Guest Post - Syd's Wedding!!

Hey everyone, it's me Sydney, and I"m guest posting on my mom's blog today because I'm the only one with wedding pictures:) haha. So if you read both our blogs, you get to see them twice! If you don't read my blog and just my mom's... Shame on you. Mine is way more funny. ;)

So we were a little worried about the weather when we went into the temple, but turns out about 20 minutes before we came out... so did the sun!!! And it literally dried up all the rain. So from what I can remember in my blissful mind of the day...


it was perfect.

Three months later....

The Reception!!!

Justin and I made this cake earlier that day. It was stressful, but we were pretty dang proud of ourselves for our first ever wedding cake! 

And just because Justin and I are SO good looking.... ;)

It's love. 

HATE vs. LOVE

Hate..... it is such a strong word.  I admit that I have used it in a casual way before for instance "I hate beets" but a friend on facebook made the statement that her daughter told her she hated her. The mother wondered what she was doing right to have her daughter say such a thing. Now I know what this sweet mother was trying to say, I love her dearly, but as I have been thinking about that comment over the past couple of weeks I thought back to my own daughters as teenagers and I cannot think of one time that they told me they hated me. 


As we have just had another year pass since 9-11 and I remember that day so vividly I have never felt hate. Only sadness. I had no one close to me die or even be close to the east coast that day, but I felt it. I still feel it. It is always one of the highlights to my trips back to visit Syd. This past trip we stopped and spoke to some of the workers that were building the new Freedom Tower, I asked them where they were that day.  They were there, at ground zero, working on some other buildings. I asked what they did, they said they ran, and then turned and went back to watch, then ran again. It took one man 12 hours to get home. And 2 days for his legs to stop shaking.


My niece died from cancer last year. I don't hate cancer. It is hard, I miss her, we all miss her terribly, and I still struggle when people make the comment to look at all the good that has come from our families trial. Baloney. Yes she has great parents. Yes she is in a better place, a place I wish I could be. Yes she is no longer in pain. Yes she has left an effect on so many people on this earth. But she is gone we can't have the kids get together and play, she doesn't get in my purse and dig out the gum then look at me with those big brown eyes, she doesn't call to see what's for dessert on Sunday night.


I believe that the word to counteract hate is LOVE, of course. Easy answer right?? But is it really? This mother loves her daughter very much and this daughter loves her mother.  Her daughter said that because her mother was showing her love by not allowing her to do something that could lead to some harm and mothers know best. 


As I wave my flag and sing the national anthem, I feel love for my country, for those serving this country, for their families left behind carrying on life while they serve for strangers, I feel love for those that died that day, innocent victims. I feel love for those workers that came back and are building the future. I feel love for their families because they ran.


We are coming up on one year since AmyLynne's death. I love my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ. I love that because of His sacrifice for me I will see her again. I love that I have the memories to treasure in my heart. I love knowing that I will be with the love of my life, Shawn, forever. I love that I can hear a Prophets voice. I love that miracles do happen. 

What a surprise

We have some big and exciting news......Sydney got engaged!!! Now for the exciting news, she wanted to get married in 2 weeks!!! So we have been very busy running around looking for dresses and picking flowers but the big day was on May 20th. It was a beautiful day and it was pulled off without a hitch. We had been having a lot of rain and when we went into the Temple it was raining but when we came out it was blue sky and perfect. We wereAble to have her photographer there and everything I am hoping to have pictures soon. They will be staying here for the summer and then going back to school this fall. We will enjoy getting to know Justin better.

Hayden got himself a dirt bike and has been having lots of fun riding it, he seems to come home after every ride and tell me of some other thing that he broke because he crashed!!!

Joce has her seminary graduation last Sunday and her high school graduation this Thursday, I can't believe that she is all done with her high school career, it seems like just yesterday she was beginning kindergarten. Now she is all grown up:)

We have to get a new camera so I will get some fun ok ethers and get them downloaded soon.
I have my marathon on the 11th of June too. So we are keeping busy as usual.

Our wonderful dog:)

This is our wonderful dog Star we got her for Christmas 1998. She would walk to town with the kids and wait outside of the store to walk them back home, she would chase fireworks on the 4th of July, she would hide from thunder or beg to come in the house, she loved to go for rides in the truck, she had the most beautiful smile (that scared the mailman!!!)she loved to run along and while the kids rode bikes, she hated to go in the water, she had the softest ears, she would put up with kids pulling on her lips, or mom giving her kisses! But most of all she loved us as much as we loved her.

Our sweet Star passed away March 14,2011

Some of our happenings.....

Palm Springs!!

This is the mountain that Nath "ran" more on that at her running blog seesistersrun.blogspot.com

We had beautiful weather, 78-80, we were there over Valentines Day so Shawn counted that as his big plans!! It was great to just sleep in and sit by the pool, read some books, shop and just be together!

The view from the pool, this was during the 30 minutes of clouds we had all week:)

I want an orange tree in my back yard, this is at Shawn's brother's place in Southern Cal.

While we were there Nancy put Shawn and Bill right to work building a fence, it turned out great and makes a big difference in their yard, well worth the effort (not that it took much effort for those 2!)

It was actually me, Nancy and Clay that did all the work, Shawn and Bill are more "supervisor" material!!

Seattle trip

I find it pretty cool to see Elk on the side of the road just a little way out of Seattle!!

Josh, Dad, and Mom went to Seattle for a few days, we saw Mt St Helens and Mt Rainer, the weather was a perfect 55 and sunny, you don't get that much in the northwest!!

Just a couple of pictures from above the river.

Nashville Trip

This was part of the roof to our hotel!!

Jane Deer Girls

Luke Bryan

Shawn and I had the chance to go to Nashville in January, it was so much fun. I have always loved the South and jump at any opportunity to go that direction. I had never been to Tennessee before so again I was very excited!! We went to a few civil war sites and Shawn being the camera happy guy that he is took way to many pictures for me to post, but we have a great collection to keep the memory alive!!I would love to live in a plantation house!! We were the only ones on the tour so we got to go to the areas of the home not open to tourists, it was amazing. This home was turned into a hospital and had over 700 soldiers in it for several months. The location is one of the bloodiest battles of the war, over 10,000 men were wounded, died, or MIA in just a short 5 hour time.
This is the backside of the house, are those porches the best or what??
We stayed at Opryland it has something like 25 acres of land all under this glass roof! The balloons were up as part of the Christmas display and it was mostly gone by the time we left.
Shops and restaurants were all under this one roof, really no reason to even leave, except of course for all the great music and dancing and of course the Ryman theater where we saw Steele Magnolias, Eric Church, Jane Deer girls, Easton Corbin, and The Band Parry, and Luke Bryan!! We went dancing at The Wild horse and found some real southern bar-b-que, which we find every time we go to the south:)

I've decided to try and update by finding a picture,telling about it and then moving on, since I can't seem to be able to figure out how to post and then write!!

Ok so if you have not been able to tell yet, I have no idea how to download pictures!! These are our pictures from our Christmas with our family from Holland, begining with their departure!! We had an amazing 3 weeks with them. They arrived Christmas Day and stayed until the 13th of January, we went skiing and snowmobiling in McCall, watched fireworks on New Years morning, went to a hockey game, they took a van trip through Yellowstone, swimming in Riverdale resort, SHOPPING and of course the Hardware store!! Just great to spend time together and enjoy one anothers company.

Shawn on his dream bike, which I hope he gets soon (can't you see me on the back of this??)

Troy after playing our new favorite game, he was a good sport!!

Enjoying a break from the slopes at Tamarak, Tante Ger, John, Joce, and Sydney.

Okko wondering if we will be able to dig our way out of the cabin!!

Tante Ger and Jan digging us out of the cabin in McCall, they had to earn their keep somehow!!

We picked them up in style from the airport, John has always wanted to drive a Hummer and I just couldn't find one to rent here so we did the next best thing and rented a Hummer Limo!!

There were 14 people in the house and when Sydney's boyfriend came we had 15 it was so much fun, crazy and oh so quiet when everyone was gone!! So glad they made the trip it was a Christmas to remember for sure:)