It was a graveyard smash!

A little something to celebrate the Halloween spirit... whatever that is.

The Apology

Starring Jeffree Shirley

Happy Halloween!

Tag, I'm it!

I’ve been tagged. I’m supposed to answer the following questions about myself:

1. When you were little, what did you always want to be when you "grew up," and how close are you to making sure that happens?

I wanted to be all sorts of things. A singer. A photographer. An author. The one that was most consistently my goal was an author. As in, I actually started writing a book once. Or twice. I guess I even wrote a bunch of song lyrics, so that goes for both singer and author.

How close am I? Well, I’m the author of this blog….

2. What is your favorite thing about your mom?

She’s tough. Like really tough. In every way. She can beat me (and all my other sisters and a few of my brothers) in an arm wrestle. She had 14 children. She loves all 14 of them. She gets up at 4 am to study the scriptures. She goes to college full time. She plans weddings, helps with babies, goes to athletic events and concerts, and still has time to answer the phone when I call her. She’s had polio, strokes, and been in a wheelchair. And she keeps on going.

I am taller than her, though. Which means she needs me in some ways. Like to reach stuff up high.

3. In 5 years, where do you see yourself? And do you really think you'll get there?

Jeffree and I will own our home. Like, completely. No more house payments. And I’ll have really adorable children. Hopefully at least 2 by then. I’m pretty sure it’ll happen. We’ve got a pretty intense “plan.”

4. When you have free-time (yes, i know, what the heck does that mean?) what do you like to do?

Read. Books, blogs, status updates. I love knowing what’s going on. I also love learning new things.

5. Name three adjectives your Husband would use to describe you.

And I quote, “Stunningly gorgeous, amazing, and hunerd.”

You might be wondering what hunerd is and if maybe it’s a typo. No, it’s no typo. And it basically means whatever Jeff wants it to mean at the time.

6. What is the strangest thing you've ever done?

Strange? Strange is an interesting word. I’m not really sure how to answer this one.

7. What are you listening to right now?

Jeffree talking to his brother on the phone. Though rumor has it I’ll soon be listening to him play songs on the guitar.

8. Why do you blog?

Because I can. And to update my family.

So there you have it, Elyse. I'm too tired to think of other questions or who to tag. But even responding to a tag is a big deal for me :)

Thank you, Baby!

Thank you, Jeffree, for making me laugh. Every day.

Till we meet at Jesus' feet

Jeffree and I got tickets to General Conference this year. Jeff had never been, so I was extra excited for him to be there. We went to the Sunday morning session. We got to enjoy Music and the Spoken Word, the words of the prophets, and the Spirit. It was AMAZING!!!

My favorite is the overwhelming Spirit I always feel when the prophet walks into the room. You don’t even have to see him to know that he is entering.

I am thankful for the opportunity to listen to a prophet’s voice!

Some of my favorites from conference:

*Favorite joke: “At this point some of you may be thinking, “That’s all very fine and good, but what does it have to do with flying an airplane?” “ – Dieter F Uchtdorf

*Favorite accent – Claudio R M Costa

*Favorite word – murmur, said by the aforementioned Costa. The way he said it was way cool.

*Favorite quote – “I ask: can we love one another, as the Savior has commanded, if we judge each other? And I answer—with Mother Teresa: no, we cannot. “ –President Thomas S Monson

What a blessing it is to be led by these great men and women, to hear their words every 6 months, and to be enriched and inspired by the lives they live. Heavenly Father has placed us in such good hands.

And wait for the dawn

I know what you’re thinking. “Wow! 20 days of thanks. She only posts every week (or less). It’s gonna take months before we’re done with this blogging theme.”

That’s what I’ve thought, too.

Today I am grateful to just be with Jeffree. Like, physically in his presence. I watched parts of the Chile miner rescue today. I won’t lie and say I didn’t cry when I saw couples embrace each other and cry. They clung to each other so tightly, so gratefully. I made sure to hold extra tight to my Jeffree today.

Can you imagine? 69 days trapped underground with limited oxygen, food, and water. Not to mention the pure confinement. Not knowing if you’ll see your family again. Not knowing if you’ll get to see your children or even meet your newborn child.

I’m so grateful to have Jeffree in my arms. I’m also grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who strengthened those trapped men and their families. I’m grateful for everyone involved in the rescue process. It was inspiring to watch. I’m grateful for a political leader who openly expressed thanks to God for preserving those men. What a touching thing to witness.

I’m going there someday

There’s such a beautiful feeling when you walk in. The feeling of coming home. The feeling of being where you’re supposed to be. The feeling of being worthy. The feeling of loving God and feeling His love for you. I love the feelings I have when I go to the Temple.

When Jeffree and I were engaged, we set the goal of attending the Temple weekly as a married couple. Enormous blessings have come from that simple sacrifice of our time. We missed a week because I was sick, and going back the next week reminded me of how my soul yearns to be in the Lord’s house.

One of our friends was a Temple worker and suggested that we volunteer as well. Some of our plans for the immediate future weren't quite coming to fruition. I thought just maybe that was because Heavenly Father wanted us to have the opportunity to serve in His house.

In June we began our service as ordinance workers and a tremendous outpouring of blessings has come. Our marriage, which was already amazing, became infinitely better. My understanding of the Temple ordinances increased drastically as I worked to memorize the ordinances. I found myself pondering on the Temple and things of eternity more throughout the week, not just when we were in the Temple.

Today I feel so grateful for the opportunity to serve God in His holy House. I am grateful for the restored gospel on the earth, in it’s fullness. I am grateful for the saving ordinances I have received, and for the privilege in helping so many others partake of those sacred covenants. I am grateful for the people I've met and the beautiful smiles I see from others who come to serve. I am thankful for the order, beauty, peace, and hope found in the Temple.

I love to see the Temple.

It's all around the town

It’s autumn time and I know almost everyone on earth has blogged about how much they either love or hate fall. I am about to join the ranks.

Today I’m grateful for the perfect fall day. Which was yesterday, though I’m sure many more are to come.

Jeffree and I went for a jog in the morning. The air was cool and crisp and the weather was perfect. A little disc in the park and we were all set to go. We both ended up with soaking wet shoes covered in grass, but who could complain? Especially when Jeffree washed them off for us while I took a nice shower.

Lunch was delicious pasta, a refreshing fall salad, and some cute little garlic toasts. Then on to crafting!

I went to bed the night before with determination to create some fun fall decorations. I dragged Jeffree into the scheme with me, figuring his creative genius, along with his DI shopping skills, would become most beneficial. They did indeed. We estimated that we saved about $25-30 with the items we got on sale/created ourselves. Fall décor can be pretty pricey.

I crafted away a few glorious hours while Jeffree made homemade bread. I don’t think Jeffree has ever really understood the extent to which I enjoy doing crafty things. But yesterday he got a small glimpse. When he said the blessing on dinner, he said, “and thanks that loRi had so much fun today.”

*We haven't figured out what to do with the big frame...

The perfect thunderstorm kept us from gathering pinecones at the park, but it was too beautiful to get mad at. I love the rain.

After soup and bagel melts, we topped the night off with friends, homemade bread, and hot cocoa. It was a simply lovely fall day.

And German pancakes this morning didn’t necessarily put me in a foul mood, either. Aaahhh, Fall!