Blessings In A Basket...

I was asked to write a blog post once a month for 'Blessings In A Basket'. It is a totally awesome blog. Everything about what they do is amazing. I have gotten to know Ashley (the founder of the blog) a little bit in the past few days and she is awesome. She has given me a great opportunity to share some of my experiences and education with some other birth mothers! I'm going to be writing a blog post once a month focusing on the mental and emotional health to these birth mothers. I am SO excited to do this. I hope my family and friends will also enjoy it as well. I have it saved to the right under "my favorite sites" as Ashley's BIB Blog. I already wrote an introduction blog! Thanks

http://www.blessings-inabasket.blogspot.com/

Family Fun...

Two days after my last final my brother, his wife, and their two daughters came to Arizona to visit. Side note...I got straight A's again but not just straight A's, I got very high A's. It is my highest grades yet and with an internship too! I must be really happy even with all the trials the last several months. Brian and my family make life worth living. I will be graduating Magna Cum Laude and will be wearing gold honors cords at graduation along with the Phi Alpha medallion!

Anyway, I had so much fun visiting with my family. They were staying at the Marriott time shares in North Scottsdale. Brian and I went there and hung out a few times. We watched my nieces swim, made sugar sticks, played wii, played pool, and just had fun! One night my mom made a ginger bread house with the girls so Guy, his wife Christa, Brian and I could go on a double date. It was tons of fun. They got to get to know Brian a little more. A few of the most precious moments of the weekend was things my nieces did. Examples would be how they interacted with Brian. One night he and I were leaving and Alli said bye Uncy Brian. After that to both Alli and Lexi Brian just became Uncle Brian! I totally love it. They gave him hugs when we had to say good bye but we get to see them again along with my sister and her family in a few weeks. Brian's mom is flying Brian and I out to Utah. We are staying a few nights with my family and a few nights with Brian's mom. I'm super excited. Here are a few weeks from our fun weekend.

Christa and Alli

Guy and Lexi

Brian went to sit in the shade to work on stuff for a final. He got all A's and 1 B+! My new shoes are in the picture. I got these in Sedona the day Brian proposed! I LOVE them.

Lexi in the hot tub

Lexi and Alli loving my moms Christmas village. Ignore the date printed on the picture, it's wrong.

Merry Christmas!!

The Passing of a GREAT man...

Very early Saturday morning November 27th my grandfather, David Harrison Yazell passed away at the age of 87 years old. We knew it was coming but it doesn't make it easier. The day before, Brian and I drove to Sedona Arizona for the day and he proposed about 12 hours before my grandfather passed away. I got a call at about 5:00 in the morning Saturday from my mom and she said he passed peacefully in his sleep. Much of the day Brian and I were gone I was on the phone. There were a lot of tears. In fact I cried most of the drive home. I had my step grandma tell my grandfather that I loved him very much. I don't know if he could hear her because he had not woken up in days and was on the maximum amount of morphine. I just needed him to know that it was ok and he was very loved. My grandfather was an example to me from a young age. He taught me love, honor, and what a good man/husband should be. He told me about 11 years ago during a personal trial of mine that he knew I would find the man that would take me to the temple. That man (Brian) proposed to me 12 hours before "Gramper" passed away. He has comfort I'm sure that I met that right man, that I'm very happy, and that I'm living the way the Lord would have me live. Brian was even mentioned in my grandfathers obituary as my fiance.

My entire family and I went to Albuquerque for his funeral. It was everything he would have wanted. My grandfather was a Marine for 10 years so he had a very special service at the grave site. The United States Marine Corp. was there. There was an American flag draped over his casket, a Marine played 'Taps', and there were U.S. and Marine Corp. flags by the opening of his grave. My grandfather was shot during World War II and when I went to visit him this past summer he told me things he never spoke about. I was also very comforting to him. He would often call for me and liked it when I prepared his meals. He had severe Alzheimer's. One day he became very upset so I held his hand and told him everything was going to be ok. He was so glad I was there and he calmed down much like a child. I then gave him chocolate and he thought that was the best thing! Chocolate made him smile and he had the best smile in the world. Now I have great comfort in knowing that he is with his loving wife Elizabeth (my grandmother)! He actually passed away 20 years and 4 hours exactly after my "Grander". It was even checked with her death certificate. My mom said, "She probably said to him that he was 4 hours late for their date!". She waited long enough for him. It is amazing that he died exactly 20 years after her and in the same house. We all had a feeling it would happen right after Thanksgiving just like my grandmother. He is so missed but I will be with him again someday and I am very thankful for that. Here are some pictures I would like to share. Most of the pictures taken are too personal/private to share but I have some good ones still. There are dates on some pictures and the dates are wrong so just ignore them.

The last time I saw my grandfather. Summer of 2010.

'Memories of his life' table in the viewing room before his funeral. The large book in front is a scrapbook I made of his life from beginning to end. The red hat was his Marine (Semper Fi) hat that he wore often. That was laid in his casket right before it was closed.

Arriving at the cemetery. The Marines saluted my grandfathers arrival. It would have made him proud. What a great honor.

The Marines in attendance:

The Marines raised the flag above his casket right before the playing of 'Taps' and kept it raised throughout.

Marine playing 'Taps'. It was beautiful. I audio/video recorded the entire ceremony but that is kept just between family.

The Marines folded the flag then they both saluted it.

The Marine got on one knee and thanked my grandfather for his service in the Marine Corp. He gave the flag to my step grandma then saluted one last time. It was like a farewell salute to my grandfather.

After placing the casket in its resting place. He is now next to his loving wife.

After leaving the cemetery we went back to the church to eat. Some people from the church prepared food for our family. We also ordered the cake we had for my grandpa at his 85th birthday party. Chocolate of course! He always said that when he turned 90 he got to have it again. Well, we had to have it a little earlier than that.

In Loving Memory of David Harrison Yazell
October 16, 1923-November 27, 2010

ENGAGED!!!!

The day after Thanksgiving Brian and I drove up to Sedona for the day. The drive was beautiful. We saw leaves of all different colors and some snow. We had a great day looking around and the weather was perfect. At the end of the day he said he did not want to deal with traffic so we got on a dirt road that would take us to a different freeway. It was 11 miles of dirt road. We pulled up to a spot to park for a scenic view. He said we had to hike a bit up this rocky mountain and I thought he was crazy, but he said the view was worth it. I made it 2/3 of the way up and had to take a brake. Brian said he would go the rest of the way up to find the best way. While he did that I took some pictures because I could already see a great view. He came back down to get me and we went up to the top. It was not that bad actually. Once we got up there he got down on one knee and proposed to me while the sun was starting to set and there was a gorgeous view. Also, the reason he really went up the first time was because he saw some people at the top and he told them what he was about to do. He asked them to video tape it and gave them his camera. I was excited to learn after we kissed that they video taped the entire thing! I am not posting it because it is very personal and we are only sharing it with family but trust me it is awesome! They told me to hang on to him because he is so romantic and one of the guys gave Brian a high 5 and they were all super excited for us. They then left and gave us some time alone. It was a great day but a very emotional day. I know my grandfather always wanted me to find my true eternal mate and now I have. That day I actually spent quite a bit of time on the phone because my grandfather was about to pass away and I cried a lot. Then 12 hours after Brian proposed, my grandfather passed away. I will talk more about that in my next blog post, but I am happy that my grandfather knows I am with the right man. Brian treats me the way I deserve to be treated and he respects me! We are still planning on getting married on Friday July 8th and in the Mesa LDS temple. We are planning already and have decided our wedding party. We are looking at reception halls and wedding cakes. We are trying to do as much as possible while we are off school. My last semester of school/internship will be busy enough without planning a wedding. I'm super excited and will keep everyone updated. Here are pics from our day in Sedona:

House seen from church we went to:

House is almost complete. It's amazing. That is a guest house to the left:

Brian sitting outside a church we went to. So handsome!:

Inside a church in Sedona. It was beautiful:
Beautiful! Inside door to church:
Brian and I! I had no idea he was going to propose in a few hours:
I took this pic when I was 2/3 up the rock mountain before Brian proposed:
A pic taken at the very top after Brian proposed. It was breathtaking:
On the way home. It was quite cold:
I forgot to mention that for Thanksgiving this year I made the pecan pie. My mom was out of town and I spent the day with Brian's family. I made the pie from scratch for the first time by myself. It was my Great-Grandmothers recipe passed down through the generations:
Time for the oven. I was proud and scared at the same time:
DONE!!! The crust got a little messed up and it doesn't look as pretty as my grandmothers did or my mothers does, but it was tasty:

My 2010 status profile...

Here is a random profile of status updates from 2010 on Facebook. Fun to look back at some of them. Facebook had a program that put this together. Click on it to make bigger.