This is the newest addition to the family. Her name is Andi Berrett. She was 6lbs 7oz and 19 inches. She’s gorgeous!! Welcome to the family!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Andi Berrett
Monday, November 24, 2008
I am thankful for...
These last few months I have been thinking about my life and the decisions I’ve made, the things I’ve learned, things that I regret, all of the many blessings I have received and not fully appreciated them or even seen them as blessings at the time. I think sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in all the glam and glitter of the world and not realize what is truly important. Thanksgiving is this week and it has really got me thinking about all the things I have to be thankful for. I remember when I was in young women’s I was asked to give a talk on gratitude in sacrament meeting, now public speaking never has and probably never will be my favorite thing, but I really learned a lot while preparing for this talk. I went through old talks and my scriptures and I don’t remember what book I read it in, but it talked about thanking Heavenly Father for the small and simple things of life, such as the weather, a beautiful sunset, birds singing, and I just thought I really do take so many things for granted. It also talked about being thankful for our trials and sometimes I have a really hard time with that, but they really do make us stronger, and usually helps us develop a stronger relationship with our Heavenly Father.
I am so thankful for the gospel in my life! I honestly don’t know where I would be without it, but I know it probably wouldn’t be good. I am so thankful for the temple! I love the peace and comfort that I feel when I am there, it is truly overwhelming. I love that I get to be with my family forever! I am so thankful for prayer. It is so nice to know that I can go to my Heavenly Father with everything and anything and know that he is there and understands exactly how I feel. I am thankful for our Prophet and all the leaders of the church and all of the time and effort they put into their callings and the guidance that they give us. I am thankful for the scriptures. I know if you pray and ponder about the things you read, they will strengthen your testimony and increase your knowledge and bring you closer to Heavenly Father. I am thankful for my husband. He is such a wonderful man, he takes such good care of me and is such a good example.
I am thankful for my home and to have a job, especially through these hard times. I am thankful for my family and their unconditional and willingness to help and support me. I am thankful for the Atonement. It is so comforting to know that even though I’m not perfect and I make mistakes that I can repent and return to live with our Father in Heaven. We really are blessed each and every day. It’s a blessing to be able to wake up every morning and a blessing to have nice weather, when others are losing their homes to wild fires, hurricanes, and tornados. I encourage you to just take a little time every day to appreciate the small and simple things it really will help you have a better outlook on life. I am sorry if this seems like I’m preaching or if you think that I shared a little too much, but I do hope you “Find Joy in the Journey”.
I would also like to thank Susan Budge for sharing her testimony with me and encouraging others to do it. We really should strive to share it as often as we can.
Update...
I’ve decided it’s a lot easier for me to just blog a short little summary of what has been going on in our lives. So here it is…
· November 11th, 2008, I didn’t have to work because it was Veterans’ Day, so Justin and I got to spend the whole day together! We went with our realtor and looked at a few houses, visited family, got some things done around the house, and then we watched a movie and just relaxed. It was really nice!
· November 15th, 2008, Justin and I put up all of our Christmas lights and decorations. I know we’re a little early, I really did try to wait until the day after Thanksgiving, but I have been so anxious. We haven’t turned the lights on outside yet, but they will be on the day after Thanksgiving. What can I say? I LOVE CHRISTMAS!! I will put some pictures up soon! Now, we don’t have a whole lot, but this is only our second Christmas being married, so we’re just slowly trying to accumulate things. We try to just wait for the after Christmas sales. We’re frugal, but it’s all good.
· November 21st, 2008, I went and watched “Twilight”, with my little sister Autumn, I thought it was cheesy, but cute. I have not read the books yet, but I am planning to soon. After the movie I went home and finished making Julie’s Bridal Shower invitations. They are really simple, but I think they turned out pretty cute. Now, I just need to finish planning the rest of the shower.
· November 23rd, 2008, Afton and Brian had their first baby girl! Her name is Andi and she shares her Birthday with her dad! What a great birthday surprise, huh? We invited my parents and my sister over for Sunday dinner and dessert. It really is so nice to have family so close by. Justin loves to visit people on Sunday or invite them over for dinner. We invite his Grandma over the most, but every once in a while we’ll have our parents over too. Usually if we don’t invite anyone to dinner, we’ll try to go and visit. Most of the time we end up at one of our parents houses. I really do feel so blessed to have so many family members close by, but it makes me miss the one who aren’t even more.
Okay, so I know my life is still not too exciting, but maybe one day it will be. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 10, 2008
The last few weeks in a nutshell...
Well…these last few weeks have been somewhat busy.
· October 13th, Justin called me at work and said, “We’re going to Mexico!” I was a little confused, but then he explained himself. He said, “I booked a cruise with Carnival for the two of us for February 9th-14th.” I am so excited! Neither one of us has been on a cruise, so I’m sure it will be a blast! Happy valentine’s Day to us :)
· Justin turned 24 on October 22nd. I decorated our room and made a cheesy poster in the morning and then after work
· Justin tested on October 28th and passed his written, physical, and oral exams, so if his background check and polygraph go well he will start the academy in March. I am so glad that he passed and that the tests are over because he was so stressed and to be honest I was stressed because he was!
· On October 30th I found out my brother Kitita and his wife Bridget, are having a BOY!! And…that my brother Anthony and his wife Stacey are expecting! I seriously feel like everyone is having babies right now! Justin’s sister Laura just had a little girl in August, and Afton, Brian’s wife is due at the end of this month, my cousin Luse just had a little girl in October, and I have three more cousins that are due in January! And…Justin and I have quite a few friends that are expecting. Apparently there is a baby race going on and nobody told me!
· October 31st, I went to Warm Springs with my in-laws and enjoyed the cool weather, the food, and the company. I got to see all my cute nieces and nephews in their Halloween costumes. Hanna was a cheerleader, Trevor was Iron Man, Kylie was Cinderella, Natalie was Piglet, Brielle was a skunk, and Sadie was a pea pod. They all looked adorable and had so much fun swimming and eating all of Grandma’s yummy snacks!
She said YES!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Nusery
Justin and I were called to Nursery in our ward about 4 months ago and to tell you the truth I was really excited that we got to serve together and that we got to work with kids! But…I didn’t know that there were 5 nurseries in our ward! There are actually 3 now and we have the largest and youngest group of kids. I would say on an average week we have about 22-24, but there are more coming in soon and more and more families moving in! Every Sunday we go home unbelievably exhausted. We eat and then head back to bed for our “Sunday Nap”. We have had a lot of people say that Nursery works better than Birth Control, but surprisingly it only makes me more eager to have children. It is so fun to watch them learn, play, and interact with each other. Now, don’t get me wrong I know it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, there are weeks I come home with boogers on my shoulders, pee spots on my skirts, and bite marks, and I seriously start to rethink having children anytime soon, but…I get over after putting on some clean clothes and taking a nap. Another thing I love about Nursery is watching Justin interact with all of the kids, he is pretty serious sometimes, but for the most part he does well to play with them and comfort them when they’re sad. It is so cute! If you are newly-weds in the Sierra Ranch Ward, BEWARE! I still can’t decide what their thinking is when they call us to serve in the nursery. I don’t know if they are encouraging us to start having kids sooner or later…??? What do you think?
Cutest Bows Ever!!
So…my cousin runs this business called “Little Desert Divas”, she makes bows and hats for little girls. They are so cute! I can’t wait to have little girls to play dress up with, but until then, I can buy them for my nieces! Check out her website (little desert divas.com).
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
I've Been Tagged! (Thanks Alyssha :) )
Justin David Berrett
My Husband & Best Friend
1) Where did you meet? We met at institute on June 27th, 2006.
2) How long did you date before you got married? We dated for four months and we were engaged for five months.
3) How long have you been married? We have been married for almost twenty months and I have loved every minute of it and can’t wait to see what the future will bring.
4) What is your favorite feature of his? I love his smile and his eyes!
5) What is your favorite quality of his? He is very genuine in all he does and always keeps his word.
6) Does he have a nickname for you? Most of the time it’s “Babe”, but every now and then he just calls me “Crazy”, lol!
7) What is his favorite food? Hmmm…let’s see…PIZZA and anything with sugar in it.
8) What is his favorite sport? I don’t think he really has one…?
9) When and where was your first kiss? Our first kiss was on June 30, 2006 (well…technically it was July 1st, 2006 because it was almost 4 in the morning) We had just spent the last ten hours together, talking, watching a 51’s game, eating, watching movies, driving, and just getting to know each other. Justin dropped me off at my house and totally took me by surprise, he just gave me a quick little peck and I thought I was going to die. This was only our first date, but I like to count it as a second or third because it was so long. Now, I never kiss on the first date, but luckily I ended up marrying the only guy I did kiss on the first date. J
10) What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Justin and I just love to be together no matter what we’re doing. We like to go on walks, watch movies, bowl, roller blade, go to the lake, hike, and…?
11) Do you have any children? Not yet, we said that we would wait at least two years from our wedding date to start trying, which is only four months away, but we might wait a little longer. I am very anxious and excited to be a mother though and I know Justin will be a great dad!
12) Does he have a hidden talent? Not that I know of…he is good at a lot of things though!
13) How old is he? He just turned 24 yesterday!
14) Who said "I love you" first? Justin did, he totally caught me off guard, we were just sitting on the couch and he just said it. I was shocked, but I felt the same way and I was so glad that he had finally said it.
15) What is his favorite type of music? He likes anything with a good beat, he’s not really into slow songs or classical, but other than that he’ll listen to whatever.
16) What do you admire the most about him? He is always striving to be a better person. He challenges himself every day and does everything he can to accomplish the goals he sets. He never fails to amaze me! He really is just so wonderful in so many ways and feel so blessed to have him in my life.
17) Do you think he will read this? Maybe…?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
makemebabies.com
So…the other day I was reading a friends blog and she had gone to a website called makemebabies.com, you put in a picture of yourself and your spouse and it generates a photo of what your babies will look like. It is hilarious! I tried it a few times and I don’t know how we ended up with a blonde, a redhead, and finally a brunette with really hair (which was probably the most realistic one, but was still didn’t really resemble either one of us) but you should try it. The website is having some issues, so I can’t put any pictures up yet, but I will try again later.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
This Weekend...
This weekend was actually quite eventful. Saturday, Justin and I looked at a house, went running at the high school track, went shopping for a bed for our spare room, met Julie’s new boyfriend Mckae, and then I cleaned my house and my parents came over with my birthday presents and we watched a movie and had dessert. It was so fun! Sunday, our niece Sadie was blessed. She is so cute and her dress was beautiful. My mother-in-law has some pretty awesome sewing skills. She never fails to amaze me with the things that she can create and in such a short time frame! After church we went to Laura and Reid’s for lunch. They had tacos, homemade salsa, homemade guacamole, Texas sheet cake, pumpkin cake, and frog eyed salad! YUM! Everyone went back for seconds and some of us snuck a few more platefuls after that. It was a lot of fun to spend time with the family and eat all the yummy food. After visiting for a while Justin and I went home and took our Sunday nap and then Julie and Mckae came over to play games and have some more dessert. We had a blast! We played Guesstures and Catch Phrase and then just talked about life and got to know Mckae a little better. Unfortunately, Julie and Mckae had to head back to Saint George because they both had school and work the next day, so they took off after our visit. Hopefully, they’ll come back soon and visit or we can go up visit them. It is so nice to have both mine and Justin’s family nearby and to have so many friends in town that we grew up with. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by family and friends. It’s nice to know that we’re all here and support and help each other out and just enjoy each other’s company.
The House Hunting Continues...
Well…Justin and I have been very indecisive about buying a house. We looked for months and months and put in several offers, but nothing went through and the ones that did we changed our minds on. When we first started to look we were trying to find a larger house for us for when we decided to have children, then we started to think that it would be better to buy one as an investment and rent it out. So…we went back and forth on our thinking and then we just stopped looking for a while. It’s been a few months and we have finally decided to just get one as an investment and rent it out. We put an offer in on one and we’re going to put offers in on two more today. It really is a “Buyer’s Market”, which is a good thing for some, but BAD for a lot of other people. I can’t believe how many homes go into foreclosure in a day; it really is just so crazy! All of the homes we have put offers on are either foreclosures or short sales. The prices are so low, but unfortunately the process can be a little nerve racking. It usually takes the bank forever to respond to your offer and there is so much paperwork. This is why most realtors recommend that you put in several offers in at once, so that the chances of one going through are higher. Justin and I hope that one of these offers will work out for us, but if not, we’ll just be grateful that we have our home and our jobs. We would eventually like to move, but we are in no rush! We still have two empty bedrooms and no children! Not to mention we both really love our home, the neighborhood, our neighbors, no HOA, and we’ve got a pretty big front and back yard (for a Vegas track home that is). Oh…and there is a lot of parking, which is hard to find now in Vegas. So…keep your fingers crossed for us :)
Birthday Madness!
I have decided that I go through my blogging phases. Sometimes I just feel like I don’t have anything exciting to write about, but I am going to try to make my life a little more exciting, so that I do have more to write about.
Well…Monday October 6th, 2008, was my 21st birthday. I can’t believe that I am 21!! There are days I still feel like I’m 17! Time just flies by, this is the third birthday I’ve spent with Justin and that just blows my mind! He has done such a great job every year to surprise me and treat me like a queen. For my 19th birthday Justin took me out to dinner, the mini grand prix and a movie. He also had little surprises/gifts that he gave me throughout the night. The first one was when he picked me up at my house, he opened the door and there was a pretty gold anklet on my seat that had a piece of paper that said. “My heart is chained to yours.” We went to dinner at Outback and just talked and had a good time. After dinner we went to the mini grand prix to kill some time until the movie started. We weren’t there too long, then we watched “Grid Iron Gang”, which was a lot better than I had expected. We made our way back to the car and there was another surprise on my seat! Justin bought me some really cute strappy shoes, on the shoes there was a piece a paper that said,” I’m so glad that you walked into my life!” I was so surprised he found such cute things and put little sayings on them, but I knew that he had to have had some help from Julie and his mom. (They are both so creative and crafty!) The surprises continued throughout the night. I got a crystal candy dish with some of my favorite candies and it said, “You’re the best treat there is”. Now, I know some of these are cheesy, but I still thought they were so cute! Then I got a cute long sleeved shirt and the saying said, “Happy Birthday covers is all!” Now, I thought this was the last one but I was wrong. It was getting late and Justin was getting ready to take me home, he turned to me and said, “I have one more, but we’ll have to look for it.” I was so confused! We looked around his house and then he said, “I think we need to look at your house”, at this point I was so lost and racking my brain, I couldn’t imagine why he want to hide something at my house, so we left and as soon as we arrived he starts to look in the bushes and all around the outside of my house. I finally asked him what it looked like, and he said, “Well…it’s in a little black box”. My heart literally stopped! Once, I caught my breath, I though well this is an interesting way to propose, but I’ll go with the flow. He finally pulled out the box from the back of his truck and tells me to close my eyes. (Now, I could hear him getting down on one knee and I was freaking out!!) I finally opened my eyes and…it was just a watch. It was a beautiful gold heart shaped watch that had a quote that said, “The best time of the day is the time I spend with you”. Justin was laughing so hard and he just kept saying over and over again, “You thought I was going to propose”, and then just laugh some more. He later explained to me that he just needed to get a practice round in. I didn’t think that was the best explanation, but it definitely is something I’ll never forget.
For my 20th he took me shopping and out to dinner and he planned a surprise party for me. He invited a bunch of our friends over for a game night and he even made me a birthday cake! It was a lot of fun!
This year we went shopping and out to dinner. After dinner we passed a few slot machines and thought we’d try it. This was the first and last time for both of us. We played the quarter, nickel, and penny slots and lost everything! We only put in $3.oo and we did have our winning streaks, but we would just play until the money was gone. I am sure if we had more money on the line, we wouldn’t have been as careless as we were. We both decided that gambling really isn’t that exciting; I don’t know how people can do it for hours and hours. I guess if you are always winning you might want to play more often, but how often does that really happen? After cutting our losses we went and rented a movie and just cuddled at home. Doesn’t sound too exciting, but it really was a nice birthday.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Our Temple Goal
Justin and I have a made a goal to go to as many temples together as we can. So, every time we go out of town we try to schedule time for the temple before we make other plans. We haven’t really gone on too many vacations, so we haven’t been to very many yet, but we’ve got time. I have really enjoyed doing this so far it is so awesome to see all how beautiful all of the temples are inside and out. They are all so unique! Some are big and some are small and the décor and landscaping is always gorgeous! These are the few that we have been together all ready. We hope to take a few more vacations next year, so hopefully we can add to our list. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Hawaii! We would like to go on a cruise there and to Mexico (this is where Justin served his mission) and possibly drive to New Mexico (Justin owns property there). I doubt that we will ever visit every temple in the world, but I still think that we could maybe try for all of the temples in the United States. Justin has been to quite a few more, but I don’t count them, because we didn’t go together! Don’t get me wrong, I still think that it is great that he’s been and I am way jealous, but I’m only counting the ones after our wedding.
Las Vegas Nevada Temple
Saint George Utah Temple
Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple
Los Angeles California Temple
Salt Lake City Utah Temple
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Surprise...
About two weeks ago I walked in to find this….
Now, Justin and I were planning on buying one in May, but we weren’t able to because things just got really crazy with my little sister’s wedding! But…we have been looking at them for the last few months, but we just couldn’t decide on a size. Justin wanted a 73”, which is the largest you can get, but we found a really great deal, so we settled for this one. I never understood the hype with big screens, but now I do. I love it! I especially love HDTV. I think I like it more than Justin does, probably because I use it more, which isn’t really something to be proud of, but when you’re husband is gone 4 days out of the week, you run out of things to do. I usually have it on, so that there is some background noise while I clean or cook or whatever.
Our First "Real" Vacation
Okay, so I have been meaning to put these up, but I just never got around to it!So..here they are! We didn't take as many as I would have liked to, but oh well.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Our Guest Room
This is one of our spare bedrooms. We just painted it a few weeks ago, and I must admit I was a little nervous about the color, but I think it looks bright and cheery! There isn’t much in the room right now, but hopefully we’ll have a bed and some decorations in there soon. I made the little dream shelf and I painted an old picture frame black and made a new matte and then put in a cute card I got from my mom. I know it’s kind of “kiddy” but I just think it’s such a cute picture. I have had so much fun painting and decorating, it definitely keeps me occupied while Justin is at work. I find myself thinking of more and more to do, but I think eventually I’ll run out of rooms and wall space, which is probably a good thing. I need to start working on my cooking skills and maybe read some books. But…I still have some sewing projects before I even attempt to master cooking! I definitely should have spent more time with my mom in the kitchen, but it’s too late now. I’ll have to figure it out on my own…poor Justin.
Home Improvements
Well… Justin and I painted our family room and kitchen a few months ago, I didn’t take any pictures before we painted, but trust me it looks a lot better than it did. (At least I’d like to think so) The walls were just white and we didn’t have too many pictures or décor on them, but now we have some up and I have a few more things up that I’ve made. I’ll have to post my latest projects up later, because I haven’t taken any pictures yet or uploaded the ones I do have, but I’ll get them up. I think that our house is finally start to look like and feel like a home! I did make the boards with the vinyl lettering boards and the live, laugh, and love blocks. I also made the “Always Kiss Me Goodnight” floating frame. This is what happens when your husband works nights and weekends, you find odds and ends and try to make things. Lol!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Job Update
After about a year of thinking about….Justin has finally decided to test to become a Corrections Officer! He seems pretty excited about it, and I am just glad that he is happy. The good thing is that he will be working with the same people he works with now and he all ready knows how the jail runs and the set up of everything. He has definitely been a lot more motivated to go to the gym, since he has made the decision to test, which was a huge shock to me! ( Now, I don’t mean this in a mean way, but anyone who knows Justin well, knows that Justin does not like to run or work out, at least he didn’t used to) I am so proud of him! He has been going at least three times a week and is doing really well. He is definitely in better shape than I am. His test is on October 28, 2008, I am sure he will get the job he is such a hard worker and is so persistent!! He is definitely looking forward to the pay increase, which will be nice, but I am more excited for a new schedule! Hopefully, he gets a good one and we can spend more time together. Now, Justin was quick to tell me that he could work 15hours/day all week long, if he wanted, because there was so much overtime available, but I was quick to tell him “NO”. Maybe if he was single, but he’s not! He really doesn’t want to work that often, he just likes the money! (Not that he spends it! He loves to save it, which is a good thing, because it’s for our kids! It’s for when we get older too! I am so lucky that he is so financially smart and such a hard worker!! He is such a good provider and just a great husband!) Well…we still have a little over a month, but we will keep you updated. Keep your fingers crossed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
