Mexican Riviera!

Douglas and I got to enjoy a wonderful trip on Carnival Cruise to the Mexican Riviera! We left on December 10th, had one day out on sea, 2 fabulous days in Cabo San Lucas, 1 day in La Paz, 1 day in Mazatlan, 1 awesome day in Puerto Vallarta, and then 2 Days back home. As you can see, we were busy busy, but Holy Heck, it was SO much fun!! We got to spend time with some of Douglas' family as well as our Friends that came. If You haven't been on a cruise, let me just say, that it's definitely the way to vacation! The food is AMAZING and you can have as much as you want, your bed is made for you daily, they have tons of activities to do throughout the trip, and of course, there's the wonderful sun and fabulous company all around! Just to name a few of the things we did, and the pictures will explain, on the ship, we had fun playing in a dodgeball tournament, we went to a lot of game shows, of course I did karaoke almost every night, we went hot tubbin', and I even got to be Britney Spears for a moment!! The last night, they had a show where 10 people auditioned to perform as famous singers, and I got Britney Spears! It was so fun performing on the stage with the dancers and the stage lights. I was in my glory :) At the ports, In Cabo, we went to the beach the one day and Snorkeled the next. I loved swimming with all the fish! It was beautiful! I would go about 30-40 ft under through all of these cool caverns! It was awesome!! In La Paz, we just walked around the town and visited a pottery store. In Mazatlan, we hiked up to a lighthouse and ate amazing seafood at the shrimp factory. Then in Puerto Vallarta, we went zip lining in the mountains, which was gorgeous, I froze my butt off jumping in the river there, seriously the coldest water I have ever been in, and we went to another pottery store where they had really cool dishes and such.

As you can see, Cruisin' was such an adventure! We loved it so much, that we already have 2 more that are  of interest to us!! Here are some fun pictures of our trip!

Fun Times!

Celebrating

Leaving San Diego

Dodgeball!!

Beautiful Views

Ready for Cabo!

Eating Yummy Food at the beach (don't mind the whiteness!)

Carnival at a distance

David and Cassie

Just one of our amazing dinners!

Love Birds Dancing as I karaoke

At the lighthouse

It was very foggy that day, but way cool to look over!

The Macarena with our fabulous waiter Donald!! He had some moves!!

Eating at the Shrimp Factory

The Wonderful Lon and Josie

Getting ready for some zip lining!

So Fun!

Formal night at the steak house

My Amazing In Laws! 

"Hit Me Baby One More Time!"

The Cruisin' Bunch!!

Can't wait till the next one!!!

Merry Christmas from the Belshe Family!!

Merry Christmas!!! Hope everyone had a fabulous time with Family and Friends!! Douglas and I have been so blessed this year, and look forward to a wonderful year ahead!! Oh Ya, and a cruise post is in the making! Been so busy since we've been home :) Have a Happy New Year!!!

Ready for some fun in the Sun!!

Aaahhhhhhh!! 3 more days till the cruise!!!!!!!!! I am SO SO SO excited as you can see!!! I am so ready to be on the ship, sail on the open seas, enjoy the yummy food and activities, and have some fun in the sun!! So, Asta La Vista everyone!! I shall return... hopefully a little more tan, with lots of great memories, so in love with my Hubby, and as happy as can be to see my kids, my puppy, and be ready for Christmas!!! 

Meet Trinity!!

This is Trinity, Our newest member of the Family!! For Christmas, we have been planning on getting a Dog since we've been in our home a year, and Douglas has been wanting to get one for a long time now. At first I was kind of hesitant on the idea, especially with an English Bulldog, but after meeting Hampton, Douglas' Brother's Dog, I instantly fell in love with them!! I knew I wanted a female with the perfect color and patches on Her and as you can see, that is exactly what we found!! Trinity is ADORABLE!! We went and looked at her for the first time yesterday, and the moment I held Her, I knew she was ours!! Words cannot express just how excited I am!! Me out of all people!!! I can't stop talking about her and thinking about her! Of course she is too young to leave her mom now, but by Christmas, she'll be ready to be a part of the Family!! I can't wait :)

On a lighter note...

Sorry for the negative thoughts I gave on my last post. I just had to get it out of me, plus it was late, which usually isn't a good thing for me to be sharing my feelings. It was good to get it out though. Talking to just Douglas isn't enough I guess, so having this blog is a good thing for me to vent!

On a lighter note, Since it is Thanksgiving tomorrow, I just want to share my feelings on the MANY blessings I have had since last Year.

 First off, I am truly grateful for my Family. Douglas and I this year have gone through some rough encounters, but the thing I am most grateful about Him, is that no matter what problems or trials come about in our lives, He will ALWAYS be there for me no matter what. I am so blessed for His hard work and dedication he puts into our Family, his job, and his church responsibilities. I of course am SO lucky to have such wonderful Kids! Haiden and Mekenzie are my everything and being their Mother is a great joy and blessing in my life.

Another thing I am grateful for is my job. There are many out there that have been unfortunate to lose their jobs this past while, and for me to have a good, steady job, where I can work from home and still provide for my Family is a huge blessing!

I recently have joined Jenny Phillips choir again, but just these last few months have been such a difference for me spiritually. I am truly grateful to have the experience of sharing my testimony while singing! Another great thing, is doing firesides with Dan Bryant. We just started that as well, but same thing, I am doing what I love doing while sharing the Gospel. Oh ya, and I can't forget the AMAZING experience I had singing for Women's Conferene. I will always cherish the time I put into doing that!!

I am also very grateful for my health and for the amazing accomplishments I have made so far in completing 2 Triathlons! Doing those this year has been life changing and I can't wait to do more!

I am so blessed to be in our Home and to have a wonderful ward where we have met some great people! I can't believe it's been over a year since we moved in! Crazy!!

Oh ya, and I can't forget my Grandpa and Grandma Holt. Words cannot express just how grateful I am to have them in my life. They are so giving to everyone! I am so blessed to be able to go to the gym with Grandpa as well as eat breakfast every Saturday morning at IHOP. Those are memories I will always cherish!

Of course there are so many more blessings that I could go on and on about, but I don't want to get repetitive on my last Thanksgiving Blog! I hope everyone enjoys their Holiday and that you take a little time to  reflect on the blessings in your life as well. Happy Thanksgiving :)

Is it worth it??

Ok, so I am going to vent. I don't want this to sound rude or the "poor me" kind of stuff, but I am frustrated, VERY frustrated!! Ok, here it goes. Lately, I have really made the effort to try and reach out to those in my Family as well as certain Friends that are in my life. I am the one who calls to ask them how they are doing, ask them if they want to get together, ect. SO, I was thinking the other Day, and I thought to myself, When was the last time someone called Me to see how I've been and so forth, and very few have done so. Am I really not that important?? I mean, I understand that life gets busy and crazy and that it IS hard to keep close relationships outside of your own Family, But still, I just have felt gipped with certain relationships that have been in my life. So I ask myself, is it worth it? Do I just keep chugging along and make the efforts? Or do I end ties with those that have not been as close with me and move on? It's really hard, because a lot is my Family and i just don't know what to do anymore. Am I the only one who feels this way or what?? Anyways, just thinking...

2 Week Iron Man!!

At the South Jordan Rec Center where I work out, they are doing a 2 week Iron Man where you have to swim 2.4 miles, bike 115 miles, and run a full marathon (26.2 miles!) You can alternate the days how ever you like, as long as you complete them in the 2 week time frame. It started today and goes until November 15th. I thought it sounded like a fun experience, so I'm all signed up and ready to go!! I will be blogging about what I do to track my distances on my training blog, so have a gander if you'd like :) What a fun way to get motivated in working out!!

Fall, Costumes, and More!!

These past few weeks have been BUSY!! Let me just tell ya what's been happening!

During Conference Weekend and last Weekend, Douglas' parents visited. It is always so much fun to spend time with them. Just this last visit, Susan and I enjoyed playing with the Kids at Wheeler Farm and making watch bracelets. I am so lucky to have such a great Mother In Law. She is always so helpful when she visits and has taught me a lot, especially with cooking :)

This Last Sunday, I sang in my first fireside since joining Jenny Phillip's choir again. I just cannot get over how AMAZING her program is!! The spirit is so strong and I seriously have to hold back my tears while performing. I most likely will do one once a month, so I invite anyone who would like to come to one! My next one is on Nov. 14th in West Jordan if you're interested. You will absolutely love it!! Oh ya, and she just put out a new cd called "Sabbath Morning." It is beautiful with hymns to bring in the spirit, especially on Sundays. You can check out her music on www.jennyphillipsmusic.com.

Douglas and I have have been anticipating for our first cruise in December!! We'll be going on the Mexican Riviera cruise with some of Douglas' Family and a couple of our friends. I just can't believe it's almost here!! I am sooo excited and can't wait! Leaving the kids for 10 days will be a bit hard, but so nice and relaxing too!! Such a great Christmas Present!!

With this Halloween season, we hosted the Elders Quorum Halloween party last night. It was tons of fun! We sang karaoke, ate yummy soups, and chatted. We have such a great ward with awesome people!! I was so thrilled to have Douglas dress up!! We did a Peter Pan theme where Haiden was Peter Pan, Mekenzie was Tinkerbell, Douglas was Captain Hook, and I the Crocodile!!

I tried posting pictures, but for some odd reason, they aren't pulling up :(

I'll keep trying, but for now, you can go on my FB page!!

Women's Conference

Last night was such an amazing experience for me!! As I've said in previous postings, I got to sing in the choir for Women's Conference. At 1 pm, we all rode in buses to the Conference Center where we got settled, ran through our songs with the camera crew and lights, ate a lunch they provided for us, and before we knew it, we were ready to go out and sing. Sitting there and looking out at all of the Women who attended was so neat! It's crazy how quickly it filled!

In the choir looking at us, I was the third row from the top on the very far right side. I really liked where I was! That is the side President Monson walks in from. I was immediately overcome with the spirit when he entered. It was so neat to see Him that close!

I'm sure most of You will agree on how good the Conference was! Being able to sing for the world, was an experience I will NEVER forget!! I felt the spirit so strongly! There were so many times while singing where I had to hold back my tears due to the power I felt from the songs! I am so so blessed to have had the opportunity and will always cherish that time I had, not only while performing, but with the weekly practices we had, the spirit we felt as a choir, and the wonderful friends I made! I wish everyone I know to have an experience like I had!!

3 Times A Charm

Today, Douglas and I wanted to go to Temple Square with the kids, since He didn't have to work. When we got there, we decided to go over by the reflecting pool by the temple. Not even 5 minutes of being there, Haiden was running, tripped, and fell on a rock ledge that gashed his head open!! I was sitting right where he fell and could hear the horrible sound it made when He hit. Instantly, it started bleeding everywhere! Some guys were walking by and called security to come and get a first aid kit to bandage it up until we got to the hospital. When he hit it, he started crying and was upset, mainly with the bleeding, but once we got to the doctor's, he stopped crying and was such a brave boy through the whole numbing process and stitching. He ended up having to get 4 interior stitches as well as 5 exterior stitches. What a Day!! For us, we have had to deal with this 2 other times, just about a month ago, when he got a little gash above his eye at the park, as well as during Christmas of 2008 when he got 4 staples in the back of his head from falling off a chair and landing on a window ledge at Deseret Book! What is up with that? 2 of the times we are somewhere involving the church, and this happens to us!! Kind of funny actually!! Anyways, I am just so impressed on what a trooper Haiden is!! He is one tough cookie I tell ya!! Not sure who he gets that from! I am the biggest baby with things like this, same as Douglas!! So here are some pictures from his previous wounds and today. Just to warn you, they are quite gory!!!!

Christmas 2008

A Month ago

Today

Shocked!!!

Ok, so if you know Douglas, when it comes to Halloween, he doesn't want to have anything to do with it! He doesn't like to dress up, do the trick or treating stuff, and all the in between. Well this Year, I offered to have the Elder's Quorum Halloween party at our house while they were having a meeting about it a couple weeks ago. Douglas hadn't really said much about it, but when we got home from church Yesterday, he started asking me questions on what we wanted to do as well as what our costumes should be. I was SHOCKED!!! Really? My Hubby is going to dress up? It probably is because of us hosting, but I will take anything for him to be involved with it, because I love Halloween!!! So, any ideas on what we could do? I am so excited!!!

Overcoming the Destroyer

This week has been a rough one. To be honest, the worse I've had in a long time! I feel that lately, I have been able to pull away from negative thoughts that come to mind as well as feelings of low self worth. These are things that I have struggled with in my teenage years as well as early marriage, but something I feel that I have slowly been able to overcome. Then this week hit, and all of it started pouring on me again. I was getting angry about things for no reason. I started self doubting myself. I was being distant from Douglas and impatient with the Kids. What made it even more frustrating for me, was that I had tried so hard this week to read my scriptures, pray daily, write in my journal, as well as keep up on all of my daily responsibilities as an employee, Mother, and Wife.

Then it hit me Yesterday. After having an argument with Douglas, I was sitting alone in my office. I had all of these nonsense thoughts running through my head. I looked over on my desk and saw the music I had been practicing for Women's Conference. I grabbed the music, and while reading the words, remembered on what our Choir director, Sister Jolley had told us that Sunday. She encouraged us to go above and beyond with our scripture study and prayer, which I had, but the thing I forgot, was her saying, that even though you'll be involving yourself with all of these spirtual things, it will most likely be a trying and hard time in your life this week. Satan doesn't like the efforts you'll be making, and will do all He can to bring you down. I then realized on what had happened!! I let Satan get a hold of me!! With all of the good things I've done in the week, He was piling on the bad that finally let me forget the good! Then and there, I fell on my knees sobbing to Heavenly Father and apologizing for how weak I'd become in letting the destroyer over take me. After my prayer, I felt this huge burden leave me and all of those negative feelings I had minutes before, left.

I know this is more in depth than on some other things I usually blog about, but I wanted to share this experience with whoever reads this. First off, Satan is there, I know it, i have felt Him, but most importantly, Heavenly Father and His Angels are right there with You to fight Him off, especially at your lowest.

I now am continuing my goals, but also having a better outlook and power to overcome the Destroyer. I am grateful to have had this realization and look forward with a better peace and understanding of life's adversity.

Jenny Phillips Choir

About a Year and a Half ago, I sang in Jenny Phillip's choir, which I'm sure most of you remember. Due to work getting in the way and a few other things, I had to quit. Just recently, I was listening to some of Her music and realized how much I missed performing as well as feeling the spirit SO strong at Her firesides. Right then and there, I emailed her assistant and she informed me that they were holding auditions for it. Well, today I auditioned, and I will be singing in her choir again!!! I am just so thrilled!! I know this will fill that void I've been having lately. It is the most amazing feeling to perform and share the Gospel with others!! I just know this is what I'm supposed to be doing!! So, I'm inviting you all at one point, to come to a fireside and see what I'm talking about!! Such an amazing experience!! That is why in addition, I am so excited for Women's Conference! Like I said, I get to do what I LOVE doing while sharing my testimony!!

PLUMB

So, I was working today, and had to switch over and speak with another department. During my wait, I was listening to music and a song came on. It sounded familiar, so I quickly wrote down some of the words to look on who sang it. Come to find out, the name of the Group is called Plumb. Never heard them before, but as I started listening to her music, I instantly fell in love with it! Her lyrics are so beautiful as well as her voice. I put a few songs of hers on my playlist. Hopefully you'll like her as much as I do!!

A Great Opportunity

I was chosen out of 10 people in my ward to be in the choir for Women's Conference. Being a part of the choir is going to be such an amazing experience! Our first practice was tonight. The spirit while singing was so strong! I can't even imagine what it's going to be like in the Conference Center! I am so blessed to have this great opportunity to do what I love doing as well as sharing my testimony!

A Future For Tomorrow

I just finished an Amazing book called "A Future For Tomorrow." It's a true story about my Cousins Megan and Marci's Cousin Haley, who suffered with Anorexia as a teenager, how deathly ill she became, but how she overcame her illness through help from her Family, Friends, and especially our Father in Heaven. I was so empowered with the spirit while reading it. Luckily, I never had to deal with an eating disorder growing up, but being a Girl, I constantly battled with my self worth and always worried about my weight and what I looked like. So, the way she felt about herself, really connected with some of my feelings I've had in my life. I am so touched by her strength and faith she had in overcoming her sickness. What an inspiration she is to me! Thank You Haley for writing this Book. It definitely will help so many people out there!

Sprinklers!!

After a week of lots of work, we FINALLY have sprinklers in our yard!!! A Big Thank You to my wonderful Hubby as well as all who helped in getting them in!! I am just so excited to not have to worry about keeping our lawn green with one lousy sprinkler, which really never did much! It'll be so nice to get our Yard the way we've wanted it to look! Now, we just have to put seed on our yard and wait for the grass to grow and be green again!! Oh, the joys of home ownership :)

Happy Birthday Kenzers!!!!

Today is Mekenzie's Birthday! It's Crazy to me that she's already 2!! I swear I just had her! I think things seem to have gone so much faster with her because of having Her and Haiden, rather than just one. I mean, being pregnant with her flew by, her first year, not even sure where that went, and even now it has gone in a blink of an eye! All I can say is enjoy every moment you can with your Kids! It goes way too fast!

Time for another one I guess! Just Kidding!!

Mekenzie has been such a joy in my life! There's just something about having a Daughter that makes Motherhood so special! I am very Grateful to be her Mom and look forward in all the wonderful things I'll do with her and teach her! Sometimes I think Heavenly Father put way too much trust in me, to give me such a sweet Angel!

Happy Birthday Mekenzie!! Mommy Loves you very much!!!