Be there or be square!

I'm so excited! I just can't hide it! Brazil fest is finally here!

Over the past few weeks I have rediscovered how fragile life truly is. Life and death both are miracles. I have seen friends and loved ones leave this life in a blink of an eye; life forever changed. It is amazing to me to see how the world still goes round and that life continues forward no matter what happens. I have also seen how the people left behind have been strengthened so that they might continue on their journey one step at a time.

As loved ones leave this world, new friends and family enter this world full of life and love. As Keeli has entered my world I have been overcome with her spirit and purpose. Everyday I think about how I am so blessed to have her by my side today and how we never know how long we get to spend with each other.

President Thomas S. Monson in his recent Ensign article “May we so Live” stated beautifully, “How fragile life is, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existence. And so I ask, “What are we doing with today?” If we live only for tomorrow, we’ll eventually have a lot of empty yesterdays. Let us ask ourselves the questions: “Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?””

I am awestruck to think I have been blessed with a beautiful baby girl, a wonderful husband, and a family who is always there for me. Each day truly is a gift and although I do not know why I am given the gift of life today and others are not, I do know that I want to fill my todays so tomorrow I will never have regrets. So today I watched Keeli sleep and looked into her beautiful face. I talked and laughed with my mom. I kissed my husband goodbye and made sure he knew I loved him.

As Thomas S. Monson says, “We can quicken our step, bolster our courage, and bask in the sunlight of truth. We can hear more clearly the laughter of little children. We can dry the tear of the weeping. We can comfort the dying by sharing the promise of eternal life. May we resolve from this day forward to fill our hearts with love. May we go the extra mile to include in our lives any who are lonely or downhearted or who are suffering in any way. May we “cheer up the sad and make someone feel glad.” May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business, but will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.””

More Pictures!!

Here are some more pictures of Keeli! Can you tell what her favorite past time is these days?

Napping with mom!

Posing so pretty for the camera

We stuck here in the sun to help with her Jaundice and boy she was a happy camper. She loves to smile in her sleep and Eric caught a lot of very cute ones!

Smile Big!

So cute!

Keeli's first bath! She was cold!

Getting nice and clean! She loved when we ran the water over her head to wash her hair.

Keeli Anne Harper is Here!!

Baby Harper is here! Keeli Anne Harper was born Monday July 7th at 4:07 in the morning. She was scheduled to be induced Monday; however, she decided she wanted to come a few hours early when my water broke Sunday night at 11:30. Labor was short and sweet and made me so grateful for epiderals. She was 8 pounds 2 ounces, 20 inches long, and cute as can be! She is healthy and strong and Eric and I are loving every minute with her. She definitely feels like a part of our family we can't live without. Here are a few pics of her so far....enjoy!

Being Grateful

Count your many blessings....name them one by one....

Being able to step back and see the blessings in life can be difficult at times. When the world seems to be falling down around you the best cure can often be pulling out the perspective glasses and searching for the good in life. There are staple blessings like faith, family, friends, and being alive that will always be there in times of need. There are also everyday little blessings that seem to slip from your grasp if you do not slow down and take the time to see them. A call from a sister, a hug from a parent, dancing in the living room with my husband to no song just for fun, having a toilet that flushes.... and the list goes on. When the walls are tumbling down around you I hope you can find the strength to look....it may be hard, but oh so worth it. Look for the blessings that have made you who you are. Then hopefully the walls crumbling around you will begin to turn into blessings that are making you who you should be. In the end some of the hardest times end up being the best times if we let them. Never forget to whip out the perspective glasses....and you might be surprised....they might just turn into sunglasses that reflect the many rays of sunshine trying to penetrate your life.

I miss my feet

Only 17 days until D-Day and I am definitely starting to feel it. My feet look like one of those hospital gloves blown up, my fingers swell with any usage or heat, and my belly button is almost an outtie. I do have to say I am suprised I have stayed an innie for so long...I thought that my belly button would be one of the first things to "pop" being pregnant. Although feeling like a beached whale with hobbit feet (minus the hair) is not the most enjoyable thing in life, I am still leaning towards believing all of this is 100% worth going through. Nothing that doesn't take some sacrifice or hard work is worth having, right?

Desserts to lower your fat thermostate

Being a sugar free person has not been the easiest thing in the world...especially since I have been pregnant. Chocolate chip cookies and doughnuts just seem to want to be eaten by me lately. Luckily my mother in law introduced me to this cookbook, Desserts to lower your fat thermostate. Instead of using sugar for tasty treats it uses mostly apple or pineapple juice concentrate to sweeten up cookies, muffins, ice cream, etc. Most of what I have made has turned out pretty good, especially the muffins and it is nice to be able to eat a treat when Eric pulls out the ice cream. I would definitely recommend taking a look at this recipe book if you are looking for a healthy snack that still has a sweet kick to it. My next recipe on the docket is the blueberry ice cream...mmm....hopefully it will help me kick the need to crave a blueberry cake doughnut.

Home Sweet Home

Graduation!

A Person of Lists

From the first day of Junior High I have had a planner. My school used to give out free daily planners each year and I enjoyed writing my life down into my planner. When college hit, one of my favorite things to do at the beginning of each semester was to write down all of my assignments for the entire semester for each class and plan out everything. (Nerdy, I know.) Without my planner I would have been lost...I had all my assignments, classes, tests, daily tasks, activities, and to-do lists compiled in my little planner.

Recently, I have been thinking about my planner and my lists a lot. My list always gives me something to do; however, often I find myself getting too wrapped up in making sure everything is crossed off the list. I find it hard to sit still if I have one more thing waiting to be crossed off. My never ending list makes it hard to enjoy life for myself as well as for others around me. No one likes to feel like a list has to be accomplished before you can spend time with them...and I know I have made people feel like this more than once.

After all my thinking I have decided something....my list is gone. Sure I will write things down that I need to remember still and I will still like planning ahead but I never want to put my list first in my life again. In the eternal scheme of things if the floor doesn't get swept, the dishes sit in the sink, or if work is left undone, who cares? If my time is spent with family and friends, learning about the gospel, and even relaxing sometimes I will be better off because of it.

It's time to reprioritize and get on with my life. Structure is good in life and being busy is nice but there is so much more to life than filling time with deadlines and check marks on a list. I want to live, I want to love, and that is what I plan to do.

Good bye list...I can say I won't miss you!

Just another crazy day in paradise

This post is a conglomeration of thoughts from the past two days. Eric gave a family night last night on the article by Thomas S. Monson found in the April 2008 Ensign titled, "Treasure of Eternal Value" that really hit me. My dad today then titled one of his e-mails to me "Just another crazy day in paradise" and that once again got my mind going.

It is so important to live today as if tomorrow isn't coming. I have definitely put off doing this since my college career and have made it a goal to get into the habit of making every day count. I can't use homework, tiredness, or projects as an excuse to put off serving, loving, and progressing in life. (Not that these were ever good excuses beforehand.)

I love what President Monson said about life. He stated, "There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today, and to live most fully today, we must do that which is of greatest importance. Let us not procrastinate those things which matter most." Procrastination is for people who are too afraid to live life or too blinded by the world to take the time to do what matters most.

In addition to not putting off the good things in life I want to make sure I take time to enjoy each thing I do. Sure, life is hectic and hard but we can make life paradise each day, even if it is a little crazy. Life isn't meant to be perfect and I plan on working hard to make the most of each day, even with the bumps that get tossed in.

I want to make today a day I never forget, a day that wasn't wasted, and a day I can say was just another crazy day in paradise.

Stole of Gratitude

Graduation has come and gone (pics to come soon) and I have had some time to look back on my four years of college and remember the good and the hard times. A lot has happened over my four year period at BYU. Marriage, a baby on the way, Eric's broken back, several moves, a broken arm, an experience in writing a 30 page paper, arrythmia, and countless assignments and projects have kept me very busy. Sometimes I think I let school keep me too busy. I am grateful to all those who have put up with me and pushed me to keep going when I was tired and ready to give up. I have had amazing support from my husband, parents, parents in law, brother and sister, and countless others. From the cookies on the doorstep after a hard day of class to the phone calls, e-mails, and hugs encouraging me, I feel overwhelmed with the love I have felt as I have journeyed through school. Thank you to all of those who have made my journey a memorable and wonderful experience. I felt your support and prayers daily and I was so blessed to have people cheering me through thick and thin. Many times your kind words and thoughts were an answer to my prayers and I love you all.


Some small moments that made life wonderful:

• Going to celebrate high school graduation with my parents


• Moving into Glenwood


• Having my mom here to help me get ready to start college


• My dad helping me get a scholarship from the navy for school


• Walking over to Lindsey and Blake's apartment to babysit, eat dinner or just enjoy their company.


• First WalMart trip with the roommates


• Snowboarding on the table in Glenwood with a pineapple in hand with Bonnie


• Going to a BYU dance and drinking so much fruit punch our mouths turned red


• Working with Lindsey and going out to eat way too much for lunch
• Bonfires


• Walking to Blackjacks for dinner
• Going down a giant water slide at Rock Canyon


• Christmas breaks


• Reading Harry Potter during Christmas break
• Talking to my family about how I liked Eric and then didn't like him
• Going to Phantom of the Opera a million times when it first came out


• Going to Moab with Eric


• Having my dad laugh at the idea of me going to Moab with Eric for 5 minutes


• Getting engaged to Eric


• Planning a wedding in two weeks
• Getting married and loving every minute of our wedding day
• Moving into our first apartment after getting married
• Discovering the Disney channel
• Getting new clothes every once in awhile
• Late night dollar store runs
• Spending the night at Lindsey and Blake's house and eating grapes and being hyper all night
• Going to general conference
• Getting e-mails from my dad


• Going to Yellowstone
• Getting holiday treats in the mail
• Going to lunch with my Auntie B
  
• Going to Lindsey and Blake's house after my first anatomy class to cry


• Trips to the outlet mall
• Going a good run
• Getting a belated mother's day gift from Eric
• Teaching primary


• Going on hikes
• Talking to my mom on the phone


• Going to the scera pool
• Coming home to find a new bedspread and sheets on our bed


• Going to Lake Tahoe
• Cheating and eating dark chocolate every once in awhile
• Sitting and talking to family on Sundays


• Pizza factory with Steven and Eric
• Getting cute notes from Eric
• Playing board games and learning Egyptian Ratscrews


• Rediscovering how good Papa Murphey's pizza is


• Having Steven come do laundry at our house on Sundays


• Going to the temple
• Having so much emotional and financial support when Eric broke his back


• Getting ready to have a baby
• Getting my back scratched or rubbed
• Going to Lindsey and Blake's for dinner and to play games
• Falling asleep by the fire instead of doing homework
• Walking on campus during the spring
• Walking to my car after getting a good grade on a test
• Wearing sweats
• Eric making me nachos or a cheese crisp when I had morning sickness
• Spotting my family at commencement and waving
• Shaking Elder L. Tom Perry's hand during graduation
• Not being able to wipe the smile off my face as I walked across the stage to get my diploma