Gerald the Gallbladder

Gerald the Gallbladder is no more. His havoc wreaking days inside Matt's abdomen are over. Gerald, I can't say that I'll miss you, or the pain you've caused my loving husband!

Matt went in for surgery today. Just your average gallbladder removal that is done all the time by many surgeons around the world. But for me, it wasn't just a surgery that most of Americans have. It was my best friend going in for surgery. It was the girl's Daddy. It was me being worried and nervous that everything would be alright. It was waiting in the waiting room anticipating the good news that he was okay. It was the slight chance that something could go wrong. It wasn't just a surgery for me. 

I know that many friends and family prayed for him-- for us, that everything would go well. I have often wondered if my prayers for others are felt by them. I have heard people mention that they could feel people praying for them while they were going through trying times, and always wondered how you could actually feel a prayer being said on your behalf. 

Today, I can say with a surety, that I have felt your love and prayers for us today. I am overwhelmed to tears, because I can literally feel all of your prayers for Matt and I and our family. I feel it through the Holy Ghost, that warm and comforting feeling of unyielding love. I know that many prayers have been offered for us today, and that is such an amazing thing. Thank you for your love, your support, and prayers. This may have seemed like a little thing, but for us, it was huge. Big or small, God listens. 

 I know that God hears and answers prayers. He wants to send us angels, and feelings of comfort administered through the Holy Ghost. He is real. He loves us, more than we could possibly comprehend. I know it because I feel it so strongly within my being. 

Matt is now in the recovery room, doing great and waking up from anesthesia. Saying that I am grateful that he's okay is an understatement. I never want to imagine going through this life without him. He is my rock, my hero, and my best friend. Going through this surgery with him, has deepened my love and appreciation for this wonderful man. 

We will be leaving the hospital soon, to go home and let Matt recover. He has the Xbox hooked up in our bedroom, so he should be happily entertained between sleeping and recovering. 

Here's to a happy gallbladder-less future for Matty!! 

Love you all

xoxo
The Twistles

Parents Night Out!

Words to describe our get-a-way:

Awesome.

Memorable.

Amazing.

Fun.

For the last 2 years, we have been broke. Like, so broke we wanted to cry. So, Matt's birthday (and mine) have fallen by the wayside when it came to birthday celebrations. I mean, we did the traditional birthday dinner, but that was about it.

This year, we are in a better spot, thanks to Matt working his manly buns off for us. 

So we splurged and booked a hotel downtown for the night. 

Owen and Crissy agreed to take the girls overnight, which is no small feat considering Charlotte is still not sleeping through the night yet. 

Emma was so excited to hang out with Mitch and "Ca-Ca", and had a great time. 

Matt and I were able to relax, and enjoy each other's company like we used to in our pre-kid life. We laughed just like we used to, before we were so tired from parenthood. Matt and I talked to random strangers on the street, and even rode a bike taxi on the way back to the hotel!

Being a parent, you sometimes lose sight of who you were before kids. That you used to laugh a lot, and be spontaneous. Matt reminded me that who I am now is not bad, just different. I've evolved to take care of my children and to be a good Mom, it just comes with the territory. He told me that if I hadn't have changed to take care of the girls, then that would be something to worry about. He is my voice of reason when I am too hard on myself. One of the many reasons I love him so. 

It was just nice to feel like, "us" again. Like we were newlyweds, living downtown doing what we wanted when we wanted. It was good to be reminded that even though we are stressed with work and life matters, that "we" are still in there somewhere. 

It just takes a little "Parent Getaway" to let our single flags fly. 

Thank you Crissy and Owen for granting us this great opportunity, we so badly needed it! 

Matt is using a new app called, "Day One". It's an online journal for your computer/phone. He wrote down his own thoughts of our weekend together, and you can read it below:

FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2013, 9:14 PM

Why not start out on my 32d birthday to log the incredible journey I am sharing with my sweetheart. The night started out by dropping our two little ones off at their aunt Crissy and uncle Owen's home for a sleepover with their cousins Jessica and Mitchell. We zipped downtown SLC for sushi at a restaurant that we have had in our sights for quite sometime. The place is called Sapa and features an incredible ambiance highlighted by authentic Vietnamese tea houses that were disassembled in Vietnam and brought to Utah and consequently reassembled on State and 700 South. We ate and ate and ate some more before heading to the Hilton to check into our

room for the night. The excitement of a fresh hotel room (with hot tub) is always such a rush! I snapped a couple of shots of the room and we decided to walk through downtown on a nostalgic adventure so similar to that which we used to enjoy on a semi nightly basis back in our pre-children days. The air was warm, Rachel held my hand and was my steady reminder that I always get too close to the street while waiting for the crosswalk signal to change. I had my sights set on a strawberry and cream from Starbucks so that was our next stop. So refreshing! Along our walk we made some friends one of whom may have unwittingly made a lasting impression on us for life. His name was Doc and he was a former homeless person who now made a humble living selling newspapers in the street and helping others who find themselves in the same situation. He beamed when he spoke of his daughter and seemed humbly reverent as he told us of her searching him out by asking the various valets around town if they knew where he was sleeping back in his less fortunate times. He was brave and confident in himself. We continued on our way and found ourselves lured in by the air conditioning the rushed through the corridors of the outdoor City Creek Mall. Shopping! I needed a new hat because 50 isn't enough and Rach needed shirts and jewelry because she's a female. After shopping and noticing the creeping night we started the 10 block walk back when we happened upon Louis Alexander, bike taxi. Man, this guy was such a great addition to our new list of friends in the city. He had an iPod playing some hippy-bongo-Indian music and filled the aromatic night arm with the warm, masking smell of patchouli oil. As he pedaled us through the city en route to our hotel we shared small talk of culture, family, and drunks. Sophisticated to say the least! Only a couple of scares and we made it to the hotel safe and with a new friend and yet another line item to check off our bucket list that we have never yet written down. Energy drinks!! Our hotel, in all of its accommodation had none! In the car, windows down, and Nelly/Pandora playing loud we headed toward the Pharmacy. Rockstars and sleep aids were the only items on this grocery list. Inspiration hit on the way back to the hotel to stop at Dunkin Donuts for a midnight snack. After waiting ten minutes in the drive through line we decided it would be best to go in and wait in that line for ten minutes!! A six pack of donuts and we hit the hotel.
Without going into great detail we got back to our room and spent some good, quality, quiet, and uninterrupted time together; something the has been all but non-existent in our lives as of late. We slept in until 930 and left to reunite with the two little miracles that have changed our lives in such a positive way that words fail to describe.
As far as birthdays go, THIS was my best and most favorite ever. We made memories for life. We reminded ourselves of what it's like for us to be in love.

159 W BROADWAY, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, UNITED STATES • 81° MOSTLY CLOUDY

Created in Day One 


He is my love. He is my best friend. And this week, I have felt so much more thankful for him. So thankful for all the things he does, that I do not see, that he does for us. When we were dating, he told me there was no possible way that I could ever understand how much he loves me. I know that's true, he loves me and our girls so deeply in a way that I will never know. 

Happy Birthday Matty, and thank you for loving me the way you do. You make me the happiest girl in the whole world!

Here's some pictures from our weekend:

Sushi at Sapa, it was so tasty!

For The Kids...

I contemplated making this post private, since what I'm going to put in this post are texts from my sweet husband while we were dating. They are very special to me, and being a private person, it's not my style to share these types of things. I am making this a public post, so that if there is any doubt in anyone's mind of Matt's love for me, this will help them understand. He is truly the most amazing man I have ever known, and I'm so glad I have these messages that I can document to remember forever. 

(WARNING!! It's a love post, so if you can't handle it, back away from the computer now!)

It started when Emma wanted to play with my old, old, old phone (we have a few phones that are out of commission that are now in Emma's toy bin). She brought me this phone, and said, "boke" which means broke in Emma language. I answered, "yes honey, it's broke... let me see if Momma can fix it." I luckily still had the charger to the phone, so charged it we did. 

I love looking at information on old phones, it's like looking back during a certain part of your life, and reminiscing about old memories. I flipped open the phone and looked through all the text messages that I had saved from Matt. One after another brought back a flood of wonderful memories of our courtship. I remembered where I was with each message; I remembered how I felt after I received each one. It is truly a testament to me of how much God's hand played a role in our lives. I have never felt so strongly for someone, and reading these messages reminds me of our path together--the very beginning--to where we are now, with two beautiful daughters and an eternal marriage that will last through the eternities. 

Here are the love messages from my best friend, I hope our girls will read this someday, and see just how much their Daddy loves their Mommy. It is so apparent to me every day, and even more so after reading these messages. I love you Matty, you are all I have ever wanted, and you make me the happiest girl in the world, just like you said you would.

Love Messages From Matty:

2/23/2009 @ 11:35 a.m.: Matt and I had been dating for 9 days... and I received this message while I was at work at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

"Rachel having you around is like being with one of your best friends and also being crazy about them. That's gay, huh?" (that's classic Matt, it wouldn't be the same if I censored it!)

2/28/2009 @ 8:04 p.m.: I don't remember the context of what brought this message up, but I do remember how it made me feel...:

"Well they're all crazy. Beautiful is kind of an all encompassing package. It's hot, smart, fun, funny, witty, spiritual... Etc. You are all of those to me."

2/28/2009 @ 11:17 p.m.: Matty and I must have been late night texting. Again, I don't remember what I said that brought about his response, but it's sweet nonetheless:

"I won big two weeks ago when we went on our first date."

3/4/2009 @ 11:22 a.m.: Matt and I worked together at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, which is how we met. I worked in Clinic E, and he worked in Clinic C... we didn't tell anyone that we were dating for about 3 months, so it was our little secret that no one knew. We texted back and forth to each other all day. Hence this message:

"Well try working when the only thing you care about is at the other end of the hall."

3/8/2009 @ 2:48 p.m.: Matt became an important part of my life during a very trying time. I had just signed my divorce papers and had no idea what I was going to do next. I was in the process of an intense and painful repentance process with the Bishop and had lost most all of the people in my life who I called "friends". I shared my experiences with Matt often, because he had also been down a hard road of repentance. This message came from one of our discussions:

"You're turning your back on the world all because you believe in something you cannot see. That's a miracle. I love it. It attracts me to you because I can relate."

3/10/2009 @ 2:55 p.m.: I knew I loved Matt very quickly. The feeling came over me while I was out visiting my friend Susie in Arizona. Matt and I had only been dating for 2 weeks, and at the time of booking my flight, I was single and didn't think I would have anyone to miss. During my stay in AZ, I was questioning to myself whether I was in love with Matty or not. I immediately had this intense feeling come over me that to this day, still rocks me to my very core. I knew I loved him. It was just getting him to confess it as well that took so long :) This message came after I had told him that I loved him:

"I want to. That's all. I want to be in love with you. I'm so gay."

3/16/2009 @ 10:34 p.m.: This message needs no background. I still remember this message without needing to look at my old phone. He has stuck to every word, and I have never stopped smiling:

"Rachel, I can make you smile for the rest of your life. Just let me, that's all I'm asking. I will never hurt you. I love you more than you know."

4/12/2009 @ 11:10 p.m.: You really have Matty:

"I'll try my best to always make you the happiest girl in the world."

4/14/2009 @ 11:14 p.m.: I remember receiving this text, and thinking Matt was crazy. We had just gone to dinner, and then watched the movie "Seven Pounds". Nothing amazing, nothing out of the ordinary. He just has a way of making me feel special even when the things we do together are just ordinary:

"Rachel, you were inexplicably breathtaking tonight. I love you more than life itself. Goodnight my love."

4/15/2009 @ 8:06 a.m.: This was the day after our ordinary date night:

"I was so in love with you last night! I woke up this morning and almost felt overwhelmed with happy!"

5/21/2009 @ 3:33 p.m.: I heard this a lot from Matt, and I don't think I will truly ever understand just how much he loves me. I thought that someday I might, but he's right, he really does love me more than I will ever know:

"I love you. You really push me to be the best person for you and that is my favorite quality of yours. Thanks."

After reading these messages in my phone, I knew I needed to write them down before they became lost forever. I want our kids to know what real love is, and they will see it by reading these messages, and watching how Matty treats me. He makes me laugh, even if I ignore his jokes. He isn't afraid to act like a fool just to get a laugh out of me. He loves our girls. He makes Emma laugh daily. He works hard at his job so I can stay home and raise our girls. He understands me. He has more patience than I ever will. He is my best friend and I don't ever want to be without him. I love you Matty! Thanks for making me the happiest girl in the wrold. 

xoxo
Rachel

Reasons Why My Husband Is My Hero

♥ He drives up a canyon, on a snowy day, from our house in West Jordan, to help me fulfill a prior commitment to dog sit, when the backup plan fell through

♥ He kills insects for me, that invade our home

♥ He replaces the headlight in my car when it goes out

♥ He always gets me a Diet Pepsi on Saturday mornings

♥ He helps do bath time with Emma so I can blog

♥ He loves his Momma

♥ He respects his Dad

♥ He makes me happier than I ever thought possible

♥ He is always there with a hug, kiss, and "I love you"

♥ He doesn't get mad, when I come home with 3 pairs of shoes, instead of 1

♥ He takes out the trash, and refuses to let me do it (this includes the stinky baby diapers)

♥ He loves me more than I can comprehend

♥ He thinks I'm a good Mom, and tells me all the time

♥ He knows how to get me to smile

♥ He is patient with me when I don't deserve it

♥ He has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ, and loves the gospel

♥ His laugh is contagious

♥ He makes silly jokes

♥ He loves our kitties

♥ He loves Emma, and is a "hands on" Dad- he loves to take care of her

♥ He works hard to provide for our family; he loves his job and is dedicated to moving up within his company

♥ He loves my family

♥ He loves me for who I am; I'm not sure I'll ever understand it- he loves me even though I'm stubborn, controlling, and impatient. He loves me on my good days, and my bad.

This started as a "top ten" list of reasons why Matt is my hero, but as I started thinking of all the things he does for me, the list just kept going on. Matt is my best friend, and I can't imagine a world without him in it. His love for me is beyond unconditional, and I love him for lovin' me! Thanks Matty, for being the best hubby a girl could ask for. I love you.

Anniversary Book

This is an easy post, and I have a few moments of time before Emma wakes up :) I made this book on Shutterfly's website for Matt for our anniversary. It turned out so great and it was delivered last week. These are so much fun to make and so easy! I put pictures of us, and some of our favorite song lyrics in it to go with the pictures.

Click here to view this photo book larger

1 Year

Sunday was our 1 year anniversary (2/20/11), so I decided to put up a slide-show of my favorite wedding pictures (below this post). To celebrate, we went out to dinner the Friday before to Carver's steak house- it was so delicious! I can't believe we've been married for one year already, it went by so fast! I am so lucky to be married to my best friend, and can't wait to be sealed as a family in March. I am at a loss for words when I think of how blessed I have been in the last 2 years. It is a true testament that God loves us, and if we are willing to change He will immediately bless us. I have personally seen this happen in my life, as well as Matt's. The change is scary, and not easy; the pain unbearable at times, -- but the happiness you find when you come out of the darkness is so worth it. 


Happy 1 year anniversary to my amazing husband, I can't wait to spend eternity with you.

1 Year Anniversary slide show

Meyers and Briggs Personality Test

This is my new fascination for the month. I'm not sure if you've heard of this test, but my friend at work introduced me to it, and it's a great way to understand your significant other. It's also really great to help you with any type of relationship you have whether it's friends, parents, or kids. Here is the Wikipedia info on the background of this test:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator 

Here is the link to the test website. It's not the full test, you have to pay $30 bucks for that, but this is about 40 questions and will give you a pretty accurate result. I am an ESTJ personality type.

http://sminds.com/mbti/
(OK the link is not working, just copy and paste it and it should work)

After you take the test, it only gives you your type. You then have to google your type and see your definition. I have found that these websites give really good info:

www.personalitypage.com

www.typelogic.com

Here is my info, if you care to read:

http://www.personalitypage.com/html/ESTJ.html

So Matt and I have a lot in common, but we also do a lot of things differently. Mainly with how we operate in situations- I am a planner, and I like to check everything off my "list" so to speak. Matt is more relaxed in that aspect, and deals with things as they come. When unexpected events happen, it literally throws my universe off it's rotation. I have a hard time not getting stressed out and worried about such things. 

Example: Matt's car registration was due in November, he's had a cracked windshield that we knew we'd have to replace (I expected and planned on that- check), it was about $160 to fix. Easy, I budgeted for it, planned on the money coming out, no biggie. He takes it to get the emissions and inspections done, and turns out his wheel bearing is completely broken, and his front tires are bald. So the car failed inspection, and the guys told him it would be about $300 to fix. Awesome. Universe falling apart. He takes it to get an estimate, and his mechanic tells us it's going to be $285 and we say "ok". I mean, it has to be done, I understand that- they told him they can't believe he drove on it this long without his axle snapping and getting him into a major accident. Still- universe is crumbling. I get another call from Matt, telling me that the mechanic took his wheels off to fix the problem, and found that his brakes are metal on metal and absolutely have to be changed. Serious? So the total is now $420 and I am having a nervous breakdown and my universe has been thrown into the Netherworld. 

Now Matt, on the other hand, is frustrated as well- the situation sucks, that was our Christmas money, we had other plans for that money. He just handles it so much better than I do. I shut myself in and have a hard time getting my thoughts out, and I get really stressed out. Matt understands that it sucks, but is still Matt and can carry on.  He gets worried and stressed when he sees how bad I am handling it. After taking this test, it helped me realize what my weakness' are and the differences between us. Matt is an ESTP type, and the P at the end is what makes all the difference for us. 

This is his info on his type:

http://www.personalitypage.com/html/ESTP_car.html 

It really describes him perfectly, and helps me understand how his brain works and what he is best at. The things that come naturally for me like- planning, remembering things, focus, not getting bored with things, completing tasks- do not come naturally for him. I can't expect him to be that way, and my type even says that I expect everyone to think and act the way that I do about everything (which is so true). Matt is very relaxed and calming, which is something that I struggle with, but his personality helps me to be calm and not worry so much. So we are a very good compliment to each other, but we still have to work on getting around our personality differences. The whole thing is very interesting, and makes a lot of sense. The girl at work has figured out her kids type (she has a 2 year old and a 5 year old) and is able to parent them better because she knows their personality. 


Anyways, I wanted to share this with you in hopes you'll take the test and figure out what your type is. You will be surprised by how accurate it is. I think any way we can be better partners, friends, human beings is a great thing, and we should work on ourselves to be better people to those around us.

The First One

It's been a little crazy here at the Entwistle home. Since being married in February, we have gotten prego, adopted another kitty (Sasha), delt with Matt's back injury (boo), gone on a few summer vacations (Bear Lake, L.A.), and most recently moved from our apartment in downtown SLC to West, West Jordan. The move proved to be too much for Sasha and she became stressed out, which caused her to get sick from an upper respiratory infection, which by the way, is highly contagious. Sasha is feeling better after an expensive trip to the vet, but now our other two kitties have the bug. It's so sad to have a full house of sick kids! They are both on antibiotics, and hopefully will start feeling better by this weekend.

We absolutely love the new place, I will take pictures and post them soon. It has such a home-y feel to it, and it's in a quiet neighborhood. I LOVE having a dishwasher, LARGE fridge, and a GARBAGE DISPOSAL!! Yeah!! Ahh, the simple things in life. There is also a washer/dryer in the condo, so no more crazy hoodlums using our washer machine! We are really trying to make our new home a place where the spirit can dwell, and our new baby can be at peace. We have recently started nightly scripture study, and I have already noticed how peaceful and calm our house is when we do this. We are reading Doctrine and Covenants, which I haven't read probably since High School, I have really loved it so far!

We are having a GIRL! So excited! I am currently 5 months, and I feel like I have a beach ball inside my stomach, inflating itself by the minute! It is such a cool thing to see my body change and accommodate our baby girl. It has not been easy, and I feel uncomfortable sometimes (ok most of the time), but I am so thankful and blessed that God has trusted us enough to raise one of his children. I am so excited to be in this point of my life that I can be entrusted with a baby. What a blessing! Matt is absolutely beside himself, and I know she will be daddy's little girl. He is really going to love her.

We haven't gotten the nursery ready yet, I figure we still have 4-ish months to go, we have time... right? Ok, that's the procrastinator in me, but seriously... I have time.. right? We have been lucky to get a lot of the big stuff from family and friends. My friend at work is giving us her crib, pack n' play crib, and a really nice rocking chair with an ottoman. My amazing sister is going to give me some stuff, if I ever make it up to here house in IDAHO (jeez...so far away). Or maybe she'll bring me down some stuff? That would be SUPER nice! All in all, we are so lucky to have great people around us so willing to help and donate their unused kid stuff! Thanks to everyone!