Everything Happens For a Reason.

Yesterday was one of the worst days of my life. I cried and cried until I had no more tears. Then I realized that everything happens for a reason. This is a growing experience for me and is teaching me to completely put my life in the Lord's hands. I know he has a plan for me, and for Josh. If his plan is to let us be together forever once Josh gets home from his mission then that would be wonderful. But if he has a different idea in mind then that is what's best. The Lord knows best. He knows me better than I know myself and he will not forsake me. The other day I prayed long and hard for Josh. I prayed that he would be the best missionary he possibly could be, and that if I was destracting him he would have the courage and strength to do what he needed to, despite the fact that it may hurt me in the process. I knew I was not strong enough to do it, but I also knew that Josh wants to be the best missionary he can be, and he doesn't want anything to come between that. This needed to be done. I know it did. This is an answer to my prayer. I also prayed for myself, that I would be able to understand the reasoning behind it all, and that I would have comfort at this time. And believe it or not I have felt such a peace since yesterday. It didn't stop my heart from hurting, or missing Josh, but it was an all over comfort I know only the Lord can produce. I have faith in him that everything will work out in the end. I know this is for the best. The Lord and prophets council guys not to have girls waiting for them while they're on their missions, and now I know why. It takes a huge toll on both people. I KNOW the Lord loves me. And I KNOW he has a plan for me. And I know that if things are meant to be they will be. I have grown so much spiritually from this experience, I don't even know how to tell you. The Lord lives. He answers prayers. And he is always there when we need him. I love him so much, and I love you all as well. Thank you for your love and concern for me. And thank you for your prayers.

My Life

I just thought I'd let everyone know that Josh just "Dear Janed" me. I don't know what to think, and I am at a complete loss as of what to do. I would really appreciate everyone's prayers at this time. Thank you. I love you all.

Just a Little Update!

This is Josh with his companion, and roommates at the MTC.

This is Josh and Elder Halverson, his trainer. The church building was an old doctor's office.

This is Josh with his "good friend" Samuel Smith.

This is the Shanondoah River. I think it looks really pretty in the picture, but Josh says it's actually rather gross.

This is just an update on my missionary. Elder Crandell has been serving in a little town in Virginia called Stanley. Stanley is a small town of only about 1500 people. His apartment is pretty small and not what you'd call nice (but then again he is a missionary, so what else is new?) and there is a train that goes by about 3 times a night that is only 15 feet outside his window! He sent me tape and had me listen to a "small one"! It didn't seem very small to me at all, and it was VERY loud! Anyway he likes it there, but he says everyone is pretty set in their Baptist ways. They only have 18 active members in the branch, but they have given away a few copies of the Book of Mormon, and they go tracting A LOT! He is doing well. He likes his companion for the most part, although he said sometimes he's tempted to throw him off a cliff when no one is watching. Haha. No, they really do get along alright. They just aren't the greatest friends in the world. He hasn't told me any incredibly neat stories yet, but I'll be sure to write them down when I hear them! As for now, here are some pictures. Sorry, I don't know how to get it so the pictures will be beneath all the writing, unless I re-type everything above the pictures. So this will have to do.

Living Life in the Past!

This is me in 1960. Or atleast an idea of what I might look like. I think it's pretty accurate!

The above picture is a picture of what I may have looked like in 1976. I really love the hair. I think I might do it in real life!
Can you guess which era this one is from? The 80's you say?!? Who on earth would guess that?! No, I'm just joking. This is from 1984!

And now, last but definitely not least. This is me in 1992. I think this one his my favorite of these pictures! I had a fun time doing this. If you want to try this the websight is yearbookyourself.com!

I recently "yearbooked myself." I uploaded my picture and put it on the head of someone else. I think some of them turned out rather nice. What do you think?

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd like everyone to know that I started the below post on Saturday night. I may be a dumb blonde, but atleast I did not break the Sabbath for a churro!

Love you all!

AND THE WINNER OF THE "DUMBEST DUMB BLONDE" CONTEST IS......ANDREA BROOKSBY!!!!

I just recently became a blonde and I think this new hair color suites me well because I had one heck of a blonde moment tonight!

Ok, so I have to start on a little side note. I get these random cravings for things that I don't eat often, and until I get what I want I continue to crave it. Sometimes these cravings can last for weeks! So on Thursday night I saw a commercial that made me start craving a churro. I haven't had a churro in a very long time and I really, really wanted one! Well tonight I finally got a chance to go get my churro and I came into a little adventure on the way!

Now on with the story. They sell these churros at the store called Water and Ice, on Gilbert and McKellips (about a half a mile from where I live). So my cousin Trisha and I went to go get some food from taco bell, stop by the grocery store for my aunt Nancy, and to get some churros for a treat! We decided to run and get the churros first because it was already 8:15 pm, and we didn't know what time Water and Ice closed. So we ran over there, payed, and grabbed the four remaining churros out of the warmer. We were happy because we had needed four of them, and those were the last four left! After we got to the car Trisha decided that we should take the churros home so that her car wouldn't get all cinnamony while we're out and about doing our other errands. So we take the churros home and put them on the counter. Then we went and got the food and stuff from the grocery store and came home to eat dinner. After we had all finished eating of course we wanted to try our delicious churros! Trisha and I had told everyone that they probably needed to be warmed up before we ate them because we didn't think the warmer was on anymore. When we had taken the churros out of the warmer they weren't very warm, and we just assumed that it was because it was close to closing time so they had turned it off. So Nancy is getting ready to nuke her churro, but before she does that she tries to pull off a piece of it just to try it. She tugs at the end and it won't tear off...she tugs again and still nothing happens. So she says, "These are really hard and kind of rubbery. Are churros supposed to be like this?" She then proceeds to bend the churro back and forth like a big stick of rubber would bend, and then she tries to take a BITE! She laughs and says, "Girls these ARE rubber. Where are the real ones?" She thought that Trisha and I had taken it upon ourselves to play a practical joke on her. Simultaniously Trisha and I start busting out laughing! We had taken DISPLAY CHURROS from the store!!!!! We looked at the clock. The place closed at 9:00, and it was already 9:02, but we hurried over there and started walking through the door. The girl who had helped us earlier, and some other kids who worked there were just closing up. Trisha walked up to the door first and I was following behind her with the rubber churros, wrapped in napkins as to not get the "cinnamon" on my hands. When they saw Trisha all three said, "We're closed!" And then they got a look at me, rubber churros in hand, bright red, and laughing my head off! They said..."Oh hey! Thanks for bringing those back! We have your churros for you. We were just about to take them home to eat them ourselves!" So as we put our "churros" (one of which had my aunt Nancy's bite mark in it) back where they belonged, in the not warm, "warmer", I read what it said right on the front, as clear as can be. "Warmer and Display." Wow! It said it right there! The girl that had helped us earlier said that she had been wondering why we had just left without our churros (she had to go in the back to get them, so she didn't even see us leave), then she looked over at the display and they were gone!

I just couldn't seem to put two and two together. I'd had various different signs throughout the night telling me that these were obviously not real churros. They were heavy, HUGE, moved around a lot like how something rubber would move, didn't smell like churros, and last but not least they looked FAKE! What a night and WHAT A BLONDE! I am never going to live this one down that's for sure!

I hope you all enjoyed sharing in my dumb blondeness! I know it had a lot of little details, but that's what makes this story so funny! You have the right to make fun of me. I would too! Haha! Bye!