Will the Real Moose Please Stand Up!

2010-10-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

During the month of September we had two moose encounters. The first was on Wednesday, September 22nd. The girls walked down the driveway to get on the bus and I noticed the dogs were barking. I didn't think much of it because I figured they were just barking at the bus. A few minutes later I headed down the driveway and as I came around the last turn at the bottom, a large bull moose ran right in front of me. Needless to say, when I got to school the girls were very excited and nervous about their encounter. The next day, Thursday, they headed down the driveway to catch the bus only to come back up with tears flowing down their cheeks. "M-o-o-s-e!" they said in between sobs and heavy breathing from running back up the driveway. I grabbed my camera and we headed down. Sure enough, a family of moose had moved in...Pa Moose, Ma Moose, and Baby Moose.

Our second moose encounter was a week later. Lexie Fowler, a 5th grader at Inkom Elementary, brought her puppies for show & tell. Her Mom said to me, "Do you want one? They're free!" I called Dave and after a few minor details (What kind of dog is it? Is there a male?) he said, "I guess you're bringing one home." YIPPEE!!! By now you're probably wondering how this is considered our second moose encouter. Guess what we named him? MOOSE!

New Beginnings

2009-04-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

Dave has been encouraging me to keep a journal of our family activities. Since my journal is buried in a box at the bottom of a pile in the garage, I figured blogging would be a good way to keep up on the journaling and not get too far behind. Besides, it helps us keep in touch with our family and friends that mean so much to us.

As you probably know, Dave's stepfather is responsible for "hooking us up". I worked with Bill at ISU and one day he asked me if I would be interested in going on a blind date with his stepson. I gave Bill my number but in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "Whatever! This guy will take me out to dinner and then I'll never hear from him again!" Well, on September 6, 2008 he took me to dinner. He also took me bowling and to a movie. He told me he'd like to go out again and, much to my surprise and delight, we did! In fact, over the next several weeks and months we went on a lot of dates. We had so much fun together and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our kids. Dave was so charming and he was always such a gentleman. He'd open the car door for me, he'd send me flowers, and he'd leave me sweet notes on my car windshield. But more importantly, his enthusiasm for the Gospel was contagious. I loved listening to him, and he made me want to try harder and be a better person. We spent MANY hours on the phone talking about the Gospel and what a difference it had made in our lives.

On February 13, 2009, Dave sent me a dozen red roses for Valentine's Day. Later that afternoon he called me at work. He was working on a job in Blackfoot and told me that he might get off early so he'd stop by my office. A few minutes later, a barbershop quartet showed up and sang "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban. I was very touched and it was totally unexpected. After all, he'd already sent me a dozen roses. By this time, there was an audience standing outside my office door. I stood up to thank the quartet for the song when Dave came in to my office dressed in his suit. Now I'm really surprised! Huh?! I thought he was working in Blackfoot!! Anyway, he sat me down in the chair, got down on his knee, pulled out the ring, and proposed. I didn't even let him finish before I was saying, "Yes! Yes! YES!!"

The next few weeks were very busy. I was working full-time, going to school part-time, and I only had 6 weeks to plan a wedding! It was amazing how quickly and easily everything came together. I could see the Lord's hand in everything we did and there was no doubt in my mind that I was making the right choice and marrying the right person. However, at times I wondered if we were "blowing everything out of proportion." After all, it wasn't our first marriage so maybe we should just keep it low-key. As I was looking for a dress, I even asked Carol (Dave's Mom) if it was silly of me to buy a wedding dress. She reminded me that there were four young ladies watching us and I realized that, regardless of what others thought, it was important to set an example for them. They have an opportunity that most children don't have - to see their parents get married in the Temple, and hopefully our actions will inspire them to set the same goals.

March 27, 2009 finally came! As I sat in front of the Temple with my eternal companion-to-be, my heart was full with gratitude for the many blessings I had been given. I had finally found a man that honored his Priesthood and was able to take me to the Temple. I hope that I am worthy of his love and can make him as happy as he makes me. This is a new beginning for all of us. We know the road ahead of us will not be easy, but if we have faith and put our trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we can make it through anything. "From small beginnings come great things" and I'm confident great things are in store for the Battson family.

The Battson Family

Will the Real Moose Please Stand Up!

New Beginnings