Thank you!!!

I wish that was all I needed to do...

I'm putting together the thank yous for all the lovely gifts we got for our wedding. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely appreciative of all the thoughtful gifts that we got. I'm just wishing at this moment that I could just put a giant "Thanks!" out on my blog in cyberspace and have that be sufficient.

As you may guess, I'm putting together a list of people we need to thank, complete with their addresses. It's gonna be super awesome when we're done with this and all the thank yous are out. I'm on line 75 right now, and it was definitely time for a break. So even though I know it's not quite enough--and I'll continue to put our thank you list together--here's my cyber-thanks to everyone.

Your gift was awesome! THANKS!!!

Just so you know...

I posted more pictures.

Forgive me, Lord...

Ok, so you know how in the old Batman series, Robin would always say, "Holy evil doers, Batman!!" Or "Holy Bill of Rights, Batman!!" Don't believe me? Check this out.



Anyway, I've sorta picked up that little character trait. I'm sure I'm not the only one. For example, I'll say, "Holy tortilla strips!!" if they give me a ton of chips on my salad at Cafe Rio. And so on.

Well, that habit got me in a little trouble today. Hayley and I went to Costco to do some grocery shopping and there was a new section in the front of the store full of art and paintings. Well, lots of them were religious pictures. Featuring Jesus. So without thinking, I said, "Holy Jesus!" and Hayley hit me in the arm. Rightly so. She then proceeded to tell me that there aren't many explicit commandments, but there have been 10 specific ones that have been around for a while, and I should probably learn to keep at least those. So I'm sorry and I slipped! ...thus, the title of this post. .......but now I'm wondering if sharing the story with the whole wide interwebs because I think it is kinda funny is appropriate or not... again, forgive me, Lord.

I love my wife!!!!

We're back from the honeymoon and have even completed almost a full week back in the real world, too. I'm just loving being married. Mostly, I just love being married to Hayley. She is everything to me. She is so sweet to me, loves me so much, makes me so happy, and I love her. I love being with her, I love laughing with her, I love how much fun we have, I love making goals with her, and all the time I get to be with her now! She even picked up my clothes from the bathroom floor for me yesterday. Heaven knows I'm not the best at picking up clothes! I'm working on it, though. I tried to return the favor by putting away the dishes that were in the dish washer and putting together her lunch for school. Just those little things make me stop and catch myself and realize how awesome it is that I'm married! My wife does little things for me and I do little things for her. I have just sat in wonder at how blessed I feel, being in our home and starting our own family. It's the best. Hayley, I just love you!

If you read this blog, you probably read Hayley's, too. She has blogged a few times and posted some pictures. I know my bloggy blog has been without actual pictures for a while, so here's a few from the wedding day. I'll try not to post repeats!









There ya have it. It was a great day.

Been a little busy...

I haven't blogged in a while... can ya blame me?? I've been a little busy. Last minute changes to plans, little errands here and there (...I still don't know the difference between tights and nylons...), and general excitement about Saturday. I'm getting MARRIED on Saturday!!!!!

This weekend was pretty nice. Wedding plans are falling into place. I got to spend Sunday evening with my family and my nieces and nephew, and the ones that didn't make it to the family FHE, Hayley babysat Friday night and Saturday. It was really nice to see them all.

The highlight, though, was Sunday. We had our interviews with the Stake President. We got our sealing recommend before Christmas break, but because we were out of town, we had to schedule it after the break. But talking to the Stake President was awesome. He even got teary while talking to us. He said he could really tell that Hayley and I had the right perspective and that we are truly happy. I feel so lucky every day to have found Hayley. She's so perfect for me. I will always strive be the husband and father she deserves, and I know she'll be a great wife and mother. The Stake President reminded us about the eternal nature of families and the importance of marriage. It really hit me then how close we are to forming our very own family. I feel so lucky and so excited! I just love Hayley so much!

So that's why I haven't been blogging lately. If I'm not doing wedding-type stuff, I'm with Hayley, and I'd rather sit with her and talk, play games, watch movies, make dinner, make goals, or whatever. Blogging, Facebook, and email have suffered a little. Sue me. And I might not blog for another few weeks. But I think you'll all survive.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you're all having a great Christmas break! I am. I am staying at Hayley's sister's place in Washington. Her whole family has been very, very nice. I won over all the kids right away, (he he) and was very touched that everyone gave me a hug as soon as I got here. All of Hayley's family has been very accepting of me and they really make me feel part of their family. The only one I had to try extra hard with was Hope. She actually cried when I got here, because she had even been avoiding pictures of "That Guy" the week Hayley was here before me. She's finally warmed up. Hasn't given me a kiss yet, but she'll do it before Monday, I promise you that!

This is the first Christmas I've spent away from my family besides the two I spent on my mission. I adapt pretty well to my surroundings, and I'm not homesick too often. On my mission, I was surprised at myself at how OK I was with being in Mexico. I missed family at Christmas, but it wasn't too bad. In college once, I even moved to a new apartment building once without telling my family. But what really made me miss my family for Christmas was this. My dad really describes the family traditions well, and it made me wish I was there to eat cheese soup in breadbowls, watch the kids open their Christmas PJs and the ensuing fashion show, reading the bible account of Jesus's birth, and the little pageant that the kids act out. I missed you guys!!!

But what I did love was being with Hayley for Christmas. I feel so great that I got to be included in the Gray Family traditions of reading "T'was the Night Before Christmas" and "The Polar Express" and Luke chapter 2. I feel so much a part of Hayley's family. They really have made a great Christmas for me! Hayley and I will probably be at all sorts of different locations through the years, but we'll be there together. And I can't wait for that.

So I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, too!

Charlie Brown Christmas

I watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" with Jared, Liz, and Madeline today. I really like the ending where Linus finally explains to Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about. And he's right. So here it is.



Hope you all have a merry Christmas.

P.S. See you soon, Hayley!! Miss you!

This is kinda how I feel about it...

Make sure you click on the image to read the fine print. Just sayin'.

And the answer is: 42

By the title of this post, you can obviously discern that I'll be talking about the the universe. Maybe even "life, the universe, and everything." I don't usually just start off on rants like this, but since I've been prodded by my brother to post something more substantial than just five sentences (see comments to my previous post), I'm taking him up on his recommendations.

The sentence that we'll base this post on is as follows: Do you think that the universe is infinite or expanding exponentially? Immediately, I thought of a Time magazine article that I read in high school on this very subject. I even did a little google search to see if I could find the article, and more specifically, the graphic that I remember that illustrates a few theories on the matter. (Jared, I'm now no longer obligated to continue... I've surpassed 5 sentences... but I'll finish. But if this goes on for another 50 paragraphs, it's all your fault...)

Well, I didn't find the graphic I was looking for (I don't even think the article I linked to above is the right one), but here's a very similar graphic.


This graphic doesn't illustrate all theories, but essentially, there are two basic ideas about the universe and it's growth or aging process. Either the universe is expanding and continues to grow forever, or it will grow for a time, then begin to shrink, and a big bang-like event will take place, ending the universe or stating the cycle over. In the ever expanding universe group, some think our universe continues to expand at a steady rate, an exponential rate, or a quick rate while the universe is young, then a steady, less drastic rate as the universe is older.

What I believe isn't much based on science, I guess. If you keep reading, I'll get to why that doesn't matter. First, I'll tell you what I believe. I believe that the universe is expanding. I also believe it expands at an exponential rate. As I said, I haven't studied much to be an expert on the matter. So next, I'll tell you why I believe it.

I'm basing my conclusion on the Time magazine article I read years ago, the 30-120 seconds of internet research I just performed, and my understanding of God's plan for the universe and those that live in it. I think God is an all-powerful, all-knowing God. I believe His creations are endless. I believe that endless means He's still creating. Therefore, the universe is expanding. Further, I believe that in his plan, he's allowed for the advancement and progression of his creations, especially his children. That's us. I think he wants us to be like him. I think someday (or some time... or some eternity...) we will be. So that means the universe would not only expand, but do so exponentially AND infinitely.

Important note: I don't know much about what happens in the eternities. The most important thing is that right now, we strive to understand and follow the gospel of Jesus Christ, and try our best to be like him. Me having faith that Jesus was born of Mary, was the Son of God, died for the sins of the whole world, and rose from the grave is much more important than what I might think about the universe. So that's what I'll focus on. God's got the universe covered. I'll try not to cuss so much. And the world--nay, the universe--will be a better place.

The RSVP

...is a post card. Just sayin'.