The Blessings of Friends and Family

Living in the Village, I have met some wonderful people. I have met people from all over the world and have come to have a deep love and appreciation for them and their cultures. I have made lasting friendships with people who have been great examples to me in my life. The friendships I have made here are ones that hold a special place in my heart.

These are incredible people who are striving to better themselves and their families, who sacrifice for something far greater than money, who serve and lift one another. These are people who take advantage of the opportunities they have to learn and to grow and to make lasting friendships. This is a community where we serve and lift one another up during the hard times.  We are all going through similar things and in that way it helps strengthen our relationships with one another. 

Although we don't have much, we have all we need! I feel so blessed! I am grateful for the people in my life who have come and gone and who are here with me now. They are truly amazing people and I feel so blessed to be among them.

One of those amazing people, is my sweet husband, Travis.  Although, life hasn't been very easy for us at times, and there have been some really rough patches, we've made it though and our love for each other has grown in ways that I never imagined.  Neither one of us is perfect, but despite all of the struggle we have faced in our life together, we have learned some precious lessons and have grown to respect and love each other more and more each day. 

Out of all of the people I've met, previously in my life, he was the one that I chose. I chose him, because I knew that whatever was in store in the years ahead, would be worth it. I knew he would be the one I would want cheering me on making life a fun and entertaining ride. Travis, is my best friend, the love of my life and I am so truly grateful for him and all of the love that he gives to me. 

He is a great example to me of what it means to be a disciple of Christ and has a great capacity to keep trying and never give up when things get tough.  He keeps pushing through despite all the hurt and pain that may come into our lives. He will brighten anyones day with his silly jokes and smile. This man enjoys life and loves new experiences. He strives to be a better husband, father and person every single day. I know we still have plenty of adventures ahead of us in the future, some great and some...not so great, but I am so grateful I get to go along for the ride with him.

I'm grateful for our 2 crazy and energetic kids, Emree and Miles.  They each have a special spirit about them that goes beyond anything that I can comprehend. They teach me so much about what's most important in life and help me to be a better mother and daughter of a loving Heavenly Father. 

 Emree has a beautiful, independent spirit. She loves dancing, singing (both on her terms),watching movies, dressing up, doing her hair and makeup and loves to be silly (just like her daddy.) She loves the outdoors, playing with friends and the Little Mermaid. She loves painting, drawing and reading stories. 

Emree is very observant and can recognize when someone is in need. She is a leader and will take the intiative to do whatever needs to be done and get it done (except maybe when it comes to cleaning her room.) ;) She teaches me to be kinder and to take a deep breath when I just can't handle life. She is very compassionate and loving and is a great example to me. I am so grateful for her and for the love she brings into our home.  

Miles, is a sweet, sweet boy. He has a more gentle nature about him, although he can also be very independent himself. He is my child that gets into EVERYTHING!! If you don't want him to find it...he will. ;) He LOVES trucks! He loves books and riding bikes with daddy. He is a silly one and will brighten your day with his little jokes and laughter. 

Miles is a cuddler and hugger. Whenever I'm having a hard day, he is the first one to give me a hug and a kiss. He is thoughtful and kind. I remember one day sitting on the floor thinking to myself "I'm a little cold," and the next thing I knew he was bringing me my cozy blanket. I'm grateful for Miles and the spirit that he brings into our home. 

 I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be Emree and Miles mother! They mean the world to me and have brightened my day, even when I didn't want my day brightened. ;) They bring such a sweet spirit into our home and I am so, so, soooo grateful to have them in my life!

I am so grateful for my family! There is nothing more important to me!

There are so many, many more people who have made a difference in my life and have meant so much to me! You are one of them. I am so grateful for those of you who take the time to read my blog. It means a lot to me to know that you enjoy the words, thoughts and stories I have to share. Thank you!! I am grateful for you and the examples you each are to me! 

I hope that you all have a great week, spending it with those that you love! 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Love,

Jessica

It's the Little Things

Every year, at this time of the year, I am reminded of the little blessings that I have been given.
My gratitude stems from lessons I learned during our time in Guatemala. That time is close to my heart and probably always will be. I never realized how much I had till I didn't have it anymore. Now I am even more grateful for all that I have and I want to share some of those things that mean so much to me, even now, a little over 2 years, later.


I am so grateful for clean drinking water. Other countries don't have the luxury we do to have clean water that we can drink. Often just drinking the water from the tap, you would get some sort of parasite and would be sick for days. Because we had to buy our drinking water from the store in Guatemala, often times we would find ourselves drinking more soda than water, because we needed to conserve our water for other things. I am so grateful for the water that comes from the tap and for our Brita! What a blessing it is to have clean water in our homes.

I am also so grateful for door knobs. In Guatemala, all we had were gates and latches/ locks. Anytime we went in or out of the rooms in our home, our door would lock. We had to tie a string to the inside of the door so we could open the door without having to unlock it every time. It was a little bit complicated and didn't look very pretty. I am grateful to live in a home that has door nobs.

I am grateful for a washer and especially a dryer, even if I have to pay for it. ;) At times I remember having to wash my clothes by hand and there weren't many dryers in the town we were in so we air dried our clothes on a clothes line. It was a day, sometimes two day, long process. It is such a blessing to be able to have our clothes washed and dried within a few hours.  

Awww...look how little she is ;) 

Guatemala Power lines 

I am grateful for electricity. We had electricity in Guatemala, but nothing like here in the U.S. Our internet down there was also, so slow that we would have to pause netflix every so often to let it load...it's so nice to have fast speed (well in my mind fast speed) internet!
The power would also, either go out or be shut off often and randomly. And with no electricity, that meant you also didn't have any water...we are so blessed!



I'm grateful for my bed! Oh man, this one I look forward to every single night! We slept on a twin mattress for 5 months, me and my husband...together. Some people have thought I may be a little silly for making a big deal out of this one, but it really was hard sleeping on a twin mattress with 2 of us trying to stay on the bed at night. I was also pregnant at the time so it made it especially difficult. So far in the course of our marriage, I have slept on an air mattress for over half of each one of my pregnancies and as most women know, pregnancy isn't always the most comfortable thing so...yeah...I am so so soooo grateful for my queen sized bed!!



I'm grateful for comfy blankets! Anyone who knows me well, would know that I can't be without a comfy blanket, especially at night. The country of Guatemala doesn't have many comfy items around and I had a difficult time adjusting to the fabrics there. I remember one night, we stayed in a hotel and when I saw they had soft towels, I cried, because it had been so long since I had felt anything soft. I am so grateful for comfy things!


I am grateful for privacy. Oh boy, do I treasure privacy. We basically didn't have any for 6-7 months. Our home was 3 rooms straight off of a patio area. The people in Guatemala sure did know our whereabouts. ;) Plus, you had to be very quite or write down certain information so that others could not hear. The people were very good at ease dropping down there and would make very good use of the information they received. ;)



I am grateful for an oven. All we had in Guatemala was a gas stove with 2 burners.  It made it hard to cook all the things we were use to eating.  We had to learn a whole new way of cooking, but we survived. I am also, so grateful for a microwave. We have had one for almost a year now and it has made life so much easier. Cooking can be done without one, but it sure does make it a whole lot easier! ;)

Lastly, I am so grateful for our car! We went 2 years without a car before getting the one we have now. The day we got a car was a beautiful day and every day I thank Heavenly Father for the great blessing of having a car. It's not the perfect car, but it gets us around and I am so grateful for that blessing in our life!



My experience in Guatemala and the memories I've made during that time, has helped me to keep gratitude for these simple things alive in my heart. We have been blessed with so much! Each day I try to always remember those blessings and recognize the new blessings that come my way! It's the little things that make up the big blessings! Take a moment and look at the little things in your life that make up the big things. Your life is so good and you are so blessed, just look around! :)

Embracing the Craziness

Once upon a time, when I was a little girl, and into my teen years, I hated my curly hair. I never knew how to make it cute like all the other girls I saw with the long, beautiful, soft barrel curls, but my hair refused to do what I wanted it to.

Instead, it was a mess of curly waviness that could not be tamed. So, as I approached High school, I began to straighten my hair. I straightened my hair everyday, sometimes multiple times a day, never giving it a chance to be it's wild and natural self. I even contemplated straightening it permanently.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago. I was in a rut, tired of the same old thing and frustrated with straightening my hair. Despite all of my hopes, my hair did not want to be straightened any more, leaving me with half straight half curly hair and that was just not workin' for me.

So, one day I decided to let it be it's natural, wavy, curly self. To be honest I was really nervous to go out in public and let others see my curly locks in all of it's glory. No one had seen my hair down and curly since I was little, I always wore it up (unless it was straightened of course.)

The day I wore it down, I finally felt like me. I finally felt like I didn't have to try so hard to be like everyone else, having cute, soft barrel curls that I always dreamed of having. Instead, I decided to embrace the craziness and you know what?! I LOVE IT!!

For me, letting my hair down and be itself, was like giving me permission to be myself. It might sound silly going on and on about hair, but it was given to me for a reason and whatever reason that may be, I am so grateful for my crazy, curly hair!

Instead of feeling embarrassed about who I am, I am embracing it and showing myself that it's okay to be me. The more I let myself be me, the more I grow to love who I am and love all that the Lord has given to me.

As this month goes along and I share some of the things I am grateful for with you, I hope that you take a moment to see the little things that you have been blessed with in your life.

The Lord has blessed me with so much and my curly locks are one of those blessings that I have learned to truly be grateful for! :)

A Home is a Gift

I am so overwhelmed with gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the many blessings he has given to me and my sweet family. We have been living in a small 687 square foot 2 bedroom apartment with our 2 kids for the past 2 years. Some might think we are crazy for living there as long as we did with such small space for 2 growing kids, cinder block walls and carpet you find in your elementary schools,but for us this apartment was a gift from God.

For 2 1/2 years, we moved from place to place searching for a place to set roots and call home for a time. We moved a total of 10 times, before we landed here in the village. It was an emotional roller coaster ride and for those 2 1/2 years I wondered if we would ever find that place we could call home.

Before moving to the village, we were preparing to move back to the U.S. from Guatemala. We had no idea where we would be going next. We had to rely on the Lord to help us get to where he needed us to be. Eventually, we found student housing at the U of U. We were excited, but nervous to move into a place that we knew basically nothing about.

We applied without even looking at the apartments and saw just what was online. We had had some bad luck with apartments with cockroaches and such, and this time we were just hoping and praying that this time would be different.

The day we moved in we felt an immediate sense of relief. We felt so at peace with the space that was given. Compared to everywhere else we had lived, this place was a palace. The kitchen and living room space was combined with 2 small bedrooms in back. The kitchen itself was small with very little counter space, a single sink and a half size oven. Cupboard space was limited, but to us it was more than enough.  It was no mistake that the Lord had given this space to us as a gift. A place to call home.

Yesterday, we moved one stairwell over to a 3 bedroom apartment that is a little over 1100 sq. feet. Double the size of our little 2 bedroom apartment. It's been so exciting to have more space for us and the kids to run around, but at the same time it's a little bitter sweet.

I know we didn't move very far, but for us it's not about how far you go, it's about what you are leaving behind. We lived in that apartment longer than we've lived anywhere else our whole marriage. It was the place that I called home. I had experiences there that taught me some important lessons. I have learned so much there and have grown in ways that I never imagined. My husband Travis describes the feelings we felt as we left that apartment:

"My favorite part about moving day is going back into your old place when it is totally empty and clean. There is something really special about it. I think it is because there is nothing in the house to distract your mind. There is nothing to fill that space except the memories you have of living there. You just look around and you can see the special times and the hard times and the fun times all swirling together. You can hear the sounds of life in your mind and can't help but just feel the importance of raising children, and the spirit present in a home where the gospel is taught and lived. 

We inadvertently have a tradition of going into the now empty house and saying a prayer together. Every place we have lived has always felt like a gift directly from God to us, and it is always my favorite part of moving day to soak in all those memories, and just express real sincere gratitude to God for the journey in that house."


Each place we have lived has been a gift from God. It is part of our journey and growth in this life. I feel so blessed and so grateful for all the my Heavenly Father has given to me. Our sweet 2 bedroom apartment has filled me with so much gratitude. It was truly the first place in a long time that I could call home. Even though so many may think our little home wasn't anything special, it meant so much to me. It was a sacred place that was just a piece of my story on this journey we call life.

 At times things may get hard and at times it may be hard to find joy in the journey, but if there is anything I have learned it is that I know that my Heavenly Father loves me. He has blessed me so much through all the struggles I have faced and I feel so incredibly grateful for him and his love. Now, we are moving on to what feels like a new phase of our lives and I know that the he will always be there leading and guiding me every step of the way.

What a blessing it is to have a place to call home!

H is for Hard By The Yard

 Sometimes, I try to plan things out WAY too far in advance for me to even know for sure if it will happen the way that I plan. I can get so caught up in looking to the future that I can forget to look at what is happening in the present. 

"Life by the yard is hard, but by the inch it's a cinch." 

This a lesson that I have learned repeatedly, but I have really come to recognize what this phrase means over that past few years. 

I have come to know that living life "by the inch," requires faith and trust in our Heavenly Father. We can't always know the future, but the Lord does. He knows our thoughts and desires and will help us through it all as we come to him. 

Things always work out. It's much less stressful to look at life "by the inch" than by the yard. I've found so much peace as I rely on my Father in Heaven through my daily life and I am so grateful, that I have learned a little better how to live life "by the inch" so that "it's a cinch!" ;) 

G is for Grateful In All Things

As I look at my life, I can see that I am so truly blessed.  There have been many times where I have not been able to see clearly all the blessings that I have been given. But when I look at each day, I can see that the Lord has blessed me in more ways then I can count. 

Having a friend to talk to, a smile, a friendly hello, an opportunity to serve, having a chance to clean my house or even something as simple as having food on the table, are great blessings that I have been blessed with each day. 

 I am so grateful for my home and my family.  I have two beautiful kids and a wonderful husband. We have great friends and neighbors and I have everything that I need.  There isn't any reason not to be grateful. The Lord is so mindful of me and my circumstances and he puts people in my path to help me feel of his love each day.   

I am so grateful for the people in my life and for the love I feel from my Heavenly Father everyday! 

F is for Family

Today i'm keeping it simple. The love of a family is one of life's greatest blessings. I feel so blessed to have a wonderful family who loves and cares about one another. The lord has placed so many wonderful people in my life and I feel so truly blessed!