Happy 75th Birthday Grandpa

sealing day

Photo by Guenard Photography

I can’t believe this day finally came. I sometimes think “What did I do to deserve this?” I fought for this for so long, it's kind of hard to wrap my head around the fact that I Kierra am now sealed to Nick Irvine for eternity! If you were to ask me, even a few years ago, if we would get to this point, I probably would have said no.

I was so nervous for this day, and I had no idea what to expect. I think what I was most nervous about was how Nick would react to everything. Nick is very level headed, and never seems to be phased by anything, but because I didn’t know what exactly happens in the Temple, I couldn’t guess how Nick would react.

We started the day with getting our Endownments. We arrived at the Calgary, Alberta Temple at 8:30 in the morning! I remember throughout the entire Endowment session I kept looking over at Nick to see how he was doing. I tried looking at his face to see his expression, to see how he was reacting, but he was cool and calm as ever. I was very surprised at how well he took everything in. My mom told me that because I grew up in the church, and Nick didn’t, that it may actually be me who would be more shell-shocked. She was right, I was shocked, and kind of blown away with everything. It felt a little foreign to me. I guess because I grew up thinking one thing, yet everything done inside the Temple is different (but in a good and beautiful way) was what made me so astonished. I guess because over the past year and a half, everything has been so new to Nick, that this was just another new thing for him to take part in.

I hope to go back soon and do another Endowment session. A few people have told me that we should go back as soon as possible, so we can try and better understand what is being taught. My friend Nicole also stated that we should take advantage of going often while we still don’t have kids!

It was a special experience, and I am really glad that Nick and I got to share it together. It really made me feel closer to him, and make our relationship stronger. He has continuously surprises me with how well he remains calm when thrown into new situations and changes. I don’t do well with changes – I tend to freak out when I am faced with new obstacles (you should have seen my melt down in Australia), but Nick has such a calming effect over me.

Later that afternoon, Nick and I were sealed for time and all eternity. The sealing was so special. It was so beautiful, and you could just feel the spirit there. My mom and dad were crying with tears of joy, and they just kept saying how proud they were. It was simple and sweet, but we know it comes with eternal blessings.

green leather studded jacket

A few weekends ago, we went out to Nick’s dad’s house to celebrate Megan & Ray’s birthday. Ray (Nick’s dad) called it the 20/60 party because Megan was turning 20 this month, and Ray turned 60. It was a fun night, but the best part was when Nick pulled out his jacket that he wore all throughout high school. Whenever I try to describe what Nick was like back in high school, the first thing I say to people is “Well, he wore this Green Leather Studded jacket”. According to Sandy, Nick spent hours putting studs on it. Back then I thought the jacket it was hideous, but I kind of love it now. Nick keeps it stored at his dad’s house partly out of fear that I may secretly get rid of it, and maybe a few years ago I may have toyed with that idea. However that jacket has become sort of sentimental to me, and maybe, just maybe, Nick will bring it home one day.

for time & all eternity

{January 17, 2013}

I really do not have time this week to be writing a post with all the things I have left to do. I have so much to get done and ready for Saturday, it’s crazy. At the same time, I think it is really important that I document this extremely special moment and time in my life. I want to document this, because I want to be able to go back and read what my feelings were leading up to our Sealing Day. I also hope to one day show this to my children, so they know will know that the real reason I fought to be sealed to Nick was because of them.

Since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to go the temple and be married for time and all eternity. I sang the primary song “I love to see the Temple” all the time, and it just became so important for me to make this covenant. When Nick and I started dating, I really thought it was just going to be a temporary thing, and that I would break it off within 3 months (yes – he is now aware that this was my thinking back when we first started dating). He wasn’t LDS, and I figured that I could just date him for fun. After those 3 months though – I began to fall in love with him. He was sweet, thoughtful, driven and kind. What attracted me the most to him was the fact that though he was only 19 years old, he knew what he wanted to do in life. He had future plans and goals, and I saw all the hard work he was putting in to make sure he would accomplish those goals. He even talked about kids, marriage and buying a house! Most guys I knew his age couldn’t even tell me where they wanted to be in a year. One night when I think we had only been dating for just over 4 months he told me that he already had a girl name picked out! It kind of freaked me out that he had thought of baby name (he didn’t say it was going to be our baby name), and that it was a GIRL name. It was just so endearing to me that he wanted kids and a family. He made me feel beautiful all the time, and treated me like a queen. I was torn.

Of course we talked about religion and what I believed in. He met with the missionaries a few times, but he just was not interested.  He knew I wanted to be married in the temple, and he knew the reasons why it was so important to me. We talked about marriage after dating for 6 months, but I wanted it to be my way.

I remember so clearly one day driving to Bragg Creek one Sunday to meet with some friends and I was talking to my mom on the phone. I think Nick and I had been together for over a year at that time, and I just couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. I was bawling my eyes out because I just loved Nick so much, but the thought of my children not being sealed to me was even a bigger blow. She told me her feelings on the situation, and just told me that she would support me no matter what I decided. It was a really tough time in my life, deciding if I would live this double life, and would I be okay with raising my kids in the gospel by myself.

After 2 years of Nick and me dating, I visited my old Young Women’s President for some advice. She was married to a non-member at that time, but raised her kids in the gospel (since then, she has actually gotten re-married in the Temple this past November to a worthy priesthood holder, and she is just glowing with happiness). Basically by the end of our visit she told me that if she had to do it all over again, she would not have married him. That was pretty darn clear. It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but she was being very honest.

Nick and I continued to date on & off for the next year or so, and I did date other guys who were members, but they never treated me the way Nick did. Once I got to know them really well, I found that just because they were LDS, didn’t mean they were really that great.

Anyways I moved away in the summer of 2010 for work, and to also make a clean break from Nick. I met some nice guys in Saskatoon, but my heart belonged to Nick. I guess his heart belonged to me, because his heart softened, and he began to take what I thought was really important more seriously. We talked, I moved back, he took the discussions and committed to being baptized in July 2011. Words can not express my feelings that day. I felt like I was the luckiest girl in the world. Not only was I getting the man that I loved, but I was also getting the marriage I have always wanted.

I am so excited for Saturday. My eyes fill with tears when I think about it. I am so nervous. I have been waiting for this day my whole life. Our wedding day was beautiful, and the happiest day of my life. However, being sealed to Nick will be even more important to me.

5 Years. I feel like I've been waiting forever, and now it's finally here.

I really don’t know what to expect. Everyone has tried to tell us as much as they could, but it isn’t the same. I’m a little scared. I’m overjoyed. I'm nervous. I’m happy.

old photos

I love old photos. I guess you could say that as a hobby, I try to to collect as many old photos as I can. Two Christmas's ago I stole a bunch of Nick's moms albums as I could, and I scanned away. I ended up scanning about 1,500 photos for Sandy for Christmas. I still haven't finished scanning all of her photos, but that is something that I would love to accomplish this year. I would also like to get my hands on some of Nick's Grandma Cory's photos as well.

I'm not quite sure what my fascination with old family pictures is, I guess I just love to see what people look like over the years. What they use to look like, how they dressed and how that changes throughout the years. It's a snapshot of history. 

If you ask my husband, he jokes that I have to take photos of everything. He tells people that if I don't take pictures, then it never happened. It's just so important to me to take photos all the time.

I love that one day I can show my children these photos, and show them the family they come from. Though I'm not into genealogy, like the data collecting part, my parents say that this is a form of genealogy.

Anyways, this week I got my hands on some old photos from my Grandma Lybbert, and I can't wait to get some more. It's seriously an addiction!

My Grandparent's on their Wedding Day

How beautiful is my Grandma? I just love hr dress.

 My Grandpa on his 1st Birthday

 My Grandpa on his Mission in Toronto

Grandpa is the Rodeo

My mom with her parents

My Aunt JJ, Uncle Paul, Mom, Aunt Wanda, and Aunt Connie

2013

So 2013 has only just started, and already there are so many things happening this year, its crazy!

I know 2012 was a great year, and the best year I have ever had (hello – I got married), but 2013 is looking like it has a chance to be just as good.

Nick and I are going to hosted a little get together at our house for New Years Eve. I invited a bunch of people, but it’s for people that don’t have any other plans. Usually I get sad when people don’t come to the parties I (and my friends) plan, but for this one, I really didn’t care because New Years Eve usually is busy and there are lots of other parties going on that evening anyways.

January is seriously shaping up to be an insanely busy month! I swear it’s going to be just as busy as December. First, Nick and I have been invited to his dad’s 20/60 party, which sounds like so much fun. Nick’s dad turn 60 at the beginning of the month, and his sister turns 20 at the end of the month, so they usually have a combined family birthday in the middle. A bunch of my friends like Crystal and Bianca have been invited – as well as my parents. I just love that our families get along, and it will be nice to have a party with everyone there.

The weekend after that, Nick and I will finally be sealed together in the Calgary Alberta Temple. I am just so excited, and I feel like we’re getting married again! Haha. It will seriously be another very long day, as we are getting our Endowments that morning, and then we get sealed later that afternoon. Once we have photos taken both with family, and then finally just us – we have to head back to Okotoks that evening for an Open House being hosted by my parents. Oi.

Finally the last weekend of January, Nick and I will be going to a surprise party! I can’t say much, because I don’t want to ruin the surprise (and I've been known to do that) – but I promise to post about it after it’s all done!

Not too much is happening in February at the moment, but I think that will be a good thing, because March will be a little busy again. I will be hosting my sister’s baby shower, which I just have so many ideas for already! I am so excited for her, as I hope this will be the start of some good karma that she so desperately needs (once things clear up – which may not be for awhile, I will for sure be doing a post on my sisters/family’s situation. All I can say is wow – there are some awful people in this world).

I am so excited for April! First Nick and I will be celebrating our 1^st Year Anniversary. We may not do anything too exciting as Nick will be finishing up school, but it will be cool to say that we have been married for a year. Right around the same time, I hope that we will be welcoming a little bouncing baby into the family. I am going to be an Aunt! I just can’t wait, and hopefully this will tide me over for a little bit, or this may just make my baby fever worse!

Half way through April, Crystal, Bianca and I are heading up to Edmonton for Bev’s birthday. Danika won’t be able to come, because she will have her hands full with a newborn. I’m really excited for this, because usually Bev has to come down here, but it will be a nice change to go up there and be with her for her birthday.

By May, we will probably have Danika’s baby blessing, for which my dad will be the one to do the blessing. It will be a special moment for our family, and something I am looking forward too.

One of the other months that I am looking most forward too, will be June. One of my best friends Crystal is getting married! I just can’t wait to help her get ready and see her marry Andrew. They’ve been together more than 5 years, and they make such an awesome couple.

Later this summer, my friends and I want to plan a camping trip. It has seriously been about 4 years since we have last gone camping (2008?), and so we feel we are long over due for a camping trip with the whole group. We’re going to plan it way in advance, so everyone will have lots of time to book off work and I know I for sure want to avoid going on a long weekend, as it will be harder to get a camping site, and more bans are put in place.

Before you know it we head into Fall and Winter. In October, Nick should be writing his ACP exam to hopefully finally become a Paramedic. November will be filled with birthdays, and then the Christmas season begins to gear up again, and we’re back were we started – with another year gone!

Here’s to 2013, and that we all have a fantastic year!

New Years Eve

We had a little New Years party last night at our house, and we had such a fun time. There was lots of food, games and even a surprise guest! Okay, so I guess everyone but me knew that Bev was in town, but it was still a great surprise for me! Thanks to everyone who came and I love I was able to count down the New Year with you.

 Paige & Kris

 Chad always trying to photobomb our pictures.Grr

 Bestfriends

 Friends reunited

 New Roomies

 Surprise Guest - Bev!

 Freddy - the entertainer of the night!