Monday, February 25, 2008

Go Vegas!

So, Justin took me to see Phantom of the Opera over the weekend. The tickets were a Valentine's gift. It was an amazing experience. I have seen it before and it was interesting to see the Vegas twist they put on the show. There is a lot more sparkle, and drama! It made me wonder. Living in Vegas, there are some things you get used to that are just not normal. Like rollercoasters in the middle of downtown, shiny cars and shiny people everywhere. I visit other places and am reminded that this town is over the top to say the least. It is so amazing how much joy we have found living here, even though we are in the middle of the desert, and slot machines are ringing in our ears. I love our life here. We have such a great ward, and our friends here are the best we have ever had. So here's a shoot out to the cheesiness, the glam, the bling, and the craziness of Vegas, because somewhere in the midst of it all, we have found a great life. Just a few pictures to illustrate the effect Vegas has had on our family!! Ha!
Another thought! I just hired a painter to paint our front room this Saturday. The entire conversation was in Spanish. I repeated myself several times, and I'm not even sure he knows he is supposed to show up on Saturday morning. I'm considering taking bets on whether he shows or not! We'll see!

Love us!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Hawaii

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Hawaii Meditations

We have finally joined the blogging revolution! I am excited, mainly to be able to share our life with friends and family out of state. That is not to say that we don't want our Vegas friends checking things out. Our first entry is a tribute to our fantastic 2 week, child free vacation. A huge thanks to my Mom, who took Mary, Scottie, and James for 2 weeks. I felt so at ease, knowing how well they were cared for. She is awesome. Dad pitched in, I'm sure, so Thanks to both! I love you!
The 2 weeks before we went to Hawaii, we went to Utah and Idaho, for the holidays. It was a frustrating trip because we were very ill the entire time. To our families, who we miss, we hope our next visits will be healthier and happier.
Hawaii was a stark contrast, to the snow, and the illness. It was warm, relaxing, and very therapeutic.
For me, Hawaii, was so unique. With Justin working in the daytime, I was able to sit alone for hours. I read great books, I sat by the pool, and often I would sit and think, examining my life, my relationships, all that has transpired in recent years. I thought about the person I am, the person I have been in the past, and which direction I want to grow toward my future. The wonderful thing about my reflections, was that I realized, my joy has expenentially grown with Justin and my children. Each year, I am more filled, as my children grow, and as Justin and I grow closer and closer together. The love that resides in my heart has grown 100 fold since we were married. That is a thrilling prospect, because if the past is any prediction of the future, the best is yet to come!
That is not to say that there has not been learning, mistakes, hard times, and difficulties, but even they have added to the joy, because we waded through the mud together. Justin has sat beside me on the bathroom floor, while I have cried many tears. I have prayed for my husband every day. We have never left each other alone, in any sense of the word. It has been the hard days that have fused our hearts together, and propelled us forward.
I would definetly say that along the journey of peeks, and valleys, or babies, and pregnancies (take your pick), our view from where we stand today is fairly spectacular. My next entry might sound a little more soggy, but for now....ahhhh!
I believe somewhere before the tangant, I was sharing my experience in Hawaii! It is typical for me to start a journal entry of the days events, and end up musing on more than a few random subjects, but like they say (I can't remember who they are?) "An unexamined life is no life at all"
Our trip to Hawaii was priceless! I'll let the pictures speak the volumes, I will not. Love to you all! The Taylors