SPIDERS…EEK!

Dear  Readers,

I am pretty sure I have aracnophobia.  Not to be cheesy, but wikipedia states, "People with arachnophobia tend to feel uneasy in any area they believe could harbor spiders or that has visible signs of their presence, such as webs. If arachnophobics see a spider, they may not enter the general vicinity until they have overcome the panic attack that is often associated with their phobia. Some people scream, cry, have trouble breathing, have excessive sweating or even heart trouble when they come in contact with an area near spiders or their webs. In some extreme cases, even a picture or a realistic drawing of a spider can also trigger fear."  

That definition is me when I see a spider.  We live in a little fourplex in the basement.  I love where we live.  I love our neighbors.  There are quite a few hispanics around us and I love listening to the little kids talk to their moms, "Linda!  Listen to me!"  I also love listening to our back yard neighbors get a little tipsy and sing a bunch of songs with their guitar late at night.  

The only thing I don't like, is that our cute, cozy apartment is right next to a big field.  This means that every once in awhile we get a few spiders.  These spiders are mostly small, but every once in awhile a big one comes along.  I'm pretty sure the big ones are an occasional hobo spider.  I've had the husband spray our apartment, I've used the peppermint essential oils mixed with water and spray around the complex, and our landlord even got the heavy duty spider spray to spray around our complex. But, every couple weeks without fail, there is a spider.

Of course, when I see the spider, I smash it with a shoe.  I HATE using tissue to get the spider because of the feeling when it squishes between my hands.  I also get these nightmares that I will wake up in the morning and spiders will be crawling everywhere on the floor.  FREAKY!!  I've tried to educate myself on spiders and why they are beneficial.  BUT, Nothing has worked and they still freak me out.  I am the definition of arachnophobia on the wikipedia web page.  I sweat when I see them.  I about pee my pants when I see them.  I scream!  

Usually the husband will be home so he can get the spiders and calm me down from my state of panic.  But, here is my newlywed dilemma.  I need some advice and need it fast!  What do I do when I see a spider and my husband is not home to step on it or squish it for me?  

Sincerely,

A freaked out-scared-pregnant wifey who hates spiders.

THE SUGAR IN LEMONADE...

I haven't ever been very public about my past, but there are a few, who know that before I married my now husband Derek, I was married before.  In the LDS religion, there are a lot of girls who get married at the age of 19.  While, this is not a bad thing, and I'm sure most of those marriages turn out to be great, I fell victim of this.  This marriage was not the greatest.  There was physical, emotional, and verbal abuse.  I finally felt so alone, that I reached out to my parents to help me get away.

Through much pain, heartache, drama, contemplating thoughts, doubts of my self-image, and depression, I was able to overcome this with the help from a lot of people.  But, it wasn't easy.  This time in my life was probably the actual first time I ever realized, life is hard.  I kept thinking over and over to myself, life hands you lemons, but how do you make lemonade after something so sour and bitter like a divorce?  I didn't know how to add the "sugar" to my lemonade until I went on a LDS mission. 

Being on a mission was another glimpse for me that life was hard.  A mission is hard.  I would get frustrated when people didn't listen to the truth I was trying to share with them.  I would get sad when someone didn't want us to come over and teach them anymore.  I would get angry when my companion and I helped someone stop smoking for a week then started right back up again.  All of the sudden, the burden, I was making myself carry was too much to bear.  I was tired of feeling frustrated about the people I worked with while on the mission.  I was tired of still feeling alone from my divorce.  Again, I asked myself frequently, how do I make lemonade out of all these lemons?  

The answer was simple.  I finally gave my heart to the Savior.  That is the sugar.  To just stop worrying about things and trust in God.  Once I did that, I felt truly happy and relieved.  Derek and I are approaching our first anniversary in July.  Marriage is the best, though we have gone through our ups and downs already.  But, what I've learned from my past to apply to this marriage, add 1 cup of sugar everyday and it will make the sourness go away.  

This doesn't mean that everyday in our marriage is bad, but every once in awhile when we do face a little trial, I have to do my part to add a bigger part of Christ into my life.  This helps me get through anything.  I do that by, reading my scriptures, saying my prayers, going to church, paying tithing, etc.  What helps even more, is making them a priority in our marriage.

I'm so grateful that I have learned to make lemonade out of the most sour situations in my life.  I'm glad that my husband also knows how to do this.  When this principle is applied, you feel a strong feeling of hope for the future.  While I was on my mission, I felt this hope.  I didn't know it would come with getting married again and preparing for our first born son.  But, I knew that God had a plan for me.  For  everyone, adding that 1 cup of sugar can add hope to your life too-whatever that is, only God knows, but it is wonderful.

Sometimes I slack a little bit and just drink the sour/bitter lemon juice.  I get frustrated with living in a small apartment, being broke, and looking ahead at all the schooling my husband will have left in Grad School one day.  But, then I remember my Savior and feel hope for our family.  I'm not sure where we will go to continue his education, I'm not sure where we will live one day, but I know that God has a plan for Derek and me.  It's all because I add in that 1 cup of sugar to my life everyday.  We also do those things as a couple.  (Shout out to my awesome husband!  I love you!)

So, go make lemonade out of the lemons in your life with the sugar we all have access to.  And feel hope for the future.

Health Insurance...

As last semester ended, we realized we needed to take care of health insurance.  The good news with health insurance is that you can stay on your parents until you are 26.  If your parents will let you stay on their health insurance with the new Obama Care happening, do it!  You can save some cash every month!  However, as I'm (the wife) is turning 26 in just a few weeks, we needed to make the change.

We asked my parents the best way to do this and they suggested to get an insurance broker.  We contacted him and he did most of the work.  He asked me if I would be planning on getting any surgeries this next year or having any children…these affect which plan you get and which deductible you will want.

He then went over all the terms we should know…and he put them in understandable terms.  For instance, we had no idea what a deductible was.  BUT we know what it is now!  He also links up the insurance company with you for payment each month.  He called us on the phone with the insurance company on the other line and helped out with the process.  I honestly thought that I would have to find the plan myself, know all this information beforehand, and lets just say, I was stressing out.

The lesson to be learned here as newly weds, is get an insurance broker/agent.  They don't cost anything and do everything for you!  They answer all your questions and take the stress away.  To celebrate our grown up accomplishment, we took a trip to Portland, Oregon where we served LDS missions and also met.  It was lovely and I felt safe on the way there as my health was insured.

More Wedding Pictures...

Our photographer, gave us back some more wedding photos.  We really enjoyed our photographers.  I would highly suggest using them-Kim and Garth Pratt.  Thank you to everyone who also came to our wedding back in July.  We appreciate all the love and support.  Enjoy the pictures!