2 in 2 Weeks

We showed Grace this picture the other day and when we asked her who it was, she said, "Grace!"

This week Grace is exactly as old as I was when this picture was taken. My mom made my dress out of one of her old prom dresses.

I did not make Gracie's outfit here out of one of my old prom dresses.

tea parties are quickly becoming Gracie's favorite pastime

In What He Has Refused Me

Today I was thinking about some things I am really, really, really hoping for right now. That got me wondering what kind of person I would be if I had gotten everything I wanted when I wanted it.

If I had gotten to ride the carousel every time my mom and I went to Kmart when I was a little girl, it would have been expected and not special. Instead, I still remember how excited I was to drop the quarter into the machine when Mom said it was okay.


Same goes with getting gum or candy at the checkout line in the grocery store. Because it wasn't a given for every grocery store trip, I learned that I didn't get everything that I wanted, but the times when I did were more meaningful.


If my parents had agreed once I entered jr. high to spend their money on the most expensive jeans and shirts and shoes for me, I would have felt like hot stuff, but I might have not learned to look deeper than clothing. I might have chosen my friends based on their wardrobe choices and not how I felt when I was around them.


And again, the birthday when I opened up a brand new pair of Doc Martens wouldn't have been as exciting to me.

If I had married my first love, I might have been happy. I for sure would have missed out on some terribly painful heartbreak. But I never would have met and fallen in love with my Danilo, and I thank heaven on my knees that that's not the case.


If the hardships I have experienced had been lifted the first time I asked for them to be, I would have missed the opportunity to allow Heavenly Father to see me through to the end, letting Him show me that I can do hard things and that He was mindful of me through the entire process. He has taught me that this will always be the case, without exception, throughout my entire life.

This knowledge is carrying me through our job-hunting-house-building-roller-coaster of an experience.

“I have had prayers answered - most strangely so sometimes - but I think our heavenly Father's loving-kindness has been even more evident in what He has refused me.”
--Lewis Carroll

The Alaskan Cruise Adventure

If you click on the collages, you'll be able to see them bigger and better.

THE CAR RIDE
Our Alaskan Disney Cruise began with a 15-hour drive to Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada which we broke into two days. Gracie did extremely well other than giving Andrew a hard time and only had one major meltdown the entire trip.



SEATTLE
After driving 12 hours the first day, we arrived in Redmond, Washington where my great-aunt Angela and her husband Dick live. Their beautiful house is shown far right center below. We spent that next day touring Seattle.


A three hour drive the next day took us to Vancouver and to our cruise ship, the Disney Wonder. We enjoyed an incredible and unforgettable vacation on ship and in every port it landed, all thanks to

THE CHARACTERS
Gracie was a little stunned when we set her on Belle's lap within the first hour of boarding the ship. Throughout the week she warmed up to the idea and by the end was dragging us after characters saying, "Picture." Her favorite by far was Minnie Mouse.


THE ENTERTAINMENT
My Dad was pulled up by the Disney entertainers at the opening celebration to do the YMCA with three other dads. He made us so proud! Our family took part in the Disney car derby and I achieved my lifelong goal of assisting a magician on stage.


THE SHOWS
We were wowed every night by incredible performances like Toy Story the Musical.
TRACY ARM, ALASKA
was one of the most awe-inspiring moments I've ever had in nature. It's a location in Alaska where you can't land, but everyone comes out on the decks and verandahs of the ship to be amazed. I knew we were headed towards a glacier and that that would mean icebergs. I really tried to remember that the cruise industry has been going to Alaska for decades and hasn't sunk a ship. But several other people that day mentioned how the ice made them a little uneasy. It started out with an iceberg or two scattered here or there and I really thought that the captain was dodging them. Until I saw an entire sea of icebergs ahead of us and realized we were going to plow through them. I was really thankful to see the Carnival cruise ship coming back our direction (top left) having already been where we were headed. We saw sea otters sitting on the icebergs and eagles nesting in the trees as we slowly cruised through the area and ended up at Stanley Glacier.


WHALE WATCHING IN JUNEAU
Did I say that Tracy Arm was where I had the most awe-inspiring experience I had ever had with nature? Now I'm stuck between that and our whale watching adventure, and I'm not going to choose between the two. After leaving the cruise ship at the port in Juneau, we boarded a motor boat with 10 or 12 other people and headed off into the massive ocean. I was going to consider my experience worthwhile if I saw a whale tail or two, but an hour and a half or so later, we had probably seen whales and orca (I learned there's a difference) surface 30 or 40 times. It was amazing. We also saw and heard them shoot water out of their spouts.


Our captain and crew member said we had come out on one of the best days either one of them could remember.


BEAUTIFUL, MAJESTIC ALASKA
The other ports we stopped in were in Skagway and Ketchikan. We learned about their histories and shopped in their shops like I try to do in most places I visit. But the landscape again was like nothing I had ever seen.


JORGE & NANDOS

Do you ever meet people that you know you're going to have a hard time saying goodbye to? I knew within a couple of encounters that that was going to be the case with our dinner servers, Jorge (from Portugal) and Nandos (from Indonesia). Cruises are known for their hospitality and charismatic dinner servers from all over the world, so I was pretty sure I was going to like them. But these two men had found a place in our hearts way before it was time to go home. They made us feel like taking care of us was their genuine pleasure. They went the extra mile in everything they did, from bringing us both desserts when we couldn't decide between two (which didn't cost us any extra :), pouring Gracie's ketchup into a Mickey Mouse shape, cutting her food, and when she would fall asleep when we were still eating at 9:30 at night, they would make a bed out of chairs and tuck her in with a table cloth. They entertained us with magic tricks and shared pictures and stories of their families with us. Yes they were paid for their work, but they did it with an intensity and a goodness that inspired me and made me want to do any job I'm given in the future with much more energy and enthusiasm. This went on for six nights. When the seventh and last night came and it was time to say goodbye, our family had made a decision that made it a little easier for me. Along with some souvenirs from Alaska, we presented our two servers each with a Book of Mormon. We wrote to them in a letter how as a family we felt they had given us so much that we wanted to leave something precious to us behind. And if either one of them are able to benefit from reading it, the lasting happiness and peace the Book of Mormon has brought to me would be the greatest gift I could share with them.

Take a look at the bottom center picture where Nandos is laughing... hard. He was in charge of our drinks and got used to bringing us water and juice and soda. On one of the last evenings, he came to take my mom's order and she said, "I think I'm gonna be a little crazy tonight."
"Okay. I make you a Shirley Temple?" Nandos asked, thinking finally someone at our table might drink.
"No, a chocolate milk."
He laughed so hard, long enough that we were able to get out the camera. It was hysterical.

Gracie's Favorite Movie

Scroll down and hit pause on our blog soundtrack to the right for a more pleasant listening experience.



This movie plays at our house at least once a day. I don't mind because I love it, too. She will sit still and watch until the singing begins, and then she gets up to dance. I am convinced it's her Latino blood. It's not just that she wants to dance, she must dance.

Aunt Chelsea bought Gracie a Rapunzel doll
she calls anything related to Tangled "Papize"

Gracie's full sentences now include, "I love you," "I'm coming," and "They just can't get my nose right." :)

I Love My New Budget

I recently imposed a budget on myself. Not because I was spending recklessly, but because I really wanted to be told how much I could or could not spend.

I settled in on a modest amount that I would not go over on buying things for Gracie and me, which usually translates to mean.... clothes, and it lasts me through the month. I can spend all of it on Gracie or all of it on me or somewhere in between.

It's almost like an allowance... I can spend it as fast or as slow as I want, but when it's gone for the month, it's gone. And this is why I have loved it...

My new budget helps me shop with purpose. I have sisters, and I also have friends who we go out to the mall or stores with mostly as an outing with our kids. And I ALWAYS find something that will look cute on Gracie and even worse, I can ALWAYS find something for a good deal. Before my budget I understood that I couldn't buy everything I liked even if it was on sale, but now I feel like I know when I should or shouldn't. That's what I lacked before. The difference now is that some outings are fair game for buying a new shirt for spring or a new pair of shoes and some outings are strictly for window shopping. Window shopping has its benefits too. On those trips when I'm not buying anything, I get a chance to just analyze what I like and what I don't, what's a good price and what's not, and in the process make better shopping decisions on future outings.

My new budget helps me return things I plan on returning. For example, I spent the tail end of my spending money this month on a pair of shoes to go with a skirt I bought for Easter. I had to order them and they arrived yesterday. THEY DON'T GO WITH MY SKIRT. I was reminded again why I don't buy shoes on the internet. Ivory looks a lot like white on a computer screen, but a lot more like beige next to my white dress. Luckily I am able to return them here in town, and with the difference buy a pair of white sandals that do match, staying within my budget and saving money, because returns = either saved money or money that can be spent elsewhere. When you only have so much money to spend, every dollar becomes important! It's helping me improve on my habit of not returning things I have planned to return that sit in a bag until I'm convinced that it's not worth the hassle. Now I'm convinced that it is.

My new budget helps me feel accountable and responsible and like I'm exercising restraint. I don't have to have it all, but I can pick up some simple pretty things for Gracie and me. It feels good.

My new budget helps me find good deals. I go back for that coupon I got in my email inbox instead of driving off without it. $5 saved here is $5 spent or saved elsewhere.

My new budget helps me plan ahead. I was walking the aisles of Target looking for a wedding gift when I stumbled on their pajama section. Oh how I could use some pajamas. Pre-budget I may have just spent the 10 to 20 bucks on them right then and there... but I used up my budget by April 5 this month :). The pajamas will have to wait til next month, and until then, I will look for the ones that I like and not just make an impulse buy.

My new budget has helped me splurge a little. In trying to use our money wisely, I have always tried to shop smart. The budget just gives me some direction. So I buy a lot of clothes at sales and the employees at Ross know my face well.

a typical Ross price tag... it's like magic the way that $28.00 turns into a $9.99

But a few weeks into my budget days, I found a shirt at Down East that I really really wanted to own. It was $18. Call me cheap, but I have rarely spent that much on a shirt in my life. I usually remind myself that I could buy two or three shirts for that elsewhere. But I reasoned, if that's how I want to spend my money this month, then that's how I'm going to spend it. And I did. I could have hunted at Ross for something close to it, but I bought the real thing. And I got a little thrill out of it. I don't do that every time, but sometimes it's fun for a change.

I love my new budget because I can get a pedicure without worrying much about whether I should be saving money instead. When my toes are pretty, I feel pretty.

And I have tried doing it myself, but I like to have someone with experience do it so that they look fantastic and not pathetic. If I want to spend a chunk of my allowance on my toes, and I do, then I can.

Lastly, I love my new budget because it helps me feel like I'm being responsible with the money that this man works so hard to provide for us. He works so stinking hard I don't know if I'd be able to sleep at night otherwise!

Cumpleaños Feliz Deseamos a Tí, Mami

Dilema and baby Danilo in his birthplace Italy, 1977

Hoy celebramos el cumpleaños de una mujer bien importante y especial en la vida de mi familia. Ella es la mamá de mi esposo, la nona de mi hija, y mi suegrita, una mujer llena de amor, de fortaleza, y que vive cada día para honrar su Padre Celestial.

El nombre de mi suegra es Dilema. Ella siempre se ríe un poco cuando habla de su nombre. “Porque mi mamá me nombró ‘problem’, yo no sé,” me dijo cuando hablamos por la primera vez acerca de este tema. Pero al pensar mucho de mi suegra Dilema esta semana en que ella cumple 60 años, llegué a una conclusión. Mi suegra ha enfrentado muchos pasos y dilemas muy difíciles en su vida. Mi suegrita y yo hemos pasado muchas horas sentadas en la mesa en la cocina y me ha contado poco a poco la historia de su vida. Muchas de las historias pasaron cuando ella fue una mamá soltera, haciendo lo mejor posible para sus hijos en Chile, en Miami, y diferentes partes de Utah. Ella me cuenta historias de aventura, de trabajo fuerte, y de pena. Aunque no tenían mucho, mi esposo y mis cuñadas siempre hablan de tiempos felices en su hogar. Mi suegra se enfrenta las partes difíciles de la vida con fe y una sonrisa, y cuando los tiempos son bastante difíciles que una sonrisa seria inapropiada, sigue solita con su fe. Eso es algo que yo conozco por mi propia experiencia, viendo la forma en que ella se cuida a mi suegrito, un buen hombre afectado mucho por el Parkinson’s disease.

Ha sido un placer llegar a ser la nuera de esta mujer y hacerle parte de mi vida y mi corazón. Yo puedo sentir su gran amor para mí cuando me abraza y cuando hablamos corazón a corazón. Fue muy linda ver la transformación que fue cuando nació Gracie y empezó a ser una abuelita por la primera vez. Me alegro mucho que podía ser parte de esa gran bendición.

¡Feliz cumpleaños Mami!

Today we are celebrating the birthday of someone very important and special in the life of my family. She is the mother of my husband, the “nona” of my daughter, and my sweet mother-in-law. A woman full of love, strength, and who lives every day to honor her Heavenly Father.

My mother-in-law’s name is Dilema. She always laughs a little when she talks about her name. “Why my mom named me ‘problem’, I don’t know!” she told me when we talked about it the very first time. But after thinking a lot about my mother-in-law Dilema as she turns 60 this week, I arrived at a conclusion. My mother-in-law has confronted many difficult times and dilemmas in her life. She and I have spent many hours at her kitchen table as she has told me little by little the story of her life. Many of the stories took place when she was a single mom doing the best she could for her children while they lived in Chile, Miami, and different parts of Utah. She tells me stories of adventure, of hard work, and of heartbreak. Even though they never had much as children, my husband and my sisters-in-law always talk of happy times in their home. My mother-in-law confronts the difficult times in life with faith and a smile, and when times are difficult enough that a smile would be inappropriate, she presses forward with her faith alone. This is something I know from my own experience, seeing the way in which she cares for my father-in-law, a good man affected greatly by Parkinson’s disease.

It has been a pleasure becoming the daughter-in-law of this woman and to make her part of my life and heart. I can feel her love for me when she embraces me and when we talk heart-to-heart.

It was really wonderful to see the transformation that took place when Gracie was born and she began at that moment to be a grandmother for the very first time. It made me happy to be apart of that blessing in her life.

Happy birthday Mami!

My Brother the Eagle