In-Laws

Why does the term "in-law" have such a negative connotation?



I just spent a weekend with my inlaw parents and sisters (and spouses and kids) in St. David without John (who was on a scout campout) and had a great time. Of course I missed John, but I never got uncomfortable or sick of being with my inlaws. Since day one, all of them have made me feel part of the family.



I'll never forget some wise council I received from my Grandpa Andersen. He said, "when you marry someone, you marry into his family too." And he would tell me that a good way to judge a possible future husband is to watch how he interacts with his siblings and parents, and to watch how his parents interact with each other. That's a good indicator of how a possible future husband would treat me someday. So true.



I can honestly say that I love my inlaws and enjoy being in their presence just as much as being around my own siblings. My best friends and favorite people are the sisters in my life, and considering I only had one sister growing up, most of my sisters are in-laws. I started with one sister, and now I have nine. And all are amazing women that I respect and admire.

And St. David was fun. The kids enjoyed b-b gun shooting, playing in the river, visiting Kartchner Caverns, going on hikes, playing games, riding horses, building forts, jumping on the trampoline, etc. . . And I enjoyed being with my inlaws!

Already looking forward to next time.

A few Days of Heaven

John and I checked of our lives last weekend and went on a "three-day date", as the kids called it. Thanks a million to family who held down the fort while we were gone. We left the house Thursday morning and didn't come home until Saturday night.

We didn't go far, we didn't do anything really exciting, and it didn't cost us a lot of money. But it was a perfect getaway for both of us. We had the time and energy to focus on being husband and wife (not mom, dad, bread winner, scout master, taxi, homework helper, cook, house cleaner, comforter, etc. . . ) It's unfortunate that sometimes these lead rolls take the back seat with the craziness of family life. "Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan"--not just a nice thing, but essential! http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,FF.html

We came home ready to take on the army (made up of five, almost six, little people) and returned revived and refreshed. And of course more in love than ever.

I love that I can honestly say that I married my best friend. And life continues to get sweeter with time. Marriage is a beautiful thing!

The Humble Hero

Taylor finished his basketball season last week. All but one game, they lost BIG TIME, like by 20 points minimum. Our family attended his end-of-the-season party last weekend. The coach recognized each player with an award and a candy bar. John and I had to laugh when we heard Taylor's award. He got the "Humble Hero" award. What?

The coach said that whenever the team started to do well or made a nice play, Taylor would always remind them, "guys, let's not get cocky". Coach seemed to be impressed with that; we thought it was hilarious--especially considering they were never even close to winning a game.

"Don't get cocky and start thinking we're all THAT because we just made a nice shot; we were 23 points behind and now we're ONLY 21 behind."

Always a good reminder for all of us. --Don't get cocky!

We're still laughing.