Choosing to be grateful!

General Conference weekend was approaching and I had many questions that I was hoping to have answered. I felt that I was adequately prepared to listen to the words of our living prophets. I had plans to make yummy cinnamon rolls and enjoy the weekend with Kevin, it was going to be great! But then, sometimes things don't work out how you planned...Before you read my story I want to tell you that I really debated whether I wanted to share this with 'just anyone', so I hope you can learn something from this story I'm about to tell.

The Thursday before conference weekend I got up and went to work, ready for another great day! About 1230 that afternoon I started to get a stomach ache but figured it would go away when I ate lunch. I took my lunch break a little later, but my food wasn't settling well, so I laid on the couch until I absolutely had to get back to work. With a few more hours left I said a prayer, asking for strength to make it through the day and to not be in so much pain, as my stomach ache was getting to be more and more painful. Somehow I was able to finish the day and as soon as I got home I climbed into bed. I was starting to become worried that something was really wrong with me. The pain seemed to be radiating to the lower right quadrant of my abdomen, right where the appendix lies. When Kevin got home from work he could see how miserable I was. We decided it would be best to get to the doctor quickly just in case this was serious so we headed to the ER.

After sitting in the waiting room for an hour, hardly able to sit up straight and in unbearable pain, we were finally taken back. As soon as they could get an IV in me I was given some morphine for the pain and then life got a little better :). The ER doctor tried to tell me I was just constipated which made me mad because I knew I wasn't, but he ordered a CAT Scan to rule out appendicitis, just in case. Thankfully that wasn't the case, however, my intestines were really inflamed, I had a fever and my heart rate was elevated, so the doctor admitted me to the hospital. He said I most likely had some sort of infection and it was related to my stomach pain. I was taken to the 5th floor and finally around 130am Kevin and I were left alone to get some rest. That's hardly possible in the hospital but I had a fresh dose of morphine in my system and slept for a few hours.

Friday afternoon a GI (stomach) doctor visited me, took a history and said he thought I might have Crohn's Disease, based on my CAT Scan and the 8 years of problems I have had with my stomach. He scheduled an Endoscopy and Colonoscopy for Saturday morning, put me on a clear liquid diet, yuck, and had the nurse bring me a gallon of nasty stuff to drink before the procedure to clean out my system. My parents came to visit me and brought me some beautiful flowers that became a bright spot among all the terrible things that seemed to be happening to me. They sat at the end of my bed and I loved looking at them. Kevin and Wayne also gave me a priesthood blessing that I would be okay and that the Lord loved me and He was watching over me. I am so grateful for the priesthood and the worthy men in my life that can administer those special blessings to me in times of sickness.

After my parents left I had the task of drinking this disgusting stuff. All I could think was why does this have to happen to me? I have had so many health problems, why this now? I just sat in my hospital bed and cried, feeling sorry for myself and wishing this was all a dream I could wake up from. Then I got a text message from Wayne, something he hardly does, "I'm glad you're feeling a little better today just keep going jug jug all afternoon and I will see you tomorrow." It made me smile and laugh and that's what I needed at that moment. Wayne is always in tune at those rough moments in life and is always there for me. I'm so fortunate he became a part of our lives 20 years ago when he married my mom. I love him so much!!

That evening two coworkers came to visit me which was so sweet of them. Then I spent the evening drinking away and trying to just focus on the positive. The next morning I was whisked away to the procedure room hoping and praying that the doctor would be able to figure out what was wrong so that I would be able to go home that afternoon. Come to find out, the procedure didn't tell us much because my intestines were so inflamed but the doctor felt pretty confident that he had seen Crohn's Disease in there. I cried the entire way back to my room. Even though it was finally an answer to several years of problems, I felt like a huge weight had been placed upon me. How was I supposed to deal with this? Why was this happening to me? Poor me, poor me. I was having all these negative thoughts again and just wanted it all to go away. When I got back to the room, Kevin, my parents and his parents were all waiting for me. It was great to have their support and feel their love at such a difficult time for Kevin and I. At the time I honestly just wanted a few minutes to process everything, but looking back, having them there was what I needed then. Before my parents left Wayne pulled out a package of chocolate licorice which totally made my day! Whenever we have surgery Wayne has always bought us chocolate licorice. I'm pretty sure it's a healer of many things haha. My in laws stayed and visited for awhile and since I was now able to eat real food, they offered to go and get me some frozen yogurt from Orange Leaf. They have two flavors that are lactose free and the orange is my absolute favorite! That froyo was the best thing I had during my entire stay at the hospital!! A little bit later the doctor came into visit with us and told me that I had an infection called C Diff and it was really contagious, so I needed to be in isolation and that I couldn't go home today. This meant that every person, besides Kevin, who came into my room had to wear a gown and gloves. I felt like a leper. Once things settled down, Kevin went home for a few hours and I finally was able to get some uninterrupted sleep. That really helped me to feel better. My mom came up that evening to sit with me and we just visited. She is so good to me and I love her so much!

Sunday finally rolled around and I was really hoping to go home. I had had a pretty good night and was feeling quite a bit better. We were waiting for the doctor to come in but knew it would be awhile, so we settled in and turned on the morning session of General Conference. The first talk was given by President Uchtdorf (here is the link https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances?lang=eng). It was a fantastic talk and EXACTLY what I needed to hear. "We can choose to be grateful, no matter what. This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer. When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace. We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain? Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges. This is not a gratitude of the lips but of the soul. It is a gratitude that heals the heart and expands the mind."

As I listened to those words I was overcome by the Spirit and knew that I had been dealing with this situation totally wrong. Instead of feeling sorry for myself I should've been grateful that I was finally being given some answers to the many questions and problems I had had for 8 years. The Lord wasn't going to abandon me now and I needed to be grateful and have more faith in Him and His power. My entire outlook on the situation changed and I was choosing to be grateful from here on out, no matter what.

The doctor came in after the session ended, and he said that I could go home!!! I was so happy and so ready to sleep in my own bed. Kevin was such a trooper, so patient and there for me whenever. I am so fortunate to have him in my life and I love him so much! I think he was just as exhausted as I was when Sunday rolled around.

We have a long road ahead of us and lots to learn but we will make it through! I just want to give a shout out to all of our family that helped us while in the hospital, with meals after I came home, prayers, and just an outstanding amount of support. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life in the new place

The last post on here I announced that we were moving into a condo. Well, we LOVE it here!! Although we have had our struggles, we have learned so much in our new adventure and know that we got here exactly when the Lord needed us to arrive. Here's a few reasons why:

1. The first Sunday in our new ward we felt so welcomed and met some wonderful people. We hadn't even been sitting down for an entire minute when we met Brother Riggins who then introduced us to his wife and the members of the bishopric. Turns out, our old ward had forwarded our records and so we were introduced into the new ward that very Sunday. The spirit of the ward was so warm and friendly, and we knew that we were in a good place. \

2. The second Sunday in the ward the Relief Society presidency issued the women a challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 40 days. I decided that I wanted to take the challenge and I knew that if I did it I would be blessed and learn so much. The experience was fantastic and I learned more about obedience than I ever imagined I could. I felt the spirit in my life every day and I learned so many new things/stories from the Book of Mormon. I know that the words in that book are true and written for our day. I know that when we read and study from it every day, we are blessed with the companionship of the spirit, we are protected from sin and temptation, and we are so blessed in the day to day activities of our lives. If we hadn't moved in when we did, I wouldn't have had this amazing experience!

3. Friends. We have made some pretty awesome friends in our ward. There are lots of younger families and even some couples without kids, like us! That's pretty rare these days haha. Anyway, we feel like these awesome people have come into our lives for a reason and it's pretty great.

4. Callings. The third Sunday, the same week we spoke in Sacrament meeting, we were each given callings. I was called to serve in the primary as the music chorister and Kevin was called to be the leader over the 11 year old scouts. To be totally honest, I wasn't excited for my calling. In fact I was feeling about 200% inferior. I never considered myself the type of person that would be good at this and my attitude towards it needed some definite help. I have finally decided that I really enjoy it. The first Sunday I got to observe and the spirit was so strong in that room. There is something special about those kids and I knew that I was right where the Lord needed me to be. I have been trying to be more creative and the biggest hit so far is golf! The kids say some pretty hilarious stuff and it makes my whole week to spend 45 minutes with them each Sunday.

5. Trials. There are always 'fun' things the Lord has in store for us. Curve balls that are thrown your way just when you think you've got life all figured out. It seems that Kevin and I have had our fair share of difficulty since moving out but it has brought us so much closer. We have grown and learned and chosen to be grateful for all that we have.

Memorial Weekend

Memorial Day weekend we didn't have much planned but I wanted to do outdoor activities as I don't see the sun much except through my window at work lol. We decided to go mini golfing at Cedar Park and it was so fun. Our very first date we went mini golfing, so it was fun to reminisce. I can't believe it's been almost 4 years since our first date, crazy how time flies! It's a no brainer that Kevin was going to beat me, however, on the 18th hole I got a birdie and Kevin got par! I was so excited needless to say but I still lost. Then we went on a nature hike up by Heise, dinner at Applebee's, and a drive in movie to top off the night. It was a perfect day!

Mini golf
 

After church Sunday afternoon we headed up to my family's property outside of Ashton to camp for a night. It was so fun to get away for a day and enjoy nature and the beautiful creations we so often overlook. The weather was warm and a little windy but nothing that was going to ruin our day. Kevin and the guys went fishing while us women played cards (a Reese family favorite) and the kids played. We enjoyed 4 wheeling and exploring and lots of delicious food!

The pond right on the property

 

 

Exciting new adventures...read to the end!

                                           HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy New Year from the Barbers!!!

 

 



Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

 
January has been a great month for us and very busy!! I started a new full time job with Mountain America Credit Union as an MSR I and was able to quit both of my part time jobs! YAY!! It was truly a blessing that I found this new job and I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who opened the windows of opportunity. It was really stressful working 2 jobs, however at the time, it was a blessing in many ways and I have to be grateful for that. For my training I had to go down to West Jordan, Utah for a week of training at the corporate offices. Luckily Kevin was able to go down with me so we decided to go down a few days early and do some shopping/relaxing. It was so nice to have a little break between jobs. Training was excellent and the longer I was there the more I realized how fortunate I am to be able to work for such a fabulous company with great ethics and benefits, that really values its employees and wants them to succeed. We of course took advantage of the swimming pool and hot tub!
 
 

This is one of our favorite stops in Ogden, UT! We stumbled upon it one time and we LOVE it! It's a fun little Mexican restaurant that is DELICIOUS!!!

 
 
 
After a whirlwind week, we rushed home Friday night because my sister Courtney and niece Summer were up for a quick weekend trip from Phoenix! I haven't seen them since they moved down there in August so I was pretty excited to get home. As soon as Summer saw me she held out her arms and came running towards me and just hugged me so tight. I loved it! She also really loves uncle Kevin so she was so excited to see him as well. After that she our little buddy and often came downstairs to visit us! Saturday night we had a girls night and Mom, Natalee, Courtney and I all went to Dairy Queen and then a movie. It was so fun just to be us girls! I love them so much and admire each of them in many different ways. I'm so lucky to have such great sisters and of course a wonderful, sweet mom.
 
On Martin Luther King Jr day the credit union was closed so I had my last two wisdom teeth removed. I was worried about it because I had to be at work the following morning for my first day at my branch! I had Kevin and Wayne give me a blessing the night before that I wouldn't be in much pain and that I would be able to go to work and feel well. Well, I was so  very blessed and felt pretty good Tuesday. I definitely didn't feel 100% but I made it through the day with minimal pain medication and overall the experience hasn't been difficult at all. I am so grateful for the priesthood power that blesses my life and for my husband who keeps himself worthy to use that power.
 
A few days later Kevin left for Seattle to attend some training for his internship with College Pro. He was gone for 4 days and it's the longest we've ever been apart. I really missed him to say the least haha but it at least I know I still love him :) I spent a lot of time with mom and Wayne, it was "just the 3 of us", but I was definitely ready for my hubby to come home.

Another bit of exciting news is that we are moving!!! It has been 11 months since we moved out of our apartment and into someone else's home; first to mom and Wayne's, then to Todd and Erin's and back to Mom and Wayne's. Although we have had many good and fun times at these places we have called home we have also had our share of struggles and we have learned a lot. It has been a great growing experience for us and our relationship with each other and with our family! About 2 weeks ago I started having these nagging thoughts about finding our own place again. I kept trying to push them aside but they kept coming back so I took that as a sign and started looking through the classifieds. I found several potential places but we have certain criteria we wanted met and it had to be in our price range. We are still poor college students haha! After Kevin got home from Seattle I talked to him about it and we decided to take an afternoon and "go looking" at what I had found so far. The second place we walked through we fell in love with! As soon as we walked in the front door we both fell in love with it and knew that this was supposed to be our new home! (The same feeling we had when we found our first apartment.) We figured out the application process and started it ASAP! We still had a couple more appointments to go "looking" at, but they just didn't measure up to what we had already found. The following day I received a call that we had been approved for the condo we loved and it was ours if we still wanted it. We are thrilled to begin this new adventure and to finally have our own home again! It's going to be like Christmas opening our boxes! When we packed everything up there were still things from our wedding that I hadn't even used yet!

I will post pictures when I get some but in a nutshell here is what we will be living in. 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo with vaulted ceilings, a cute little kitchen I absolutely love, and WALK IN CLOSETS IN EVERY ROOM, a cute little patio, and all the other necessary stuff a home is supposed to have. Two things, I absolutely love the kitchen and the fact that there are walk in closets plus a legit master bedroom. If you can't tell I am pretty excited. For anyone that has helped us move they can attest to the fact that Kevin and I have a lot of clothes/jackets and the big closets will be such a treat! We'll be moving in a few weeks so the preparations are underway. 2014 is going to be a great one!!!

Here's to the future!

Kevin graduated from BYU-I with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Finance. When we got married it seemed like it was years' down the road before we would both be graduated but now the day has finally come!! I am SO PROUD of Kevin and all of his accomplishments. He has worked super hard and overcame many obstacles to get this degree. He has gotten really good grades and put forth the extra effort to be successful and learn! He has accepted a position with College Pro for his internship and although it's going to be a lot of work, he's excited for the challenge. He will be running his own business and a crew that does exterior home painting. This will be a fantastic growing and learning and experience for him and the best part is that we get to stay in  Idaho Falls!

there he is, the GRADUATE!

                                   my cousin's husband played the organ at Kevin's ceremony

So very proud of him!! (sorry for the fussiness)

Natalee, Adam and Grandma Reese

My parents, Wayne and Carolyn

Kevin's parents, Mike and Tena

I am so grateful for his desire to go where the Lord needed him to go at the right time in his life. There were times where he wasn't even taking classes because he needed to work instead, but he kept at it and never gave up.

This semester he was also able to play intermural football at BYU-Idaho as a defensive back/tight end. His team was undefeated and won the championship game! My worst fear was that he would get hurt but he was lucky and bounced back quickly from a few hard hits he took. Due to my work schedule I wasn't able to attend all of his games, but my parents and his were there for him and each week and I'm thankful for their support.

#88

Out there on the line up

undefeated champs all season!

 

We are thankful for the support we have received in our endeavors to get an education and better our lives. We are also thankful for everyone that took the time to come to graduation and support Kevin. Here's to the future!

Wildhorse Campground

Every August is the annual Wayne and Carolyn reunion and this year we decided to go camping at Wildhorse campground over near Mackay a long ways from civilization where there is no cell phone service!! It's the best place ever! 

Austin shooting HIS gun for the FIRST time!

 

Brody had to have a turn too

 

If you haven't already figured it out, we went shooting! We went shooting in Star Hope canyon on 4 wheelers and a truck for everyone else. There were only 2 wheelers so we all took turns riding on them. Austin got the most turns I think but he loves it! We all took turns shooting but the guys did the most, surprise surprise. Austin even got to shoot is gun for the first time. After shooting we continued further into Star Hope where we came to the head of the trail for none other than the trail to Green Lake!! Kevin and I, and Adam and Austin buzzed up the hill to the famous log cabin. This is one of my favorite places and I love going up there. We didn't go all the way to the lake since not everyone was coming up.

 

 

 

By the time we got back to camp we were all tired and dirty, so we got dinner ready and relaxed for the night. The next day we did more stuff at camp however we did go up to the waterfall. It was beautiful there!

 

 

 

Kevin and I snuck down to the water. I sure do love this man!

 

We also celebrated Wayne's "81st" birthday while up there. He really didn't turn 81 but I like to tease him that he's old haha and of course Austin and Brody had to help grandpa blow out the candles.

 

 

We had such a fun trip and going to one of my favorites places with my favorite people made it that much more fun! I'm so glad we get to spend time enjoying the great outdoors and the beautiful creations that surround us. It's always nice to leave the world behind, turn off the cell phones, and have quality family time!

 

Brody was always super dirty but didn't mind at all, even when had an allergic reaction to a mosquito bite. What a trooper!

 

Bear Lake

Our next adventure was to Bear Lake, an annual trip we take with the Snarr's! Our plan was to leave Thursday morning but I got called to jury duty and was actually picked to serve on a trial, so I couldn't leave town. Kevin rode down with Natalee and Adam Thursday and I was finally able to go down Friday night after the trial ended. Although it cut my time short at Bear Lake, it was an amazing experience and something I wouldn't have traded for anything!

Saturday morning I was all ready to play in the water but when we got down to the beach it was cloudy and a little on the chilly side. The weather wasn't clearing up very fast, so we played Frisbee in the water for awhile. It's like when you see people on tv playing Frisbee and volleyball in the water and they make it look so fun and yet they're graceful about it. Yeah, there's nothing graceful about it, but it's super fun!! We decided to go into Garden City, Utah which is about 20 minutes away and have lunch, hoping the weather would clear up. The weather never did clear up that day so we never went back to the water. A storm came through while we were eating lunch though and the boat's anchor got pulled out and it beached the boat, so the guys had to push it out and the clean the sand out, but they got it!

Sunday was Austin's 5th birthday! He has always been my little buddy and I love being his buddy in return, even if it means playing lots of trains haha! Can't believe he is 5!!

 It was beautiful and sunny day but I woke up feeling sick and it just got worse. I eventually started throwing up and so we decided it was time to head home. All I wanted to do was sleep and that's exactly what I did from 1-9pm on Sunday. I felt so awful and I had a fever. I can't remember the last time I felt so horrible. I went back to sleep at 11pm and slept til 730 the next day. I still didn't feel very good so I stayed home from work and by about dinner time decided I could probably eat a little. It was about 3 days before I felt like my stomach could handle more than crackers and Gatorade.  Needless to say, my trip to Bear Lake this year probably won't make the top ten list but we definitely made so fun memories! (Sorry for the lack of pictures!)