The Wedding! Ames and Emily

Meet Ames and Emily. Ames is Adam's littlest brother. He's the only tall one too. I wish I had a picture of all the siblings. It's pretty cute to see him a whole head taller than everyone else. Anyway, he's a pretty cool guy. Emily is his new wife! I love her. She's super cute, funny, and just plain fun. I can't wait to get to know her better.
While we were waiting at the temple for Ames and Emily to come out, we had the opportunity to take a few pics. Bryson was more than willing to be my little model.
I really like this one.
Andrew and his fiance Katie! They're getting married in less than 3 weeks. So excited for them.
Papa Bell, Grandpa Bell, and Alex. Grandpa was able to seal Ames and Emily together forever. Just 10 years ago, he sealed me and Adam. It's great having a temple sealer in the family especially one we love and admire so much.
The cool boys. They were playing in that stairwell for what seemed to be hours having a great time. Kinda felt bad when one of the temple patrons came out and said that they were disturbing the peace within the temple. Whoops. So, maybe they were banging on the door a little, too.
Woohoo. Hot couple. Aaron and Corinne. It's really not fair that we live so far from family. Three more years. 2012 can't come soon enough.
Matt and Mary. What can I say. I love these guys. My kids couldn't ask for better grandparents.
Our cruise buddies! Aubs and Chris. We love you guys!
Oh, the boys. Good looking, right? I'm partial to the bearded one myself. Seems a little more dangerous. hehe
If you thought these guys were hot, check out the ladies. Woowoo! Best Sister-in-laws a girl could ask for.
Last but certainly not least...Nana and Ken. You guys are amazing. I love you so much. Love this pic of you, too.
Ok, I had to add this picture. It's not often that I take a good picture. Especially with two of my favorite people ever! Adam's fam keeps telling me I look like Michelle Pfeiffer. What do you think?

Bryson's 5th Birthday

My little Boo turned 5 last Saturday. We were lucky enough to celebrate with lots of family. In fact 25 family members met at Chuck E Cheese in Utah to eat pizza, hang out, and celebrate with Bryson.

Here's my mom and Boo with her cute new haircut.
My family. My Dad and his wife Tercia, my cousin Jen and my Mom.
Bryson, very excited to be at Chuck E Cheese. In fact, according to him, he didn't turn 5 until he had his Chuck E Cheese party. It was a blast.
Bryson with his cousins, Peter, Derek, Brandon and Colin. He really got to have fun with his cousins during the weekend. I think he really bonded with Colin.
He got a bunch of action figures which he just LOVES! He's always got a spiderman or ironman in his pocket. I had to check his pockets before I sent him to school. Clean. I forgot to check his backpack. lol Full of little guys. Oh well.

Things I love...

This has been a very good month. I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude right now that I thought I'd share a few of the things that are making me so happy! :)

1. Adam is still here. By some miracle, the God of delaying Visas has delayed Adam's Visa for almost a month now, making it impossible for him to leave the country. Hallelujah! We've enjoyed every second.

2. I'm getting a new sister-in-law on Friday. I have yet to meet her, but I've only heard wonderful things about her which leads in to number...

3. I get to go to Utah tomorrow and spend the weekend with family! It's the best feeling in the world. I love my family and I can't wait to see them!

4. I love my callings. Being Choir Director is one of the most uplifting callings I've had. Hearing beautiful music sung by amazingly talented people is just a joy. I feel privileged to be around such talent. I also love that we had 10-12 men sing A Capella on Sunday. Oh my Goodness. I seriously got chills.

5. I have the best girl friends in the entire world. Oh, you know who you are. I love your wisdom, your flair, your humor, your compassion (even though you don't think you're compassionate), your ability to empathize and sympathize, your beauty, your talent, your courage, your passion, your spirit, your heart. You have the incredible ability to say just the right thing at the right time. I love you ladies.

6. I love my kids. They're absolutely gorgeous for one. I may whine about what a task it is to take care of them, but really, they are awesome kids. They're quick to obey. They're mellow for the most part. They're smart and funny. They do chores. They're adventurous. I really couldn't ask for better kids.

7. On a less mushier note, Sara N found the website for those dresses I wore on my cruise!!! They're made by Jody California. They're modest dresses that are comfortable and fabulous. I seriously felt like a princess while wearing mine. Oh, and they are priced fabulously too. I love them!!! They can also be found at some Utah Nordstroms.

I think that's it for now. I may be back later. :)

Military Question #5

We've been in the military for, oh, 8 and a half years now. We've lived in 4 states and 7 different houses in that time. I have to say the best place we lived was Monterey, Ca. I loved the ocean view, the beautiful parks, the weather, the friends (remember game day?), the ward. It was fun and just gorgeous.

The worst place was probably the 6 months we stayed in San Angelo, TX (sorry, Crystal). We were in a 2 bedroom, furnished apt, and we had 1 car. It had a pool, but it was out of commission for most of the summer. I spent a lot of time at the library and at the gym and the WIC drive-thru. Yes, they have a drive-thru. It was awesome. The friends were still awesome though.

I've always wanted to go overseas, but we're pretty much stuck here, not that I mind too much. I love the Ft Meade area. This is the place that's felt the most like home...the people that have felt the most like family. You know who you are. :)

Here's my question:

What's the best place you've been stationed? the worst? Where is your dream post?

Military Question #4

After Basic, I remember being so excited to be reunited with Adam only to find out I had to wait another 4-6 weeks for him to get out of a certain "phase." But we eventually got the ok to come on over to Monterey, CA. Oh Monterey, how I miss you! It's not often that you get an ocean view from your living room window. I digress...

So, getting to your first base is kind of exciting. For me it was a completely new world with a completely new language. Most of you know what I'm talking about. I heard things like DLI, MOS, LES, BAH, PX, CDC, CQ, MWR, NCO, TDY, and to learn all about them we "get to" (I use that phrase lightly) be a part of an FRG! sorry if you're not army and you really haae no idea what any of those acronyms mean

Question: Did you take part in your first FRG (Family Readiness Group)? Did you enjoy it? Do you still do it?