Shaun's Huge Heart

We seem to be doing things BIG at our house lately.  Shaun had a doctor appointment with our primary care doctor, Kellie.  (He just switched to her because the girls and I absolutely LOVE her.)  This was his first appointment with her and it was actually a telehealth video appointment.  He was seeing her for something entirely unrelated, but in passing mentioned that he's been having some on and off chest pain for a while.  She immediately jumped on that and ordered a stress test as well as a sleep study.  The sleep study came back showing severe sleep apnea, which with that we weren't at all surprised.  His stress test was pretty normal but Dr. Beard who performed the test at the hospital said he'd like to order an echocardiogram just to further check some things and he was certain Kellie would, too.

Fast forward to there being confusion in who was supposed to get results.  They went to Dr. Beard first and then we got it sorted out and had them sent to Kellie.  The results we got from Kellie were that Shaun's aortic heart valve is not functioning properly.  It's very enlarged and his function output is about 40%.  She said she was going to call down to the University of Utah to get him scheduled with a cardiologist and was going to push it to be ASAP, that we weren't waiting around for a far out appointment, which they would most likely try doing.  They were able to get us in a week later.  Dr. Beard's office had called Shaun and said that he wanted to see him ASAP.  He explained that he had an appointment scheduled with the U and they said based upon how soon they were getting him in, to go to that appointment and just keep them updated.  (More urgency= more scare for us!!) Kellie had mentioned that it would most likely result in surgery but that there's a procedure called a TAVR which has good results and a relatively quick recovery.  So we've read all up on it and on the condition.  WebMD, Google, Mayo clinic...thank heavens for these online sources, right?! It sounded like the TAVR would be perfect; it seemed to fit the symptoms.

We had the appointment yesterday with Dr. Goodwin and his cardiology team at the U.  They were very thorough and patient as we asked 100 questions.  The verdict for Shaun is different than we were hoping for.  The damage to his heart is more severe than we thought and he's not a good candidate for the TAVR.  Instead, he will be going in for open heart surgery on October 12th.  He has an aneurysm in his heart and severe aortic valve regurgitation.  The doctor wants some additional tests, a heart cath and CT scan, done prior to surgery just so he has a very clear picture of everything with his heart and can check for any additional problems he should be aware of.  This is something that has obviously been going on and worsening for quite some time due to the extent of damage.  

We are scared to death but know we have a loving Heavenly Father who is mindful of us!  I'll be forever grateful to Kellie.  She just may have saved Shaun's life and I don't take it lightly for that blessing in and of itself.  

Kambri's Scheduling

Kambri is kind of hard to get moving in the mornings.  So this is our conversation that we had one morning last week.

Me: It's time to get up for school Kambri.
(After stretching and rolling around a bit...)
Kambri: Just a minute, let me check my schedule. (She then goes under her covers.)
Me: You've got to get to school and you have dance today.
Kambri: I think my schedule just opened up.

She totally kills me sometimes with the grown up conversations we have, she seems years ahead of herself!  Oh, how I wish time would stand still sometimes, they all grow so fast!

It's official- he's a licensed driver!

It's been kind of an interesting process with how they go about the permit and license rules now as compared to when Shaun & I turned 16.  He's had his permit since July and it only allowed for a parent and immediate family to be in the car.  Then on top of that, he had to have possession of a permit for a full 6 months before he could get his actual license.

 

Here he is with his temporary license!  He's ready and rearing to drive by himself!  So the first time he took off out of the driveway to go to a friends by himself I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack.  We watched him until we could no longer see the tail lights.  I was the overprotective mom who made him check in everytime he got from one place to another so I knew he was safe.  He really appreciated that! :)  It seriously took me like a week before I could relax a little about him driving without one of us. 

 

We've basically given him the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero.  We bought a Honda Pilot a few weeks before he got his license.  He's been driving him and Hollie to school most days since then!  Now he's on the search for a job though as he sees that gas and insurance are going to cost some money! 

 

And the official license arrived in the mail...

 

 

Clear the roads Brigham City and make room for Taylor Bess!

How is it possible?! Taylor is 16!

We officially have a 16 year old & a licensed driver in our house now!  This seems so surreal.  I'm not quite sure how it happened that Taylor can possibly be 16, but alas, he is!

He chose Chinese for dinner and his girlfriend, Emilee, ate with us and spent the evening with the family! Among the many presents he received, we gave him a 'Do's and Don'ts of Dating' book.  As you can see in this first picture, he's pretty excited about that! :)

I decided it'd be a good idea for all the adults to give him a piece of advice for dating/being a more able teenager.  Things ranged from: date lots of girls so you can find the right one to marry, remember that your parents love you and want to be your friend- they do have some wisdom they can share with you, be respectful to all the girls, etc.  We did video most of his advice it which will be fun for him to look back on. 

Poor Emilee to have to sit through all of this.  But she was a great sport about it.  Throughout this little shenanigan there were 2 red faces though! :)

 

And his list of 16 things!!

 

1.  He is pretty smitten by Emilee!

 

2.  He has been learning to play the guitar and is really quite good at it.  It's fun to listen to him play and sing at the same time.

 

3.  He loves to sing and to belt it out when no one is looking.

 

4.  He is taking German this year and likes to talk to us like we have a clue what he's talking about.

 

5.  He is a wealth of knowledge.  He seriously knows something about everything.  He never ceases to amaze me.

 

6.  His cell phone is his most coveted possession.

 

7.  He has a lot of allergies and he's doing the allergy shot therapy once a week.  :(

 

8.  He has started coming upstairs out of his 'apartment' a bit more and we love it!

 

9.  He loves to continually point out that he's taller than me, which we all know isn't that hard to beat!

 

10.  He isn't picky about too many things like a lot of teenagers.  He's pretty easy going that way.

 

11.  He is involved in a lot of different clubs at school.  WDIR (We do it Right), German Club, FBLA and FFA.  I love that he's involved in a variety of things.

 

12.  We had a really hard time getting him motivated to study to get his Driving Learner's Permit, but once he had that in his hand, he wanted to drive ALL the time.

 

13.  He has a good head on his shoulders.  He has good friends, a cute girlfriend, gets good grades, and is an all around good kid.  He's always been a relatively easy kid for us.  We're lucky!

 

14.  He's a very loyal friend.  I've seen it time and time again- anyone is lucky to have him as a friend.

 

15.  He doesn't always love to help me around the house, but he is quite helpful if I ask something of him.

 

16.  He is turning into such the young man.  Like a normal teenager he values his sleep (during the day), stays up late, loves spending any chance he gets with Emilee, and still gets annoyed by his sisters!  We're loving our typical but unique Taylor!

 

 

Jordan World Circus

Here's a little secret.  Sometimes most of the time we're not all that exciting of a family.  We don't seem to make time for the fun things in life that create memories, but we've really been trying harder to do that as a family.  We decided the circus would be a fun place to start, as Shaun is the only one of us who had ever been. 

 

We had a great time and will definitely do it again!  It was well worth the money.  Plus we got to finish up the evening with dinner at our favorite place, Bella's! Yum!

 

The kids enjoyed watching the elephant rides and pony rides.  But no way were they doing the elephant ride. 

And we were lucky enough to get up right close and personal to the lion and tiger cages before we were told they don't like you up that close to them. 

It was nice to spend time with the family and do something fun!  Memories in the making....

Taylor's Teenage Life

Taylor has been keeping very busy.  In February he started working at Arby's and was averaging 5 days a week there.  He was having to work basically every weekend but he was so responsible with his obligations there.  He is now working at Wal-Mart and seems to enjoy it for the most part.  Unfortunately, he's been stuck working every weekend there, also.  He's quite the trooper about it, but it's hard from a parent standpoint to see your child having to be SO 'grown up' and not being able to do more of the fun things of being a teenager.

He got asked by his girlfriend to Girls Choice and he was having a hard time finding someone to cover for him at work so he didn't get to answer her until the last minute.

He's pretty smitten by his girlfriend Emily and he likes to spend time with her every chance he gets. Emily moved over to Logan with her mom for the new school year but they talk every night and see each other frequently still. 

She asked him to their Sadie Hawkin's dance and they had a great time.  Taylor said their dances are much better over there with less drama.  :) 

He had the opportunity to go to All-State Choir. They stayed 2 nights in Salt Lake. He's having a lot of fun just being a teenager! 

Happy 7th Birthday Kambri

It's so hard for me to believe that my baby is 7!  Where has the time gone?! She is such a joy to have in our family. 

 

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In honor of the BIG 7 I've made a list of the 7 top things we're loving about Kambri right now or things she likes.

 

1.  We love to listen to her talk in Chinese.  She amazes us with how well and how much she has already learned.

 

2.  I love her peppy/spunky attitude. (When used at the right times, of course.) She has a way of saying things with just the funniest facial expression that leaves us laughing.

 

3.  She is a love bug!  If someone is hurt or sad she's so good to comfort them. I love when she will sit and rub my back, it's so comforting.

 

4.  She loves playing games or watching shows on her Kindle, she takes it everywhere!

 

5.  We enjoy listening to her read.  She has such a love for it and it shows in her level of reading.

 

6.  She likes to spend time with me, no matter what we're doing.  She definitely loves her Mom!

 

7.  She likes Monster High, Barbies, playing babies, and painting her nails!

 

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She was so excited for these spiral curlers.  Who would've thought that a 7 year old would love such a gift?  We'd seen them at Peach Days and she wanted them so bad!  Of course she got a lot of other fun stuff but for some reason this is all that was taken the night of her family party.

 

 

She had a super fun party with lots of her friends. They each got to pick out their own nail polish and we painted/decorated nails, played games and all the normal party stuff.  Most of the girls that came are in her Chinese class so I got them talking a little in Chinese and they all thought I was hilarious when I tried saying anything in Chinese!  They're so smart with how well they pick it all up.

 

We had one of those parties that you never think are really going to happen.  I planned for like 8 girls (they never all show up, right?!) and ended up with 11.  Which meant having Shaun scramble to the store at the last minute to make more party bags.

 

They all spoiled her.  She got so many fun things!

The cute girlies at the end of the party

We sure love this girl and are glad she's part of our family!

Back to School

Summer is officially over and school has started.  I think we've all been ready for this change and to get back into a routine.  Funny how when school first gets out you're so excited for a more relaxed schedule and then when it's time to go back to school you're so ready for routine again!

Lots of changes and firsts at our house this school year!


Taylor and Hollie get to ride the bus together!  It will be nice to not have to take them to/from school this year.  They're so cute.  They've made a deal that whoever gets up first will check to make sure the other one is up and going.  This may just be the nicest thing they've done for one another in a long while.  :)

Taylor is officially at Box Elder High School.  HIGH SCHOOL!  He's a 10th grader this year and I can't believe how quickly everything is changing.  He got his permit in July and LOVES to drive.  Can't believe he's old enough for all of this.  This first trimester he has quite the courseload but I have no doubts he'll do great! 

Hollie is in 6th grade at the Intermediate School this year and has been so excited to get a locker, in fact she stayed after school on the first day so she could get it all decorated! :)  (I SO remember doing the same when I went in to 6th grade.)  She has already made new friends and likes that they get to change classes.  So excited for all the possibilities this year will hold for her!

Kambri is in 1st grade and in the Chinese Dual-Immersion program this year!  She's very excited and each day comes home and teaches/shows me something new she's learned in Chinese.  Kambri told me I didn't need to walk her in to school, that she's a big girl...I didn't give her a choice and told her that Shaun and I would be walking her in for her first day.  Sometimes that independence is heart breaking, especially of my baby! 

She had to have a special picture taken that showed her with her backpack better;  such a funny girl.

So here's to a fabulous 2013-14 school year!  I spent the first day of school sleeping and reading;  it was wonderful!  This will definitely take some getting used to with having Hollie getting off to school earlier and Kambri being in school all day now.  I'm so excited for each of them and the things they will learn this year, friends they'll make, and the memories they'll make!

 

5th Grade Events with Hollie

(Ok, SLIGHTLY behind- we're now in 6th grade- better late than never right?!)

 

Hollie registered to do the Beehive Mile that was held at Watkins Park.  She had a great time doing it and even held back at the end because a friend of hers was having a hard time due to asthma.  I was quite proud of her.  She likes to be a part of so many different things, things I was much too intimidated to do at her age.

 

Before the race

 

After the race

Then on top of it she decided to be in the 5th grade talent show! She sang a solo, "Let Me In" from Rigoletto with me accompanying her on the piano.  She did a wonderful job, she has a beautiful voice!  I'm so glad she doesn't let fear get in the way of doing these kinds of things.

 

I'm so grateful that all of my kids have a love for music!

 

Then of course she had to do the science fair.  Shaun is a good dad and agreed to help build a volcano.  They had a great time figuring out the perfect combination of vinegar and baking soda.  I'm not sure that she really cared about the logistics of a science fair as much as she just wanted to make something.  But regardless she had fun!

 

 

Now onto a new school and new adventures!

After the Sealing & the Luncheon

We had 5 minutes that we were allotted to take pictures in our white clothing on the temple grounds.  (Truthfully it turned into more like 20, they were patient with us.) 

It had been raining before we left for the temple but thankfully we had some dry weather while doing pictures and for our luncheon!

Lindsay, Mark, Haddie, Zoey & Rylee, Mike & Brenda, Lacie & Jennifer were outside waiting for us.  It was so wonderful to come out from something so beautiful and see the rest of our family (minus Chris who was busy catering at the fire station for our luncheon).

 

Shaun's Aunt Sandy and cousin Anne came in from Arizona to share our special day!  We were so grateful to them for making such a big deal out of our sealing.  It was so nice to see them!

This is our wonderful cake made by Connie Archibald.  She made our cake when we got married and it is the most delicious cake you've ever tasted.  I'm not a big cake person, but this one I crave and she was gracious enough to make us another one.  It was perfect (except Kambri's name being spelled wrong.) :)  On the other side of it, it said Families are Forever!

I wish we would've gotten pictures at the luncheon but unfortunately I don't really have any. 

We had a lot of family who volunteered to help with food assignments and it all came together very nicely.  A huge shout-out to Chris who did a marvelous job as our 'caterer'.  I was quite stressed about how I was going to get from the temple and then to the fire station to have everything ready to go for the luncheon, so he willingly accepted the position as our catering service.  He puts on a heck of a spread, much nicer than I would've ever done.  He has a knack for that sort of thing. 

We were so grateful to all of those who came to the luncheon and having some extra time to visit with them.  We were spoiled with many sentimental gifts that will always be a constant reminder of our Sealing Day!

We feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to be sealed with our family in our very own Brigham City Temple and are so glad that so many of our friends and family were present!  Our new Eternal Family is truly one of the greatest blessings we have been given!

Our 3 children complete our Eternal Family

This was another one of those moments that I'd played out in my head SO many times over the years. Envisioning our 3 children all dressed in white being brought into the sealing room has always been such an overwhelming feeling and I've always known I'd be a blubbering mess.  And what I'd envisioned was even more beautiful in reality.

It was absolutely silent as we were waiting those final minutes before the kids were brought in and then I heard the turning of the door knob and again my heart skipped a beat or two. They were beautiful!  So angelic looking and to see their first look as they walked in the door and took everything in was breathtaking, and again a very spiritual/emotional moment.  I lost it.  The kids walked over to Shaun and I and gave us each a big hug and then sat down next to us.  I could sense their feelings of awe, nervousness and an overwhelming flow of emotions, and peace.  

 

The sealer asked that Shaun and I, Taylor, Hollie & Kambri kneel around the altar at that time.  I had a continual flow of tears that I finally gave up trying to stop as I looked back and forth at each of the kids and Shaun!  I have never had a more spiritual/ emotional experience than this! At so many different times it all seemed so surreal.  I'd always known this was my ultimate goal in life and wanted to have this more than anything in the world, but certainly lacked the faith that this dream would come true!  I was still very aware of the fact that there were so many in the room, but yet it felt like in that moment it was just us!  Taylor was absolutely beaming, I could sense so much that I hadn't expected to see in him.  Hollie's reaction was just as I had expected.  I could see her taking every last detail in and knew there were so many things she was thinking and feeling that we would talk about later.  Kambri just had a look of such contentment and happiness.  I took a mental picture of us around the altar, with our hands all linked together, that I hope will never grow dim. Such simple words were spoken but such profound eternal blessings promised with our faithfulness.  

 

Then the sealer had us all stand and look into the mirrors together and told us to imagine the generations before us, our posterity, and the eternal life that we can share with them. To think of all of our loved ones who have passed away that were there with us that day.  At that very moment I knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that we had many deceased love ones there with us.  I very strongly felt Michelle, Grandpa Hansen, Grandma Parrish & Shaun's Grandma Bennett at that time.
 

I know the temple has been such a blessing in adding to each of my children’s testimonies.  Looking into the eyes of each one of them as we were kneeling at the altar…I KNOW they felt things that they couldn’t put words to and that they will never forget those feelings and the experience.  Hollie came home and later that night wrote in her new journal about her experience; 5 pages later and she had strengthened my testimony through hers.

How wonderful it is to know that we are an Eternal Family and can be together throughout Eternity!  It is worth every sacrifice and obstacle that had to be overcome to get there!    

Our Eternal Family

Remember that I said I've dreamed of this day for my whole life?!  Well, the invitation was no exception.  I kind of knew what I wanted, but when it came time to actually put it together it took me forever!  Ok, maybe just 5 hours forever, but none-the-less that was 5 hours!  But I love how it turned out.  Then I went back and forth a 100 times over whether or not to do a luncheon afterwards or not.  And then when I decided to do a luncheon I changed it 100 times as to what we would be serving.  I had wonderful family and friends who helped with food, getting everything ready at the fire station, cleaning up, etc.  And I must mention my wonderful brother Chris who did an amazing job at setting up the 'spread', he's got talent and I loathe doing those kinds of things.

{Disclaimer: I don't want to forget anything about this day, so this will be spread over a few different posts.}

Let me start out by leading you up to the day of the sealing.  I knew that Satan would be working on us as hard as he ever as, as we were getting ready for the big day.  That whole week before was REALLY hard.  We had more contention than usual, more irritability, increased anxiety on my part, etc.  It is so true that Satan will work so hard to try keeping us from things that are GREAT! I've experienced his efforts before as I was getting ready to go through the temple to take out my own endowments, and Shaun experienced some of the same types of things before he went through, but by how intense things got right before our sealing day, you couldn't deny that it meant the ultimate most wonderful experience was right around the corner for us!

At last!  We are now an Eternal Family as of May 18th.  I'd played this day out in my head a million times, and I still could've never given it as much beauty as it beheld.  It was such a beautiful day spent with our friends and family.

When we first got to the temple Shaun and I went and met with the temple recorder to make sure all of our paperwork was in order and the temple workers for the youth center took the 3 kids and off they went.  My mom was my escort and my dad was Shaun's escort and one of our witnesses.  Our wonderful Bishop was our other witness. We really do have the neatest Bishop and his wife, Laureen, is equally amazing.

Before getting changed into our temple clothes we passed the Marriage Waiting Room and it took my breath away as I caught a quick glimpse of all of our guests waiting to be taken up to the Sealing Room for us.  Nothing to increase emotions like seeing a full room there just for you!

It came time to get into our temple clothes and so my host led my mom and I to the Bride's Room.  Before entering she asked if I'd been in this room yet, and I hadn't.  She asked 'are you ready for this?' and in we went.  I immediately burst into tears!  It's absolutely EXQUISITE, I can't adequately put into words how beautiful this room is.  Every room in the temple is beautiful, but this room caught me completely off-guard that day.  You felt like royalty from the moment you entered the room.  Wow, there truly are no words!

It soon was time and Shaun and I were then taken up to the sealing room.  I was completely in awe as we walked in and so many of our family and friends were there waiting.  I couldn't do a complete sweep of looking at every person at any given point as the Sealer, Gerald Simmons (who happened to be my old swimming & health teacher in my younger years) talked with us or during the sealing--I just knew I'd lose it completely.  I literally felt short of breath and my heart was racing; I just kept taking deep breaths.  It wasn't like an 'I'm struggling to breathe in a scary way', just so many overwhelming emotions that I was feeling.  With Shaun sitting next to me, my Mom and then my Grandma were sitting beside us.  I couldn't help but think that Shaun's dear Grandma, who had passed away the year prior and was so excited about the Brigham Temple being built, was sitting in the empty chair next to him.  I very strongly felt of many of our loved ones who have passed on throughout the whole experience, most especially Michelle!

Shaun and I knelt across the altar and we were sealed for time and all eternity.  What a beautiful thing to hear.  As I looked at him, I reflected on how far we'd come and how much my love for him increases every day!  I will be eternally grateful for the wonderful husband and father that he is!  I can't imagine my life without him and look forward to our Eternal Journey!

Then it became time for the kids to be brought in with us in the sealing room...

Remember this? I never would've imagined.

Remember this post?  I went to the San Diego temple on May 5, 2012.  I've copied part of what I'd posted regarding our trip to California (from the post 'California- Day 2a').

"My family went to California & San Diego when I was in 7th grade.  We went to go see the San Diego Temple and unfortunately at the time it was closed for renovation, and therefore we couldn't get inside the gates.  However, it made such an impression on me and ever since I have LONGED to go inside that temple.  It is the most beautiful temple, in my opinion.

So when we started planning our family trip this year to California, I knew that this was something that couldn't be overlooked. 

I felt kind of bad, because the kids were so antsy to get to Sea World, but I came prepared to do a quick session and wasn't leaving without it being done.  It was the only thing I asked for for the entire trip.  Shaun was super understanding and he and the kids waited outside on the temple grounds while I did a quick session, they took some pictures, and had a picnic out of the back of the car.  :) 

 

Still holding out for the day that our pictures are taken after we've gone through the Temple and been sealed as a family.  :)  Can't wait!

I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to enter the doors of this beautiful temple!"

I distinctly remember how I wished so much that he could go in that beautiful temple with me that day.  And holding on to a piece of hope, that somehow, someday my dream would become a reality.  If you would've told me then, that exactly one year and 13 days later that I'd be kneeling across the altar with him, and then our children...I would've never in a million years believed it!  No dream is unattainable!

Shaun's Special Day

Shaun went through the Brigham Temple on April 18th and took out his endowments!  Traver, a good friend and neighbor of ours was Shaun's escort.  There was just a small group that went through with him that included me and my mom, Traver & Ivy, Bishop Sanderson and Laureen, Rob and Lora.

When I saw Shaun for the first time all dressed in white my heart literally skipped a beat.  All the feelings that I felt when I went through came rushing back to me as I saw him sitting there with a look of complete contentedness and peace.  It was an absolutely perfect evening and the most incredible experience to be with Shaun and the others in the Celestial Room.  It leaves me in awe each time I'm in there imagining what Heaven must really be like and the great anticipation our loved ones on the other side must have as they are waiting for us to return.

I was completely surprised to learn that my old Primary teacher, Kathryn Hyer, was going to be my host for the evening.  I didn't get the memo that I was supposed to have an escort, but my mom got there as I was finishing up with the Temple Matron (as well as one other girl and her mom).  It was nice to get to go through that again with more of a clear mind than I had the first time going through.  I love that everytime I go to the temple I learn something new!

My dad and the kids were waiting for us as we came out of the temple and they had plenty of time beforehand to get some pictures taken on the temple grounds.  I am so grateful for each opportunity they have had to be at/in the temple.  They were there waiting when I went through the Logan Temple (except for Kambri), when I did a session at the San Diego Temple, the open house of Brigham Temple, with Shaun and our upcoming sealing.

Warning: picture overload; I couldn't cut any of them out!

We sure love these kiddos of ours!  They're very excited for our upcoming sealing.  Kambri has been questioning Shaun since before the temple was dedicated as to when WE were going there to be sealed.  Several times when we'd drove past (I LOVE that it's on Main Street and I get to drive past it so often) Kambri would say, "Can we go tomorrow night to be sealed?"  She's just been so excited, I know Taylor and Hollie are as well but Kambri has been so passionate about it from the get go so when she realized we were really going, you can only imagine how ecstatic she was.

 I love Shaun so much and I'm so proud of him and the many changes he has made in such a short period of time.  I don't want to put out the wrong impression that he wasn't already great and that our marriage wasn't good, but the changes occurring with him and myself have completely changed our marriage.  I can honestly say that our marriage is the best right now that it's been in 12 (almost) years of marriage.  Until having the Gospel as the center of our marriage, I never could fully understand how it can bring so much greater happiness to a marriage.  It's always been something I've wanted, but at times has seemed so out of reach.  Shaun inspires me to want to be better and I hope that I can be the same for him.  I want to live the kind of life and marriage that my kids will want to have for themselves someday with their spouse.  With having gone through the temple to take out my own endowments just over 4 years ago, I couldn't fully grasp what the temple would do for us TOGETHER someday.  There were amazing blessings in my own life from having gone beforehand, but I know we've not even scratched the surface of things to come with these new changes in our marriage together!

And very shortly...the Bess Family will be an Eternal Family!

What do you do when all of your dreams are being realized?  I get down on my knees and thank my Heavenly Father & Jesus for all that I've been blessed with.  I have wanted this day to come for 12 years and it's really happening!  My cup runneth over!