The Five People You Meet in Heaven

I just read a good book by Mitch Albom (Tuesday's with Morrie author) called "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" and thought I would post a quick quote from the book.

"Sacrifice," the captain said. "You made one. I made one. We all make them. But you were angry over yours. You kept thinking about what you lost.
"You didn't get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to. Little sacrifices. Big sacrifices. A mother works so her son can go to school. A daughter moves home to take care of her sick father.
"A man goes to war...."
H stopped for a mement and looked off into the cloudy gray sky.
"Robozzo didn't die for nothing, you know. He sacrificed for his country, and his family knew it, and his kid brother went on to be a good soldier and a great man because he was inspired by it.
"I didn't die for nothing, either. That night, we might have all driven over that land mine. Then the four of us would have been gone."
Eddie shook his head. "But you..." He lowered his voice. "You lost your life."
The captain smacked his tongue on his teeth. "That's the thing. Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else."

I recommend the book. Mitch Albom isn't trying to be "the authority" on heaven. He just presents some really nice concepts in the book, and I respect him for putting his "wish" (as he puts it) of what heaven is like out there.

New Carpet!

We finally have new carpet in our upstairs and it feels SO nice! The carpet was in pretty bad shape when we moved in and I have since discovered the unsettling feeling of not knowing what caused the stains that your little baby is crawling on. Brynn and I spent pretty much all day on the floor today!

Missouri

I know it's been a REALLY long time since I posted anything, so I will try to keep this as brief as a long-winded person like me possibly can. I've been a little under the weather this week so this post of our Missouri trip is a little overdue. But here we go!

Last week we went to visit Marty's sister Kris Anne (and family) in Kirksville Missouri. While we were there we were lucky enough to visit many of the church history sites in that area. Unfortunately, about half of our pictures are on Kris Anne's camera, so I will post a few pictures that I have and add others later as I receive them.

One of the first places we went was the Women's Memorial in Nauvoo. I vaguely remember it from a trip we took there when I was ten. But this is the first time I have been there as a mommy. It was such a sweet experience to be there with my baby. The spirit was so strong. It just confirmed to me once again that this is what I am supposed to be doing with my life right now.

The temple site at Independence.

Brynn getting a taste of pioneer life at the Independence Visitor's Center.

The Community of Christ (RLDS) temple.

The dedicated temple site at Far West.

One of the cornerstones of the Far West temple.

Nothing can brighten your day like matching yellow and pigtails...

and chocolate chip pancakes!

Is it too terribly bad that a nine month old baby has developed a taste for chocolate? How else were we to know if we were really going to keep her? After all, if she didn't like chocolate, I might have to send her back!

Like I said, I'll post pictures later that include the highlight of the trip - the NAUVOO TEMPLE!!!!

Birthday Breakfast

Brynn turned nine months old last Saturday. She woke up at 5:00, which isn't too unusual, but somehow it seems ealier on Saturday. What else was there to do but take her out for a birthday breakfast at Denny's? This is the first time we've ever actually ordered something for her. Smiley Alien Pancakes! She did pretty good work with them, too!

Nine Months Old!

Now that Brynn is nine months old, it is crazy for me to think that she has now been out of my stomach for longer than she has been in it! Everything seems like it is going so fast, but at the same time it is hard to imagine life without her. I wonder what I used to do all the time and what it was that used to make me happy. When I married Marty, I didn't think that there could be anything better in the world than spending every day with my eternal companion. Marty and I still make each other happy, but Brynn has brought such an unexpected depth, meaning, and joy to my life. Thank you, Brynn! I love you!!!!!!!!!

We blew up a bunch of balloons for her birthday, but they scared the poor girl to death!

These are some of the only pictures she is not crying in.

We took some more pictures a few days later after she had gotten used to the balloons. Here, she is a much happier camper!

And no, she has not popped a balloon in her mouth. However, I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Those new little teeth are razor sharp!

Brynn's Pedicure

Ok, so all of you ladies who went to the girl's day are not the only one's with pedicures. Brynn's baby-sitter painted her toenails, and let me tell you - this is what baby girls are all about! Those little toes looked so sweet, I couldn't stop kissing them! Girls are SO FUN!!!

Thanks, Justin and Helen!

Brynn got a really fun package from Alaska last week. Uncle Justin (my brother) and Aunt Helen sent her a dress! Justin got to pick the fabric, so he decided on green frogs to offset her pink wardrobe. I didn't know how good she looked in green! :) Then Helen made the sweetest dress. Now Brynn finally has something to wear with the green bow Grandma got her! Thanks, guys! You are the greatest. Now if only you would empty your voicemail so I can tell you how much I love it...or better yet, you can answer your phone! <--Sorry, I guess it felt good for me to say it rather than hear it! :) Love you!