Thankful Thursday!

Today I'm thankful for forgiveness...for big things and tiny things. Can you imagine if we weren't able to forgive/be forgiven!? I know it'd be terrible for me with as many times as I mess up in this life. I need to be quicker to forgive...like little kids are - sometimes if I'm offended I like to pout on it for a while...and that's pretty pointless! 

"May we pray to our Heavenly Father to help us overcome foolish pride, resentment, and pettiness. May He help us to forgive and love, so we may be friends with our Savior, others, and ourselves."

-David E. Sorenson

Confession

When I lived with Karina, we would sometimes walk into each others' room and say 'confession' .....and then spill the beans on something we did, said, thought, etc. that we wouldn't share with just anybody but we had to tell somebody. 

I'm almost too embarrassed to post this...but in an effort to include the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly, here it goes...

When asked once upon a time what Rick's favorite things about me were he answered "how loving and kind she is".

But sometimes I am not kind. 

It typically happens a few days before I start my period. 

I'm not saying it's all to blame on the hormones but I also don't think it's coincidence that it's around the same time of the month that I occasionally get a fit of fiesty-ness that makes me want to cry about anything. 

It's not cute. 

I get annoyed at one thing and it snowballs into everything and my poor Rick gets the brunt of it. 

He typically laughs or makes what would on a normal day be a funny comment..or he makes a comment that I would on any day take offense to - I'm sensitive. 

and then I'm mad. 

and then he says something I don't want to hear. 

and then I'm crying. 

and he's just confused as to why I'm crying. 

and then sorries are exchanged 

but I still feel embarrassed/guilty for acting like such a snob. 

And then a few days later when my period starts and I can literally feel the crazy escaping me - I remember I can repent and be better. I realize that it's those moments that allow me to grow and it's the comments my husband makes that my pride takes offense to that are actually the things I need to take to heart so that I can grow to be a better person. 

I realize that when I'm getting aggravated because the waiter is terrible and i'm hungry and he hasn't brought me ketchup and Rick is eating all the fries - yes, seriously ridiculous. I promise this is not typical behavior. and Rick tells me I'm being ridiculous, he isn't lacking compassion, he's telling me the truth and telling me I'm better than the way I'm acting.  

I love my husband so much. More than I know how to express. 

Sometimes I may not appreciate him calling out my faults at that moment - but if he didn't ever do that, he'd just be tolerating them. And then I wouldn't know in what ways I can improve myself or love him better. 

"Kindness is the essence of a celestial life" 

- and there is no other life I want to work towards while holding my sweet, sweet husband's hand as we journey on.

p.s. Rick grew up with no sisters so sometimes I'm sure he thinks I'm crazy. 

(luckily he still tells me he loves me too)

Please tell me I'm not. 

Does your period sometimes make you cranky/emotional too?!

MayFlowers...better late than never.

We started out May with the end of this season's Survivor.

You would think this is insignificant to mention in our blog buuuuut...

one of the last episodes had the part where they get to see a family member and the way they started

crying and running towards their loved one made me cry and say "it's like Heaven!" 

because I started thinking about forever families and being reunited. Emotional.  

There was one survivor who said her strategy for the whole game was to 

be humble. 

I think being humble is a strategy we can all apply to life.

"We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves." 

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving; Teach us tolerance and love." 

-In Humility, Our Savior (we sang this hymn at church last Sunday & those words stuck out) 

On a lighter note...

We had our monthly dinner with Kerri & Rob. It was a blast, as always. 

R's classmates had a Cinco de Mayo party. We took a flan. It was popular. 

We've been really into smoothies lately. 

I like to name the sky. R likes to name our smoothies. 

As in he calls them all a sunshine smoothie.

(a couple of the ways R hints at wanting a smoothie: 

"a sunshine smoothie sure would brighten my evening"...

"a sunshine smoothie sure would shed some light on the subject" [as he is studying])

We also experimented with oatmeal last month. 

Blended it up to make flour....made banana pancakes with it. 

R cooked them on his "friend", the griddle. 

They were excellent. Highly recommended. I share recipes.

Speaking of recipes, if you have some awesome ones, I'd appreciate them...

I've felt less than innovative in the kitchen lately & it stresses me out to not know what to make for R. ;)

As far as adventures go, we went to our first gallery night (decided once was enough)

& our first local baseball game. 

We got to go visit my parents for Memorial Day weekend. 

It was amazing, of course. 

We went to beaches, got belated Easter prizes, ate a ton (literally) of food, & enjoyed time with Ma, Dad, D, Gma, Gpa, Aunt A, Uncle M, and even got to hang out with Andrew & Sarah.

We hit up M-town on the way home & had dinner with with the family there.

We've done well with our gym commitment. Sometimes people watching there causes me to have serious thoughts during my cardio...like how some people just look lonely. & that I think every human desires to be loved. & how grateful I am for all of the love in my life. 

R FINISHED HIS 3RD YEAR OF MED SCHOOL! Onward to 4th year!

(so proud of him and all of his hard work/dedication!)

May pretty much FLEW by. Hence this entry is late. Woops! 

Life lesson of May: “be a duck,” meaning just let it brush off like water on a duck.

Things we're (I'm) looking forward to in June: The Bachelorette and Pretty Little Liars!!!