Misc.

A quick explanation: You haven't heard from me for a number of reasons: moving, vacation, and getting settled are among them. However, it is significant that I haven't had a home phone, internet, or TV (which has nothing to do with not communicating, but has been painful nonetheless) until last Thursday. However, we have yet to figure out what our new e-mail address is. I hope to call the company (local) on Monday and get that sorted out. So, anyway, if you want my new info (some of you have already let me know) you can respond in the comments, and I will get it to you (provided I have yours . . . Oh, and provided that you're not some creepy freak who's intent on stalking my family.)

**************

As parent, we try to instill goodness, honesty, and correct principles. In connection with this, I've been trying to teach Ben to treat others the way he would want to be treated.

The other day, Ben came to me with a necklace that he had picked out for me, and which I had purchased for $1.00. He said to me, "Mom, I've been thinking about the golden rule. Since I gave you this necklace, I was wondering when you were going to give me something.?"

So close, . . . and yet soooo far away!


**************

Brianna is getting more and more independent. At her two-year old check-up, the Pediatrician warned that we would probably see some regression with the big move. Boy, was he wrong! Brianna now thinks she is a teenager!! It is lucky she is soooooo incredibly cute, because she is already rolling her eyes at her parents, giving crusty looks, and saying our names with that 'I can't believe you really want me to do that' tone.
Thankfully, she balances that with her sweet, funny, darling little personality. She keeps us laughing and smiling (even when she's giving us 'tude.)

Today, during Sacrament meeting, she got my phone out and was playing with it. So that she wouldn't accidently call someone, I turned it off. When she realized this, she said, with complete authority in her voice, "No Mommy!! No, No, Mommy!! Naughty!"

Then, after church, I retrieved something from the dishwasher and closed it. She was standing there, and said, "No, Mommy. Wrong!" I said, "What? I closed the dishwasher wrong?" She said, "Wrong! Quick, go!" and she tried to shoo me from the kitchen!

She is a hoot!

***********

Today, when I walked out to the car, Ben said, "Wow, mom! You look soooooo pretty! You look even prettier than you did yesterday! In fact, you look marvelous!"

Hmmm, I'm feeling pretty good about now.


**************

Waaaah! Boo Hoo!

I'm missing my dear friends that we left. I don't yet feel a part of this ward, though everybody's nice. There's no one here who knows my heart, and no one here whose heart I know. I understand that this will come with time, but that isn't helping me to miss all my dear friends any less.

So, here's to you, my stellar friends! To those who accepted me without judgement; who allowed me into your hearts and lives; who lifted and encouraged me when I was down; who made me laugh (and cry); whom I know I could call and count on for help; who understood me, and knew my story; to each and every one of you: I LOVE YOU AND I MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY!!!

This week, I took Ben to get registered for 1st grade. I had looked on-line to see what information I needed to bring. I gathered the information, and felt confident that we could go and get this done. However, as I sat there, filling out the paperwork, I realized: I don't have a Pediatrician yet; I don't even know anyone to call to get a recommendation; I don't know two people to put as emergency contacts who would be allowed to pick up Ben! Suddenly, I felt rather alone.

As I left with the incomplete paperwork, I decided to ease my sadness, by taking the kids to lunch. Half-way through lunch, Ben gets this horrible lower abdominal pain. He's bent over double, and crying. So, I consolidate our food into one kids meal bag; shove that into the diaper bag; pick Ben up; and try to get Brianna to follow us to the car. So, with no pediatrician, and no one to call for a recommendation, I started driving, not sure what to do. Ben is telling me he wants to go to a doctor, so I head to the ER, but on the way I realize: I don't know if we have insurance yet!! At this point, I had to remind myself that I was the adult, and that my curling up in the fetal position, rocking back and forth, and sobbing would do nothing to help my boy.

So, instead, I went to this really great ENT and had him check on my boy. He determined that it wasn't appendicitis, and that was as much as we figured out. I loaded the kids back up, and headed home. On the way, the pain subsided.

The moral of the story: I miss you! I know I could have called any of you for a recommendation or for help or advice. But you were waaaaay across the country, and we were here.

The other moral of the story: Moving far away from everyone and everything that is familiar really stinks. (Sorry, Tiff.)

Holy Cow!! Have you missed me?? Because I've sure missed you!!!!

Wow!!! That is the most accurate word I can find to express my thoughts and feelings about what has transpired in my life in the last month and a half!

As Inigo says, in the Princess Bride: "Le' me 'splain. . . . No, there is too much. Le' me sum up:"

James graduated from his residency program!!!! Yay!! Yay!! Yay!! Both James' and my parents were able to fly out to attend his graduation. It was wonderful to have them there to celebrate this momentous occasion with us. At all of the festivities, we heard again and again from those he had worked with what a stellar doctor/surgeon/resident/person/etc. that he is. (Not that any of us doubted. But, after all of that HARD work, it was nice to hear them say it so sincerely.)

On that same weekend, our wonderful, beautiful, hilarious, fun daughter turned two years old! It was a pretty low-key celebration with everything else that was going on, but I think she had fun and knew that she was loved and adored. (We'll make it up to her when she's old enough to care about the festivities.)

After these events, James had to work two more weeks. Yes, I know, who ever heard of graduating two weeks before you're actually finished??!? And I spent a lot of time packing.

Our home (not our house, but everything that makes a house a home) was packed into a truck and gone about 5 days before we moved. So, we camped in our home. The kids were in sleeping bags on the floor, and did AMAZINGLY well. So well, in fact, that James and I considered doing away with their real beds all together.

The Sunday before we left, some dear friends threw us a going away party! It was fabulous! We so enjoyed having a chance to visit and say goodbye to so many dear, wonderful people who have impacted our lives and have been the truest of friends. Boy, do we miss you all!!

Then, Monday, June 30th, we closed on both houses, finished up some things around town, (got stranded with a dead car battery for an hour or two), dropped one car off to be driven across the country by some friends, and headed across the country.

The drive across the country was about what I expected. Mostly it was good. The kids, especially Ben, did really well over-all. Brianna, however, finally revolted on the third day, about 4 hours before our final destination. We endured a rough four hours, but we all made it . . . ALIVE. We stayed in a hotel that night, and took possession of our new home the next day. Unfortunately, our things (you know, all that stuff that makes a house a home) didn't arrive for another 3 1/2 days.

Then, because we hadn't had enough living out of suitcases and sleeping in hotels or on the floor, we left on vacation early the next morning. I was soooo exausted the night before we were to leave, that I SERIOUSLY considered cancelling the whole vacation. But, as I prayed about it, I felt we should go. (Plus, James wouldn't have let me cancel it.) So, we went. Boy, am I glad we did!! It was really fun! Yes, we were still tired, but we were all together and we were doing FUN things together. I think it was important that we did that. We formed great memories, and it was wonderful to see how Ben's confidence grew the more time he spent with his Daddy. Brianna was really fun as well. She has never stayed in a stroller very well; she would rather push it, than ride in it. However, our first day in San Diego, we stopped at a Wal-Mart and purchased a cheap umbrella stroller, figuring that would be cheaper than renting one at our different places of amusement. Brianna LOVED that stroller, and rode in it quite a bit. It made our whole vacation go much better. She was even able to nap in it! Thank you, stroller!

The following is a quick summary of our vacation in pictures. More detail will have to wait for another post.

Thanks to a VERY LONG lay-over on our return trip, I was able to attend a baby shower for my youngest brother's wife, and James was able to visit his sister and her brand new baby!

Since returning from vacation, we have spent a great deal of time unpacking and organizing. Our house is really starting to come together. I made James promise that we would hang pictures before we had already lived here four years. (James was a bit busy when we lived in our last house, and there were rooms that literally didn't get pictures hung for a good 3 1/2 to 4 years!)

James began working this last Monday, and is loving it! His partners are really great guys, as well as all the others he works with. Our neighborhood and entire area is just beautiful, and we feel very blessed to be here.

The first three days James worked, he was home by 5:30pm. 5:30!!!! I was so happy, I could hardly contain myself! It was a bit confusing, though. I kept thinking I needed to put the kids to bed right away after he got home. I mean, surely, if the kids are still up when James gets home, then they are up waaay past their bedtime, right?? Ha, ha!! This is great!

This last weekend, we were able to have my parents and my oldest brother and his wonderful family come for a visit! It was so fun! My parents helped with so many projects that I don't think I could possibly name them all! We had yummy food, and wonderful companionship! Thanks for visiting!

Our door is always open to our friends and family! We would love to have you come visit!

(I think James had a great time on this vacation!! He became pretty good at surfing -- well, at least in this environment!)

Seriously, You DON'T Want to Know!

My kids usually do amazingly well at staying out of trouble while I'm in the shower. There is the occasional hurt feelings or fight over a toy, but for the most part, we get through that 10-15 minutes without incident. . . . Well, not so much today.



Toward the end of my shower, I could hear my little Brianna crying outside the door. I told her I would just be a minute, and continued to rinse, etc. She is not one to just cry and cry, so when there was no sign of her calming down, I got a bit worried. I hurried and finished, dried off, threw the towel around me and opened the door to find: Brianna standing near her diaper, in a puddle, with poop all down her legs. She immediately stopped crying and said, "I oh", which in Brianna-ese means "shower, please".

Well I bathed her for the second time, and put her down for her nap. While I was busy drying my hair, Ben appears at my door. Naked from the waist down, and holding his underwear out with two fingers, he announces, "I had a juicy toot." Indeed he had.

Eye, yi, yi, here's to hoping that your day wasn't quite as "poopy" as mine!!

Life Is a Series of Hello's and Goodbye's

I'm sitting here, at a loss for words. I don't know exactly what to say. We just returned from a successful house hunting trip out West. We are under contract to buy a home there, and are under contract to sell a home here. I'm on the threshold of MAJOR changes in my and my family's world; but somehow, I feel neither here nor there. I'm stuck somewhere in the middle -- tying up loose ends here, getting things set up and arranged for out there -- all while diligently ignoring the rollercoaster of emotions that is playing through my heart.
If I were to pay attention to the rollercoaster of emotions, it would be comprised of a sense of loss and sadness for the wonderful people we will be leaving here; anxiety and fear of the unknown; excitement and anticipation for our new adventure; worry for how my kids will do with all of the changes; concern for the drive across the country (30 hours in a car with 2 year old and a 6 year old??); and on and on. Whew! Good thing I'm ignoring all of that, because GEEZ, that would be exhausting to deal with!!

So, in my series of hello's and goodbye's, today I bid a fond adieu to my beloved current home, and soon I will say a hearty hello to my new home!

We actually close on both houses the same day, June 30th, and hope to be on the road by that evening!

My "Mid-West" Home

When we bought this baby, she was full of potential! She had original carpet/paint/cabinetry, etc. And, oh, the wall-paper -- ugh! We called the shag carpet color 'vomit', because . . . well, I guess that's self-explanatory. The main bathroom was sooooo dark, that we (and the home inspector) failed to see how water damaged the floor was. Needless to say, we did A LOT of fixing up on this home, and made it totally ours. We have loved it and we will miss it!

We will miss our swingset, and the way things just grow and grow here (whether you want them to, or not.)
We will ESPECIALLY miss our couch! The man who bought our home, decided that he wanted EVERY little thing that the home inspector found fixed or replaced. That added up pretty quickly. However, if we were willing to give him our couch (our beloved, super comfy, perfect for our family, and did I mention loved? couch), he wouldn't make us do any of the repairs, etc. (We've been in mourning over our couch since we signed the deal.)
And we have loved our kitchen. Small, but very nice.
Oh, ya, did I mention he wanted our refrigerator, too??

When he asked for my glider-rocker as well, I put my foot down!!

Goodbye, dear Mid-Western Home!!

Hello New Home in the West!!!

Our beautiful new home is situated on the corner of a small cul de sac.

James' favorite feature is that it is located 100 yards from a great paved trail that leads all through a State park with rivers and lakes. He can't wait to take Ben fishing!!

I think I could get used to this kitchen/dining area;
And this classy family room (connected to dining area);
And this master bedroom!
Yup, I think this will be a great place to raise our kids!


Hello and Goodbye.

Pigs and Fortunes

Ben brought home a book he made at school. It is called My Pig Book, by Ben. The first pages are filled with words that rhyme with pig, and words that also start with 'p'. The last page has the printed question: Some people have pigs for pets. What would you do if you had a pig as a pet?

Ben's answer, as written: I wid cil it and mak a fut bol awt uv it.

Translation: I would kill it and make a football out of it.

Some of you may be worried about Ben (especially those of you who own pigs); but personally, I am incredibly impressed with his creativity, and ability to think outside of the box -- or pig pen, in this case!

***********************

My fortune: You will do well to take a vacation travelling to the west.

Huh. Maybe there is something to those things, afterall.

To All the Girls I've Loved Before

A few years ago, while at a large family gathering, my sweet nephew stopped breathing. His mother had taken him upstairs to change a diaper, when all of a sudden he went limp. She looked down and he was already turning blue. She screamed, and several of us adults charged upstairs. When I saw his blue, limp body, I thought my heart would break, and I had never been so scared. He was just a few months older than Ben, which made the situation all the more real for me.

I was just standing there, unsure of what to do, or how to help, when my husband handed me the phone and said, "It's 9-1-1." Then he began checking my nephew. Immediately, I gathered my senses and took on a kind of detached efficiency mode. I calmly communicated the situation with the 9-1-1 operator, and gave her instructions to those helping with my nephew. I think I even went so far as to dictate who should give him a blessing.

Thankfully, this sweet little boy began breathing again, and is full of life and energy and happiness today!

I share this story with you as an extreme example of what happens to me when emotions are high, the pressure is on, and action is required: I become calmly detached and can be incredibly efficient when needed. It is my coping mechanism, to put a barrier between me and my emotions so that I can take care of the situation at hand.

I have become aware that I am once again in my detached-efficiency mode. Emotions are high: the heartache at leaving so many wonderful, dear friends who have positively impacted my life in so many ways; the excitement to finally be finished with James' indentured servitude -- to possibly gain more control over our time and schedules. The pressure is on: the stress of getting through these last weeks with a VERY intense schedule. Action is required: dealing with all of the arrangements involved with our move, the sell of our home, the purchase of another home, James' graduation, etc.

This is the longest I've ever lived in the same Ward in my adult life. It has been a fabulous experience! I feel like this Ward has been so patient and kind with me as I have grown up, and I have no doubt that they will continue to support and encourage each other in our absence.

It is difficult, with a barrier between me and my emotions, to adequately express to my dear sisters (and brothers) here just how much they mean to me. I guess I should have done it a few months ago, before the detachment set in. However, if I had the words to bridge the gap between me and my emotions, I would want to tell them each how their love and support through these last years has been invaluable; how their examples as they have endured trials and heartaches and challenges of their own have taught me so much; how their acceptance of me has helped me to accept myself; how I'm going to miss them, and how I will do double-takes again and again in our new town, when, for a split second, I think I see their face.

So, to all the girls (and boys) I've loved before, thank you! God bless you! And I(we) will miss you! (But not for another few weeks!)

Some Movies That I Wish I Owned

Bridge to Terabithia

Beautiful Mind

Dan in Real Life

Pirates Who Don't Do Anything

Hoodwinked

Stardust

Curious George

Steel Magnolias

Cinderella Man

The Snowball Express

Stranger Than Fiction

Hotel Rawanda

Life Is Beautiful



That's probably enough for now.

What are some movies that you would recommend??

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON. . .

We did it!!! We made reservations for a super-fantastic celebratory vacation!!! Thanks for all of your support/encouraging peer pressure/threats! It meant a lot to me!!

Now, as if that wasn't enough cause for excitement: (Drum Roll, PLease) We received an offer on our house today, and we are now under contract!!!!!!!! WAHOOOOOO!! Barring any problems with the inspection or with the buyer's financing, we have basically sold our home! Yay! What a huge burden lifted off of our shoulders.

Dream BIG!! Go Miniscule.

James and I have a history of settling for far less than we originally wanted. Let me give you some examples:

Example #1:
Before James graduated from Medical School, we had planned to go to Hawaii, or at least Disneyland to celebrate. We figured it was an exceptionally big deal, and that we should mark the occasion with some exceptional celebrating!

In actuality, rather than the exceptional celebrating we had wanted, we moved to our new home and worked until we were exceptionally exhausted fixing it up. We did eventually (meaning several months later) go to the local amusement park when we were given some free tickets.

Now, when you have Hawaii or Disneyland in your mind, it's really hard for even a good local amusement park to fill the expectation -- especially four months past due.

Example #2:
As our 10th Anniversary approached, we felt we should do something BIG to celebrate (sound familiar?). We discussed options such as flying our family out West, and leaving the kids with our parents while we had a get-away; or flying one of our mom's out here to watch the kids, while we had a get-away. Places such as Prince Edward's Island, the Great Smokey Mountains, Bryce Canyon, etc. were discussed.

In actuality, we did get away over-night one night when a dear friend offered to watch our kids. We went one exit away from our home and stayed in a hotel. This was several months before our actual anniversary. For our actual anniversary, I did an inexpensive make-over of our bedroom. Not terrible, but not Prince Edward's Island, etc.

Example #3:
This is a bit less dramatic, but it reflects the pattern. It had been a long week for both of us. We were tired, hadn't seen much of each other, and wanted a date. We were feeling pretty poor, so we decided that we would eat dinner at home, but then we would go to a restaurant for a yummy, decadent dessert.

In actuality, by the time we ate dinner, it was about time for the kids to go to bed. The thought of trying to enjoy an outing at a restaurant with tired/grouchy kids was daunting. So, one of us got the kids put to bed, and the other one went to the grocery store and picked up a treat.

***********

Why do I bring all of this up now? Well, because in 8 1/2 weeks, James will complete his residency program!! Five absolutely gruelling years -- all that we've been working for (professionally) for over nine years! A REALLY.BIG.DEAL, right? Yup.

Guess what sorts of possibilities we have been throwing around? Airplanes, hotels, rental cars, Disneyland, LEGOland, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, . . . you get the idea. I should be REALLY excited, right? Yea, sure.

I know I'm being immature, but I'm already pouting about the big celebration that will never come to pass. I guess I better just suck it up, and accept reality: I'll see you all at the local Target . . . maybe we can each pick something from the dollar section.