Brandow's Blog Finally Here

Happy New Year!

2007 was a wonderful year full of big changes. Top on the list was our marriage. Lance and I met in October of 2006 thru a blind date orchestrated by his mother who served with me in our ward. Having never had any success in the blind date arena, you can imagine my surprise when this one actually panned out! We hit it off almost immediately, were engaged April 1st, and married September 4th in the Salt Lake Temple. Lance is a wonderful man. He is employed as a trainer and tech support person for an inventory management software company called Fishbowl Inventory. He is very active, loves the out doors, has a beautiful singing voice, a fabulous physique (had to throw that in) and a heart of gold.

Number two... My mom always told me not to worry about motherhood as babies come “one at a time”… not in this case! I became a wife and a mother simultaneously as Lance has four children --so my world changed completely (We now own a minivan for heaven sake!). It is a wonderful new adventure to be a mom. I love my kids. Samantha (8) is the world’s greatest helper, tickler and artist. She is eager to love and often the victim of “snuggle torture.” Jadin (7) is innocently mischievous and as tenderhearted as they come. He frequently has a look in his eye and a cute little smirk that lets me know he is up to something. Joseph (5) has big brown eyes and a sweet smile that melts my heart. He is always looking out for his siblings and makes sure everyone is treated kindly. He was the first to call me ‘mom’ and now affectionately refers to me as ‘Jodes’, which I love. Rebekah (4) is a princess thru and thru (earning her the nickname Princess Buttercup). She loves dress-ups and often spends the day in them. She is a cuddler and a sweetheart.

Following our wedding, Lance and I went on a two week honeymoon. We spent the first week in Stowe, VT at the Von Trapp Family Lodges (The Sound of Music Von Trapp’s). As I have often thought of myself as Maria given my new situation, this was a fitting spot to vacation. Vermont is a beautiful place and it was so nice to relax after 5 months of rush, rush, rush! We went kayaking, ate lots of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and toured the sugar woods. The second week was spent in Boston, MA a favorite haunt of mine. Lance had never been to Boston so we took it all in… the Freedom Trail, Plymouth Plantation, the John Adams sites, Lexington and Concord. We went to the Boston Temple and enjoyed attending church in a downtown Boston ward.

Number Three... Going from one to a family of six required alterations in my living conditions; somehow trying to squeeze 4 kids into a two bedroom condominium or an apartment seemed unwise. I very reluctantly left my Pemberley neighborhood and Lance vacated his apartment in Pleasant Grove. We rented the condo and purchased my sister’s home in Orem. It is the perfect fit for our family and luckily there are good people everywhere so we have found ourselves feeling quite at home.

Though much has changed, We are reminded daily of the importance of building upon the “sure foundation” and are grateful the gospel remains the same. We can certainly see the Lord’s hand in our lives as we have taken this significant step. We hope 2007 was good to each of you and that you know how very much we cherish your friendship and the memories we have made together.

Much love!