outside by the church so he wouldn't drip that NASTY water all over the building and I proceeded to the Young Women's room. I promptly cleaned the carpet as best as I could with what little resources I had. The janitor's closet was locked tightly and I had resorted to a wet, soapy paper towel and a dry one to soak up what I had left. I cleaned and scrubbed all the time thinking naughty words about the mess I was left to clean up. I wasn't really mad at my son, I know accidents happen and I'm sure he didn't know that this would have happened to him, I was mostly mad at the mess that I was left to clean up.
As soon as my frantic cleaning was done I hurried to find my mom so we could go to my house to get Cam into clean clothes. People were asking me where Cameron was and I told them that I had left him outside while I cooled off. Then I rummaged around the kitchen for a plastic bag to set the boy on while we were in the car and when I turned around there was my pathetic looking son, wet shoes in hand with his head down-turned. I hurried him out the door and told him that I asked him to stay outside for a reason. I think he thought I was punishing him, so I had a heart-to-heart talk with him. I told him that I was not mad at him, but I was disappointed in what had happened and told him that the reason he had been outside was because I didn't want to make the church messier than it was. He seemed to understand and we went home where I cleaned him up properly.
At the time I was grossed out and not happy in that situation, but looking back I can see the humor in it. I'm just glad that it was resolved quickly. I guess potty-training doesn't end when I thought it did.

UPDATE!! I've been cleaning my computer with the spy-bot search and destroy and adaware, but none of them have worked. So I've googled the problem and came up with this website...if anyone else has this problem, you'll know where to go! :)

What's in a Name?

My life Monday this week is: My parents named me __________ because . . .

*Sounding very much like a junior high English paper...* My parents named me Dawnyel because my mom liked the name Danielle, but it was too popular in her opinion, so she revamped the spelling and pronunciation and came up with Dawnyel (pronounced ‘don-yell.’) She tells me that she came up with my name when she was 16 years old and she was able to use it a few short years later when I was born. (She was only 18 when she had me.)
Growing up with that name was a difficult thing. I was called all kinds of things that weren’t even CLOSE to what my name really is. I was called: Donell, Donkeyell, Dogsmell, Darnell, D’nell, Dougyell and many other variations of those names. My rubbaundiesluva partner in crime, Carrie, was notorious for coming up with new nicknames for me almost weekly. I can’t even remember all of the things she called me while we were growing up. Most of her nicknames had NOTHING whatsoever to do with variations on my name, but her own creations. While I was in school I really HATED my name. It was too hard for substitute teachers to pronounce correctly and WAY too easy for other kids to make fun of.

Growing out of school I have slowly come to LOVE my name. I appreciate now that I had a UNIQUE name and not just a regular name that would force me to use my last initial for differentiating between me and others. As the years go by I have actually run into other people who’s name is pronounced the same way as mine (there’s even a professional basketball player who’s name is the same as mine...but he’s MALE!) But no one, yet, has the same spelling and pronunciation as my mother’s creative attempts!

As a funny side note...I was reading someone else's MLM and she put up a link to find out what your name means about you...I did my own name and it TOTALLY describes me! I'm shocked!!

To read other MLMs go to Rachelle's blog!

It's a Done Deal

Okay....I did it...I got my hair chopped. I have been dying to do it for a while now...but today while Steve and I were wandering the streets of our town he pulled into a parking lot and asked me if I was ready and willing to cut my hair. I enthusiastically agreed and we hurried into our new hair cutting place and asked if there were any available stylists who could chop my hair. Luckily enough someone had just cancelled and there was ONE opening. It was fate....I know it!!

So she asked me what I wanted to do with it and I told her that I was ready for it to be short, but cute. I told her I really didn't want to cut it for the rest of the summer, so I told her to go short and layer it. I have been wearing my glasses lately (because my contacts are torn to shreds and I'm too lazy to make an appointment for new ones) so I was blind for the procedure. She washed my hair (I think that in and of itself is a form of relaxation therapy) and then we were off and running. As she was taking the first few snips I hate to admit it, but I was beginning to freak out...only because I never got my before pic for my blog...I know....I'm an admitted blogaholic...I don't deny it!! Anyway, I figure you'd all forgive my error and accept my air-headedness! Anyway, she cut and layered and asked what I thought...I wanted it shorter...so off she went again. Then once I was sufficiently chopped she thinned my hair.....aaahhhh! I LOVE getting it thinned! (I think I just need the thinning shears!) Anyway...and then she blowed it dry and VOILA! It curled on its own and I think it looks cute! It's not long, but WHO CARES?? I'm excited for my new wash and dry do.

My Letter is "V" or "Did I Really Know What I was Asking For??"

Mama D just did a post where she had been given a letter and was asked to put up 10 words that start with that letter and explain why she chose those words. I liked the idea and asked her for a letter...she gave me "V!" (Do I actually have 10 "V" words that I know??! I may need a dictionary for this post!) This might take a while, but here goes nothing!!

Van: We just bought our "dream" car...and it's not a car, it's a van. I don't know what it is about vans that I love, but they're so much fun.

Valentine: My hubby, who sometimes drives me crazy, can also drive me crazy in other ways! I love him sooooooooo much...sometimes I just need the reminder that he is my best friend and soul mate.

Vision: I have very rotten eyesight. I've had to wear glasses since I was in the first grade. Any "four-eyed" comments that have ever been said, I'm SURE I've already heard it! I someday WISH for lasik eye surgery. It seems I've even passed my lousy vision on to my son...he has astigmatism (like me!)

Value: I believe in looking for something in stores that has a great value.(a.k.a. INEXPENSIVE but not CHEAP) I'm not big into shopping for things, but I do love finding things that have a great price and is just what I've never known that I've always needed!

Vent: I'm not one of those people who holds in all of their emotions. I believe whole-heartedly in venting...in proper places, of course. I have a few tried and true places, or people to vent to and, so as not to overwhelm those people or places, I have many venting venues. (This blog being one of the many places I can go and feel complete acceptance of my rants and vents!) I vent most often to my mom, who over the years no longer feels like my mom, but like a really good friend. I love how I can start complaining about something and she picks up on it and helps me get the feelings out, or sometimes, makes me angrier than I was before. Most times after venting I feel better, but sometimes my venting can lead to more vents about venting. (How many times can I use that word in one sentence??)

Voila: A word I learned many, many, many years ago in French class that I NEVER knew actually started with a "v," I always thought it was "wallah!" Silly me!!

Victory: Someday I hope to claim this word in every aspect of my life. From victory over my weight to victory over my infertility problems. This word gives me hope!

Virginia: Actually, when I think of this word I think of two different things. One: this was the state where one of my brothers served his mission. He really grew up while he was there and thanks to him I now know that Virginia is a part of the South! Two: an exchange student that I knew in high school. She was VERY nice and sweet, but she and another exchange student friend would often laugh at my weaknesses and shortcomings. Fun memories.

Virgin: Okay....uh....what can I say about this one?? I have a 5 and a half year old....so......

"VERY": I love using this word (in case you couldn't tell!) It reminds me of a time when I was in school and we had to write in our journals every day. I did NOT like to write, but one day a friend challenged me to write more than her. So in order to fill up the page I wrote about "very" about a hundred times. Looking back at that journal makes me laugh, but to this day I have yet to find a word that I can use in place of "very!"

That's it! Gee, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. If you want to play our little alphabet game, let me know in comments...and I'll give you a letter. Don't worry...I won't give you "v!"

Return of the Piggy Slippers

My exciting news for the day...my mothers' day present FINALLY arrived. Granted it came here from Australia, but it's here, it's here, it's HERE!!! If you look closely at the above pic you can see my toesies are ready to jump in!

I convinced my husband to get them for sentimental reasons and wouldn't you know it...he agreed with me (either that or he got fed up with my begging!)

Cam wanted to wear them too. He's such a cute and sweet boy!

Day to Day Frustrations

The last few days for me have been pretty lousy! I had a big disagreement with a really good friend that just ruined my Monday...and then yesterday my husband was being a bit of a pill! Needless to say I think most of these problems I'm having are all thanks to me. I've been extremely on edge and short with most people I've been in contact with lately. I HATE feeling that way! Anything that someone says to me makes me defensive and aggravated.

I just have to say before I go on that I love my husband, but lately he's just been getting on my nerves. Every little thing he tries to joke about makes me angry and grouchy. I wish he'd realize that I'm not in a joking mood and I wish that he'd stop trying to make me laugh when clearly I'm not in the mood.

The thing that started me off yesterday was small, but I got worse and worse as the night got on. I was at my mom's house because it's been SOOOOOO hot in our apartment and she has air conditioning...plus I love my mom. Anyway....I was playing with her Pomeranian dogs. She has two and they're cute as can be. They were both in a playful mood and I was throwing a stuffed ducky for them to fetch. On one of my tosses I accidentally hit Steve in the head. I saw what I had done and immediately apologized. Then he grabbed the ducky and chucked the thing at me. That I could understand, it was all done playfully and wasn't bad. But after a while I would throw the toy and Steve would go out of his way to grab it and make sure he could throw it at me. It didn't hurt, but it was about that time I felt like saying, "Enough...I've told you that I'm sorry." But he just wouldn't stop.

Then after we came home I had a couple of phone calls to return and while I was talking to a good friend, both of us venting to one another, Steve rolled his eyes at me. I was telling my friend how tired I was and she was saying that it's understandable since I work hard for my family keeping the household running. I was admitting to her that lately I've been neglecting my duties for the coolness of my mother's house and that my house was pretty cluttered and dirty. He then proceeded to tell me that my job was easy and that he could do what I do. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I got VERY defensive. He has no idea what I really do all day. He's been home the last 2 days and those days are not my typical run-around-like-a-chicken-with-it's-head-cut-off days. He thinks all I do is watch tv, nap and go to my mom's house. Those are my RARE days. I just didn't (still don't) feel appreciated by the man. I know he works hard for us, and I tell him how much I appreciate it...but I don't think he appreciates me in the same way. It's just aggravating.

Okay....so I've been really whiny in this post, but everyone has those, right??

My Life Monday

Week 2 is here. Topic? How I met my spouse....this ought to be fun!!

I was attending ISU in Pocatello. I lived in the dorms at the top of the hill and I attended the LDS Institute at the bottom of the hill. It really wasn't that long of a walk, but there were nights it seemed long. I had no money for living there, but I knew in my heart that the Lord wanted me there...so I could meet my future husband. I knew it would only happen if I lived in Pocatello, and not somewhere else commuting!
I have always loved singing. Since I was little music has been one of my FAVORITE things! I was in the Institute's choir and loved it. The Institute presidency decided to put on a musical of sorts that spring, and desperately needed a choir for back up. So our teacher, Brother Homer, volunteered all of his choirs for the job. We practiced and practiced the music. One night at practice I was talking with my friend, and a guy sitting behind us put his two cents in. I turned around to see who it was and I laid my eyes on the cutest guy I had ever seen. He was tall, blonde, and handsome. I immediately knew that this was the man I would marry. I know it sounds corny, but I just knew! (Thanks to Rachelle for putting it into words for me!) My spirit recognized his. I had actually dreamed about the boy growing up and knew that he was the man for me. As soon as I glimpsed his face I turned back around and whispered to my friend that I thought he was cute!! We giggled, naturally, and tried to focus on practicing our songs. Another night when practice was over, I went with another one of my friends and stood by as this man that I knew I wanted to spend time with asked HER out on a date. She had just sent her missionary off and was a bit gun shy, but she agreed to go. As soon as he left she begged me to go along with her on this date. I happily agreed. I then told her that I really liked this guy and wanted to go out with him and she was all for helping us get to that point.

Our musical came and we performed really well...we were the heavenly choir! After the musical we got together and went on the "date." Now, Steve wasn't expecting to take 10 girls out with him on this date, but that is what he got. When we got to the theater, the girl he liked was on one side and I was on the other. By this time he and I had gotten to know one another better, and I became his confidant. If he wondered what he should do to help get Tricia to like him...he'd ask me. After the movie, his entourage followed him to the Institute building for a weekly Friday night dance. We got there with about an hour left. As we were chatting in our group, one of my ALL time favorite songs came on...Tim McGraw's Don't Take the Girl. When the song started I began to literally JUMP up and down screaming that it was my favorite song. Steve didn't know what had hit him...but we were dancing together. (All of my friends had pushed the two of us together!) As we danced he sang the words to me and we discussed what the song means. I was on cloud nine!! After dancing with him we went back to the group and I got the look from most of my friends as if they were saying, "You go, girl!!" The last song came on for the dance and without prodding this time he asked me to dance. We danced and discussed his mission. I jokingly told him that if he missed Minnesota that much he should go back. He looked hurt and asked me if I really wanted him to go back. I looked into those gorgeous blue eyes and said, "no."

That week my friends couldn't get me to shut up about the guy! I had never been so twitterpated before and I think I was annoying them. On Sunday afternoon I was helping out in the kitchen for a dinner that our ward was having and I was telling one friend what Steve looked like and how much I liked the guy when she casually asked, "You mean that guy?" And she pointed to the window in the door and I saw his smile. I could have melted into a puddle of goo if he hadn't been around watching me! I let him in and we talked for a while and then he left. Shortly after that he came to my dorm room to ask me if he should give Trish flowers or if he was moving too fast. I was completely biased, but I said he was moving too fast and that she really was in love with her missionary and he should find someone else to pursue.

Not long after that I asked the boy if he wanted to go to the SUB with me to see a movie. He agreed and we had decided to meet at the SUB. After making the plans I found out that the movie I wanted to see wasn't there yet, so I hurried down the hill to get him and bring him to my room so that a group of us could watch a movie and then go to the dance. I remember seeing him and my heart skipping a beat. Then when I got to him he gave me a huge bear hug and I just breathed him in! (He smelled yummy!!) I told him the situation and we hurried to my friend's room to get her and her date. While we were there Steve wanted to confirm some plans with another friend about going to General Conference, so he used her phone. While he was talking with his friend Dan, his tongue slipped and he called him "Dawn!" (My college friends called me that...so much shorter than Dawnyel!) I was ecstatic!

That night was a WONDERFUL night. We learned that we had a LOT in common. We talked and talked and had such fun! As we were chatting on the stairs he told me that he wished I was going with him to Salt Lake. I told him I had plans to see my family for Easter and I was driving home as soon as the dance was over. He told me to be careful and I sarcastically said, "No, I'm going to get into an accident!" A serious look came over him and he told me that if that happened there was no way he could get to see me. He told me that he'd have to beg his friend to take him to the hospital where a girl he liked was in the hospital. (Awwww.....) I was goo from then on!

There were many, many more experiences with him, but these are a few of the fun ones. From then on we were inseparable and after dating for a month and a half we were engaged and after knowing one another for 8 months we married. I know, I know....we moved fast, but when things are right, they're right! I love this man and I'm so glad that the Lord led me to him at that time in my life! I don't know what I'd be without him!

Happy Mothers' Day, Mom

On this day before Mothers' Day I just want to list the things that make me LOVE my mom and what I appreciate about her!

• I love that she has instilled in me and my siblings a sense of who we are and who we can become. Without her I don't think I'd be the same person I am today.
• I love my mom's sense of humor. She's constantly laughing about something and it makes me happy to hear her enjoying life with her kids and family. She also claims that we got our father's sense of humor, but I think a healthy dose of that came from her!
• I love my mom's love of her family. She is always showing her family how much she loves and appreciates them by doing things for them without complaint and with a willing heart.
• I love my mom's laughter! I know I've mentioned before that her laugh is unique and I inherited that same type of laugh, but it always brings a smile to my face to hear her laugh.
• I love my mom's love of God and her religion. Because of her love for God I've also learned that I can turn to Him in times of need or times of prosperity and He'll be there for me.
• I love that my mom LOVES kids. She is known all around for her love of kids...she's the sucker-lady in her neighborhood...she takes crying kids to soothe them in church...she makes faces at crying babies in stores...she just loves kids and it shows!
• I love my mother's example to me of her love for her husband. I had a WONDERFUL example of two people being madly in love and I want the same for me and my family.
• I love that when I was being a major pain in the butt growing up she always told me that she loved me and that would NEVER change. I was very hateful, but she showed me that I could never change her love for me.
• I love that my mom is my mom. She has shaped me into the person I am and I know that without her I am nothing. She has given me the values I have, the love I have for others, and the attitude I have for life. There is no one like my mom in the whole wide world and I love her for all that she has done for me.

Of Labor and Flooding Toilets

This will be a quicky...I hope! I've been waiting by my phone all night waiting to hear from the parents of the little girl I babysit. The mom is due at the beginning of next month to have a baby boy and they thought she may have gone into labor today. I told them that I would take the munchkin while they were at the hospital...if they need me, and here I wait! I'm so excited for them!

After I talked to them about watching the munchkin, I discovered that my downstairs toilet has a crack down the side of the tank. This is ONE time that I'm grateful that I'm renting and not owning!! They have to replace the WHOLE thing tomorrow! So it should be an eventful day if all goes well! If I don't comment on your blogs...bear with me...I'm just a bit busy! :)

2....4....Tags

Stephanie tagged me for one of two tags, and she gave me the option of which to do....I can't decide...so I'll do both!!

The 4 Tag

Four jobs I've had:
1. babysitter
2. short order cook
3. clothes sorter in a large discount store
4. secretary for a carpet cleaning company

Four movies I watch over and over:
1. Head Over Heels
2. Monster-In-Law
3. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
4. Moulin Rouge (for my Ewan McGregor fix!!)

Four places I have lived:
1. Idaho Falls
2. Ammon
3. Pocatello
4. My old 1971 Pontiac Bonneville (when I was going to college in Rexburg)

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Desperate Housewives
2. A Baby Story (torturing myself most times)
3. Deal or No Deal
4. Family Guy

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Canada
2. California
3. Nauvoo, Illinois
4. Montana

Four places I would like to go on vacation:
1. Hawaii
2. Australia
3. Italy
4. New York

Four websites I visit often:
1. My Blog
2. Other Blogs
3. Homestarrunner.com
4. mail2world.com

Four favorite foods :
1. Sandwiches from a local place here in town
2. Tacos (homemade)
3. Chocolate
4. Chicken Critters, baked sweet potato, and house salad from Texas Roadhouse

Where I would like to be right now: (not all at once, but one would do!)
1. sleeping in bed with my sweetie
2. talking with my mom
3. In the Temple
4. camping

Two for Togetherness Tag

2 things you compliment your husband on while in his presence:
1. His cuteness
2. His daddy skills

2 compliments you make about your spouse to your friends about your spouse:
1. He is such a good poet
2. He has a beautiful singing voice

2 traits you married him/her for:
1. His personality
2. His desire to want the best for me and him

2 Days you cherished the most with your husband being together:
1. Our wedding day
2. Our first camping trip together

2 Material things you could give your husband if you just inherited a fortune
1. Several more children either through adoption or invitro
2. A house of his own

2 things you would miss the most if she/he left for two weeks:
1. Cuddle time while I sleep
2. Someone telling me that I need to lighten up (he says I lie when I say this, but sometimes I really NEED someone to tell me to lighten up!)

2 thoughts that crossed your mind when you first met/saw your spouse:
1. He is cute
2. He is the man I'm going to marry! (maybe I'll say more about that later!)

2 favorite dates:
1. Staying home with him...without the boy!
2. Getting together with a group of friends(ususally my cousins) and playing games...then he's on my team and I'm not the bad guy if I win!

2 funny odd things you love.
1. His whiskers
2. The way he knows when I need a good squeeze!

2 two places you have lived with your spouse:
1. Idaho Falls
2. Idaho Falls (I guess we haven't been married long enough to have moved around a lot!)

2 favorite Vacations
1. camping
2. Our trip to his grandparents' farm in Northern Idaho

Well, that's it....I guess I'm just a boring person....but who knows!! I should tag people...but I don't know who hasn't been tagged yet. So if you feel the need...then you are tagged! :D

Just Another Rant

Yesterday I was SOOOOOOOO frustrated with my hair. I was willing to let my family cut it for me. I'm usually one of those people who have short hair, but lately I've been letting it get long (mostly for my hubby to see what I look like with it.) I think my main complaint against my hair is that it's TOO thick. (I'm sure there are those out there just saying, "shut up!") When it gets to a certain length it just hangs there and looks awful!! I was hoping to find someone who could just chop it off for me and I'd feel better...but I never found someone to do it for me! It's been pretty bad too! Like I mentioned my brother offered to buzz it off for me and I was highly tempted...just to get rid of it...but I need something!
Today I realized why I hated it so badly...I have PMS. Yes, this affliction makes me hate my hair even more than usual! SO I still want to cut it, but it's not as bad as it was yesterday! I'll have to update my picture when I finally get it done!

My Life Monday

Rachelle from Ramblings of a tired teacher (and mom) going mad has started this new idea for my life Mondays. The first topic is my most memorable experience and I have a doozy!!

When I was 12, I went with my family to one of my brother's scout activities. Every month the scouts have an activity where the whole family is invited to go and this was usually held at the church. We ended up in the Primary room (on the teeny tiny chairs) and we had to stand up to do the watermelon cheer. For the watermelon cheer, everyone holds an imaginary piece of watermelon and takes bites all across the top, then you proceed to "spit" out the seeds. It was really fun. Anyway, after we had done the cheer they asked us to sit back down. My younger brothers and one of their friends were sitting behind me and they just started laughing...I thought it was because they enjoyed the cheer...boy, was I wrong!

As I started to sit I noticed that my chair seemed shorter than the other chairs around me. I kept going and going until finally my butt hit the floor with such force that there was an enormous CRACK! Someone had pulled the chair out from underneath me. I was in instant pain, with those tears that just seem to come when the pain hits. I was crying pretty hard and my brother and his friend were just laughing at me. Since they were laughing so hard at me I figured that they had been the culprits who had pulled the chair out from underneath me. I was VERY embarrassed, so I quickly left the room. I went to get into our suburban, but my butt hurt too badly to even climb into or on anything. So instead of riding home with my family...I walked. (Before you get to feeling sorry for me walking home in pain, I only lived a block away from the church!) That night I was complaining to my mom that I couldn't sit down. As I went to bed I couldn't even lay down on my back...the pain was that bad. I had to sleep on my belly all night.

The next day I went to see the doctor. He checked me out (how embarrassing...literally bare bottomed) and he concluded that I had broken my tailbone. There really isn't a cast for that kind of break, so I was told to sit on pillows and take some painkillers and it would eventually heal itself. It was quite a miserable time until that did heal.

For YEARS I thought that my one brother and his friend were the ones behind my broken behind, but just recently (about 3 years ago...11 years after initially breaking the thing) I found out that it was my OTHER brother. He was about 5 when it happened. He felt so bad that he hurt me (and probably worried that I would murder him if I knew it was him) that he kept it a secret for 11 years! When I found out I didn't get upset...like he thought I would....I laughed and laughed. He's such a tenderhearted guy that I could just imagine him feeling bad for all of those years about hurting his big sister. He still feels bad about it to this day...the poor kid will be 20 next month!

This is just one of the many klutzy moments I had growing up, but it was definitely one of the most memorable!

Blonde Moments

I had a blast on my short trip to Utah yesterday and today. I went, mainly, for my good friend's baby shower. It's her first baby and I am SOOOOOOO excited for her and her husband. I've known the girl since we were in middle school....feuding, most of the time. But after a very rocky year we've been buds since. Her shower was lots of fun. I got to meet a bunch of her new friends and I had a strange sense of deja vu. See, when I hung out with her in middle school I was the weird/funny one, she was the serious/thoughtful one, and another friend was the smart/quirky one. She has found herself the same group of friends in her town. I'm just so happy for her! She's doing well and seems ready to have her baby boy soon! (Her husband is excited too!)
I figured that if I was going to go to Utah that I would try to spend some time with my sister. So that's the whole reason that I left yesterday. I was hoping that Steve and I could both spend time there together, and maybe catch a session at the temple. But his work schedule got messed up, so he had to stay and work while I was stuck going all by myself.

Yesterday I was talking on the phone with my friend who's baby shower I was attending to see if I could spend some time with her before the shower,when Steve rushed into the house and annouced that the car was acting up. I was a bit worried since I was supposed to drive the thing to Utah, so we ran all over town yesterday trying to figure out what was going on. It turns out that our car, like most cars in the world, is wearing down. Our pistons aren't quite working the way they should, so we are in need of a full tune-up. The mechanic was telling me that it would cost us up to $400 for all of the repairs....OUCH! So I asked him if it would be okay to drive until we could get it fixed and he said it was fine. But all that worrying and trying to get it fixed took all of the time I thought I had yesterday, so I didn't get to my sister's house until after 10:00!! Not only was I late getting there, but once I did arrive I got lost trying to find her home! I could have sworn that I heard my sister tell me left instead of right....oh, well. (I also got lost going to my friend's house...I guess I'm just a bad direction follower!)

After the baby shower today I hurried to my sister's apartment and we got cleaned up and went to the temple. When I was driving into the valley last night it was the one landmark that I could tell what it was....it has a green light and it's just gorgeous! Anyway, we hurried over there and went through. That building is just amazing! I can't believe that it's one of the first ones that the pioneers built when they got settled in Utah. It's just beautiful!!

When we were done at the temple I said good-bye and told my sister and brother-in-law that I was off. I had hoped to fill the van with gas (just in case) and I'd talk to them next weekend. I found a fairly inexpensive gas station and pulled in to fill up. I went to my purse to see if I could find my debit card. I COULD NOT SEE IT ANYWHERE!! I figured that maybe I had left it in my pants the day before, so I checked my suitcase...no luck! So I looked through my purse again, making sure I checked all of the pockets and pouches...it wasn't there! So I thought that maybe I had left it at my sister's apartment by mistake. I quickly called them and asked them if they had seen it...they looked, but couldn't find it. My brother-in-law asked me where I had seen it last...I think he was trying to calm me down...I was getting a bit frustrated and upset thinking that maybe someone had stolen it. I said that the last time I had seen it was when I bought dinner for myself last night at home. So I called my husband to have him walk to the restaurant to see if I had left it there, but he didn't answer the phone. So my sister called me back and told me that she had the phone number for the place and gave it to me. I called them, and sure enough, I had left the darn thing there! I was relieved, but frustrated with myself at the same time. My sister and brother-in-law were nice enough to lend me some money to get me home and I was off. But a "quick" trip to get gas ended up lasting over a half hour! I felt so stupid! After the gas was filled I said good-bye to my sister and she went inside to get the receipt. I left as she was getting it. The cashier asked my sister if she knew that the vehicle she was paying for was leaving without her. She said she missed her chance to say, "Oh, no..." then run out of the building chasing after me, but instead she said that we had different vehicles.

The ride home was long and uneventful....thankfully! And now I'm ready to collapse into bed! I love visiting my sister and my friend, but there's just something about coming home!

Utah...Here I Come!

I haven't been able to see my husband for the past few weeks. When he is at home, he's either sleeping or getting ready to go to his other job. Things are a bit hectic around here. Last weekend Steve went to Boise for his cousin's wedding. He had a fun time, but he had to take his brother with him. His brother is a poor stand-in for me, but they had a fun time. He called me four times a day while he was gone....that's more than he calls me when he's in town! This weekend we were supposed to go to my sister's house together and maybe catch a session at the temple, but he has to work and can't get out of it. I'm really upset with his boss over the whole thing, but I guess I'll just have to get over it. So, while I'm gone Cam is going to spend the weekend with Grandma. He's only ever done that once before and it wasn't necessarily a good experience for all involved. Hopefully this time he'll be better. So I'm going to be going to Utah all by my lonesome tomorrow. I'm not really thrilled with that idea, but I'm excited to see my sister and her home and my friend who is going to be having a baby sometime this month! I haven't seen my friend for years and years! It'll be good to get together again!!

Tonight we had an actual Enrichment meeting for church and it was SO fun! They called it Peace Academy and they had all kinds of things that are supposed to help relax you and bring peace into your life. I had a blast! Part of the activities for the night included everyone there wearing a piece of paper taped to their back. Then they asked us if we'd ever had someone talk about us behind our backs. Most people raised their hands...then they said that tonight we were going to find out what people said about us behind our backs. They wanted us to write on people's backs what we thought about them. It was so much fun! I forgot I was wearing the thing until someone would stop me from walking away. I read the things written on my paper and I was touched. I didn't know people thought those kinds of things about me! They had several stations set up where you could get a hand massage, fingernails painted, foot rub (more please!), and a reading corner (where I read The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch...for the first time!) We all started out watching a video where they were teaching us self massage techniques. We all felt a little embarrassed to be doing this in front of others, but it was fun! They had one part of the video called "throw off stagnant chi." I guess I was really getting rid of that stagnant chi...someone wrote on my card that they liked how I did it! It was interesting....and relaxing...I hope I can remember the techniques!! They had chocolates in the middle and some bath things to take home! I had such a good time! I didn't necessarily feel peace....but I am relaxed and ready for bed! What a wonderful night!

Slippers on my Mind

I have had piggy slippers on my mind lately and the funny thing about the whole thing is I SAW THEM LAST NIGHT!! Well, not them in reality, but I saw The Benchwarmers with my brother and low and behold a character on the movie was WEARING them!! His were just as nasty and gross as mine had gotten, so I was feeling a bit sad that I didn't still have my slippers. I came home and looked them up online (I was hoping to get a picture of the guy on the movie wearing them, but I couldn't find them.) I found a pair (or maybe there are several pairs, who really knows) online for sale. I'm in the process of begging my husband to let me buy them. Those were not only cute, but COMFY!! I miss them and hope he'll give in to my whining!

I was talking to one of my good friends last night. She knew me all through my college days and I asked her if she remembered those slippers and her response was immediate and affirmative. Did I mention how much I loved those things and how often I wore them?? I think I was associated with those slippers as much as if they had been my trademark. Alas, I no longer have my trademark and feel at a loss. But life does go on. There is a game out there called Imaginiff where you get to know other people. There is a question that once popped up on me and it was something to the effect, Imagine if Dawnyel were a pair of shoes, what would she be? It was unanimous....I'm slippers. I guess it's because I LOVE them...and wear them all the time. I think I'll stop reminiscing about them now. I just needed to write this final FINAL installment and get it out of my system. BLEH!! BLEH!! BLEH!! There....all gone!

The Piggy Slippers....The Final Chapter

There was one final place where I wore those mangy slippers...and that was when I was in the hospital having my son. By the time I went in to be induced to have the boy my feet were so swollen that I couldn't hardly wear anything on my feet. Those slippers were worn enough and stretched enough that they were balm for my aching tootsies!

When I was pregnant with Cam I had a very miserably sick time of it...and toward the end I was having to see the doctor twice a week for my high blood pressure. He told me on my last visit I was going to have to go to the hospital for an induction before my blood pressure knocked me into toxemia territory.

I was admitted and they inserted Cervadil to ripen my cervix. For most women this puts them into labor, but I'm NOT most women. I had really uncomfortable cramping all night, but no real strong contractions. I couldn't even sleep that night because I was so anxious to have my baby. So the nurse, who had been in my ward growing up, gave me a shot of morphine to help me sleep. Morphine does NOT make you sleep...it just makes you not care about anything! My thoughts were floating in and out of my head all night long...in my mind it looked like sentences in differing fonts floating past. (I know, it's weird, but I can now say that I LOVE morphine!) The next morning the doctor had them put me on pitocin. Throughout the day they cranked it up until it was going full blast...and I still wasn't feeling labor pains. My doctor had ruptured my membranes and had ordered the epidural for me, hoping that I would relax enough to get things moving. My hubby was in the room up until the doctor called for the epidural, then he was outta there! He HATES blood, needles, or anything having to do with medical procedures. My mom was with me the whole time (she loves seeing me through those things and is a great strength for me!) Well, once they got the epidural in my blood pressure which had been in the 200s/150s (or higher) dropped and they lost Cam's heartbeat. They immediately freaked out and began prepping me for an emergency C-section! My husband heard the commotion in the room and tried to come in, but they wouldn't let him in. He was so upset over the whole thing that he ended up calling one of our good friends to come and help him. My mom was in the middle of everything though. She later told me that my face had turned gray! They tipped me upside-down on the hospital bed and began shaking my belly to wake the kid up...and bring his heart rate back. They rushed me into the room and as soon as we got in there Cam's heart beat came back...but they decided to proceed with it anyway. I was asked if I wanted anyone in the room with me, and I hate to admit it, but I asked for my mom. I knew she could handle the situation better than Steve ever could. But I later found out that they had asked him if he wanted to come and he said, no! So my mom came into the room, tears streaming down her face and she proceeded to give me a blow-by-blow announcement of what they were doing to me.

Cam was born quickly and I didn't even know he was gone from the room until I had asked about him a minute after he was born. They rushed him over to the NICU and started running all kinds of tests on the kid. He had inhaled merconium and had an enlarged liver and spleen. They worried that he didn't have kidneys and other parts. I knew he was all right, but they were being cautious. The boy ended up staying in the hospital in NICU for 6 days. I was SO upset with our local hospital...they tried to feed the boy like he was a preemie (he was over 8 pounds!) So he wasn't eating on the schedule they had for him...he's a slow eater (and never quite grew out of that!) So I finally convinced them to let him eat on his own schedule, and he was able to go home! I wore those tattered slippers all over the place. The only problem with that was that when I wore them outside my feet got wet...it rained for several days after his birth. Those last few walks through the GROSS hospital was the final straw which led to the disposal of my FAVORITE slippers. The nurses would smile when they saw my feet though...just because they didn't see those kinds of slippers in the hospital very often.

The Piggy Slippers....Part Two

And now for the much anticipated second part of my piggy story. As you can see by the picture the second big event that I wore those slippers to was my wedding reception. (And I encouraged my bridesmaids to wear their slippers too!)

I figured that since they were a part of the proposal, that I would be COMFORTABLE and wear them for my reception. After all, no one would see them....except for when I raised my dress to show them off...which I did often! Our photographer commented that he had NEVER taken a picture quite like this one at any other wedding. Needless to say, I was proud to be unique! And part of the uniqueness came from having my reception at my parent's home. After thinking back on anything I would have changed, I probably would have had it at a church. My parents' home is very large, but not quite large enough for the reception. We did have a good time and it was very memorable, but it was quite cramped.

ANYWHO...I decided to wear my slippers because I HATE high heels. I didn't want to be uncomfortable on my big day...so I wore those slippers and now I have an unusual memory that I can now share with all of you....now that I finally scanned this picture! I still have our proofs from the wedding. The week after I got the proofs from my wedding the photographer's company went out of business, so I still have them and I STILL need to call the guy and get the package that we had paid for. (If you wonder WHY I wouldn't call the guy...you must have missed my post about phonophobia.) Steve tells me often to call the photographer and get it over with...but I kinda like having all of the pictures to look at and remember...

We decided to get married in the fall after he proposed. I had talked to one of my good friends and she told me that she was also engaged, but that they were going to be married in August and gee, wouldn't it be cool to be married within a week of one another...I mean...we always do EVERYTHING together (born 4 days apart...engaged within days of one another...) So after discussing it with Steve we decided to get married a week before my friend. As the time got closer to the date we realized that it wouldn't work out...so we pushed the date back to October. My main concern about pushing the date back was that my grandmother wouldn't live to go to it. She had cancer and was in the last stages of it...and just like I had feared she didn't make it. But I will talk about that later.

The day of the wedding the day was bright and sunny...but the wind was blowing. (For those of you from Idaho, you know how bad it can get...and it was that bad!) My dad was working like a crazy man to finish some parts of the house, he's a carpenter and we always joke that the carpenter's house is never finished! So I went to get my hair fixed and came home to go to the temple. My dad was nailing the doors up. I told him that we had to be there in a half hour and he said that he had to finish and then he'd shower and we could go. I freaked out. We were about 10 minutes late and I knew that Steve was beginning to worry. We got to the temple and then we did all of the preparations and I was dressed and ready to go really fast! But the matrons in the temple told me that he wasn't ready, so I had to wait in the bridal room for him so that he could wait for me. We got to the beautiful room and right next to my grandfather was an empty chair. I could feel my grandmother's spirit and I just cried and cried. The words were beautiful and so was the ceremony. Then we went out to the bridal garden outside of the temple and took all kinds of pictures. My cousin actually took my favorite picture of the whole day...we were sneaking a kiss under the knotty tree. If you were to go to the gardens now that tree would not be there...I guess it got too diseased and they had to get rid of it, but it was a beautiful backdrop for a lovely picture. We had our post-wedding activities and had a fun reception. It was something that I will always remember and cherish...and my piggy slippers were a part of that special day!