Religous Reflections 04 | My Best Friend's Wedding

"Celebrate and commemorate each day together as a treasured gift from heaven." 

-Russell M. Nelson 

A little over a week ago, my best friend became the most beautiful, blushing bride and married the love of her life in the Salt Lake temple for time and all eternity. 

It was the same place that Sam and I were married almost 5 years ago. The combination of total and complete happiness for her, and the memory of my own perfect day was enough to ruin my makeup. Thank goodness the temple keeps tissues nearby during wedding ceremonies. 

(I'm not sure how she would feel about me posting pictures from her wedding on my blog, and she's on her honeymoon in Hawaii so I won't bother her. Thus, there's a picture of Sam and me from the big day instead. Isn't he dreamy?) 

I've known Sharydon since middle school. We were in the same 8th grade science class, and my first memories of her were in the bathroom before it started. We would both rush to the mirror between classes to touch up our makeup and fluff our hair. We only had 5 minutes, so we had to make it count. The style in those days (at least where we lived--I think it may have been a localized affair) was to rat your hair so much on the sides and in the back that your head had an elevated, almost boxy appearance. The bigger the better. And, indeed, all of the most popular girls were masters of the "poof." It was imperative for social acceptance into circles that we never actually became a part of. No matter though, because we became bathroom buddies, sharing hairspray and a love of huge hair. It wasn't long before we were inseparable. 

Our friendship has endured the various stages of our lives. First the poofy hair preppy phase where our biggest aspiration in life was to work at American Eagle. (Sadly, we never did achieve this goal. By the time we were old enough to actually do it we had out grown the desire.) Next, we entered the Myspace bathroom "selfie" phase. Our hangouts consisted of taking hundreds of pictures of each other with the same "duck face," and meticulously studying the "scenester/emo" look. We helped each other along as we attempted to emulate this popular trend. I'm not sure we were ever entirely successful... I think we wore too many bright colors to be considered true "emo" kids... but we sure tried. And we chased after boys with long hair and tight pants, attending concerts and pretending to know all about bands we had never heard of. Next, came the era when Sharydon went to hair school and I (willingly) became her guinea pig. I attempted every color possible--my favorite being the orangey blonde hue I achieved when I wanted to go from jet black hair to platinum. Smart move.

We've seen each other through the hair, boys, heartache, drama, and the general ups and downs of life. Over time our hair has flattened out, but our love for each other as remained. Even when I married young and set out on a very different course in life than my hip, single friend we still managed to maintain our friendship. I set her up with just about every guy I could think of, and she supported me through all the changes that I went through--throwing me bridal and baby showers, showing up the day Klair was born to take photos--even helping me out in those weeks of recovery after childbirth. I found her doing my dishes on multiple occasions. If that's not true love, I don't know what is. 

Now that she has found her other half, I'm thrilled to be able to return the favor. I threw her a bridal shower, now I'm just biding my time until I get the chance to throw a baby shower... haha just kidding! But seriously. That will be so fun :) 

As I sat there in the temple, my hand in Sam's, I couldn't help but think back to my own wedding. It was such a surreal, transcendental day. It was as if God had temporarily parted the veil between heaven and earth and allowed us a glimpse of the perfection that awaits. And, by the look on both Sharydon and Jordan's faces, I could tell they felt the same. The ceremony was profoundly beautiful, and the love felt in that room was nothing short of angelic. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to return to the temple for a wedding that was so special to me. The advice given, the covenants made in that sacred place... it was all such a beautiful reminder of God's love and the true meaning of life.

"Choose your love. Love your choice." President Thomas S. Monson 

I am incredibly grateful for the priceless insights that I have because I have been blessed with a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some may wonder why the LDS/Mormon church places so much emphasis on marriage and family. The answer? In short, it's because we believe that the family, and the expressions of love found within it, is the true meaning of life. Marriages and families can be eternal. "'Till death do us part" does not have to be our destiny... it was never meant to be. God wants us to be with those we love forever. The atonement was wrought to make it so.

This knowledge of the forever nature of marriages and family breathes an added measure of importance-- a richness and eternal perspective-- into our relationships. Marriage isn't something designed to help us through this life so that we can part ways when we die. It is so much more. It is our shared destiny, our greatest potential. It is a love that you work for because it is meant to last forever. I'm a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, and I believe this to be the most romantic sentiment possible. 

"Our joy now and forever is inextricably tied to our capacity to love." John H. Groberg

My Advocate | Sunday Reflections 01

Dear readers,

Lately I've been reflecting a lot on life, blogging, and what I'm putting my energy into. That's not to say that I'm entirely dissatisfied with my efforts, but I've felt a pressing need for improvement. God is tugging at my heart strings, urging me in a different direction. A better direction. Earlier this year I made some New Year's resolutions. Now that over half the year has come and gone, I'm left evaluating myself and my progress (or lack thereof). I ran a 5k... and that's about it. While I'm not down playing this feat (because believe me, for me that was a pretty exciting accomplishment) one resolution that I haven't lived up to-- the one that really matters-- was to increase in spirituality. I haven't done that. I feel like I've been pretty stagnant. I have been going through the motions, but I haven't truly invested my heart. I've been so busy distracting myself with other things that my relationship with God, while still there, has become more of an after thought. It pains me to say it, but I suppose sometimes the truth hurts... and it also sets you free. Admittedly, my prayers have become repetitious, my scripture study-lackluster. I attend church functions and meetings, but my thoughts are elsewhere. I have been doing just enough to get by... It's not enough.

I want to rededicate myself to God. Accordingly, I want to rededicate this blog to Him. Blogging is a reflection of me and what I'm focusing on. I feel like I've been doing good things with this space-- sharing modest fashion, writing about my family and essentially journaling about Klair, etc. I want to continue doing these things, but I can be should be doing more. I don't want to simply imply my beliefs. Instead, I want this to be a place where I can proclaim them.

I've decided to start with a new series of posts on Sundays to discuss my recent spiritual reflections and ponderings. Hopefully having a space to write will keep me accountable and help me to focus my attention where it counts. When you put God first, everything else falls into place. I know this. Now, I'm determined to live it. And, I'm hopeful that my attempts will help or inspire others in some way.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon church) of which I am a member, we have a program called visiting teaching. Every willing woman is given an assignment from the Relief Society President (the leader of the church's organization for women) to teach and fellowship certain women in the ward (our local congregations). Any member of Relief Society can be a visiting teacher (all are encouraged) and every woman in the ward is given a pair of visiting teachers that are assigned to her. This inspired program enables the Relief Society President to watch over every woman and to stay informed on what is taking place in her life. Furthermore, it serves as another medium through which friendships are made, and our ward families are strengthened.

This last week, my partner and I (we are assigned a companion) went visiting teaching. We have worked out a system where we take turns making the appointments and teaching the lessons. This month was my turn to teach. It was entitled: Jesus Christ, Advocate with the Father. I thought to myself, "yeah, I know enough about this topic. I've learned it before. I'll just skim through, find a few nice quotes and improv my way through a quick little lesson. Easy." Once I began, skimming turned to reading, and then reading turned to reading. I had gone into the experience trying to discern what to teach to others, but quickly realized that I was the one learning the lesson. Isn't it interesting how that happens? Whenever I am asked to teach a lesson or speak in church, I always find that I learn more from the experience than I'm able to convey to others. This message was one that I needed to hear.

As I read, I found one quote particularly poignant. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “It is of great significance to me, that I may at any moment and in any circumstance approach through prayer the throne of grace, that my Heavenly Father will hear my petition, that my Advocate, him who did no sin, whose blood was shed, will plead my cause.”

Christ, my advocate, pleads for me. Now. Today. And tomorrow... and any time I approach his throne of grace and plead for His healing. I tend to view the atonement as something that happened thousands of years ago. He suffered, bled, and died--in the past. Correct? Technically. But Christ's atonement--his marvelous work and glory--wasn't a one time thing. After his resurrection he didn't ascend into heaven to lounge around and be pampered by the angels. Although he deserves this and much more, he continued working. He is still working. His grace, love, petitions and forgiveness are ongoing. They are eternal. He is actively engaged in my salvation. He is continually pursuing me. His hand is "outstretched still"--to me, to all of us.  

As this epiphany lighted upon my mind and filled me with gratitude, it also ignited within me a desire to do better--to be at least a little more deserving of His perfect love unfeigned. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has brought more joy into my life than I'm capable of expressing, and it would be selfish of me not to share that with others. This world is frankly crazy. Often frightening. It can be hard to avoid feeling bogged down by all of the hatred and despair that surrounds us. But, darkness gives way to light. And it is my hope and prayer that this little a corner of the internet can be a place where God's love can shine through and chase away the darkness.

Sincerely yours,

Easter Photos with My Klair Marie | eShakti Dress Review

I love Easter. Growing up, my mom would always buy me a dress in a bright, springy color that I could twirl and flaunt. Now that I have a daughter of my own, I want to keep this tradition alive... for both of us. Because let's face it, I may be grown up but there are some things I choose not to grow out of...such as my love of dressing up on the Easter holiday. It's fun! And having the cutest baby around to coordinate with doesn't hurt either. 

eShakti sent me this dress, and I am in love with it... and with their company. They reached out to me a few weeks ago and let me pick a design. First of all, I love their business model. They have dresses (and other apparel) from size 0 to size 36, and  they feature real women of all sizes on their website and social media sites.  Additionally, they make customizations based on your body type and style preferences. For instance, this dress that I picked was originally sleeveless and had a longer hemline. I was able to add sleeves, and shorten it to account for the fact that I'm a little vertically challenged. They asked for my measurements, and within a couple of weeks they sent me my dress--designed perfectly for me. Oh and the best part? My dress has pockets! 

Perfect for a mom on the go... or for any woman for that matter.

Basically my experience with them was awesome, and if you want a dress for a special occasion, or if you just want to treat yourself to something nice... I highly recommend eShakti. Check them out for yourself. And, if you decide to buy something, use the coupon code "awees" to get 10% off an order from now until May 4th. 

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Also, in case you're wondering, these photos were taken at the Draper LDS temple. We made a trip up there yesterday, and I'm glad we did. The grounds were absolutely stunning and bursting with new life for spring. Klair was enchanted with the flowering trees and bright blooms all around her. And, of course, the temple itself was captivating. Being on those sacred grounds with my little family was a good reminder of the true meaning of Easter. 

Klair was such a good sport for the photos, but as we were leaving Sam snapped this gem. 

It looks like my intuitive little girl knew that we were done, and she was celebrating. 

My Outfit: 

Dress: eShakti | Necklace: Local Boutique (similar here) | Belt: Vintage (similar here) | Earrings: Forever 21 (similar here) | Shoes: H&M (similar here) | Watch: Skagen (similar here)

Klair's Outfit: 

Dress: Carter's | Shoes: Carter's | Bow: Homemade | Bunny: Target (similar here)

*note: eShakti sent me this dress, but the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Klair's First Roadtrip: Viva Las Vegas

This past weekend we decided to do something arguably crazy: we took an (almost) 16 month old on a road trip. Our original plan was to have Klair stay with her grandma, but she became ill and on a whim we decided to just take baby girl with us. Our travel companions, Brittney and Jesse, love Klair and when we proposed the idea to them they were fully supportive. 

Thus, we all piled in to our SUV and headed south to Sin City. 

Now I'm sure you're probably wondering why we would take a baby to Las Vegas of all places. Well, first off, we stayed with Brittney's parents who live in a nice neighborhood (so we weren't on the strip the whole time). They were such kind, gracious hosts and made us feel very much at home. Second, we're Mormon... remember? Our trips to the bustling desert metropolis don't look much like the Vegas vacations that most people take. Our stay consisted of good food, shopping, a children's museum, swimming, parks, and generally enjoying the perfect warm weather. Brittney's family has a pool, so we took advantage of it. Klair was a little timid with the water and insisted on clinging to us at first, but eventually she warmed up to it and had a good time. 

I can't wait for the weather to warm up enough in Utah so we can enjoy more days like these. 

We managed to go to church and the temple while we were there, and it was really enjoyable and uplifting. The members in Vegas are so warm and loving. It made me want to be better, kinder, and more outgoing. Also, the temple in Vegas is beautiful--especially the grounds. 

The flowers were so vibrant, I could have stayed there all day. 

 Klair was one happy little baby wandering through the gardens at the temple. 

 The craziest thing we did while we were in Vegas was the roller coasters at the top of the stratosphere. I was convinced they would be really fun--I had no idea just how tall that building is, and how high up those rides really are. When we got to the top, it took all my courage not to get back on the elevator and return to a lower altitude. There were a few moments when I thought my life was over and I literally braced myself for the end. Luckily, I lived to see another day. While we were waiting in line for the ride that dangles you over the edge (the scariest one in my opinion) the song "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger" came on. This became our motto for the adventure. And, although I would never do it again, I'm glad that I can say I conquered my fear. 

Also, since I didn't get killed, apparently I'm stronger for it? I'll take it.

This is a photo Sam took from the top of the Stratosphere... impressive, right? 

Klair came up with us and she kept saying "wow" repeatedly while staring out the windows. It was really neat seeing that view, but it was even more amazing to see it through her eyes. 

Overall, we had such a wonderful time. I cannot emphasize enough how amazing Brittney's family was to take us in, and how much fun we had with the Leavitt's and the Wride's! Even though the car ride was a little rough at times with a baby (we drove at night to minimize the effect on Klair and she slept for most of it), Klair did so well and I think she enjoyed herself almost as much as we enjoyed having her with us.