Jake and I were all ready, packed to go to California. We get on the freeway and things are going well. Awesome tunes playing, lots of yummy snack food, first road trip together, happiness flowing from our car. We hit the 80 mph section. Awesome! However as soon as we got up to that speed we both heard some clunking underneath our car. So we pull off to the side and take a look. Everything looks fine. Nothing hanging out, everything is in place, so we keep on driving. The clunking starts up again and this time it sounds worse. I'm panicking thinking we are about to blow up so I tell Jake to pull over at this next exit. We pull into the gas station and again look under our car. Two older men pull up in a golf cart and ask us if we need any help. They looked at our car, then at us and said.

"You know you have painted hearts all over your headlights right?"

Haha why thank you for pointing that out! We didn't have time to remove all of the car paint that was lovingly placed on our car. They then asked if we were newly weds.

"Yep!" By now I'm getting a little embarrassed.

"Oh are you guys off to your honeymoon?"

"Yep...."

Awkward. So they take a look and while looking around, the front two tires caught their attention. Our two front tires had been worn fairly good to the fact that some cords where showing near the inside. Bad news folks. Bad news.

$400 dollars later Jake and I were back on the road with two brand new front tires. Of course they didn't have used tires and we were in the middle of NO WHERE. However, I am so grateful that those scary clunking noises led to them looking at our tires because if we would've had a blowout tire going at 80 mph, it probably would've killed us. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father was looking out for us on that trip. That was a blessing in disguise. Wasn't quite exactly how I planned on spending that money but such is life. I still love being married!

So I went to go see My Sisters' Keeper last night and man oh man. Not the smartest idea ever. I really liked it. But no joke, I cried during the whole. entire. movie.

This movie really comes close to home for me, and during the movie I felt I could relate to almost everything. Constantly throwing up during chemotherapy and feeling very ugly and not pretty at all. Another event that I related to was how her sickness was tearing her family apart. Now in my case, it wasn't tearing our family apart but it was hard on the family. I would always joke about how it seemed like my parents were divorced because my mom was with me in the hospital on the week days, while my dad came to be with me during the weekend. One parent was always gone and I don't know how my parents did it. They are amazing and I love them so much. I remember when my vision started going blurry because of all the medication I was on, how my dad would read to me because I couldn't. You all know how much I love reading. When I was able to move out of the hospital my mom was always willing to make me whatever I felt like eating because it was very rare that I was able to eat anything at all. She would make it or purchase it, no matter how weird it sounded. But the one thing I felt like I could relate to the most was that the character loved her sister. I love all my sisters but what Megan and I had to go through together created a bond that not a lot of people can understand. She saved my life. I remember one time when were fighting, just as sisters do sometimes, her saying to me, "I saved your life and I didn't have to." She was still young haha but I can tell you that if we had to go through it again today, she wouldn't change a thing. Of course I wouldn't want to do it all over but now that I can look back at trial, I can see the blessings that came from it. I was able to take my family and meet our beloved prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. What an amazing experience that was for my family and I. I don't take anything in my life for granted and my faith has increased immensely. The Lord watches over all his children and doesn't give them trials that he thinks they can't handle. I knew he was with me through the whole entire thing.

Watching this movie brought back so many memories, good and bad, but it was nice to remember and to think back on that part of my life. To my family, I love you all so much! To friends and other relatives, thank you so much for taking some of that load off my parents and helping our family! It has been eight years since my bone marrow transplant. Can you believe it?

Life is good.