Faith.

I've had cause to think about the Plan of Salvation lately. I am so grateful for my knowledge of it, and knowing that no matter what happens we can be together. I just need to do what's right in this life, and have faith in Heavenly Father. To watch some people go through their own personal Gethsemane is terrible, and I just pray that they can rely on the Lord.

As per usual, I found solace in Les Miserables. I mean this in the most sincere way... Les Miserables is a great story for anyone who wants to know how to react to trials. If you listen to the last song, it has a very spiritual tone to it. Just listen. "To love another person is to see the face of God."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtbcZmCc7rg&noredirect=1

Bring Him Home.

So, one of my favorite songs from Les Mis is "Bring Him Home". When we were little, my mom used to always say that was her favorite and we would roll our eyes and say, "AWWW MOM IT'S SO BORING!"

But, now that I'm older, I appreciate the song so much more. I even played it for a musical number during a Relief Society activity, and during the song I could hear people sniffing. I didn't mean to make it a sad time, I swear!

I think it's because of my brothers being out on missions, but that's what I think of when I hear this song.

Here are some versions that have touched me.

(The wonderful Hugh Jackman) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRNXVYzWwjw

(The Piano Guys) http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/bring-him-home-from-les-miserables/

Trust me, it may make your allergies act up.

Les Mis on Youtube.

Brandon doesn't agree with Les Mis... yet. He'll come around. 

That said, I've been listening to it nonstop since he went to school. I found the link to the ENTIRE 10th anniversary concert, the video that started it all for us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAVrm3wjzq8

I am coming up with a list of baby names (for future children) from this cast: Cosette tops the list only because it's the most normal. My favorite character is Fantine, but with some of her life choices I don't think that's a good example for a daughter. And for men I like Enjolras, but for obvious reasons that's not happening.

Now that my nerd is out for everyone to see, sorry to my neighbors for listening to me singing this all day.

Christmas Day 2012

This was my first Christmas away from home. I was worried about being mopey throughout the day, but it was very nice. I'm grateful that I have wonderful in-laws who tried their very best to make sure that I had a great Christmas. Here are a couple of highlights:
-Brandon wanted to make sure we got up super early to open presents. He even set TWO alarms to make sure... It was quite the way to wake up.
-We got some wonderful gifts from people (pictures later). One of my favorites was a quilt that Grandma Putnam made for us... so beautiful!
-At 9 AM, we got the present we had been waiting 7 months for- a call from Austin! We all got on a conference call and talked to him. We could feel the Spirit, and it was nice to see that he had not lost his sense of humor. Some highlights were when Cole asked him to say something in French. None of us speak French at all, so it was to hear. We asked for a door approach, and he said "Well, usually I say, 'Bonjour-' and then they slam the door in my face". hahaha I guess it's rough there. He also said he needs to work on not talking to people on the Metro after they've yelled at him. We were all shocked, obviously. And at the last minute, Dane woke up and cried into the phone for Austin.
-Finally, we got to go see "Les Miserables" last night. I know that story like the back of my hand, and had high standards for the movie. It did NOT disappoint! Hugh Jackman was Jean Valjean, and he did such a great job. One of the unique things about this movie was that instead of singing to a soundtrack, the singing we heard was them singing real-time. I was so impressed. I think it was great, and it was more appropriate than the play that we saw a year ago. And, of course, I cried for the last 20 minutes of the movie. I apologized to Taylor for being such a baby. But the end of the story just gets me every time. It was pretty bad, I mean I know how it ends but I'm still inconsolable by the end. One of the best things about this movie is the religious aspects that it has. Jean Valjean decides that he needs to change his life, and the story is his life and the people he touches. By the end of the movie, he's touched so many lives that he can rest assured that he'll go to heaven. Phew, it's such an emotional roller coaster. So everyone, GO SEE IT!!!!!!

(If we have a child with a very French name, you'll know what it's from.)
It was a successful day in my books. I'm grateful that my parents taught me that a marriage is a partnership, and that we should both sacrifice. It wouldn't be fair if I made Brandon go to my house every year for Christmas. If we did, then I wouldn't have had all the adventures this break that we've had so far. And, it's not even a "sacrifice" to go spend time with such great people!