Yesterday (Sunday) Sterling and I went to nursery as usual. Nursery is my calling and Sterling has no calling but I need his help in nursery. I love taking care of the nursery kids but we have 13-17 kids every week. Jenn, my partner, and I need more than just us to manage the kids.
We gave a baby gate we no longer need to a family who wanted it. And I gave out the baby shower invitation flyers for each auxiliary where women are during church hours. I gave a baby shower a couple weeks ago and am already involved in another one. With the last baby shower I put a lot of work into it. I made the decorations and invites and flyers and shower games. I had help providing food. With this current shower I am doing the decorations, invites, flyers, cake and helping with two of the games. I am getting good at doing baby showers and the women receiving the party feels loved and grateful for the efforts.
At church we were handed the Roberts' computer to take home and fix. Sterling is really good at fixing computers and has helped out many people in the ward for free. Most people who need help buy cheap computers and maybe don't have good anti virus software. So they get viruses and their computers slow down and have issues. Sterling cleans them, wipes them clear and installs good software and antiviruses.
In our ward we , Ster and I, do a lot of service. With church callings and more. I watch other peoples kids even on short notice for free. We help any way we can. We don't really have to go looking for service opportunities because the ward knows us and our skills by now. They come to us and we happily help.
In our service efforts we bless others' lives but in return Heavenly Father blesses us.
Recently my visiting teaching companion had a baby. A week or two later a sister we visit teach had a baby too. I brought dessert and visited with my companion after her baby came along. She had a scary delivery and a hard post partum. So I was happy to visit with her, keep her company and make sure she was doing better.
Well yesterday was Fast Sunday and I spent the whole afternoon cooking and baking. I made croissant rolls from scratch, chicken salad sandwich filler and choc choc chip cookies. I took some of all those things and sweet pulled pork Sterling made over to the Mchaley's (the sister I visit teach who just had her baby). I brought them dinner for last night and the pulled pork for a freezer meal for later in the week.
Katie Mchaley is doing well. She has recovered nicely and feels great after a fast and smooth delivery.
After that visit I went to Kayla, my v.t. companion and gave her back her computer Sterling fixed. She is having a hard time because her baby still won't sleep at night while she has young twin boys and a toddler at home. She is teaching them school at home this year. I let her know I am available every morning this week if she needs any help she can call me.
On the drive home from the military base where I made my visits I thought a lot about my wonderful husband. Lately I've been realizing that our perfect relationship can't remain so wonderful without much effort. After 8 years of marriage you have to work hard to keep the relationship exciting and strong. I've been discovering ways to do that.
Saturday we went on an exciting date where we ziplined in the mountain. Ziplining is something a little scary that Ster and I each experienced only once in our youth. After so many years have gone by it was hard to remember the whole experience. I was worried it would be too high off the ground and that the end, the jerk at the bottom, would be too rough.
I was surprised to learn something I did not know about my husband...he is afraid of heights. He said the tower doesn't bother him (his work tower) but standing in the trees reading to fly down a line in a harness makes him nervous.
So it was exciting and a little scary for both of us. But the Tramway Adventures zipline in Keystone SD was not too high off the ground. It was so awesome flying through the trees! So much fun! And doing it with Sterling made me feel stronger and happier in our relationship.
I had picked the activity so Sterling picked the place to eat. We went to Sanford's for the first time and it became our new favorite restaurant. The environment was fun and the food was amazing. It costs more than other places in town but tastes so much better than the others. We'd rather go to Sanford's once in a while than eat out often at places that don't impress us.
Another thing I realized that helps me feel stronger and happier in my relationship with Sterling is to say the things I love about him out loud. On the drive home from the base yesterday I remembered that saying words out loud has power. I learned that from my mother.
I often think about the things I love about Sterling but I don't usually say them out loud.
So , alone in the car, wishing I had a friend with me to say it to I spoke aloud the things I love about Sterling. It takes over 15 mins to drive home. So I had that much time to think about how wonderful he is.
Some of the things I said are: "Sterling helps me to be a great mom. With his help and giving me breaks I don't get burned out. That causes me to be able to continue to be patient and happy and a great mom."
"Sterling is so wonderful to serve others. He could charge money for his computer services but that's not how he is. He isn't about making money any way he can. He is all about helping others."
"One of his priorities is to keep me stress free and happy. And I am so thankful for that. He has striven for that since we first got married."
"He doesn't always step in to help clean my chores or take care of the kids. But if he knows I need help he will definitely step in. And he does clean up his computer desk and his own stuff often."
You know what...saying them out loud made me feel more appreciation and love for him. Simply thinking about those things was not enough. Saying things outloud truly has great power.
I got home and walked in the house to find Luke cleaning. I saw the kitchen had been cleaned up and all the dishes done. The upstairs was clean! And downstairs I found Sterling and Ty cleaning the tv room! I could hardly believe it.
I knew immediately why he did it. It wasn't that I was getting burned out. It was that Sterling wanted to spend time with me and he knew if I had dishes to wash and things to take care of I would not be able to.
Sterling's actions that evening made me feel more love and joy for him. He truly is wonderful.
The house was clean and we were able to relax and watch tv together. The kids are pretty good at leaving us alone to do that once in a while.
