Got your back.

I'm excited to share a special day with you.

It's mostly through pictures, but I have a few thoughts I'm going to throw out there too.

I have good friends.

Many times I stand back and wonder how?

I know why I love them so much, but I'm not sure why they love me back?

Maybe it doesn't matter.

Maybe just the fact that they do, and that they accept me even knowing all my faults is enough.

What a gift to have others who will make you laugh till it hurts.

Or to cry with when it hurts even more.

What a blessing to know someone has got your back.

No matter what.

I am blessed.

This day was lovely.

Can I share a few of my favorite things? 

*Watching Valoree.  She was a shining star.  A smiling, glowing beautiful star.

*Helping Val get her dress on, and helping each other primp. What fun!

 *Spending time side by side with my dear girlfriends.  ALL DAY!

*The limo ride with everyone in a friendly excited mood.

*Braving the cold & wind to take professional photos at the park

*Trying to pretend we weren't windblown and chilled while getting ready for the ceremony.

*Calming Val's nerves as we waited together to walk the aisle.

*Elise's prayer with just the 4 of us holding hands and wishing Val peace & joy.

My heart was warmed.

*Walking up the aisle with Ryan.  We had fun, and he helped me not trip!

*Watching Val & Chris exchange vows.

*Elise's awesome toast to the happy couple.  I promise...you rocked it!

*And lastly...eating CAKE!!!

And thank you Val for asking me to be a bridesmaid.

It was an honor and a joy.

First shot of the day.

What joy filled that room as we readied ourselves and Valoree for her big day.

The limo ride on the way to the park for photographs.

Oh, and to know Janelle is to know she is a joyful cut-up.

Val and Chris looked like this ALL day!

Just as they should.  It was beautiful.

Here are some of the bridal party.

What a FUN, great group of people.

And sorry you weren't in many shots Imelda,

I'm not sure where you disappeared to!

Oh yeah.  They looked like THIS most of the day too.

Do you think Heavenly Father blesses your lives with certain people?

I do.

Here are a couple of cute blessings.

Trev and Skoogles congratulating the Mr. and Mrs.

Okay, you can't disagree... Val is GLOWING.

Brought a tear to my eye more than once.

Working the reception.

In all honesty, here is a picture of 3 starving bridesmaids waiting for CAKE!

Here we are again with our beloved Coach.

Can you tell we love Rob?

I think it's okay to say he is another blessing.

We are lucky not only to be taught by him, but to know him.

And it's true that even at a wedding, we might talk tennis.

And even act like we are playing it.

It's okay.  Val & Chris met on the tennis court...

they would approve.

I just have to say it.

This was a special day.  It was just. . . sweet.

A strong spirit of love and sweetness.

The girls were in awe of the bride.

Skoogs was already planning her wedding.

Right down to what cake she would serve.

Loved it.

'

 Rocking the dresses & shoes.

You don't have to be a twenty something to rock it.

Right?

 Can you say tired feet?

Winding down.

Just a sweet little dance.

And there they go.

Walking through the bubbles on their way out.

Congratulations Valoree and Chris.

Happy day.

Unwrapped.

“When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives."

--Gordon B. Hinckley

"To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

--Thomas S. Monson 

"Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

--Thomas S. Monson

Dear sweet Trevor,

I have a wrapped present for you.  

It's been sitting here for a while.

Why do I let it sit?

I'm so sorry.  I want you to have it . . .

Thank you.

I am so grateful for you.

You are the sweetest man,

The best husband,

An amazing father.

You work so hard for all of us.

You make me laugh like no other.

I am lucky, you are so affectionate.

Thank you for all your "i miss u" texts.

I love them.

You promise adventure.

You smell heavenly.

When you hug me, I am instantly warm.

Thank you for holding my hand.

For always telling me how sexy I am.

For always looking me in the eye

before asking if I really do know how much you love me.

I do know.

And I'm not as good as you are at saying it,

But I love you.

You are the greatest blessing in my life.
 

And I would be ungrateful

if I didn't let you know.

The sweet.

It is pretty much my nature to be a happy girl.
Yes, it's the name of my blog for a reason.
I'm not bragging about that...

It's not that life doesn't affect me.
I have had my fair share or sorrow, anger, heartbreak & disappointment.

But I know this about myself...
I believe life is a gift and an immense joy!
There is always sunshine ahead.
There is lemonade from those lemons.
Life is what we make it.
Attitude is the bomb.
We are blessed to be alive!

Okay, that being said, I was in a BAD mood yesterday!
Why?
I can't put my finger on it, but happy girls DO have bad days.
OF COURSE we do!
Was it because I got creamed in a tennis match?
If so, that is just lame, but maybe that was it.
I don't know.
Whatever the reason, I did something I shouldn't have.

I ripped into this lovely, adorable, sweet companion of mine.


And then I did it again.
Ack.
The first time, he tried to defend himself.
And in my mind he failed miserably.
You see, I was right...I am always right...right?

The second time, I could see he was utterly confused.
And he walked away.
Smart man?
I believe so.

But then he did something I believe was
oh so wise.

I had stormed off full of my righteousness,
slamming things around
(you know how those loud noises just help prove your point).

All of the sudden I heard soft, gentle music fill the room
Good music, beautiful music.
I recognized it as a hymn...one of my favorites to be exact.

The only other person home was Googles.
And I knew she didn't turn it on.

Okay, so honestly my first reaction was...
Is he trying to put me in my place here?
(I TOLD you...BAD mood!)

But then as I let the music in,
I physically began to relax.
My mind began to clear.
Why fight something good and peaceful.
I obviously needed it.


And this wise, beautiful man knew I needed it.

You know what?
He never said another word about my tantrum.
He didn't ignore me or confront me.
And he still held my hand that night as we fell asleep.

I think I'll just put some sap out there and say...
He is the sweet in my lemonade.
And I was a sour lemon indeed.

ps - here is my newly brunetted daughter
for those of you who've been wanting to know
if she went through with it...yup she did!
(with a bit of sassy red).

I'm awake.

I had one of those dreams.
It seemed so real and I awoke from my own weeping.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had those, right?
In this dream, I lost Trevor.
And the dream seemed to last the whole night.
It was horrible.
And it took the whole morning to stop the tears.
I was exhausted the whole day.

And more aware.

I held his hand every chance I got.
I looked at him a little longer.
I stopped and hugged him more than once.
I inhaled his scent and savored it.


Sometimes I wonder why it has to take a dream
to wake me up.
And appreciate the man that shares my soul.

The tandem get away.

Time for a getaway with my hubs.
A small cabin and 3.5 days in Sunriver.
Ahhhhhhh. Just what these two souls needed.

I HIGHLY suggest a tandem bike ride with your sweetie.
We could have done this ALL day.

This handsome fellow greeted us as we passed on the bike.
We HAD to stop and say hi.


Are you really surprised tennis was involved?



My man tried the "flowrider".
Awesome I tell you.
The wipe outs were the best though.

Just the 2 of us.
Hot cocoa by the fireplace at night.
Can't beat it.

Getaways are the BEST.

Double tying that knot.

There is this guy.
Truthfully? I really love this guy.
I don't pretend to make it something it is not.
It is many things...
Happiness. Excitement. Adventure. Craziness. Spiciness. Sweetness.

Is it easy? Yes AND no. But mostly YES.

It has been pointed out to me by a few that I act like I am in love with my husband.
Can you believe it?
I am happy about this.
Because you know what?
I AM.

I cannot swear on a bible and say "It has been a blissful, perfect 16 years".
It has been anything BUT perfect.
But I have a secret. I THINK that is why it is SO GOOD.

Can you believe there was a time this man and I were strangers?
And it was not before we were married.
During this lowest of low times, people would smile at me and say,
"Hi Shelli! How are you?" in that casual way people do.
My answer?
"I'm dying. Someone save me...please".
Except I would say, "Good! How are you?"
I did not know if I would still be married in the near future.
I ACHED.

Why do I share this?
Hmmmm. I am not really sure.
I was just thinking today of how much I adore this man.
It occured to me for the millionth time that I may not feel so strongly
had we not almost lost each other?

I am not a marriage expert.
But I have learned and continue to learn lots of valuble stuff!
Can I share?

Communicate! About everything! Even if you think it is trivial!
If you feel like something is missing there, it probably is, so talk about it before you feel like you can't bring it up and it gets to the point that there is nothing left to say.

If you are going to talk about your spouse to other people - make sure it is always positive!
All you need is a support group to agree with you about all the areas you think your spouse is lacking in. Don't get caught up in that discussion!

Build them up!
You married him, so he knows what you think, right? WRONG!
It is work, but remind your spouse why you think he is sexy!
Tell him how much you appreciate all the hours he spends at work!
Tell him how excited you are to finally see him after a hard day with the kids!
Man he smells GOOOOOOOOD!
Encourage his interests and wow can he do an awesome flip on that wakeboard!
It makes you weak in the knees, so TELL HIM.

Support.
He comes to watch my tennis matches. How sweet is that?
I'm touched every single time he shows up.
I get 3 calls on Sunday morning from teachers who are sick and can't teach their church classes.
He rolls his eyes with me, but gives me the thumbs up that I can figure it out.

Spice?
Kick it up a notch!
Didn't you used to do stuff when you were dating just to let him know how cool you were?
I mean...he wants me to try kayaking.
I'm really not that interested, right?
BUT... he would love it. Give and take. Why not try it?
He knows I will not take it up as a hobby,
but if you could have seen the look on his face when we were done going through a little
white water?
He was THRILLED with me. I had tried it. He was turned on.
Need I say more?

Enjoy each other!
We came to a point.
We could either head down the divorce road OR we could work VERY HARD to get it back.

It took time my friends. More than I thought it would.
It was not easy.
Patience, trust, vulnerabilities, insecurities, more patience, love, HOPE, selflessness, effort, kindness, time...so many things involved.
But the results? Oh boy. The results.

I am hoping you can see the results.
What if we had given up on all those things I just listed?
I believe more than anything that we come out stronger if we endure the storms.
Even if we feel no hope.

We are doing it.
We appreciate each other more.
We are a little more sensitive to each others needs.
We make time to be with each other.
There is sacrifice, give and take, and unselfish acts.
We are excited for the chances we have to enjoy each other.
We also are no longer naive.
Anyone can drift apart. At any time.

How happy I am that we made it back.
Even stronger.
Definitely stronger.

I love this picture. Notice the wedding dress in the back window of the car.
We were on our way to tie that big tangly beautiful knot.

Good things.

What am I still doing up?
My eyes are drooping, but my head is full of good things.
And good things are usually worth sharing, right?
I really enjoyed hitting with Joanna today. Her smile and cheer are contagious.
My hottie works hard.
I took the girls in for fillings, and watched as he hustled from room to room brightly greeting each patient, and treating them all as if they were his only one.
I'm really tickled that I ' M H I S O N L Y O N E !
Watching him work made me want to rush home and make him a fabulous dinner,
and spoil him with attention & love.
Elece is so fun, I call her a firecracker. I can't wait to see if she goes through with our awesome tennis shirt plans...
I got to pet a 10-day old foal today. He was spunky & adorable...and all legs.
I awoke to melodic birdsong. I heard it outside my window.
Thank you birdies. I've missed you.
My friend Casey is a sweetheart. I'm so glad I met her.
She calls me Shell, and for some reason that means something to me.
I have a soft, warm bed with a sweet warm man in it just waiting for me.
I'm one happy girl.
Sleep sweet!

Inspired - Part 2

A few weeks ago, I posted "Inspired".
What are the things in my life that give me encouragement, joy, peace and inspiration? A few weeks ago I shared some of these "constants" as I call them.
Are you ready for more? Here goes.

#4 - What calms me down and gives me peace? Simply...a cup of tea. When I am stressed, or tired, or a little on the "in-need-of-nurturing" side, I make myself a cup. Maybe it is because as I was growing up, my mom would make me tea whenever I was sick and feeling down. It was magic. It always made me feel better. My favorite tea? Stash decaf Vanilla Chai. Ahhhhh.
Heaven in a cup.

#5 - I am a shy person. A lot of people would disagree with that, but if you really know me, you know that this is true. I struggle to put myself out there, but enjoy it when I do. It is work for me. I can tell you without a doubt I would not be "out there" making friends and throwing parties if it wasn't for my best friend. This guy loves people. He is not afraid to go to anyone and start up a conversation. While passing the fishing hole once in my brother's neighborhood on the way to his house, we pulled over to the guy sitting on the grass with pole in hand. Window rolled down, my best friend said in his friendly, interested voice, "Caught any fish today?" This lead to a nice conversation with a sweet old man none of us knew. While chatting with him, my daughter asked from the back of the car..."Mommy? Why does daddy always talk to people he doesn't know?" Trevor has taught me that there is no reason not to say hi to people. Why not look someone in the eye and find out what their interests are, and even invite them over for dinner? There are lots of potential friends out there!
Not only does Trev encourage me to enjoy people, he inspires me to enjoy life. If you know my husband, have read his blog OR mine, you already know he likes to try a little bit of everything. We don't sit still for much, and whether he believes me or not...I do prefer it that way!

#6 - Flowers. Flowers. Flowers. I cannot lie to you. Flowers can bring me to tears. I can walk my garden every single day, looking over the growth or change. It gives me joy. Plain and simple, I am probably happiest around nature.
Though I do not grow hollyhocks, they hold a special place in my heart because they make me think of my childhood, always in my mom's and grandparent's gardens. My mom and hollyhock dolls. Now my girls know how to make them.
There is something about foxgloves that I adore. They are also my daughter's favorite, and she has loved them since she was 2, circling them in my garden catalogs.
Lavender is so hardy and fragrant, I can't help but be proud of it everytime I pass it by.
I dared to plant California poppies in my front rock garden last spring, knowing they spread like crazy. But I took a chance, and I can't regret the shocking bright bursts of orange and red that grow amidst the daylilies, wallflowers, bloodgrass, gaura, red carpet roses and more. I cannot tell you how many people stop their cars in front of our house to ask me what those beautiful flowers are and how they love to look at them.
There are SO many more I won't name, but if it blooms, I pretty much love it (with a few exceptions).
Ah, but roses. I think the roses are dearest to me. Who cannot love them. They do well here. I have a few separate rose gardens, and this year planted probably 10 new varieties to try out. Which ones bring the tears to my eyes? Ha. Well, I am loving these three...

1...VOLUPTUOUS: These beauties glow with bright color. The blooms are humongous, and they smell good. This is a new one to my garden and I am loving it.

2...DOUBLE DELIGHT: I have grown these for a while, and can't get enough of them. I added a few more to my new island. They are beautiful, the bush is nicely formed, and stays healthy, and the smell. Oh the smell. HEAVEN! You want to inhale these babies.

3...ANGEL FACE: I happened upon this one this year. I have always told myself I am not a purple rose person. This rose has changed me. Now I am an angel face purple rose person. :) The petals are ruffly and old fashioned looking and the color is beautiful. They smell so sweet. I was thrilled when showing it to my mom and she told me how she had planted an Angel Face once and loved it. Her father had told her to plant one because he loved them as well. Her father is my dear Grandpa "Hummingbird" whom I adore and miss like crazy. I have always wished I could show him my family and garden, but the sweet part is, I have been lucky enough to feel like he sees it all the time. Maybe he has seen my Angel Face and is smiling sweetly from above because I too, like to garden as he did.

Well, there you go. Sorry this post was so wordy, I guess it's hard for me not to gush about my husband and my roses.
Don't forget to stop and smell the you-know-whats!
Until next time...

Spring is in the air!

This hot mama (not me, the cycle) is sitting in my garage. It doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Trev, my husband. It is spring. Let me tell you about spring. Yes, the flowers bloom, yes, the birds sing. You know what else sings? Motorcycle engines. Have you noticed them? The temps reach almost 60, and there is a new sound in the air. The hum, purr, roar, whatever you want to call it, of all the motorcycles emerging from their garages after being stored all winter.
And each spring as we see them race past, my husband gives me that look, and I do the eye roll or something like it. It's tradition.

So, let me tell you about our first date. This hot guy in a red t-shirt picks me up at my house. After intros to the fam, we drive to the ice-skating rink and he laces up my skates and whirls me around the rink. Then it is off to Batman at the theater...the attraction is mounting, we sit closer than most people who really don't know each other all that well. This date is going well. I really like this friendly, confident, cute 17 year old guy, he makes me laugh, and I am having the time of my life. Then we go to his house for more introductions to family. Then just when I think the date is over and it is time to return home, he pulls out a helmet. Wait, make that 2 helmets. I have never worn a helmet before. How much time did I spend on perfecting my permed hair before this date? The helmet feels good, and I get to wrap my arms around him for a while. So far, it's worth the squished perm. We are off, and ...it's exhilarating! Hot summer night, stars out, wind whipping by you, a new perspective and a thrill. When I get home and tell my mom this guy has a motorcycle, she quickly asks, voice a little panicked, "You didn't go for a ride, did you?" I answer just as quickly with hair flat as can be..."No, of course not!"
Since that fateful, wonderful day, my husband has owned many motorcycles. He goes in stages, buying and selling them. We haven't owned one for a couple of years, and that is why this spring started with "the look". Because it is time. It's been too long for him. I knew it as soon as we saw the first motorcycle of the season. It wasn't long after this that he started showing me pictures of the Suzuki M109R Boulevard on the computer. "What do you think of that?" "Hmmmm" was my reply. I watched and waited patiently and quietly as he made calls and visited the motorcycle shop. Then last weekend we went "for a drive" and somehow wound up there. Just to show me and see what I thought. You want to know what I thought?
Motorcycles are dangerous. You crash on one, chances are not so good it will turn out okay. How much time and money will be spent? Not so fond of too many hours away from the family. Those are my usual first thoughts. Then you want to know what I thought?
That is the sexiest motorcycle I have ever seen. If I were a guy and into motorcycles, that is the exact motorcycle I would buy. My husband has good taste!
And finally I thought... Where did I put my motorcycle jacket? Is it hanging in the closet? I'll need to get it out so we can go for a ride! And when exactly do I get to go on that ride?
Yep, spring is in the air. Can you hear it?

My Huckleberry

Trev,
This morning as we snuggled in bed, with kids and dog jumping all over us, and the sunlight streaming through the windows, you said some of the sweetest words to me. I don't know if you were aware how much they meant to me, but I thought I should let you know that they meant the world.
Thanks for being my huckleberry.
I love you!

View from the top

Good news!
Trevor is back from his 2nd Mt. Rainier climb. Didn't I say there would have to be at least one more? Happily, they summited this time. He said it was the most physically challenging thing he has ever done. While doing the summit climb, they had steady, freezing winds that had gusts of over 60 mph. Yikes.
Yes, that is him brushing his teeth at the top. (Had to take that one for the office).
He returned home red-eyed and dead tired, but somehow in his zombie-like state we still drove out to see the new house progress (that update should be my next post), and as you can imagine he dropped as soon as he hit the bed.
I'm proud of him! Thanks for the picts Trev, as I will most likely never go up there to take them myself!

My man and the mountain

Click here for Mount Rainier climb info

Well, Trev just left for 4 days. He is climbing Mt. Rainier. I have a few mixed feelings about this. I'm excited for him, because he has been wanting to do this for years. He's been training and he and his friend, Joel, are ready.
I'm a little worried, but try not to think about it too much. He assures me that if there is any chance of danger, they won't continue. They are going with a group of about 20 I think, and they will be with guides that have summited over 100 times.
That is reassuring.

I do hope the weather is good for them, and that he has a great time. Hopefully this isn't the start of a trend for him, but if you know my husband at all, it very well could be.

My life is never boring because of this man. I already can't wait till he gets home.

Mt. Hood

This weekend Trev and his friend Joel climbed and summited Mt. Hood. Trev said it was one of the greatest and hardest experiences of his life. Just thought I'd share a couple pictures. It was a beautiful day!