Forced Productivity

So...I have been bored lately (My Grandma doesn't approve of that word...sorry Grandma!) Cody has been a study maniac. I mean, getting up at 4 am, going to school all day, then studying until who knows when at night. He has been a little better at going to bed earlier lately, which makes me happy because you need sleep just as much as you need to study! I don't think he would agree, but that is my philosophy.
I stay pretty busy doing my job, photography, and hair. Actually, I wouldn't want to do too much more because I kind of get sick of working how much I do! The amount that I do now is just perfect for me. I usually have ample time to spend with Cody, make our meals, and ah-hem, clean our house. Since Cody has been on this study kick, however, I have been a little lonely. I have been trying to force myself to be productive, (amidst the american idol, office, and biggest loser watching), these are a few things I have been attempting to keep me busy:
~First I begged for a dog, Cody entertained the idea for about a week, but has since shot me down daily. ~Then, I overhauled my food blog and our family blog, (I should do that to my photo blog as well...that's an idea!)
~Food storage. I have been trying to add to it weekly, little by little it is coming along!
~Organizing. My storage room, and I don't know if I should admit what else I organized, it is a little compulsive. But I guess if you are still reading this I have probably already confessed it to you in person. My spice cabinet. Seriously, I have a million spices for all of my recipes. It drives me nuts that I have to search through them all to find one little spice! So I alphabetized them. Yep. Loser.
~Started a personal journal blog, (which has proved to be an awesome outlet. I do 5 positive things every night before I go to bed. It lifts my spirits even when my day sucked!)
~done some in-depth studies of Christ and tried to learn more about Him and His life
~dived into a Jodi Picoult book, "Handle with Care", about a child with OI, the same disease Warner had. It is a great insight into what life would have been like had Warner survived and lived daily with OI. I cry, I laugh, I feel every ounce of the mother's pain. I truly am loving this book, as well as all of her other books.
~workout kick...well hopefully. My leg still bugs me quite a bit but Zumba, yoga, walking at night, and water aerobics seem not to bother it too much. Let's hope they keep loving me, because I love them!
~shopping, unfortunately. Food shopping, clothes shopping. Spend money shopping. shoot.
~My most recent project has been to update our 72 hour kit. You see, my adorable momma found out that Cody and I didn't have a 72 hour kit before we moved to Omaha. Her motherly concerned jumped right in and she gave us theirs!(I sure hope they have since acquired a new one...hmm.) I hope she doesn't read this, which she will, but I never opened it until this week. I know, what a shame. She had us very well prepared, but of course, no personal undergarments, extra clothes, etc. I updated all of the food so it won't expire for 2 years, and pretty much did an overhaul of it. I know I could add so much more, but this is what we now have: (I think I remembered it all!)
~~~bowls/utinsels
~~~matches
~~~playing cards
~~~pens/paper
~~~food for 3 days
~~~4 water bottles
~~~shampoo, lotion, body wash, dish soap
~~~washcloths
~~~undergarments
~~~pants, shirts, and socks for each of us
~~~tin foil
~~~duct tape
~~~knife
~~~feminine hygiene products
~~~flashlight, extra batteries
~~~ponchos
~~~heat blankets
~~~whistle
~~~candles
~~~first aid kit
~~~ace bandage
~~~sewing kit
Whew! If there is anything you can think of that I am missing, fill me in! I am sure I forgot something, or at least forgot to write it down here.

Wow. That was a pretty pointless blog. Better get to doing one of those things I guess...go be productive Chelsea!

The Lord is on my side

It is Easter Sunday. I fasted today and had a great fast. I read Jesus the Christ about His final hours, and plan to do this every year before this special holiday. The hymns that we sang were so comforting to me. They spoke of Christ lifting my burdens and helping me to carry them. One was Be Still, My Soul. Thy Lord is on my side. I know that. I felt the power of His Atonement as I read of His crucifixion and suffering on the cross. I felt the love of the blood that he shed for me as I read about his sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane. I was able to be testified to that he had to go through all pains, all sufferings, that anyone who is on this earth has gone through. I read when Christ said, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" and felt so deeply how horrible that would be. Such appreciation came over me when I read that and realized that I would never have to feel that feeling. The Lord is on my side. Most of all, I felt so deeply as I read of the Savior's resurrection. My testimony flourished as I witnessed Him speaking to Mary Magdelene in his spiritual state. My knowledge was re-affirmed that I would get to be with Cody forever, and hug my sweet, perfect son someday. I know that I will be able to spend eternity with Warner and the rest of my dear family. The Savior's sacrifice makes this available to us. The Lord is on my side. He wants us to be patient. He needs us to prove our worthiness to Him. We must go through some pain and suffering to realize just a tiny bit what He went through for us. We must feel sorrow and hurt mentally, physically, and emotionally in order to be worthy to live in His presence. How can I expect not to go through any trials here on this earth and to deserve to sit on the right hand of God? We must all pass through the refiners fire. I am so glad that I don't have to do it alone. Not only the support of my husband and family, but the amazing atoning sacrifice that our Savior made for us is my support. How can I ask for more? He gave all He had for me, to allow me to return to live with Him. The Lord is on my side.

Sunday Will Come

This video made me ponder today. All week I have been trying to study the week before Christ's crucifixion, and have learned about and loved Him more along the way. Elder Wirthlin says it perfectly,

"Each of us will have our Fridays, the days when the universe itself seems shattered...we will all experience broken times.

No matter how dark your Friday, Sunday will come."

SUNDAY WILL COME. 

Day 2 of Birthday celebrations

Since Cman's birthday was on a Wednesday (lame-o) we celebrated with friends and family on Friday. It is master's weekend, so he walked in the door from school and said, "I love you hunny, but I've got some Master's to watch." (There was a quick kiss thrown in there too!) Little did he know who would be joining him for the viewing...

Jane! I love this picture. She is looking at him like, "Seriously, is that magazine really more important than ME?!" She had fun watching golf with him for a little while. In the meantime, Teddy and I were preparing Cody's bday "cake". Then he and I went out to Rivera's, a beyond delish mexican restaraunt in Omaha. He always gets carne asada, and I get lobster and rock shrimp enchiladas. O my yummy. We have leftovers that I can't wait to chow on today! After dinner, can you guess where we ended up?! The golf store, of course! We chilled there for a while, he hit some clubs into the simulator, then headed home for the big reveal.

I was so excited to bring Cody's cake up to him! You see, Cody doesn't really have a deep love for cake. He does, however, have a deep love for homemade oreos. Yep. Pretty easy for me! I was a little bored, though, so this year I snazzed it up a bit with a centerpiece!

He seriously LOVED it! I was so happy. It is not often that you can get a reaction out of Cody, and I got an awesome one this year! Look at that smile! I am so glad that he was impressed with it. The only problem is...now what do I do next year?!?! (He has already requested a full golf ball instead of one cut in half! Ha!) The back had his "weezer/winterholler" sign on it. He is always drawing this on doodles.

Okay, okay, I will tell ya how easy this was. We just whipped up some rice krispies and shaped them into a half ball. After they hardened a little bit, I made some homemade fondant. We placed it over the top, smoothed and trimmed it, then used an actual golf ball to make the divots in the "cake". It was so fun and turned out great! (We had to have the oreos on the side, of course:))

The man is 26.

He is 26. Just a few favorites I can think of today...there are many more, but this is what I got...

~He is super positive, all the time. ALL the time.
~So supportive of me and my crazy 100's of hobbies.
~Isn't always a chatterbox, he has this quiet calmness about him.
~He is patient. SO patient. Even with those things he wants with all his heart, he is patient.
~Knows when to talk my tears away, and when to hug them away.
~He is dedicated. To his family, the church, his schoolwork, his career.
~He would give anyone who deserves something all he has. Especially his family.
~Always has his priorities straight: wifey, golfey, vacationey. Haha.
~Is always ready for fun. Fun. Fun. Fun.
~His mom and I were talking yesterday, and we think he was sent here to cheer us up. Make us laugh. Make us forget about the sucky things in our lives and remember the happy things.
~Knows that he and I are a family. He knows that together, WE can do anything.
~He is great about making sure he and I have 1 on 1 time. It's like he doesn't need anyone else in the world except me. We are best friends.
~He looks hot when he golfs. Way to end on a shallow note, Chels. It is true though.

In all honesty though, I couldn't do it without this man. I liked him in high school, I adored him when we dated, I loved him when we got married. Who knew that your love could grow so much? I thought I loved him as much as I could when we got married, but I love him so much more now. It is amazing how trials make you grow closer and stronger. He is such an amazing strength to me and to our family. The past couple years of our lives have given us more challenges than I ever would have expected. I need him so much. I couldn't go on one more day without his smiling face to help me through it. He makes life so much better. I couldn't love you more, Hubbs. (Maybe I shouldn't say that, because I just told you how I didn't think I could love him any more and then the trials came and continue to prove me wrong...hehe.) I should say, I can't wait to see how much I end up loving you in 50 years! MUAH!

More to come, his "party" is tomorrow...you will get to see his awesome cake! ha! Wait til you see it, you will laugh.