The Parker Post

Awhile back (like, a long while back) I decided that I was going to write a post about all my immediate family members. It's taken me some time, and I still have only done two of them.
You should go back and read them.
They're nice and appreciative and loving.
That's always good.
On that note, on to installment THREE!

As you may have deduced from the title, this is about Parker.
And THIS...

Is Parker.

Parker is an awesome kid.
I guess he's not really a kid anymore. Although, despite being over 6' I could totally still take him down in a fight.
Or so I like to believe.
Parker graduated from Bingham High School at the beginning of June. This is hard for me to accept, seeing as he's my little brother and he's not supposed to ever grow up and always be as cute and little with those big blue eyes as he was when he was 4. I liked him when he was 4.
I like him now, too, I guess.
In fact, I almost always liked him, which is a compliment coming from me.
He had his moments, that's for sure. He decided to get sassy a few years ago, and none of us were ready for it.
He's mostly grown out of that, so now I'm usually the only sassy one, but every now and again he thinks he can sass still.
Parker is the sweetest thing.
He's always been so tender and so kind to everyone. He hardly ever has a negative thing to say, and if he does he feels guilty right away and follows it with a positive comment.
It drives me nuts, because no one should be that nice. No one.
The cool thing about it though is it's not fake. It's not him pretending to be that good of a person. He really is that good. 
It's a humbling thing, to look up to your little brother. Figuratively and literally.
There's days that he makes me so mad. Probably somewhat on purpose.
But even as I mutter "I'ma kill 'im." under my breath and clench my fists, I still love him.
Because who couldn't?
Really.
And now the fool is running off for two years and leaving me so he can serve a LDS mission in Sacramento.
I shouldn't be selfish, but I am. I want him to stay here with me forever and always and never leave.
He makes it so dang hard to be selfish though.
Because as I type this, with tears rolling down my face, I KNOW without a doubt, that he is doing exactly what he should, and he will be EXACTLY where he needs to be.
How can I want him HERE
when he has so much to do THERE.
But even with how much good he'll be doing, and how crazy fast (and slow) two years goes, I can't get over how much I'm going to miss him.
And he hasn't even left yet.
Parker, I hope you read this.
I hope you know how much I love you and just how proud of you I am.
You're brilliant, you're kind, sweet, loving, funny, and I cherish you. You have so much faith and trust and I admire you so much.
And before I embarrass you much more, I just wanted to add one last thing.
I know what you're doing is going to be one of the best experiences of your life. I know that you're going to be blessed in so many ways. But I know it's going to be hard too. There's going to be a lot of challenges, and a lot of things that make you wonder why they happen sometimes. But there's going to be so much good in Sacramento that everything- everything hard, sad, bad, unfair, or scary- will be worth it. I know God lives, and that Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, that there is a Prophet of God on earth today to lead and guide us, and that no matter what happens, we are NEVER alone. Even when it seemed everything has turned against us and that the sea is never ceasing, let your faith be everlasting.
Bud,
smile often.
because your smile is what has made all the difference to everyone you've ever encountered.
If you remember anything that I've written in this crazy rambling note, remember that.
You're brave.
You're kind.
You're my hero, for so many reason, and I love you.

The Blissful Berghout's (alliteration)

Guys, I promise this is the only post.
I promise.
Until we have access to all our beautiful wonderful pictures, and then there might be another.
I promise this is it other than that though.
Really.
There's a reason it's been over a month since Matt and I got married and this is the first you've really heard about the wedding.
I've been busy.
but that's not the reason.
I just hate newly wed posts and the "OH MY GOSH WE'RE SO SO SO IN LOVE AND NO ONE IN THIS WORLD COULD POSSIBLY BE AS HAPPY AS WE ARE BECAUSE WE ARE SO SO SO IN LOVE AND HAPPIER THAN ANYONE ELSE HAS EVER BEEN OR EVER WILL BE BECAUSE WE ARE SO SO SO IN LOVE" -ness of it all.
shut up.
really.
please.
do us a favor.
also, that goes for all you women and your pregnant belly pictures. You're pregnant. We're excited for you. You're getting rounder. That's normal. Please stop with the "baby bump" pictures.
Sorry, enough of my ranting.
And I'm really going to try to make this not about how blissfully happy and in love we are. Don't get me wrong, we are super happy and super in love, but I know that's not what you want to hear about. You honestly don't want to hear about this, and I'm sorry but I haven't posted in a long time, and everything I've tried to write has been a rant on pregnant girls posting pictures of their non-exsistant tummies because they're 6 weeks along and not even showing yet. For the love of all things holy, stop. I'm just trying to get back in the writing game. So be patient. You can even click the back button now if you're tired of me. I'll be ok without you.
Sorry, I'm cynical tonight and upset with pregnant people apparently.
My wedding was special to me, and that's why I want to blog about it I guess. Because that's the point of this blog.
It's for me as much as it is for you sad suckers who I trick into reading it.
Please, keep reading it. I love you all.
So should I get the the point?
My wedding was awesome.
It was perfect weather, which was a huge concern. May weddings are tricky, but I guess all weddings are because Utah weather is as temperamental as I am. Which is saying something.
We got married May 24th, 2014, in the Brigham City Temple.
How amazing it is to know that I'll be able to be with Matt for all eternity. Ha, sucker. I've got you now. Just kidding, love you, Boo.
I forgot my temple dress in Ogden. We didn't have time to go back and get it. But it turned out to be a great thing because they let me wear my wedding dress for the sealing, which was AWESOME. Crisis averted.
The ceremony was beautiful. Even if I said "well, darn" in the temple (my soul is probably doomed now) when the temple sealer told me I couldn't sit down yet.
And when he asked how it felt to be "Mrs. Berghout" I said "...kinda weird."
I'm rather eloquent, aren't I?
Oh, but it only gets better.
My first action after being presented to all our family outside the temple as Husband and Wife was to shove Matt and yell at him for stepping on my dress.
*face palm*
I then lost him after he wandered away to greet family without taking his new wife with him.
We were off to a super great start.
As sarcastic as that sounds, we really really were off to a super great start, guys.
Because that's who we are.
We're dysfunctional but in the absolute best way possible. In fact, we're dysfunctional just enough to reverse and make us functional. It makes us who we are and it strengthens us so much because it makes us laugh. He makes me happier than I've ever been, and he makes me stronger every day. We build each other up.
I know we don't have a "perfect" relationship, I know we're going to argue about dumb things some times. I know that it's not going to be sunshine and lollipops every day. But I love what we have, and I know that when things get hard we're going to get through them. We've been inseparable since the day we met (you know, other than when he was on a mission in Texas for 2 years), and it's going to stay that way.
Forever.
What an amazing word.
Forever.