pondering on the temple

Hunter & I have had the opportunity to go and attend 2 sealings in the past week. One for my little sister, and one for our best friends. It has been such a good reminder, although we haven't been married long, of the covenants we made together and the promises that were sealed upon us. During one of the sealings i whispered to Hunter that we need to make a goal to attend the temple at least twice a month. We both agreed with the desire to do better, together. Living out of Utah where there isn't multiple temples within 30 minutes of us is much different. Not impossible, but i see now how life can become such a distraction when we need to make time for the most important opportunities. 

I love this quote, that is such a powerful promise. There are so many blessings awaiting us. We must always make God the center of our marriages and our lives. We just need to make the time and effort to accept them into our lives. We have been told to go OFTEN and go REGULARLY. Its for our benefit and happiness. I truly believe that. 

I love the comparison of the temple and our bodies. How we treat the temple should reflect how we treat our bodies. With respect and cleanliness. We should feel the same feelings we feel in the temple within our spirits. Just as the temple is a place we go for answers and peace, so should our bodies and souls be a place we can go for pondering and peace. The spirit cannot dwell in unholy temples, so we must strive to be worthy and ready to receive the spirit within our own spirits. 

This is something that the sealer said and hunter reminded us of when he bore his testimony the following sunday -- if we keep the covenants and promises we made at the alter when we were sealed...we WILL be exalted.  

 The promises we are given really are PRICELESS. I hope Hunter & I can be better and make more of an effort to remember the covenants we have made and attend the temple more often.

cupcake

you know those days when you just feel not so good about yourself but your trying really hard to be optimistic but something small is just eating at you, bothering you and making you feel "off"?

okay maybe i'm just crazy. 

BUT. those of you who have felt like this...please enter my day today of that kind of feeling. i started my new job as a nanny to the most adorable twin girls (such a huge blessing for us) and i was so excited to start! everything went so well there. but i didn't feel my full self all day. i had to run to Sams on the way home to use a coupon we got for a free rotisserie chicken and free cupcakes. neither me or hunter like cupcakes so i wasn't planning on getting them. then i decided i would just look...well thats all it took. cause they looked DEVINE. and they were free so what the heck right?

i go home eat dinner, and plan on taking a cupcake over for Noah and Jade to try (thinking nothing of it, we share food all the time). as i was about to walk out the door i remembered how i felt bleh and quickly remembered how whenever i'm feeling bad about myself the best cure is to make someone else happy. this someone is our neighbor. his name is Bill. the only interaction we've had is saying "hi" and "how are you" when we happen to leave at the same time or see each other outside. but he is one of the nicest people! so that was the person that i was going to serve, so that i would change my focus on someone else, even if it did nothing for them- it would for me. i put a cupcake on a paper plate and wrote a little note on it, set it in front of his door, knocked twice and then hurried down the stairs. at first i was just going to scurry along but when i got to the bottom i decided to just wait. i heard him open the door, then a few seconds went by, then i heard him do a little happy giggle to himself. as soon as i heard his reaction i got a smile on my face and walked away as he shut the door. that simple act over powered any of the negative thoughts or worries i was having.

i don't share this to let you see what i've done, but just to remind myself and others that serving others and making other peoples day and being selfless really is what happiness feels like. my goal is to "give one cupcake away" every day, even if its a really good day.

i don't even love cupcakes and i agree with this ^^

Crandall party of 2

the best day of my life

Friday, April 17th, 2015

Exactly a month from the day Hunter got home became the best day of my life. I wish i could remember every detail of that day. I do remember perfectly the feeling of joy and gratitude i had all day. I woke up, did a little work out (always helps), went over to my amazing neighbor to do my hair, then laken came over and did my make up…and off we went to the temple! Of course, being with mom and i we were rather early :) They got us right in and got everything ready that we needed to. Hunter wouldn’t let go of my hand, and i wouldn’t let him let it go either. They took us back seperatly to get all ready for the sealing then we met up again in the celestial room. The brides room was gorgeous and i was in heaven! It was everything i pictured since i went through the open house with Brooklyn. I was taken care of so lovely and felt like a queen. Because we arrived early that put us ahead of our family arriving there. So we were able to sit in the celestial room, hand in hand together for at least a half hour. So special, such a sweet feeling. Beyond beautiful. It hit me again what we were finally doing. We just stared at each other in awe that our lives together were beginning. It was time to go into the sealing room where our family awaited us. We met our sealer who was an angel. Seriously, Hunter and I looked at each other with our big wide blue eyes open thinking the same thing. He was perfect. As we walked into the room i saw all of our loved ones and just felt a flood of love come over us. The sealing was beautiful, it was tender, it was so spiritual and such a great reminder and explanation of what we were doing together that day. We are started our OWN family. Just me and him. He is the most important person on earth. And the decision i made to marry him is the most important decision i will make on this earth. He is my King and I am his Queen. 

We walked out the pretty, golden front doors and put our arms up together holding hands as everyone cheered for us! All of our family and friends were out waiting for us there supporting our new family! Kate Benson was our photographer and is simply amazing. We took pictures for a long time after we came out and trevor who is incredible with his camera, along with Rachel videographed everything! It was so fun. We just got married. FOR ETERNITY. How could we not be the happiest people ever? By the time we were done we were starving so we went and got Costa Vida. Funny story- the girls working there were like, “oh did you just come from a wedding?” i was like “yeah! ours. :)” haha they were like oh….wow! haha then they didn’t stop staring at us the whole time. Im hoping its just cause they thought we were a good looking couple haha. Then we went straight to the reception and got re ready for pictures again! Started kinda late…typical. But we got some stunning pictures!! We didn’t do a line (best idea ever). It made it so much more relaxed and fun for us. All the old people that came had heart attacks over it though. hahaha. poor oldies. The reception was magical and decorated so beautifuly! thanks to aunt les and mom. It was SO fun. We got to talk to as many people as could catch us and chase us! The cake…oh my so delicious. and we both hate cake- thats how good it was. Yes, it was messy. of course, not surprising with hunter being my husband. So funny. All in my hair. Way sticky and nast. Danced our way about the bouquet toss— markel caught it!! :) atta girl. Then the garder…oh boy hahaha. I told him not to lift up my dress so everyone and their dog could see…but that wasn’t happening so i hurry and flipped my dress over his whole body. bad idea hahah he poked me and i might have over reacted a little much and jumped and screamed a little hahaha. Anyways he finally got it and zach caught it! He was very happy about that i’m sure ;) Then we had a way fun dance party. Dad got his moves on. We partyed hard for a lil before we left then we were off running through a line of sparklers! Our car was straight up destroyed but seriously the best decorated car i’ve ever witnessed. So nasty. So dirty. So funny. 

wedding pictures to come.... for now, this is all i have :)