The Dog Days of Summer

We had a big double wedding in our family. It was so beautiful and absolutely perfect! So happy for you Luke & Andy and Justin & Ashley! They are beautiful couples and I know they will find much happiness... I was, of course, excited because I got a cute new (modest) little black dress. It's pretty much the most comfortable dress ever! I got it from Shabby Apple. They have such cute stuff!








(The picture above is Luke & Ashley, Nic's siblings. Obviously they aren't the ones who were married to each other... they were married to other people... just wanted to clear that up for any of you who might be looking at this picture going... "huh?")






We celebrated my sweet Grammie's birthday by getting the chocolate molten cake dessert at Applebee's (the only thing worth getting there, in my humble opinion). We also celebrated Trav's birthday by going to Rumbi Island Grill for dinner (food is mediocre and the price is too high... but company was priceless). Nic and I decided to try out The Red Mango for some ice cream. Mmmm... it was okay. The pomegranate wasn't that delicious. Sorry.


We also had our Sherwood Family Reunion. Barely anyone came, but I'll tell ya, we still had a kickin' good time! We went to Park City and I LOVE PARK CITY! It was so beautiful up there! In my husband's words, I'm "spoiled". Instead of camping (like we were supposed to) we stayed at the Marriott. It was fabulous. We enjoyed "being one with nature" (which, I honestly don't mind, so long as I have a nice warm shower and in-door plumbing at my fingertips. Hehe.)




My brothers, of course, had to get their trademark wrestling moment in. Don't worry. They only wrestle until one of them gets injured in some way. Luckily, this was a very mild wrestling match. PS Please ignore the fact that one of them is in his underwear (typical man).

Someone Special

Happy birthday to one of the most beautiful women I've ever known.

I love you. I miss you. I'm blowing you kisses.

Refreshing

We went for an incredible ride up Provo Canyon and through the Alpine Loop over the weekend. We went as a cool biker gang. Ha! We call ourselves "Mercy's Angels". I kinda like it.

The ride was just what I needed. It is so beautiful up the canyon. I think I have decided that if I had to choose between the beach and the mountains, I'd have to take the mountains (yes, I have a fear of deep water... but I love the beach nonetheless).







This is Luke and Andy. They are getting married in just under two weeks! It's a double wedding. Luke and Andy are part one. Ashley and Justin are part two. How cool is that? Luke and Ashley are Nic's siblings. I'm so happy for both of them!

Thoughts from a grieving heart

I have decided to declare to the world that I LOVE THERAPY. I know, it seems somewhat personal. No one EVER admits when they are in therapy, right? Well, not me. I am an advocate for therapy. If you need help, why not get it? I'm very passionate about it. My therapist is helping me change my perspective, accept my grief, remember my sweet little girl, and improve my life, all while finding happiness... AND BEING OKAY WITH IT. If you haven't ever TRULY experienced grief, you're probably thinking I'm sounding a little crazy. Well, so be it. I thought I was crazy too. Turns out, I'm grieving. I now know I'm not crazy. I can't tell you the freedom I'm feeling. It's a great blessing in my life to have this knowledge. Sometimes, Heavenly Father puts people (who have tools to help you) in your life. These people provide something you can't find elsewhere. These people may be the way Heavenly Father answers your prayers.

If you ever need a GOOD therapist, I'd love to give you my therapists info. He's great. And it DOES make a difference, if you allow it to.

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I had an experience this last week. It was a hard one. I went to the doctor. I visited the Cardiologist. For me. It was emotional. They did an EKG. As I was being hooked up to the probes (or rather, as the probes were being hooked up to me) I had a flash back of the many times my baby had this done to her.

WHY????? WHY??????

It still breaks my heart. I can't fathom what she endured. I'm so grateful she isn't experiencing that any more. I have always been afraid of truly understanding what Mercy went through. I'm not strong enough. I could never endure what she did. But she did it with such elegance, dignity, beauty, patience.

I love her. She is my hero.

Grammie, please take care of my baby for me.

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I received a newsletter in the mail from Primary Children's Medical Center. Have I ever said that I never, ever want to go back there? Well, let me clarify. I never, EVER want to go back there. I fear it with my whole soul.

This newsletter they sent out is for those enduring the never-ending experience of grief. It was a beautiful newsletter. Here are a few excerpts from it...

"Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts." -Charles Dickens

"Unless you have been very, very lucky, you have undoubtedly experienced events in your life that have made you cry. So unless you have been very, very lucky, you know that a good, long session of weeping can often make you feel better, even if your circumstances have not changed one bit." -Lemony Snicket

"Do you wonder if the tears will ever stop? They steadily fall, unpredictably and unexpectedly. Like spring floods, these human raindrops pool into streams and then seemingly flow into rivers. Like spring showers, they pop up, beat us down for a time, then just as suddenly, they dry.

Others may tell us to stop crying, as though we can command nature to change course. How burdensome this is. We must, and will, cry as long as we need to cry, as often as we feel the dampness of moisture, as many raindrops as our body produces. Not to cry when our very nature demands release is to deny our humanness.

What we, and those around us, may not know is the healing physical nature of our tears. Our body produces tears for biological reasons. Chemically, the composition of tears of emotional pain differ from tears of laughter and joy or tears of physical pain. Tears help wash out negative chemicals building up when our body experiences pain or stress. Tears cleanse." -Pat Andrus


If you know someone who is grieving, please allow them to cry. Don't feel like you have to fix it. Just be there while they cry. Sometimes, being there says more than any words ever could.

In Case You Were Wondering...

Most of my family and I went on a very nice trip to Nauvoo, Illinois. It was so beautiful! It was so nice to get away. The only thing that could have made it any better is if Nic could have come. But, he couldn't. He's pluggin' away at school and couldn't make the trip. Travis couldn't come either, so Addy and I played it single while we were gone. Here are a few fun pictures from our trip. I LOVE NAUVOO!

Us on the Wagon Ride through Nauvoo. It's a tour that gives a brief history about the city. It's very enjoyable. The weather was perfect... and get this... NOT ONE MAYFLY. I know... total miracle!



The beautiful Mississippi River.


My family (I was behind the camera) in front of the sun stone. The sun stone was found on the Nauvoo Temple. When the Saints were forced to leave Nauvoo unjustly, their temple they worked so hard to build was burned. Some still stood, but a tornado came and demolished what was left. In 2002, the Nauvoo Temple was rebuilt and dedicated. The Spirit there is so strong. I LOVE NAUVOO.


This is us standing where Porter Rockwell once lived. He was a self-declared body guard to Joseph Smith, Jr., first prophet of this dispensation. Despite what many believe they understand about our church, we do not worship Joseph Smith, Jr. In the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, an Apostle, "Now, to anyone within the sound of my voice who has wondered regarding our Christianity, I bear this witness. I testify that Jesus Christ is the literal, living Son of our literal, living God. This Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer who, under the guidance of the Father, was the Creator of heaven and earth and all things that in them are. I bear witness that He was born of a virgin mother, that in His lifetime He performed mighty miracles observed by legions of His disciples and by His enemies as well. I testify that He had power over death because He was divine but that He willingly subjected Himself to death for our sake because for a period of time He was also mortal. I declare that in His willing submission to death He took upon Himself the sins of the world, paying an infinite price for every sorrow and sickness, every heartache and unhappiness from Adam to the end of the world. In doing so He conquered both the grave physically and hell spiritually and set the human family free. I bear witness that He was literally resurrected from the tomb and, after ascending to His Father to complete the process of that Resurrection, He appeared, repeatedly, to hundreds of disciples in the Old World and in the New. I know He is the Holy One of Israel, the Messiah who will one day come again in final glory, to reign on earth as Lord of lords and King of kings. I know that there is no other name given under heaven whereby a man can be saved and that only by relying wholly upon His merits, mercy, and everlasting grace can we gain eternal life." Click on Elder Holland's name above to find out more.



We went on a carriage ride to Inspiration Point. This is a more scenic tour. It is stunning. In one of the pictures you'll notice that Kolton has his nose covered... that's because the horses who were pulling the carriage decided to free their bowels and it was making Kolton gag. Literally. He'd never make it on a farm! Haha!






We were also able to tour many of the homes and shops around Nauvoo. These aren't homes and shops like you're thinking. These are historical sites. Full-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints serve in Nauvoo. They dress in time period costumes, give tours, and educate tourists on both the physical and spiritual miracles that took place in Nauvoo. Click HERE to see a map. You can click on any home/shop to see a picture of it... check it out! We were able to visit almost every location.












At the Nauvoo LDS Visitors Center there is a garden that is dedicated to women. It's beautiful. The statues there are amazing and are definitely made in praise of women. I loved the one of the elderly woman making a quilt. This reminded me of my recently passed Grammie. I love her so much. Her family was everything to her. The monument of the mother and father with their little girl gives me hope. I know we will have Mercydez again. And yes, we will get to raise her. I can't wait.



We walked The Trail of Hope. This is where the pioneers walked toward the Mississippi River, during the middle of winter, with very little. The crossed the frozen Mississippi and began their trek west, where they ended in Utah. There are signs along the Trail of Hope. These signs have quotes from journals belonging to different pioneers. It's inspiring, to say the least.







We were also able to visit Carthage, Illinois. This is where the Prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr. and his brother, Hyrum Smith were martyred. They were held in jail and a mob, who didn't understand Mormonism, nor did they want to understand Mormonism, pushed their way in and shot Hyrum and Joseph to death. There were two others with Jospeh and Hyrum in Jail. One was significantly injured and the other was okay. There are monuments with beautiful quotes given along the walk to Carthage Jail.








This is the cell where they were kept. It's very small and there is barely any air flowing in and out. It got to be 120 degrees (Fahrenheit) in this cell. The jail owner was kind and allowed the men to come out of the cell and into his own bedroom. This is where the mob broke in and killed them. The owner of the jail had nothing to do with the mob. The picture of Auriel and Kolton is in the room where they were martyred.




We visited the Nauvoo Temple grounds. It's so beautiful there. There is a statue of Joseph and Hyrum on their horses, looking back at Nauvoo as they were being escorted to Carthage Jail. You'll also see a picture of Kolton by a sign. This is a great story... Kolton was so worried about not tripping on the curb that he forgot to notice the sign and turned his face right into it! Ha! Poor kid had a horrible headache the rest of the day! We couldn't help but laugh though. He was a good sport to have his picture taken by it... smiling, nonetheless.






We also had some fun down by the Mississippi River. Kolton and Auriel can now say they have been "in" the Mississippi. And we can all say we've jumped up and down a million times by the Mississippi. Yay for randomness.
















And, of course, we were there for opening night of the Nauvoo Pageant. It was so wonderful. The production was very well done. The music was absolutely beautiful.


I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE NAUVOO!!! I'm sure my family all feel the same too!