Laugh every time.....

Ok, so I know this is kind of ridiculous and everyone's done it...but I laugh everytime I watch it so hopefully it brings you some Christmas joy during the horrible week to come! :)
P.S. my favorite part is when me and Jake are doing the worm haha!

Traditions....

My Grandpa wrote this story while he was in the Stake Presidency and every year on Christmas morning my dad reads it to us. It has a great message and one of my favorite traditions. Love you Grandpa!

Open Carefully, So the Love Won’t Escape

By Rex C. Stallings

When I was a young boy, I very much wanted an electric train for Christmas. I put in my order and then waited for the big day to come. I dreamed of trains at night, daydreamed about them during the day, and looked at them in the catalogs and in the store windows. I knew exactly what I wanted—a black train with real smoke and a whistle, on a figure-eight track. Because I knew my parents loved me and did all they could for me, I looked anxiously forward to Christmas.

When Christmas finally came, I rushed excitedly into our living room. There was an electric train—a second-hand train on an oval track. I tried to look excited, but I was terribly disappointed. My father, however, was excited about the train. He lay on the carpet with me, ran the train, and talked to me about how fun it was.

But it didn’t help, because someone had mentioned to me that if you were good, you got what you wanted for Christmas. Well, I knew I was at least as good as my friend Leonard. He got a train just like the one I wanted.

I had a similar experience many years later as a teenager in high school. Everyone had a ski sweater with a deer-head pattern knitted across the front. I wanted one. I told my parents what kind I wanted and what color it had to be. On Christmas morning, when I ripped the package open, I found a beautiful ski sweater. But there was no deer head on the front of it.

I was crushed. How could I ever go to school wearing that sweater? It didn’t look at all like everyone else’s sweaters. True, it was nice, but it just wouldn’t do. Once again I was very disappointed.

I was too immature at the time to look beyond my own selfish desires, beyond the gift, to the giver. My parents loved me, and they sacrificed to give me not only gifts, but all the things I needed. How they loved me!

I remembered this when I became a father. We didn’t have a lot of money, so we tried to get things that were practical. But many a Christmas Eve, as my wife and I prepared the presents around the tree and finished wrapping the gifts, I would find myself in a state of near-panic. I would think, “What if they open these gifts and don’t like them? What if they think we haven’t given them the things they want because we don’t love them?”

To help lessen this panic, I tried to postpone the moment of opening the presents. We started a tradition that on Christmas morning we would all get up, dress, say family prayers, and eat breakfast. Then we would go in around the tree. And just in case postponement didn’t do the trick, I would give “the lecture.”

“We have a lot of presents,” I’d begin. “We want you to know that inside each box and each package is wrapped up our great love for you. So we will open the presents very carefully, one at a time. If we just rip them open and grab whatever is inside, the love may escape unnoticed. After all, the love that is with the gift is greater than the gift itself.”

After my lecture we sat around the tree and opened our gifts, not in wild excitement, but in quiet appreciation and love for one another.

These examples from my life seem insignificant in light of the greatest gift of all—the gift we celebrate at Christmas. Yet in a way, there is a simple parallel. The scriptures say, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” (John 3:16.) But that gift is not popular in the world today. It is not the latest fad, the kind of gift that makes us popular with the crowd.

How often I have thought back to the days of my youth, truly sorry that I understood so little. So often we kneel in prayer and order our spiritual blessings from Heavenly Father, asking for what we feel we really want and need, and instead receive blessings that are good for us, blessings of love. And we are disappointed! We don’t understand; we feel unloved, unimportant, and deserted.

Perhaps we should examine more thoughtfully and prayerfully the gifts we are given. Maybe they are not exactly what we expected or asked for, but in the maturity of our lives, we will find them to be gifts of love. For truly the Lord offers us all that he has.



Baby, all I want for Christmas is you....

December (or should I say Decemberrrrrr) is here! Bringing with it plenty of snow and freezing temperatures. Along with the cold comes the special holiday spirit. I'm not quite sure how it works but there is something that happens every year when December rolls around. People are cheery and everywhere you go there is this peaceful feeling in the air. Maybe I am just living in my own holiday fantasy world but everything is better at Christmas time. I love the lights, the snow, the hot chocolate, the music, the movies, the decorations, the trees, and spending time with family. It seems as though for a few short weeks everyone slows down and focuses on the things that matter most.

Although this December hasn't exactly started out as magically as I would've liked (rent is due, projects and papers due, finals looming just around the corner) I am soaking in the music, my Christmasy scentsy, and all the decorations to keep the spirit alive.

There are so many wonderful traditions that I look forward to around Christmas time but here are the top 10 things I'm looking forward to this year......

1. Decorating our Christmas Tree
2. Reading the Christmas story in my New Testament class
3. The Forgotten Carols with the family
4. The Ostler Family Christmas party
5. Finals being done
6. The Festival of Trees
7. The annual Temple Square trips with the chicas
8. Christmas Eve at Gordon and Jill's
9. Watching my brother's faces when they open their gifts
10. The Stalling's Christmas party on Christmas Day

I am so excited for what this season has to give. I hope that I will be able to help others enjoy this time for it truly is the most Wonderful time of the year!

For those of you who have never seen Michael McLean's The Forgotten Carols I strongly suggest you try and go sometime. It is a wonderful story and my Christmas wouldn't be complete without it! This song was written by Michael McLean and I think it's a great way to keep in mind what the true holiday spirit is. ENJOY!

Happy Thanksgiving....

Some of you may know that Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday (second of course to St. Patrick's Day). I love the spirit of gratitude that everyone carries with them! I also love that we are able to spend time with family and have delicious food. This year we spent Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family. The food was amazing and it was so fun to get together with everyone. After dinner we played games and it was entertaining to say the least! It's so nice to laugh and joke with your family. I can't wait to get together and do it again.

I also wanted to post a list of things I was thankful for. This is something that is not very easy to do because there are so many things that I am thankful for!

1. My family...

Although I sometimes don't appreciate them as much as I should. I know they are the greatest blessing I have in my life right now. Every time we get together we are always laughing. We always have good times and are good at being silly. I love them so much. I wouldn't change them in any way! I am so grateful for Mom, Dad, Ben, Jake, Josh, and Eli. <3

2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

I have had the amazing opportunity to grow up in a family that was strong in the church. I have known ever since I was little that it is true. I have never been perfect but I have never lost my testimony. I am grateful for my trials and mistakes for they have made me stronger and really allowed me to prove to myself what I believe. I know that Christ is my personal Savior and Redeemer. I know that the gospel has molded and shaped me into who I am today. I will never be able to express how grateful I am for the church and all the blessings that come along with membership in it.

3. Brigham Young University...

I have wanted to go to BYU for as long as I can remember. Everything I did in high school was to help me get into BYU. This has truly been a blessing in my life. I have been able to learn not only secular knowledge but I have learned so much about the gospel and myself. I love going to class and feeling the spirit everyday. I love having religion classes and being able to learn more about the Savior. I am so grateful for the standards of BYU and for how it has strengthened me and my testimony.

4. My 6 Best Friends

I love these girls with all of my heart! We were there for each other through the good times and the bad times. I have such amazing memories with every single one of them.  I wouldn't have made it through high school without these girls, we all needed each other. Even though we are now in different locations I always know that they would be there for me when I need them. I love and am thankful for you chicas.

5. My Roommate/Best Friend.....

Mom--"do you and Allison do everything together?" Me--"yeah, pretty much". When I first moved into my very first college apartment I was terrified. I had been emailing my roommates over the summer but that is not even close to meeting them. Plus they were already friends and I felt like a third wheel. As ready and excited I was to live on my own that first week was so incredibly and surprisingly hard. Luckily, that week I met someone that would help make this new "growing up" journey a little easier. Some would say we bonded over hardships but that only made our bond stronger! We are as opposite as they come but yet we agree on most everything. We say all the time that we are only friends because we have no other friends but I am grateful that you are my roommate Allison :) I wouldn't be able to survive without you! 

6. Lacrosse...

I loved playing and now I love coaching!!! This sport is my stress reliever. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to coach my amazing Lady Cavemen! It is one of my most very favorite pass times.

7. Free Meals....

I have always loved free things but now that I am a poor college student I am all for free! My mother makes amazing food and it is one thing I miss while at college. I will never take my mom cooking dinner every night for granted again.

8. Books.....

I would list all my favorite books to read but that would take too long and probably wouldn't be very interesting. I love reading and I am grateful for books!

9. The Natural Beauty of the Earth...

I love sunsets, rain, snow for Christmas. I love spring flowers, and autumn leaves. I love the national parks and forests. There are so many beautiful places around us as I have said time and time again, it passes all my understanding.

10. Traveling.....

I am so grateful for all the places I've been to and all the things I've seen. I know I am spoiled to have parents that love to travel and take us with them and I appreciate it so much! I hope to be able to see the world in my lifetime. I have quite a long travel list :) I am thankful for different cultures and lands that I can visit and learn about!

Of course, these are not the only things I'm thankful for there are countless people that have blessed my life. If I could I would go on and on and on, however, this is long enough already. My Thanksgiving was wonderful and I hope yours was too! I am thankful for my crazy, stressful, random, funny, good life.

Try not to miss the beauty of life coming your way.....

My mom sent me this story a while back....and I felt like it was a perfect message as we enter the holiday season....

 

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Try not to miss the beauty of life coming your way.

Creativity....

So, I know this is long overdue but better late then never. We finally decorated our living room! There are still more things I would love to do, but with limited funds it is difficult. These pictures aren't the greatest....but you get the idea

 Now I don't consider myself creative by any means so when me and Allison came up with this we surprised ourselves....you can't see it here but the "peace" is actually metal so it is 3-Dish...

I can't wait till we get our Christmas tree it will make it that much more amazing!

P.S. I know its not that great but you can pretend to love it and tell me how cute we made our apartment ;)  I'm just glad it doesn't look boring anymore!

May your tears be few and your smiles many....

We watched this video today in Relief Society and it made my day! It's a little long but I highly recommend you watch it! It is so wonderful to see how much love he has for us. This is just what i needed to see!

Happy Birthday Eli Manning Ostler!!!!

Yesterday, was my puppy's birthday. I can't believe we've had Eli for 2 years! It seems like just yesterday we were playing with him and all of his brothers and sisters and begging my dad to let us get him....


This is how I will always think of him...so small!



Excuse my awful appearance this was seriously like 3 days after I got my tonsils out I was not feeling well!

Playing with cousin Macks :)

 He has brought us so much joy and love! This puppy is a big part of our family and we all love him!


Annual Christmas sweaters for Eli :)



We all get Christmas Jammies why not him?

He loves to be cuddly :)

And especially loves Grandpa, who likes to share food with him :)

This dog is my super hero...he makes me happy when I am sad and he is always excited to see me! Happy Birthday Eli love you puppy xoxo

Girl's Weekend.....

This weekend I went with two of my very best friends to visit Breanne in Cedar City. We all needed a nice,  quiet, relaxing weekend to just hang out together, but we all ended up getting so much more than that!

Friday was just a fun hang out day, we had a bbq and watched leap year while doing nails...typical girl stuff (of course Breanne fell asleep, just like every other movie we've ever watched!). Saturday, we were deciding what to do and figured we were so close to Zions National Park we would go for a nice hike. Well as we get off the freeway and see the sign pointing us in the correct direction for our destination the next destination on the sign pops out at me....Grand Canyon National Park 132 miles....wow thats not that far. Well, after some debating and spontaneous thinking....we decide, why not?

After the long, BEAUTIFUL drive we made it and let me tell you it was so worth it!



Park Ranger letting us in :)



Goofing around like always....we decided to go to the Gift Shop first so we could all have matching shirts....one of the best purchases of my life!

TITANIC :)

Love these girls

Dangling our feet off the edge....super creepy!!

This is my model friend....Breanne :)

Matching Shirts :)

 This place was so breathtaking.....I can't even describe it and the pictures don't even do it justice! I am so grateful I was able to share this experience with 3 of my bestest friends. Being there brought true peace and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect trip. If you haven't made it out to the Grand Canyon, I strongly suggest you take a trip, you won't regret it! I know that I will remember this day for the rest of my life. Thank you Breanne (the driver), Shelby (the map lady), and Carli (the logical one) for going on this crazy and amazing adventure! You guys are my best friends and I love you no matter how far apart we might be! I can't wait for Christmas break for our next adventure :). xoxo love, Emily

This place was the definition of passing all my understanding!! <3