I would literally go anywhere John Murphy led. I trust him with my whole heart and my whole life and everything that we have ahead of us. I am so proud of him and all that he is doing.
Tonight he has a meet and greet with a top 10 in the nation accounting firm. He got his suit dry cleaned yesterday just for tonight. They reached out to him a couple of weeks ago wanting to meet him after seeing his resumè. We are hopeful for the prospects of upcoming internships next year. I am so excited for what the future holds. Most days I just sit back in awe of the man I married. I am proud to be doing life with him by my side.
I was so excited to get the rest of our anniversary photos back and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. Get ready for a lot of pictures of us. Oh and we kiss and canoodle...a lot.
I wanted to share a little bit of the story behind this song. I think it is the kind of song that could mean something to anyone who hears it. We all have mountains to climb and whatever the mountain is that you have to climb wether it is a personal trial, repentance, an addiction, self doubt, loss of a loved one, or just something hard in your life that makes you feel like you have no idea how you'll make it through, I hope this song can give you a glimpse of hope and the source that you should look to for help.
You are not alone.
You don't have to do anything alone.
Jesus Christ is the way, he will always be the way.
I wrote this song recently for someone very close to me who is facing the biggest trial they have ever had to face. I've never known anyone in my life to ever display more faith than this person and they are such an enormous example to me of how to face our trials and challenges.
Ascend
Standing here and looking at the top.
Knowing that you have to climb.
You fill your lungs your feet hit the dirt.
In motion pushing every stride.
And when you feel that the step you take is the last one you can bear.
A burning and a feeling He is pushing you there.
The higher you climb the more burdens you unload so you can ascend.
You turn to look behind you
And He is carrying them.
Blisters sting the sun is beating down.
Breathless gasping in your chest.
Slipping sliding trying to hold on.
A strength emerges just beyond your own.
And when you feel that the step you take is the last one you can bear.
A burning and a feeling He is pushing you there.
The higher you climb the more burdens you unload so you can ascend.
You turn to look behind you
And He is carrying them.
Climb, climb, climb.
Standing here and looking at the top.
You never knew how far you'd come.
(Disclaimer: sorry for the crazy eyes in parts, it's a habit I'm trying to break. So proceed with some non judgemental caution, Ha!)
John came home last night pumped up to make some changes together and laid out the plan for me in great detail. So this morning when I came home from seminary I found him laying in our bed with his scriptures in hand and our girl next to him with a a belly full of chocolate milk and watching a show on his phone. A few minutes later he popped out of bed and we got dressed and exercised in the living room to Jillian Michaels. I looked around at our babies joining in with us and crawling all over us during floor exercises and I was so happy that this is my life.
I get to sweat and laugh and grow spiritually with the most incredible partner by my side. There is a line in my patriarchal blessing that says, "you will help your companion rise to his full stature and he will do the same for you". I've seen that so much through out our marriage. Just when one of us needs a little push or encouragement or motivation the other one comes in at the right time with that need. There is such a balance that surrounds our interactions.
I'll never forget one morning on the way to church we both had been a little short with each other in the storm that is getting a family of four out the door on time for 9am church. We both drove the first few minutes silently while the children chattered on in the back and I put on my makeup. I was so aware that I didn't want any tension between us so I just blurted out something random about a house on the corner of double springs and new hope church road. We had been watching the progress of this house renovation for months. It was simple and it immediately cleared the air and then we were back to laughing and being happy.
Ive learned that it is always important in our marriage to put the other person first. Above our pride and all of the temptation it can be to hold on to the little things. I'm more in love everyday with the man I chose to build my life with and in so honored he chose me.
We have been through a lot lately and he has been such an example to me of being faithful in hard times and always showing forth kindness. I want to be so much more like him.
Tonight after John got home from school we all piled up on the gator to take salt licks out to the cows. Evaleigh sat in the back with her green slushie from Sonic and My dear Avett was in his rightful spot, my lap...always my lap.
I was johns gate girl and we drove in to the pastures running over the overgrown weeds that are starting to grow to a more tree like state.
It was slightly cool and there was a breeze and I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming gratitude for this beautiful family I've been given.
Life is so good and we are immensely blessed. I am so happy to be living here in the south and sharing life with my perfect husband. I never dreamed it would be this easy and wonderful and natural.
Now that we are settling in to the school year it's time to add yet another thing in to our crazy schedules. We will be starting joy school with evaleigh the first week of September. I completely took down the dining room table and carried each piece down to the basement. The children used my extra tools to "help" disassemble. I love their little willing and helpful spirits. Just tonight as Deb and the kids and I were getting out of the car to eat a quick dinner at sonic Evie reached over to Avett's seat and said, "don't worry I'll get Avett out." Something so simple made me so proud.
We printed out rules for our classroom and have already been singing the songs all over the place! Evaleigh put her own special twist on one, "we do not hit or kick or spit." Close enough my dear.
I drug down (all by my self against the will of my bad back) the cube storage from Evies room and then promptly replaced it with my mother's childhood dresser that was collecting dust in the garage. I can't stand for things to be out of place too long. So how our joy school room looks crisp and organized.
I look forward to teaching her about the joy of life and living. And I can tell she is looking so forward to it too!
We started seminary this week and I am just happy about it!! I am thrilled to be in the Old Testament this year and to learn more about that incredible book.
Whitney and I had so much fun setting up our classroom and preparing and organizing for the year. Since last year was my first year in the Church Education System there was such a learning curve and getting to know all of the ins and outs of the program. This year I feel more experienced and the goals for our classroom were more clear.
I taught my first lesson of the year to the kids today and the spirit was so strong. I am learning to rely on the spirit more in the lessons and to go where it leads me. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and we had "The Big Picture" drawn out in the parking lot in chalk. We talked about what happened before we came to earth, why mortality is so hard, and why we should be obidient in this life so we may gain eternal life with God.
I testified to the students that yesterday as I was praying in the car on the way to the first day of seminary that God told me that they are good. I know they all have their struggles, but don't we all! No one is perfect and we are all in the goal together of becoming like our Savior and trying to do the things He taught us.
I'm so grateful for this calling and how it grows and stretches me and how much I'm learning. I feel so lucky to get to begin my morning baring my testimony and talk about the gospel with these incredible youth. I hope that they can see their potential, because I do, and it is good and infinite!
I'm grateful John and I got to go to the temple the night before seminary started. It is always such an amazing place to be where I feel so much of Gods love.
Psalms 27:4
"One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple."
I love Sundays. I love time to rest and renew for the upcoming week. I start my second year teaching seminary on Wednesday this week and I am so excited to get in there and serve these youth again.
I love them so much and I can't wait to study the Old Testament with them this year. I had so many things I wanted to do this summer and I got to about half of them and that's OK. Life just gets really busy and there are so many things pulling us in different directions but I found that as long as I am anchored in my testimony and my Savior all goes well.
I spent about eight hours yesterday at a seminary training for teachers all over the state of Georgia. I can't believe how much I learned and how much I took away that I am going to apply in my class this year. I got home and spilled my heart to John about everything and I loved telling him about it. I'm so grateful for our relationship and how we can share the gospel and that it is at the center of our lives. Today he said the sweetest testimony in Sacrament meeting. He said the kindest things about me and his testimony about the Savior, I'm so grateful for where we are in our lives right now I pray that every day we will do the things that will make the lord proud.
I am trying to finish up recording my demo tonight and tomorrow to send off to a record company. I've been working hard on writing new songs and getting them recorded I can't wait to see where all of this goes! I have such a good feeling about it!
Here's a photo dump of a few things that of been going on lately!
