It Doesn't Matter, Hurry Home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-1_2LEVAZQ

I think this song is one that Heavenly Father sings to all of his children.

"It doesn't matter what you've done, I still love you. It doesn't matter where you've been, you can still come home. Honey, if it's you, we've got a lot of making up to do. I can't hug you on the phone, so hurry home."

He will never give up on us. We always have the chance to hurry home to Him.

Trial of your Faith

I do not like to plan. Ever. I don't like making big decisions. I like to work in the background and offer suggestions but I do not like to plan. Which is unfortunate because weddings take a lot of planning. And, of course, since it's my wedding I have to make a lot of decisions. Ewww! On top of that our wedding is literally across the country. So I have little to no knowledge of anything that goes on over there. Luckily for me I have a very decisive efficient man as my better half. He easily finds the best deals on wedding things and his family lives back there so at least we aren't working from nothing. It works out though, he makes decisions and I change them to my liking. Works like a charm.
I also tend to get very stressed out when I have to make decisions. So lately, I have been less then my peppy cheerful self. Oddly enough Bryan didn't think I was that different, which means I am either really good at controling my stress or he seems to think I'm a serious crab all the time. I like the first one, but I'm not so sure I like the second... Fingers crossed.
I finally asked my dad for a blessing and after that everything fell into place. I was offered a job at the local high school which means I will have the same days off as Bryan. I knew everything was going to be okay. It's like the Lord was just waiting for me to ask for help. I swear He does that for me all the time. All you have to do is ask. How simple is that? Just ask. I'm learning. Slowly but surely. I'm learning.

Keepers of the Wild, for reelzzzz

So this Wednesday I actually got to go to Keepers of the Wild and play with the weeds, tease Kyle, name some animals, plant two trees, sweat like a pig, and get checked out by a monkey. Unfortunately I didn't bring a camera so I didn't get to take any pictures of the actual animals, so I will insert pictures from the internet of animals that look a lot like them.

Brett, Bryan, 10 missionaries and myself piled into an 11 passenger van, I got to ride shotgun. We arrived at Keepers in Valentine, Arizona and could hear the animals waking up and roaring out at the day. The lion, Sultan, had managed to poke his eye on a stick and had to have surgery on his eye, he looked quite melancholy (mel-on-call-y) and slept a lot.

He is quite the big beautiful animal and roared once when a car rumbled past. And when one of the elders got a little too close taking pictures (too bad he wasn't a little closer, he might have peed his pants). The rest of us got a laugh as the elder sprang back as fast as he could. Sultan has quite the roar. Many of the missionaries worked at putting another fence in between the lion's cage and the tiger's cage. The tigers gave us a couple shows, one suddenly rushing at and springing on another. Ruckus and Apollo were their names and Apollo left a lovely gift of spray on Brett's shoe, and boy did it smell strong. :D Remember Brett, it's a privilege.

Kyle was the first animal I saw and the first one I named (someone said his name was Marvin but I think Kyle fits him better). Bryan named the other ostrich Eddie. Kyle and I got into a hissing match and more than one eye contest that I won. :) Coward. It was fun to hear him hiss though. Lucky for you I actually found a picture of Kyle! Here he is in all his glory!

Bryan and I cleared a whole area of weeds and then planted two trees, one of which took forever because the ground was so ridiculously hard ground. The other Bryan did mostly by himself. I enjoyed watching him, and lifting the tree into the hole in the ground. We made friends with a llama I named Tina, and whose real name was Snickers. Apparently Snickers almost got into a boxing match with one of the elders the last time they came. He rose up on his hind feet and came at the elder quite determinedly. The Elder Lindsey took a page from Karate Kid and waxed off Snickers right onto his back. This time Snickers picked on Elder Lindsey's companion, Elder Kioa. Everytime the elder walked by Tina started following him and trying to spit on him. It was very entertaining.

The monkey village proved the most entertaining. One monkey had a very long reach and kept trying to steal peoples cameras and glasses. He also took an interest in me and we had a staring match. As I was staring into the intriguing monkey's face Bryan tried to cover my eyes and told me not to look and the zoo keeper apologized. Then he addressed the monkey, "You're pretty proud of yourself aren't you? Yeah, he always has to show off for the ladies." Then I noticed the monkey was showing off his man parts. Oddly enough the men were more uneasy than I was and I hadn't even noticed until they pointed it out. But, I figure, whatever, he's a male. It's nature, they can't help it. ;) What makes that experience even more priceless is that I was the only girl with 11 other guys.

There was quite an array of animals at the Keepers and I would have loved nothing more than to go an cuddle with one of the big cats. They truly are beautiful creatures and I don't mind helping out.

Keepers of the Wild

I thought we were going to a service project, planting trees at the Keepers of the Wild Preserve.

Bryan picked me up at eight am in his work clothes and told me we had to stop by his house to pick up the water jug and meet the others. We parked outside his door and he told me he wouldn't be long so I could wait in the truck. Ten minutes passed and then he called me and asked me to help him in the kitchen. Luckily for him I actually heard his phone call, that could have really messed with him.

I walked in to see him dressed in a shirt and tie. I was taken aback but I knew immediately what was happening. He sat me down on the couch and told me I could not interrupt him, so I sat and looked up at him.

"It's hard for a man to shop for a ring, so I have the empty ring box but you'll have to wait for the ring." I was confused but as promised I did not interrupt.

"Now, I'm going to give you five things to show you how much I love you. The first is a hug." He pulled me up from the couch and hugged me. "The next is a kiss." Which he gave me. "The next is flowers." He pulled them from behind the couch and handed me these beautiful babies.

"The next is a card. Let me know when you finish it." He handed it to me and I admit I cried a bit when I read the card. He'd been telling me about a card he'd found and planned on saving for the girl he proposed to.

"The next is a book."

"It has the seven novels of Jane Austen and I wrote something even better in the book." He handed it to me and I stared at it in my hands and looked up at him, "Can I read it now?" He chuckled, "Yes." I opened it to find this:

I could do nothing more than stare at it and cry. He knelt down and picking up the ring asked me "Will you marry me?" All I could manage even though I wanted to give some smart alec response was, "YES!"

We didn't end up going to Keepers of the Wild, but I don't really mind that much.

At Long Last

BEST WEEKEND EVER!!!!!

I know I say that all the time but seriously, the best weekend! Bryan was baptized On Saturday May 21, 2011 at 9:00AM in the Rutherford Church, Kingman, AZ by Michael Gibelyou. Such a happy day and one that will hold a special place in my heart for the rest of time. I always knew it was going to happen but it is so wonderful that it finally arrived.

Jordan Grimmer gave the talk on baptism and did a splendid job. My phone went off (to a really annoying ring tone), much to my embarrassment... Opps. It was my calendar telling me Bryan was getting baptized. Like I didn't know or would ever forget. My father baptized him, gently. And Brett Hale gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. Brett, Grimmer, myself, Jesse and Maddi Peterson, and Katherine Welch sang the Armies of Helamen/Sisters in Zion medley and it was beautiful. Then Bishop Miller welcomed him to the ward and the meeting ended. There was a wide variety of ages and people attending. There were children from his classes with their parents, some people from his ward, his friends from Young Single Adults, his friends from Utah (Grimmer, Katherine and me), his friends outside the church, and my family. Bryan has support from so many different people because he touches the lives of so many people and always for the better.

Bryan with the missionaries.

Elder Berryhill, Elder Lindsey, Dad, Bryan, Me, Brett

It has been a while coming and Bryan was a dry member anyway. It was so surreal to me because it didn't feel like it was necessary. But I can truly say I've seen a change for the better in Bryan since the beginning of his trip down this road. He is changed and has become an even better man than I have ever known. I feel so lucky to have him in my life. One fish in the sea.

Sunday He was confirmed in a scorching meeting room where I almost passed out, I swear! And then during priesthood meeting that same day he was ordained a priest. If that isn't testimony enough to the character of this man I don't know what is.

I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!

Thanks for the adventure Babe, You are my favorite.