Gratitude, what a funny thing...

So funny story: I woke up this morning with an overwhelming amount of gratitude for my family. It isn't actually "funny," but it was unexpected (not that I shouldn't be grateful, but just because I haven't had a feeling quite like this before). So, I thought I would take a few minutes before I head off to work to tell everyone how grateful I am. I have some amazing parents, siblings and the best husband. My parents and I have butted heads a lot in the past, but I know I would not be the person I am if they hadn't pushed me there.
I don't think there are many people in this world who can say that their mom is their best friend. It wasn't always that way, but it is now. A mom should be a mom when her kids are young, and be a best friend when they grow up. And my mom has done exactly that. I can talk to my mom about pretty much anything and she is the only person on this planet who understands my quirky sense of humor (she should know, I got it from her). Even though we are completely different people and have different personalities, she and I have a very special bond that cannot be compared to anything else. She is my one and only mom.
My dad is quite the conundrum. But even though we drive each other up the wall, he still gives some pretty dang good advice and has this insane sixth sense about the world. He gives some of the best hugs in the world and always wants to spoil his little girl. :) I can't complain about that. My dad always pushed me to be better and gave me some of the best marriage advice ever, even though it wasn't till years later that I fully understood what he meant. He set an amazing example for my brothers about what it means to be the head of the household. And that led me to know what I wanted in a husband. He is my dad, and I am his favorite daughter.
As for my  brothers, they can be little devils a lot of the time. But I am proud to say that they are all good men and have grown up exceptionally well. I don't think I would be the person I am today if they hadn't mooned me constantly, shaved my Barbie's heads, made their GI Joes wage war on Barbie, and everything else they did to make me cry when I was little. They taught me to be tough. I don't think any girl could have come out of my family without some thick skin. And as much as I love my brothers, they have also given me three of the most amazing sisters-in-law. All of my brothers scored out of their league when it came to finding wives. They are all different and they all fit into our family perfectly. I never had any sisters of my own, but I am certainly grateful for the sisters-in-law that I have been blessed with.
There aren't enough words in the English language to express how much gratitude I have for my husband. He is an amazing example to me. I am an incomplete person on my own and he makes me whole. Although we are both stubborn as hell, we are finding a way to make it work. It is definitely hard and doesn't come without trial and error, but it is 100% worth every minute. He is a rock when I am tossed around in the sea and whenever I find my way to him, life gives me something to hold on to. I thank God every day for sending this wonderful man into my life.
It wouldn't be fair to not mention Macy. I know my mom is rolling her eyes right now as she reads this. She doesn't quite understand the happiness that dog has brought into my life. Macy has the sweetest disposition and she is the one that I can ALWAYS talk to. She gets me up in the mornings when I don't want to get up. She plays and cuddles and gives me kisses when I am sad. Even though she is a bit of a money pit (that dog is always getting into some kind of trouble), I am so happy that we got her and that she is the one we picked out instead of some different dog.

So to wrap all this up, all of these blessings come from one place. My Heavenly Father has given me the most amazing family and I thank Him for the way my life has turned out. It wasn't always what I thought I wanted, but I know He knows better and that I am where I am supposed to be. There is no one in existence who knows me better than my Father. I have an all-encompassing love for my family and I hope they read this, because I am not the best at expressing these things out loud. I love you guys and I can't wait to spend eternity with all of you. We are an eternal family.

All about Him, Her and the Dog!!

HIM:
He is Darin and he is my husband. He was raised in Othello, WA (don't worry, no one else knows where that is either). He has two brothers and a sister, and he is the baby of the family. He served an LDS mission in Michigan from 2005-2007. He went to BYU-Idaho for two years and then transferred to BYU and graduated from there in 2012. His bachelors is in Exercise Science. He now attends the University of Western States, which is a chiropractic school. He just started his third quarter (out of twelve) and he tells me that he loves it! He is an avid freestyle skier and it wasn't until about a year after we were married that he would admit he loved me more than skiing. He loves to do anything sports related, although he tore his ACL about a year ago, so doing those things isn't always easy for him :(. He can't stand to be doing nothing, he is almost always on the go. He makes breakfast almost every day, even if its just to get out the cereal and milk. His legs will not stop moving when he has something to say. He works so hard at anything he is given and always sees it through. He can sing and dance better than me (I'm still the better cook though). He let's me do things my way (for the most part) because he knows my OCD-self would have a mental breakdown if I couldn't. He gives the best hugs in the world. He will eat almost anything, except cucumbers. He drives me crazy because he is so wonderful. He is the most well-rounded, level-headed, low-stress person I have ever met. So ladies, cry yourselves to sleep at night, because my man is 10x better than yours. <3

Park City in 2011

HER:

On a cruise in 2010

She is me, Melanie. I was raised in Sacramento, CA. I have three older brothers and I am the baby of the family just like Darin (it makes for an interesting dynamic when two "youngest" get married).
I went to BYU-Idaho for two whole semesters. Then I realized I was wasting my time and money in something I didn't care about. However, hope was not lost for my education! I had always wanted to go to cosmetology and so that's what I did and it was one of the best decisions I ever made! I just started a new job working for a family friend who owns an eBay store. We sell all things related to snowboarding. I think Darin sees me as a traitor since I now know all kinds of things about snowboarding when he is very much a skier through and through. I also do some hair on the side for close friends. I love to cook and bake, it's probably my favorite hobby. I dream of being super rich and having all the fun kitchen gadgets and just cooking all day long. This dream comes with a person who does all my dishes for me because I hate doing dishes! I also love to read and be super lazy. I love movies and most kinds of music. I like to think I can sing... but it just doesn't happen. My closet is color coordinated and categorized by use. I alphabetize and categorize my DVDs. If you haven't guessed it, I'm self-diagnosed functional OCD. My toenails are pedicured and painted about 99% of the time. I love to eat good food. I love Friends (the TV show) thanks to my lovely friend Kyrie who got me majorly addicted. I love animals of all kinds except birds. And I am deathly afraid of dragonflies. So ladies, be grateful you aren't as weird as I am!

DOG:

After a fun day playing with grandpa!

The dog is Macy. She is 1 1/2 years old. She was born on 10/17/2011 in Payson, UT. Everyone asks us what breed she is. Surprise, we don't know! Her mom was a black lab, and it is pretty dang clear that she is not 100% lab. Everyone has a different opinion on what breed she is and so I just call her Mystery Flavor. We got her when she was about 9 weeks old and she had my heart from the first second. She and her brother were the last of their litter and they were the only puppies we ever looked at. I held her brother for a few minutes and he just wanted to be put down. But Macy... oh man. Darin was holding her first and she was so captivated with him. She was completely engaged with us and I knew she was the one I wanted. Darin tried to get me to look at some other litters, but I said "no way Jose, this is the one I want." She was only 4 weeks old, so about a month later we went and picked her up and took her home. Now she is part of our little family! She absolutely LOVES to swim and be in the water. She is super groggy when she wakes up. She loves to wrestle. She loves her daddy more than anything and can't contain herself when he gets home from school. She loves kids and other dogs to play with. She burps, a lot. And she is so sweet, intuitive and completely perfect. She loves to cuddle and have her belly rubbed (typical dog). She hates to have her ears touched. Macy is the first dog I have ever had, I never grew up with dogs and I will never be without a dog again. Although, I can't imagine having a dog that will ever be as cute and awesome as Macy is. :)

This is when Macy was just a little puppy!

US:
Darin and I met in Rexburg, ID in January 2008. He didn't ask me out till the ski season was almost over. We were married in Oakland, CA on August 28, 2008. We are closing in on our fifth anniversary this year. Macy joined our family in December 2011, just two days before Christmas. We currently live in Troutdale, OR which is just the east side of Portland. We will be living here about about 2 1/2 more years. So far, we have moved seven times since we have been together. After he is a chiropractor, life is a blank page. The only thing I know about the future is that the mailbox will say Dr. and Mrs. Darin Haworth and I am totally fine with that. :)

Playing in the snow by our house in Provo

Melanie is Blogging Again! WHAT?!

That's right, I am blogging again! I decided I needed a place to post all kinds of things about life, family, food, things I love, things I don't love and anything else I feel like saying. I hope you guys are ready for a delightful treat! Please comment with anything you feel like saying! This is what we call a "Safe Place."
My first attempt with blogging was a lot of fun. I started it about 1 1/2 years ago when I decided I wanted to get healthy. It was all about my journey in learning to control what I eat and finding motivation to exercise. It was a great experience for me. I lost 15 pounds and I gained a lot of control in my life. Life was a little rough at that time and it gave me something to do and a goal to reach. For those who care, I am still down those 15 pounds and have maintained a pretty healthy lifestyle. It was kinda rough for the first few months after we moved to Portland but I am finally settled into some semblance of a routine!
But now it's on to bigger and better things! I am so excited about this blog and have been thinking about doing it for quite some time. DISCLAIMER: I have very strong opinions and I will be posting about some of them. If you are offended, I'm partially sorry. One of my strong opinions is that people choose to be offended. I have opinions and I respect the opinions of others even if I don't agree with them (unless their opinion is that spiders aren't scary because that would be strait up ridiculous). So on that happy note, I hope you enjoy what I have to say and choose to not be offended, even if you don't agree with me!

LET THE BLOGGING BEGIN!!