Day Three: Dear Friends

 I am blessed with the most marvelous and most beautiful (inside and out) friends. 

I could not ask for better. And though I feel that I have true friends far and wide, there is nothing like having a small group of intimate best friends whom you know you can absolutely rely on.

Here are some of my favorite quotes on friendship:

"A friend is more concerned about helping people than getting credit. 
A friend cares. A friend loves. A friend listens. And a friend reaches out." 

~President Thomas S. Monson

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”
~C.S. Lewis

"We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided...We can fight [enmity] only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open." 

~Albus Dumbledore

Just before leaving for the summer--everyone going back to school :(

Completely gorgeous & adorable

Gonna be an AMAZING/very hott mama

The very best of the best friends :D

From our old bff Christmas photos

I love her!

How gorgeous is this girl?? And her hair?

She is so adorable!

This about sums her up: being hott, reading, and cats ;)

That time we went to see Harry Potter in the middle of the day and were the only ones dressed up ;)

After a Church dance :]

Visiting Sarah at BYU! Best buds reunited!

One of my best birthdays with my dearest friends at Fort Stark!

Eating lobster at my house this past summer!

And here are some pics with our other wonderful friends. We are so blessed to have such terrific relationships with these people!

Two of my best friends ;)

Jason and Derek are awesome friends of Dalin (and me too!)

Anthony and Lauren -- we love doubling with them!

Wesley (friends since we became teenagers) and Payson (our wonderful brother)

Fun over Thanksgiving with out friends and cousins in Arizona!

Our awesome Boise friends :)

With my boys at Canobe Lake Park! My brothers are some of my best friends--love them all.

Thank you for giving me great friends with great morals. I am thankful for friends I can rely on and who lift me up. They bring me so much joy, happiness, laughter, and peace to my life. 

"No friendship is an accident." 

~O. Henry

“A faithful friend is a strong defense;
And he that hath found him hath found a treasure.”  

~Louisa May Alcott

“It is important to know when you feel down that many others do also and that their circumstances are generally much worse than yours. And it’s important to know that when one of us is down it becomes the obligation of his friends to give him a lift. I hope that each of us will cultivate a sensitivity toward the feelings of others and when encouragement is needed make an effort to extend it. 
Be a friend and you will have a friend. God be thanked for wonderful friends.” 

~Gordon B. Hinckley

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?

gunnell family home evening

Well, Dalin and I have decided that we need to make FHE (family home evening) a priority in our little home.  And so we have started the tradition of finding an article to share with one another on Monday night.

Yesterday, I started off and shared a portion of a talk given by President Hinckley. It came from my Marriage and Family homework but I had just loved it so much I wanted to share it. The talk is entitled, "Cornerstones of a Happy Home."

Here is our happy household ;)

Here are some of my favorite parts of it:

Equality in Marriage

To men within the sound of my voice, wherever you may be, I say, if you are guilty of demeaning behavior toward your wife, if you are prone to dictate and exercise authority over her, if you are selfish and brutal in your actions in the home, then stop it! Repent! Repent now while you have the opportunity to do so.

~

To you wives who are constantly complaining and see only the dark side of life, and feel that you are unloved and unwanted, look into your own hearts and minds. If there is something wrong, turn about. Put a smile on your faces. Make yourselves attractive. Brighten your outlook. You deny yourselves happiness and court misery if you constantly complain and do nothing to rectify your own faults. Rise above the shrill clamor over rights and prerogatives, and walk in the quiet dignity of a daughter of God.

.....

The trick, my brethren and sisters is to enjoy the journey, traveling hand in hand, in sunshine and storm, as companions who love one another. Anyone can do it with a disciplined effort to live the gospel. Remember, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1).

Four Cornerstones

"...I have long felt that happiness in marriage is not so much a matter of romance as it is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one’s companion. That involves a willingness to overlook weaknesses and mistakes."

~

1. Mutual Respect

The first of these I choose to call mutual respect. Each of us is an individual. Each of us is different. There must be respect for those differences, and while it is important and necessary that both the husband and the wife strive to ameliorate those differences, there must be some recognition that they exist and that they are not necessarily undesirable. There must be respect one for another, notwithstanding such differences. In fact, the differences may make the companionship more interesting.

.....

"Husbands must be considerate of their wives, who have the greater responsibility not only of bearing children but of caring for them through childhood, and should help them conserve their health and strength. Married couples should exercise self-control in all of their relationships. They should seek inspiration from the Lord in meeting their marital challenges and rearing their children according to the teachings of the gospel.”

~

Husbands, wives, respect one another. Live worthy of the respect of one another. Cultivate that kind of respect which expresses itself in kindness, forbearance, patience, forgiveness, true affection, without officiousness and without show of authority.

~

2. The Soft Answer

I pass now to the second cornerstone. For want of a better name I call it the soft answer.

The writer of Proverbs long ago declared, “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

.....

It seems to me that communication is essentially a matter of talking with one another. Let that talk be quiet for quiet talk is the language of love. It is the language of peace. It is the language of God. It is when we raise our voices that tiny mole hills of difference become mountains of conflict.

.....

There is need for much discipline in marriage, not of one’s companion but of one’s self. Husbands, wives, remember, “He [or she] that is slow to anger is better than the mighty” (Proverbs 16:32). Cultivate the art of the soft answer. It will bless your homes, it will bless your lives, it will bless your companionships, it will bless your children.

~

3. Financial Honesty

Cornerstone number three is financial honesty. I am satisfied that money is the root of more trouble in marriage than all other causes combined. 

.....

Those who live honestly with God are more likely to live honestly with one another and their associates. Further, as they budget for their tithes and offerings they will cultivate a discipline in the handling of their resources.

~

4. Family Prayer

The final cornerstone on which to build your home is family prayer. I know of no other practice that will have so salutary an effect upon your lives as will the practice of kneeling together in prayer. The very words, Our Father in Heaven, have a tremendous effect. You cannot speak them with sincerity and with recognition without having some feeling of accountability to God. The little storms that

seem to afflict every marriage become of small consequence while kneeling before the Lord and addressing him as a suppliant son and daughter.

~

Your daily conversations with him will bring peace into your hearts and a joy into your lives that can come from no other source. Your companionship will sweeten through the years. Your love will strengthen. Your appreciation one for another will grow.

Obviously I had a hard time cutting things out. 

After me, Dalin shared a talk he had chosen entitled, "Have I Ever Told You...?" by Mark E. Martinsen. 

It speaks of sharing stories with your children to instill in them a sense of heritage. I loved the portion that Dalin shared with me. I think this is a terrific tradition in the making. I know that I love hearing the stories that my family holds dear--particularly those that teach lessons and truth. 

If you want to read the article Dalin shared with me, you can find it here!

We read our chapter in the Book of Mormon afterward, and sang a song together. 

(I'll be the first to say that neither of us sing that well and so Dalin chose for us to sing "White Christmas" and we sang the entire thing). 

This is my favorite version of the song--I am in love with the classic Christmas songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJSUT8Inl14

Cute FHE job board--Dalin and I have one given to us from his mom--
this isn't it, but someday I will post a picture!

I loved the Spirit that brought to our home. It made me feel so happy. I thought, "We are doing this. We did it." We had our first Family Home Evening in a while and intend to make it a habit in our lives. 

I am grateful to have a supportive husband who can be so insightful. I love him lots! 

What do you do for FHE?  Do you have any fun ideas?

Busy, busy, as a bee

How am I supposed to do everything?

This week--and really this month--is just ridiculous.  I don't really care for November other than Thanksgiving and the increased Christmas music in our home.  When I think of November, I mostly think of the increased cold, the color ice blue, and wind.  Not altogether pleasant thoughts.  If it wasn't for Thanksgiving, this month would be hopeless.

As you may or may not know, I work for King Henry Apartments.  I am the office assistant manager and I mostly handle the cash, checks, and planning big monthly activities for the complex.  While planning and attending the activities can be fun, the setting up and preparation can be a challenge and a hassle.  Especially mixed with attending school full-time...

But somehow I manage (thank you, Michael Scott) and it always works itself out somehow.

Tomorrow King Henry and UVU are hosting a Halloween activity!  We have 648 residents here at King Henry (give or take since we have a few spots still open) but we are assuming (and well, hoping) that only about 200 come to carve and paint pumpkins, decorate cookies, and make caramel apples.  It is going to be sweet though (literally, ha ha), and I am excited to participate myself.

Then, the very next day on Halloween, we are hosting a Roller Skating Costume Party at the Classic Skating and Fun Center.  There will be many more people at this activity--there always are.  It will be fun to see everyone in their costumes and showing off their skating skills, but let me just announce now that I will definitely be sitting this one out.  For lots of reasons, but mostly because roller skating is dangerous...maybe not to everyone, but for me, with my terrible lack of balance, it is definitely not happening.  Also, dressing up is questionable, too as I've already dressed up twice this year.

For Trunk or Treat on Saturday, we wore Harry Potter costumes (always a favorite ;). I was a Ravenclaw student, and Dalin was Dumbledore. He wore a wig, a beard, his real glasses and his real bathrobe.  It was hilarious and so awesome.  I made our wands using an idea I got on Pinterest.  Success! Other than the fact that I seared my wrist with a hot-glue gun.  I am definitely going to have a scar. (Hey! Like Harry Potter!)

After the business of Halloween, rent will be due at King Henry which means tons of money and tons of annoying late payments.  Hopefully it will go smoothly...(it never does).

Let's just say, I am anxious for Thanksgiving, the end of this semester, my mom coming to visit, and Christmas.  Can't we just skip all this stuff in between?

Hope everyone is having a great week and that everyone (especially my family in friends in New Hampshire and the east) is safe and protected!  I've been saying lots of prayers for all of you!

<3