A Year in Review

This past week Brett and I were out to dinner. We started
 reminiscing about things that have happened to us in the
past year. There seemed to be a lot of things we listed off.

 With that being said my friends, here are our
  highlights from the year 2011...

FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY

We are by no means perfect, but Brett and I have definitely

 grown closer together this year than we ever thought possible.

We have encountered circumstances where we had to depend 

completely on our Savior and trust in our Heavenly Father's plan.

 It has defined our marriage. 

We have found true joy as we have learned to serve and support

 each other.  I think we would both agree that there is no 

way we would take back our first year of marriage for anything.

 It has been a blessing and growing experience for us both. 

To celebrate our first year anniversary, Brett and I 

went to Phoenix, AZ. It was a wonderful time to be able to

 get away and spend time together. For our anniversary Brett took 

us out to a pretty sweet Italian restaurant, and following our meal, 

we took a moonlight ride in a gandala. It was a perfect 

getaway to celebrate our first year of marriage together. 

Quand tu arrives a Paris tu ne veux pas partir

We both agreed, that by far, one of our fondest memories of the

 year was when we went to Paris together. What a spectacular

 experience that was. We had such a blast spending time with

 Brett's parents and Marie. We often talk about the magical

 things we saw, and can't wait for the next opportunity

 we will get to go back.

For me personally, the most wonderful thing about going

 to Paris, was seeing the people that Brett loved while

 serving his mission. While the Eiffel tower was immaculate

 and Normandy was inspiring, nothing beat watching Brett's 

emotions as he reunited with some of his converts.

 It showed me what a good man I had  married.

 Someone who shows his love for the Lord, by

 serving others with his whole heart. 

That was an experience that I will forever cherish

NEW BEGINNINGS

In April, we were contacted by a couple in Brett's home ward

who were leaving to serve a mission in the Nauvoo temple. They 

wanted to know if we would be willing to "house-sit" while they were

away. Brett and I were VERY excited about the opportunity to move

to Orem and be in a safer neighborhood and closer to family. It was truly

an answer to our prayers. We moved in April, and have just 

 loved living in the Mountain Rose area. 

We will be staying until next Sept.

We actually moved back into Brett's homeward. It is so fun to see

how many people know and love Brett. So many people come up to

me and tell me how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband (and 

I must admit they are right!). Right when we moved in to the ward,

 Brettand I received callings. We were thrilled to serve. I have been

 serving in the Primary, teaching the sunbeams, and Brett has

 been serving as theDeacons Quorum adviser. 

Both of our classes are LARGE and BUSY (for 

lack of a better word). We have both grown a ton in our callings, 

and have loved the opportunity to serve the ward members. 

The MACC

Last year, Brett worked hard to get through the Junior Core 

program of accountancy at BYU. At the beginning of the year he applied

for the masters program. It is a REALLY competitive program, and we 

both prayed that he would get in. In May we found out that Brett was 

accepted. He has just finished up his first semester in the masters

 program (only 3 more to go!!!). I am so proud of Brett and the 

hard worker he is. Brett is so humble when it comes to school.

 He is a team player and wants to see all those around him succeed. 

I think that is what makes him

such a great student. 

Also, some other exciting news... As a part of the accounting program,

many students apply for working/paid internships to provide them with

actual job experience. Again, this is HIGHLY competitive... especially 

among the top accounting firms. Basically, if you score yourself an

 internship,you are ensured a job at the end of graduation.

 In October, Brett was offered a winter internship with a

 major accounting firm (Deloitte).We are both really excited 

about this opportunity. He leaves at the

beginning of January and will get back in April.

 COSGROVE CONNECTION

We both agreed that one of our favorite memories of the year

was spent at Glacier Park with the Cosgrove side of the family.

My Nana and Pumpa had put a lot of time and effort into 

planning our family reunion. We both had a blast playing cribbage....

(which might I add, Brett is now a HUGE fan of. We truly are soul mate)s.

We also still laugh about our time going white water rafting and playing

pool volleyball in the rain. More than anything, I think we enjoyed

not only the time we got to spend together, but with family. 

It is rare occasion that we get to spend time with my family,

because they live so far away (Alberta). We loved being able

to sit down and chat with different family members and create some

wonderful memories. It was a great vacation and a time I think 

we will both forever cherish.

"HOLINESS TO THE LORD"

By far one of the best things we we were able to do this

year was work in the temple. That blessed our lives in ways

we can't even begin to describe. It was incredible to be able 

to serve in the Lord's house. We both learned so many things. 

The temple is truly a house of learning and refuge. During this time

we gained a new love and appreciation for the temple and our 

covenants. We are planning on continuing our service when Brett 

gets back in April.

An ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE

The biggest lesson we have learned during the year 2011, 

is to be constantly grateful for the things we have in our

lives. When you look at the big picture, it is easy to see

how blessed you have been in your life. It's when we

start to focus on the little things and get lost in the chaos

of the worlds views, that we loose sight of all the tender mercies

and things the Lord has blessed us with. This is principle

that Brett and I have been constantly trying to focus on 

throughout this year. We have been SO blessed. We love

each other. We have grown together. We try not to take

for granted any time we get to spend together. As we have 

focused on the many good things we have been blessed with in 

our lives, we have found sincere joy.