My Love Story

I am so in love with my husband. He is sane beyond reason, and he's patient, laid back, so supportive, and he thinks I am amazing. He is the friendliest guy I have ever met. We have two boys. My family fills my heart every day. This is the story of how it all began.

My husband and I met while we were at college. I remember when I met him though. It's as if I had been propelled out of the cocoon I hid in through high school and I was now a social butterfly. I went from apartment to apartment getting to know the people in my LDS singles ward. LDS singles wards are an oddity of social experience where *almost* everyone is looking to get married and start a family. It's a super social environment, and it is so fun. Anyways, The door to my future husband's apartment was wide open, I kinda knocked on the door and introduced myself. My husband was at his laptop, he looked up and said hi. That was the extent of our first meeting.

He started hanging out at my place after my roommate/Best friend threw a Korean Thanksgiving Party called Chusok. After Chusok, he spent all of his free time at our apartment, earning him the title "Apartment Boyfriend". We had his schedule on our fridge, he helped with cleaning checks, he fixed our door bell, made us dinner on Sundays, and accompanied us on shopping trips (even to JoAnn's where he realized his interest in me).

I had a boy back in Michigan... it took me a while to realize that boy had to grow up, and I wasn't helping. While I was hung up on this boy, My husband (we'll call him handsome pants) chased me with persistence. We went on a couple dates. I would flirt with him, then tell him he wasn't my type. My sister kept telling him to keep trying because she just knew he was perfect for me. I let him see all the unimpressive sides of me. In my most pitiful hour, he realized he loved me.

My roommate and I would talk into the night, we would talk about the people in our life and what praiseworthy things we had done in the day and what we were excited about for tomorrow. I remember a conversation about Handsome pants, She said, "No matter how many times you break his heart, he's always there for you the next day. It seems he's your friend above all else." That may be when my eyes and heart started to open. Christmas break came and I broke up with my boy in Michigan. It's like a siren stopped going off, a cloud was removed from my sight and I could see that standing right in front of me was the man of my dreams. Within a week after we were back from break, we were dating. I remember it was Wednesday when I was at the temple, I prayed about him and got a resounding yes. That's when it really started to rain blessings from heaven. I know that God prepared him for me. Everything about my husband is why I love him and it tells me that Heavenly Father knows me perfectly and loves me perfectly. My handsome pants makes me so happy. I feel honored and blessed to have him every day. The longer I am with him the deeper I love him. He is everything I never knew I needed. My life is a fairytale & I am the luckiest girl in the world.

My Role Models

So, I thought a brilliant way to start would be pointing out the fabulous mom-tastic people who inspire me to step it up.

First of all, there's my sister Kathleen. She has 4 kids 6 and under and keeps a spotless house. She takes gobs of pictures of the little beauties and finds the time to put them online and blog about their adventures. Growing up, it wasn't hard to see the natural mother in her. She always had a sweet demeanor and I thought of her as a peacemaker. She also spent a good amount of time nurturing her young siblings. I know when I was young I always wanted to climb into bed with her or Barbara (my oldest sis)... but I kicked a lot, so it wasn't invited regularly. She also spent a great deal of time tending to my little brother. Her blog has motivated me to start one of my own and upload some rather out of date photos onto flickr and tell the stories associated so people who want to feel involved and updated about my life can do so.

Secondly, there's my college roommate Jen. She is a natural organic mother. She went all natural for the birth of her daughter. She recalls the experience as being really fun. There are so many admirable, fun, praiseworthy things I think about doing, but the thoughts never materialize probably because I don't believe in myself. Jen doesn't have this problem and she has a lot of the same ideas I have, but she actually does those things and it makes her so creative and fun to be with.

Third there's my grandma Barbara. I have thought a lot about her lately. She passed away when I was almost 5. She was very Lithuanian. She raised my dad on her own since grandpa Leo passed away (my dad was 7). She had a business in a time women were not often found in the workplace. She lived providently. She valued education and family. She was able to provide for her son and her grandchildren. I want to be provident like that & provide well for my family. I want to be attached to my Lithuanian roots like she was. I heard she was a great cook & once did recipes for Betty Crocker. I love cooking, I especially love trying out her recipes.

Fourth, there's my mom (now this could be an entire posting). I was not an easy child, though I wasn't "rebellious". I was constantly jealous and riddled with self esteem problems. My mom taught me a lot in mothering me. She taught me that Motherhood is a learning process. It is different for each child you have. I learned that love is the greatest motivator. Being the best mom you can be is divine and never ending and it is a vastly important responsibility. Most of all, I am grateful that her testimony of the gospel is so obviously bright. The gospel is my favorite thing in the world and the best gift my mom could have passed on to me, it brightens every day and gives purpose to everything. Love is what raises a child and helps them make good choices. Love raised me.

My Disclaimer: If you are an amazing mom in my circle, you know you inspire me right? I mean, there are so many things to admire about you.

-Sarah