Blessed with Bliss!

I keep saying my blogging habits will improve...

Well two posts in the same month is improvement enough for me :)

I'm now back at school in Oklahoma.... UGGHH!

missing home and REALLY missing my Family

BUT

Big But,

I get to come home SOON :)

and for good!

In December I will be
D-O-N-E

here!

And I couldn't be more excited.

I will officially Bleed BLUE

in January :)

and I'm not sure I've ever been more excited about something....

If there's one thing that this Oklahoma experience has given me

it's the fact that I LOVE UTAH!

I love the mountains

I love the people

I love the strength you feel by being surrounded

with so many others who uphold the values I believe in

I love that my family is there

and that they will always be there.

So......

as of now my life is completely consumed with

SCHOOL

SCHOOL

and more SCHOOL

with as much golf as physically possible

and everything else I need to survive.

23 credit hours is kicking my BOOTAY!

But it will be well worth it :)

Someday's I hit bumps in the road,

other days it's more like a brick wall

But on those days small heavenly blessings are sent my way

small yet meaning so MUCH!

One day this week it was this....

‎"Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else."

another day,

it was these lovelies.....

ALL of them

some days

are harder than others.

And some days

I don't even want crawl out of bed

BUT each day as I manage to fall out of bed

I find strength on my knees,

as I ask for help to get through the day

And without fail.

It always comes!

ALWAYS.

Love always,

Selu Marie

xoxo

Suprise!/Elder Fotu's Farewell :)

So this last weekend I got to fly home

and surprise my little brother and family for his missionary farewell.

We had already said our goodbyes

when I left for school 3 weeks prior,

not knowing whether I would be back before he left or not.

It was truly a blessing to be able to see him and my family

and be there for his special day.

The opportunity to go home came really last minute

(like Friday evening, and I left Saturday morning)

SO.... in the excitement of being so ecstatic to go home

I got about 3 hours of sleep!

Got up early Saturday morning and landed in SLC at noon :)

I don't think I've ever been so excited to see those mountains of Utah!

My dear friend Hayleigh picked me up from the airport

and as we got about a block from my house I climbed into her trunk.

She walked up to the door and told Garrett

that she had a gift for him from her family but that she needed help

carrying it in.

Needless to say she brought him out to the trunk

and opened it up for the big surprise!

His face was priceless :)

and the rest of the family was equally excited.

I've only been gone for 3 weeks but all I wanted to do

was play with my siblings

I definitely smothered them all with hugs and kisses

it won't be nearly enough to tide me over til Thanksgiving

but i guess it will have to do!

Saturday night I didn't sleep much either

My mom and I were out late grabbing the last few things

before Sunday, and then we still had food to prepare

for the 5 million people who came to eat afterwards.

So another 3 hour nap was it for me :)

but it was totally worth it

Sunday was WONDERFUL

to say the least.

Before church was a little hectic

trying to get all 14 of the Fotu's out the door is no easy task

But as soon as we walked through those chapel doors

ALL was calm.

The spirit was so overwhelming

and about 10 minutes into the meeting the stream of tears started

and they didnt stop....

I was sitting in between my mom and grandma

which was a terrible idea

because when one of us cries we all cry!

But they were truly tears of joy.

As I watched person, after person, after person

file into the chapel to support Garrett

I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude

for each and everyone of them

That quote that says something to the accord of

"it takes a village to raise a child"

is SO true!

Each of these people in some way made an impact on him for good

and I will be forever grateful to them.

We are so blessed to have grown up in such an amazing community.

Then looking into the eyes of my missionary brother

who was just exuding the spirit

pushed my tears of gratitude and love over the edge.

His talk was perfect,

and the hugs afterwards were many.

here are a few pictures

that captured some of the moments throughout the day

Elder Fotu and Elder Hanneman

(they combined their after parties, for the convenience of mutual friends)

it was wonderful :) we love the Hanneman Family

Grandpa, smothering Mischa with kisses as usual!

The four brothers :)

Some GORGEOUS friends :)

hopefully there are a few of them around when her gets back

I've become quite attached to some of them!

Jackie and Benj

Never been more proud :)

cousins :)

It was a wonderful day to say the least!

Many memories were made

tears were shed

hugs were given

laughter was heard

food was plenty

hearts were filled

and so much love and support was extended to a boy

who is ready to serve the Lord

with all his heart, might, mind, and strength.

I cannot even put into words how proud I am of my little brother

he has been with me through times of triumph and times of trial

and being able to watch him grow up is something I thank the Lord for everyday.

I'm not quite sure what I will do without him for the next few years

but I do know that there are others who need him more than I do.

I've watched him go through

pain and heartbreak

I've seen him serve beyond measure

I've watched him overcome the unbeatable odds

and I've watched in awe as he's grown into the man that he is today!

I know he will be a light to those he will serve in Seattle

and I know the Lord has a plan for him there

as for know

he is in my heart and prayers

ALWAYS!

I love you Elder Fotu :)

xoxo

My sweet Mischa Rae :)

One year ago Today

I held

Mischa Rae Loser

in my arms for the first time.

I remember how sweetly she smelled of Heaven

I had just moved away from home

and was attending my first year of school in Oklahoma

I missed my siblings

more than anything in the world

But that void was greatly filled with this little angel!

Going to see her and her parents on the weekends was something

I will forever be grateful for.

And the opportunity to

watch her first year of life has been simply precious!

I adore this little girl!

As do all who have the chance to hold her

here she is with Grandpa on her 1st Christmas

Valentines Day <3

Easter Sunday

Auntie Selu's 21st Birthday

My birthday present for the year :)

Weekend fishing trip :) just chillin like a big girl

Sundays with my Auntie Selu

Mischa and her beautiful Mommy

Very proud parents :)

This little girl has been such a joy in my life!

I love her with all my heart

and am so grateful to an ever so loving father in Heaven

who knew just what I needed

to get me through my time away from home.

Happy Happy Birthday Mischa Rae :)

I love you with ALL MY HEART!

xoxoxo

Fotu Fam Bam

I LOVE blogs

they really are the BEST!

If only I were a better blog keeper upper.

It's one of my goals :)

starting.... NOW

I cannot believe how quickly and abruptly summer came to an end

I guess it was even more dramatic because it meant an end to

many different things for me.....

A few of them being;

being home

having family nearby

golfing with my siblings

enjoying that fresh mountain breeze :)

having a 1 minute drive to church

cuddling with my little munchkins any time of the day

my mothers wonderful cooking

fathers long, but VERY constructive lectures

(which i really do miss! TRULY)

smothering niece Mischa with a gazillion kisses

laziness

bad eating habits

sleeping in

and probably the hardest above all....

saying "i'll see ya in two years!" to my very best friend

BUT

with endings there are always new beginnings

and good ones at that :)

-being back on a schedule

-golfing EVERY SINGLE DAY

-actually learning helpful things,

although sometimes I wonder whether any of my schoolwork

is actually retained in this noggin of mine....

-my skin LOVES this slightly humid Oklahoma air

-i get to listen to church music for approximately 2 hours,

every sunday as I drive to church and back :)

(it's actual quite relaxing and I find myself doing it throughout the week)

-working out & running EVERYDAY

which leads me to wanting better eating habits!

-my room seems to stay SO MUCH cleaner when I am not at home...

-I truly have such a greater appreciation for my parents and siblings

AND

although goodbyes or even cya laters are THE WORST THING EVER

my younger brother and best friend in the world

is starting a new adventure of his own

(more to come on that)

Anyways, before I left my dear mother

decided we needed family pictures taken before we all went

off on our adventures.

The LOVELY and AMAZZZZING

Chelsie Clarke

http://chelsieclarkephotography.blogspot.com/

took our pictures.

CHECK HER OUT!

She is a sweetheart and as you will see, she does an

AWESOME job!

They turned out simply perfect

I actually want to just sit and look at them ALL THE TIME

here are a few of my favs....

this ONE being my absolute favorite!

called me biased,

but I just have the most handsome brothers and father

in the world

don't you agree?

How PRECIOUS is little Olivia?

(far left)

Oh she is gonna be a heartbreaker that one!

and I just can't get enough of THIS gorgeous little family!

Just wishing they were still in Oklahoma with me :)

If I had one other absolute favorite

it would be this one.

It totally and completely captures my wonderful parents

you can tell they each adore each other

and always have

I hope to someday have this perfect love!

These beauties are my angels! How I love them with all my heart....

I can't believe how quickly everyone seems to grow up

everyday it seems someone if off on a new adventure

and everyday I thank my loving Father in Heaven for letting me

be a part of such a wonderful family!

I can't even imagine my life without ever single one of them.

Hope you are enjoying your new beginnings

and giving thanks for your treasures :)

I sure am.

xoxo

Grandmas house, Beach time, and Antique shops :)

Before heading back to school I got to visit my

AMAZING & WONDERFUL

grandparents!

I so treasure the times I spend in their home

and the feelings I have with them are beyond words.

I feel so blessed to have them in my life

and I owe them the world for blessing me

with such a wonderful mother.

Here are a few highlights from the trip.....

Grandma picked me up from the airport and we went straight to the Beach :)

wouldn't have it any other way.

We also got to visit family members grave sites

at Rosecrans National Cemetery

The cemetery is GORGEOUS! I could have stayed for hours.

We made a visit to Wynola and Julian :)

also two of my favorite places.

Grandpa and I :)

And of course we went back to the beach....

there is just something about the ocean

it's almost as if time stops

and everything around you doesn't seem to matter

As you can tell we got pretty good at taking pictures or ourselves :)

As usual my time in San Diego was way too short

If I could, I would drop everything and just move to California for good

But I guess if I did I probably wouldnt appreciate my visits there as much as I do

Maybe someday.....

As for now I will forever treasure my moments with these wonderful people

I sure love them!

xoxo