Walk Like an Animal

Once again, we used our Hogle Zoo passes to spend a few hours at the zoo with my sister and our nieces. We had a great time and I think we got some great pictures this time. They have a ton of new stuff this time, including the "Conservation Carousel." We got to ride the carousel and the train., something I've never done. We didn't get there until about 4:30 p.m., but it was so nice because everyone else had already left, so there were very few people there. It must have been dinner time too, because we got to see the leopard gnawing on this bone. . . pretty neat. What a great gift. . . one that keeps on giving. We're loving our pass and can't wait to continue to use it throughout the rest of the year and to soon be able to enjoy it with our own child.

New Nursery

Well, it's about time. . . Jon and I finally finished the nursery. The pictures don't do it justice, but it really turned out so dang cute. The walls are green, with the ceiling, trim, etc being painted white. The "wallies" are my favorite part. They were a little messy to put up, but turned out really cute! We had a problem with the dresser, so we've found a new one and just haven't got it put together and put in the nursery yet. Notice the cute blanket on the crib. . . I made it myself. :) Can't wait to bring the baby home to his new room!













More pictures of the rest of the house yet to come. . . I still have some finishing touches I'd like to add before posting the final product. :)

Free At Last

We're free of all the construction finally!!! I can't tell you how good it feels to finally feel like I got my house back. The contractors finished up the remodel and at the last minute, we decided to splurge and get new carpet because ours was cheap and looked so bad. The installers were here on Friday and boy, I am very surprised on what a difference carpet makes to a house. We've been working every single night for about the past month to finish up the little things. . . painting (14-16 hours on the weekends), baseboards, doors, etc. and finally on Friday we were able to start moving stuff back out of the garage and the dining room. WOW, I think it looks great! We've still got a little left to do in that we're waiting for my brother-in-law to help us move some of the larger pieces of furniture that I'm not tough enough to help Jon with. . . and then we just have to clean out the garage and we're DONE!!!! As soon as we get the last of the furniture moved and the final touches on the nursery, I'll take some pictures to show the place off. We still have a few things to do like put blinds up in the nursery and install a new light fixture, but those things shouldn't take much time. It's all starting to feel like home again. . . and not a moment too soon. Soon we'll be bringing the little one into this home and I'm so grateful that we've been able to complete this before he comes.

Baby News

Ok, we just can't hold it in any longer, particularly since most of you already know anyway. . . we're getting a baby in September. We got a call a couple weeks ago that some birth parents had picked us to place their baby with. We met them at the agency a couple days later and fell in love with them. We are so happy, they are such a neat couple and we can't even begin to express our appreciation for what they are doing for us. Our heart truly goes out to them and the circumstances they are in, but we're also so happy at the same time. Guess what? They're having a boy! He's due to arrive in September! What a perfect time of year! We just wanted to share our joy with you all! We're still thinking about names, but we're leaning towards Noah Weldon Crane. What do you think?

3 Year Old Party

It was Ryann's 3rd birthday last week. What a perfect day. . . the sun was shinning and all was well with the world. And what can possibly be better than spending the day with your family, eating and basking in the pool? Of course, as usual, the family spoiled her too. Here's a few snap shots from the party.

Construction

Hallelujah! Construction on the basement is finally under way. The basement flooded on April 6th and we just started doing the repairs today. I can't believe it took that long to have the damaged stuff ripped out, let things dry, then for us to get quotes from contractors, decide on a contractor and determine all the extra things we wanted to have done. What a process. So now our basement is totally empty and everything is in the garage. I feel like a redneck now, living out of my garage and parking in the driveway or on the street. Sorry if I offend anyone. . . don't get me wrong, garages are a great place to store things, but I really like to park my cars there instead.

Anyway, as things progress and start looking better, I'll post pictures and show the progress. It should look brand new when we're all done. :)

Old Friend

Yesterday I met my friend Allen at the Zoo. I had not seen him in 10 years. He moved to Oregon and we lost touch. He called me the other day and said he was in town so we decided to meet up at the Zoo. I got meet his kids Audrey and little Al for the first time. We had a lot of fun. The kids really liked the Gorillas and also the Giraffes. We went up to the second floor and the Giraffes could almost lick you they were so close! Right before we left we went on the little train they have. I hadn't done that since I was a little kid. I wished Tomi could of come but she had to work. I was on call and luckily didn't get called in. We sure are getting some good use out of this Zoo pass my mother in law got us.

Birthday

Happy Late Birthday to me. I turned 29! I can’t believe it. . . this is the last year I have in my 20’s, so I’m vowing to make it worth it! Oddly enough, I’m not dreading the big 30. In fact, since I was about 23, it’s been really hard for me to remember how old I am. People ask and I have to stumble a little, guessing back and forth between a few ages and then finally saying, “I was born in this year, so I guess that makes me ___ now.” Sad that I can’t even remember how old I am anymore. For me, I think I reached age 23 and birthdays didn’t really matter anymore. It wasn’t like I had age 16, 18 or 21 to look forward to anymore. Birthdays all just started to blend together and they just aren’t a big deal anymore.

This year, I had a great time and was truly spoiled by my family. Almost everyone got together at my favorite place for dinner, Ocean City. What’s better than sharing your favorite food with those you love. My aunt, cousins, sister and her family, Jon and I all had a great time together. After dinner and gifts, we went to my Aunt’s house to chat for a while before Jon and I went out to the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Great Movie!

Speaking of gifts, I was totally spoiled this year. My Aunt’s and their families got me two tickets to Celine Dion. WOW! This is a sold out show and somehow they got tickets. I am so excited and a little annoyed that I have to wait clear until November to see her! They gave me a DVD and CD of her music and tour so I can become a little more familiar with her newer songs before I go to the concert. What a treat. I’ve only been to a couple of amphitheater concerts before, but nothing like Celine. Jon gave me a new seat for my bike so we can go riding more. My old seat killed me, so he got me a larger one with gel inserts so it’s now much more comfortable of a ride. :) He also got me some beautiful place mats and napkins like I’d been asking for and also the first book in the Spiderwick Chronicles “The Field Guide” since we loved the movie so much! He did a great job finding things I really enjoyed. My mom outdid herself again by shopping with me for bathroom rugs, shower curtain, kitchen rugs, etc. She also gave me a year pass to Hogle Zoo which we love to visit on a regular basis, a hand wheat grinder to add to our food storage and some extra spending cash. I’m sorry to report that my mom wasn’t able to join us for the festivities this year. Teri gave me this great set of stripped place mats with coordinating napkins also. Everyone did such a great job in helping me to outfit my house with things more my style. :) My cousins gave me a gift certificate to Ztejas to use before the we go to the Celine concert. And Jon’s parent’s gave me a gift certificate to my favorite store. What a great birthday! I am surrounded by so many great people who love and care for me and spoil me on every occasion. Mostly, it was such an enjoyable day because I got to spend it with those I love! Thanks again to all of you for your generosity and kindness!

I’m setting new goals and keeping the big 30 in mind throughout the year as I enjoy these last moments of my 20s.

Inspirational Women

We were sitting around having lunch on May 4^th after the blessing of my newest niece Sydney when a comment was made that I guess I’ve never thought of or at least never put to words. Teri was talking to my cousin Gina about how our family has supported her in an effort to run a marathon for charity. I can second that! My family has been such a support to me over the years, more than I can possibly describe. I am so grateful for the love and support my family offers me. . . especially for these four women who have truly been an inspiration to me!

My Mom: My mom is an amazing woman who raised two independent, strong, intelligent daughters. She taught my sister and I the value of hard work at a young age, yet also made sure we found the time to play and have fun. My mom was always honest and upfront in all her dealings. She taught us to have values, morals, principals and to respect others for their differences. I use to think I knew it all and that my mom didn’t understand or have a clue. . . but when I moved out on my own, I quickly gained a deep, permanent respect for my mom and all that she did for me. She always knew more than I gave her credit for and I can never possibly thank her enough for the values she instilled in me. She taught me to stand on my own two feet, to be independently strong and steadfast, characteristics I hope to one day instill in my own children.

My Aunt Karla: I lived with my Aunt Karla and her family after I finished my Associate’s Degree at Rick’s college and didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. She gratefully took me under her wing as I tried to figure out which direction I was headed. She was the one who pointed out to me that I am a huge fretter and like to fret about things in advance. J She always said, “You’re borrowing jacks!” I can’t quite remember the story behind that but generally speaking, it means, I’m fretting about the things of tomorrow that I have no control over and that don’t matter. She stepped in as my second mom when I sat at her table, crying, confused about life, school, work, etc. Karla is also a strong, independent woman, who helped me put things into perspective when I needed it most.

My Aunt Beezer: Arlene, otherwise known as Beezer, has also loved and cared for me as if I were her own daughter. When I made the decision to not continue with my education, she was the one who continued to have conversations with me about the importance of education. I remember thinking that getting a bachelors degree was going to take way too long and I felt like I had other things I wanted to do with my life besides school. Beezer helped me to realize that the time in school would pass quickly and I would never look back with regret on those years. J Those heart-felt conversations about my future really did have an impact on me and needless to say, she is one of the main reasons I continued with my education, on to get a master’s degree. She is the one who calls me to offer suggestions for our blog, decorating our nursery and anything to offer advice in the hopes that we’ll get a child sooner. I swear she’s the person most excited for us to get a baby.

These three women are sisters that have bonded together and share this amazing friendship that I hope to have with my sister. They love, support and help each other and the other’s children no matter what. They are all strong-willed, independent, beautiful women that I aspire to becoming like as I get older.

Last but not least, my sister Teri: We had our fare share of fights when we were younger. . . if fact I may go as far as to say that we hated each other some days. However, in the past ten years, we’ve grown closer and I’ve come to admire Teri and all that she is as a woman, a sister, a friend and a mother. She has three beautiful children that I love more than I thought I could love anything and I’m so grateful that they live so close so I can be a part of the girl’s lives. She isn’t perfect, but she is a wonderful mother, teaching her children with love and logic. Her patience, love and ability to discipline the children in a positive manner is amazing. I don’t know if she’s aware of how much I watch her and take note of how she handles her children, for one day, I hope that I can be the same kind of mother to my children. Talent pours from her in every aspect. She’s an amazing pianist, artist, vocalist, and is extremely intelligent. Everything she attempts to do she succeeds at, with seemingly little or no effort. Teri has honestly become my very best friend. She listens to me cry, whine, laugh, smile and she’s always there to listen and be my friend. I think that she and I are well on our way to establishing a long lasting friendship like my mom and aunts have.

I can’t even begin to describe my appreciation to these four phenomenal women. They are my inspiration and my light! They have been there to support me through my good and bad decisions, through my ups and downs, through the trials and triumphs. They rally behind me in everything I attempt to do and stand in the sidelines cheering me on full-heartedly. I love them dearly and hope they know how much I love, appreciate and cherish their love, friendship and support.

Camping

Despite all my fretting about the house and all the projects we needed to get done, Jon talked me into going camping with some of our friends last weekend. It was a 4 day excursion to Vernon Lake out somewhere south of Tooele. I'm not familiar with the area, so I can't exactly tell you where it's at, but it's this beautiful, small lake out in the middle of now where. We left on Thursday and came home dirty, tired and sun burnt on Sunday. :) Thanks to Mark for house-sitting and babysitting Chico while we were gone despite the torn apart house. Chico was definitely jealous when we got home cause our friends brought their 3 dogs with them, but we felt it was best to leave Chico home this time.

We had a great time. We spent a lot of time fishing, four-wheeling, playing games and eating. The bad part was that it was cold, windy and totally dusty the entire time we were there. Thank goodness the friends we went with had a trailer, so we were able to stay out of the wind and spent a lot of time playing some great games, Ticket to Ride (one of our favorites) and Settlers of Catan (a new found favorite).

There wasn't much flat ground in the camp site we chose, so Jon and I did our best to pitch our tent on the most flat spot we could find. Needless to say, it wasn't flat enough, so that first night, we kept having to wake up, get out of bed and pull the sleeping bag to the top of the air mattress. . .we, along with the sleeping bag kept sliding off the end of the mattress. Speaking of mattresses, ours must have a slow leak in it somewhere, because each night we'd end up sandwiched in the middle, almost on top of each other. The second day we finally had to move our tent to almost to the road for a flat spot.

Our friends also introduced us to another game we've really love. . . don't know what it's called, but you throw rubber tennis balls on strings at the goal and you get points for which bar you can hit. It really is a lot of fun.

Here are some more pictures of the fun weekend! As you can tell, I had the camera most the time, so there's lots of pics of Jon. Next time, we'd like to go some where it's a little less dusty and windy.

When It Rains It Pours!

Oh boy, it's been one of those weeks. So you've seen in the previous posting, we flooded our basement. Well, three days later, I am ready to go to work at 4 a.m., I go downstairs and land in another lake of water at the bottom of the stairs. My first thought was that Jon's plumbing from the earlier flood didn't hold. I holler for Jon to come quick and I begin looking for the source of the water. To my dismay, the water isn't coming from the faucet they fixed just days earlier, instead it is coming from the ceiling in the laundry room.

This time, the hose that feeds water to the ice machine came loose from the refrigerator and leaked water all over the kitchen floor which leaked through the hardwood floors, into the basement ceiling in the laundry room and bedroom, down the walls, and out into the garage. What a mess. Once again we had to call the clean-up crew to come out and tear up the carpet, rip out the sheet rock and place the fans to dry out the water. So now 3/4th of our basement is without sheet rock and the downstairs is in total shambles.












We're now in the process of getting estimates for the repair so we can start the repair work. Looks like it will be a least a month or two before the repairs can be done. I guess the bright side of the story is that we're going to pay a little extra to have some additional stuff done so that we can then be finished with the basement and have it just the way we want it. Also, because of the damage done to the hardwood kitchen floors, we are getting the kitchen floors redone too! It's been hard to see the rainbow through the rain this week, but we're trying to find the bright side of things!

Master Plumbers

Let me tell you, we're becoming master's at this home ownership thing! We've had an outside water faucet that was giving us a hard time last year, and hasn't worked at all this year. So, being the great "Do-it-yourselfers" that we are. . . we thought we'd fix the problem by replacing the faucet. Why we decided to do it at 10 p.m. on a Friday night is now beyond me, but what can I say. So Jon turned off the main water valve in the house and proceed remove the faucet. I was upstairs when I heard a pop, Jon saying "Oh No!" and a gushing water sound. I went running downstairs to see water shooting into the wall and all over the downstairs living room. What in the world, the water shut off valve was OFF! Now what? I reached into the wall and tried from the inside while Jon pushed from the outside to reconnect the faucet, but the pressure coming from the pipe was just too much! Water was shooting all over me, the living room, inside the wall and even outside the house. The basement was flooding!

Not knowing what else to do, I ran next door to get the neighbors. Sleepily, the lady next door comes out wanting to know what is going on. Her husband wasn't home, so she and I ran next door to fetch the next neighbor. Out in the their pajamas, they all come to the rescue. I grabbed the water key to turn off the outside water that was right by the house, but needless to say, that only turns off the sprinkler water. While all this was happening, the neighbor got the water shut off out on the street. . . but by this time, the damage had already been done! We had water all over the basement. It soaked about 3/4th of the family room, ran into the under stairs storage, out into the garage and out into the driveway. Here's the access panel we were working through (you can't see it in the picture, but the water shut off valve we had turned off is right above the panel in the ceiling). Also, here's a picture of the pipe we were fixing.

Here's more pictures of the damage.


We ended up calling a disaster recovery company that came out to assess and fix the damage. They had to pull up the carpet, rip out the carpet pad, suck the water out of the carpet, remove all the sheet rock and insulation and put down industrial fans to dry everything. We are now just waiting for everything to dry so they can come back and re-do the sheet rock, carpet, etc . Interestingly enough, when they removed the sheet rock, we found the actual main water valve shut-off. Looks like someone who lived in the house before sheet rocked in the valve, then either didn't want to redo it, or didn't know where it was, so they put in a the valve in the ceiling that we had shut off. Needless to say, the one in the ceiling turned off everything in the house except the one and only faucet we were working on. What a learning experience! Here's some more pictures of what it looks like without the sheet rock. Quite the interesting weekend! We're laughing about it a lot now, but hoping and praying we never have to experience something like this again!

Zoo

Thanks to my mother, we got a yearly zoo pass to Hogle Zoo this year. We LOVE the zoo! It's one of our favorite places. To test out the new pass, we gathered up Teri and the girls (Ryann, Laine and Sydney) and headed to the zoo on Friday the 18th! Something was going on that day where they were kicking off a children's race or something, so the lines were horrendously long. . . however, having a pass, we were able to go right to the gate and get in since we didn't have to stand in line to buy tickets. YEAH!!!

We all had a great time at the zoo, especially Ryann and Laine. They're both old enough now that they love the zoo and ooh and awed over all the animals. Ryann spend most of the day riding on Jon's shoulders. The greatest part was when we were watching the a new baby orangutan named Acara. It was sliding down the hill on it's belly, playing with it's blanket, and doing somersaults. Ryann was sitting on Jon's shoulders, bouncing up and down and slapping both of his cheeks saying, "Come here monkey, come here!" It was really cute!

As you can see, we didn't get many pictures except by the Giraffes. :) All in all, it was a great day! The weather was beautiful, the kids had a great time and it was fun to spend such a great day with family. We're so excited to have a pass where we can go so many times this year.

Chico

I just noticed that in most our posts and photos, we haven't talked much about our little dog, Chico, so I thought I'd introduce him here. He is a pure bred, AKC registered, Miniature Pinscher, born on May 18, 2001. The name on his registration certificate is Cheeko, but I never liked the spelling, so I've always spelled it Chico. He's black and rust colored with cropped ears and a docked tail and the most snuggly little critter you've ever seen.

Chico has a bit of a sorted past, since I was the third owner to him in less than 2 years. A family in Jackson, Wyoming purchased the dog, but then sold him to my friend's brother. I'm not sure what the story was behind that, but I'm a believer that everything happens for a reason. My friend's brother decided to give him away a little while later because they had something like 2 cats and 3 or 4 dogs all living in the same house at the same time. I guess it was just too much, so they wanted to find Chico a new home. Around that same time, I had decided that I really wanted another dog. As a youngster growing up in Star Valley, we always had dogs and I had always wanted one of my own. At that point, I owned a townhouse in Millcreek, so the situation was perfect for me to bring a dog into my home. Anyway, somewhere in the summer of 2003, my friend's brother offered to give me Chico and I gladly accepted and he's been in my life for the past 5 years.

Shortly after bringing Chico home, I realized he was suffering from allergies. Poor guy was always scratching and had teary eyes. I also realized that the little guy was built a little funny, so whenever he'd go outside to take care of his business, his aim was off and he'd hit his chest and both front legs. Thank goodness a little minor surgery helped take care of that problem. Over the past couple of years, Chico's allergies have gone through some serious flare-ups that have been successfully treated with medication. However, this latest flare-up hasn't cleared up, so back to the vet we went. We've now realized that Chico suffers from Canine Autoimmune Disease and will need to be on a low dose of steroids to help combat the symptoms the cause him to itch. My poor little Chico now has to take Benedryl twice a day along with a steroid, thyroid pill and omega 3 capsule every day. It's obvious that our free little dog has now cost us a pretty little penny. . . but I believe it was all worth it. Despite these plethora of drugs, he is as happy and loving as ever!

Chico weighs only about 12 pounds, but his little body doesn't slow him down. I swear he thinks he's a full-grown Doberman. He LOVES to go on walks, especially to Wheeler Farm where he can check out all the animals. His favorite toys are anything with a squeaker in them. He grabs the squeaky toy, finds the exact spot where the squeaker is, then runs around the house squeaking it until his jaw gets tired. His favorite spot to sleep is in out bed, no matter who it is or what time they are in bed, he loves to crawl in with you, but he insists on being under the covers. His little nose is always cold, so whenever he's just sitting somewhere, he likes to push his nose under a blanket. Because of this same thing, whenever we're folding a load of laundry that comes straight from the dryer, Chico loves to nestle into the fresh, warm clothes. For a treat, he will sit, lay, jump and shake hands on command. The telephone is annoying to Chico for some reason, so every time the home or cell phone rings, there's Chico, throwing back his head in a long, drawn out howl. It is the funniest thing ever! This is one of my favorite pictures. . .I couldn't find Chico one day, I called him and whistled and the whole thing. Finally, when I went into the bedroom to look for him, he poked his little head out from under my covers with that look on his face like I had just woke him up.

I just can't say enough how much I love my little dog. He came into my life at a time when I needed him so much. He knows when I'm having a bad day and he crawls into my lap to snuggle. He is lovable, sweet, snuggly and has so much personality. Chico has been my baby for the past five years and I hope he's around to brighten my days for many more years to come.

Decorating

Thanks to my dear mother shopping for an early birthday present for me while she was in town, I now have a kitchen and bathroom that look brand new. Well, close to brand new. I've been dieing for some new rugs for the kitchen since mine were falling apart and also for some new rugs, shower curtain, etc in my bathroom since they were also getting old and ratty. Mom and I had a wonderful time shopping our guts out at my favorite store, Bed Bath and Beyond. It was so much fun and I was so excited to get my new stuff up. Just take a look at how great things turned out. Jon also installed some blinds in the kitchen today. Now we can make breakfast in our undies without the neighbors seeing. :) Sorry, once again, the pictures don't do the rooms any justice. I just wish I would have taken pictures before we put the new stuff up. I still need to find some curtains to go in the bathroom now. Granted, the whole house still needs some remodeling, but until we have the money to redo the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and counter tops, it sure does feel nice to have new accessories to spruce up the place.

The nursery is still ripped apart for painting and redecorating, but it's really starting to feel like OUR home now, not just some place you move into. Jon and I had a discussion a while back in which he said how much he loved the house and I just shrugged. I couldn't express the same feelings. All I kept seeing in our house were all the things that needed to be painted and updated. Now that it has some of my very own personal touches to it, it's feeling like "ours" and I'm falling in love with it, even the little blemishes. I'm going to take a few more pictures later so you all can see what the rest of our house looks like.

About Jon

Places I've Lived:
I was born in Mountain View, California. I moved to Sandy, Utah when I was 4 years old. When I first came to Utah I had never seen snow except in a Christmas card. So when we came here it started snowing and I said. "Mom! it's Christmas!!!"
I have also lived all over the Salt Lake valley. I lived up in the Avenues of Salt Lake City and in Murray, Utah. We now live Sandy.

States and places I've visited:
California, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Texas, Hawaii, and Mexico.

Jobs I've Had:
Dishwasher, Prep Cook, Shoe Salesman, Telemarketer, Telephone Services Residential Sales Rep., Professional Fund raiser, Satellite Salesman, Computer Network equipment Salesman, and last but certainly not least Railroad Conductor.

Favorite Foods:
Mexican Food (any kind), Steak, Mashed potatoes, Hamburgers, Pizza, Shrimp, Chocolate Ice cream and French Silk Pie.

Dislikes:
People that try to put themselves above you, sushi, coconut, some power hungry Managers.

Favorite Movies:
all 3 lord of the rings, all Harry Potter movies, Casablanca, all Indiana Jones movies, and I love the new James Bond movie Casino Royal.

Favorite Books:
Ender's Game, all Harry Potter books, Lord of the Rings, anything by John Grisham, and I love Louis L'Amour.

A Few Interesting Things About Me:
I did sales for 14 years and had never thought about the railroad. Now that I had this job fall into my lap I love it. Not a lot of people love their job but I do. I have wanted to write a book for a long time. I almost completed a book years ago but didn't back it up and lost it when my computer fried. Something else interesting about me. about four years ago (through diet and exercise) I lost over a hundred pounds and have kept it off. I still need to lose some more and I am working on it. Well that is about it for now.

More Babies

Wow, this has been a busy week. On April 8, 2008, two new babies close to my heart were born. My sister gave birth to her third daughter, Sydney, at about 1:30 p.m. She is absolutely adorable. 6 lbs, 2 oz. and 20 inches long I think.

Sydney's sisters, Ryann and Laine are so gentle with her. All I hear Ryann say anymore is "I wanna hold the baby." I am so excited to have another niece. All three of the girls are so precious. They have a beautiful family and I'm glad I get to be a part of it.

Jon and I went to the hospital with my mom, Ryann and Laine to see the new baby. Here's a picture of Jon holding Sydney. He was so excited to hold her and I could see the longing in his eyes, knowing that one day he'd be holding his own son or daughter.


At about 3:30 p.m. that same day, my friend Michelle had her 3rd child, a boy named Daniel. I think he looks a lot like his sister Carrie. Once again, a beautiful child! Sorry the picture isn't the greatest, it's from a cell phone. He was 7 lbs, 10 oz, 20 inches.

This makes 4 new babies through friends and family in the past 2 months. Joylynn's new baby Merijoy, Rachel's adopted son Dylan, Teri's baby Sydney, and Michell's baby Daniel. It's it a miracle! So many babies to love. My heart has been all smiles this past month as I think about what a miracle these little souls are. How amazing it is that they come to this earth, straight from the presence of our Heavenly Father and into our lives. Healthy and happy souls that these mother's have been trusted to raise and care for. I wish them all the very best with their new additions and am keeping my fingers crossed that soon we'll have a little one of our own. One that will have so many friends to grow up with, learn from and play with.

Being Prepared

So we all know that the economy isn't doing very well right now. . . the mortgage crisis, energy prices, etc. Well, now it seems to be taking another turn for the worse. . . the price of wheat has tripled in the last 10 months (KSLNews), in turn increasing the price of flour, bread, etc. Food prices rose 4% last year, the highest rise since 1990 (CNN). Now there are rumors that truckers will go on strike next week. This could have very fast negative effects on an already floundering economy.

It all just gets me thinking about what we've been taught our whole lives. . . BE PREPARED! I'm so grateful that Jon and I have made the effort over the years to establish a sizable amount of food storage. We have learned to shop the case sales each spring and fall and to take advantage of the canning opportunities through the church and through the community canning project in my mom's neighborhood. If at some point, there was a shortage of food in the stores (due to storm, power outage, trucker's strike or natural disaster), we'd be prepared for it! I realized the importance of food-storage when my sister lived in Michigan during the Northeast Blackout of 2003 during which they were out of power for about 3 days. They went to the store to buy water during the first day of no power, but the stores had already sold out of bottled water. They were very grateful to have what food and water they had a home at that time.

Then it makes me think about our finances. . . if one of us were to get laid off or unable to work for a period of time, we've also worked hard to set aside a short-term and long-term savings account. Accounts that we're able to use for unexpected expenses, emergency care and home repairs as well as to live off of in case of injury or lay-off.

I am just so grateful that we've listened through-out the years and have prepared ourselves well. Needless to say, we can always do better, but at least we've got a start. I think "being prepared" and in an attempt to become more self-sufficient, I've enjoyed planting a garden for the the last couple of years. I also did my first canning project last summer in which I bottled the peaches from the tree in our back yard. (I got a new canning set for Christmas!) I also got a juicer for Christmas, so I'm excited to juice our concord grapes this year. Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Our neighbor has 2 apple trees, so I've really gotten into dehydrating apples too. Thanks to Jon's mom, I now have a new dehydrator. One more thing I was pretty proud of this year was that I made apricot jam for the first time. One of these days I'm going to come by this domestic stuff naturally.

Provident Living is a great site to go to for more information on food storage, family finances, education, etc. We're working on it one day at a time, but at least I know we're working on becoming more self-reliant and being prepared.

About Tomi

Ok, so I must have no original ideas of my own. . . but got thinking, why not post some things about me. . . Jon will love to do this too when he gets home.

Places I've lived:
Star Valley, Wyoming
Rexburg, Idaho
Salt Lake City & Sandy, Utah

States & Places I've visited:
California, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Hawaii, & Puerto Vallarta with many more to come I hope (I can never beat Deedre in this area). Thanks mom, I forgot about Canada (Windsor I think).

Jobs I've Had:
Worm Picker Extrodinaire
Dishwasher, Hostess, Waitress
Sales Associate then Department Manager at ZCMI
Career Services Specialist
Financial Aid Administrator
Federal Government Employee as Material Manager and now as the Program Logistics Manager
Hope to soon be part-time teacher

Favorite Foods:
Pizza, Lasagna, Popcorn, Carrots with dill dip, Frito's, Funions, Fried Shrimp, Chocolate covered raisins, Chicken fingers dipped in ranch dressing and more than I'd ever like to admit.

Things I Dislike:
I don't like when people are mean, self absorbed, unhappy about life and their circumstances, or are dishonest. Grocery shopping & shoe shopping, cooked spinach, and I'm having a hard time with this one because I'd like to think I'm pretty easy going.

Favorite Movies:
Tuck Everlasting, Ever After, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter

Favorite Books:
Tuesdays with Morrie, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, The Grapes of Wrath

A Few Interesting Things About Me:
I raised a few raccoons as pets when I was younger.
I LOVE animals and always wanted to be a veterinarian, but decided that C's in college Biology and Chemistry weren't going to help me get there.
I want more than anything to be able to sing and be artistic and crafty.
I talk way too fast. . .oh wait, you already knew that one.
It took me 26 years to figure it out, but I want to be a teacher. . . I'm working on doing something part-time at some local proprietary colleges.
In recent years, I find it a habit to use ". . ." way too much.
I'd love to vacation in Australia.
I want to be more domestic by being a better cook and baker.
I have a Master's Degree in Business and have yet to figure out what I want to do with it.

Now it's your turn!