Count Your Many Blessings...

I've always been a very optimistic person. But lately I haven't been feeling that way. I think that's why I haven't blogged in a while. I know blogs don't have to be happy, but it's just makes life more happy. But the truth is life is hard sometimes. Really hard. I guess right now I've just been struggling a lot. None the less, there have been plenty of happy moments. And I think especially with how I'm feeling right now that it's time to focus on those… because it really does just make life more happy!

WE FOUND OUR PUPS!

We went to Katy last friday. On Saturday morning we woke up to the dogs gone. No where to be seen. And on top of that neither of them had tags on. Perfect :P… So we drove around all the neighborhoods surrounding my parents. If you're not familiar with Katy, it's suburban land. House after house after house. We drove around for an hour or so and they were no where. And we called all the local shelters, and they were all closed for the weekend. Don't get me wrong, I was heartbroken. But I really didn't want to spend my whole weekend crying over not knowing where the dogs were. So Jacob and I went to the batting cages with my brother Michael. Then we met up with our other 2 brothers to help the oldest move a few things. Then I went to run some errands with my sister. And then we all got back together for dinner at my parents. Saturday night I got on Facebook and started searching for local FB groups with lost and found info. And that's where I found Chewie. Good news right? Well, yes and no. I found one, but that meant they were separated. So I messaged the woman who posted and kept looking for Leia. And then I found her picture. And there was a phone number. So we called… And they said she got into their backyard in the morning and out by the afternoon. So I sent all the pages I found a message and picture of Leia so they could share. Worried some more. And finally fell asleep. Sunday morning we got a call from a family who had Leia. Turns out she was about a mile and a half from my parents. We still hadn't heard back from the family who had Chewie but we knew he was safe. So Leia stayed at the house with my brother (you think we were letting that dog out of anyones sight? you're crazy!) And we took my niece to the pool. As we were getting ready to leave the pool, we finally got a call about Chewie. Turns out he was one street over from where Leia was. I can't tell you how thankful we are to have both dogs back. How worried I was that we would have to leave without them. And how blessed we were to have so many people looking out for us. The people who originally found Leia called us later on Sunday to check up on her. The neighbor of the lady who had Chewie called us Sunday morning trying to help us get in contact with them. And plenty of Facebook friends sharing the dogs pictures and some advice.

They were so happy to be back together, they slept cuddled up most of the way home.

BABY BELLA

I'll be honest, it's no secret that I'm baby hungry. Fortunately, one of my nieces lives less than a mile from me. This past semester I've been watching her on Thursdays when Dad has class and Mom and meetings for work. A few weeks ago we even went on a day trip to see Grandma in Katy. I was so exhausted afterwards! And last weekend her and Dad were in Katy while Jacob and I were too. She was having a bit of a rough weekend. But on the bright side whenever Dad wasn't in sight I was her go to person. Sweet, I love baby cuddles ;) Anywho… here's some cute pictures of her :)

Before and after our trip to Katy. She seriously wore me out!

The cutest little bunny around. Who can't stand to have anything on her head, hence the yanking of the ears...

Going swimming with Aunt Cyndi and Uncle Jacob

I can totally pull it off! …Sorry baby hungry speaking ;)

MY LOVE

I'm seriously about ready to throw my hands in the air and give up. Thankfully I have the sweetest support system. One of my favorite things about marriage is that I don't have to take on the world alone. I've got Jacob by my side. And sometimes I swear he knows me better than I know myself. Really it's all just little things. But I feel like he does so much for me. I'm just grateful for his support and strength. He is so good to me. And he even puts up with me when I want to take pictures. Like our wild flower shoot a few weeks ago :)

Although the only way I get away with it, is if I allow some silly pictures. Too many 'cute' ones makes him grumpy...

He's a hit with the kids too ;)

Well that's us. I didn't think I had it in me. But my not so optimistic self still came up with a pretty optimistic post. Life is tough. And maybe I dwell on the rough stuff more than I should. I know I worry too much. But there really is so much to be grateful for. And when I count my blessings, it's hard not to be happy.

March 2014

March was a pretty busy month, which is why it's been so long since I've blogged. Things have finally slowed down some, so here's my update...

At the beginning of March we drove to Utah for Stephen and Gina's wedding. It was a great trip overall. And the weather in St. George was perfect! But I am seriously not looking forward to that drive again this summer.

We stopped by the Grand Canyon on the way there.

And our trip overlapped my birthday. I got my Cafe Rio fix in, did plenty of shopping, and got pretty spoiled by Jacob and his family. So much love from everyone, it was fantastic.

And the day after my birthday was Stephen and Gina's wedding day. Did I mention the weather was perfect?

We love these two so much and are so happy for them :)

The following weekend was their reception and ring ceremony here in College Station.

So… I aspire to be super creative and crafty, but I'm not there yet.

But I work with what I can and I was proud of the outcome of the reception.

I just so happen to be watching my sister inlaw Kiya as she put together Gina's bouquet and wrapped it. And this was how it turned out when I tried to mimic it. I'd say it looks good! Lol.

And thanks to my other sister inlaw, Kristy, for making these cute banners, it made decorating so easy. Seriously, she's the best! She made some for my wedding too, and I just love them!

Gina (the bride), Gina's friend, and Janice (our mother inlaw) made all these paper flowers. And then Gina, Janice, and I painted them. They turned out so cute!! And they were the perfect decorations.

One of the really special things about the wedding is that Stephen and Gina got married in the St. George Temple. Well so did my inlaws, and my mother inlaw's parents, and one of their parents, and one more generation were all sealed in the St. George Temple. It was a very special weekend, I'm so grateful I got to be apart of it.

Exchanging rings. Seriously these two just brighten up any room they're in. They're so fun to be around. I feel pretty lucky to have them as family.

And of course I gotta' throw in a picture of us ;)

And then the following day, we went to Katy to celebrate my niece's first birthday, and also my oldest brother's birthday.

Baby Bella is 1!!

She had fun smashing her cake… not so much having to get cleaned up afterwards.

It's funny how when kids are younger, sometimes it seems like they like tags or boxes more than the actual presents. Haha.

Brody. What a cutie!

And now for a bunch of random pictures on my phone… Sorry it's probably boring. But more than anything this blog is just to have a record for myself since I don't do a very good job of journaling...

After her birthday, the next time I babysat Bella she was wearing the outfit I got her so I tried to get a picture of how cute she looked. But she just wanted my phone...

And then she just wanted the bow off her head. Oh well. Haha.

I love that my brother and his family live so close now. Like less than a mile away from my house. It's so fun to be around them. And she's just such a cute kid!!

This is how she started down the slide.

… And this is how she ended. 

I love Katy… But I'm so glad I don't live there. It's kind of hard to see but both sides of the highway are stop and go. This is Katy. Not Houston. Katy. Just let that sink in. Okay, maybe I'm just too used to living in a smaller town, but I really don't miss this.

This is what happened when I first tried to take Chewie on a walk. We like to call him our special puppy. Don't worry, he loves walks now. It just took him some getting used to. Lol.

And this is how much he's grown. He's almost the same size of Leia. I never thought I'd have a 'big' dog… Let alone two. Haha.

Sometimes I like to take selfies...

One of my favorite things is when my husband adds on to my love notes.

Also this is our current favorite song.

Listen to it here. 

And that's about it. I hope you somewhat enjoyed this and it wasn't completely boring :P

Some Things I've Learned About Life

I have this journal. I made it sometime in high school. Maybe 9th or 10th grade… Okay, my first entry was in 2008. I write in it every once in a while. More so in high school. Once or twice since I've been in College Station. Now I blog. But I don't want to be too open about more personal experiences, so today I wrote in my old journal so I would have this memory written down. Any who, after writing in it I browsed through older entries. It was kind of painful to read some of them. Embarrassing and heart breaking. It had silly teenage girl self-esteem problems. It talked about my ex-boyfriend, and how I thought we were meant to be. And when I decided to move to College Station. When I met Jacob. And when we broke up and how hard it was. Yeah, that was the last entry before today. Probably the most painful, reliving one of the worst parts of our relationship. But going through all of my ups and downs I did take away a few things I wanted to share. So here they are:

Life doesn't go according to plan. And that's okay. That's always been a struggle for me. I get this idea in my head of exactly how it's going to be. And then it doesn't happen that way, so I get upset. And by doing so I ruin the moment, the memory, whatever the case may be. I let myself ruin it. On our honeymoon Jacob told me there will be NO plans. If we want to do something, then we'll go do it. But he wasn't going to let me plan things out, only to have the plans change, and for me to be upset while we're on our honeymoon. This obviously happens way too often. But I'm lucky that he's stuck by my side.

Life is hard. Everyone has their own experiences and their own trials. What's hard for one person, may be easy for another. And what's easy for one person, may be hard for another. But you know what? I made it through all of my trials. And I always came out stronger. Seriously. My journal isn't that great of a record, but I did highlight some major events/ experiences and I always came out better no matter how difficult it was. And that gives me hope.

The gospel is true. I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or as many people are more familiar, I'm Mormon. If you want to know more about it, check this out… or just ask me. Even if you don't associate yourself with a religion, I promise you by doing things as simple as praying daily, and reading the words of God. It can truly change your life. Heavenly Father is there. He knows you, and he is so aware of you.

And on that note I wanted to mention a few more things.

I'm so grateful for the priesthood, and one thing in particular, Father's blessings. So you know how I said Heavenly Father is aware of you? In every single one of my Father's blessings, my dad has gone in not really knowing what is on my mind, but his blessing is everything and more of what I needed at that time. I'm so grateful for the blessings my dad gave me growing up. I'm also grateful for the example of my father in-law to my husband, and to me! All three men have been great examples and have blessed my life because they are worthy priesthood holders.

I'm also grateful for patriarchal blessings. My husband and I got married on a Friday, the Sunday before is when he got his. I almost feel selfish because it mentions his spouse pretty often, way more than mine did. But I'm also extremely grateful. This week our patriarchal blessings answered my prayers. And it's amazing how much I can still receive comfort from mine. I got mine almost 4 years ago. Which really is a lifetime of experiences ago. But it still gives me strength.

To sum it up…

Life is hard. But the Lord is there. He knows you. And he's watching over you. Don't give up. Things may seem the worst they've ever been, but you'll make it through. And you'll be stronger because of it.

Life is pretty great when you think about.

#14daysoflove

One day, on pinterest, I came across the idea of 14 days of valentines, or as I like to call it 14 days of love. Basically I go shopping for 14 things, this ranged from something I already had to about $3 per item, I think overall it was about $22 for the whole thing, and I come up with cheesy sayings to go along with the items. So here's 2014's #14daysoflove …

Day 1: I've got a crush on you (Crush soda)

Day 2: We go together like bacon and eggs (bacon and eggs for breakfast)

Day 3: Sometimes you're sour, but mostly you're sweet (Sour patch kids)

Day 4: Do-nut you know I love you a lot?! (Powdered doughnuts)

Day 5: The fun don't stop when we're together (Pringles)

Day 6: I'm a sucker for you (heart-shaped straws)

Day 7: To my sweetheart (Sweet Tarts)

Day 8: You're extra special to me (Extra gum)

Day 9: I chews you (Chewbacca foam angry bird)

Day 10: We fit together like two pieces of a puzzle (puzzle)

Day 11: Maybe I'm an airhead, but I'm crazy for you (Airheads)

Day 12: You make my heart pitter-patter (ping-pong kit)

Day 13: Love bug (sour worms)

Day 14: You are the star in my eyes (Starburst)

Last year when I first started, I wasn't sure he really liked it. But after a few days, he was really excited to see what would be next. So I did it again this year, and I think I'll do it every year after.

We've never made a huge deal out of Valentine's day. Last year we went to a movie and then dinner. The movies were packed, but by the time it was over the restaurant wasn't. This year we were going to cook dinner at home and then watch a movie. But we both got home from work around 7:30-8 and did not want to cook. So we decided to try out a new place in town. It's called Mickey's Sliders. I don't know how long it's been there, but it was delish! And not crowded at all. After dinner we went to the theater and it was way too packed. So we decided to go get a red box and head home. Before the movie even started we both fell asleep though. Haha. But it was a great night overall. I'm starting to get used to this things-not-going-as-planned thing. And even though everything we did was different than what we planned, it was a great night. I'm so glad I got to spend it with my husband :)

My vday gift. I'm so glad he found 'our' rose. It's the same one he got when he asked me to be his girlfriend, numerous times in between, it was also my bouquet at our wedding, and he still gets it for me and probably always will. I love it.

I wanted some kind of picture documentation of the night.

Gotta fix the 'stache ;)

Love this guy so much

He can't even hide the smile driving around in his new baby. Haha.

We had such a great time together. Where ever you were, with whomever you were with, I hope yours was great too! Happy Valentines Day!

What's New?

So here's a quick run down of life with the McConnells lately. Quick because I have to get ready for work soon. And because I've been meaning to do this for about a week and if I don't do it now, I don't know when I ever will.

Rats.

It all started when we noticed bite marks on the dogs food bin outside. Then I actually saw something chewing it one night. I thought it was a mouse. For a few nights in a row I would see the 'mouse' come out about the same time each night. So we got some mouse traps and waited for them to come out and play. But at that point the mouse traps were't working, and we realized it wasn't one, but at least 5…. So pest control came out. And we had rats. not mice. Anywho we've killed about 4 or 5 and now the hole is sealed and we haven't had a problem since. I will admit it was fun 'mouse hunting' with my husband the first few nights though. Haha.

Gina.

Jacob's brother is getting married to Gina in about 3 weeks. We are so thrilled!!! Like seriously, they are perfect for each other. And it makes me so happy that they're getting married. Last weekend I went to Gina's bridal shower. It was so fun. The girls who put it together are so creative.

Part of the gift I gave her I made a quilt. I love making them. I tried to go with a simpler, more modern type. It didn't quite turn out like the one I got the idea from. But it was still super cute, and definitely a reminder of how much I love making them.

My shirt. It's doing weird things, I know. Ignore it, please. Thanks.

Henley.

Then we went to Katy for my niece's 1st birthday. It was a short trip, but well worth it. I can't believe how huge she is. She is absolutely adorable, and the party was a hit. Talk about a spoiled little girl!

Us with the birthday girl. One day she'll like us, one day.

Stephen and the girls. Bella's next up for turning 1!

Papa and Bella.

The truck.

AKA Jacob's baby. On the way home from Katy we stopped and finally got THE TRUCK. I'm just glad everything worked out and that now we have a second car. It is pretty snazzy. Surprisingly, I've even gotten to drive it twice ;) Jacob's happy, so I'm happy.

We're not excited or anything.

Jacob sent this to me as we were sitting at the light, right after we got the truck.

So when it was my turn to drive, I has to take an excited selfie too.

That's about it for now. Next blog though, #14daysoflove…