Temple Clearance

Words can not explain the emotions going through me right now. Last July (2010), Jeff and I started the paper work for our temple clearance. Well with moving to Alaska and getting a new bishop we had to start the process over again. So in January we met with the bishop and started the process all over again. In March Jeff met with the stake president and then since then we have been praying and fasting for the First Presidency to approve our request for a temple clearance. Well there was a little hiccup 3 weeks ago... our stake president called Jeff back in and just flat our said he hadn't sent in our papers yet. Oh my gosh, that was the worst heartache I could've felt. Here we were praying and fasting for something that hadn't even left the hands of our stake pres. Well we overcame that struggle and just prayed that the Lord would see fit for us to go through the temple together.
Well yesterday I was headed out the door to go to work and hurry and checked the mail. There was an envelope from the church headquarters with Jeff's name on it. I immediately was so nervous. We had heard that when requesting a temple clearance, it doesn't always go through the first time, and it has only been 3 weeks since the papers were finally submitted. Well Jeff opened it and low and behold we got approval from the first presidency to go through the temple and be sealed for all eternity. We were both just in utter shock. We both got teary eyed and just held each other. The day I have been dreaming of since I was a little girl was getting closer. I love Jeff with all my heart and as much as we both wish circumstances were different and that we could've gone through the temple when we were married, it didn't happen. Now 2 years later after much fasting and prayer, our prayers have been heard and we can now look forward to being sealed together. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ so much. My testimony over the last 2 years has grown sooo much. I don't think Jeff nor I would be where we were today spiritually and emotionally if we were to have gotten married in the temple 2 years ago. So now we have something to look forward to. We are headed to Utah in January and will be planning on getting sealed at that time. Life couldn't get much sweeter... well it could but that requires more faith and prayers. You see, Jeff and I have been trying to have kids for 16 months now. The last 6 we have been seeing the dr and dealing with infertility. At first when we started trying I was a little sad knowing that our temple clearance process was going to take some time and that if we were to get pregnant, our children wouldn't be born in the covenant. In fact, there was a time when I prayed that we wouldn't get pregnant until we were sealed. Well guess I should watch what I pray for :) But now that this has come, I look forward to the day that Jeff and I can welcome our children into the world under the gospel covenant. I truly am so thankful for the gospel and the plan of salvation and for the knowledge knowing I will be with my family for eternity.

Weekend of babysitting

Last weekend while Jeff was bear hunting I had a busy time babysitting at home. First I was a dog tender for our friends Ryan and Kari. Kari was out of town and Ryan went hunting with Jeff. Their dog Sam, is not just a black lab... he is a monsterous black lab. Lucky for us, our dogs quite enjoy Sam since they spent a whole week playing with him while we were in Florida a couple months back. Well now it was my turn to have 3 dogs hanging around the house.


Chewy and KO trying to figure out how to get their toys away from Sam... poor dogs just kept looking at me like, um can you help us out here!!! It was hilarious


I also got to babysit our best friends little boy Channing while they went out and celebrated their anniversary. Unfortunately for me, they weren't gone long enough (hint hint Meg). Jeff and I love Channing and I'm so glad Meg and Terry have let us be a part of their lives. Jeff often says, "Come see Uncle Jeffy" and I just love it. I sure enjoy have babies around and can't wait until they are my own.
KO was obsessed with Channing... Chewy on the other hand could've cared less there was a baby around. Channing would talk and talk and KO would just sit and stare at him. And then he would lay down and paw at Channing and act like "uh, are you going to pet me or not. If not, I'll just lick your fingers."



KO trying to console Channing when he was crying. I stepped away to make a bottle and looked over and saw this... way too cute.

Happy 2nd Anniversary

Jeff and I celebrated our second anniverary today. Unfortunately with work and school, we were unable to leave town and relax like last year. So we just layed low at home and enjoyed each other's company. This morning we went to breakfast to a joint in town that everyone rants and raves about... well let me tell ya... it was terrible and we will never ever go again. It wasn't the best way to start our day :( Then we went walking around at the mall... unfortunately there was nothing worth buying AT ALL. So we headed home and I feel asleep on the couch while Jeff played Call of Duty... ah ah how romantic!!! Jeff then had to head off to school so while he was gone I went about trying to find the perfect anniversary gift. Once Jeff got home we exchanged gifts and headed off to dinner. We went to Simon and Seaforts, an amazing high end restaurant in town and oh my gosh... it was to die for. Jeff got a bone-in rib eye and I got Halibut cheeks!!! The atmosphere was incredible (reminded me alot of "The Roof" at Temple Square), the bread was to die for and it was just a perfect dinner. We then ran home, got in our pj's and cuddled watching X-men. I was just glad we were able to spend the day together because as of lately we have been working soooo much and Jeff is in his last semester of school so we rarely have a day to relax and just be together.
I love Jeff more today than I did the day I married him. Our marriage has grown soooo much since moving away. Being in Alaska has brought us so close together and I love having him by my side. Our lives are just about perfect :) We have incredible jobs, a beautiful comfortable place to call home, amazing dogs that seriously make us laugh daily, great friends, supportive and loving families... and the list could go on and on. I'm so thankful the Lord brought Jeff into my life. Babe here is to another 100 years together and eternity. Thanks for being a perfect husband!!!

Camp LaDaSa

For an Elders Quorum activity, we went to Camp LaDaSa (which is owned by the church, same as Mutual Dell in American Fork Canyon). We were a little nervous no one would come or that we wouldn't have enough food but it ended up being a huge hit... hopefully we will do more in the future. It was fun to visit with ward members that I don't ever really see or talk to due to my primary calling. We went up early Friday afternoon to hang out with Meg and Terr before everyone else started showing up. We could've stayed in the cabins there but heard all they had we cots and since all our camping stuff is in the trailer, we just hauled that up... which ended up being a blessing. The word "cots" was an understatement. they had small wooden bunk beds full of spider webs and dust... it sure was a site to see, but they did have small wood burning! I felt bad for all those that do girls camps there... I would've much rather prefered sleeping in a tent.

So when we got there, we walked around an enjoyed the blue skies a warmer weather. We got out all the canoes and enjoyed floating around the lake.





Once everyone got there, we dug into dinner and visited around the campfire. Jeff has become quite the pro at building fires.... as long as he has lighter fluid :) We sure had a huge fire. In fact it was so hot, that roasting marshmellows wasn't even an option, unless you had a 4 foot roaster, and even then it was still too hot.

Terry, Meg and our favorite little Channing

Apparently my flash was too bright for Mac and Jaime




The next morning we woke up, had breakfast and went to the lake. Now if your a true Alaskan, then 60 degrees is the perfect temp to go swimming. But I'm not and never will be, so unless its 80 degrees or above you will never see me in the water. But it was fun to watch others swim and push each other off the floating docks





Then the men played a mad game of sand volleyball while the girls played with all the kids and sat an enjoyed our "relief society" time.






Even though it was a quick overnight campout, we sure had fun getting away... again!!! If only I could get on top of my work schedule, Jeff and I would go camping every weekend. We love the time together and love all the little adventures it brings.

Labor day in Valdez, AK

Well after a whole year of living in Alaska, we have never gone camping north of Anchorage. Our friends Kari and Ryan invited us to Valdez so we took advantage of the extra long weekend, grabbed our new friends Mac and Jaime Brady and off we went. Unfortunately, the forecast for 4 days was RAIN!!!! Which is no surprise for the area, but we thought we would get lucky. The drive down was beautiful but coming into town it was raining. It did clear up for about an hour and we had patchy blue skies but the rain came back that night while we were trying to enjoy the fire. But the rain didn't stop us. We fished, drove around, walked the boardwalk, and had great camping meals and played tons of games. It sure was fun to take our trailer out again... I sure love that thing :)

This is how we do all our road trips... dogs right in our laps. And you know, there were 4 people in the truck this trip, why both dogs had to always sit together is beyond me.






Waterfalls , waterfalls and more waterfalls. They were everywhere. And none of the pics do them justice. This first pic is of Bridal Veil falls off the highway. It was so beautiful in person, literally breath taking.


These falls were just off the harbor in Valdez. This was especially gorgeous because of the fog settling in up top. Again, the picture doesn't do it justice.




The hour of blue skies in 4 days was so worth the trip. It really was nice to see a break from the rain and fog.


Jamie and I in our matching costco rain gear



It didn't take long before these 2 boys were grabbing their poles and casting away. We fished everyday and had a blast.





Mac was on a roll when it came to realing in dead fish... poor guy hooked more dead fish then real ones... guess that just goes to show how many have already spawned and died and are just lying along the ocean bottom... so gross.



Fishing for Silvers was alot different then fishing for Reds on the Kenai. We came home with 8 silvers, weighing 8-13 lbs. Jeff sure missed having his brother Scotty here, only because he had to fillet the fish now :) Poor Jeff!!!


Valdez definately didn't disappoint when it came to seeing wildlife. I didn't like Valdez just because it wasn't touristy enough... but Jeff on the other hand said, "This is what Alaska is about... the fishing, the bears, and the beautiful scenery!"

This sign definately was placed for a reason...


The first day we were there I spotted some movement in the brush so we pulled over and out came this little black bear. We watched him for 10 min or so and then moved on. It was funny cuz anytime there were people on the side of the road, you know they were looking at something cool, more specifically bears!!!


Rubbing his rear end up against the tree.


Bear sighting #2... momma bear and 2 cubs. This was so cool. One of the cubs was super small, they definitely were only a few months old. It was fun to watch them fish and run around after momma bear. Oh and all the white along the river bed (not the seagulls) is all dead fish... pretty gross huh!!!





First Grizzly bear just 10 feet off the side of the road. This poor guy had a hook stuck in his front paw and would limp around and then run on 3 legs. We got super close, so close Jeff felt bad for him and wanted to toss him one of our fish we caught. But a fed bear is a dead bear in Alaska, so we just let him fend for himself. And he sure did, the next morning this same bear ran Jeff and Mac off the beach trying to fish were they were fishing.


Eating fresh berries, wondering why we were so stinkin close to him!!!

Guess we got too close and he decided to run up the road. But notice how close to the road he is, that's how close he was to our truck... so so so crazy.


Grizzly #2 fishing at 10 at night. This guy was HUGE!!! you could tell he was filling up on fish preparing to hibernate cuz his belly was so big. This was the biggest bear I have seen yet. We watched him from a bridge while he fished and then off into the brush he went. I was nervous to run back to the truck in fear he was going to jump out of the brush right by our truck.




Grizzly #3... it was getting really dark at this point but it was fun to spot this guy with a fish in his mouth.

Jeff and Mac had seen even more bears than this but never had a camera with them. You will never go to Valdez this time of year and NOT see a bear.

Random photos

Enjoying the campfire... in the rain!!!

I promise, I don't dress my dogs like this, just wanted to take a pic. I do however put these coats on when they are outside in the rain cuz they are way too fluffy and hairy to get wet without a dryer close by.


Alaskan's consume more Ice Cream per capita than any other state... we also serve hot soup in our ice cream trucks!!!

We walked around the boardwalk and harbor one night and spotted all these bunnies and wanted to try and catch one... they were way too fast for us!!!

Jeff thought for sure he would show us girls how it was done and he cornered them... little did he know the corner he herded them into was where there bunny hole was... it was hilarious. Nice try babe