Chelsetto

Take a look at this picture:

This is my little sister, Chelsey.  Did you think for a second that it was a picture of me?  I am sort of creeped out how eerily she looks like me in that photo.  If I wouldn't have taken it, I might have wondered if it actually WAS a picture of me.  We look a lot alike.  In a lot of ways, we act alike too.  Even though we're eight years apart in age, she's one of my best friends.  

This girl just started her first semester of college at BYU.  I went with my parents to drop her off, and was kind of having a heart attack the whole time because my baby sister is in college!  That makes me OLD!   

I sound like a geezer saying this, but I'm going to do it anyways.  It seriously doesn't seem all that long ago when Chelsey was just a little girl.  

Even in my youth, I loved to dabble in photography.  Chelsey was often my unwilling subject.  I would bribe her to let me fix her hair and put make-up on her and let me take her picture.  I would set up my own little photography studio using a sheet as a backdrop and have Chesley pose for me for as long as her patience could stand it.  I should seriously track down some of those photos to share with you guys.  They were awesome.  

When I was looking at these senior pictures I took of her, I kind of got choked up remembering the little girl whose picture I had taken so many times.  

She's all grown up.  She's all grown up and so beautiful and off on her own big adventure.  How did that happen so fast?

I am so grateful for her example.  She is so wonderful, talented, kind, and genuine.  I know she's going to do amazing things with her life.  I can't wait to see what's in store for her.  I'm so proud of my little sister.  

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

Okay you guys.  I just read the BEST book.  It's by one of my favorite authors, Elodia Strain.  I've written about her books before.  Her newest book is called My Girlfriend's Boyfriend.

It. Is. So. Good.

I started reading it one evening and stayed up way too late to finish it that same night.  I truly couldn't put it down.  Elodia is masterful at creating characters that are quirky, endearing, and real.  I am always able to connect with what they are feeling and experiencing.  Her book is funny but also inspiring.  I laughed out loud while reading it in the bookstore; I'm sure I looked like a total weirdo.  I was in tears by the end of the book, it was really that good.

I don't want to give too much away, so I won't share any more.  Even though it is kind of killing me to not share my favorite parts and all of the things I learned.  I'm the kind of person that hates even reading the synopsis because I don't like knowing too much about a book before I read it.  Just know this: it is awesome and you will love it.    

Also, did you know that My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is a movie?  The movie actually came first.  I had to watch it the day after I finished the book.  It was also REALLY good.  You can watch it for free on hulu here.  Or I believe you can watch it on Netflix.  And you should because I think you will really enjoy it.

Hip Hip Hooray

See this cute couple?

This is my very dear friend, Emily, her awesome husband Richard, and her cute puppy Carly!!! You remember Emily?  I wrote about her here.  And her and Richard’s adoption blog button is just over there on the sidebar. >>> 

Emily is the most sensitive, cheerful, sweet, thoughtful, adorable person you will ever meet.  We were roommates in college and had SO much fun together: 

We even dressed up like old men together for Halloween (Richard included), and if THAT doesn’t solidify a friendship for life, I don’t know what does.

She’s been there for me through some very hard times.  While I was still up at school, my dad had to have a very delicate brain surgery.  Emily and another sweet roommate, Rachel, fasted and prayed with me that day.  It was so hard to be away from my family at that time, but such a comfort to have good friends! 

And I’m really excited for my Emily because she found out yesterday that she and Richard are approved to adopt!

HOORAY!

They have been waiting SO long for their baby!  And they will make truly wonderful parents!  I can’t wait to watch their little family grow! 

I sure love you Em!  Thanks for being my friend! 

Please go visit her adoption blog, and be sure to tell her “hi!”

Enjoy

Hello?… Is anyone still there?

I realize it’s been far too long since I’ve updated ye ole’ blog.  We’ve been, you know, packing, packing, packing, moving, unpacking, unpacking, unpacking, visiting with family, starting a new job, getting settled, STARTING ADOPTION PAPERWORK (WOOT), and making friends.

But, I’ve truly missed my blog friends :) I used to think it was kind of corny when people said that.  I thought it was kind of strange to have a “friendship” with someone you had never even met in person.  I get it now.  Frankly, I don’t know tons and tons of people that are going through infertility.  I know even fewer that have adopted/are hoping to adopt.  It has been a comfort to me to “meet” women who are experiencing the same things I am.  It’s refreshing to connect with people who completely get it.  Your sweet comments always brighten up my day.  Truly, I love hearing what is going on in your lives.  I never expected to find such support, but I’m grateful. 

I have been evaluating my life lately.  Big changes always lead to deep introspection, and a twenty-four hour drive to our new home gave me lots of opportunity for thinking. 

All this thinking led to a sort of quarter-life crisis.  It sometimes scares me that I am twenty-five and still not entirely sure what I want to do with the rest of my life.  I keep plugging along, but sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever “get there.” 

One night in frustration, I pleaded with God to know what he wants me to be.  I told him I would do anything, however impossible it may seem.  The answer was clear.  “I don’t want you to do the impossible, I just want you to be Whitney.” 

Being a good wife, daughter, sister, aunt, young women’s leader, and friend is enough.  I may not do anything remarkable, but that's okay.  Most of us are just ordinary people trying to do our best, right?

Enjoy what you have.

I’ve been trying to do just that.  The time spent with family was so precious to me.  I am so blessed to have such a sweet husband.  I am so grateful for the miracles our family has experienced lately.  I’ve been trying to scale back on the superfluous things and really enjoy the special blessings in my life right now. 

I don’t expect I’ll be posting on this blog as often for the next little while.  We’re focusing on building our family right now, so we’re going to try and do a better job of keeping up our adoption blog.  You can find me over there :)

And if it isn’t too much to ask, could you do me a favor?  If you haven’t already done so, could you add our adoption button to your blog/become a follower of our adoption blog?  It’s a little embarrassing to ask, I’ve never been one to toot my own horn or put a plug in for myself, but we know that we need the help and support of our friends to find our baby. 

The more buttons that are out there, the more opportunities for potential birth parents to find us.  The more followers we have, the more traffic that flows to our blog.  It’s quite humbling for me to ask for help, but I can do it for our baby. 

Joy

Just a few days ago we got the blessed news that spencer was offered a job as a morning anchor for a TV station in Idaho! 

We’re so grateful, excited, overwhelmed… happy just doesn’t begin to cover it.  We’re kind of walking on air.  We have loved our time here in Texas and made some wonderful friends.  But the time has definitely come to move on, and we hope that we will FINALLY be able to make some progress on adoption now! 

I’ve spent much of the week in tears.  The good kind.  I’m just a tearful person I guess (I must take after my mom hee hee), as all of my emotions tend to leak out my eyes.  I cry when I’m sad.  I cry when I’m mad.  I cry when I’m glad.  Sheesh. 

So I’ve been busy packing, cleaning, packing, garage selling, packing, and getting ready to move in just a couple weeks.  I may not be around much for a little while.  But I was so excited to share our news!  Any of you who live in the Boise area will have to give me good ideas of fun things to do there! 

Have a Lovely Day

I hope you all have a lovely Friday!  May your weekend be sunny! 

You + Me

I’ve been making lots of stuff lately.

Mostly I’ve been making lots and lots of stumps. 

Yep, stumps. 

I love love love the little carving.  I see all sorts of possibilities here.  I made one with “S & W” in a heart.  And I love it too. 

I’ll show ya later. 

For now, I'm off to enjoy the most beautiful weather we’ve had all week. 

Good Timber

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.


The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.


Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.


Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.


-Douglas Malloch

The World Is Mine

Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maiden with golden hair.

I envied her, and I wished I were as fair.

When suddenly she rose to leave,

I saw her hobble down the aisle.

She had one foot and wore a crutch.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine,

I have two feet the world is mine.

And when I stopped to buy some sweets,

The lad who sold them had such charm.

I talked with him, he seemed so glad.

And as I left, he said to me,

"Thank you.  You've been so kind.

It's nice to talk with folks like you.

You see," he said,  "I'm blind."

Oh God, forgive me when I whine,

I have two eyes the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street,

I saw a child with eyes of blue.

He stood and watched the others play,

It seemed he knew not what to do.

I stopped a moment then I said,

"Why don't you join the others dear?"

He looked ahead without a word.

And then I knew he could not hear.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine,

I have two ears the world is mine.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.

With feet to take me where I'd go.

With eyes to see the sunset's glow.

With ears to hear what I'd know.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.

I'm blessed indeed, the world is mine.

-Red Foley

A Mother’s Heart

I love my mother.  She is truly one of my best friends.  My mom (along with my dad) knows better than anyone how to mourn with those who mourn, and comfort those who stand in need of comfort.  I don’t know how she does it, but when my world comes crashing down, sometimes she’s the only one with the words to mend my broken heart.  I want to be just like that.  I want to be just like her.

While I delight to honor my mother on this special day, I am always mindful of those who feel left out.  Those who would love to have babies, but can’t.  Those who would love to be married, but aren’t.  Those who have lost mothers.  Those who have lost children.  Sometimes the reminders can be so very painful.

I know what it’s like to be left out.  To be skipped over.  To be told that my contributions don’t count.  I know what it feels like to feel alone and forgotten. 

So while I honor my wonderful mother, and mother in law, I also honor all of the other women who have reached out to me with a mothers heart.  Whether or not they have children of their own.  Your contributions DO count.  Your efforts matter!  Your kindness and goodness matter, especially to me!  I am so grateful for you and for the impact you have had on my life.  I’m grateful for the texts/phone calls/e-mails/letters that come right when I need it the most.  I wanted to celebrate you special ladies today too.  Sending a big hug to those who need it!

Love,

Me    

Quilt Numero Dos

TA-DA!!! It’s finally finished!  This one was also almost entirely hand-stitched.  Hence the reason it took me several months to complete.  Though lots of people think I’m crazy, I am a big fan of sewing by hand.  I worked on this quilt at the airport, in the doctors office, in the car waiting to pick up Spencer…  I love being able to work on crafty projects when I have a bit of spare time.
 

I LOVE how the final product turned out.  It’s random scrappy hodge-podge of colors brightens up pictures of picnics and outings.  It just makes me happy!  And I love that it contains a little piece of all of my sewing projects so far.  It's already filled with good memories.  I have definitely been bitten by the quilting bug.  I’m working on my third quilt and already have plans for my fourth.   

I asked Spencer to hold the quilt up so I could get a couple of shots of it all spread out.  This wasn’t quite what I had in mind.  Silly boy. 

Little lamb.  I already have plans for another photo shoot featuring this quilt (just can’t get enough).  Stay tuned. 

Bust a Myth

I’ve really liked reading what people have to say about infertility during National Infertility Awareness Week.  One of the things that has helped me the most during this journey is meeting people who share the same struggles I do.  I wanted to share a few of my favorite “Bust a Myth” posts that were written by my bloggy friends.   

I really like what my friend Julie had to say about “fault” and infertility.  Savannah wrote a beautiful post about not needing children to be a family.  Ashley chose to address the myth “as soon as you adopt you’ll get pregnant” (I think that’s the one we’ve gotten the most).  Kenna, who is hilarious by the way, discussed the myth that individuals who struggle with infertility “hate/despise/resent/won’t be friends with” individuals who don’t.  Lindsey busted a few myths;  I especially like what she had to say about “getting over” infertility.

In honor of NIAW, Lindsey is hosting a giveaway on her blog, the r house.  Hop on over for a chance to win a copy of Infertility: Help, Hope, and Healing by Kerstin Daynes.

Thanks for sharing guys!     

Eternal

Since our anniversary was yesterday, I wanted to share my favorite talk on eternal marriage.  Enjoy!

Three Years

I am so grateful that he’s mine to keep forever. 

The Pain of Silence

I stumbled upon “Bust an Infertility Myth Blog Challenge” (sponsored by RESOLVE) a few weeks ago and decided that I really wanted to participate.  You can learn more about national infertility awareness week here.    

I think in a lot of ways Spencer and I have been really lucky.  For the most part we haven’t gotten a lot of rude remarks regarding our situation.  I have never been told to “just relax.”  So far, we haven’t had anyone tell us we’re “doing it wrong” (knock on wood).  To tell you the truth, I have been more hurt by the things that HAVEN’T been said more than the things that have.

Therefore, the myth that I particularly wanted to challenge is this:
It is better to not say anything to couples struggling with infertility than to risk saying something wrong.   

I don’t want this to come across the wrong way.  I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty.  We have so many supportive friends and family members.  To all of you, I thank you.  Thank you for being there for us.  Thank you for offering your love.  Thank you for the letters, phone calls, comments, and hugs.  Thank you, thank you for letting us know that we are not alone.  

My heart aches for those who don’t have the support system we do.  Perhaps you know someone who struggles with infertility.  Chances are, you know multiple someone's.  I know it can be hard to know the proper way to respond.  I have been there myself!  Many people are afraid of saying the wrong thing.  They don’t want to make the situation worse.  Some individuals, with children, may feel like they don’t know what to say because they can’t relate to what it is like to struggle with infertility.  Because some people don’t know what to say, they don’t say anything. 

Silence can be devastating. 

I will tell you about the first time we shared our struggles with infertility with our family.  I was nervous.  No, I was beyond nervous I was terrified.  We had talked for months about whether or not we should share our burden with others.  Spencer wanted to tell our family our story.  He knew that our dear family would pray for us.  He knew that they would be there for us.  I was hesitant to share the deepest feelings of my heart.  I really don’t like asking for help.  I was of the opinion that we should deal with the situation on our own. 

We eventually decided that before we began aggressive fertility treatments, we would tell our family some of the details.  One Monday evening, we sat down at the computer and composed an e-mail.  It was a difficult e-mail to write, but even more difficult to send.  We actually said a prayer before we sent it off, because I was so scared of their reactions. 

After we hit “send” I thought, “Did I really just do that?  Did I really just share the most vulnerable part of my heart with all those people?”  I felt very exposed, to say the least. 

At first people didn’t know what to say.  It was a learning process for all of us.  Spencer and I had to learn how to humble ourselves and ask for support.  We then had to learn how to receive it.  Was it hard?  Yes.  Was it worth it?  Yes.

Even though it was the most embarrassing thing I have ever done, I am so grateful that we shared our struggles with infertility and our desire for parenthood.  The kindness and that has been shown us has literally carried us through some difficult times.  The kind letters of compassion have been lovingly read and re-read.  The sweet words of encouragement have been written in our journal to reflect upon during difficult times.

So to those of you who don’t know what to say to help your friend struggling with infertility, I offer this advice:  say something.  Even if your words aren’t perfect.  Even if you feel inadequate to offer your support.  Even if you feel like you can’t understand their pain.  Heart speaks to heart.  However imperfect you may feel your offering of comfort is, the sincerity of your feelings will come shining through. 

You don’t have to say a lot.  Sometimes all it takes is a hug.  Sometimes all it takes is a:

“I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

“We’re thinking about you!”

“We love you.”

“We’re praying for you.”

Just don’t leave them wondering whether or not you care.  It took so much courage for them to open up.  The fact that they told you they are struggling, is a huge sign of trust. 

Infertility is difficult enough as it is; no couple should have to struggle through it alone. 
To learn more about infertility, please visit here.

Silver Lining

It maybe didn’t start out as the best day.  Spencer’s computer bit the dust.  Not so convenient.  We’ve been praying all week for a very important phone call.  Still haven’t heard.  Lots of nail biting and hair pulling going on around our house today.
I FINALLY finished my very second quilt.  I am so proud.  I spent lots of the day looking forward to this outdoor photo shoot I had planned to showcase my latest creation.  Spencer got home from work.  He grabbed the quilt and I grabbed my camera.  We stepped outside. 
Raining. 
But the rain made me so very very happy.     

I’m sure you’ve heard about all the fires going on in Texas.  1.5 million acres of charred land.  Homes lost.  Lives lost.  Our governor Rick Perry called on Texans to pray for rain.  So we’ve been asking Heavenly Father to bless our state with the moisture it so desperately needs. 
He listened.
We could certainly use more, but I have a feeling more is on the way.  We’ll take what we can get.

For now, I’m so grateful for what we have.  

Picnic For Two

Here are a couple more little woodland fellows for your viewing pleasure.  As I was posting these pictures, I was thinking I should have made a picnic basket.  Another time maybe. 

The skunk does, in fact, have eyeballs.  They just didn’t photograph so well for some reason.  Little stinker. 

My woodland fellows sure do love their junk food.  No wonder the baby owls are so fat.  All they ever eat is doughnuts, hamburgers, ice cream… I did think about making healthy snacks like apples and carrots.  But pancakes and hot dogs were just more fun to make, and to look at.  I guess that is what my little critters will be eating.  So sue me PETA. 

Playing With Color

I had this blank canvas that had been sitting on my shelf for a couple of months now.  So I decided to get it out and play.

I have this thing for color.  I really do.  I like to take pictures of spools of thread or paint chip samples or skeins of yearn all lined up neatly on the shelf according to color.  I love to organize my craft supplies in rainbow color order.  And there are few things more satisfying than mixing several different colors together to get just the shade you were looking for. 

It took me a while to create just the right shade of cheerful green.  I made several lovely shades of moldy green to puke green on my first attempts.

Truthfully, I have never really done much painting before.  My grandma is an amazing artist.  My mom had a few of her paintings on display in our home growing up.  I would love to take a lesson from her someday.  In the meantime, this is what I came up with.   

This was just one of those projects that you do for the process, not so much the end result.  It’s not the most display-worthy masterpiece I have ever created.  Let’s just say I’m obviously not the artist my Grandma is.  But, I was just happy getting paint all over my fingers and mixing colors to my hearts content.  I am convinced that even if you don’t think you are “good” at it, art in any form is good for the soul.  I am learning to find more joy in the process.  

What’s a Girl to do?

I love how this page turned out except with one little exception.  I HATE my handwriting.  So much so that I nearly ripped the journaling tab right off the page.  My handwriting is not messy by any means.  It just looks immature to me. Spencer told me that our kiddos will love to see my handwriting someday, even if I don’t think it’s particularly pretty myself.  I know he’s right.  Still, about 99.9% of the time I type the journaling on my pages.  It just looks so much better.  Any tips/ideas for improving your penmanship would be appreciated.  Can it be changed?  Should it be changed?  Anyone else out there dislike your handwriting?       

Photo Shoot

It’s been a while since I shared any pictures from a photo shoot.  This family was so much fun! 

This little girl was especially cute.  She particularly requested a photo with her cowgirl princess hat. 

Precious! 

Now that it is finally beautiful outside, I plan on spending a lot more time out and about with my camera. 

Sing a Happy Song

Happy Friday friends! 

It Is Possible…

that I have gone a bit overboard making little woodland creatures to live with the fat owls in the stump.

It kind of took me forever to make a dear that looked like a dear.  All my first attempts looked like cows.

I love her little spotted bum!  You could just pinch it huh?  Stay tuned for more little woodland fellows.