isn't it interesting when a person can have a huge impact on your life, and you've never even met them and they don't know who you are? i got the link to this blog about a month ago (thank you jon and donnarae) and it has affected me more than i can even express. the first time i went to this blog, i read the entire thing, every post and many of the comments that people wrote. i have since checked this blog daily to see how this little boy is doing.
the blog is a journal from a little boy (aroune 8 or 9) named trent duval. he and his family live in the salt lake valley, and in july 2007 he was diagnosed with the AML form of leukemia. he was living in the hospital for many months, went through many rounds of chemo, and had many surgeries (bone marrow transplants, blood transfussions, etc) to help him fight his illness. he has been through every physical ailment you could think of- nausea, fatigue, pain, diarrhea, fever, stomach aches, and headaches, just to name a few. but despite all the pain he has gone through, he writes about the positive. he writes about his thoughts and feelings, the activities he does while in the hospital, his family and friends who come to visit, and the fun opportunities the make a wish foundation has granted him.
he also writes about his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. he talks about heaven, his Heavenly Father, his brother Jesus Christ, and the reason he is here on earth. he understands the plan of salvation, eternal families, and the atonement of Jesus Christ far better than many adults understand it. my testimony on these subjects has grown tremendously just by reading this little boy's thoughts and feelings.
i think this blog has put many things in perspective for me. when josh was diagnosed with cancer a year ago, i thought my world was going to end. it was days after we had gotten engaged and all i could think about was "why me?" and "why us?" and "why now?" i kept thinking, we're too young to be dealing with this, we can't afford this, and we have too many years ahead of us to have such a heavy burden on our plate. it wasn't until after many hours of tears and prayers did i realize how truly blessed josh and i are and how good our situation really was. i was able to start focusing on the blessings rather than the hardships. josh's prognosis was good... he's in good health, has a good attitude, and the doctors are hopeful that they found the cancer early enough. we both had amazingly supportive families (esp. josh's) and wonderful friends who stood by our side through the hospital stays, the late hours, and the tears. josh had an amazing medical team, wonderful doctors and nurses, and was able to start his treatment immediately. he could have been a lot sicker than he was, he could have lost his hair, he could have been stuck in the hospital longer than he was, and his cancer could have traveled through his body much more than it had. other than the complications josh had during his initial surgery, he has been in pretty good health and his body has reacted well to the interferon treatment he has been on for the past 11 months. there were so many things that we had to be grateful for, and our situation could be much worse than it really is.
i have learned so much from this little boy. i've learned so much about the strength and understanding you can get through the principles of our gospel... it is comforting and reassuring. by truly understanding the purpose for our life here on earth, we are able to understand that all things happen for a reason and that trials are put in our lives for a reason. i am so grateful to have this knowledge in my life.
trent got sick yesterday and i was worried about him all last night and all day today. his mom finally posted this afternoon that he had passed away. instantly, my eyes filled up with tears and my heart ached. i have been so inspired by trent and his family and i'm so grateful for these angels that our Heavenly Father puts here on earth to help the rest of us understand his plan. i encourage you to read his blog, read his testimony, and see the beautiful outlook he had on life. he changed my life and i know he will change yours too. my thoughts and prayers are with his family and for all those who are going through such challenging times as well.
this is josh's "smore-man" playing the guitar
on josh's last day in alaska last summer, we took a float plane ride to taku lodge. while hanging out there we picked out an ornament for our future tree. i was so excited to finally get it out! it will help us remember our crazy, rainy days in juneau.
this ornament is one of my favorites. i absolutely love slippers... i wear them all the time... and these cute things even light up! they couldn't have been more perfect!
i decided to put up the few christmas decorations i have. i made this wreath last year. 
so, the name of the game is to pick the 5th photo in the 5th album of your pictures on your computer. this picture was taken by the fabulous melissa kelsey while shooting our engagements last february. we were downtown having a jolly 'ol time when it started raining randomly. i'm usually not a big fan of the rain, but it was kind of fun (even though my hair started to curl a bit) and it only lasted a minute. i like how you can see some raindrops in the picture, too.
