My Thanksgivings

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  What a joyous holiday to celebrate our bounty and our rich blessings!  I wouldn't feel right this Thanksgiving without paying tribute to my Grandma Cottrell.  She passed away on September 25th and this will be the first Thanksgiving that we've had without her in the kitchen making the magic of the day happen.  So Grandma, this one's for you. 

As a child, Thanksgiving meant Grandma's house, and all that came with that.  Yummy food, fun games, great company and endless fun.  Reminiscing about Thanksgiving today made me teary eyed as I realized I don't know if I ever told my Grandma "Thank you" for making Thanksgiving Thanksgiving.  I know I've told her thanks for the food after I've stuffed myself full of the banquet she always placed before us.  She spared nothing in food preparations.  But, I don't think I ever told her how much Thanksgiving meant to me growing up, what it still means to me, and how I recognize now that she was the one who made Thanksgiving happen. 

Since I've been married, we've done Thanksgiving with my husband's family.  So, the last time I was at my Grandma's for Thanksgiving was Thanksgiving of 2003, 9years ago.  However, my Thanksgiving memories are still back in Meeteetse Wyoming, up on that big hill in that red brick house overlooking the town where there is so much love that you can feel it and taste it just as easily as you can taste the turkey and pumpin pie. 

Grandma, I love you so much, and miss you today!  Thanks for giving.  Giving of yourself, your home, your food, your love, your everything.....Thanks for giving, and making Thanksgiving what you made it for all of us. 

Two Funerals

Kyle and I have been so blessed to come from AMAZING families.  We truly have families that people are envious of.  Have you ever seen Father of the Bride, the one with Steve Martin?  That's our families, and not only our families, our homes.  Father of the Bride is actually my favorite movie because it really is my wedding story documented for me.  Steve Martin is totally my dad!  My dad is a saint and gave his little girl everything she could have hoped for in a wedding.  I LOVE YOU DAD!!!  ANYWAY, our families have that homey feel.  It's that "sit down and talk because we just like being together" feel.  I am so grateful I have been blessed to have these types of people in my life. 

Well, we have been blessed in a round about way to be able to gather with both sides of our families within a month of each other, due to Kyle's grandpa's funeral, and my grandma's funeral.  Ironic how things work out like that sometimes.  Both of these people were spectacular human beings, and again, I just count myself fortunate to have called them grandparents. 

My grandma, she was a lady.  A lady of poise and class and love.  I can't remember a time when my grandma wasn't serving me while in her home.  Even when I attended college in her town, I would come over to her house to use her kitchen and somehow it always turned into grandma making me food, instead of the other way around.  She was beautiful, inside and out.  She loved God.  She loved her kids, her grand kids.  She supported her husband and was happy to be in his shadow.  I love her so much, and I am grateful...no, indebted to her for all she taught me. 

Kyle's grandpa, I obviously didn't know as well, but the past 8 years of marriage to Kyle has given me some insight as to the giant of a man he was.  He was dedicated, to his family, to his God, to his country.  He gave his all to whatever task was placed in his way.  Relationships were important to him.  Showing love to family was important to him.  He could have been a very well to do man, but instead of retiring with a fortune, he shared his money with family and allowed us to have many family gatherings and trips all on his dime.  He was a gentleman, and always concerned about you.  I'm proud to have known him for a short while. 

So, these to heroes in our family's lives passed away within a month of each other.  It was sad, yet due to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and because of Him, we know death is not the end.  We are happy to know we can be with them again.  What a joyous time to be with family!  To remember what life is truly about and to bring everything back to "home." 

We love you Grandma Cottrell!  We love you Grandpa Jenkins!!  You will always be close to our hearts.  

Today's Thought

I can't get the following song out of my mind today.  Somehow it has a deeper meaning for me right now...

"The truths and values we embrace are mocked on every hand.
Yet as we listen and obey, we know we can withstand
the evils that would weaken us, the sin that would destroy.
With faith we hold the iron rod and find in this our joy.
We'll have our fears, but we will not despair.
We're here to serve a righteous causes,
truth gives us strength to dare.
We'll love, learn and overcome,
we'll sing a joyful song.
As zion's youth in latter-days,
Truimphant, Pure, and Strong."

Vote!!!

Never have I been so emotionally involved in the voting process. It really is so important to let your voice be heard. Go vote today for not only the candidate you support but the values you hold dear. It's up to us. Go vote!! Go vote!!! Go vote!!!

Summer Overview

YAY!!!  My computer is miraculously working again, so I am able to blog.  Because my last real post was at the beginning of the Summer, I feel I have some catch up to do.  It was an eventful Summer and already it's been a full Fall.  But let's begin at the beginning....

June was full of simple fun.  We stayed at home, ate popsicles and drank lemonade.  The kids all participated in swimming lessons and did very well.  In fact, my oldest wants to join the swim team now. 

July got to be a bit more crazy with trips and reunions.  The first week, we went to my Cottrell Family reunion in Montana.  My Grandma and pa were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary!   What a lifetime accomplishment!  We went by way of Yellowstone.  It was so fun to show the kids all the landmarks of the park.  We saw lots of wildlife and even had some wildlife aboard our car ourselves.  The reunion was great.  How fun it was to get away and go up to a little cabin somewhere and just talk, laugh and row the row boat.  It was fun for me to be with our kids in a mountain setting.  They love to just be kids and play.  And sleeping in tents and sleeping bags was an adventure!  We even had a dance party.  Wonderful to see family!

Later on in the month, our family had a Corbridge Family Reunion in Utah.  We went to the Pioneer Day Celebration that happens in Salt Lake City.  Grandpa & Grandma were kind enough to literally sleep on the street so we could have the best seats in the house for the parade.  And who else to kick things off but Elder Henry B. Eyring himself!  The kids loved watching the parade.  I was impressed (and confused) by the floats that were made by wards, wondering if that's in their budget.  I want a "float" allowance in my ward budget.  :-)  We took the kids to Lagoon, an amusment park in Farmington, UT.  That was the most fun I've had.  I loved watching our kids just laugh and laugh and run and run from ride to ride.  I was amazed at how their little legs never tired.  It was fun to be able to ride on the rides with them and hear their giggles and shrill shrieks.  We stayed in Utah for a long time, just playing and having such a ball.

August, we were back home.  Kyle and I celebrated our 8th anniversary on the 10th.  For our anniversary, I had our wedding video finally made into a DVD.  We have never seen the footage of our wedding day because it was recorded on one of those weird mini VHS.  Well, I found someone to put it on DVD.  That was so great to watch, 8 years later!  We were laughing because everyone on the video is giving us marriage advice.  It's alot funnier to listen to it when your 8 years into a marriage.  Boy, what a perfect wedding we had.  Our parents did so much for us.  We truly were given such a good start in life by our parents!  We love you!!  And thanks for all you continue to do for us!  And Kyle, the past 8 years have been literally heaven on earth.

I was put in as our ward's YW president in August.  It wasn't a shock to me to be released from the Stake YW, I really felt like it was coming.  But I didn't expect to be put in as President of the ward....It's been a calling I love and am learning so much from.  I have such a love for the youth.  They are truly amazing.  I however, have extremely missed serving with the ladies of the Stake.  They are my dearest friends, and I miss associating with them on a weekly basis.  What a blessing callings are, not only spiritually, but emotionally and socially. 

Our baby Jackson turned 1 on the 16th of August.  We celebrated at home with just family.  Did I even make a cake???  I truly can't remember.  Anyway, we got him a little scooter.  He is happy to just have the steering wheel.  What a quick year!  I can't believe my baby is 1.  He's grown up so much.  And those eyes are just as brown as ever, and still melt my heart.  LOVE HIM!

School started and it was a funny first day.  Natalie was starting kindergarten, so she was so excited to have her first day of school ever.  Well, we didn't get the memo that their was no school the first day of school.  The school was in a lock down situation.  So, our kids got all ready for school and were all excited.  We took pictures and everything, walked to school and there's nobody there.  We learned about the situation, so we took the kids back home.  Well, needless to say, my kids were really bummed.  SOOOO..I tried to make it up to them by having a "last day with mom day".  I took them to the toy store.  We watched  a movie and made parfaits.  (However you spell that...)  I love what my Natalie said.  "Nothing makes a bad day better like a parfait."  So true!!  They started school the next day, but somehow the hype of the "first day" had worn off.  I didn't even get very emotional dropping of my kindergartener.  I guess it was good to have an extra "day with mom," for my sake.

Well, that the Summer in a nutshell.  Stayed tuned for the crazy Fall that our family has had. 

OH!!!  By the way, our family got a pet bird.  Mohawk.  We call him Mo for short.  He's added some...spunk to our family. :-)