Oh So Blessed!

Words cannot begin to describe the feelings I felt on our wedding day. I have been trying to find the words that would really express what I was feeling on this perfect day and I believe the one word that sums it all up is Gratitude.

Extended Family As we walked in the sealing room I could instantly feel the love and support. Having over 50 family members there with us was such a sweet blessing. Billy and I feel extremely blessed with big families and love the close relationships we have with our extended families.
Friends Growing up you are constantly taught to surround yourself with good friends. I got so lucky that i never had to worry whether or not I was with "good" friends. My friends have brought me so much happiness and their positive influence on my life helped me become the person I am. It was so much fun to come out of the temple and have 9 of my best friends there supporting me. I was reminded how grateful I was for them that day. I am also grateful for Billy's friends. I know they had a great influence on his childhood . I love all of our friends they continue to bless our lives with so much happiness.
The Burgess Family It has been so much fun adding another family to my life. Before my mom knew Billy she just kept telling me what a great family he had, and what good people they were. She was right. They are one incredible family and I have felt so comfortable and welcome in their home. I have learned so much from them, they continually teach me and help me become a better person. They have treated me like their own daughter and I have felt right at home. Once again I am truly blessed. I am so excited to be a part of their family and feel honored to now be a Burgess.
My Siblings It has been so fun having such a large family. I was blessing with 7 brothers and sisters all of which I love and admire so much. Ever since I was young I loved to be at home and knew that the hardest part of my wedding would be leaving my family. Even though we live in the basement right now, it still feels completely different. I am so grateful that I could have a childhood with only positive memories. It was so much fun to have each of them speak at the wedding dinner. That will forever be one of my favorite memories about my wedding day. I love each of them and I am so grateful for the different relationships I have with them. I can't believe how fast the time has gone but I know that our relationships can continue to grow. They have all taught me something great about life and they all have unique qualities that make our family complete.
My Parents Words cant describe how grateful I am for my parents. I am so grateful for everything they did to make my wedding absolutely perfect. I know it was a lot of work, time and money. But, it was more than I ever dreamed! I don't know how to thank them enough; More importantly, I am so grateful they raised me the way they did. They taught me so many important lessons that I know will help me in the future and the challenges life brings. My dad taught me the value of hard work, standing up for the right, never giving up and "when the going gets tough the tough gets going." I will forever be grateful for learning those lessons as a young girl going to work at the farm. I know they will bless me throughout my life. My mom taught me great lessons about "becoming." Becoming the person I want to be, becoming a wife and becoming a mother. She taught me to always put others first, serve, don't judge, forgive, be happy and be GRATEFUL. My mom was also such a wonderful mother. She always put her kids first and was the perfect definition of "mom." She valued motherhood and because of her my greatest desire is to be a mother. She truly inspires me and I only hope I can have the same impact on my children's lives as she has on us. Even though my parents taught me incredible values, the thing that I am most grateful for is their testimonies. They both made it clear to each of us that they loved the gospel and they wanted us to feel the same.

For as long as I can remember we woke up very early before school and had family prayer and scripture study. Even though at the time I dreaded it and 90% of the time I fell asleep, it is the consistency I remember. They have always been consistent with family prayer, scripture study, Family Home Evening and church attendance. I have learned to love the gospel and I can't wait to raise my kids in the gospel.It was such a blessing to be sealed in the temple and have both of my parents there. My mom as my escort and my dad as a witness. I remember sitting in the sealing room and looking at both of them, instantly I felt so much gratitude for both of them. I was grateful that they made it a priority to have the gospel in our home so that we could all be together at that moment, in the temple on the biggest day of my life. I could go on and on about the different ways they have blessed my life but most of all I am so glad they are MY parents and we are sealed together forever.

Billy What a blessing he has been! I have never been so happy in my entire life, he continues to make me happier each and every day. We fell in love fast and we continue to keep falling every day. Our wedding day was the happiest day of my life. I remember driving up to the temple and I could not believe it was actually happening! I could not believe that I was actually marrying Billy Burgess. How did I get so lucky? Billy is more than I ever dreamed. He makes me so happy and has been the biggest blessing in my life. I admire his goodness, his heart, his humility, his ability to work hard, the way he influences those around him for the good, the way he only lifts others up, his unselfishness, the way he loves and respects me. The list goes on and on. When we were dating my mom always would ask me, "so have you found anything you don't like about billy." and the answer would be the same every time. Nope! I love everything about him. I honestly believe that billy is near perfect. He is so great and I love him so much. I feel so blessed that I was the lucky girl that got to marry him and be sealed to him! It is such a blessing knowing that I will be with him forever.

I don't think there is a day that I have felt more gratitude than on my wedding day. The biggest thing I was reminded of was the importance of families, and the blessing of having eternal families. I am oh so blessed!