4 Years

     Yesterday marked four years since I came home from Ecuador. I can't believe it has been so long since I was with the most amazing children I have ever known. It saddens me that so much time has passed. I want to go back so badly but timing is never right and I feel as though I have lost a big connection to Ecuador. When I was there I volunteered with 50+ kids and I loved them all. We spent most of our time at the orphanage called St. Vinciente De Paul. This is where Jose lived. St. Vinciente's had about 25 kids. They ranged from a few days old to about 2 years old. These children leave an imprint in your heart the moment you meet them. After seeing them, where they live, and their daily lives you can't help but get a lump in your throat. When I first went to the orphanage I was very overwhelmed. I didn't realize how tiring it was going to be and how much work we really had to do each day. Not having wipes, only our bare hands, to clean dirty bums didn't help either. After about 2 weeks I was exhausted. I was sick and physically worn out. But then something clicked for me. This was not a vacation, this was a time for me to be completely selfish and to give these children ever ounce of love that I could. So that's what I did. Some days it was still hard to work because we were all so sick all the time. But there was one little boy that kept me going, Jose. I didn't feel close to him right away. About 5 weeks into things I started to really admire this little guy. While some of the kids would be playing, some teasing, beating each other up, Jose would be quietly walking around or just sitting by himself. He was a shy little guy and never got into the commotion of the others. Him and I started to become very close. As soon as I would get to the orphanage in the morning I would go straight to his crib to wake him up, and I loved being the one to put him to bed at night. I wanted to be with this little guy every second that I could. I don't want you to get the impression that I didn't like the other children or that I never spent any time with them. I loved them all dearly and miss each one of those sweet faces. But the relationship I had with Jose was different. At one point he even started to call me mom and that's when my heart broke. He never knew his mom but he knew what the role of a mother was; bathe you, feed you, play with you, clothe you, and love you. For that short time that' what I was with him that's what I needed to be for him and the others. We didn't have much time to spend together but the time we did have was amazing. I love that little boy very much. My parents tried to adopt him but unfortunately that didn't go through. I think about him everyday. I always imagined myself taking Jason back to meet him one day. About a year and a half ago Jose was adopted. I'm sad to say when I heard the news I was very upset. Yes, I want him to have a loving home. I want nothing but the best for him. I just wish that he could've been with me, or that Jason could've met him, or that I could've just seen him one more time. I hope he is happy and loved as he should be. He will be 6 years old in February. I can't believe it. I'm so grateful for everything he taught me and for those short 3 months I had to spend with him.

Baby Shower

   My cute friend Jessie is having a little girl due November 30th! We had a fun shower for her a couple of weekends ago. Since she is the first of our friends to have a baby we are all very curious and interested in everything going on. Jess lets us feel baby Savanna all the time ;) We are SO excited for her and Peter. What a lucky little girl to have them for parents!

A fun relay Shower game that we plalyed

 The details...

 The gang

 Cute Jess and the bump!

A Look Back

   There's a couple things I forgot to post about in my last post about our anniversary. Last year I made a list of things we did in our first year of marriage, I wanted to do that again this year. Down the road it will be fun to look back and see all of our experiences in each year of our marriage. ;)

Some Memorable Times In our Second Year of....

1. Visited Mexico

2. Florida

3. Arizona

4. St.George

5. New York

6. Jason started an Internship for 

American Healthcare Lending 

Summer 2012

7. Jason was offered a job and controller 

in the accounting department of 

American Healthcare Lending

8. Megan started working at the 

Carmen B. Pingree Center for children 

with Autism Dec. 2011

I found this picture in a magazine right after we got married. I fell in love with this couple. It was just a random picture and I don't even know the story behind it but I cut it out of the magazine and it has hung on our fridge ever since. The reason I love this picture so much is because it is my goal in life. 50, 60, 70 years from now this is where I want to be. My goal in life is to be with Jason forever and to always love each other unconditionally. If we can end up like the couple in this picture we will have had a successful life! 

2 Years!

  Well we made it 2 years! We cannot believe how fast these past two years have gone! Being married to Jason is one of the greatest things. I am grateful everyday to have him in my life. He is such a hard worker and puts our family first in everything that he does. This time of life is a little hard as we try to get through school and work. During the summer Jason worked 33+ hours, did an internship, and went to school full time. When I say he is a hard worker I am not exaggerating. During the week he is gone all day then comes home and studies until late. We really look forward to the weekends. Friday and Saturdays are our favorite because we feel like we get to spend quality time together. Right now we hate feeling so busy but we know one day in the future we will look back on this time in our lives and smile. Even when we are so busy and stressed about everything going on in our lives, when it's just the two of us hanging out nothing else matters. I am so happy with him and I cannot wait for what lies ahead of us. I could not ask for a better companion in life. It's so fun to sit together and talk about all of our future plans and what we think lies ahead of us. Jason truly is my best friend and I am blessed to be his wife.
   For our anniversary, Jason surprised me by planning a little getaway. He planned for us to go up to Park City and stay at the Stein Erickson Lodge. This lodge is amazing! I felt like we didn't belong there, it was so fancy! Our hotel room was huge! It had a giant fireplace and it's own hot tub on the deck over looking park city. Park City is one of my very favorite places to go in the fall. And Jason knows how much I love the fall and he knew it would mean so much to me to be in Park City on our Anniversary. Once we arrived at the hotel we checked in, strolled around to look at everything it had to offer, then we took our hotels shuttle to Main Street to get some dinner and do some shopping. It was such a great Anniversary! I love that we get to spend ours in the fall. ;)

 Our Deck 

 Parts of the hotel 

 The hotel would give us waters when we would get our car from the Vallets

 Sunday morning after we checked out we took a little drive 

Happy Anniversary to us! Can't wait for many years to come!

Big 1 Year Old!

    On October 10th Audrey turned 1 years old! I can't believe how fast this past year has gone. Since Dayna is working I have had many opportunities to watch this sweet girl on Fridays. It's been so fun to watch her grow and learn. I can't wait to see the person she becomes and how much more she will grow. A year ago Jason and I spent our first anniversary in London, unfortunately, Audrey was born while we were away. This killed me. I wanted to be there so badly! It still saddens me that I missed such an important day for their family. When Audrey's first birthday began to approach I knew it was something I could not miss. Then I realized that my friend Teresa's wedding was on Oct. 10th. I needed to be at both! Well luckily things worked out and I was able to bounce back and forth between wedding and birthday. What a fun day it was for me to see my friend be sealed in the temple and to see my niece on her first birthday. It was exhausting, but what a fun day.

The very first time I met Audrey ;)

 Silly Girl...Who makes lots of messes now...

 The Party...

 Corey and Dayna put together such a wonderful party for their sweet girl. 

 (Audrey hates it when her hands are dirty....the frosting was a no go.)

Happy Birthday sweet girl! We love you.

Teresa's Wedding

    One of my best friend's got married last Wednesday. She is the 7th out of my group of 8 girlfriends to get married. Alli your next!! ;) It was such a beautiful day! I love October which is why Jason and I chose to get married Oct. 15! ;) My friend Teresa looked so beautiful and happy! We are so excited for her and this new life she has started with John.

 Cute Teresa at her Bachlorette Party

 Getting ready for the reception

We faced timed Vanessa so she could be apart of Teresa's special day. 

 I love you Vanessa!

Cute Jason assisting me with all my bridesmaid duties ;)

Congrats Teresa and John! We love you guys!