Tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley

Since President Hinckley passed away earlier this week, I've been thinking alot about the many things that I have learned from him. I am grateful for his unwavering faith, his compassion and his endless optimism. I am so grateful for this great man and for the incredible life that he lived!

This is a quote that I heard him share many years ago. I had it posted on my wall on my mission and it really helped me to get through those tough times.

"Life is like that--ups and downs, a bump on the head, and a crack on the shins. It was ever thus. Hamlet went about crying, "To be or not to be," but that didn't solve any of his problems. There is something of a tendency among us to think that everything must be lovely and rosy and beautiful without realizing that even adversity has some sweet uses. One of my favorite newspaper columnists is Jenkin Lloyd Jones. In a recent article published in the News, he commented: Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. . . . Life is like an old-time rail journey--delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." --President Gordon B. Hinckley

Bun in the Oven.....

For those of you who haven't heard, I'm prego. I know, I know, most of you didn't think Dan had it in him. :) Apparently, he did. Anyway, we had our first MD appointment last week and our first ultrasound on Friday. The ultrasound......what a trip! Little monkey, alien baby (must take after Dan) swimming around, seeing the heartbeat, hearing the heartbeat, fingers, toes, rolling over, moving, it was such a trip! I don't think all this felt real until we sat it on the screen. (By the way, if you haven't seen Juno, you have to! It's so great. We told the ultrasound tech all about it and told her she has to go see it. We were grateful that our tech was much nicer than the one in the movie!)

So....we were thinking I was maybe 9 weeks, but during the ultrasound, the ultrasound technician said, "So, you want to know how far along you are? You are 11 weeks, 6 days. Due date August 9th." Hallelujah!!! I was thrilled. This whole pregnancy thing has not been too fun. I've been feeling really crappy since before Christmas. People say congrats and ask if I'm excited, and I say, "Dan is. I'm hoping I will be once I don't feel nausea 24-hours a day!" Unfortunately, this whole morning (noon and night) sickness really does dampen the excitement. It's right about this time of night when I'm thinking to myself, "Self, why do women EVER get pregnant again!?"

I know I shouldn't complain, because I know this all part of the big, beautiful plan, but man, it's rough. Props to all you moms out there who have suffered in silence. I feel like all I do these days is complain! I'm the worst wife ever these days, but I'm hoping that someday I'll be fun again (and maybe even do some cooking and cleaning). Ok, enough of the venting! We really are excited (and completely freaked out!) for this next phase of our lives. I was particularly grateful that I'm several weeks further along than I thought I was, which I'm hoping means less time being sick and a earlier due date. (I'm definitely not stoked to experience a hot California summer being huge and pregnant, but what can you do!?) We are grateful that we have such supportive friends and family who are so happy for us and who have pitched in to help out and show love and support. We love you!! Stay tuned....

Patience and Faith

I read this great quote today, so I thought I'd share it. I think patience and faith are constantly challenged in our lives, so this is a great reminder about putting our faith and trust in God's timetable.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell linked patience and faith together when he taught: "Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best--better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God's purposes and pattern to unfold in our lives, on His timetable."

--Robert C. Oaks

Happy New Year!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Dan and I spent New Years this year with both of our families. We went to the Jazz game with my family and had dinner at Chili's and then went to the Jazz game. It was actually alot of fun and it was a great game! The Jazz actually won! Go Jazz! My good friend Christy met up with us, too, which was fun. After the game we headed to Dan's brother, Eric's house in Lehi to celebrate with the rest of the Dixon clan. We ate way too much food, played Dance, Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero and played some fun board games. Of course I won Killer Bunnies! For any of you gamers, you have to play this game. It's so fun! (Oh, and you can see that I chopped my hair off--6 inches! When I texted Dan to tell him I cut my hair 6 inches, he replied with "Don't come home"....the jerk!)

Christmas 2007 Slideshow

December Fun.....

Here's some long overdue pics of the Newport Beach Boat Parade. We had a great time bundling up, eating our clam chowder and watching the boats go by. I think we may have had more fun than Amber and Matt did--feeding a hungry baby, changing diapers and chasing Jake around in the cold! We were glad Debi and Jared came down to play!