Happy Birthday Austin!

Today is my sweet Austin's 25th Birthday! There are so many wonderful things about Austin so, I will start by naming a few.

Austin is the most exciting person that I know! Have you ever met someone that will do a naked snow angel in the middle of January just to entertain people? Well, this is really not out of the ordinary for Austin. He is always doing crazy things that leave people with either a shocked expression or pain in their stomach from laughing so hard. Not only does he do things that are crazy but he just makes life in general, exciting! I love that there is never a dull moment with Austin. We could be cuddling on the couch and suddenly, he will start biting me and what I thought would be a quiet night watching a movie, turns into laughing, screaming and being chased around the house.

Austin is very passionate, whether it is Mitt Romney or BYU football, Austin will put his heart into it! His passion is extremely contagious and just makes everything so much more exciting!

Austin is incredibly intelligent. This was what intrigued me the most about him when we first met. I would always correct people when they would say "good" instead of "well" or "me and my friend" instead of "my friend and I" however, Austin had perfect grammatical skills when I met him. More so than his intelligence, is the way that he carries himself. He is so eloquent in his speaking and is incredibly confident as well. You can tell right off the bat, that he is going to be a success story, just by the way he carries himself.

Austin is hilarious! I have never met anyone that can make me laugh so hard! Whether he is doing his crazy booty dances or acting like a child, he never ceases to make die of laughter! Austin is extremely clever! He will always twist words around and it is hilarious to see what he comes up with, for example, Gatorade= Crocodile Cancer!

Although, Austin is so attractive, smart, exciting and funny, my favorite thing about Austin is his sweet side.

Austin is the most thoughtful person that I know. He is always helping around the house to make sure that it looks nice because he knows that it stresses me out when there it is a mess! Austin is always considerate of my feelings and goes out of his way to make sure that I am happy and comfortable. He has never let a day pass without saying, "I love you" and has a made a mental note to be extra sweet to me when he can tell that I am not being myself. I love that I could be in a room with people and act like nothing was wrong and only Austin would be able to tell that something was off and would set out to try and fix it. He is so selfless! So many times, he sacrificed the little things that he has wanted to do because he knew that doing something else would make me happy. Austin is always affectionate! Even though, we are married now, no matter where we are, he will still reach out to grab my hand, say "I love you" or give me a kiss. It makes me feel so good when he does this!

Austin has so much integrity. He ALWAYS wants to do the right thing. I love being around him because I feel like I improve myself when I spend so much time with him. No matter what time of day it is, if there is someone stopped on the side of the road, Austin will pull over to see if he can help them. He has gone to great lengths to drive all the way to the gas station and has even given a few people rides at times. He is always willing to help someone that is in need of a few bucks! Last year, Austin and I did a really neat service project. We went to Costco right before Christmas and picked up a huge plate of cookies. We then went to the bank and grabbed some ones and headed over the homeless shelter. We passed out cookies and gave out ones to those who seemed like they needed it most. Austin's attitude really touched me. I was a bit reserved because they would get really close to you and I was kind of nervous but Austin was right in there, talking to them and just being so sweet and uplifting. Austin is always like this with everyone. He is always making an effort to talk to people and seems to make friends everywhere he goes.

Austin is the most amazing person that I know and I feel so lucky to be his wife. I know that that may seem a bit corny but I honestly do feel so blessed to have such a sweet husband. He is so sweet and considerate and I just love being able to spend time with him everyday! He is my best friend in the entire world and I love that I can share ANYTHING with him and know that he will never spill to anyone. He is so trustworthy, is the BEST person to talk to and always seems to know what to say to make me feel so much better.

I hope Austin always knows how much I love him and KNOWS how truly wonderful he is. I hope Austin has the best Birthday yet because he truly deserves it! Happy Birthday sweet Austin!

Happy Birthday Mom!

November 2ND was my Mom's 4_ Birthday! She was very clear that I was not to tell anyone how old she is now. Here is a hint though, she is 4 away from 40! Oh, so old! Ha, kidding!

Gosh, there is so much to say about my Mom, I'm not exactly sure how to fit it all into one blog. My Mom is the most genuine person that I have ever met. She is sweet to the core and has such a tender heart. My mom is constantly looking for ways to better herself. She strives to live the gospel to the best of her ability and follows the prophet's counsel with exactness.

While growing up, my mom would always "encourage" our family to have scripture study. I had early morning seminary and for a year, the whole family would get up and read scriptures before seminary! It was a killer but my mom was adamant about having scripture study and I am truly grateful that she pressed it on us. The number one rule in our house was that we listened to EXACTLY what the prophet said. If we had questions about modest clothing or a certain movie, my mom would pull out "The strength of the youth" pamphlet and see what it had to say. It definitely grew frustrating, but seeing how my life turned out, I cannot help but be grateful for the values that my mom taught us.

My mom is absolutely beautiful! Though, she may look like a Barbie Doll, she is the kindest person that I know. My mom has such a tender place for children. I remember her teaching in the primary and having one of the most challenging classes. Still, she was so patient with them and still managed to come home and say such nice things about them! She had one girl in particular that was a bit...outspoken. She used to say bratty things just to see if she could make my mom tick but it never worked. One time, she grabbed my mom's hand, displaying some of her gorgeous rings and exclaimed, "Wow, your husband likes to buy you the cheap stuff, doesn't he?" I think that one's initial reaction could be to turn to the defensive and immediately become offended, but not mom. She laughed as if it were nothing and later...said nothing! My mom never complains about anything! She is up at the crack of dawn getting everyone ready for school and seminary, runs on the treadmill, does the payroll and bookkeeping for my dad's work, runs all the errands, has her church calling, is always taking dinner to someone, makes dinner, cleans the house and still has time to watch the kid's sporting events. I truly believe my mom to be super mom because I sincerely believe that there is nothing she cannot do. Although she is the Energizer bunny and is moving non-stop, she still has time for me whenever I call her!

There have been countless times while growing up, when I would come home from school or call her from Utah and she would drop everything, to talk to me. She always had time to listen to me if I was having a bad day or just really home sick!

In the two and 1/2 years that I have been away from home, aside from my honeymoon, I think that my mom and I have talked almost every single day! I love the relationship that we have! I feel that I can talk to her about anything, from bashing on Obama to talking about problems at work. My mom is my best friend and is such an amazing person! If I become half the person that she is, I'm sure that I will be going straight the celestial kingdom.

I am so grateful to have had such wonderful parents and such an amazing Mom! All through high school, my friends all loved her as well and looked to her as a mentor and role model. She is so selfless and is constantly thinking of others. If there is someone in the ward that is not doing well, my mom has always made an effort to reach out to them and help in whatever ways she can.

Not only has she been a fantastic Mom, she has always been an amazing wife. I have loved watching her with my Dad and seeing their example of what a marriage should be like. They are more in love than they were, when they were first married. They say "I love you" daily to one another as well as each of the kids. They are constantly displaying PDA, which used to gross us out when we were younger. However, I am much more grateful for it now. I have seen some of my friends' parents interact and it makes me sad when they do not cuddle, kiss or hold hands! It makes me hopeful to know, that Austin and I can be like that, even after 22 years of marriage. I love the constant service and love that they have shown for one another. My mom has taught me so many important things but nothing could match up to the amazing example that she has always been to me! I am so grateful for my mom and for all of the sacrifices that she has made for me. I hope she knows how much I love, appreciate and admire her! Happy Birthday Mom, I love you so much! xoxo

Austin, the Avid Hunter

Austin has been telling me that I need to write something about him and JUST him. So, I told him that if he sent me pictures, I would go ahead and write something. Well, I was pretty shocked when seconds later, a few pictures arrived in my inbox. So....what to say? Austin is the best hunter ever! Just kidding....

He has actually been going duck hunting with his brother Tyler, and friend Bowser. Bowser is definitely one of a kind. He is probably on the top of the list of people you want with you on a deserted island. He is well prepared and knows everything about everything. He took Austin and Tyler under his wing and the three have been blissfully happy. Their Saturday mornings start at promptly 4:30. Austin of course, needs to make sure that his gun is in tip top shape, so he is kind enough to rack it back and forth and make sure that the gun does not lock up. Being as sweet as he is, he does it as closely as he possibly can to my face; he is so thoughtful!!! He knows that there is nothing that I would rather do at 4:30 in the morning on a Saturday than listen to him cleaning his gun with the lights on and get packed up! Ha-boys are so good at planning ahead! Even though, my sleep is sometimes interrupted, he was not one to disappoint me this past weekend. Austin brought home a beautiful trophy duck! He claimed that it was too pretty to eat so instead, we would have it stuffed and put it in a room that we will one day dedicate to Austin's prized hunting collection. Hmmm.....how do I feel about this?? Ha, I will just let him dream! Austin brought back a few pictures which, he looks so cute in, so I had to include them!