Diane And Steve!

I am horrible at posting but this one experience I can't pass up and I will never forget. I feel an obligation to share for those who ever doubt the Lords hand in their lives.

For those of you who don't know we have really struggled with infertility. Yesterday we went to an annual catered BBQ for our reproductive care center. It was our first time going and we thought well... we will give it a shot and see how it goes. We were having a nice lunch visiting with another couple. It was at This is the Place park and I couldn't believe all the people (any past patients and current so people who had IVF like 15 years ago were there too). We put our names in a drawing but didn't really expect to win anything with that many people there. I also had the thought that as fun as it would be to win something we had been saving and there was probably someone there who needed the help more than we did. They gave out 7 gifts total. a couple for $500 dollars off of an IVF cycle and a few $1000 dollars off an IVF cycle (which would be AMAZING to win either one of those). They were calling them and I kind of listened but was really mostly visiting with this other lady. All of the sudden they said and the grand prize goes to ..... Diane (I gasped and grabbed steve) and Steven Dalton. I stood up and started screaming so loud, then I started crying. It was for $5,000 dollars off of an IVF cycle. We ran up and I gave my doctor a huge hug. We took a picture and everyone was so sweet and happy for us. There are three doctors at our clinic and one of the Dr.'s wife came up to me and said "I'm so glad you won because just hearing you scream and see your joy was the best part". I thought how could you not be so grateful for a gift like this. The winners of the 500 and 1,000 didn't make a peep which I would have been screaming for those too. Any amount helps. This stuff is not cheap!

Well, flip back to April. We have done tons of different treatments and in April it was our last attempt with medicine and trying on our own without IUI or IVF. We fasted and doubled our fast offerings. We didn't get pregnant but Heavenly Father truly did open the windows of Heaven for us. That month Steve's boss came and gave him an unexpected 2,000 dollar bonus which covered the cost of our initial consult and several tests at the fertility clinic, we knew that was a blessing of fast offerings. Then to receive this when there was like a (half a percent chance as steve calculated :) I love my accountant). We looked at each other as we were leaving the BBQ and we both said..."Fast offering blessing". The minute we got to the car we said a prayer of gratitude to our Heavenly Father for his blessings in our lives. Then we called our parents and I couldn't stop crying. I have just felt so grateful for this gift. 7,000 is much more manageable than 14,000 for IVF. Were still going to try IUI (artificial insemination) first because its a lot less expensive than even half of IVF but if it doesn't work we have this and it is such a comfort and blessing.

I know not all fast offering blessings are seen so quick and sometimes people have to wait to see the blessings. But in our case Heavenly Father saw fit to send them immediately and we will never forget. I really don't write much about this on my blog but I can't help but testify that the Lord knows us individually and he knows our needs and desires of our hearts. We have grown so much through this whole process. I love Steve more than I ever thought imaginable and our faith and love have grown over the past three years of trying. I know Heavenly Father gives us each the challenges he knows we need in our lives in order to grow and return to him. Even though there is no baby in our lives yet and our journey still has a long way to go I know where my blessings come from and I know a miracle will happen in our lives one day soon!

Our beautiful Tree!


Basket of peaches!

Putting them in the water bath!

Fresh Jars!
So... when we bought our new house I inherited a peach tree. It produces TONS of beautiful peaches. Last fall I learned how to bottle peaches and pears. I love fruit trees! You don't have to weed them or water them or do anything really. It just brings me beautiful peaches that I can bottle and enjoy all winter. I always have to bottle after school and I am in a big hurry but I love it at the same time. There is something that feels good about putting food in my storage. I bottled 20 quarts total! Here are a few pictures...

Nap time with Aunt Diane :)

This is Kay and Frank! Defiantly not the best picture of the night but we didn't get too many pictures. We were having too much fun dancing. Steve was so funny dancing all night. He told a lot of the other ladies... I might act like I am drunk by the way I dance... but really I am not :) Ha Ha Ha I love his sense of humor!My sister in law and I trying to kiss my "germ a phoebe" brother after the rehearsal dinner
Kay dancing near the end of the night! Such a party Queen!
My beautiful sister is the only un-married sister and so we took pictures all over the gardens with her and these frogs! Such a cutie she is!
All of us girls and Kacey the flower girl in the middle. How I do love my sisters and sister in laws!
This is some of my family dancing. We had all of us in there at one point but we only had video of that so here is the one picture
Right next door to our hotel was a huge Deloitte building... Some people just cant get away from work!

SO... My students know that I love the Jazz (even though I am seriously frustrated with them right now) Any how... So one of my students came in one day and said "Mrs.Dalton, my dads company has good lower bowl tickets and they aren't going to use them tonight and I thought of you" So she handed them over! SWEET! So steve and I got to go to a free lower bowl ticket game. It was the last home game against the Phoenix Suns. They lost but it was still a lot of fun! I even got a picture with baby bear!

SO, I have this hispanic boy from Mexico who is just such a funny kid! Very proper, yet a wonderful sense of humor. He comes to visit me every morning before school starts. Well, he comes in this morning for his usual chat and he starts telling me about wanting to ask a girl to be his Valentine . I said "Oh, What do you do for your Valentine?" He say's well (in his spanish accent) ... "I send her two red roses and a card that says... you're my valentine (at school) and then we do something after school" I said "oh, what do you do after school?" He said well... we go out for ice cream and that all (so innocently) . I said oh that is so sweet. Then I asked who is he going to ask to be his Valentine. Well, he couldn't say it out loud because about 3 other kids were in my room. So he got a post it note out of my desk and wrote her name. Just about that time she walked in my room behind him. He turned red and said "Well, I better go". He didn't even say hi to her as he left, he was too shy. She is a sweet little shy girl, not the typical "HOT" girl that every boy wants ( Which makes me love him even more for not going for the popular girls) . Then he came back like 2 minutes later and whispered to me "Mrs. Dalton, please don't talk about it or say anything out loud." I told him my lips were sealed. He makes me laugh!


Just thought you might like a funny middle school Valentine story to make you laugh today!