A Legacy of Love

Today, I am overcome with the feeling of love. Love for many things. I sit here for another day with my family. We are sitting, we are waiting with a dear man, our father and our grandpa.

Arlie Hebdon, has lived a long, full life, spending most of it with his dear wife, Bonnie, who he said a temporary goodbye to about a year and a half ago. He is a strong, devoted man who has fought cancer once before and is now plagued with it again. He has struggled, he has fought, he has grown tired, and he and all of us are now waiting. We are filled with love as we have the opportunity to say a temporary goodbye to him and wait for what we are sure will be one amazing homecoming. I know he will be welcomed back to his real home with his wife, parents, siblings, and friends who have passed on before him.

As I have sat with my amazing family, immediate and extended, for the last day I have realized:

1. We are not perfect

2. We all have differences

3. We all have opinions

I have also realized that in all our differences and imperfections we have come together. We have gathered to celebrate. Celebrate a legacy of love that two amazing individuals, brought together, have created for their children, grandchildren, friends, and even strangers.

So, as I continue to wait, and to learn I am overcome with gratitude. I know our dear Heavenly Father created our family with a divine purpose, knowing that we would need each other to come together and mourn our loss here and to celebrate the joining of our dear grandma and grandpa again. I am so thankful for the mercy that is available to each of us through an all loving Father and his Son, our Savior. I look forward to the day that once again I can embrace my grandma and grandpa together and thank them for their legacy, their lives, their examples, their testimony, and their love.

I hope my new and dear husband and I can create a similar legacy for our children and grandchildren and that they will do the same! Please, hold the ones you love a little tighter today and remember how grateful you are for them, in spite of  the imperfections, the differences, and the little things we call inconveniences. Celebrate their life and the love you share!

 Perfect Love by Del Parson

My Reasons to Smile Today

 So, I definetely need to find a few reasons to smile lately. You don't realize how much you forget to smile, laugh, or talk when you are home alone so often. 

Anyways, my dear Heavenly Father sent a few tender mercies my way which caused me to smile! How grateful I am for a Heavenly Father who knows I need to smile when I am home alone! 

My first reason to smile: The dear census lady coming up the stairs when I went to check the mail. We haven't got a lot of mail lately...sometimes it's disappointing to me. I find myself sometimes wishing we would even just get bills in the mail...I know I'm crazy! Anyways, there wasn't any mail today so I found myself a little discontent and on my way back up to the apt. the dear census lady once again gave me a huge smile and said hi! Thank you so much my friend! I hope you realize that your smile helped to make a strangers day!

My Second Reason to Smile: The even beautiful buds on my lillies are blooming and becoming even more beautiful! There are so many colors it is absolutely beautiful! I still don't know how the flowers ended up in the parking lot of an auto parts store but either way I am so grateful! I think Heavenly Father knew I might need a little color in my life this week! Thank you to my dear Father in Heaven, I love you!

They would make you smile too, right?

My Third Reason to Smile: My husband will be home in a few hours to hug me!!! 

I hope you can all find your own reasons to smile today! Love you!

Would I Have a Unibrow!?!

I thought this was definetely post-worthy so I had to do a real quick post about Nate's completely random question a couple minutes ago!

So, Nate and I are sitting on the couch just reminiscing about life and the decisions we need to make at the moment when he asks this:

"So, do you have a unibrow? If you didn't wax your eyebrows do you have a unibrow?"

Haha...then he tried covering up his random, could be taken offensively question by saying, "I mean you always wax your eyebrows so I was just wondering if you didn't would you have a unibrow?"

Anyways, I guess he is right to an extent...I have been waxing my eyebrows for quite some time now as most girls do...or atleast tweeze....so who am I to say I wouldn't have a unibrow. Anyways, I sure hope I don't have a unibrow. Now, I am deathly afraid to ever stop waxing my eyebrows!

I love being married!!! There is something new every day!

Dear Nate: How could you ever imagine this girl, the one you married, who you call beautiful every day, having a unibrow. If I did, you better still love me!

Love, Sharon Marie

Tonight I will be praying I secretly, naturally don't have a unibrow in reality! Please pray for me! ;o)

Celebrating...Hiking...Callings...Cooking...Flowers

As of lately, we have had a few new FUN adventures!!!

First of all, we CELEBRATED my 23rd BIRTHDAY!!! ( I think I'm 23) I seriously lose count already. How sad is that!?! Anyways, it was definitely a bittersweet day! 

First: I realized how much I really miss our family and friends! It is those days that they call you or text you with words of love to celebrate you that you realize how amazing family is and just how needed they are! You see, the days go by a little slow sometimes. Nate works about 12 hours a day, I don't have a job, I don't know many people yet, and I procrastinate things such as finances, folding clothes, and more while I sometimes intensely wish to be back home with familiar faces, places, and things! So, after being pretty sad about my (I was calling it misfortune), my amazing husband came home! (He truly is AMAZING!!!) After letting him know I was a little cranky, finding out my grandpa was in the hospital with bad news, and hearing my adorable one year old niece tell me Happy Birthday and I love you in her innocent, adorable voice...I broke down! I cried and after venting to Nate and I was not such a grump my amazing husband held me while I cried! Then I composed myself, we finished getting ready and he took me to Olive Garden (to DIE for) and the drive in movie!

So, why do I tell you all about my day of feeling sorry for myself? Well, it is to say that family and friends are just exactly where it is at! On my day of hurt, I was comforted by the words of love from you all!!! Whether it be a phone call, a text, or a facebook post I needed your love! Thank you! Also, husbands are just the best thing ever created! I am so grateful to spend my time with you Nate!

Second item of news: Nate took me to Multinomah Falls on Saturday! We hiked up to the top...which might not have been the best idea...but we did it anyway! I was in slip-on shoes and Nate was in flip flops and we have both been in need of a chiropractor for quite some time. So, although I developed a blister on each of my little toes and I could hardly walk the next day because my hips and back I loved it! It was beautiful and I needed to feel like I accomplished something! (Even if it was only a two-three mile hike)

These are all taken from the bottom!

Taken on the way up!

The top...falls going off the cliff

Pictures at the top of the little fall on top of the big falls!

The shoes we were wearing on a two mile hike uphill!!! 

Third: We both got callings in our ward here! Guess what they are first! My mom hit it right on the nail when she was here!!! Close at least, for me! 

 

......................................

 

I think she said they would put me in nursery!!! Well, I am the four year old primary teacher...

Nate is the Varsity Coach (Scout Leader) and Assistant Advisor for the Teacher's Quorum!!! I don't understand why they call it Varsity Coach.

Fourth: I have a new obsession in my time at home!

Searching out recipe blogs and finding new treasures too cook and bake! Some of my better, most recent cooking adventures are...

1. Homemade Mac and Cheese Casserole

2.  Chicken and Dumplings

3. Baked Blueberry Scones

4. Deep Fried Scones with Honey Butter

5. Butterscotch, White Chocolate Chip Cookie - Hot Fudge Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

6. Italian Pizza

7. Chicken Pot Pie

We have so much scone dough in the freezer it is ridiculous!!! The recipes both made a lot more than I anticipated. They were delicious though!

Last night I made chicken and dumplings and scones with honey butter! I had a bit of nostalgia flood over me as I was reminded so much of one of my absolute, all time heroes! My grandma who I have missed so dearly for the last year and a half. I remember longing for my grandma's chicken and dumplings! It was so good! She was an amazing cook, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and woman! Her life touched so many! I miss you grandma! 

 

I am so grateful for the gospel, eternal families through the temple, and the resurrection!

Grandpa, we miss you and we pray for you daily (more than once a day)! Thank you for your example of courage, strength, and faith amidst adversity! We love you!!!

 

Fifth: I am so lucky!!! I got a beautiful hanging basket from my amazing parents that is at the moment sitting on my porch because we need to get a hanger for it.

The picture isn't as good as it is in real life!!!

Also, when buying a new battery for Nate's car, which hasn't worked for about a month we found a little present...tender mercy sitting by our car. As we walked out to remove the old battery we saw a bouquet of lillies wrapped, and not yet bloomed. We commented on how odd it was and contemplated why they were there. After returning from buying the new battery, those flowers still remained untouched in the same spot. Still we, mostly I, wondered why a bouquet of flower would be lying in a parking lot of an auto parts store right next to our vehicle. I considered everything...from someone dropping them to some amazing kindly deed to a recording of some person wanting to see the reaction of some weird, flower obsessed girl ooooing over some lillies! Anyways, judge me or not we ended up bringing them home. They looked completely stranded. Sorry...I pray that nobody is missing some beautiful lillies now. If they are I hope they would have done the same thing. Anyways, two out of many of these beautiful flowers have bloomed today!

The flowers a couple days ago and the flowers today. 

Two have bloomed...one on the front and one on the back!

I know the vase is a little tall but it is the only one I own at the moment. I left all my vases in Pocatello at Shan's apt. 

Anyways, there is life with the Benson family the last week. Thanks for bearing with me in my long winded blog posting! :o)

My Sister, My Friend...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Oh, how I miss my sweet sister, Carlie!!! I hope you have the best day ever! You truly deserve it! Please remember every day that I love you times a million eternities and I am truly grateful for you! Heavenly Father has given me a tender mercy every day of my life by allowing me to be your twin sister! He knew I needed a friend and a confidant every day of my life! Thank you for being so absolutely AMAZING!!! Nate and I sure love you a lot!

I think of the many adventures we have had together, some good and some bad, but everyone I am grateful I shared with you! Thanks a ton for putting up with me!

  Just in case you forgot by now...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

I Forgot Something...

I completely forgot to include our office/scrapbook/craft/storage room in our blog post! How could I? Anyways, here it is:

 Our "Catch-All" Spare Room

(The closet you can not see contains storage!)

Also not included in this post is our AMAZING garage!!! I love it because it has room for my car, our chest freezer, and plenty of extra storage space! Anyways, now the tour is complete! 

Second item of business:

Thank you Nate for staying up late last night for a fun sporadic date night to the movie:

ECLIPSE

It was fun!!! I know you were tired but you made my night!!! I hope you survive work today!

I love you!

Our Recent Adventures!!!

Wow!!! A lot has happened for the two of us in the last year! I have made a goal to keep this updated on all our most recent adventures as we have uprooted ourselves from home! All is well! We are loving our time together and being in Oregon at least when it's not sweltering hot! Marriage is a whole new ball field for the two of us but it is proving to be a mostly amazing one!

Here is a recap of our most recent adventures:

1. WE GOT MARRIED!!!

Thank you to all our family and friends for making it the most memorable day of all time!

2. PARADISE

 We spent a week in Paradise! For our honeymoon Nate took me to the island of Kauai, Hawaii!

How beautiful is that!?!

3. WE PACKED OUR LIFE UP AND MOVED TO OREGON!!!

We moved to the green and supposedly rain! However, it has only rained about three times since we have been here! Hallelujah...break me in slow!

4. WE FINALLY FOUND A PLACE TO LIVE!

Welcome to our Home, Apt. F322!!!

Here is your official tour:

Our Kitchen Area

Our Dining Area (We only have two chairs right now! We are trying to match the other two!)

Our Living Room Area View #1

 Our Living Room Area View #2

Our Hallway Area

Our Bathroom Area (Behind the door is another door that leads to our Laundry Room!

Our Bedroom Area View #1

 Our Bedroom Area View #2

That is it folks!!! That is the place we call home for at least a year! :o)

5. We went to the Coast!!!

6. I GOT A HAIRCUT!!!

It was so hot the last few days that I gave in and chopped my hair off! I was planning on getting a haircut just not this short! I haven't had it this short since elementary school! I'm still getting used to it!

7. WE WENT TO THE FAIR!!!

It was a lot of fun! We listened to people karaoke (some really good some really bad), we learned about IHOP (Internation House of Prayer), got an 18" corn dog and Hawaiian chicken with noodles, had Italian Ice for desert, and broke down and bought some Cutco knives (We really needed some knives)!!! 

8. WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE!!!

Of course, I didn't take this picture but I forgot our camera when we went so this will have to do until we get there again!

So, there is a quick recap of our amazing life as of lately! We love you all. Thank you for your support with all the crazy changes we have had in our life lately! We never would have accomplished everything without the help of our family and friends!

To Nate: I love you with all my heart! I am so grateful I get to spend the rest of eternity with you! Thank you for all you do on a daily basis! I am forever and always grateful!