Kristin's Corner

Travel Scrabble

2009-07-01T16:23:00.001-07:00

Travel Scrabble

O.K....the game is on!! Travel Scrabble. Keep it going!!! Change one
letter of the bottom word posted and let's see who gets stuck and
can't
continue!

Rules: You cannot add letters. You can only use English. You can only
change one letter.

Send it back to the person that sent it to you, plus 10 new people. Add

your entry to the bottom after you hit forward. If you would like to be

neater, you can Copy and Paste into a NEW email, rather than
forwarding.

Don't forget: send it back to the person that sent it to you, plus 10
new
people.

To make it even more interesting, include your location and the date to
see
how far this goes and how long it's been out. Maybe it will come back
to
you in a week or a month or a year!

WORD:

Bank - Joyce Norfolk 1/02/09
Band - Angela, Inverell NSW Aus tralia , 6.2.09
Bang - Deb, Inverell NSW Austral ia , 6/2/2009
Tang - Annie, Inverell NSW 6/02/09
Gang - Michael, Alice Springs N.T. 6/2/09
Rang - Frank, Baglan Moors sa12 7rl
Rant - Doreen, Staffordshire England
Pant - Col Uttoxeter, Staffs England 10/02/09
Part - Phill, Paris France 10/02/09
Park - Karen, Southern Pines, NC 10.2.09
Dark - Scott, S. Pines, NC 10/2/09
Bark - Fred, So. Pines, NC 12/2/09
Park - David, Asheboro , NC 2.12.09
Lark - Helen, P'cola, FL 2/13/09
Lard - Phyllis, Pensacola , FL 2/15/09
Land - Alice, Westtown , NY 2/17/09
Sand - Mary, Washingtonville , NY 2/17/09
Hand - Ann, Mineola , NY 2/17/09
Hard - Lisa, Garden City Park , NY 2/17/09
Hare - Debbi, West Hempstead , NY 2/17/09
Dare - Chris, West Hempstead , NY 2/18/09
Dart - Helga, Carle Place, NY 2-18- 09
Dirt - Anita, East Meadow , NY 2/18/09
Diet - Cynthia, Hicksville , NY
Dies - Clark, Bellport , NY
Pies - Penny, Davie , FL
Pier - Maureen, Forked River, NJ
Prey - Jane, St Peters , MO
Perk - Suzanne, Waterloo , IL
Pork - Kathy, O'Fallon, MO 2/25
Port - Diana, Florissant , MO 2/25/09
Bort - Scott, Tulsa , OK 2/25/09
Bert - Cindy, Tulsa , OK 2/26/09
Burt - Mike, Girard , KS 02/26/2009
Bust - Candy, Bartlesville , OK 02/26/2009
Best - Sharon , Nowata, OK 2/26/09
Rest - Alice, Bartlesville , OK 2/26/09
Rust - Char, Bartlesville , OK 3/10/09
Dust - Don, Shingletown , CA 3/10/09
Oust20- Helen, Lemon Grove , CA 3/10/09
Just - Ron, North Adams , MA 3/11/09
Jest - Susan, Jackson , WY 3/11/09
Nest - Lisa, Gillette , WY 3-12-09
Zest - Kimi, Gillette , WY 03/13/09
Best- Teran. Gillette , WY 03/13/09
TEST- CINDY. GILLETTE , WY 03/14/09
West - Cindy, Thornton, CO
East - Debi, Trinity, TX
Last - Cindy; Jennings , OK 03/16/2009
Lost- Clarissa: Jennings , OK 03/17/2009
Cost- Gordon, Yale, OK 03/17/2009
Most - MG, Cushing OK 3/18/2009
Moss- Jan, Cushing, Ok. 3-18-2009
Boss-Judy, Tecumseh, Ks 3/19/09
Bosh-Mary Jane, Lecompton , KS 3-25-09
Posh-Judie Phelps, CA 3-29-09
Gosh--Betty Fraser ,, Or. 4-1-09
Gush -- Judy Gray, MO 4-209
Lush-- J oan Parsons , SC - 4/2/09
Lash--Debbie Slonek,IL-4-2-09
Last-Amy Borodach 04-05-09
Cast-Sherry, Prague , Czech Republic 4/7/09
Fast-Karmi, Nixa MO 4/7/09
Fist - Sylvia, Kenosha , WI 4/8/09
MIST -Tyrae, Kenosha WI 4/8/2009
Stem - Sue, Burlington WI 4/8/08
Step - Deanna, Silver Lake WI 4/8/09
Stop - Vickie Burlington WI 4/8/09
Stow- Dannette Salem , WI 4-8-09
Slow-Dorothy 4/8/09
SNOW ( yuk) Lois , IL . 4-8-09
KNOW - Lee = Wi 4/8/09
KNEW - Joyce , FL 4-9-09
ANEW - Bill & Bobbie Il. 4-9-09
NEWT - Cathy IL 4.9.09
NEXT - Sharon IL 4/9/09
TEXT - Charlene MD 4/09/09
TENT- Melissa, MD 4/10/09
BENT - Nicole , NJ 4/10/09
SENT- Christa NJ 4/10/2009
SEND- Ed, NY 4/10/09
MEND - Sheri , TX 4 /10/09
Menu - Julie , LA 4/10/09
Benu (Yes, this is a real word!)- Connie , LA. 4/11/09
BEND - Stefani, La 4/12/09
BEAD - Donna , LA 4/15/09
READ - Fred, LA 04/16/2009
REAR- Jon, La 04/16/09
FEAR- Gwen,La 04/16/09
Tear-Crystal LA 4/16/09
Bear - Misty, LA 4/16/09
Bean - Nancy , MO 4/19/09
Beat - Christina , MO 4-19/09

Heat - Angie , MO 4/20/09

Seat - Barb , MO Â 4/20/09
Neat-JoAnn, MO 04/20/09

Peat-Karen, MO 04/20/09

Pear - Ardie , KS Â 4-20-09

Dear-Sandy, KS 4-20-09

Deaf-Barb, WI 4-21-09
Leaf-Angela WI 4-21-09
Loaf-Anne WI 4-21-09

Loan- Kim WI 4-21-09
Loam - Lynn WI 4-21-09 (yes family, it's a real word if you're a
science
major)

Load - Angela, WI 4/21/09

Road - Sally, WI 04-21-09

Roam- Rebecca, WI 4-21-09

Foam - Carol WI 4/21/09

Loam 3 Denise WI 4/21/09

Loom - Geri Â WI 4/22/09

Look - Cindy Milwaukee, WI Â 04.22.09

TOOK - Chris - Las Vegas, NV 4/22/09

Tock - Phil - Las Vegas, NV 4/22/09

Tick-Brent -Lehi, ut.
Kick-Penny-Sophia, NC 4/24/09
Pick Jeanette Â Cherry Hill NJ Â 5/6
Puck - Allyson Voorhees, NJ Â 5/17

Luck-Carol-Erial,NJ 5/18/09

BUCK - NANCY,VOORHEES,NJ 5/18
Duck-Bonnie, Cherry Hill, NJ 5/18
Suck- Karen Lindenwold NJ 5/19

Sick - Dan Lindenwold, NJ 5/19

Lick - Steph Somerdale NJ 5/19
Link-Tin sie, Voorhees, NJ 5/20/09
MINK-Marcia, Haddonfield, NJ Â 5-21-09
Milk - Marilyn, Springfield, Â MO 5-21--09

Silk - Sue, Springfield, MO 5-21-09

Silt - Marty, Easton, MD Â 6/1/09
Tilt--Sally, Kansas City, MO Â 6/1/09

Till= Sue, Jefferson City, MO Â 06/01/09
Lilt= susan, shawnee mission, ks. 06/01/09

Lila-Jean,Kansas City, Mo. 06/01/09

Lima - Caren, Leawood, Ks. Â 06/01/09
Lime- KO, Leawood, KS 6/2/09

Line- Anne, Leawood, KS 6/2/09

Lint - Kathy, Overland Park KS 6/3/09

Mint - Judi, Harrisonville, MO 6/4/09

Dint - Â Carole, Bucyrus, KS 06/06/09

Dine-Amy, Overland Park, KS 6/6/09
Fine- Katie, Olathe, Ks Â 6/6/09

Find - Christina, Paola,KS 6/07/09 Â

Mind-Anita, Gardner KS 06/08/09
KIND- Debbie Smethers, Olathe, KS 6-8-09
Wind - Teresa..Pt. Pleasant, NJ
Wine - Debbie - Pt. Pleasant, NJ
PINE--TIM BRICK NJ Â Â 6-8-09
PIKE - Vic Geis, 6-9-09
BIKE - Katherine, CA 06.09.09
HIKE - Diane, CA 6-16-09
Like - Linda, CA Â 6/16/09
Lime - Ginny - Brentwood, CA 6-16-09
Line - June, Brentwood, Ca 06/16/09
Nine Charlene, Brentwood, CA 6/28/09Â
None - Benita, Castro Valley, CA 6/29/09

Tone - Billie, Livermore CA - 06/29/09

Tote Melony, Livermore, CA 06/30/09
Tore - Evelyn, Anderson, CA - 06-30-09
Wore - Barbara, Lake Montezuma, AZ - 7/1/09
Bore - Hal, Dallas, TX 7\1\09
Core - Bill, Salt Lake City, UT 7/1/09

Cord - Kristin, Tooele, UT 7/01/09

--
Kristin Schalk
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass....it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Christmas thoughts

2008-12-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

Wow I don't know what happened but I seem to have fallen off the face of the planet with blogger. I am making a New Years resolution a few weeks early. I am going to blog a lot more. It is nice for me to look back and see what has happened in my life.

Can't believe that it is already Christmas. We are very excited and hoping that the next few days fly by very quickly. We are getting tons of snow and praying for a break in the weather so that family can drive into town safely. I myself have to drive to my parents house alone on Wednesday and am very worried about it. It isn't far, about 45 minutes, but I am very scared of driving in wet weather.

In previous years, I have not felt the holiday spirit at all, but this year I got it about Halloween. It has killed me to have to wait this long. But now that it is finally here, I am a little sad that it is almost all over. My girls have been so sweet and excited for the holiday to start as well. I actually helped put up 4 trees this year and went to the "Nutcracker". What a fun December I have had. I made huge stupid Christmas Newsletters that took way to long and sent them a week ago. But the part of the season that has been the most wonderful, when I think about Christ or hear religious music I am very touched and cry like a baby. I am not sure that the spirit has ever been this strong with me.

I know without a shadow of a doubt that Christ lives and loves all of us. I love this time of year because we get to remember Him more then ever. His birth, his life, his death and then his life again. What an incredible thing to know. I feel very blessed to know that Christ lives! I feel very blessed to know that I have a Heavenly Family that loves me and wants me to return to them someday.

Summer 2008

2008-09-08T10:55:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful summer this year and I haven't said anything about it, so I decided that it is time to share!! I am sorry if this blog gets long, but there are so many memories and pictures that a short blog just wouldn't do the trick this time.

In June we had a big family reunion with my mom's side of the family in Canada. We (Chris and I and our girls, my sister Chelsie and her husband Isaac, mom and dad and Kellie) left our house on Friday night and started driving! We drove to my grandparent’s house in Twin Falls Idaho and stayed there over night. Then we all got up early the next morning and made our way to Yakima, WA. (Grandma and Grandpa were with us at this point.) It was a beautiful drive the entire way and our girls were wonderful. It was a long day though for us all. (About an 11 hour drive) so after checking in and getting settled into our hotel we went for a swim in the hotel pool. It was a lot of fun and nice to just relax after such a long drive. The next morning we got up early again and started the next long haul of the trip. We had to stop a lot for everyone to stretch their legs and let the little ones out to run for a while.

Our last stop before leaving the USA

We got into Canada and about an hour later we boarded the ferry that would take us to Vancouver Island. We were going to stay in a funny little place called Qualicum Beach in a house called Imagine Beach Cottage.

On the ferry

We made it to the beach house really late that night and after visiting with my Uncle David and Aunt Shelly and her family (Uncle Bob, Riley, Delaney, and Maddie) we all called it a night.
We got up the next morning and just enjoyed being together catching up, playing on the beach and taking in the beauty that surrounded us. We all took turns cooking for our family as there was 17 of us total.

One the beach and playing at the cottage

It was a celebration for all but especially for my grandparents. We were really there to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. We don't all get to see each other on a normal basis so we decided to remember this special time with professional family photos.

Milton and Sandra 50 years together

The Original Barrus Family

The Original Goodwin Family

The Schalk Family
The Gustafson Family The Peper Family

The Barrus Grandchildren

The Entire Barrus Family

The next day we thought it would be nice to see some of the sights so we went to Butchart Gardens and had dinner on the Warf in Victoria. What a beautiful place, we are going to go back to visit very soon. Chris and I have even joked that if we had the money we would move there because it is so beautiful.

Butchart Gardens

Victoria Island

Eating on the Warf

Well after all said and done it was a wonderful vacation and we are all wishing that we could go back again. It was so much fun that there is another vacation in the works!

Emery turned 6 in July and she wanted to have a Fancy Nancy party. So our wonderful family all dressed up in their fanciest clothes, eat all fancy food and had a great time. Emery loved the party so much that she thinks she wants to have another one next year. She is saying that she wants friend at her next party though. She thinks that adults are boring.

We had a great summer this year and we really wish that every summer could be so wonderful!

Sarah Palin's speech from RNC

2008-09-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

If you missed this, it is worth watching!! It is Sarah Palin's speech from the Republicans National Convention. It is a little long, (36 min.) but so worth your time. She really seems like a great woman and I would be proud to call her my Vice President of the United States.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/03/sarah-palin-rnc-conventio_n_123703.html

Just my opinion

2008-09-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I was on a real political stint. I don't follow politics very often but I feel that our country is at a real cross roads right now. We are having to chose between not so good and very evil. I am very scared for our country and what is in store for our future. I decided early on that I would not give any of my support to Obama but I really did not like McCain either. I was at a real cross roads in my thought about all of this but in the end decided that if I had to chose I would go with the lesser of two evils. I have a friend that is leaning towards Obama right now and I told them this same thing that I am about to tell you.This is only one of my many concerns about what Obama wants to do for our country. To "change" for the better. Well after you hear my story, maybe you will think that his "change" isn't what we really want.

Obama believes in late term abortion. What that means is some people believe that a pregnancy is not viable until 27 weeks gestation and that if you wanted to get ride of the "fetus" then you still could up to that point. Well I have a daughter that, due to reasons out of my control, came along at 25 weeks gestation. Yes she had to spend time on a ventulator to help her breath and to allow her lungs to develope, but she was a perfect tiny person. She had every feature already all the way down to tiny little finger nails. She has a personality and a will to survive that I had never seen before. Doctors told me on several occasions that they didn't think that she would live through the night and then she would prove them wrong and make it. The doctors did everything that they could to try and create an environment for her that was similar to a mothers womb. It was always dark and quiet in the hospital and I was encouraged to talk and sing to her like any mom does to her baby that is growing inside of her. We were given a uniqe opportunity to watch as she developed and grew like a child does inside the womb. After just a few months in the hospital I was allowed to take my beautiful healthy daughter home just like any mother does. Of course she was still on oxygen to help her breath but she was coming home and I was never more proud of anyone as I was of my beautiful Ashlynn.

Now a lot of people belive that I just put her on life support and forced her to survive, but think of it this way. Say your 5 year old or a parent or sibling was in some sort of accident that caused them not to be able to breath on their own, but you were told that over time the lungs could heal and develop and that within a few months they would be good as new. There is nothing else wrong, everything else is fine and normal. Would you say, no just let them suffocate and die because you think that a ventulater is a life support thing and that you are forcing them to stay alive even though they are healthy in every other way? I know I would do everything in my power to save that person. In fact that is all that I did, we did not force any one to keep Ashlynn alive, she did that on her own. Thanks to my daughter I know volunteer my time in the NICU and have seen many babies up to 22 weeks gestation survive just as my daugher did. I have seen some of them come out with perfect working bodies and all they have to do is be taught to keep their own body temperature at a normal range and how to eat on their own. It is truly a miracle to see these tiny human beings work.

Now if Obama wins this election and is really able to do the things that he has promised, then it will be legal to murder these children. Do we really want that for our country, making it legal to murder children just because the parents dont want them? There are other options, adoption is one or teaching our children abstinence and keeping birth control around so that this doesn't have to happen.

Of course this is my own opinion and you can listen or not. I just felt like I needed to share.

Opinions

2008-09-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

Some good friends sent this to me in an email, I really like what Bob said and reading about the issues between McCain and Obama where very interesting to compare.

I never fell for the empty soaring oratories of "Barak Hussein Obama", tax and spend socialist is all he is! His wife is worse. Just look at the lines of her June Clever speech at the DNC! Marxist's Radical.. Then Barak Hussein Obama picks Biden for VP? What a joke! A 32 year career politician who has a long history of lying and scandal! So much for change Obama! Mrs. Obama, if you don't like the country that affords your ass all the luxuries you certainly take for her than get the hell out of the US? I have seen enough disgruntled Democrats on TV and around Colorado to last me another life time! They really wanted Hillary with that clown. United my ass! She can even bring herself to look at her former president/husband Billy! He flew on Reagan Policies anyway,.

For Democrats it appears you need to have a group of Hollywood burnouts on stage and two clowns in $1000 suits to get the job!

McCain is soft on borders and is not my first pick to run this country but I believe if anyone has earned a nomination he has! He will continue killing terrorist in their country, even though we may need to get a wake up call here again to make people realize that on this earth we do have incredibly evil fucking people that need to be held accountable for what they do and the herd should be thinned out!

Either have the stomach to deal with these low life's or sit down and let our very capable military destroy them! Yes it will take time, this is not a stupid ass prime time TV show. And if you think diplomacy would really work with these animals then please buy a ticket and travel to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and spread your peace and love bull shit while you are getting your asses kicked.

Maybe one day there will be unofficial channels between countries to resolve problems but as long as you have countries supporting terrorism they must pay for it.

Yes at one time the US backed Saddam and The Shaw of Iran and many other tyrants in history and America is not totally innocent as well. But if you truly hate this country or wish ill on it or its people than have the balls to go live in Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia. /Then if you survive it - enlighten all of us! We are waiting??? LOL/

Have a great day and GOD BLESS AMERICA! NEVER FORGET 9/11!

Jennae sent this which stirred Bobs thoughts.

2008 PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE COMPARISON TALKING POINTS



ISSUE		JOHN McCAIN		BARACK OBAMA

	Favors new drilling offshore US		Yes		No

	Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it		Yes		No

	Served in the US Armed Forces		Yes		No

	Amount of time served in the US Senate		22 YEARS		173 DAYS

	Will institute a socialized national health care plan		No		Yes

	Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy		No		Yes

	Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately		No		Yes

	Supports gun ownership rights		Yes		No

	Supports homosexual marriage		No		Yes

	Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase		No		Yes

	Voted against making English the official language		No		Yes

	Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals		No		Yes

	CAPITAL GAINS TAX

	MCCAIN	0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.

	OBAMA	28% on profit from ALL home sales. (How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.)

	DIVIDEND TAX

	MCCAIN	15% (no change)

	OBAMA	39.6% - (How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.')

	INCOME TAX

	MCCAIN (no changes)	Single making 30K - tax $4,500 Single making 50K - tax $12,500 Single making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 60K- tax $9,000 Married making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250

	OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)	Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Single making 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Married making 60K - tax $16,800 Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 125K - tax $38,750 Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!

	INHERITANCE TAX

	MCCAIN	- 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)

	OBAMA	Restore the inheritance tax Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.

	NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA

	New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet. New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already) New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity) New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!

You
can verify the above at the following web sites:

http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.html

http://elections.foxnews.com/?s=proposed+taxes

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/politics/articles/mccain_obama_offer_different_visions_on_taxes.html

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/barack_obama/

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/john_mccain/

What is going on in all of our lives

2008-08-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well Emery has now finished her first real week of school. She seems to really like it. We went to back to school night on Wednesday and the principle seems like she is going to be great. She is new to the school this year and seems very eager to make it a good year for everyone. We meet Emery's teacher and she seems very different. I am not sure that I am going to like her. She is very cold with people and seems to be very unsure of herself. Not the way I picture a 1st grade teacher to be. I guess I am very narrow minded though because I had a great 1st grade teacher. Anyway Emery's teacher seemed very intimidated by people and it felt like she was trying to get through what she had to and then shove us all out the door. I could be very wrong though and being very judgmental so I will give her the benefit of the doubt and see what kind of year Emery has.

Ashlynn is doing well, she is loving the time that she gets alone with mommy while Emery is at school. She will start preschool next week and I am going to let her ride the bus this year. The school is about a mile from our house and I have heard wonderful things about the bus driver and the assistant that she will be riding with. I am a nervous wreck about the whole thing but I am sure that Ashlynn will love it all. I can not believe that she is even old enough to be thinking about preschool. Although the school is based around children with disabilities. She started when she turned 3 and will continue until she goes to Kindergarten. The Kindergarten has a great program for children with special needs as well if she still needs it. My guess is that she will. She is very smart and I know that someday she will catch up but I think it is going to take some time. But what do you expect from a preemie right?

Chris is still loving his job, we just got a new position in developing and programming. He was so excited about it because that is where he wanted to be. He is doing well and it sounds like everyone there is really pleased with his work. He loves this new environment because it gives him a chance to show off the skills that he has and also learn and develop new skills. He also seems to really enjoy the long bus ride that he has every day. He says in the morning he gets an extra hour of sleep and in the afternoon he reads the paper. He comes home very happy and although after the long bus ride he then has a mile long bike ride, he seems to really enjoy it all.

We are almost totally settled into our new home. The upstairs is all put together and very comfortable. The basement needs a lot of work still but we are getting there. We are in desperate need of a new couch for down there but for now we are using a very old love seat that we got from my sisters in-laws and our camp chairs. It works, it is not very reasonable, but it works. We would also love to repaint every room down there, we have ideas for every room but again, paint and decor costs money and we just don't have that yet. We are going to make do with what we have though and we are very excited about our new home!

2008-08-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

Wow a lot has happened in the last few weeks. We made an offer on a house about 5 weeks ago and she accepted immediately! The only thing she wanted was to close in two weeks rather then the normal 4. We agreed thinking that would give us a good amount of time to get the apartment clean before we had to turn in the keys there and also give us time to have the house ready for us as well. So we cleaned, painted, and had the carpets cleaned before we moved in. On Saturday we made the big move and everything went really smoothly. Our only complaint is the previous home owner was a very dirty woman and we are dealing with the consequences now. She let her dogs do what they pleased, where they pleased and we are going to have to replace all the carpets as soon as we have the money. That really is the worst of it though. The yard are not finished but Chris and I see that as an opportunity to start all over again. We would really like to make the yards water wise and are going to start that project early next spring. We want to put in all drought resistant plants an grasses so that we can have a pretty green yard all summer long even if there are water restrictions on the community. It is going to be a lot of work but well worth it in the end. So now comes the moving in part, unloading boxes, finding where stuff will go and hanging pictures. The upstairs is almost all done, we just have to hang pictures and decorate rooms to give them personalities. The downstairs is another story, I haven't even looked down there yet. I am hoping by Labor Day that we will be almost done.

Emery started school yesterday as well. She seems to really like her teacher and she is really excited about making new friends. That poor kid got a lot of new this week, new room, new house, new friends, new church, new school, new teacher. She was very apprehensive yesterday but we made it through and she is very excited this morning to go to school again. I can't wait to see what she has to say about her second day of first grade.

Well that is all I have for this morning, I will post again soon.

In God We Trust Poll

2008-08-20T09:15:00.001-07:00

Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our faith
in God, as a nation. NBC is taking a poll on "In God We Trust" to stay on
our American currency. Please send this to every believer you know so they
can vote on this important subject. Please do it right away, before NBC takes
this off the web page. MSNBC poll is still open so you can vote.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

More house hunting

2008-06-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

Well we didn't get that house that we made an offer on. It is alright though because there is something out there and we will find it. We are starting to look outside of the valley now. I don't know if that is the answer but it might be worth it. The houses are newer and cheaper if we go that route, the downfall is the driving time is doubled and gas is not cheap. We only have one car as well so that makes it really tough on us as well. Something good will happen and we will be in a good place I am sure. I think what is getting me down though is that I am having a really hard time liking our realtor. She doesn't seem to be doing much work for us. Chris and I have found a lot of the homes that we have looked at and it gets frustrating wondering is she is really trying or just letting us do the work because we aren't paying as much as other clients might be. I don't know. Guess we will see.

Adventures in buying a house Part 3

2008-05-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Today we met our Realtor for the first time, walked through 5 different houses, and could not believe the trash that was out there. We saw a house that was so dirty, so stinky, so badly taken care of that it really needs to just be demolished and rebuilt from the ground up. I have never seen anything like that in my life. This house did not have one single wall that hadn't been scribbled on by kids with markers. It didn't have one inch or carpet that wasn't stained or had holes in it. There were holes in doors and walls and every room had a crazy dark color on it that would take removing the drywall to get off. I could not believe it!!

Then there was the house that had a beautiful layout, it was clean and well taken care off. The basement is not finished to our imaginations started to go wild!! It was beautiful, we loved it so much, we decided to make an offer on it. Now I left the house this morning with every intention of taking things very slow and looking around until we found the one. Well I think we did that today. We should know by Monday at 5 if our offer was accepted or not.

Everything is moving so fast that my head is still spinning with the day we had. Our Realtor is very sweet and easy to talk to, the lender was wonderful and approved us almost instantly, and the house was just perfect. How does this happen?!? I will keep you updated on how it is going, me might be in a house by July 4th!

Adventures in buying a house Part 2

2008-05-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

Wow it is amazing how fast this happens. I got a phone call from the lender yesterday and within 10 minutes, he had us pre-approved and ready to start looking for a house. I couldn't believe it. He called the Realtor and she told me that she wanted to know what we were looking for and that she would start sending me lots to look at online, then if I saw anything I was interested in, we could go out on Saturday and start looking at houses. I really thought that this would talk longer then this. I had no idea that we could be looking already by Saturday.

Adventures in buying a house. Part 1

2008-05-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

So Chris and I have finally decided to take the big plunge and start looking for a house. We are so very tired of living in apartments and are really ready for our girls to have a yard to play in of their very own. I thought it might be fun to blog about the process every step of the way. I have seen this process from both ends of the spectrum. When my parents bought their house 4 years ago, it took them months and they had three different buyers fall through before they could sell their old home. It was a really long hard experience for them. On the other hand, my sister needed to get into a home within a month of them starting the process. It took them three weeks without hardly any problems at all. I am hoping we follow in my sisters footsteps and not my parents.

We have already called our credit union to see what we might be able to afford and I have also made contact with a Realtor, we have an appointment with her on Friday. We are also waiting on a phone call from a lender to help us figure out our money. I am a little scared and unsure of all of this, but I am sure we are in for an adventure.

Rules when recording family video's

2008-05-20T08:15:00.001-07:00

So recently Chris and I have been going through old family movies so we can get them backed up on our computer. When you are copying movies to a computer, you just have to let them run their course. No fast forwarding or skipping stuff. So we had to watch everything. Throughout this process Chris and I came up with some vital rules to follow when taping and event or party.

1. When at the zoo, don't worry about what the animals are doing. You can see that animal anytime at any zoo. What is your kid doing while watching that animal. Their faces just might be more fun to watch then that tiger pacing his cage.

2. If you want to record your wifes baby shower, that is great. But don't get her opening every single present. It was boring for the guests the first time and will be for you and whoever has to sit and watch it with you the second time.

3. No one cares what your Christmas decorations look like. You won't even care what they look like in a few years. You see the same Christmas village every single year when you pull it out for your celebration. It is already in your head and no one else cares what it looks like. Now, if you want to show them off, have someone stand in front of that tree and do something. Others will be able to see the tree while watching someone do something entertaining.

4. When you are at a social event, get a few seconds at everyone that was there, you might wonder who your friends were later in life.

5. Before you start taping something new, always check to make sure that you have a clean tape or spot on your current taps to record onto. If not you just might recored over something important.

6. If you are lucky enough to own your own camcorder, get it out more then a couple times a year. Your family is making memories and you will want to remember them. That expensive piece of equipment is not meant to just look pretty on top of that shelf.

We learned all of this the hard way. Maybe someone out there reading this will take my advise and make sure they never make the same mistakes that we have. I know I am going to be better about camcorder do's and don't.

I love being a mom!

2008-05-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

I love my girls so much, they are my world!! When I was a little girl I always knew that I would be the happiest if I could just be a mommy. What I didn't realize was how stressful and scary and hard and fulfilling this job could be. My children are both very bright and very busy. I never imagined that a child could be so hard and so wild as my little Emery is, and to make matters worse, Ashlynn is following right behind her. When I was growing up, my sisters and I were shy, quiet, mellow little girls. We liked to play in our rooms with each other and didn't really need to be entertained my our parents very often. My little rascals have a hard time being alone in there rooms. They are constantly under my feet and more loud then I could have ever dreamed two children could be. I have been tested beyond my limits and I am constantly calling my mom and my mother-in-law for advice and help on how to handle these busy little girls. My mom is always at a lose because she too thinks that my kids are tough. But my mother-in-law says I just need to keep them busy all the time. I have figured that out of course but wow is it a challenging job. There have even been times (very short amounts) that I think I don't like my kids, I want quiet mellow children. Then I realize that then they wouldn't be mine. I have also come to realize that if I want them to help me with anything and a temper tantrum explodes, I need to get down to their level and talk to them very calmly and quietly. Yelling has never worked with Emery and I am not below bribing her either.

As you all know, Chris and I are no stranger to Ashlynn being sick all the time. She has always got a cold or a fever or something that we need to take her to the doctor for. In fact just yesterday I found out she will probably need her second set of tubes for her ears to drain and might need surgery to have her adenoids removed. She has never been able to breath through her nose quite right and it gets worse as she gets older. This was nothing new to me. In fact I have come to expect these things from her.

Emery on the other hand is never sick. She is the healthiest little kid that I know. (Just like her mommy.) But let me tell you, when she does gets sick, she gets really sick. I am talking temperatures of 104. She actually did this just yesterday was well. When she gets that sick, I get really panicky and worried about her. I also realize in those moments how much I love her. She has always been my sweet little girl that wants to help. While Ashlynn was in the hospital, she had to grow up a lot. Faster then I would ever want a kid to grow up. She also became the best little helper in the world. She did everything that I asked and even at 3 and 4 years old acted way older then her age. Even when I was pregnant and scared that I would lose Ashlynn, Emery was there to just cuddle with me and make me feel better. I know that without her around, I would have just curled up in bed and waited for it all to end. She kept me going, she kept me alive. I really regret making her grow up so fast, I wish I could go back in change some things, but I know she is a happy little girl and I know that I love her so much!!

I know that both girls are to young to read this, but I want them to know how much I love them. I thank our Heavenly Father every day for the opportunity to be their mommy. I never feel worthy enough, but I am so glad he trusted me enough to give me them. I would never change them, not ever. Their sweet, beautiful, loud, wild spirits is what makes them so wonderful!!

I love you Emery and Ashlynn.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful mothers day yesterday. It actually turned into a full weekend thing as Chris didn't know what to get me and I what I wanted was some very strange things. I noticed the other day that I had a wrinkle on my forehead and I needed to take care of that problem immediately. So I wanted a bunch of expensive lotions and face washes and knew that it would be expensive in the end. I also have the worst ankles in the world. I fall all the time because my ankles roll. I have always know that I needed to put some money into my shoes so that I could have all the help I could get. So we also went and picked out some New Balance shoes for me. By the end of the day I was feeling really old but glad that I was finally taking care of the problems know instead of needing surgery years done the road on my ankles and an old dried up wrinkly face. I was actually thrilled with my gifts and can honestly say that I will use them every day.

Sunday morning Chris and I got up and got ourselves and the girls ready for church. We had to get there a little early as the bishopric wanted to see us. We didn't now what it was about and were actually a little apprehensive about what we were going to hear. We didn't have anything to worry about though. We were both given callings to be Primary workers, I will be working with the achievement day girls and Chris with the cub scouts. We were both excited for these callings and can't wait to get started. Church was very good as well, we had some great lessons and Sacrament meeting was wonderful. The Primary kids sang as well as all of the men. It was a very spiritual morning for all of us.

After church we had lunch and put the girls down for naps before going to my parents house for Mothers Day dinner. And of course there just happened to be a Jazz game on so we watched that and really enjoyed the afternoon. At 4 o'clock we went over to my parents house and had a wonderful evening together. When we all get together like that, there is a lot of laughing and talking. We really are a very tight family and we all look forward to time that we get to spend with together. This evening was a little different then other nights though, we decided that we wanted to look at some old pictures and knowing they were in my moms ceder chest (which was a huge mess) we all gathered in her room and started pulling stuff out and going through old Mothers day gifts that my sister and I had made for my mom in school and looking at pictures of us all growing up. It was so much fun remembering our childhood together and laughing about all the good times we had together. We stayed at their house until after 10 o'clock just because we were all having such a good time. It will be a night that we won't forget for a long time.

So Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mom's out there. I hope you had great days like we did and made some great memories that you will be able to talk about years down the road. Those days are worth remembering!

What is up with people?!?

2008-05-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

On Monday I had to go to the DMV because I have never had my driver’s license changed to a Utah from my Colorado one. Did I mention that I have been in Utah for almost 3 1/2 years now? Yeah I know that is bad but it is true. Because I had been out of Utah for so many years I had to take the driver’s test to get a new license. Chris had done the same thing about a year ago and told me that when I went, I would need my SS Card, my current driver’s license, and a piece of mail to prove that I have a Utah address. So I gathered everything I needed and headed out to drop Emery off at school and to get that test taken care of. Well when I got to the DMV there was a line to just get a number to get in the real line. So after waiting about 15 in this line I finally got to the desk to get my number. When I got there, the clerk asked me for all my stuff so that I could get though. So I showed him my license, mail, and SS card. He told me I needed two pieces of mail. I was frantic and started looking through my purse to see if I could find something in there, I didn't want to have to go home and then come back just to start all over again. He then asked me if I had my car registration, well my car was in the shop and the registration in the car. I told him this and that I was sorry. He then said, and I quote, "Damn it you people make my life hell". I was shocked!!! I didn't know this guy and hadn't done anything at all to deserve that language being thrown at me. I told him I was sorry again and he then said, and I quote again "Now you’re going to just have to come back tomorrow and you will bring 10 others with you and make my life miserable." Again shocked!! My first instinct was to grab my stuff and get out of there. I was hurt and very angry to say the least. I know now that I should have immediately asked the guy to speak with his manager but I couldn't even get my brain to go that far, all I wanted was to get away from that man and get out of that building. When I got home and after telling Chris what had happened, he started calling the DMV to complain to someone, anyone about I was treated. Of course the phone system was broken and so was their website so we couldn't send in a complaint that way either. I knew that if I was going to get this taken care of, I was going to have to go back and confront the man myself. So I got two more pieces of mail to prove that I lived here and made my way back to that horrible place. I got back in that line, scared and anxious to get through and find a supervisor to speak with. Well when I got to the desk, the clerk said very rudely, "looks like she went home and got what she should have brought the first time." Again I couldn't believe that he was talking to me this way. I hadn't even said anything to him yet. I got my number and decided that I would talk to the next person that I needed to work with about getting that manager. Well I then sat in that line for over 45 minutes and in that time had a chance to calm down and was going to just let it slide. Well at that point my dad called and had heard what had happened from my mom (I told her the story while I was on my way home the first time.) he was furious and told me that I couldn't let this one go, I had to talk to someone about this so that we could get him to maybe not treat people that way anymore. Through that conversation, my dad got me all riled up again and I was now ready to get things taken care of. Well I eventually did talk to someone about this man and I have also written a letter and sent it to that office and the main office to let them know what happened. I just kept thinking, if he is treating me, an English speaking white women that way, how was he treating others? It had to be taken care of.

Also this week our car was in the shop getting all the repairs done from your two accidents as I mentioned above, so we have been driving a rental. We were driving a car (Chevy Cobalt) instead of our SUV (Hyundai Santa Fe) and it felt very strange to be in such a small car. Chris kept saying he felt like he was dragging his butt on the ground. I was very nervous in it all week because I didn't want a scratch or dent in that car at all. I didn't want the responsibility of fixing that one as well. Well with my nerves on high alert and from taking that test on Monday, I noticed every little mistake that the drivers were making on the road all week. There are a lot of very poor drivers out there. Well the whole week went well, not a ding, scratch, or crack at all. I was very relieved this afternoon to be taking that car back and to be getting my car. Well I was about 2 minutes from the Enterprise rental office and driving in the center lane of a three way street. The right lane was at a stop because of the traffic light and someone had stopped and let another driver out of a parking lot. Well instead of getting into that lane or stopping to see if it was safe to cut all the lanes of traffic to get in the left turning lane, he just hit his gas and flew out of that parking lot. If I hadn't of had room to swerve into the other lane to avoid him, he would have hit the rental car with my and the girls in it at a very high speed and more than likely totaled the car and hurt us all very badly. When I looked at the guy, he was yelling at me like it was my fault!!! I was minding my own business driving down MY lane and not doing anything illegal or dangerous at all.

So with all this excitement this week, I have decided that I am going to become a professional agoraphobic and never leave my house again. It is way too dangerous out there for me.

Miracles

2008-05-06T06:43:00.001-07:00

Have you ever just thought about how children grow? At certain ages they are a specific size, they are doing certain things. You never really realize what miracle it is that they are so perfect, that everything just seems to happen like clockwork. Then there are the children that need that little extra push, they aren't quite to the standers of the world. They might be to small or don't speak as well as other children their age. Well I have one of each, not that there are only two categorize for children, there are probably thousands of categorize for children in fact. But in my world, I have Emery who is extremely bright, above her age really. She is reading a lot more then I ever imagined a kindergarten child could read at this point. She just absorbs everything she is taught and wants to learn all that she can. Then there is Ashlynn, smart in her own way but behind. Granted she is a preemie and her little body is trying very hard to catch up to her brain. You can tell that she is brilliant, but just is not there yet. She is also tiny!! Ashlynn is now almost 3.5 years old and has just graduated to the 18-24 month clothing line. She is starting to say several words including "yes" and "candy" and is even putting together two word sentiences. Some of our favorites are "hear you go" which sounds like "he go" and "walk please" or "wok peas". She also is using her head to tell us yes and no a lot and when she doesn't like what she is eating, she makes a funny face, shakes her head no and says "like". It is very funny! Since January she has been attending a preschool that has changed her so much. She is learning things and interacting with other children better then I could have ever imagined. She even stopped crying when we put her in nursery at church since preschool started. It is amazing to watch her grow and develop, we have had to put so much work into her, stuff that normal healthy children are able to accomplish without much help.

Having Ashlynn has opened our eyes to what miracles babies and children really are. We have always said that she is our miracle because she survived, and she is. But Emery too is a huge miracle. She was born healthy and has stayed healthy so far. That is a true miracle! With everything that can go wrong with kids, it is a miracle that any of them come out healthy.

Much needed quiet week

2008-05-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

It has been a pretty quiet week so far (which I am glad for). But the last few months leading up to my much needed quiet week is finally all taken care of and almost done. Let me start from the beginning. Let see I guess I will start with my teeth; I have not been to a dentist in over three years. The last time I went was when I was pregnant with Ashlynn and I got x-rays and a root canal then. Well not long after Ashlynn came to early (as close friends and family know) and the rest of my dental work got put on hold. Well I let it go for way to long and I lost a feeling back in July. I didn't think much of it and wanted to wait until our dental insurance was renewed so I could get full benefits and not worry about money. So sometime in late March I finally went to have things looked at and not going sooner was the biggest mistake I have made in a long time!! I had 8 cavities and a root canal that needed to be fixed. So we started the work right away and had the root canal done a week after the checkup and cleaning. Well the doctor finished the canal and sent me on my way. Everything seemed to be good and the pain was gone. But, there was still a little numbness in my lip. That concerned me so I called the doctor back to see if it was normal. Of course it wasn't, numbness doesn't stay in your lip days after a root canal. So I went back into the office and had him look at me. Well he wasn't sure what to do so the dentist sent me to an oral specialist. After visiting the specialists office, I found out that the dentist had drilled to deep into my gums and filled in the hole right on top of a nerve bundle that gives feeling to the lip and chin. I needed surgery to have the cement removed, the root shortened and the nerve bundle cleaned up. This surgery could allow feeling to come back into my lip but the risks are that I might not ever get the feeling back and it might become worse. I decided to take the risk and have the surgery. I needed to be able to feel my lip!! Well it has now been two weeks since the surgery and the entire right side of my bottom lip and chin are still totally numb and it could take months for the feeling to come back, if it ever comes back. What a mess. Well after that ordeal I only had enough insurance left to fix two more cavities so I had that done and the rest will have to be put on hold for another year. I just hope and pray that they don't worsen before I can get back in and have them fixed.
Our next great adventure was car problems! Everyone loves those right? Well we needed new tires and our windshield replaced before we could get the car registered this year. So getting all that done was a small fortune but thank heaven we had it and we were on our way to a beautiful healthy car again. Well a few days after getting the windshield replaced, I was dropping Chris off at the Trax station and started to drive to go back home. I didn't see the car behind me and as she drove past, I smashed right into her car. Yup, damaged our bumper and her door. (So much for a beautiful healthy car). Well after talking to the insurance company about everything, Chris decided that he could fix the bumper himself for cheaper than our deductible. So we decided to take that route. We started pricing bumpers and where just getting ready to order one to replace ours and one morning on the way to school, while driving through the parking lot of our apartment complex, a girl pulled out of her spot and slammed into our back driver side door. I was mad but relieved it wasn't my fault this time. Well now we had two things that needed to be fixed on the car. At this point we decided to just let their insurance pay for the damage the girl did to the door and have our insurance pay for the damage on our bumper and have it all done at once. This way we only pay one deductible and get both fixed at the same time. So relieved that things where being taken care but upset because it shouldn't have happened in the first place, we are taking our car into the shop on Monday and then maybe, just maybe, we can have a happy healthy car again.
So as you can see, we are in need of a quiet week without any problems or mishaps. I just hope they continue.

Spirit Week

2008-04-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

It was “spirit week” this week at school. It consisted of several different outfits and funny hair dos. Emery was so excited because she got to do some things that I would never let her do otherwise. She couldn’t wait for Friday because she was going to get to wear her PJ’s to school that day, it is all she talked about all week in fact. I thought it might be fun to do my first real post about this week and have pictures and everything attached. So here is what we did all week long at school.Monday was “Sports Day”. Now if you know Chris and me you know that we are not big sports fans at all. We follow a few of the teams scores but don’t watch the games and really don’t care about them. So when they wanted us to dress our kid in a jersey or something sporty I was at a lose. I didn’t want to put the money into something that Emery would wear once and that normally costs a ton of money. So I made an executive decision as Emery’s mom and we got her a ballerina outfit. I know that this isn’t technically a sport, but it should be. Have you seen those people dance?

Tuesday was wear a hat to school day. This one we figured we could do pretty easy, daddy wears hats every day. But Emery’s head is a lot smaller then daddy’s so we headed back out to the store and went searching for the perfect hat. Well thanks to daddy and Papa, Emery has a love for Cowboy hats! She also loves being a princess so when we found this hat, we knew it was meant to be.

Wednesday was “Blast From the Past”. This one was a lot harder for us. We had nothing in the house to even come close for something resembling an outfit from the 60’s, 70’s, or 80’s. I wasn’t even sure that I could find something to fit Emery from those decades. Well at about 8:30 Tuesday night I decided that I needed to bit the bullet and head to the store one more time. So after an hour of wandering Wal-Mart. I had an 80’s replica that I thought looked pretty good. It is what I would have liked wearing then anyway.

Thursday was a lot easier, “Crazy Hair Day”. With all the experience I had doing my sisters hair and my own hair, I didn’t have a problem at all with this one. The one thing I can't figure out though is, why on earth can't little kids give you a decent smile?

Friday was “Pajama Day”. That one is easy right? Well not when you let your kid sleep in old tee-shirts that are way to big on her. So yes, we had to go to the store and get Emery a new pair of PJ’s. She of course didn’t mind one bit, and she did really need them.

All in all it was a really fun week for Emery. I think her favorite day was of course Friday because how often do you get to go to school in your jammies? My personal favorite was Wednesday, when I was a little girl I dressed just like that so it was fun to relive that time with Emery. All in all it was a good week, a little pricey but I guess that is the what parents do to make their kids happy.

Just for the record

2008-04-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have watching the

news and may have wondered…….

Some Mormon women sing...

Some Mormon women dance...

Some Mormon women write scary stories...

Some Mormon women have lots of money and really

Great hair…

I know hundreds of Mormon women.

They do all kinds of different things and live all different

Kinds of lives…

This woman served as a leader in the Mormon

Church. She recently spoke to teen age girls

worldwide. She encouraged them to stand up to

peer pressure, strengthen their families and

serve others.

None of the Mormon women I know look like this...

None of them are marrying off their teenage daughters

and-- although some may joke about wanting a sister-

wife (preferably one who is really fat & ugly, does

bathrooms and changes diapers)--none of them really

want to share their husband with anyone.

Furthermore...

Some Mormon guys can throw a ball...

Some Mormon guys yell at the ball...

Some Mormon guys make scary movies...

Some Mormon guys have a lot of money and really

great hair...

I know hundreds of Mormon guys. They do all kinds of

different things and live all kinds of different lives.

This is one of the leaders of the Mormon church. Last

Sunday he spoke about honoring women,

especially mothers, and gave advice to husbands and children

about how to treat the women in their lives.

None of the Mormon men I know look like this...

The Mormon men I know are honest and hard-working.

They don't cheat, smoke, drink or gamble. And TRUST

ME....the last thing any of them want is another wife.

New Blogg and Tag

2008-04-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

So after much thought and a lot of friends telling me I need to take up blogging again, I have decided to start a new blog. It has been a very long time since I blogged and I did enjoy it because it was a way to keep a journal of sorts and to keep friends and family up to date with my life. I can't promise that there will be daily updates or anything but I will do my best to keep everyone up to speed on my life.

My sweet husband tagged me with his blog and so I am going to keep it up.

Directions: Pick up the nearest book. Open to page 123 and type in the 5th sentence on the page. Tag 3 others.

The Sentence: The problem was, soft and abundant women were seen to their best advantage when naked.
The Book: Back When We Were Grownups By: Anne Tyler

My three tags are going to be: Brooke, Kellie, and Mom