For Stephanie

Steph's birthday is coming up (on July 9th), and I have been writing this for her. I just couldn't wait until then. She'll find out when she finds her email inbox full of comment alerts, so please comment. :)

My Blessing
by Brendon Holmes

A blessing in disguise
Many probing conversations
Have further exposed
A deep-running elation

Deeper than chasms
Higher than peaks
Sweeter than kisses
Upon rosy cheeks

More liberating than nature
Cooler than the breeze
Warmer than the sun
After a wintry freeze

With each passing glance
Each wink and smile
This heart skips a beat
These legs run a mile

No other could prompt
This unending grin
Or land a kiss so sweet
Upon this cleft chin

Giving of self
Appreciative of others
Lifting the weary
Forgetting your druthers

What luck! Those spirits
Who’ll be calling you mother
I’ll repeatedly tell them
I couldn’t have any other

They’ll grow to be
Upright and true
But then, who wouldn’t,
With a mother like you?

I LOVE YOU STEPH!

More Cruise Pics

Cruise!

We went on a 7-night caribbean cruise during the first full week of May with our friends Mike and Rachel Meldrum. Mike is at U of Florida for pharmacy school, so they were able to pick us up from our hotel and we sailed out of Port Canaveral for Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico. The whole week was like living in a dream. Relax, do stuff if you want to, sleep in till whenever, and eat and eat and eat.

We don't have all the pictures we'd like yet, but I thought everyone deserved a little taste... just to see what it taste like...

Steph, Brendon, Mike and Rachel playing mini golf on the ship. It was a short nine-hole course. At this particular time, it was really busy and all the grown-up clubs were being used. So we had fun with the kiddie putters.
(I got my only hole-in-one with the little guy)

Wading through Haitian waters

Getting prepped to snorkel in Haiti. We got a few underwater shots that we'll post another time.

Awwww...

The man-made wave in Georgetown, Grand Cayman. My Dad had done this just about two weeks before I did. The body board was fun and easy to handle. The surfing was a different story. Steph happened to get a few shots of my 10 second rides:

On the ferry ride back to the boat in Cayman



Tulum Mayan ruins in Mexico. The ruins were on the mainland, so we had to take a 45 min ferry over there, then a 45 min bus to the ruins. They look pretty fancy in pictures, but being there was less spectacular because they wouldn't let us get close to the main buildings.


Our waiter from Indonesia and his assistant from China.

Graduation Weekend

I'M DONE!!!!!! I'M DONE, I'M DONE, I'M DONE, I'M DONE, I'M DONE!!!!!! I also just checked my final grades, and they were by far the best of any semester at BYU. For that, I give nearly all credit to Steph. She helped me work hard through this semester. I wanted to do it this way because I want to be ready for the workload ahead of me.

My parents were here for the weekend, which made everything that much more fun. They came in on Thursday night and stayed through Monday morning. We just got to relax and spend time with family the whole weekend, which was really nice. Steph's parents were gone on vacation, and we were sad they couldn't be a part of it. I'm sure they had plenty of fun in Hawaii, though.

Russell, Stephanie, Brendon, Sheryl
Cousin Will

Lunch at J-Dawgs

If anyone lives in Utah, likes hot dogs and hasn't tried it, I highly recommend it.

Brent, Lori, Sheryl, Stephanie, Brendon
At the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival

Stephanie and Brendon

Happy to say we're done at BYU

I'M DONE WITH FINALS AT BYU!!!!

And that's all I have to say about that.

Short Update

Here's the excitement in our life lately:

I'm graduating on April 25th! All family and friends who feel the need to attend the graduation can show up at the Marriot Center for the ceremony at 8 am. If that's too early for you, then don't feel bad. I also just got an internship offer at Overstock.com, where Stephanie works! Now we get to carpool and have lunch together every day. :) We were really hoping it would work out, since we only have one car right now. I'll probably start the week after I graduate, then we get a week off for our cruise to the Caribbean. We are SO excited.

Grant and Julia's wedding

We took a short trip to California for my brother Grant's wedding. He married Julia Warner on March 22, which happens to be 6 months to the day after our wedding. Grant and I got up at 4:30 the morning of the wedding to go surfing with Julia's brother Richard, her cousin Matt Sant (who grew up in our stake and is good friends with Grant) and one of Richard's friends. We spent about an hour in the water at T-street in San Clemente and came back to Grant's apartment to get ready. When we got there, Steph had waffles ready for us. :) She's the best.

Pictures!

Fresh out of the temple

Brendon with nephew Jackson (who's barely awake)

The wedding party

The six-month anniversary picture

All the brothers plus Trevor Graves (to the left of me)