Summer???

WHAT SUMMER!!!!!!!
I'm laughing now, because I can't think of what happened to our summer!... I ask Josh the same thing, and... "I don't know", is his only response.
That is, because... our summer was blended with headache, stress and a physical/emotional/mental breakdown that nearly put me into the insane asylum!!!.... sorry lovey!
It was a pretty gloomy summer which lead to fewer days at the beach, but more with my dear friend Kindra & Franklin and our other Cali fam. :)
My boss has been on maternity leave since May and the workload was an... OVERLOAD!!! The pressure of running a high speed, now-now-now pharmacy, put me over the edge!  During this time, I'm embarrassed to admit, but... I have an addiction problem!  DIET COKE!  I like to put them in the freezer for about 15 min or so to get them extremely cold!... which leads to freezing, and then a possible EXPLOSION, if forgotten!!  Well, this happened at work.  But, I put it in the freezer with about 10-15 thou dollars worth of vaccination.  Busy morning lead to crazy day... ADD kicked in... end of work day.... feet were smokin' from getting out so fast!....Whoops!...diet coke forgotten about!  Next morning, came to work and explosion occurred along with loss of vaccination!  Do I still have my job???... Yes! :)  But that doesn't take away the tears I cried and stupidity I Still feel!.... such an idiot! ;)
Maybe a week after "idiot incident", my first car accident happened.  A gal pulled out in front of me, and I t-boned her...(her fault). I'm so thankful we were both ok though!!! My lack of responsibility and motivation to get my front bumper fixed was a misfortune for us! Not even a month later, I had MY FIRST car accident (my fault!) and rear-ended a woman. I was going fast enough that she hit the car in front of her!! I can't remember much of it!  In the moment I didn't even know how to get my seat belt off! Yeah!... I was pretty shook up and drowning in tears n' snot! Besides a slight whiplash and mental loss, nobody was hurt!!!... at least people! Needless to say... our car was totalled! Yeah, like I said.. I hit her pretty hard!  THANK YOU to my rescuers... my hubby, Nate and Evan.  They saved my day and Evan was able to brighten it up with his well known,"facetious & unique" personality!!!  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you guys, with all my heart!!
After all this chaos, WE needed a break!  I literally said that if I didn't get a break, I was gonna have a mental breakdown!!
A week off with support and love of family certainly helped ease some of the burdens we were feeling.  But finding a new car in the meantime (while on vac/"break") was a little stressful!  Thank you to great friends who were right there to help us out!!... Thank you Kristin n' Brock!  We love you!... xoxo
So, that's our summer.... bits n' pieces remembered, and... we are grateful it's over!

Thought of the day:
"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”~AU ~CWB

Bittersweet memories

Oh, I am horrible at keeping a "journal"! Whether it's writing thoughts and memories down on paper or typing it up.... it just doesn't happen! But!... if you gather all of my post-it notes, it might turn out to be a pretty entertaining journey! What can I say other than... I really do have good intentions!
Well, this time of year certainly brings back some extremely exciting news and heart-breaking memories!  Our first exciting news was Josh being accepted to USC Dental School!... his dream come true!  Then news of being accepted for an in-vitro miracle program.... Another dream come true!!!!  We were then denied a month later of our chance for children because of us continuing education.  I still don't get it!... but it was definitely one of the most emotional rollercoasters in my life!  There are just some experiences in life that seem to still carry on in your heart, whether good or bad. I just hope that through all of mine I will have learned sincere patience, faith and love that's truly unconditional!
I believe I have "broken heart syndrome"... LOL! No!... really though, I would say that wanting something so badly that is part of life, creation and God's plan, is... and should be a normal feeling and want... yeah?! So, it's only normal for my heart to continually and truly ache for children!
I can only say Thank You to family and friends (especially of lately...Kindra) that have let me love on their kiddos! And... how blessed I feel to be a Primary teacher, that does not only learn more from the children, but I also get to feel their warm, sweet spirits. While sitting in Sharing Time, one of my kids loves to come sit on my lap. While we were sitting in a circle talking about the Holy Ghost, she grabbed my hands and wrapped my arms around her. She then said after a moment, "Sis. Whiteley is like a blanket.... she makes me feel warm like the Holy Ghost! " Wow!... it took all I had to hold in the hydrant! Oh, how I love each one of them dearly! If my joy of kids is not meant for this life, then it will be plentiful in the next!!
So!... 3 yrs ago, Josh got accepted to DDS school!!... YAY!!  I honestly can't believe that Josh is in his senior freakin' year now! It kinda makes me feel like we're seniors in HS for some reason!! ;) How time passes by... like the blink of an eye, eh?!!!! He has worked so so hard and has been so diligent and dedicated to not only his education, but to me as well! I, just.... can't even express how proud I am of him!! He has pushed himself beyond expectations and limits required! He is so compassionate with not only his work, but with his warm embracing love towards me and many others! If life leaves us only with each other.... I would still be the LUCKIEST woman ever!!

Thought of the Day:
Be Thankful.....

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
~ AU ~

We found!.....

JOSH'S TWIN!!
A while back when American Idol started again, I'd have a friend here and there call and say, "Nat, have you seen American Idol?... There's a guy on there that looks just like Josh!!" I just thought to myself... yeah, yeah... so some guy has a few similar charachteristics as Josh. Well, my sis called me today and said the SAME THING!!! So, I'm like OK!... I'll get on my comp and see who this Lee Dewyze is!! OH MY!!!!..... IDENTICAL.... SCARY.... CRAZY... TWIN... WOWZERS!!! His lips, nose, eyes and even some of his personality... shy guy, humble, LOVING! "I love you guys... I love you all!!" were his remarks after he won AI. So!... there you have it! Josh's twin is Lee Dewyze!! 
I don't get goose-bumps very often!... but him singing this song does the job!  He's pretty amazing!... but, NOBODY beats my hubby! :)



Thought of the day:
“There's no half-singing in the shower, you're either a rock star or an opera diva.” ~JG

Catchin' Up

Life has been not only been crazy, but... crazy busy!  My motivation went from nothing to rockin' out at a concert, going to a wonderful and dear friend's first baby shower....

Driving miles to get some squeezes and.... get my first pedi!  Watching some Real soccer w/friends and... lots of peanuts! :)  Missing my sweet hubby while he was drilling on teeth in Panama and fishing in Flaming Gorge!!!  And doing what I love to do as a hobby.... take photos of sweet, darling, adorable, lil' loveable kiddos! 

                              

       

                                                

       

    

        

             

                

Thought of the day:
“I laugh, I love, I hope, I try, I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry. And I know you do the same things too, So we're really not that different, me and you.” ~CR

Need Motivation!!

For some odd reason, my motivation and ambition to do anything is completely LOST when my sweet love is not around!! Honestly, I not only become very lonesome!... but dead to the world!... a hermit... emotional... a lil' depressed! My heart aches for him and the undconditional love he constantly expresses, that without him... I'M NOTHING!!!... just a blob of nothing! ;) :)
So, my apologies for not posting anything new and some great experiences I've (and we) had lately.
My dear LOVE can't be expressed enough to this amazingly wonderful and loving man that came into my life years ago... just lil' kiddos and good friends! He was such a blessing in difficult times throughout my early years and was an answer to my prayers years after!!! I'll NEVER forget that day... that inspiring feeling and knowledge that he was the one for me!!
I WILL post soon for my own sake!!.... but for now, I'm on my way to LAX to pick up my sweet love!!! Whaaaa Whooooo!!! :) :) :) All SMILES!!!! :)

Thought of the day:
"Love is the motivating principle by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him, our perfect example. Our way of life, hour by hour, must be filled with the love of God and love for others."
~HBE

Where's Waldo?

Do ya ever feel like your lil' world is so jampacked with craziness that you can't be found... kinda like "Where's Waldo"??!  Well, that's like a daily feeling for me!  Anywho... I've been trying to keep up on my blog for personal reasons, such as... it's like a journal of our lives.  When my mind needs a release and Josh isn't around to listen... it's my outlet!  Yay for Josh... he's saved from my rambling! 

Yeah, I wish I was a top notch blogger like my friend Brittany who is so amazing at sharing her daily thoughts or routines and exciting events!  Which btw, we just got back from sharing some time with their cute lil' family and newborn baby boy, Carson!  Oh!!!.... how darling is he?!!!  Yep!... he's a keeper!  Wish he was mine along with her lil' Paige!  Yeah!... I want both of em'! :)  Can I PLEASE have them Britt????!! ;) :)

So!... my intentions are good!  I will be sharing some footage of the past few months that's saved with photos and wonderful memories!  This will be done while I'm by my lonesome, since Josh is taking off to Panama for nearly 2 weeks for the yearly Ayuda (free clinic) trip.  I'm so so thrilled for him!  Oh, and that will more exciting news to share! 

Thought of the day:
“Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.” ~JJ

Already Missin' You!!!

Yep!... once Josh sees this photo, he's gonna kill me! But, it brings a smile to my face! When we were attempting to take our own photos about a month ago, the sun was absolutely blinding!! Ya know... like when it's so freakin' bright your eyes are watering and your pupils are smaller than the point of a pen! Yet, you're trying your hardest to put on a cheesy "fake" smile and keep your eyes OPEN... NOT closed!... keep em' OPEN!!! :)

Anywhooo! Josh just left for his Ayuda Clinic trip to Terrabella, which I guess is like 3 hours away. I'm just... already missing him!! The house is quiet enough that I can hear the fridge running while sitting here. Moiskee (our cat) isn't making a noise because Josh isn't here to "talk" to him.  Yeah... they have some weird connection! ;) Of course my music is always present, and... usually blasting! But, not at 1:00 in the am!!! 

My heart feels an overwhelming amount of love and gratitude for a man... my dear, sweet hubby... who is just an amazing person! His LOVE is unconditional no matter what!!!

This is silly to say, but as I sat down from bearing my testimony on Sun. I felt calm after my heart nearly jumpin' outta my chest. But!... I was saddened that I didn't even share my Thankfulness and Love for this incredible man in my life!!! I just hope you know, my sweet love, how much I love you!!!!.... I live and breathe for you! Without you I am NOTHING!  You really are my world.... my everything!

I think a few days without you is gonna nearly kill me!! ;) :) XOXO!!!

Thought of the day:
"Since the beginning of time, love has been the source of both the highest bliss and the heaviest burdens. At the heart of misery from the days of Adam until today, you will find the love of wrong things. And at the heart of joy, you will find the love of good things."And the greatest of all good things is God." ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Love is in the Air!

Yep!... L-O-V-E seems to be completely surrounding me! The sweet sexy smell of cologne fills the air as I open the door from work. I've gotta admit, I absolutely LOVE burying my face in Josh's sweet smelling neck!! I'm sure he doesn't mind a bit either! ;) His bear squeezes are an assurance of his enduring love. His arms, just... somehow release the stress from a hard day at work or other anxieties!

We've planned a date for Valentines Day with our friend Kindra and fiance Franklin. It's the first time meeting Franklin, which I am thrilled about!

If a man can make my friend GLOW, then he must be a catch and keeper!

We decide to meet in the middle, which became downtown Fullerton. So far, the old mainstreets of a few cities we've been to have been great to visit! There is always selective choices of great food, shopping and relaxing nightlife.

Kindra was the one who could smell Cajun food from miles away! So, we tracked down the "Cajun Swamp" and enjoyed some seafood and lots of catching up on life! Of course Josh and Franklin couldn't and wouldn't stop talking about Peru (which was GREAT!), since Josh served his mission there and that's also where Franklin is from. I've gotta say, they hit it off pretty good!  Yep!... kinda like two girls would! But honestly their personalities are so much alike... just easy-going, hardworking, lovable men!

After some good din-din, we decided to try out a club that had a live latin-jazz band playing. I've never been to see any sort of jazz band, but I love music, so it was something new and well worth going to! The music fit the day perfectly, along with the sweet couple we were able to enjoy our time with!  I'm so thankful to have a hubby who is my longtime best friend, who puts up with my uncontrollable spazzy self, and is the absolute most amazingly wonderful man I've ever known!  I love you, my sweet Valentine! 

Thought of the day:
“Marriage resembles a pair of shears, so joined that they cannot be separated, often moving in opposite directions, yet always punishing anyone who comes in between them.” ~SS

gLuE SoUp!

There's nothing better than warm homemade soup when you're feeling under the weather!!  I'm so lucky to have a hubby that LOVES to cook and definitely takes excellent care of me when I'm dragging my feet and coughing up a lung... or two!! 
Now, I have to give him a hard time every once n' a while because he does think he is Mario Batali (Iron Chef Champion) most of the time.  So!... out of his BIG loving heart he decides to make homemade chicken noodle soup to help cure my nasty sinus infection.  Despite the fact he couldn't get a hold of his mom, who really is the "Iron Chef Champ", he decides to do it on his own.  Well, if you know that making roux for anything goes A LONG WAY, can you imagine what 2 cups of butter and 2 cups of flour did for his batch of soup???!!...  Bless his dear sweet heart, because.... LOL!... Yep!... it made Glue Soup!!!

This picture is actually what the ending results looked like! ;)
Maybe just a lil' less roux next time babe!.... like 3/4 less!! ;)  DON'T give up!.... Keep trying!..... You are a fabulous cook!!!  In fact... you are my lil' "Iron Chef Champion"!!!!
Thank you for taking super duper care of me, especially when I'm feeling like a sluggish, lung hacking piece of garbage!  I'm so lucky to have you!!!

Thought of the day:
"Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you're just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky his is to have you.... The one who turns to his friends and says, 'that's her.'..........

I'm lucky to say that... this is the man I married!!!!

Elder's A & B...

When I think of a missionary, first of all... I picture Josh's face in my mind as he was "impossibly" found by our tour guide and drove back to our Hotel in Peru for dinner. Yep!... this was on his mission.  Btw... that was an answer to my prayers!!!!   Secondly, I perceive them as having NO personality at all... but, discussing work of the gospel and that's IT (sorry, that's probably rude.)  :) :)

I have found my last statement to be false!!!  It has been such a joy to have the missionaries over for Josh's delicious dinners and my burnt bread!!!  They are not only fully filled with the spirit, but they DO have personalities and are very facetious and full of crap along with many stories!  Oh, and.... we're reminded that we are old!  Ha, ha, ha!.... it'll catch up to ya, guys!!!!  I'm so sad to see Elder Anderson a lil' trunkie and ready for his Journey to End, and Elder Barfuss ready and rollin' on to a new Journey in Cali!  We will MISS both of you so much!!!!  We hope to see Elder Barfuss again soon!.... and Elder Anderson in the future!  Good Luck!!

Elder Barfuss, Josh, Elder Anderson

Thought of the day:
“But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.” ~KG~

Old Friends..... Always Friends!

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. ~Elisabeth Foley
After 10 years we finally made it happen!  How crazy that 10 years have gone by and we've only talked but a few times.... and, really... it only seems like it was a couple years since we last visited!  I'm so happy that Kindra MADE this work!  She was persistant and said, "I'm seeing you before I go back to school in Feb!"  So, we picked a day and made it an official date! 
Now, this is how I like to spend a beautiful day!.... with a friend sitting on the beach with your feet buried in the sand, chatting and watching the amazing waves while laughing and crying with each other!  Then grabbin' some tacos a block away.  Then... back to the beach again!

Can you believe we DIDN'T stop yappin' for like 6 hours!!!  Oh, it was so delightful to see my sweet friend again and catch up on life!  I've missed her beautiful face and laugh so much!  I wouldn't trade the world for the true and dear friends I have in my life that have been there for me through thick and thin!... those that have let me use their shoulder to cry on and use their sleeve to wipe my snot away with! ;) :) :)  You know who you are.... and I LOVE YOU...... ALWAYS!!!

Can't wait for our next "date" lady!... I just love ya!!! :)

Thought of the day:

If you're alone, I'll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile. But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me. ~AU