19 YEARS!!!!!!!!!

HOLY COW! It is soooo hard to believe that we have been married for 19 years! Happy Anniversary Dave! Time has FLOWN by! I am so very grateful for that day 19 years ago! It was the single best day of my life and has impacted me more than anything else I have ever done! I love Dave and am so thankful for the choice we made to marry... we have been through lots of fun and a few bumps along the way, but there is no one else I would rather take the ride with! We went to the temple and did sealings Friday night to commemorate our anniversary and it was so wonderful to remember that covenant we made and the blessings that come through it!! I am so grateful for the temple!!!
So these pictures are to give ya'all some good laughs... yes, we WERE skinny, yes, we do look VERY young and YES, Dave HAD hair!!! Ahhhh... but weren't we cute?!? Hee hee hee!
And here we are now.... I don't really notice much of a change, do you?!? :)

I can't wait for the big 2-0 next year! We REALLY have to do something BIG for that!

Tagged

1. Post the rules
2. Answer all the questions about yourself
3. After you are done posting, tag 5 people


1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
We lived in Orem-- in "The Villa" the apartments we lived in for EIGHT years!!! Yikes. I had just had baby number three, Katie, and Dave was working in his first job as a lawyer. I was YW President and Dave was YM President!! Crazy!

2. Five things on your to do list today.
* make a whole bunch of cookies/cupcakes/brownies for Emily M's going away party
* clean my house
* do my transcription job
* go to Emily's party
* Watch American Idol ( I hope Jason gets kicked off!)

3. Snacks I enjoy.
K, This is a bad one. I enjoy WAY too many.
Chips/dip.
celery
trail mix
cheese/crackers
ummmm... anything sweet.

4. What would I do if I was suddenly a billionaire.
Pay tithing, invest, go on an awesome trip. Help my siblings and my Dad.
Get out of debt!!

5. Three bad habits.
spending too much time on the computer!
overeating
not wearing make up except on Sunday!

6. Five places I've lived
Plainfield New Jersey -born there
Boise Idaho - 9 years
Bountiful Utah - 5 years
Provo Utah - 12 years
St. Louis, MO - 3 months
Cedar City Utah - 5 years
Las Vegas, NV - 5 years and counting!

7. Five jobs I've had
Albertsons cookie girl (in High School)- met one of my BEST friends there.
Winchell's Donuts - still can't eat a donut.
Sears Telecatalog
Chick-fil-A
LPN- Utah Valley Regional Medical Center -- oncology -- (first REAL job!! YEA!)
RN- multiple jobs, Mountain View Hospital O.R., Payson Ut,
- IHC Home Health
- Private Duty RN for a mean old lady
- Valley View Medical Center - Cedar City Ut
- Horizon Home Health - Cedar City Ut

8. Five things that people don't know about me.
I feel like everyone knows everything about me!
K- lets see.
* Dave and I didn't kiss until we were engaged - he was sooooo shy!
* I would rather stay home than do anything social -- I am sort of a homebody, but once I get out and mingle I love it!!
* I was on the Deans list one semester in college and then on academic probation the next.
* I have hit two pedestrians. SCARY huh?
* My middle name is Gertrude.

I tag Emily McIntyre,Lannie,Jill, Connie, Chandi and Debra Christine Doxey Young.

p.s. I don't really have a middle name! Ha ha ha! Was that hilarious or what?!

WOO HOO! ~PROM!

So here are some snapshots from Prom last night. Matt had a great time! Don't he and Casey look cute? Their whole group was devastatingly handsome! :) So much fun!

It's hard to believe..but...

Its that time of year already!! (At least in Vegas!)
The girls couldn't wait any longer. They had to don the swimsuits, go out in the back yard and have a water fight and do the limbo on the tramp with the hose! Fun times! I was watching them remembering how I used to love going outside and play with the hose for hours and hours when I was a kid in the summer... oh, the simple things in life that make us happy! :)

TWO YEARS...

Barbara Bertoch 2004
Mom with Matt, Lindsey, Katie, Maddie, Collin, James and Anthony Halloween 2001
Mom, Dad, Dave, Linsdey, Matt and Katie Feb 1999
Mom and Dad 2000

It is two years ago this week that my sweet mom passed away. Words cannot describe how much I miss her. There really isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her. I always wonder what she is doing in the spirit world and think about how happy she must be there!
Since she has been gone I have had a very strong desire to "tell the world" how great she was! I truly think that I had the privelege of having the best mother in the world. My mom was the best woman I have ever known. She was simply amazing.
She never looked for praise from the world. She was the most down to earth, loving, sweet, kind and patient person ever.
She was such an awesome homemaker! Our house was the most spotless place on earth! We seriously could have eaten off the floors! She was a great cook too! We always had homemade bread and delicious meals! She loved to read, I remember her setting a goal to read all of the classics, and I think she did it! She loved cross word puzzles, loved flowers and gardening. She loved music, and played the piano well. She LOVED to clean! Her Dad said she was born with a dustcloth in her hand! :)
She was very empathetic to anyone who was struggling and always sent notes of encouragement. She had a very tender heart to those who were less fortunate. She was prayerful and had great respect for her parents and siblings.
I miss her wise counsel! I miss her words of encouragement and comfort. When I am struggling with something I long to be able to call her and ask for her advise. She always knew the best way to help me.
She sacrificed so much of herself for me and for our whole family. She was so selfless and so Christlike. I really sincerely hope that I can be like her someday. She was so subtle in her teaching, she did not force anything on me. She just showed by her quiet example the way that we should live. She was always complimentary and always had a listening ear. As a teenager, I was so fortunate to have a relationship with her in which I could always tell her anything and everything. She laughed at me when I was being silly and loved me when I was being lame!
She did not complain about the trials she was called to bear and was so patient and so faithful til the end. In her final days, even when she was not totally coherent she would say over and over "Father, I thank thee". I was amazed that she could feel thankful even when she was suffering.
A few days before she died when she was in the hospital my brother said to her, "Mom, what are you thinking?" and she said, "I think I am so lucky!"
That is the kind of person she was. Truly humble.
It was so wonderful to watch she and my Dad in the last 5-6 years before she died. My Dad was such a sweet and loving caretaker for her and their relationship blossomed like it never had. The tenderness between them was profoundly touching.
I am so very grateful to call her mother. I cannot wait for the day when I will be reunited with her! I am SO grateful to know that I will see her again. It gives me a stronger desire to be good!
Thank you for your life and your love,
I LOVE YOU Mom!!!

JOGATHON

(Only Lindsey is pictured, because I was busy being a lap counter and didn't get any pictures of anyone, we have these ones courtesy of my friend Jamie!)

We had the jogathon at school this week... something my girls have been looking forward to all year! They love the jogathon and are always so excited to see how well they can do. Katie has won first place for the girls in her class every year since Kindergarten and so she is especially competetive... This year Lindsey and Katie tied each other with 16 laps (2 miles) in 20 minutes, and Ellie got 9 laps and got first place for the girls in her class (only one lap behind the winning boy). Katie continued her record by getting first place in her class for the girls as well. Lindsey tied the schools principal!! It was fun and I was proud of how hard they all pushed themselves! They are quite the good little runners. They all want to run cross country and track like their big bro!! (He has done really well this year in track also, he has made great improvement over last year!) WAY TO GO KIDS!

Looking Forward...

I am really looking forward to General Conference this weekend. It is always so wonderful to hear the inspired words of our leaders. Don't you find it amazing how they are speaking to thousands of people, but a talk can seem like it was written just for you? I love that. I love the boost that it gives me spiritually, helps me to want to work harder on being a better person.
I also love the day off! It is sooo nice to be home and have a Sunday "day off". YW has been so busy for me lately. I have to admit that I am excited to have a Sunday to rest!!!

I love my calling in YW! It has been such a great experience and I realized that I have never blogged about it. I have learned so much during this calling and am so thankful to be a part of the lives of these wonderful girls. It's inspiring to see how valiant they are! They all make me smile and bring me a lot of joy!!
It never ceases to amaze me how serving in the church blesses our lives. We gain so much!!! The Lord really does know how to bless us and give us the things that we need to make us the happiest!! :)

In other news:
Matt was diagnosed with right lower lobe pneumonia last week (Friday) ... He is doing much better now after antibiotics, steroids, nebulizer treatments, and an inhaler for 5 days. BUT the downside is he hasn't been able to run track... bummer. He has a meet today that he has to sit out... But we are glad that he is doing better, hopefully we caught it soon enough and he will have a complete recovery!!