It's been a long long time since I've written a blog post! My life has been a little hectic as of late, so I apologize for that. But overall, even with all the craziness happening, I have felt so incredibly blessed. It seems no matter what trial comes our way, Heavenly Father finds a way to give us a lift up. :)
For those of you who don't know, my sweet Grandma Angie was diagnosed with a form of cancer known as multiple myeloma earlier in the summer. She has been battling it and its complications ever since. Despite the pain she has been in, she has kept a smiling face on throughout it all. I feel blessed to be a part of her family and feel the love she has for each of her children and grandchildren. In the meantime, my sweet Momma has been helping her by taking her to treatment sessions and helping with my cute Uncle Bud who has a rough time without his mom. I'm so lucky to have such a sweet, compassionate, caring person for my mother. She has taught me so much about Christlike love and service, and I can only hope to live up to that one day.
June and July were a little insane as well, as our car registration was about to expire and it didn't pass safety inspections. Back in March, my dad did a bunch of labor-intensive repairs on the car after it had some issues, and this time around, one of the hardest things to fix was wrong again, just on the other side. Dad fixed it again, no questions asked. I was afraid that we were going to have serious issues and pay a lot of money, but my dad is awesome and fixed it for free. My mom lent us her car to use while we were in between repairs, so we could get back to Logan safe and sound and have some transportation. I just have some pretty great parents.
Speaking of parents, Taylor's are pretty amazing as well. I've read a billion articles about people who don't get along with their in-laws, and I don't understand them at all. Mom & Dad Ellis are two of the sweetest people to ever live. I've been so grateful that they've welcomed me into their family. They were so helpful to us during our wedding planning and over the summer, and I just love them to death.
As school starts in two days, I've been thinking a lot about the blessings of education. I am so grateful that I live in a time where it is both acceptable and encouraged for a woman to gain as much education as possible. Studying to become a teacher of students with special needs has helped me gain compassion and understanding that I think will help me be a better mother. I'm looking forward to this next year where I will learn even more, but I still can't wait to graduate. ;) I can't believe I'm starting my last year of college already. I'm also very grateful that Taylor and I live in a place where such a variety of educational opportunities exist. For those of you that know Taylor, you'll know that school is not his "thing," but he still wanted to get an education. When we were talking about what he would do, I suggested he not torture himself with two more years of harder high school before he got to do the things he wanted to do with a traditional 4-year degree. So instead, he's working on getting into the media design program at Bridgerland. He has been working so hard on all the requirements and I am so thankful that I have a husband willing to do anything to support his family.
That attitude extends to what he does for work as well. My sweet Taylor had a job working for housing facilities on a remodel of one of the residence halls at USU for the spring and summer, but now that school's in session, they were finished with the work, so he was not going to have that job anymore. After a day of searching, he got a job at a golf course very close to campus and very early in the morning. He has to wake up at 5 Monday through Saturday to get ready, which is difficult for non-morning people. :) But he does it with a smile!
The fact that it only took a day to find another job for Taylor is another blessing in and of itself. My situation was similar, where yesterday was my last day working for summer housing, and I needed another job for the school year. I had interviewed for two others, but on Tuesday I got hired as a tutor for 3 children. The wonderful thing is that both our jobs fit with our school schedules so we can do both without any conflicts, and still have a few hours at the end of the day to spend with each other.
Heavenly Father really does listen to our prayers! No matter what challenge or fear we have, if we face it with faith, we'll always come out ahead. I didn't write this post to discount anyone's difficulties, because my life is not perfect - I still have trials that haven't come with an immediate answer. But I have faith that the blessings I have received are testifying to the fact that those answers will come. I'm so blessed to have the life I do.
