My Trip to AZ

Last weekend I took a fast and fun trip to see my sister in AZ.  I flew on Friday and got there just in time to pick up Andrew from school and Jeremy from work.  Then we went and ate some yummy Mexican food.  Later we played the Wii till way to late.  The first thing the boys wanted to do was teach me how Mario Cart worked - they taught me but I never actually got to play - just watched those cute boys!

Jacob was showing me how to steer the cart - that was his job in the teaching process.

Michael took me around and showed me everything - it was really cute.

Andrew got the dinosaur above for Christmas but Michael is really the one that loves it - later he told me "I like that" and pointed to it.

On Friday night Andrew had a parade to start out the soccer tournament that happened that weekend in Tucson.  Andrew and his team marched in it - this is the 20th year and they made a big deal of it.

Waiting for the parade to begin. 

After the parade the boys went down one of those huge blow up slides shaped like a shark.

Saturday we lounged around, went to the LDS book store and then Cyndi, Andrew and I volunteered at the tournament.  We had a good time but Andrew was a little bored to say the least.

Sunday was a beautiful AZ day with "cold" weather - it was 60.  After church Cyndi, I, and the boys went on a 1.5 hour walk through the neighborhood and near by park.

Following the leader.

We came across this huge tree that had fallen and this little house someone had spent too much time building - the boys had a grand time.

Later we played with play-do (well really the boys and Jeremy did).

Isn't he beautiful?

Monday was the dress shopping day in Phoenix so we got up and drove there, had lunch with Emily and Lynne and kids and then they headed off to Emily's house and us to shopping.  If you made it this far I am rewarding you with the answer to the question of which dress I chose - that would be dress B.

Tuesday I had to go back home, the morning was spent packing, taking some clothes to a store, eating out and then picking up Jacob from pre-school.  He was very excited that I came to get him - he is so cute!  Then we went and played at a near by park and finally went and got Andrew from school and headed to the airport.  I was worried about my dress and security, where to put it on the plane, etc.  It all worked out and our plane was only delayed by 2 hours in Denver getting me home about 2:15am on Wednesday morning.  Thankfully Rob called about 1:30am when I was in serious need of sleep and talked to me until I got home - very grateful!  It was a great trip but over way too soon!  I already miss my sweet boys and Cyndi!

I Bought A Wedding Dress

So if putting a ring on my finger didn't make this whole thing feel very official than buying a wedding dress definitely did.  Lynn and Emily Selim, my brother-in-laws mom and sister were gracious enough to watch Cyndi's boys while we went and tried on wedding dresses.  Boy were we grateful we didn't have a 7, 4, and 2 year old boy with us while doing this.  I swear it takes 10 minutes to put on the dresses - if that short of period and many of the dresses were lace up the back so it took even longer.  All together I think I tried on 12 dresses in 2 hours - not too bad considering.  I bought the third dress in the line of dresses in the end but tried on all of them and then went back and tried on my favorite again to make sure it really was my favorite.  Cyndi teared up when I put on the dress and it was the only one I felt completely comfortable and beautiful in.  Later I put my hair up and I will wear it that way at the wedding.  They gave us a great deal and so I ended up getting a veil and headband/tiara thingy as well.  It is not the veil you see in the pictures.

So I decided to make is fun and somewhat like House Hunters since we were dress hunters.  So, here are the dresses, poor Cyndi was trying to figure out my camera in the process, I didn't take a picture with all of them but you get the idea.  Almost all of the dresses were too big somewhere, I felt like I was falling out of or needed some serious inches in order to fit - so just keep that in mind as you look at the pictures.  Dress D I was just trying to keep on so my arm is behind me holding it it place. 

So do you think it is Dress A.

Dress B

Dress C

Dress D

Please leave your votes on which one you think that I chose.

Whats in a Name?

Ok - so I want to know how all of my friends/family went about deciding if they should change their last name when they got married. I am sure for some of you it wasn't even much of a thought because that is what you do when you get married but did anyone else struggle with this? I am having a hard time deciding what to do. Academically (because of publications and continuity) I need to stay Katharine Ann Ball but otherwise I can be Katharine Ann Ball Ricks or Katharine Ann Ricks or whatever. Anyone else find this a hard decision or is just me? The ironic part is that for most of my life I tried to figure out a way to get rid of Ball but now I want to hold tight to it - am I just being stubborn?

Also, what is your favorite way to spell Elizabeth?

Love

The Security of Feeling Love

"The relationship between love and appropriate action is demonstrated repeatedly in the scriptures and is highlighted by the Savior's instruction to His Apostles: 'If ye love me, keep my commandments' (John 14:15). Just as our love of and for the Lord is evidenced by walking ever in His ways (see Deuteronomy 19:9), so our love for spouse, parents, and children is reflected most powerfully in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds (see Mosiah 4:30)."Feeling the security and constancy of love from a spouse, a parent, or a child is a rich blessing. Such love nurtures and sustains faith in God. Such love is a source of strength and casts our fear (see 1 John 4:18). Such love is the desire of every human soul."We can become more diligent and concerned at home as we express love—and consistently show it."
David A. Bednar, "More Diligent and Concerned at Home," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 18

I loved this talk about how we should treat those we love by Elder Bednar. If you don't remember it go back and find it it is well worth your time. As I think about the different types of love and how we show those and as I talkw ith my Laurels about love and what it means at 16 I am always drawn back to a professor I had at BYU. Dr. Scorsby,(I think that is how you spell it), who taught lanugage development, talked about how he would listen to his teen daughters talk about how they love a certain song, love ice cream, love that shirt and am in love with a certain boy. He felt that the word is overused or misused often - especially if we are talking about the love of the Lord and how much we love a certain kind of food or similar comparisons. He created in his family different words for love, I can't remember what they are becuase it was almost 14 years ago but I remember agreeing with the idea that often times we seem to lose meaning of the deepth of the love we are expressing with just the word love. I do love Indian food and I love to go camping, especially with friends and family, but that is very different from my love for the Lord, my family or Rob. Just thought I would give you something to think about today. What do you guys think - what words best describe these different ways we "love" things?

Planning

I need to journal somewhere and this is the only place I do so if you want read on - I can't promise that it is a work of art but just the feelings of a newly engaged, truly in love girl.
Anyone that really knows me well knows that I am a planner - it a Ball trait. We all need to know 5 years in advance (just kidding) what we will be doing, where we will live and what our lives will be like. Well it really doesn't work because nothing is that stable and the Lord has a way of changing all of our plans. If you had asked me last year or even 6 months ago what I would be doing in June of this year I would have said graduating and finding a job. Today my answer includes those things and getting married to a wonderful man and becoming the mother of 5 small children.
Throughout the last few years I have been very busy and juggled many responsibilities and all along I had this feeling that the Lord was preparing me for something - I just wasn't certain what it was. Being a Mormon woman I was hoping that it included a loving husband and a houseful of kids - little did I know that I was going to get just that. As I sat in the temple today I thought of all the many ways in which the Lord has blessed me in my life. In my PB I am told that I would marry at the appropriate time in my life, funny how it is also one of the most stressful. I can't say how incredibly blessed and grateful I feel for personal revelation and the opportunity to know that the choices I am making are not only mine but that the Lord has lead me here and blessed me with this relationship and these children. How incredibly reassuring that is to me.
As I think about the plans for the future that I had created for the single me and the reality of plans that now include a husband and children I am amazed at how much more fulfilling those plans fill. In all of my years of education I have never once thought that working would ever be more important to me than raising a family and now I am faced with the need to work (I need to pay off my student loans) and the opportunity to use all of my knowledge and skills that I have be developing for the past 10 years. I am blessed with a incredibly supportive and loving fiance that wants me to use the many abilities I have developed and I am grateful for the chance to continue working (something that I secretly love doing - I am related to my workaholic father).
I guess the point of my ramblings is that even with all of the planning and thinking I am most grateful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost that speaks to both my mind and heart allowing me to know that the decisions I am making are right.

Service

"The Savior taught His disciples, 'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it' (Luke 9:24)."I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives."
Thomas S. Monson, "What Have I Done for Someone Today?" Ensign, Nov. 2009, 85

I am so grateful for a living prophet that lives these words in his every action. What an amazing example we all have of charity, love and kindness in President Thomas S. Monson.

Leavitt Family Photo Shoot

Monday I was able to drive down to Sugarland with Nathan and take pictures of my sister and her family.  We had a lot of fun and then sat around after dinner doing what - talking about wedding plans of course!  Here are some of my favorites.  Family Photos first:

I told Donna and Brad that they had to act like they liked each other for these. :)

The Kids - Victoria wasn't especially in the mood for pictures but the older three did great!

Victoria- she loves to swing:

David - such a cute boy!

Katherine - my beautiful niece

Cameron - our smarty pants!

The three big kids:

Sisters

Brothers

News

Well, to start off with I really hate being a girl sometimes.  I hate that my emotions are directly tied to conversations and that I am not able to put my stresses into neat little boxes, pack them away, and then bring them out when I want to worry about that specific thing.  Instead all my worries, fears, excitement, joy, happiness, and sadness all run together sometimes into one massive mess - at least it is right now.  I don't know too many girls that haven't at least felt this way some - others are better at balancing things than others.  I usually feel that I am alright at that balance but being tired, stressed, and happy all at once has not lead to the most balanced emotional state ever.

So, a week or so in review - that is the 28th-yesterday.

On the 28th Rob and his four children, Katie, Caleb, Samuel and Marlissa drove into town to stay with us.  We ate dinner, had a fun FHE, and then the kids went to bed.

On the 29th we all played most of the day, my dad came home from Dallas early because there was supposed to be a bad ice storm and got to meet Rob and his kids.  Later that night Rob and I got engaged.  We don't have any pictures of that night or really any of us together last week but this is one Rob took about a month ago.  No, definite date but I will keep people posted as we get closer - most likely some time in June.

On the 30th Jason and the girls, Donna and Brad and their kids, and Beth and Dallas came over to meet Rob and to hang out and eat some yummy food. 

On the 31st Mama had to go to get an MRI done so Rob and I took the kids and Nathan and Mandy to the "tire park" in Tomball.  We had a good time playing on all of the equipment and Rob was nice enough to play tag with the kids for some time and they loved it.  Marlissa and I hung out and watched.

Nathan

Samuel

Mandy and Katie

Marlissa

 

Caleb

Caleb and Katie

On the 1st of January Rob and I went over to meet Shelly and Bella, see the Houston temple, I took him to see our old home on Golden Rainbow, and then to Target.  It was nice to spend some time together with only one child, Marlissa, who accompanied us. :)  That was also the last night that Rob was here and I was very sad to think about him leaving.

The 2nd dawned early, 5 AM in fact because Mandy had a high fever and was in a lot of pain.  We caught Rob as he was getting the kids in the car and he was able to help give Mandy a blessing.  Since then Mandy has been in the hospital, Nathan and I went and visited on Sunday evening and then Nathan and I went to Sugarland to take pictures of the Leavitt family last night.  I am still working on those pictures and so I will post some when I am done.

So there - more than anyone needed or wanted to know about my week but it was a great week and I wanted to blog to be sure I remember all that happened.