West Edmonton Mall

Dad, mom, heather + James, Kyle and I went to West Edmonton Mall on Thursday morning. We spent the night at the Fantasy Land Hotel and drove back home today. It was a lot of fun! Kyle had never been there so we decided to take a short trip, plus it was nice for everyone to be able to get away for a day.

We walked around a lot and my feet felt destroyed by the end of the night. We watched a Sea Lion show they have and it was so cute. Sea Lions are pretty smart! They make the funniest sounds, they reminded me of Sadie. My dad and Heather took James into the wave pool and he loved it. He looked like he was having a lot of fun. We all went on some rides at Galaxy Land, there weren't too many I could fit in with my belly though. :)

We ate at the Old Spagetthi Factory for dinner, I like that place! Kyle and I ate there on our honey moon in Banff and it's yummy.

It was a fun trip and I'm thankful to everyone who came and made it so much fun! Especially baby James. :)

Wedding Day

Today my brother Trevor and his fiance Sharlynn got married! I thought their wedding ceremony was very beautiful and the reception was so nice and decorated very nicely as well! The past few days everyone in my family has been working hard to prepare everything for the wedding, but especially my mom. She did so much work to make sure their wedding went smoothly. It made me think about when Kyle and I got married and all that my mom did for us for our wedding. She is the best mom in the world. She always helps in any way she can, she is always supportive and understanding. She has done so much for all of our wedding's, and she does so much for us all on a daily basis. I love my mama!!

I am happy to have a new 'sister' as well. I only met Sharlynn a few short weeks ago but I look forward to getting to know her better. She is fun to be around, easy going, and sweet! She has gorgeous hair, too. She looked great in her beautiful wedding dress today. She did a lot of work planning her wedding and preparing - Good job girlfriend!

I hope Trevor and Sharlynn will be very happy together - I am sure they will. They are both great people and make a lovely couple. 

PS.
I got to do all the flowers for the wedding. It was my favorite thing in the woooorld!!!! I can't wait to go to school for floral design one day. :)

 

 

Today is June 1st!

It is a new month! A lot has been going on since we got home to Calgary... Kyle got here safe and sound and we have been having a lot of fun with our family here. This week we are busy with lots of doctors appointments for my pregnancy. We have been dealing with some interesting people in regards to the weight set Kyle ordered a MONTH ago. It has finally shipped and will be here on Monday. It was really stressful...they kept giving us excuse after excuse as to why it wasn't shipping for an entire month and I was starting to wonder if they were trying to steal our money. I tried to just keep being polite and understanding...but yesterday I had had enough and was on the phone with several different people almost the whole morning, and I wasn't being very nice. But surprise surprise, when I told them how unhappy I was and how terrible their service was, and told them if it wasn't shipped by the end of the day - we wanted out money back - wooowww, they shipped it! Apparently you have to be rude sometimes to get things going, which is kind of silly. I really don't know why it took a month...but oh well. I am glad to be done with that.

My brother Trevor is getting married this month in only a few more weeks. Soon I will have another sister, yay!! So my whole family is very busy helping get things ready for that. This week Kyle and I are going out to Heather's so she can do some maternity photos of me. I hope Kyle will participate and be in a few of them - I know he hates it. :) I'm excited to have her take some pictures though! I know they will be beautiful. Not saying that I will be beautiful....but the picture over all will look great, she is really talented. She is my favorite photographer. :)

Tonight the Relief Society president came over to visit with my mom and I. Kyle and my brother Rob were in the kitchen with my mom and I when Sis.Jenson came over, so it turned into a visit with all 4 of us. It was nice to see her. She is a very nice lady and brought us cookies, brownies, and home made raisin bread! Delicious! My mama also made the best Rice Crispie squares tonight, with chocolate on top,  so the house is full of delicious junk food. Mmmmmmmm!

back in Canada!

Well, my mom and I finally finished our long drive from Michigan back home to Alberta, last night. It took us 5 days. It could have taken less but we didn't want to have to be stuck in the car for more than 8 or so hours a day. Yesterday was the longest drive! On the way here we stoped once again in Nauvoo, Ill. We went to see the Nauvoo Temple and stoped at Joseph, Hyrum and Emma Smith's grave site.

I am so happy to be back home! Kyle gets here on Saturday, and I am very excited for his arrival. :)

The end of another month

Tomorrow is the last day of April! One more month closer to our bebe being born, one more month closer to lots of happy things. We are still in Michigan spending time with Kyle's family. It has been a nice relaxing break! We don't really do a whole lot here, so I don't have any adventures to post on my blog. But I would like to write quickly about how much I love my family!! I am so thankful for each one of them, and for my sweet husband Kyle Ray. I am thankful for the blessing of the gospel, and for a loving father in heaven who takes care of all of us.

FINALLY

I sat down to write this blog post yesterday night but the computer I was using shut off on me in the middle of it two times in a row, and I didn't save a draft, so I'm going to give you the short version now because I'm sick of writing it all out.

1. Kyle was discharged from the USMC on March 21st.
2. We left Jacksonville, NC on March 22nd and will never return again.
3. We went to Washington, DC.
4. We met James Mesbur. Thank you Mezzie + his family for giving us a nice warm bed and delicious food!
5. We met GBG and Master Eric. Thank you also for a nice place to stay and yummy food!
6. We went to Palmyra, NY and saw several church history sights, it was lots of fun!!
7. We are in MI until May.
8. I am 23 weeks pregnant and things are going good.

Stress.

Last night we watched a documentary, courtesy of netflix, about STRESS. It was very very interesting. The documentary was based on the studies on a professor (who's name I don't remember right now) who studies the human brain and what stress does to our bodies. He thought a great way to figure things out, was to look at wild baboons, since they are much like us. Every test result he got from the baboons, he got the same result for humans. Basically, stress is really bad for you. The wrong kind of stress, anyways. Stress clogs your arteries, stress limits the functioning of the part of your brain for learning and memory, raises your heart beat and your blood pressure, not to mention it makes you an uptight person. In that documentary, another professor mentioned that the world seems to, for some reason, look up to those who live a life full of stress, or admire them. For some reason we look at an extremely busy person who can multitask and have 20 things on their plate at once, and wish we could do the same. Why, exactly? So we can get sick? So we can be unhappy? People need to recognize when enough is enough and learn how to have and how to appreciate a balanced life style. Too much work (if it stresses you out) is actually NOT good for you. Another random tidbit I found interested was about mother's who raise children with some form of disability. A professor did a study on a group of mothers with a 'disabled' child, and what they found was that 1 year of taking care of that child, packed on 6 years of 'stress' related problems to their bodies. SIX years. Now, maybe you aren't in that type of situation, but maybe you still feel as stressed as you could be. You may not even realize it, but you are doing damage to your body by doing so! Of course, there are always going to be stressful situations in life, and difficult days, but the key is your attitude. That is really the only thing you can do about it! That is the one thing you have total control over, your attitude and how you react to situations, and that can be one of two ways - negatively or positively. You might not have control over what happens in life, or at work, school, with your family, but you have control over your reaction. React positively! Another key point is to try your best to be a good person - to focus on giving, rather than receiving, in any way possible.

ps. Did you know, when you get stuck in a traffic jam, or your child spills his cheerios all over the floor, you release the exact same stress hormone a Zebra does, when it's being cashed by an enemy and running for it's life? Calm down.

Moving on

Very soon we will be long gone from Jacksonville!!!!! Kyle's early out got accepted so he is EAS-ing on the 20th of this month!!! We are both very excited. We are going to be driving to Michigan and on the way there stop at a few places in New York. I'm super excited to go to Palmyra with Kyle and visit the church history places. I have been once before but it will be his first time and I think he will really like it.

In the mean time we have a lot to wrap up here before we can go. We've got a list made of everything we need to do and it seems like a lot! But, I think that's just because it's all written down on a little calender..so it looks super jam packed. I think we will be okay though! We have already started getting rid of things from the apartment, either selling them or giving them away to the donation center (or the trash can!). It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate that you don't even need...

"Of Things That Matter Most"

I watched this video earlier today of a talk that President Uchtdorf gave at the last General Conference. It is a really good talk, listen to him! It is all too easy to get caught up with being busy, and very often we aren't busy with what is even important! Take time to think and meditate. Take time to be with your loved ones, to actually spend time with them - without the TV on, or anything else to distract you. President Uchtdorf reminds us of the simple every day things we need to do - the ones that matter most. He also reminds us in this talk, how important it is to slow down and be still! Do not run faster than you have strength to run. Life really isn't so bad, but when you feel like things are piling up on you, when you start to feel stressed, take a break! Look for the positives, and just be happy.

A Resolution

"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."

"Let us from this day forward be a little better, love one another a little more, treat one another with greater kindness, and look to God and live."

There is always room for everyone to do better :) Try your best, and Heavenly Father takes care of everything else.



It is now a new month!!! Happy March 2nd. We are still waiting to find out about Kyle's early out package, it's at the last level of approval and this is the one that takes the longest. Kyle's battalion deployed yesterday. I can't say much about it, but most of the Marines will be gone for a few months. Thankfully, Kyle ended up not having to go. We are both so happy about that! We have been trying to sell some of our furniture since we are moving soon. Everything is going well with us! I think we are both very excited that soon we can get out of Jacksonville, for good.

We made cookies and I can't stop eating them.

Galatations 6:7

"For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

1 Thessalonians 4:11

"Work with your own hands."

That was the scripture for the day! I don't have a job outside of our home, but since being married I have certainly learned how to 'work with my hands'. That's what she said. But, seriously, being a wife is a busy busy job! And Kyle is busy too, being a husband. I can't imagine right now how much busier things will be when our baby comes - but at the same time, how much more enjoyable and happy life will seem amidst all the business. There is always work to be done, from laundry, to dishes, to running errands. Kyle works 5 days a week, very long hours, and is busy all day. Sometimes, people get so busy with life, that I think we forget to focus on being busy with eternal life. We need to be busy saying our prayers, spending quiet time together as a family (and individually), reading our scriptures, and setting goals as a family that will take us to the temple, and then keep us worthy after we make temple covenants.

Stand A Little Taller

Families Can Be Together Forever

So, it is really hard for me to think of things to write about for my blog. But, every day I read a little scripture from President Hinckley's book "Stand A Little Taller". I thought maybe I would share the scripture and write my thoughts about it. Today, the scripture is:

"Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3

President Hinckley then goes on to share his own thoughts about each scripture. In this one, he writes that being 'converted' and having conviction is 'not a matter of the head'. Rather, it is a matter of the heart. Everyone on this earth, a member of the LDS Church or not, has the light of Christ within them. From my understanding, which is probably not all that great, this is basically the ability to feel the Holy Spirit. Everyone is able to feel this special gift, sometimes it just takes a while to recognize when you are feeling it. It is that little voice inside your heart that tells you what to do. Everyone, including myself, needs to practice listening and recognizing this gift. It has been given to us to help us, lead us, guide us, and keep us safe. When we listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we will be making better choices! We will be happier, we will be creating happier homes, happier families, and setting ourselves up for the path that will lead to eternal happiness with our loved ones.

Nauvoo Temple

Nauvoo Temple

The Book Of Mormon

Celestial Room

Life will be more exciting...

when the baby is born and Mr.Harrington is back in school! Right now there is just nothing to blog about because there is just nothing to do! Not that I'm really complaining...it's always nice to be still. Everything has been going great with us! Kyle sent in his early out package, and we should know by a week or so if it's been approved. I sure hope so, because we are already getting rid of most of the furniture that we don't really need, so the house is kind of empty! But it is still cozy and homey.

We have been babysitting 2 dogs for about a week. One is a chihuahua named Lulu and the other is a Boston Terrier name Krull. They are both really sweet! It has been fun to have some puppies around the house.

Lately I have been thinking more and more what I want to do eventually....and I really feel like pastry chef would be what I would enjoy the most! I would love to have my own bakery and be able to decorate cakes, but that will take some hard work. We are planning on living in Magrath/Lethbridge for a while, and the college there has just the program I would need. Hopefully eventually I will be able to take some classes. But for now, I am content with making this bebe and watching him grow for a while!

My New Life

I think everyone in the whole world should see this video. People need to be reminded, and need to remember to be thankful for anything and everything that we have. I am far from perfect, but recently I have tried to make a conscious effort to be more appreciative. To be a 'little more kinder'. What a difference these simple choices can make in our lives. People need to get over themselves, and soften their hearts. Life is not about being the smartest, strongest, person-able-to-show-the-least-emotions-est, having the best clothes, or car, or house, or having a million dollars in your bank account. That all sounds cliche, like something you would hear in high school, but just because you're an adult doesn't mean you can't also fall victim to silly ways of thinking!

A month has passed....

It has been basically a month since my last post! There really isn't much to talk about though. I don't think we have the most exciting life - but that's the way I like it. :) Doesn't make for very exciting blog updates though!!

I had my birthday yesterday, I am officially no longer a teenager! Though I think I have been 'not' a teenager for quite some time now. But, I am 20 years old now. Kyle got me a clock that has pictures of a bird at each hour, and when ever it strikes an hour, it makes a birdy noise. :) I didn't do a very good job of explaining that, but you get the idea! I really love birds. I need to get batteries for it and then we can hang it up and hear sweet birdie tweets all day!

Things have been kind of stressful at work for Kyle lately. I wont go into much details here, but we are both ready for him to be out of the USMC. He hasn't been getting home until 8pm almost every night, I miss him. His application for UofC is in the process of getting reviewed so we should hear from them 'soon', as they like to say.

My pregnancy has been going well! We heard the babies heart beat again the other day, and he/she is doing great. My next appointment isn't until Feb 28th, which seems like forever! But after that appointment, our next one will be an ultra sound, where I think we will be able to find out our babies gender. Exciting!

So, a little while ago one Sunday, my mom had told me that the Bishop of their ward in Calgary has challenged everyone to read the Book Of Mormon in 85 days. Since our bishop down here doesn't seem to realize we are alive, despite our best efforts mind you, and therefor I don't believe anything like this will happen down here, I have decided to take my Canadian Bishop's challenge. I hope I am not exempt from the miracles that he promised would occur in the lives of those who participate! I was reading a friend's blog who is participating and she was talking about blessings that have already occurred since she has started her reading, and hey, everybody could use some blessings every now and then, so I will give it a shot! I try to read scriptures every day, or at least one little scripture 'encouraging word' type thing....but I will do better, and finish the Book Of Mormon in 85 days :)