TWILIGHT!!!!

Ok, this is completely silly, but I'm getting almost giddy because in 1 hour Brenda will be here to pick me up for the Twilight Movie! WOOHOO!

So, those of you who have read the books.....Are you in "Club Edward" or "Club Jacob"? Talk to me!

~Melanie

Come, Take My Hand

Tonight I'm sitting here in the quiet house, 2 kids & 1 cat sound asleep in the adjoining rooms & a husband who is working on a project out of town. It's quiet here & as I'm about to go into bed I realize how much I will miss our pillow talk. (I'm not sure that he will! LOL But I'll let him off tonight!)

I love my hubby! We will soon celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary! That completely blows my mind! I've been a little nostalgic lately as I realize that 21 years tomorrow we met for the first time! I remember it is GREAT detail, right down to what we were both wearing & which lights were on in the room & which ones were off. I also remember who was there & how they seemed to disapear the minute that Darren & I shook hands for the first time. I know it seems all "mushy/gushy" and right out of a soap opera, but I can tell you that the first time I held his hand & looked into his eyes, I knew that I loved him deeper than I could've imagined loving someone & that we would spend the rest of our lives & eternity together. I knew it without a shadow of a doubt. And it was weird & thrilling all at the same time. Especially since the man I had comitted to marrying was standing next to us & it wasn't Darren!

Yes, it's true, I was engaged when we met! I think back on that now & despite all of the morbid details that there are, I only remember 2 emotions. Fear & Gratitude....both towards the same person. Have you ever had one of those moments where something happens within a few seconds & yet your mind & soul are so consumed with pure knowledge & emotion that it seems almost impossible that "all of that" happened within such a short time frame? That's what happened to me. I remember being terrified that "HE" would somehow sense the miracle that had happened between Darren & I, and even more terrified of what would happen if he did. But even more profound was the immediate realization that "OH! This is why I needed HIM, it was so that I could meet HIM!" *swooning as I continued to look at Darren* That moment was the weirdest mix of terror & gratitude for facilitating that but extreme terror of him trying to prevent it & it not happening. And THAT idea, the one of Darren & I not being together was & still is, the thing that haunts me the most.

So every November 20th I begin to remember & I begin to give thanks for a plan larger than I could've imagined & for the knowledge that God is in charge & I'm so very thankful. For many reason, reasons that I can't even begin to list here. I'm thankful for fairytales that do come true, and the magical possibilities that can come when you shake hands with your very own destiny.

♥Love ya, sweetheart!♥

Takin' a BREAK to XPRESS my Gratitude!

I'm so grateful for these 2 beautiful dancers & COOL CHICKAROOS!!!! I'm so grateful for all of the time & effort they put into teaching my sweet girl & lots of other sweet girls how to dance!
















But mostly I'm grateful for WHO they are! I watch them teach our daughters grace and tolerance & kindness at the same time instilling in them the spirit of teamwork, hardwork and integrity. They truly are some of the greatest....Coaches & Friends!
Thanks Shayla & Brenda for just being AWESOME! You're THE BEST!!!

I'm Still Grateful....Honest I Am!

Lest anyone think that I stopped being grateful, let me give you an update:

Last weekend we had the WONDERFUL priveledge of going to Phoenix to the NASCAR race with our dear friends! It was a BLAST! We ate wonderfully (even though I got an entire glass of water knocked into my lap! BRRRR....), we shopped, we lounged, we had a blast! And we didn't get a single photo of all of us together! What the heck?! We are both avid photograghers and yet, not one! LOL Add it to the list of things to do next year!

Tuesday I woke up with the beginnings of a nasty cold/sore throat/earache. But I kept telling myself, "not yet, wait 'til Friday". I had my sweet stampin' buddies coming for Stamp night on Thursday & I did not want to be sick or get them sick. So it waited (and I was grateful!) until Saturday!

So here's my gratitude list in random order: (and let me warn you, it's not deep & thoughtful!)

1:Werthers Originals! I love that smooth carmel-y taste that doesn't taste at all like medicine, which is my reason for eating so many: "It medicates my sore throat & the swallowing helps my ears!" LOL I know, big stretch!

2: My bed with soft white sheets & LOTS of big fluffy pillows!

3:My South-facing window in my room! Gotta love that warm sunshine coming through to warm my whole self right up! So Cozy!

4: Good friends! Every day I look forward to talking to my newest sweet friend on the phone! We've lived by each other for years now & we've just connected. So fun! (Love that she called me to reprimand me for my "extended blog hiatus" this morning!)

5 "Young at Heart"Friends. There is a lady in my ward that is a widow. She's been alone for approximately 10 years now. The other night when she told me: "I love getting older, it means I'm getting closer to being on the other side with my sweetheart!" And honestly, she just TWINKLED and SPARKLED and GLOWED! I loved it! We have a lot of giggly grandmas in our ward & I just love their energy! I think that it'd be so fun to gather them all together & listen to their stories and partake of their wisdom & enthusiasm, take their pictures (of them laughing!) and just let them be their sweet little selves!

6: Stephens Wassill! Ok, just go try it! *SLURP* (oops! I mean *SIP!* since it's hot! lolol)

7: The fact that Thanksgiving is only 10 days away! Which means my moms SCRUMPIOUS homemade rolls! (And carmels!)

8: Health: This morning my heart and mind are with a sweet friend who is having surgery this morning after finding out last week that she has breast cancer. It puts my little earaches & sore throat into perspective when those will be part of her journey through chemo. I do hope & pray that she will feel the healing power of prayer & hope that our Savior offers us.

9: A quiet home & a noisy home: I love the peace & quiet that I have here during the day, but I also love it when the kids come home. For years I wasn't sure if children would ever be a part of my life, so even on the bad days I have to remind myself that they are an answer to my prayers. I quite love their spirited little selves!

10: My sweet husband/best friend/"lovah"/roomie....you get the idea!: We had so much fun together last week. It was a 10 hr. drive each way. While I napped a lot more than he did, I loved that we could just talk and giggle and laugh like when we were dating. I appreciate the opportunity to go off by ourselves and just be "US"......

which brings me to:
11: I'm so grateful to those friends that take care of our children when Darren & I "run away". They are so gracious and wonderful! I appreciate them so much! Thank you! Thank You! Thank You!

There, that should catch me up! LOL I'll be back! I promise!