Temptation

My sister-in-law came over today (bringing me a burrito and Baja Blast like a true sister ;) to hold Tenley and hang out with me for a while, and we had a long (more than three hours!) conversation about all kinds of things. I am seriously so grateful for Shaina. Besides Dalin and Tenley, she is my closest friend and I love that I can talk to her about anything no matter how weird, silly, gross, or embarrassing. Never having had a sister, it's nice to have a girl friend for once. My best friends growing up were mostly guys (with the exception of Megan and Sarah) but since I've gotten married we have of course grown apart, which is good and right, but admittedly it was a little hard at first feeling like I'd lost a big chunk of my friends. Consequently, having Shaina and Layton near to us this last year has been such a blessing for both Dalin and myself.

Anyhow, Shaina and I discussed a zillion different topics--mainly about our family--but something that stuck out to me was our discussion on temptation. I just want to give anyone who is reading a brief reminder about the subject. Temptation is not a sin. It isn't. Even our Savior Jesus Christ was tempted. Everyone on this earth is tempted daily. Our purpose here on earth is to be tested and see if we will choose for ourselves happiness over sin. It's a cliché phrase in the LDS Church, but wickedness never was happiness. We may be tempted often and fiercely, but if we turn to the Savior each time (thus turning away from the temptation), we will always find that we are happier than if we had given in. If we mess up, like we are bound to do over and over again, we can always put to use the greatest gift the Savior has given us--repentance. But we must remember what President Ezra Taft Benson said, "It is better to prepare and prevent than to repair and repent." 
I needed this reminder for myself--that temptation is not a sin--not if we don't act on it. Hopefully my little reminder helped someone else, too.

What do you do to turn away from temptation? 
Read your scriptures? Sing a hymn? 

He Lives, All Glory to His Name

I know He lives. He saved us and I want to be like Him. I love Him and am grateful for His love for me despite my endless imperfections. I know He is our advocate with the Father. We can be forgiven because of His sacrifice for all mankind. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. 

Happy Easter! Do not forget the true reason for this day--Jesus Christ's love for us. Because of Him we can all live again. 

How do you remind yourself of the true meaning of Easter? 

March Madness (Sorry, this is not about basketball ;)

This past fortnight (haha, I was going to be a normal person and say two weeks then I decided I never get to use "fortnight" so I did here) has been the craziest of 2013 so far.

To give you all a little recap, the craziness began last Tuesday (February 26th) when my mom and Donovan flew in from New Hampshire for a visit (which I had been anticipating since December...at least).

I love, love, love having my family stay with us. My mom always is so helpful and our apartment always looks significantly cleaner when she's around. Donovan is seriously such a light in my life--he makes me laugh so much and he just has a fun, innocent attitude that makes everyone love being around him. I was so excited for him to be able to experience Utah, mostly because I knew he would like it here much more than I do and I was looking forward to seeing his reaction to the snow and mountains.

I still had to work while they visited, but it worked out well because while I was busy, they spent a day in Park City so Donovan could go skiing. While there, Donny not only met his favorite pro-skier (I can't say I knew him, but apparently he's famous), Tom Wallisch, but he also got him to autograph a picture Donny had painted of him (and conveniently had with him...), AND they skied the slopes together several times. To me, it sounds like Wallisch is a really decent guy to go skiing with a 13-year old more than just once and take several pictures with him. He has no idea how much that made Donovan's trip. My respect for the guy went up a few points for that.

Another day, we went to Hang Time gym and Dalin and Donny jumped around for a few hours while Mom and I went shopping together. I love those two boys so much! Donovan thinks Dalin is so cool but he acts all chill when he's around him. We got Krispy Kreme donuts and hot chocolate after Hang Time (yum!).

On March 1st, Dalin and I had the opportunity to go to the Provo temple and watch as his sister received her own endowment. It was very special, and so exciting to be there for her on such an important day. I love the blessings of the temple! They bring so much happiness to our lives! That night, we drove to Manti and stayed in a little motel right next to the Manti temple. We saw like infinity deer on the way there. Also, random note, it was like the best night's sleep I've had since being pregnant. My back really liked that motel bed. 

The following day, we got up early and dressed for the temple. The Manti temple is amazing! It is so beautiful and surprisingly colorful inside. I loved it so much. The sealing was wonderful. I was doing my best to remember the things that the sealer was saying to Shaina and Layton so that I could write it down later. Nearly everyone was in tears. Including Dalin, whom I have never seen cry before! When I told him that, he informed me that he cries at night when I'm asleep (ha ha). He also said that he was too happy to cry on our wedding day; he couldn't stop smiling. That made me feel good. It was wonderful being in there with my mom and all of Dalin's family members, including his grandparents and lots of his aunts from Arizona! It was a big family reunion.

The reception was back in Lehi and it was beautiful! There were so many different delicious types of cake available. We took lots of pictures and had a great time. But by the time we left, we were exhausted and happy to go home.

Two mornings later, we went to our doctor's appointment with Dr. Pace at Orem Family Medicine and he let us do a little bedside ultrasound for fun so my mom and Dalin's parents could see the baby. Jensen and Donovan got to see the baby, too, which was neat. As fun as it was, we weren't able to determine the baby's gender. We did get to watch the baby move a whole lot and even suck his/her thumb though (dang cute!), so it was worth it. Still, eager to find out the gender (especially after we had thought we'd be able to tell at the bedside), Dalin's mom and dad brought me to a fetal photo clinic at the mall to find out! I really liked the ultrasound tech there--he wasn't as rough as some others I've had and he did a good job at getting pictures of the baby. This was where he told us he was 100% sure that we are having a baby......

GIRL!!!!! 

I couldn't believe it! I still can't sometimes! I am so excited and so surprised! Dalin and our dads called it. The moms thought it was a boy. I wasn't sure. But I am thrilled! When we found out, I had my mom and Dalin on the phone (Mom was in Park City with Donovan again, and Dalin had to be at work) and they were both so excited of course. I really wish Dalin could have seen our little girl on the screen in person though...she was sitting upside down and kicking and punching around the whole time. She is so active! The ultrasound tech poked my belly and on the screen we could see as he pushed the wall of my uterus against our little girl's bum (since she was upside down). It was so cute to see her wiggle away.

That same day (much later), we moved apartments within Wymount! We just moved from apartment 300 (3rd floor of building 5C) to 268 in 5B (2nd floor!). It took a really long time. We were blessed to have lots of help from Dalin's friends, Anthony, Jason, Daniel & Rachel, Isaac, and of course, Dalin, my mom and Donovan. (Well, and myself, though I couldn't lift a whole lot). It definitely was a huge project, especially the night before Mom and Donovan were leaving for New Hampshire :/ but I'm so glad they were there to help. My mom helped me clean a lot and she also helped organize our new kitchen before bed (which was really all we had time to do). Even filled with boxes, I love the new apartment. It is going to take a LOT of work to unpack everything though...especially with me working so much. Bringing Mom and Donovan to the airport the next day was really hard for me, but I didn't let myself think about it too much. I know I'll see her soon...probably when the baby is born.

I was happy, however that my mom made it home in time for her and Donovan to have one last night with Grandpa French before he passed away early Wednesday morning at 3:06am on 3/6 (at 36 Larch Drive I might add). He was surrounded by love and I'm just so grateful that he went peacefully. And that we knew it was coming. It would have been so much harder if he had died suddenly from a heart-attack or something where we would not have had the time to prepare. As you may already know from my other posts, I love my Grandpa French very much and although it makes me sad that he is gone from this earth, I am grateful that I had my 21+ years with him. I am also grateful to know that families are forever and I will see him again. As hard as it is, I am glad he is back to his old self and no longer so weak and uncomfortable where he is now. And he is with his parents and fraternal twin sister who died at birth, which I am sure was a wonderful reunion. I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and knowing that we can be together again because of Him.

The next weekend, Thursday night, we left on our annual trip to Sun Valley, Idaho. It was definitely not the same as last year for a few reasons--one, I'm pregnant meaning I can't ice skate or go in the hot-tub (or even the heated pool really); two, JeNeale couldn't come because of her job and she had some preparations for the Boise reception; and three, I came down with a terrible cough and head cold right before we left and it only worsened while there. We still had fun going to all the shops we go to every year, but it was not so fun feeling so congested and gross. My cold and sore throat got so bad that we made plans to visit a doctor in Boise on our way there. Apparently I have strep and sinusitis. The reception, as beautiful as it was, was not so fun for me. Particularly because I lost my voice. But it was awesome to see Dalin's family and meet his friend, Connor. Plus JeNeale made the reception GORGEOUS. I loved the vintage furniture and the mint-themed foods. So awesome.

Anyway, with all visits, trips, moving, weddings, the passing of my grandpa, sicknesses, work, and being pregnant, you can see how our March has been a little overwhelming so far. Let's just say I am really looking forward to April and hoping it will be a little more tranquil ;)

<3

Also, everyone keeps asking--yes we have a name for the baby that we're pretty set on, but we probably won't announce it publicly so if you really want to know, you can message me and I'll tell you that way. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait and see! ;)

Be Not Dismayed!

I do not enjoy worrying (who does?) but no matter how much I remind myself that it's hopeless to do so, I cannot help but do it anyway. Almost constantly. So here is what I am going to do. I am going to write out the things bothering, and decide which are imminent, which can be avoided, and which things I have no control over anyway. 

I worry the baby will not get enough nutrients and 
that I won't gain the suggested amount of weight for 
a healthy baby. 

Obviously, I can control what I eat which will help

determine which nutrients the baby gets but other than 

that, there is little I can do to ensure that the baby is

healthy. So I will just do what I can, eat right, 

be careful, and pray for a healthy son or daughter.

I worry I will have regrets when my grandpa is gone. 

What if there is something only he knows that I

never found out? What stories will be lost? This is

why I have asked my mom to start recording some 

of Grandpa's best stories now and why I've been 

having her ask him about our heritage more often

than usual. Just yesterday I had her ask him 

to explain how exactly we are related to John

and Samuel Adams. He already knows how much 

he is loved by I need to turn my focus to him. He 

is worried he won't be remembered by the younger

 grandchildren. I promise him that I will make sure 

they will remember him. 

I worry that life will get in the way and I won't finish school. 

I only  have 13 classes left! If I wasn't working

and having a baby, I would finish by December, but now,

I'll be lucky if I finish by 2015. I only need to take 

2 more classes on campus and then I can do the rest

Independent Study, but I just can't figure out how to work 

my schedule. I need to just chill and realize it will work out

but my family is my priority and then work (but only 

because no money = no house, no car, no school) and 

sometimes it just feels hopeless. I know myself so I know 

I will find a way to finish but it's hard to feel like 

it will ever finally end.

I worry that after having the baby we will be flat broke.

How will we be able to pay for our apartment and car

if I'm not working full-time? There is nothing more important

 to me than making sure our baby is well-cared for and breast-fed

but we can't live off of our savings for a full year...all I need to 

do though is remind myself that somehow it will work out and 

we will get by no matter how difficult the decision may be right now.

I worry that by wanting so badly to fast-forward our lives 

right now, I will miss the good things that are happening. 

Somehow I will try to be more positive. I will try to enjoy 

our lives now and live more in the moment. Though it is

important to plan for the future, it is also important not to 

get caught living only for the future.

Those images are some words that bring me comfort. 
What brings you comfort? What suggestions do you have for me?

What I Wish I'd Known When I Was Single

Oh yes, I am seriously writing this post. I have wanted to for a while now and I can assure you it's some pretty good advice. I am going to do my best not to sound high and mighty in any way because I am certainly no dating or marriage expert, but I think I know enough to help some young ladies (and I hope some young men, too!) change their single lifestyle habits.

We're cute. I know...embarrassing.

When I was single, I wish I had known that it really is important to always be myself. I got this pretty quickly (early high school) but only because my mom was always reminding me to be myself. Sometimes I would just say, "Mom, I am being myself!" but now I know truly what that means. Trust me, it took all of a few hours of marriage for me to realize that this is for real and that within a matter of days, we are going to have no boundaries whatsoever. There is nothing you can hide forever. And you shouldn't be trying to do that at all if you are planning on spending an eternity with someone. There is just no point. I hope every girl knows that it is physically impossible to look cute all the time. I'm sorry, but every girl I have ever seen first thing in the morning looks ridiculous. And guys, please make sure you know what a girl looks like without makeup before marrying her. Because chances are, you are going to see her that way (makeup free) a LOT. Every day. And some girls look like a completely different person without their makeup. I would hate for an innocent young man to wake up after his very first night with his sweetheart and not recognize the person next to him. 

Besides being yourself physically, be yourself in general. Usually (and hopefully always) the person you fall in love with brings out the very best in you. That is a terrific, wonderful, magical thing! But trust me, it is not a never-ending supply of goodness from your heart. If you are a naturally impatient person like I am, it will come out at one time or another! It is SO hard not to take the one you love for granted. It is a little like being with your parents and brothers and sisters. After being away from them for a long time, reuniting is always happy and joyful. But after a few days together you start to remember the things they do that annoy you and may have a hard time treating them as nicely as you did when you first showed up. Marriage is the same way. You think you could never ever possibly be mean or annoyed with the one you love, but we're human and it happens. You may also and almost certainly will realize that many impolite and undignified bodily functions are less embarrassing when you're married. It sounds ridiculous and you might think that could never be you, but being with someone all day every day leaves plenty of room for awkward events to occur. In all honesty, it takes a few weeks and sometimes months to get used to one another, but eventually you do. And you come to accept that your spouse does things that, while annoying at times, can be overlooked. Do not be nit-picky. Pointing out the zillion little obnoxious things is not very nice and certainly is not conducive to building a healthy marriage. 

There is a wonderful (and short) story relating to this very thing here. It is regarding what Sister Walters calls "The Grapefruit Syndrome." It is a great little story that helps to remind me that we should not seek to point out the irritating habits that those we love possess.

When I was single, I wish I had dedicated more time to cultivating talents that would help me now. Admittedly, I am referring in particular to domestic talents such as cooking. I have always loved and had an interest in cooking. It is my personal belief that anyone who wants to be the mother of a big family (as I do) had better have some decent cooking skills. Despite my interest, I did not know how to cook. Before I left for college, I had my mom show me how to cook a number of popular dishes and write down recipes and cooking instructions for most of them. I was determined that I would not starve in college. While being on my own helped me a little, it was nothing compared to change of being married. Cooking for two is harder than cooking for one. For whatever reason, it seems almost impossible to get the portions for two people correct. (Especially when you don't know exactly how much your spouse is going to eat. In my case, making more is always the better option.) It literally took about the first six months of marriage to feel like I was a semi-good cook. By month six of playing with recipes and watching the Food Network (I don't really want to say religiously, but...), I finally felt sufficiently confident in my cooking. I had at least a dozen recipes that were easy and consistently successful. 

In addition to cooking, I was grateful I had a little bit of sewing experience. Husbands can sometimes be home-wreckers. Fortunately, Dalin is not one of those. He also can sew pretty well from his mission. But if I had not figured out how to, essentially, be a wife (and in a way, a mother--I'll return to that), I would have felt much more helpless when it came to running my own home. As a woman, you tend to think when you get married that you will be a great little wife just like Gaston thought Belle would be. Then you actually get married and you discover you are much more than a wife. You are a housekeeper, a cook (very often), a disciplinarian (at times), and even a mother. That sounds weird but seriously, you are just like a mom to your husband. Our bishop explained that a husband coming into a marriage expects his wife to take care of him whether this is conscious or subconscious. Being around a woman who is independent and knows how to take care of herself maybe makes him assume he will suddenly become an immediate part of the bargain. You might not be the homely type at all but frequently find yourself picking up your husband's socks and then helping him find a clean pair when he insists he can't find any (this, I will admit, is a fairly common experience in our home). I used to be terrible at finding things. My mom would always find things the moment she came to look and would wonder if I had even tried looking. Now I can honestly say I know what that is like. Cultivate your talents! It will make your married life ten times easier if you don't have to adjust too much.

When I was single, I wish I had practiced good habits concerning my spirituality. I am not suggesting I never prayed or read the scriptures, and I absolutely attended my church meetings...but when these habits are not a very significant part of your day or even your life, it becomes much harder to practice them when the business of married begins. It is very easy to think, "As soon as we get married, we will pray every morning and night together and read scriptures for this long every single day. And we will attend the temple every week and hold FHE every Monday." If you are not doing those things yourself already, you're living in a dream world. It is definitely easy the first week to begin and feel as though you will have a perfect record, but the day will come when you will forget to do one or the other and fall out of habit. Dalin and I are much better at reading our scriptures than we were at other parts of our relationship. We are also very consistent at saying our couples' prayer together. But it took us a while to get into the habit of holding some form of FHE. It is really hard when there are only two of you. We lied to ourselves a lot saying, "We'll be perfect at this once we have kids." Well we aren't perfect at it now so that most likely will not be the case. We attend the temple about once a month which never feels like enough to me. Married life is so much busier than you can possibly imagine until you're in it. Schedules are crazy and change and make it very hard to practice the spiritual habits that help families progress. We are still far from perfect, but we do consistently remember the saying, "Families that pray together, stay together." And that is something we do not forget.

When I was single, I wish I had not cared so much about what others thought of me. It's funny, I never thought I was that way until I got married. Looking back I was like: What was wrong with me. After I got married, I quickly (very quickly) got to the point where everyone (outside the Savior and Dalin) mattered a little less. Not in the way that they were less important, but in the way that I recognized that I was now in my own family unit and that I, along with Dalin, was responsible for making my own decisions regardless of the way I had grown up. When you get married, you have to know that your spouse came from a different family, a different lifestyle, and sometimes you will see that your parents' way was perhaps not the best way, or perhaps just not the way that would work for your family. You and your spouse are of course now responsible for choosing your way, whether that be a blend of both sets of parents' ways or a completely new way. It can be hard to let go of some of the things you knew from your childhood family life, but it is a skill you must learn to best adapt. Anyway--back to not being so self-conscious--it really does happen. You might suddenly have the courage to go to class in sweats with no makeup (or you might have already been doing that...). Or you might be in the checkout line and not be such a pushover because you are officially a married adult. It really does happen and I suspect that when you have children, you get even more courageous and less conscious of the opinions of others. I know that being pregnant has suddenly made me less of a pushover at work. When some rude or idiotic tenant complains about something we have no control over, I now have no problem telling him or her that he or she is out of line and that they are complaining to the wrong person. Because I am naturally non-confrontational (believe it or not, though I do think my writing suggests otherwise sometimes), I used to apologize and apologize for other people's mistakes and feel really bad that the person on the phone seemed to hate me for something I didn't cause at all. Now I think, Don't you dare mess with me, I will not put up with your rudeness for a second. That is definitely new for me. I don't know if I got my point across for this one in the way I wanted, but basically, don't worry about those people who don't know you and who seem to judge you. Getting married automatically gives you a gigantic boost to the self-confidence, and even though it is still important to be nice to people, you will realize that truly, their words do not matter. And if you forget that occasionally, at least you will have your wonderful spouse to hold you and remind you that there are way more important things. 

When I was single, I wish I had been more daring and brave in my relationships with others. As touched on earlier, once you're married, there are no (and should be no) secrets. You tell your spouse how you feel. You communicate like adults and like best friends. If you're like Dalin and me, you might get kind of weird. I think a lot of married people get more weird. You become more like your spouse and have your own inside jokes and single people look at you and think, You have changed. I have never seen you act that way...Generally speaking, you and your spouse will probably speak to each other very differently when alone than with other people around you. You single people have no idea. Yet. Look at how your parents act when they're weird and then multiply that by a large sum. I think parents probably tend to rein in their weirdness once they have kids. But what I meant by being brave was that I wish I had not held back so much in some relationships. I should have been more open and willing to share my feelings. I guarantee had I done that, there would have been times that I would have been shot down (possibly a lot) but it would have been worth it. The reason I chose not to have a boyfriend before I met Dalin was because, even though I was not particularly looking to get married, I was not looking for a dead-end relationship. I did not want to put myself in a position that could get me in trouble before I was married and frankly, I did not want to waste time with someone that there was no foreseeable future with. I did not like wasting my time or someone else's. I am very grateful for that decision, as it made me very cautious as I looked for qualities in someone that I wanted in a future husband but I do wish I had been more bold and direct. What I really want to say to you single people is stop beating around the bush with each other. Seriously, if you like someone and tell them, and they don't like you back, it's going to hurt for about five minutes (or maybe five weeks) but you will find someone new and there will one day be someone who returns those feelings. And that will be so special that you will forget about that time you got rejected. I think single students waste WAY too much time. You don't have to get engaged after two and a half months (like some of us...) but you should not spend so much time secretly thinking you're in love with someone only to find that the relationship is not going anywhere or they do not feel the same way. Be honest. Be brave. It pays off. I think the biggest step to finding your spouse is taking that step at some point. One day you will be brave and it you will have your own fairytale ending. But I suggest that you skip a few steps and take those steps now. Endure rejection (if it comes at all!) and know that you are fast forwarding a little closer to the moment when you find your eternal companion. 

Laughter is important. If you don't have that, you don't have much. 

This was one long post, but if you made it through, please tell me what you thought. I might add a few things to a follow-up post if you have a really good suggestion.

So suggest away! And if you're single, I want to know if you think what I'm saying makes sense.

Day 12: Christmas Music

I am grateful for Christmas and Holiday music. 

Yes, I am kind of crazy and like to listen to it year round, but that is just because it makes me so happy! It always puts me in a good mood. My favorite holiday songs are the classics by Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Gene Autry, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, etc. They just have the classiest voices. I wish all music was still like that...

When I listen to Christmas music, I feel warm and cozy. I imagine my home at Christmas and feel so much joy. I love when we have a cheerful fire burning and our fresh-smelling Christmas tree lit, and our stockings on the mantle, with lots of cute elfish decorations scattered around the house. I love getting Christmas cards with family pictures to hang. I always look forward to watching holiday specials on the Hallmark channel--as corny as they often are. I like that hymns and carols can be heard almost constantly. I love the smells of Christmas--pine, oranges, cinnamon, wrapping paper, wood, and balsam fir all mixed together. I love setting up the creche and imagining how the characters in the nativity would have looked and felt upon seeing their newborn Savior. 

Christmas music reminds me of all these things and more. So next time you hear some cheerful holiday music, try to remember what it represents and the emotions and memories associated with it. You might just realize that you love what it represents, too.

Thank you for Christmas music!!!!

Here is a link to a terrific holiday playlist!

Here is a link to MoTab Christmas carols and hymns!

FHE with the Gunnells

We are trying really hard to have fun and fitting (and consistent) Family Home Evening for us as a young married couple. Soon we will have children to incorporate into the lessons and teach, so while it's just the two of us, we need to make it specialized to us.
So here is what we did:

Opening Prayer: Me (Dalin always picks me... ;)

Opening Song, chosen by Dalin: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (how cute is he??)

Here, you can listen, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbdvo019mgM

For his portion, Dalin shared this article. 

His favorite quote of them all that he suggested we put on the wall in our home is this one:

“May our families and homes be filled with love: 

love of each other, love of the gospel, love of our fellowman, and love of our Savior. 

As a result, heaven will be a little closer here on earth.

May we make of our homes sanctuaries to which our family members will ever want to return." ~President Thomas S. Monson

I love it!

I shared bits and pieces of this talk by Quentin L. Cook.

I was reading it for homework for LDS Marriage & Family, so I thought I might as well share it with Dalin. I thought that this quote was very interesting (and very telling):

"We recognize that there are enormous forces arrayed against women and families. Recent studies find there is deterioration in devotion to marriage, with a decrease in the number of adults being married. For some, marriage and family are becoming 'a menu choice rather than the central organizing principle of our society.'"

For our closing song, we sang along to this version of "Love At Home." It was so great ;)

 We are currently reading Jacob in the Book of Mormon. We read chapter 7 for scripture study, and our "treat" was having Olive Garden take-out...which we basically do every other week because we both have our favorite meals (Dalin's is the Venetian Apricot Chicken, mine is the Chicken Scampi). We are probably poor because of our slight obsession with "Italian food," but it makes our lives easier with less dishes to wash, and yummy food that always lasts two days. 

As for an activity, well, I consider watching football as Dalin's activity, and doing homework mine. Plus we played Yahtzee with Shaina and Layton on Sunday...close enough ;)

Love this old picture of us :) So, so happy!

What do you do for FHE?
Do you have fun or interesting ideas for us?

Day Five: My Great Grandmother

My lovely great grandmother turned 97 today. 

I love her so incredibly much. 

She is a wonderful woman who still has a sense of humor even in the frailty of old age.

Although she is physically weak, she is mentally and spiritually strong. 

She is not yet a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, but I am certain that one day she will accept the gospel and become a Latter-day Saint. 

My Nana, Claudine Kane, has been apart from her husband for twenty-one years. 

If you ask me, that is far, far too long to be separated from one's beloved spouse. I cannot even fathom being away from Dalin for that long a time. For this reason, and as I see her suffering from bodily pain and weakness, I hope that she will soon pass from this life so she can be reunited with her loving husband--my great grandfather--and with her Savior.

I cannot wait to see her in the prime of her life--I know that I will see her again and I know she will be full of joy and life. 

I know that families are forever.

I am so comforted by this knowledge and wish that all could know the potential we have to spend an eternity of happiness with our loved ones.

The next time I see my great grandmother, I know she will have a smile on her face and be firmly holding the hand of her husband. I so look forward to seeing her at peace and in the prime of her life.

I am grateful to know that I can be with my family again and for all eternity.

I just love her so much

Who are you grateful for?

Do you believe that families are forever?

Who in your family do you look forward to seeing again someday?

Day Two: My family

How could family not be next on my list?

I love every single one of them so much.

Husband:

Dalin Brent Gunnell

Brothers & Sisters:

Donovan French Searle

Payson Charles Arthur Searle

Shaina ReNae Gunnell

Cassie Joan Frazee & Shay Frazee & Maddox

Jensen Kay Gunnell

Our Moms:

Linda Adams French Searle

JeNeale ReNae Hill Gunnell

Our Dads:

Keith Murray Searle

Jonathan Brent Gunnell

My Grandparents:

Charles B. French

Barbara Kane French

Claudine Kane

His Grandparents:

Leola Joan Hill

Laura L. Gunnell

Brent Gunnell
Donna Gunnell

Aunts & Uncles & Cousins:

Carolyn & Ned Witham

Cedric, Charlie, Noah, & Margaret

Jay & Lauralee Hill

Topher, Ronan, Lacey, Lincoln

Pam & Bob Peek

Tom, Will, & Andrew

Cash & Marisa Hill

Spencer, Audrey, Emmett, & Ava

Dianne & Phil Stephenson

Andrea, Whitney, Grant, Lydia, & Nancy

Jared & Maren Hill

Preston, Noah, Cordell, & Sasha

Andy & Molly French

Jackson & Caelan

& many more!

Gillilands, Connollys, Gunnells, Blues, Cases, Bluths, Solomons, Hardwicks, Wermuths, Keemes, Bradfords, Asays, Saltzmans......

Our families together

My beautiful family...everyone looks great!

Dalin's wonderful family--everyone looks radiant!

Dalin's side! Uncles, aunt, cousins, sisters, parents, Grammy

With my wonderful grandparents--Nana and Grandpa French (I love them so much!)

Four generations--with my lovely great-grandmother, Nana Kane

Wonderful Grandpa and Gramma Gunnell at our Boise reception!

Our lovely grandmother, Grammy Hill

My side: Searles, Frenches, Withams, Stephensons, and Peeks (pre-Gunnells) :)

His side: Hills, Hills, and more Hills...and Gunnells & Frazees :)

I love, love, love my family. 

I am so grateful that I can be with them for eternity!!!!!

"We build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together. In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time." ~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

<3

Days of Gratitude ~ Day One: My Savior & My Sweetheart

This month I will attempt to share some of the many things I am grateful for--one day at a time.

I will start with the two most important things in my life (I'm kind of cheating, but to me they are inseparable because I am so set on the concept of the Sacred Triangle): my Savior Jesus Christ and my husband.

“He died not for men, but for each man. 

If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.”
 ~C. S. Lewis

My testimony of the Savior is this: I know He lives.

.....

I know he died for my sins and for the sins of everyone on this earth. The Atonement is real, and it works. We can repent and be with our families for eternity because of His great sacrifice.
.....

I know He loves me despite my imperfections. He is my elder Brother. He will be my advocate with Father. To me, this means that He wants to me to succeed--He is on my side. He will ask for mercy in my behalf. It comforts me to know that I can be clean and pure because of Him. I love Him and want to know Him by learning of His life through the scriptures.

I am trying to be like Him. 

Sacred Triangle

By growing closer to the Lord, we in turn grow closer to one another. 

This symbol is very dear to my heart. A favorite scripture of mine has been Matthew 6:33 which teaches that if we seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and His Righteousness, everything else will be given (or added unto) us. As we move closer to the Lord, we get all we could ever want.

Dalin and I are trying to make the gospel of Jesus Christ, our callings, and our marriage our highest priority. It can be so easy to overlook them in the craziness of our daily lives; however, there is nothing more important. 

Which brings me to my other greatest blessing--my husband. 

I speak highly of Dalin often: on my blog, in my journal, in real life...he constantly impresses me.

There truly is nothing bad I can say. Dalin is far beyond my dream husband. Seriously. 

Back when I was in Young Women's, I made The List.

The List included so many things--among them were returned missionary, Eagle scout, has a testimony, loves the Lord, wants children, shares my goals, hardworking, cheerful, loyal, generous, kindhearted, etc.. And then of course some less important, but nevertheless desirable, traits: handsome, tall, strong, fit, athletic, nice hair, nice teeth, speaks Spanish, loves to sing...

Let's just say I had a long list. And I consider myself picky. So picky that I never had a boyfriend before college (or before Dalin I might add) because I knew that I had not yet found someone who had the qualities I was seeking in a future husband. I take marriage very, very seriously, and even though I was not looking to get married right away when I started at BYU-Idaho, I knew I was not going to give so much of my heart to someone that I would not potentially marry. 

Dalin is so different from any person I have ever met. 

He has the capacity to love unconditionally.

He is sensitive to the feelings of others. 

He has a brilliant awareness about him.

He has a gift when it comes to the Church--his humble understanding of the gospel and of the scriptures goes so much deeper than anyone I have ever known.

He is wise--when it comes to spending money, making life decisions, whatever it may be.

He has the gift of discernment.

He is completely loyal. I can feel it in his presence. 

He has a childlike spirit about him--I admire that so much. He wants lots of children because he loves them and he has a whole innocence about him that is refreshing in a world where exposure to evil is so commonplace. 

He is tender in the way he speaks to me and takes care of me. 

He is striving to be like the Savior. 

He is my greatest blessing.

~What are you most thankful for?

The Savior Taught About Future Events

Be prepared for a rather lengthy lesson. But I wanted to be thorough so that anyone who cannot understand my thoughts and discussion, will have the opporunity to see for themselves.

Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:4

"And Jesus left them, and went upon the Mount of Olives. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews; and what is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world?"

Regarding the destruction of the temple (5-20)

5 And Jesus answered, and said unto them: Take heed that no man deceive you;

 6 For many shall come in my name, saying—I am ^aChrist—and shall deceive many;

 7 Then shall they deliver you up to be ^aafflicted, and shall kill you, and ye shall be ^bhated of all nations, for my name’s sake;

 8 And then shall many be ^aoffended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another;

 9 And many ^afalse prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many;

 10 And because iniquity shall abound, the ^alove of many shall wax cold;

 11 But he that remaineth ^asteadfast and is not overcome, the same shall be saved.

 12 When you, therefore, shall see the ^aabomination of ^bdesolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, concerning the destruction of ^cJerusalem, then you shall stand in the ^dholy place; whoso readeth let him understand.

 13 Then let them who are in Judea flee into the ^amountains;

 14 Let him who is on the housetop flee, and not return to take anything out of his house;

 15 Neither let him who is in the field return back to take his clothes;

 16 And wo unto them that are with ^achild, and unto them that give suck in those days;

 17 Therefore, pray ye the Lord that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day;

 18 For then, in those days, shall be great ^atribulation on the ^bJews, and upon the inhabitants of ^cJerusalem, such as was not before sent upon Israel, of God, since the beginning of their kingdom until this time; no, nor ever shall be sent again upon Israel.

 19 All things which have befallen them are only the beginning of the sorrows which shall come upon them.

 20 And except those days should be shortened, there should none of their flesh be ^asaved; but for the elect’s sake, according to the ^bcovenant, those days shall be shortened.

Events:

Many shall call themselves Christ and deceive (6), They shall afflict and kill and hate you because of your belief in Christ (7), Many will be offended, betray others, and be full of hate (8), False prophets will deceive (9), Love will grow cold (10), tribulation will be great for the Jews (18)

Promises to the Righteous:

Those who are steadfast will be saved (11)

Concerning His Second Coming (21-55)

 21 Behold, these things I have spoken unto you concerning the Jews; and again, after the tribulation of those days which shall come upon Jerusalem, if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe him not;

 22 For in those days there shall also arise false ^aChrists, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant.

 23 Behold, I speak these things unto you for the ^aelect’s sake; and you also shall hear of ^bwars, and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled, for all I have told you must come to pass; but the end is not yet.

 24 Behold, I have told you before;

 25 Wherefore, if they shall say unto you: Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: Behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not;

 26 For as the light of the morning cometh out of the ^aeast, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.

 27 And now I show unto you a parable. Behold, wheresoever the ^acarcass is, there will the eagles be ^bgathered together; so likewise shall mine elect be gathered from the four quarters of the earth.

 28 And they shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars.

 29 Behold I speak for mine elect’s sake; for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be ^afamines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

 30 And again, because iniquity shall abound, the love of men shall wax ^acold; but he that shall not be overcome, the same shall be saved.

 31 And again, this ^aGospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all ^bnations, and then shall the end come, or the destruction of the wicked;

 32 And again shall the ^aabomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, be fulfilled.

 33 And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the ^asun shall be ^bdarkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the ^cstars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

 34 Verily, I say unto you, this ^ageneration, in which these things shall be shown forth, shall not pass away until all I have told you shall be fulfilled.

 35 Although, the days will come, that heaven and earth shall pass away; yet my ^awords shall not pass away, but all shall be fulfilled.

 36 And, as I said before, after the ^atribulation of those days, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth ^bmourn; and they shall see the ^cSon of Man ^dcoming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory;

 37 And whoso ^atreasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall ^bcome, and he shall send his ^cangels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the ^dremainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

 38 Now learn a parable of the ^afig tree—When its branches are yet tender, and it begins to put forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh at hand;

 39 So likewise, mine elect, when they shall see all these things, they shall know that he is near, even at the doors;

 40 But of that day, and hour, no one ^aknoweth; no, not the angels of God in heaven, but my Father only.

 41 But as it was in the days of ^aNoah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man;

 42 For it shall be with them, as it was in the days which were before the ^aflood; for until the day that Noah entered into the ark they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage;

 43 And ^aknew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.

 44 Then shall be fulfilled that which is written, that in the ^alast days, two shall be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other ^bleft;

 45 Two shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left;

 46 And what I say unto one, I say unto all men; ^awatch, therefore, for you know not at what hour your Lord doth come.

 47 But know this, if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to have been broken up, but would have been ready.

 48 Therefore be ye also ^aready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.

 49 Who, then, is a ^afaithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

 50 Blessed is that ^aservant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing; and verily I say unto you, he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

 51 But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: My lord ^adelayeth his coming,

 52 And shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken,

 53 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

 54 And shall cut him asunder, and shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and ^agnashing of teeth.

 55 And thus cometh the ^aend of the wicked, according to the prophecy of Moses, saying: They shall be cut off from among the people; but the end of the earth is not yet, but by and by.

Events:

Many false Christs will arise and deceive (22), There will be wars and rumors of wars (23, 28), There will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes (29), the love of men will wax cold because of iniquity (30), the gospel will be preached to all the world (31), the abomination of desolation will be fulfilled as spoken by David (32), the sun will be darkened and the moon and stars will not give light (33), a sign of the coming of the Son of Man will be shown (36), those who are unrighteous because they think the time of the Savior's coming is far off will be cut asunder (51-54)

Promises to the Righteous:

Those who resist iniquity and continue to love will be safe (30), Those who treasure the word of God and are not deceived will be saved (37), Those who are doing as they should when the Savior comes will be made rulers over all (50)

1 Nephi 22:16-22

 16 For the time soon cometh that the fulness of the ^awrath of God shall be poured out upon all the children of men; for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous.

 17 Wherefore, he will ^apreserve the ^brighteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire.

 18 Behold, my brethren, I say unto you, that these things must shortly come; yea, even blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke must come; and it must needs be upon the face of this earth; and it cometh unto men according to the flesh if it so be that they will harden their hearts against the Holy One of Israel.

 19 For behold, the righteous shall not perish; for the time surely must come that all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off.

 20 And the Lord will surely ^aprepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling of the words of Moses, which he spake, saying: A ^bprophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that all those who will not hear that prophet shall be ^ccut off from among the people.

 21 And now I, Nephi, declare unto you, that this ^aprophet of whom Moses spake was the Holy One of Israel; wherefore, he shall execute ^bjudgment in righteousness.

 22 And the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded. But it is the kingdom of the devil, which shall be built up among the children of men, which kingdom is established among them which are in the flesh—

Doctrine & Covenants 97: 22, 25

 22 For behold, and lo, ^avengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly as the whirlwind; and who shall escape it?

 25 Nevertheless, Zion shall ^aescape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her.

To those who are worried about the Second Coming of Christ:

If you are trying to be righteous and the intents of your heart are pure, as long as you are not delaying repentence, the Lord will have mercy on you. He loves us all and wants us all to be righteous. I believe that if we are trying, He will know and not let our efforts go unnoticed or unrewarded. That is why we must repent now and stop doing the things that are holding us back from becoming more like Christ. It is hard, but there are so many little things that if we would just stop doing, we would feel less of a burden on our spirits. It is hard, and I know that I need to work on a number of things, but I also know that I am trying because truly nothing is more important to me than being with my family for eternity.