"Life Is Lemons": Trick-or-Treat

Today was our first Halloween together as a family, and we had a blast. We started with an amazing dinner. Charakie even made edible spiders (two legs were lost in the process). We also had bug juice and lots of candy for dessert. Our kids were in heaven. Thanks for making this Halloween so wonderful babe!

Our kids giddy with the prospect of consuming copious amounts of high fructose corn syrup and saturated fat without their parents saying "NO!"

Cambrie was Bat Girl. She really got into the role.

Max was Buzz Lightyear and Drew was a quarterback. Charakie even ironed on a number 8 to Drew's costume.

Charakie and the kids at the farm before we went trick-or-treating. I like the poses boys.

Tender Mercies

Everyone has a story: life experiences that have either strengthened us or made us weaker and have defined who we really are. Our story is no different; George and I were both married previously to very wonderful people who changed our lives and helped us become who we are. We each suffered a tremendous loss when our spouses (Joel and Summer) died of cancer leaving us with an unfinished story of the lives we had imagined. Through the grief, loneliness, suffering, and pain we both realized that our stories were being revised and that Summer and Joel were helping in that process.

George and I met in March of 2007. We dated for a year and it was a wonderful year full of compassion, empathy, healing, and love. My dad often talks about the tender mercies of the Lord and we both know that our lives have been touched by these tender mercies in ways we never dreamed possible.

We were married on March 1, 2008 in the Salt Lake Temple. The new revisions in our story may seem complicated but to us it's rather simple. Our kids know how much we love each other and are so happy to be a complete famiy again. They also know that "daddy Joel" and "mommy Summer" are a big part of our lives and that families are eternal and we will see them again someday. George and I often joke that "we are blessed....we think!," but the truth is we have been blessed beyond measure. We've had our trials and there are still sad days but we have each other to lean on. We now have someone to share things with--it feels so good to love again!