Continuing from this post. Question 11: Your song and/or the first song you danced to at your wedding: share a music video or lyrics if you can!
Race is super into music and had quite a few songs that reminded him of me. We chose one of those songs for our dance but honestly we didn't even end up having our "first dance" until our reception after all of the guests were gone. I think our true first dance was in our itty bitty first kitchen {it was really a hallway with a tiny sink and stove} while I was trying to cook Race dinner and getting frustrated. He pulled me away from everything and danced with me to no music. It was romantic and one of my favorite memories of being married. Mmm I love that boy! Anyway, the song we chose to dance to at our wedding was "If My Heart Was a House" by Owl City.
Other songs we considered {some jokingly, most seriously} were:
"Smother Me" by The Used
"Heaven Can Wait" {acoustic version} by We The Kings
"You Shine" by The Morning Of
"Te Quiero" by Belinda y Otros
I am sure that there were others that I just can't think of anymore. I love dancing with my husband though. And I love when he sings cute songs to me. :] Random side note: At Race's family reunions every year they have an awesome dance with square dancing and the two step and other cool dances like that. Last year while we were engaged we went to this and it was our first dance together and apparently someone asked Race's mom where we learned to dance. I guess they were impressed with our skills that I didn't even know we had. Well, more that Race has. Anyway, I felt really cool after that. And now I want Race to take dance classes with me somewhere. It'd be lots of fun!
Now I'm listening to our wedding reception playlist. Good stuff. :]
Pictures will follow after I get them off of my camera someday.
So, Emma and I went to her parents' place for Thanksgiving, and it was wonderful. I really enjoyed getting to relax, spend time with her family, and especially just be with Emma! We did black Friday, but nothing crazy- we picked up a few movies and a set of bath robes... We also drew names for giving gifts this Christmas, which is a tradition for Emma's family. When we got back to Flagstaff, we were really excited to pick out a real live Christmas tree, and decorate it for Family Home Evening. The experience was completed by the vinyl record player and Christmas albums we played. The whole house smells just like Christmas now!! I'm really excited about the holidays, and in no way do I regret that sizable iTunes download of Christmas music a few weeks ago.
Mostly, I'm just really excited for Emma and I to spend our first Christmas together. I set up my work schedule during winter break today, and I will actually have time to relax!! WOOHOO! Emma might not get to relax quite as much, but she will definitely be enjoying the cookies I crank out for the next month :)
I will never be able to write in words the feelings that the Spirit has brought to me in different points in my life.
But I would like to attempt to tell a couple experiences I've had.
In my institute class a few nights ago we talked about Lehi's vision.
We talked about how the tree of life represents the love of God.
And then we cross referenced this with John 3:16 which says,
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
With this cross reference I learned that the love of God is partially that he sent his son to the earth to die so that we could come to live with Him again.
Then my teacher asked us if we remembered a time in our lives that we realized the power of the atonement.
I thought back to the summer before my senior year of high school.
A friend of mine was leaving on a mission and I had the opportunity to hear him sing in church a couple weeks before he left.
He sang "I Stand All Amazed" (Hymn #193).
This was the first hymn that I learned to play on the piano so I had read the words time and time again but they hit me in a completely different way on this day and filled me with a feeling of indescribable love.
The love of my Heavenly Father and my brother, Jesus Christ.
I knew that despite any mistakes that I had made or would make in my life I would be able to repent and be forgiven and that my Heavenly Father would always love me.
Thinking back to this experience and later that night going back to my old journal and reading about it brought back the feelings that I had had that day two and a half years ago.
After talking about our stories of gaining a testimony of the atonement my teacher told us the story "The Bridge". This story has a short film to go with it that we did not watch but I had seen it before. Here is the film: The Bridge. I can not tell the story as well as the film does so I recommend watching it but for those of you who don't have the time I'll try to paraphrase it.
There is a father who operates a bridge. He has to move the bridge so that the train is able to cross over the water safely. One day when he is moving the bridge it won't connect with the train tracks for some reason so he has to go and do it manually. While he is holding the tracks together his son comes running down the tracks looking for him. The man has to decide between saving his son or letting all the people on the train die. He decides to save the people on the train. (I know it sounds like a terrible story but there is so much that we are able to learn from it as we compare it to the sacrifice our Father in Heaven has made for us.)
This film helped me understand a TINY bit more of what our Heavenly Father must have been feeling when he let his son suffer and die for us. He chose to save each and every one of us rather than just save his son.
The people on the train had no idea what had just happened just as many of us are ignorant as to what Heavenly Father has sacrificed for us. The people on the train went on to live their lives doing good and bad not knowing at all what that father had sacrificed so that they could live.
If the father in this film was able to see what each of these people had done with their lives in the future I am sure that there would be some things that would just be a stab in the heart to see as he had given them life when he let his son die.
It also hurts our Heavenly Father when he sees us make bad choices. Especially when he sees those of us who have a knowledge of the sacrifice he and his son made, straying from the path.
And yet our Heavenly Father continues to love us.
And he continues to forgive us.
And he continues to bless us.
Having this realization that night through the help of my teacher, my classmates, and the Spirit helped strengthened my testimony in so many ways and I am grateful for the opportunities that I have to learn and feel the Spirit and grow closer to my Heavenly Father as I learn more about him and his continuous love.
I know this was kind of long but I would like to end with the words to the hymn "I Stand All Amazed":
Verse 1:
I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
Verse 2:
I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.
Verse 3:
I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.
Chorus:
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me!
