Israel and Palestine

With the talk of peace talks and resolutions to be made, it can be a bit confusing as to what to believe and who is to be trusted? What will be the status of Palestinians and what will be the status of Israelis? What is to become of Jerusalem? Well, since I do not want this to become a political blog, here are some of my favorite articles and clips. Both sides are represented. Please read, study and think for yourself!

http://www.jstor.org/stable/2537780

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/no-disrespect/?scp=4&sq=benjamin%20netanyahu&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/world/middleeast/25diplo.html?scp=3&sq=benjamin%20netanyahu&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/opinion/25friedman.html?_r=1



Check them out. Read and decide!

Remedy for a rainy day...

So, since it is POURING once again here in Utah.... I decided to look through my pictures especially since the only thing on television is some stupid show about helicopters in ancient Egypt. I happened upon the lovely and wonderful pictures from our honeymoon! Obviously we didn't take pictures all day every day. And I don't think I am in a single one now that I look at them. Oh well. We had fun. And you get the idea. We got to be in paradise! Loved it!
So, I thought I would share these lovely shots of paradise to hopefully brighten up your rainy day! :)

 We honeymooned in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We stayed at a fabulous all inclusive resort called Sandos Carocal. It was right in the jungle and had a private beach with lots of fun activites and delicious restaurants.
We definitely recommend an all inclusive resort. We had amazing food everywhere. Amazing fruit and vegetables. So fresh and delicious. Our resort had all sorts of great restaurants and buffets. We even had a Mexican version of Tucanos! Definitely a plus.

 We also had lots of friendly critters to play with! There were these really weird rat things. They were like a mix of red pandas and raccoons. They are diurnal and loved eating out of our hands. SO much fun to play with every day! We always carried around some rolls with us to make sure that we kept up a good friendship with them.

 Rat things!

 Just want to say that almost ALL of our honeymoon pictures are of lizards. It's a little ridiculous. But I hope this also lets you know that they were EVERYWHERE. And, since my husband thinks he is a lizard-whisperer, we were always finding them and chasing them all over kingdom come. I swear Ryan could sense their presence. It was hilarious. But some of them were HUGE! At least 3-5 feet long! It was awesome! I bet they eat the stray babies that are left unattended on the beach.... Or the yappy dogs... I hope they eat the dogs...

 The resort also had these beautiful parrots! They were so fun to feed and see. So beautiful and colorful.

 And of course, we cannot forget to honor the most beloved of all hotel guests, the raccoons. These real raccoons were vicious little eaters who, I believe, are the real rulers of the hotel. They eat through EVERY garbage bag, EVERY night. Absolutely hysterical to walk by and hear them digging around. It was great.

 They had this funny little zoo at our resort that we walked around one time. These are the anti social deer type creatures. :)

We had cool little towel animals every day for us. We really enjoyed our time. We went out on jet skis in the deliciously warm Caribbean. Sadly, no pics of that....since we were in the water.... But we both ate a ton. Laid out on the beach. Got to meet some fun people. Enjoy the sights of Mexican dolphins and fishes and of course, enjoy the open bars and 24/7 food supply. :) Great trip. Looking forward to going again!

Just Because...

I just wanted to write a quick word on how wonderful life is when you are married to your best friend. Oh how there are not words to describe the bliss... :)

My husband is the hardest working man I have ever met. He is so wonderfully generous and kind to everyone that he meets that I am so humbled every time I meet one of his many friends and coworkers.
Recently, I have been getting to know Ryan's last district of missionaries in the MTC. One of the elders had to go home early for health reasons and my dear husband has dedicated himself to calling him every day to speak spanish to the elder so that when he enters the field in a couple months, he is able to still have his spanish be somewhat up to par. This is so sweet in my eyes. I love my husband and the unprecedented love that he shows to everyone around him.

This is just one of the many instances that my husband has shown to me that he is truly dedicated to serving those around him. We love going to see the many missionaries that he has taught and come home from their missions. I love having our friends over for dinner and being part of their lives. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and such wonderful families. Since being married and combining all our loved ones together, we have come to see how blessed we have been all our lives.

So, this is a thanks to my husband for being the most amazing man I know. 

California Reception!

Ryan and I went down to California over Easter to have our Orange County reception. It was a great road trip full of fun and adventure. We had our good friend, Dan Field, come and play with us. Along with our friends: Tyler, Kim, Stanly and Kevin. We had such a fun time in California and the weather was beautiful!
What a wonderful trip! Beach, Kat, and California! Can it get any better?? I submit that it cannot!
It was great to be done with the longest winter semester ever! Ryan graduated and I only have a semester and a term left! The reality is setting in!
The best part of our trip though was the day of the reception, while I was being primped and done up, my brother Seth showed up at the front door!! It was the best surprise ever! It was so nice to have him be there with me on such a great occasion. We were all sad that my parents weren't able to make it, but as other family obligations came up, we couldn't be sad. We had a blast with him and he got to walk me down the aisle!

Our reception was on Saturday, April 23rd. It was so beautiful! The weather was amazing. The location, Dove Canyon Courtyard was so beautifully done up thanks to the owners and to Pam. I couldn't believe how lucky we were to be having our reception there.

We took a ton of pictures, of course, and they turned out great. We loved them! The ceremony was wonderful. We had such a lovely time and Stanly did a wonderful job of presenting us to everyone. He played the cello before the ceremony and it was just magical.

My favorite moment of the ceremony, other than walking down the aisle with my brother and then standing with Ryan, was the surprise video that my brother-in-law, Evan made for us on his mission in Kenya. It was a beautiful song that he wrote and played and recorded for us to play at the wedding. It was so touching and Ryan and I both shed some tears along with other family members. We can't wait for him to come home! Only 6 more months! Here is the video. It's awesome.

We Become's Me- Evan Coles

The food was delicious and the fruit display was amazing! Such a beautiful day! I can't say that enough!

But, the evening had to end and Ryan and I got to drive off in a cool classic car! We had such a great time.
Of course though, since my brother was leaving the next day, we HAD to get him some In n Out. He enjoyed it I think, although he didn't feel too good the next morning... too many calories...
But regardless we all gathered together the next day to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ on Easter! Pam made a wonderful meal for us and Scott shared with us some very moving and personal thoughts on the holiday and what it meant to him. I think we all were able to think and reflect on the sacrifices that are made daily for us and for how grateful we should be that we live the lives that we do.
Well, we eventually had to leave. But sadly, my car refused to go. It died. Literally. So the poor beast is being sold and Ryan and I are down to a one car family!
But we have decorated our apartment now and it looks like a home finally! We are really loving the married life and are enjoying our cold spring here in Provo! :)

The House of the Lord

Since I posted on our trip to California, I have been feeling strongly about the temple. This edifice of the Lord is one that can bring peace to anyone in the world. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we, if we prepare correctly, can enter into these holy buildings and perform in the saving ordinances of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We are so blessed to live in a time with the priesthood on the Earth. What a beautiful life we are able to partake of. Let us all show our gratitude to the Lord for this wonderful mercy that He extends to us by performing work in the temples. Let us take advantage of this opportunity and extend our love, service and time to those who have gone before us.
For those of you who read this blog and are not familiar with LDS temples, here is a brief message from our Church about why we build temples and why they are important to us.

For those of you who are members of the Church or familiar with temples, here is a message that all need to be reminded of sometimes about the blessings of the temples. As a child from a convert family, I am so grateful for the temple and for the blessings that can be found therein. Family history is my favorite hobby. I love pouring over my generations and seeing how they are all going to be tied together. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to enter into the House of the Lord and vicariously perform saving ordinances for my family members. I am grateful for the blessing of receiving these ordinances for myself and for our future children.

The Countdown Begins...

So, Ryan and I leave for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in exactly one month from today. It is a little daunting. I am so excited to go, however, I still do not know fully what to expect. But, at least I am going with my dear husband who speaks Arabic and who will (hopefully) not leave my side. Either way, I am sooo excited!

This is the group we are going with: http://zaytooninternational.org/ Check out the website and see how easy it is to join the change!

We are sooooo excited to be there!!! I know once I get there I am not going to want to leave. I am just so excited that this is part of my life and the path that my husband and I are taking. We cannot wait! I will be posting as often as I can onto this blog with pictures and stories from our adventures. So check frequently! We will hopefully not have any downed internet lines while there!

Jordan, here come the Coles!