The Hiding Place

I've become an avid reader as of late and the book I finished most recently is called The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom. I highly reccomend this book to everyone as it has had an immediate impact on my life. If you're not familiar with Corrie ten Boom, she is a Christian Holochaust surviver who aided in the underground work of hiding and rescuing Jews during World War II. The horrific events of that time in history are hard to fathom. After reading this book I feel the need to tell others of this incredible story, perhaps out of respect and admiration for the ten Boom family. One of the many thing this book reaffirmed for me is just how blessed we are to live in a land of freedom and prosperity. I know that prejudices and hate are still all around us but I am certainly thankful for the examples of love and sacrifice of so many that have brought us to where we are today. Yes there are problems everywhere, but there is also so much to be positive about! While imprisoned in one of the extermination camps, Corrie thanked Jesus for the flee infestation that briefly kept out the guards, alllowing her and her sister to speak to each other and help those around them. The most amazing thing to me is that Corrie and her sister were in these camps because of their service and care for others. They sacrificed and saved lives and were sent to death camps because of it. It's just incredible to me! Everyone struggles with their own trials and challenges, so let's look out for each other and look on the bright side. Read this book, it's worth your time. :)

Happy Birthday B Rizzle!

My sweet husband turned 27 last week. Yikes! That seems a little old? We had a great day. While I had some work in the morning, Bradley went to some of his favorite stores, Home Depot & Lowes where he spent his birthday money. He is so cute when he goes there, looking like a kid in a candy store. Honestly, I'm glad he went alone this time. :) Later that evening we went to Tucano's Brazilian Grill for his birthday dinner. Brad's been wanting to go there for a while and I thought this would be the perfect occasion! Erin, Brian, Adam, and Megan all joined us which was really fun. We spent the rest of the weekend with family, helping with preparations for Zack and Kylee's wedding and celebrations for my little neice's second birthday. Brad was so sweet and just went along with things even though he probably would have rather been at home.
This amazing husband of mine, is the best person I could ask for to share my life with. He is smart, hilarious, adorable, balanced, incredibly caring and sensitive to my needs. This is only the third birthday we've shared together and I look forward to many more as our future grows together. I love you sweets!

I am such a sucker for love stories, and this is definitely one of the sweetest. I saw this video on the Today Show this morning and I thought everyone should see what an amazing couple this is. It makes me tear up just watching it! What a great example of love, loyalty and devotion. Ok, I promise I'll stop with the love stuff! I guess my last three postings have been about love... sorry!

Las Vegas!

For Valentine's Day, my sister and I decided to surprise Brad and Brian with a trip to see the Blue Man Group and stay a night in Las Vegas! Surprises are my favorite and I definitely had fun with this one. When Brad came home from work he found a cute little Valentine's Day gift set up in the kitchen with a candle and I had his bags all packed and ready to go. He was so excited! Keeping things a surprise is pretty difficult for me and Brad always seems to get things out of me or somehow find out, but he was definitely surprised and couldn't wait to head to Vegas. We had an awesome time. The weather was perfect and it was a fun little weekend getaway. The four of us looked like the classic tourists as we pulled up to our hotel in four matching "Las Vegas" T shirts. I'll have pictures to post soon.

Valentine's Day

Have you ever seen the Wedding Singer? If you have, you'll remember the part where Adam Sandler sings Love Stinks during a wedding reception after having been stood up at his own wedding. It's pretty hilarious in my opinion, and pretty far fetched. (I've added the click for your viewing pleasure.) I know we have all experienced heartbreak and have truly felt that love does indeed stink. And it seems that the heartbreak is only accelerated when it comes to Valentine's Day. Am I right? Well, for all those people who hate Valentine's Day because of the mushy gushy poems, flowers, and loves songs- I have to say that Valentine's Day isn't only for sweethearts. It could be a day to show people, not just a significant other, how much you love or even like them! Our cousin Jake is an amazing example of this. (Jake if you're reading this, forgive me for sharing). He recently gave the advice to spend Valentine's Day doing random acts of kindness for people who might need some extra love or attention. He explained that this was a way he found joy. Wow. How would the world be if people stopped caring only about themselves and their own circumstances and started looking and acting more on the needs of others? I'm obviously not a perfect example of this and I am extremely blessed to have a sweetheart of my own but it certainly opened my eyes to the many around me who suffer the pain and heartache of lonliness. Anyway, thanks Jake for your example and love for others.
One more thing! Thank you to my Mom who always made every holiday fun and special, including Valentine's Day. I've always loved this day. You've always made me feel very special and loved and I realize how very lucky I am to have you.

Happy Birthday to me. 25!!

I know this is a little late but I had to blog about my 25th birthday. It was wonderful! Anyone who knows me well knows that I don't care too much for cold weather. So I was a little bummed when the first of several snow storms decided to arrive on my birthday. But Bradley planned a wonderful birthday for me, as he always does. :) We went down to Asian Star in Salt Lake which is the best Chinese restaurant around, hands down. It is one of our favorites so I was thrilled when Brad took me there for my birthday. What made it even better was that Erin and Brian joined us! It was a lot of fun. After dinner Erin and Brian headed off on their own date and Bradley took me down town to the Galleven center where they have an outdoor ice skating rink. He got me all bundled up and we spent the snowy evening ice skating! It was simply gorgeous outside with the brightly decorated trees and giant snowflakes falling slowly all around. We had tons of fun pretending we were professional figure skaters and racing around the rink to see who was fastest. Needless to say Bradley has once again made my birthday perfect. Love you hun!