Missing Mikkie...

I don't even know where to begin...it's been one of those weeks I wouldn't wish on anyone. Last Saturday Dale and I got the call that our sweet little niece Mikkie fell in the pool and wasn't breathing. Mikkie had been life flighted to the hospital and her parents were driving to the hospital to meet her. Dale and I knelt down in prayer and asked that Mikkie's life would be spared and that Laura and Tim would be comforted, but to let us be accepting of "His will." As Dale was praying a feeling of peace rested in my heart. I didn't say anything to Dale until we were on our way to the hospital...it was a definite peace that radiated through me, but was it an assurance that she'd live or comfort to accept the unthinkable? As I told Dale how I was feeling, he said he had a similar experience. We both assumed that meant our sweet little Mikkie would be okay. But Heavenly Father must have needed her in Heaven, because she passed away a short while later. My heart ached for for her sweet parents and 3 year old sister, and still does...but I am SO grateful for the gospel in my life. What a truly great blessing it is to know that if we live worthily we will one day be reunited with her and that her sweet little family will be intact for eternity.

Rollerblades and Road Rash

I guess I should start out by admitting that I am a huge klutz. Apparently I have absolutely no sense of balance and should not be allowed on rollerblades. Dale on the other hand is amazing. Tonight he was jumping benches and swerving in and out of basketball hoops with the grace of an olympian speed skater, while I was trying desperately to keep myself from eating gravel. We had the genius idea of taking up rollerblading a couple of weeks ago. It sounded completely harmless. We both knew I wasn't terrific, but thought if I practiced enough I would get the hang of it. So in our niaveness we went out and bought ourselves some brand new rollerblades. I will admit that we were trying to be smart and we also purchased me some nice knee pads and wrist guards. We've been out a few times and I've taken a few falls...more than I'd like to admit! Let's just say that my wrist guards are worn in :).


My rollerblades are the top ones and Dale's are the sleek black ones.


Well, tonight we went rollerblading with some friends, and we ended up at the top of a very LARGE hill. Hills terrify me...well, it's not actually the hill itself that scares me, but the speeding down and not being able to stop myself that sends shivers down my spine. Dale and I have conquered this problem in the past by tag teaming. He leads and I hold onto his waist and he guides us slowly down the hill. It's worked before, so once again we took off down the hill, Dale gracefully gliding and me clinging desperately to him. We started out pretty slow...but then we started going faster and faster until we were passing cars with ease. The only problem was that my feet couldn't quite keep up. I started wobbling and then just as we were nearing the bottom I lost control and tumbled to the ground, bringing Dale with me. I'm not quite sure what happened after that, except that Dale skidded and rolled, then came to a halt. He sat up with kind of a dazed look on his scratched up bleeding face, then jumped up and just shook it off. Poor guy, he got the worst of it. I'm not sure how I only managed a skinned elbow, because he's got a skinned face, knee and hip. The really sad part of all of this? It only makes me more determined to learn to rollerblade! So, instead of hanging up my skates and moving onto a sport that requires less coordination, we'll be back on the road as soon as we heal. Wish me luck!

Dale's battle wounds...all because he was trying to be a gentleman!



The pictures don't do it justice! What a sweet hubby I have!

Fun in the SUN!

Our Fabulous Mother's Day Weekend Getaway....to Parowan of course :). We also hit up St. George, which is where our Miniature Golf pics came from. We had a great time together, and we did a lot more than just miniature golfing, but for some reason we didn't take pictures of anything else! A lot of good came from this trip- Dale can finally say he has officially seen all of Parowan- I drug him on a Historical Parowan Tour. He saw the famous Parowan Gap and the equally exciting cemetery where he was privileged (YES, I did say privileged :) to see the gravestone of the first Martyr from Southern Utah. Super exciting, let me tell you! We Parowanites are proud of our heritage :).

What a stud! I especially love how you can see the shadow of me taking the picture!

Crazy hair! It was super windy :)



Dale looks guilty in this pic...he probably is :)


Aw...lovin life with my hubby!

Time for an update :)

The last few months have been crazy busy and I decided something had to go, so it ended up being my blog. But I'm feeling a little less frazzled now so I'm excited to get back to posting! Dale and I moved to a new deluxe 2 BEDROOM apartment in October and are glad to be here!!! We have a killer amount of cupboards and an extra bedroom that has now become the storage/piano/craft/computer room...gotta love it! We love our new ward and love being here together! It's been a great move for us. Hmmm...what else has happened in the last few months...Dale put on his first Christmas Concert in December and it was a great experience! He did an incredible job and I can't wait to see what's in store for him as he continues to work on his piano career. He has also started teaching piano lessons (after some pushing on my part :), and is a great teacher! I'm still teaching school and absolutely love it, though I am probably more excited than my kids to be going off-track on Friday. Dale and I are both loving life and are super happy where we're at right now. I am definitely blessed!

P.S. Today is Valentine's Day, and check out the BEAUTIFUL flowers and DELICIOUS chocolate my sweet hubby surprised me with this morning! He was gone when I woke up, and he returned with a smile on his face and these sweet treats! Then he took me out to P.F. Changs for a wonderful Valentine's Night Dinner :). Chocolate and a sweetheart husband...what more could a girl ask for?




B-E-A-U-TIFUL flowers and delicious chocolate! There was more chocolate, but I devoured it before we could get a pic :) That's how good it was!

July 4th: Let Freedom Ring!

I've always been a huge fan of the 4th of July...what's not to love? Fireworks, family, friends, watermelon, parades, soaking up the sun (most years :). But for the past few years the 4th of July has meant much more to me than all this. It holds a special place in my heart. This year I kept thinking about the summer my dad went to Kuwait with the Army. He stayed with us on the 4th just long enough to watch the fireworks and say a few goodbyes, and then he left to serve our country for 7 months. He was in an Arabic Nation on 9-11, and continued to serve us willingly. I have really come to love that quote, "Freedom Isn't Free." I've seen firsthand, first with my dad and then again with my younger brother, that our freedoms haven't come without a price...whether it's through blood and trauma or simply time away from home, it's a sacrifice I'll be forever grateful these men and women willingly take.



Getting ready to go to Riverton Days :)


The camel we saw...isn't she cute! She's only 3 months old.


We got to feed the camel!


My sister Racheal and her husband Sam. They were kind enough to invite us to go see the Bees game with them on the 4th.


Dale and I at the game- it went 12 innings...wow, L-O-N-G game! The fireworks afterwards were definitely worth it!

No more pencils, No more books! No more teachers, dirty looks :)

Well, school is officially out for the summer. Well, "Summer"...3 weeks isn't much of a summer, but as I am constantly reminded by my sister and brother-in-law, not everyone is lucky enough to get even 3 weeks off. I had really mixed feelings about letting my class go...I absolutely love teaching, and have especially loved the sweet class I have had this year. To be honest, I've been blessed with such a good class that I'm a little nervous about what's in store for the new school year! Oh well, only time will tell, right? One reason I love teaching is because these kids are hilarious! These are my 2 favorite memories from this year:

- My kids earned a class party- poor kids, I made them fill this jar with marbles...it took them all year. Apparently the jar was a lot bigger than I thought :). They chose to have a Pajama Day/Popcorn Party, so they all came dressed in their adorable PJ's and slippers. Well, this one skinny little boy dressed in these cute little sports PJ's came up to me and said, "Mrs. Jessee, I hate wearing these shorts- they show my leg fat." I couldn't help but laugh :).

- Dale came a few times to play the piano for my class- my kids were absolutely mesmerized by him. One little girl came up to me after he had left and said, "If you and Mr. Jessee ever get a divorce, let me know!" Apparently a few of my girls had a little crush :). Dale and I both got a kick out of that one.

Year One: A complete success!

It's hard to believe a year has already passed since our wedding...wow, that went fast! I've heard many people say that your first year together is one of learning. Learning about each other, learning about finances, learning about "The Real World," etc. After experiencing "The First Year" first hand, I'd say that's definitely true, and I'm sure Dale would agree! We've been so blessed in our marriage. I'm lucky to have Dale in my life!

Here are just a few things I've learned about Dale this year:

- He spends A LOT more time that I thought on the piano...I consider myself blessed that he does! I love it!

- He's very neat and organized. Yeah! I guess this means I'm the more messy one in the relationship (though he does tend to leave the lid off the toothpaste :)

- A great portion of his life revolves around food. He has such a high metabolism it's hard to keep him fed :).

- Not only does he love food, but he's a really healthy eater. This a good thing!

- He has to sleep with the fan on. I'm getting used to that.

- He's VERY patient :)

- He'll do anything to support our family :) He's a great provider!

- He's going to be an excellent father one day...boy is he cute with his nieces!

- His dream is to support our family through doing what he loves...playing the piano. We all know it's just a matter of time :)

- He hates sleeping with a pillow.

- He is very good at doing laundry :)

- He eyes sparkle when he's talking about something he loves (and when he's teasing someone :)

- He eats garlic when he's sick...something I'll never try!

- He only likes his mom's strawberry jam. Nothing else compares!

- He doesn't like olives.

- He'll do anything to help his family and friends.

- I've always known he's an optimist, but now I am so grateful for it! He keeps us happy :)

It has been a wonderful year! Definitely not without its challenges, but we've sure been blessed. What a great life it is to be married for eternity to the man you love!



This is the ONE picture we got from our anniversary :)