Three Years Later...

Andrea has been wanting to go bowling for her birthday for the past three years.

Happy birthday Botch.

I love you.

Rejoice, We Have Every Reason To

Eric conquered his first day of school with much success! He found all of his classes, enjoyed all of his professors (except for the one with the heavy French accent said "durechos" but he really meant "the lectures") and even found a good parking spot for free (which is saying a lot for ASU)!

In our little family we try to celebrate even the little things and so of course we had to go out for a "first day of school celebration dinner". When Eric arrived home I whisked him into the car and we drove to north Scottsdale for a delicious dinner at Maggiano's.

After arriving back home we had a nice quaint little family night. We talked about goals that we have been working on and things that we can make even better in our marriage. We sang several hymns (the traditional opening and closing hymn does not suffice for us...we usually sing 3 or 4 because this is one of our favorite parts of FHE :) ) and ended with smoothies for dessert. My darling Eric is awesome about making sure we have always have family night. I love him.

At the close of our FHE Eric and I listed our many many blessings (which is a tradition we try to do every night before our family prayer). Our minds have been full lately of many hard things that have been happening, not only within our own lives, but in the lives of those who we know closely and others who we've never met but know of. We know Heavenly Father gives us trials to grow and become more like him. We are ever thankful for the strength we receive from our loving Heavenly Father while doing our best to endure through trials. We know Heavenly Father is aware of all that we are going through, both trials and tribulations, and never leaves us alone. He has a plan for each of us. As we reflected on these powerful and comforting truths, Eric and I realized that we need to rejoice for all that we have. We truly are so blessed. WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO REJOICE. We've decided to coin this as our new family theme. Whenever things are hard, whenever we get angry, whenever we feel that things aren't fair, this phrase reminds us that we can find happiness and joy in our many blessings and in the gospel.

Life will never get so bad that we cannot find something good in it. There is always a reason to smile. Remember that.

School

My darling Eric will start school on Monday. This year will be very busy but full of new opportunities for him. Eric was elected to be one of 4 senators for the WP Carey School of Business at ASU! He is awesome. He was also chosen to serve as the appropriations committee chairman. Under this position he will appropriate funds to each organization and club on campus. He is the best. On top of these responsibilities, he was also chosen as one of four undergraduate students to participate in a technology based venture capital internship opportunity. He will be working with law and MBA students to conduct market research and consult local entrepreneurs. He is wonderful. After all of this, he is also taking a full class load. He is amazing.

Eric's school year in summary:
Working with the big guys. Changing the future. Giving people money. Being in love with Holly.

I love him.

This time of the year will always bring back very tender memories for me. As I see the stories on the news of the freshmen moving into their dorms, my mind is flooded with memories of my freshman year. It is a year that I would repeat in an instant. It was a very instrumental year in my life, one where I grew and learned more than I ever have.

Things I learned/remember about my freshman year:
1. Heavenly Father never stops answering prayers.
2. Home is always just a phone call away.
3. Michelle, Abilehi, Amy, Sarah, Erica, and Kim were an answer to my prayers. I love them.
4. Singles wards really are a good thing.
5. Having patience will allow you to get along with anyone.
6. Family will never neglect you.
7. The church is true no matter where you go.
8. 3am grocery shopping trips are way more fun than ones during the day.
9. Boys take patience.
10. Spur-of-the-moment road trips are the best kind.
11. Fresh flowers add life and light to a small, cramped dorm room.
12. Ice cream tastes better at 2 in the morning.
13. Sleepovers aren't just for kids.
14. Dancing in the rain is good for the soul.
15. Singing church songs with friends in the car with the windows down while driving down Apache Blvd feels really good.
16. It really is possible to live on 2-3 hours of sleep a night...and still get good grades.
17. Life can change so quickly.
18. Laughing until your stomach hurts everyday is the best kind of workout.
19. One can only eat so much cereal and processed foods.
20. There are only so many things you can cook in a microwave (unless you're Erica and have a cookbook about how to cook every meal known to man in a microwave. I love her).
21. People are more important than things.
22. Laughing is more important than studying.
23. Sitting in a hallway for hours on end doing absolutely nothing can create the best memories.
24. It never hurts to be kind.
25. Forgiveness will change you.

There are a hundred more things I could write, but for now I'll leave it at that.

Eric and I are going to go have date night and continue our everyday fairytale.

I love my life.

Team Komenda cheers on Team USA

Since last Friday, this is where I know I can find Eric if he's not sleeping or at work--on the couch, addicted to the Olympics. Our TV has been on channel 12 all day everyday besides the few hours we may sleep (it would probably stay on while we were sleeping if we weren't so cheap with our energy bill). I am not as much enthralled with the Olympics as Eric, but he is great at making sure I see the most important events (and even You-Tubing them if I miss them) :).

Eric's favorite event is Men's Volleyball, but he could tell you the winners and exciting moments of each and every event....no kidding. We've watched Michael Phelps break 5 million world records, some really strong weight-lifter from Turkey disgustingly dislocate his elbow, and Team USA men's swim team make a remarkable come-back in the relay race [the announcers were freaking out and yelling really loud!...this is one of those that I missed but Eric made sure that I got to see it :) ].

On another note, I am finally training on the floor at work and I had total care of 2 patients this week! This was a huge deal for me as I have been really nervous and slightly overwhelmed at the idea of caring for patients on my own. On my first day on the floor I felt as if I had never even been to nursing school...I froze up and forgot so many things because I was so stinking nervous. So being able to take 2 patients basically on my own (I still have a preceptor that is with me all day to double check everything I do...which I am VERY thankful for) was a big deal! I am feeling more confident in my skills, but know that there is a TON that I still need to learn. Next week is our oncology lecture and I am excited to learn more about specific cancers and tumors and the specific nursing care needed to treat the patients I will work with.

There's No Place Like Home

Eric and I went to my family's house this weekend! I love being at home with my family. I wish we lived closer so that we could see them more. We slept in, watched TV, went swimming, did some shopping, but mostly just relaxed and visited!

My mom's birthday was on Saturday and everyone was able to be home for it. With everyone being out of the country so much this summer, it's been awhile since we've all been home. We spent the day together, had a nice dinner, and then did presents and cake.

There are no words to describe what a wonderful lady my mom is. My mom is one of the most selfless, sacrificing people I know. My mom portrays so many Christlike characteristics and is a stalwart example of what is right. My mom is a spiritual giant and always rises to the cause of truth. She is kind and loving, gentle and patient. My mom knows how to have a good time and laugh until it hurts. She is always smiling and ready for anything. Through trials and tribulations, my mom perseveres with a positive attitude. My mom would do and/or give anything for her family. My mom is eager to increase her temporal and spiritual knowledge and is an example as she continues her education with excitement. My mom is one of my best friends.

Here are some of the presents my mom got for her birthday:

Since my mom is in school again, some of us got her school supplies. Andrea was eager to buy her own present and after much thought she exclaimed with all seriousness, "I'm pretty sure mom needs a new ruler." So we went to the store, seeking a ruler of course. However, after seeing this pencil case, Andrea decided that my mom's current pencil case was too small and that this one would be much better. My mom was of course excited about this gift, as I'm sure she's been worried about what she will do this school year with a pencil case that is inadequate for the amount of pencils she has :)



Alex got my mom a really cool bracelet and necklace from Bolivia. Both of these pieces of jewelry were actually made by disabled Bolivians who make jewelry for a living. Alex said it was very touching to see these humble people who got so much joy out of this talent.

Eric and I also went with the "back to school" theme and got my mom a new backpack. She modeled it so well for all of us :)

Austin and Kelly made my mom these fun picture frames with pictures from our Disney Cruise this summer!

We realized as we were looking for candles for my mom's cake, that we didn't have any. So we pulled out this jumbo scented candle as an alternative. I think it worked out quite nicely.

Happy birthday mom! I love you!

Good Luck Cluffs!

We said a tearful goobye to the Cluffs last Wednesday night before they headed off for Missouri. We are so excited for this new journey in their lives!