Patience

It has been several months since I last posted, and I have had the best summer I have ever had.  I have been married to my best friend for the pas 8 months, and married life is fantastic.  I love her and love every moment I get to spend with her.

This summer has been great, but has not turned out the way I expected. We have not made it to Yellowstone National Park like we had wanted to, we never made it to Bear Lake.  What we have done is even better.

At the start of summer I quit my second job at Arctic Circle so that I could focus on finishing my associates degree.  I had one semester left, and I was taking a statistics class that my teacher warned me would take at least 20 hours a week to do well in.  I thought I was smart enough to put in 10-15 hours, but I was dead wrong.  I slaved for hours trying to understand the assignments.  I did well on the assignments, but I did not so well on tests.  I did pass, which is a miracle considering the stress I had in my life during the last 2 weeks of class.

On the last week in July Cathy and I went to my mission president's homecoming talk in Highland, Utah.  I saw some old friends, talked to some old companions.  It was fun to see them.  That night we came home, and I took a nap while Cathy watched a movie.

Well, after about an hour, Cathy, who is expecting, experienced some bleeding.  We decided to rush her to the hospital, which was a good decision.  We got there, and they were going to send us home but the doctor decided to check her cervix.  She had dilated to a 3, which is not good for someone who is just 28 weeks pregnant.

Because Logan Regional can't take care of such premature babies, the hospital sends her to Ogden Regional Medical Center, where they can take care of the baby if it is born early.  My mom and mother-in-law go with me, and Cathy ends up staying in Ogden for 4 weeks.  She almost died of boredom because she was on bed rest.

Well, Cathy is home now, and baby girl still has not been born.  The doctor first told us she would be born within 48 hours of us first going to the hospital, but he was proven wrong.  Having the baby inside Cathy has been hard on both of us.  She can't move very well or fast, and because of this we have to limit our activity.

I do know that Heavenly Father is looking out for my family, and He has a plan that is better than mine. Because we have to limit physical activity for her to pretty much walking between the couch, table and bed at home, with few trips outside our home, we have had to find out ways to show our affection to the other.   Cathy said the other night something that struck me: "Maybe this time is the time for us to learn how to show our love for the other in nonphysical ways."  I think this is true.  We have grown closer as a couple because of this.

This summer has been incredible.  It has tested my patience to no end, but I wouldn't take it for the world.  Life is hard, and we need to embrace it's challenges.  Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.