CANDLELIGHT Valentine Couple Partay!

This is our 2nd annual Couple Valentine's Partay! What a LOVEly, CANDLELIGHT evening! Let me tell you the tale....

Candlelight took on a whole new meaning for us this year. It just so happens that 16,000 people in Fargo and West Fargo were without power today due to a city-wide sporadic power outage of Xcel Energy. The lights flickered and went out about 1:40 pm this afternoon while we were cleaning & decorating our home for the Partay. We decided to plug in our generator and finish getting ready. After all, the recording at the power company said they'd have it back on by 5:45 pm. Well, the Partay was scheduled for 5:30 so with a bit of flexibility- it would work out perfect. Turns out that the power company LIED! L.O.L. We finally got power back at 2:30 AM. That's right- we were without power for 13 hours including the time during the ENTIRE party! Crazy, I know! But thanks to our emergency preparedness obsession, some white Christmas lights and a few candles-- the Partay turned out perfect! Some fabulous friends willing to go with the flow made it a night to remember. [Not pictured: Manuel & Christie Matos- issues with power made it so they couldn't be here for picture time. Bummer! Maybe next time!]

Starting on time wasn't quite a priority this evening as we juggled those without power AND making dinner on the side of the BBQ instead of the kitchen BUT it didn't matter much. The Wests brought a yummy citrus drink to have while we visited. As soon as everyone was there, the kids were settled and the food was ready, we headed down to our Candlelight Valentine Restaurant. Isn't it LOVEly?

The men-folk were in charge of the dinner. Was it ever yummy! They decided on a Cafe Rio night menu. It's a Mexican Grill out west that we LOVE! They did a fabulous job. Totally authentic Cafe Rio dinner with the silver trays, sweet pulled pork,  black beans & cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo with corn and beans, sour cream, cheese, limes, chips and even the Tomatillo Lime dressing. Delicioso! Muy buen! The girls were in charge of drinks so, Christie brought the most darling wine glasses all decked out Valentine-y. They were perfect! Thanks lady! Then, Jenny brought a bit of Mormon bubbly. So romantic! Dinner was awesome!

After stuffing ourselves with the fabulous food, we took the candles upstairs for CANDLELIGHT Couple Games. Absolutely a hoot! LOL (Way too much fun to include here so you'll have to stay tuned for the next few posts. HERE, HERE, and HERE)

But when all was said and done, we ended the romantic night with some delicious desserts provided by some of our lovely lady friends. Wow! Do these ladies know how to spoil us!? KTuck brought strawberry shortcake with real whip cream (that has love written all over it ;) and a cheesecake type dessert. Haylie made mini eclairs with her "to-die-for" frosting. She even made all the ladies a little "Pie in a Jar" to take home. They are the cutest things I've ever seen! All of it was AMAZING!

What a terrific way to start out our Valentine Weekend! Let's do it again next year! Thanks to the Brothersons, Tuckers, Ironroads, Larsens, Wests and 1/2 of the Matos (LOL) for joining us in our little Valentine tradition. Luv you guys!

Happy LOVE day to you all!

Following HIS Plan

"Our life didn’t begin at birth and won’t end at death. Because God cares about us, we don’t need to wander through life, wondering where we came from, who we are, and what we should be working toward.

Instead, our lives can have direction because Heavenly Father created a plan we can follow to return to live with Him. It’s called the plan of salvation or the plan of happiness, and it’s like a map charting our course.
If we follow God’s direction, we’ll make it to our destination. Those who follow this plan are promised “immortality and eternal life,” or unending happiness with God and our families in heaven. This is what God wants for all of us.
God’s plan for us is simple to understand, but it takes a lifetime to follow. Following the plan of happiness is easier when we do the simple things, like reading the scriptures, going to church, praying, and serving as Jesus served. Following God’s plan takes faith and work, but it is worth it now and will be in eternity."

Part of following God's plan is being baptized (like Jesus Christ was) into His Church. Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have been teaching the Matos Family the Gospel and they recently decided to be baptized. We are so excited for them and their desire to follow their Savior! It's not often you get the opportunity to see an entire family be baptized on the same day. It was really special!

The Matos family with Elder Krupa right before their baptism

Brett and I were asked to speak at their Baptismal service. It was neat to be able to study and prepare a few things to say to them about Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. A great reminder of the promises and gifts we received when we were baptized. After their baptisms, they invited everyone over to their home for dinner. They sure know how to host! Always lots and lots of yummy food! ;) Thanks for letting us share in your special day! We love you guys!