My Faith

I have been pondering my beliefs lately and feel compelled to share a little bit more about who I am and what is important to me. I have felt inspired to do this for some time now, but have resisted for several reasons.

1. I figure everyone who reads my blog is already a member of my Church and therefore believes the same things I do.

2. I don't want anybody to think I am being self-righteous or ultra-pious.

3. This is important to me and I don't want anybody to think I'm stupid.


However, I read an article by Elder M. Russell Ballard (one of my Church leaders) encouraging members of our Church to use the Internet and current technology to help share our beliefs. He specifically mentioned blogging as a great way to share our testimonies of the gospel, and I realized this is something I need to do. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly known as "The Mormons."

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. We believe that through his Atonement, we can be forgiven of our sins and if we do our best to live righteously, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again. We believe Jesus Christ is a resurrected Being and lives today. We believe we are children of a loving Heavenly Father who knows us personally, loves us, has a plan for us, and wants us to be happy.
We believe that Jesus Christ established his true Church on the earth during his mortal ministry. As time passed, the Church fell into apostasy and was eventually taken from the earth. We believe Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith and through him restored the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth.
We believe Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from gold plates. The Book of Mormon is a record of the ancient inhabitants of the American continents and along with the Bible, teach the fulness of Christ's gospel. We believe Jesus Christ visited America after his crucifixion and a record of his visit can be found in the Book of Mormon. Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon testifies of the divinity of Jesus Christ and teaches us how to live better and find true joy throughout our lives.

We believe that throughout time God has called prophets to serve as His messengers and teach His gospel. We read of great prophets in the Old Testament, New Testament, and Book of Mormon. We believe God has called Thomas S. Monson to be his prophet upon the earth today and counsels us through him. It is so wonderful to know we have a living prophet to help guide us and teach us.

We believe families are ordained of God and we can live together forever with our families if we are faithful. It is so wonderful for me to know I will see my loved ones who have passed away again and we can live together eternally. I think of the love I feel for my family and am so grateful to know I will carry that love with me even after I die and those we love are not lost. The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to love our families and serve others. I know my life is better and my family is happier because we are members of our Church and strive to live its teachings.

Our Church has a wonderful website http://www.lds.org/ if you would like to learn more. I love the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and am proud to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Hawaii--My 2 Year Anniversary!

This week is the anniversary of my trip to Hawaii and I've been feeling a bit nostalgic the past couple of days. I started looking through my pictures today and decided that I would share my wonderful experience with my faithful blog readers. :) (Don't worry--my house is spotless, my laundry is done, my bills are all paid, Garrett has already had tummy time and we've read 5 stories--so I have absolutely nothing else to do. If only...)

My cousin was getting married on the beach in Maui and so a group of us decided it was the perfect excuse to finally take our dream vacation. It was kind of a random group--my mom, my sister Emily, her husband Sean, their daughter Brooklyn, my cousin Janalee, friend Karen, and me. (Greg had absolutely no desire to go. Weird, I know! His idea of a dream vacation is hunting in Spanish Fork Canyon. No beaches for him!)

I can't remember exactly, but I think we spent six days in Oahu and four in Maui. We crammed as much fun as we could into ten days--The Polynesian Cultural Center, Dole Plantation, Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor, The Road to Hana, snorkeling (my favorite), swimming, surfing, flea markets, parasailing, you name it! I started each day with a piece of pie from Ted's Bakery. It was an amazing vacation and it's a good thing Greg was at home or else I might have never left the islands.

Just like my keychain reads, "What happens in Hawaii stays with you FOREVER!" (A much better logo than stupid Las Vegas!)

Another Fun Weekend!

We had another busy and fun weekend! Friday was Willy's birthday (Greg's dad) and we were so lucky because he chose to spend his big day with his favorite (and only) grandchild. We had a fun mini-party and Garrett loved celebrating in his party hat!


On Saturday, the Petersen gals got together at Willow Park for a little picnic. A few of my cousins are visiting from out of town and we are always looking for an opportunity to get together and party. It was so fun to see each other again and to watch our new generation of kids become friends. I have so many great memories of playing with my cousins at my Grandpa Claude and Grandma Vone's house. My grandma and grandpa were such great sports and we could talk them into letting us do just about anything. We would spend our summers sleeping in their camp trailer in the backyard, watching "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," playing Annie-I-Over, doing gymnastics in the front yard, and eating Grandma Vone's yummy cheesecake. I really hope my kids have as wonderful of a childhood as I did.

Here are a few of our pictures from the day. The kids loved walking through the zoo and seeing the animals. The highlight of the day was watching the turtles. I never knew that watching turtles could be so interesting, but it was actually really cool! One of the turtles climbed on top of the other one and got knocked over and upside down on its shell. The kids (and their parents) were worried about how it was going to get turned over, but the other turtle came right up and just gave it a big push and knocked it back over. (Of course my camera died during the middle of this, but I did get a few pictures!)

And while I was out partying, here is what Greg was doing. (Sometimes I love being a woman!)

We are building a garage/shed and the guys from our families have spent the last few weekends working on it. Thanks so much to everyone who has helped! It is looking great!

I about died when I pulled up and saw Greg sitting on top of the building.

Men are crazy! :)

Tag--Seven Random Things

So my best pal Karlee tagged me a few months ago and it has taken me this long to come up with seven random things about myself. (Let's just say I'm not the most exciting person in the world!) I don't want seven years of bad luck from the blog gods, so here goes. Prepare to be amazed!

1. I HATE running! I think I have post-traumatic stress sydrome from tripping and then barfing after running the bleachers at Lewiston Elementary. Just the thought of running makes my lungs hurt and my stomach upset. (However, I do LOVE to go for walks!)

2. I am TERRIFIED of snakes (what girl isn't?) and bears. I got a nasty email showing pictures of someone who had supposedly been attacked by a grizzly and then I had a nightmare about it and have been scared of bears ever since. (Greg has had a few bear run-ins while fishing in the wild. He came face-to-face with a bear and lived to tell about it. I'm glad it was him and not me!)

3. I LOVE bubble baths. I should probably put that in the past tense and say I LOVED bubble baths. I think I've probably only had about two since Garrett entered the world, but that's okay. Now I'm lucky to get a two minute shower in every other day. (TMI-I know!) I used to always watch the news at 10 and then have a bath and read until about 11:30 and then go to bed. Speaking of bathing, I really DON'T LIKE bathing/showering at other people's houses. Hotels are okay and I love the bathtub at my parents' house (I grew up using it, so it's okay), but other than that, I try to avoid showering away from home anytime I can. I'm not sure what it is, but it just gives me the creeps to think about bathing in someone else's tub.

4. I am FASCINATED by medicine and health care. I have always wanted to be a nurse, but am not so great at math and science, so I was too chicken to major in nursing in college. I love English and am grateful for the chance I have had to be a teacher--I wouldn't trade that experience for anything, but sometimes I wish I would have just tried nursing. Occasionally I get a crazy idea of going back to school and becoming a nurse, but I don't think it will happen anytime soon.

5. I can probably count on both of my hands the times I have blow-dried my hair in my lifetime. My hair has no curl/wave and is as straight as a stick. I wash it at night, sleep on it wet, and get up and go. I didn't even own a blowdryer until a few years ago until someone was visiting me and I was so embarrassed because I didn't have a blowdryer to loan them. I bought one to keep on hand, just in case.

6. I LOVE cooking! I love making up recipes and trying new things. I try to make things low-fat as often as possible. (Greg doesn't always like that, but he's a good sport!) I inherited a sweet tooth and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE treats, but I try hard to take a dessert recipe and make it a bit healthier. (It doesn't really work that well because I just end up eating more because I can justify it in my mind, but oh well.) I love fun mixing bowls, utensils, appliances, cookbooks, and basically anything that has to do with the kitchen. My Grandma Vone was an AMAZING cook and my dad is a great chef as well, so I am working on filling their big shoes.

7. I am the oddball of my family. My siblings all have brown hair, brown eyes, and middle names. There is Brian Craig, Emily Sue, Brett Wright, and just plain strawberry-blonde, green-eyed Natalie. This was quite a sore subject for me as a kid. I would tell people my name was "Natalie Sue" and my dear sweet sister would quickly correct me and let everybody know that she was "Emily Sue," but I was just plain "Natalie." (Don't worry-It still hurts, but I'm dealing with it. I'm just waiting for Em's husband to finish school and become a licensed therapist and then I'll make him counsel me for free in order to compensate for the years of heartache suffered at her expense.)

So there you have it--I am now tagging Mallory (she really needs to update her blog), Keri, Aunt Mainie, Chelsea, and every single blogger of the Anderson clan. Adios amigos!

Bear Lake

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Garrett and I spent the week in Bear Lake at my family's cabin. Unfortunately, Greg had to stay home and work so the little guy and I can afford to play. It was the longest Garrett had ever been away from his daddy and he really missed him! Despite missing Greg, we had a fabulous time and Garrett even got to swim for the first time. I was very nervous to take him in the water, but he did great! He was so chill and even fell asleep! He loved just floating in the tube and we decided he just needed a DC or Pina Colada and he would have been set to float all day.

My dad wowed us all with his cannon balls and quickly became the most popular guy at the pool. The kids would start chanting, "Cannon Ball, Cannon Ball" until he would do one and then they would all erupt in applause. It was hilarious! My dad has had a rough year with his back and hasn't been up to doing much, so it was wonderful for us to see him clowning around again. Enjoy the video!

I know I am biased because I am his mother, but I do have to admit that my little Garrett is pretty darn cute! I love this video of him laughing. It's funny because you can make a fool of yourself putting on a production to make a kid laugh, and they will just look at you like you are a complete idiot and not crack a smile. But then, when you least expect it, they will just burst out laughing at absolutely nothing at all. These moments make everything worth it and I wouldn't trade this little guy for anything.

Here's my little giggler!

Awesome Uncles!

We spent the weekend in Salt Lake visiting Greg's family. Greg's little brother, Mike, is in his fourth year of medical school in Wisconsin and finally had a few days off so he could come home and meet his new nephew. We had a wonderful weekend and Garrett was quite taken with Mike (and vice versa). Garrett is looking forward to having a "rich uncle" who has already promised to pay for his college and fly him to New York for the weekend to watch the Yankees.

Matt, Greg's youngest brother, also received his Eagle Scout this weekend and we are so proud of him. Matt is an excellent young man and Garrett is so lucky to have him as an uncle. Way to go, Matt!

Above is a picture of Greg and his brothers at the Court of Honor. Greg and I were talking the other day about how lucky Garrett is to have such amazing uncles. Every single one of them on both sides of the family have received their Eagle Scout awards and have served missions. WOW!

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I would have to say Snow White is my least favorite Disney Princess. I was really hoping to be Ariel. Oh well--I guess I don't look good in a bikini anyway!


You Are Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Daddy's Boy

I finally got a few video clips to upload. (My computer would always freeze up whenever I tried!) Here are a few of my favorites.

So Close!

I turned around for just a second and when I looked back, Garrett had just about rolled himself over. He just barely started really pulling his legs up this week and had only rolled onto his side a couple of times, so I was surprised to see this. I think he would have made it if he hadn't found his hand to suck on. (As with all baby videos, please disregard me sounding like an idiot and focus on Garrett!)

Bath Time

You'll be able to see by his legs that Garrett is definitely malnourished!

Congrats to Kristin and Brandon!

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity of attending my friend Kristin's wedding. It was a beautiful day and Kristin was an absolutely gorgeous bride.

Kristin and Brandon are flying from their honeymoon to their new home in Omaha, Nebraska. (Can you even imagine the stress of that? Not only getting married, but moving at the same time!) I've been friends with Kristin since our junior year of high school and I am really going to miss her. Garrett and I already have big plans to fly out and visit her sometime really soon, though!
Last week I went with Kristin to her parents' house and just hung out, looked at some old high school pictures, and laughed at how stupid we were back in the good ole' days. We spent A LOT of time at Kristin's house making shakes, eating ice cream cones, watching chic flicks ("Father of the Bride" was our favorite!), hot tubbing, and chatting about our love lives (or lack thereof). One of my favorite memories with Kristin was the night before we had to take the ACT. I decided to stay at Kristin's house because she lived just a few minutes from the high school and I mistakenly figured I'd get more sleep and be more prepared if I stayed with her. Yeah right! We ended up staying up late chatting and watching movies until about 3 AM until we got ready for bed and I realized I had forgotten my toothbrush. Kristin's dad had just gotten a brand new Jeep Cherokee and Kristin really wanted to drive it, but her dad wouldn't let her. So, we snuck into his office, found the keys, and took the new wheels down to the 7-11 to buy me a toothbrush and get slurpees. Needless to say, I ended up getting about 2 hours of sleep that night and actually fell asleep during the test. OOPS! (And I wonder why I didn't get a scholarship to BYU...)

I remember another time when some loser boyfriend had just broken up with me and I was totally devastated. I had a box of old memorabilia and pictures of him and took it over to Kristin's house to show her and get sympathy for my stupid broken heart. Kristin listened to me cry for awhile and then took the box and said she was keeping it and I wasn't allowed to look at it anymore. She said she would keep it under her bed until I called her and told her to get rid of it. I think that box stayed under her bed for awhile, but I don't know what I would have done without her!

Last year, Kristin, Melinda (Hanks) Arnell, and I decided on a whim to go to New York for the weekend. (Like we had the idea on Wednesday and flew out early Friday morning!) It was a wild, crazy, and fun weekend! Kristin is literally 6 feet tall, blonde, and pretty much a babe, so we had the creepiest guys following us EVERYWHERE! Melinda and I would keep looking at each other and say, "Does this usually happen to you?" I know for a fact it doesn't happen to me, so we decided it had to be Kristin! The funniest part about that trip was when we were walking through Central Park and Kristin was telling us about the different boys she was dating. The conversation went something like this...

Kristin: "And the guy I should really go for is this doctor guy. He is in Medical
School at the U and is just a really nice guy. He's the Elder's Quorom President in his Singles Ward, etc." (She says some other stuff about him, but I can't remember it.)

Melinda: "Oh my gosh...Please don't tell me his name is Brandon Park."

Kristin: "It is! How do you know him?"

Melinda then proceeds to tell us how her and Brandon are in the same ward, she's known him for years, he's friends with her boyfriend (now husband), they've been on double dates together, etc. It was pretty funny! Small, small world!

Good luck King! I'm going to miss you!

What We've Been Up To...

Garrett got to visit his Aunt Kathy. We all love Kathy because she is always telling us how wonderful we are and how proud she is of us.

Garrett is growing so big! He is looking stylish in his new outfit from Pops.

Garrett is known for making some pretty silly faces. Here are a few of them.

Uncle Ric wearing the bib Brett and Chelsea sent from Alaska. Lookin' good!

We attended our first rodeo of the season. Garrett was looking pretty cute in his pearly snaps and cowboy hat. (Greg said the hat was a little too "Toby Keith-ish" for his liking, but it was the best I could do!)

Another funny face!

One of the saddlebronc riders hit the ground hard and got a compound fracture in his leg. The poor guy was in bad shape. They had to stop the rodeo for a good half hour while they tried to help him. (At least we got to listen to some lame jokes from the announcers during that time!)


Maybe you can see where Garrett's funny faces come from...

Greg tried (again) to give Garrett some Diet Coke. Luckily I caught them in time. (Again.)

Garrett loves to play with his daddy. He is smiling and cooing a lot now, but stops as soon as I get out the camera. It was a rare moment to capture one of his smiles!

Such a sweet boy! I could spend all day just watching him sleep.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our fourth anniversary! WAHOO! Lookin' forward to many, many more!

Happy Late Father's Day!

I know I'm a bit late, but I want to pay tribute to the wonderful fathers in my life. Thanks to Greg, Sparky, and Willy for being such wonderful men and fathers. I am blessed to have you and love you more than you know!

This was our first Father's Day without my Grandpa Butch and I can't believe how much I miss him. Not a day passes that I don't think of him. Last Father's Day he was admitted to the hospital and it was just a few days later we discovered he was full of cancer and wasn't going to make it. When he was told he was dying, his first words were, "Saddle up Sammy." Grandpa went quickly and only lived for five more weeks, but he did manage to ride his beloved horse, Sammy, one last time. I'm so grateful to have been his granddaughter and for everything I learned from him.

Wonderful Weekend!

I’m sorry for yet another long slideshow, but it’s just the best way to show a bunch of pictures. It seems like every time I take a picture someone says something like, “I’ll be watching for this on your blog.” This is my attempt to include everybody! Enjoy!

This weekend was wonderful (and very busy!) It started out Friday evening with my family and the Relay for Life. Both my Grandpa and Grandma Petersen died of cancer, so our family has used this event as a family reunion for the past several years. We first started the relay six years ago after my Grandma Vone died of colon cancer. This was our first relay without Grandpa Claude, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just one year ago this month and died in July. He had already survived a bout of prostate cancer, so he always had the honor of wearing the purple “Survivor” t-shirt and representing our team in the Survivor Walk. It was so different this year not having him there. I miss him and my grandma so much and often think of how they would have loved little Garrett’s big smile and red hair. Grandma Vone’s maiden name was Garrett, so it’s wonderful for us to know that her legacy lives on in our little boy. Since that first relay six years ago, several other family members have lost other loved ones to cancer, so our team has expanded. Every year it just gets bigger and bigger and more and more fun! It was especially meaningful for us this year as our cousin Jan is fighting thyroid cancer. We were hoping she would be able to represent us this year during the Survivor Walk, but she just wasn’t up to it. We were so glad she was able to ride over and at least visit for a bit! Thanks so much to Chad for all of the hard work he puts every year into the relay. We wouldn’t have a team if it wasn’t for him! The Relay for Life is always a highlight of my summer and I love the opportunity to be with family and new friends. We are already looking forward to next year!

On Saturday, we drove to Price for a Phillips family reunion. Greg’s Grandpa Phillips died when Willy (Greg’s dad) was just a few days old, so none of us have ever had the pleasure of knowing him or even much about him. RaeDell (Willy’s dad’s cousin) was turning 80 and wanted to have a family reunion to celebrate her birthday. She is a cute, spunky little thing and I would never believe she is 80 years old! It was so fun to meet her and some of Willy’s other cousins and learn a little more about Willy’s dad and Greg’s grandpa. Greg’s grandpa’s name was Wilford Phillips, so it’s also wonderful for us to know his legacy is living on through our little Garrett Wilford. Greg and I often talk about how proud his Grandpa must be to know that although he died when his only child was just a baby, he does a wonderful posterity and our little Garrett is his first great-grandchild. Hopefully there are many more little Phillips babies to come!

Sunday was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and blue sky. We spent the evening at Willy’s sister Sandy’s house. I LOVE Sandy’s house and she has the most amazing yard! Every time we go, I always ask her if we can move in (or at least have it when she dies). Her house is just a tiny little quaint cottage with lots of character and charm. She is an amazing gardener and I have never seen flowers so beautiful. Not only that, but she is a FABULOUS cook! Unfortunately, most of the women in Greg’s side of the family are, which isn’t so good for a girl who just had a baby and is trying to get back into her old clothes! I’m usually not a big hamburger fan, but these ones literally melted right in your mouth. Combine that with spinach-artichoke dip, homemade cinnamon rolls, shrimp salad, and four different cream pies. Let’s just say many of us decided our diets would have to wait until tomorrow (or some other time really soon!) Of course, Garrett was a big hit and loved getting smothered with kisses and love. Garrett was so worn out from our busy weekend he slept until almost noon today.

How wonderful to wear yourself out having fun!

Recognize this Hottie?

Matt (Greg's little brother) was cleaning out his room and came across a few treasures!

My Soapbox

Every year I look forward to the first weekend in June and the Children's Miracle Network Telethon. I first started watching this as just a kid and have always been so touched by the stories and the sweet kids. (I especially liked it while I was growing up because it was one of the few times we got to watch TV on Sunday.) =) This year, the telethon has had even more meaning for me as I have held my own precious baby. I have been up late watching it and holding Garrett and thinking of how blessed I am to have a healthy baby. The telethon runs until 5:00 Sunday afternoon and you can watch it on KSL (Channel 5). You will be so humbled as you watch the stories of these sick kids and realize the miracles that happen every day because of modern medicine. I would encourage everyone who reads this post to call 1-800-762-7262 and make a donation. Every little bit helps! Maybe I can use my blog to do something good!