Fall 2007

We have had a terrific fall this year!! My sister and her family came home for a few weeks with our new little niece, Jacie!! The changing of the leaves has been absolutely gorgeous, once again!! It's hard for me to restrain myself from taking pictures of random things when it is so beautiful outside!! Our Halloween was spent playing with Sam & Jack! We had a great time and they looked adorable in their costumes! I am excited to see pics of the rest of our nephews and nieces as they start rolling in!! This picture of Nate & I was taken in October at Jacie's blessing, so it's pretty recent!! School is going well! It is keeping me busy but I am loving every minute of it! Nate has been staying pretty busy at work! He is pretty happy at his job which is such a great thing! It's always easier to work at a job that you enjoy! We are going to run and get some pictures printed, so I'm going to say ta ta for now!!

 

A Glimpse of the Past

I thought it would be fun to post a picture of Nate & I's very first date on our blog! I don't know why! Perhaps it's because I should be studying and my brain is not happy about it, so I'm taking a break!! Perhaps it's because some of you never knew us in our dating days!! Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps! Anyway, this picture was taken at MORP on April 19, 1996! How young we were!!!

Just Another Manic Monday

Good Morning All! It is a chilly Monday morning here in Logan, Utah! Fall has arrived and last weekend we had our first snow!! We are keeping warm with our many blankets, sweatshirts and yummy hot chocolate! I love winter because I get to drink all the hot chocolate that I want!! Anyway, I just thought I'd take a few minutes to ramble on about nothing in particular! One piece of very exciting news is that we got a new niece this weekend! Nate's sister Carlynne had her baby! We got pictures through e-mail last night and she is adorable and beautiful and I can't wait to meet her in person! With the births of Jack, Jacie & now Elizabeth this year, our biological nephew & niece count is up to 13!! I say biological count because we have some good friends who have or are about to have kids that love just as much as our siblings kids!! So it has been an exciting year for us that way!!
I'm trying to think of any other exciting news that may be happening! My sister's family is here from Colorado for the week!! We are excited to spend time with them and to have a Transformer's party with their boys after Tuesday!! Nate is very excited for the movie to come out and assures me that he will be walking to Best Buy on his first break tomorrow to purchase the movie!
School has been going good! I am looking forward to Thanksgiving Break from school and work!! It will be a nice breather for me before Finals come!! Next week I have two field trips visiting Residential Schools for the Deaf, and I am very excited for those. It will be my first "immersion" experience into the Deaf Culture, and I can't wait to get involved!
I can't think of much else going on and I need to get some studying done before I head to work, so I'll go! We'll be back later!

Thank Goodness It's FRIDAY

Oh my, what a long week it has been! We have both been dealing with scratchy throats, stuffy noses and the rest of the good stuff that comes with a cold! But, the good news is, we have been diligently taking our Airborne and our vitamins and drinking the yummy OJ, and we seem to be on the mend, and today is FRIDAY!! Friday to us means no work, no school (okay, some studying, but no attending classes), and lots of rest and relaxation! We are planning for some yummy dinner and some good fun tonight, and then we'll see what tomorrow brings!!!

Well, for those of you whom we haven't talked to in quite a while, I'm just gunna give a quick DualAutoBiography (is that what it is if it's about two people?) so that when we ramble on in future posts you'll know what's going on in our lives!!

Nate is currently the PC Technician at Staples!! He seems to really enjoy the people that he works with and he LOVES taking apart and fixing the computers! I've said it once and I'll say it again, he is one big nerd!!! (He knows I mean that in the loving way!) He has been going to the chiropractor to see if they can chiro his headaches away, and it's totally working! He has been getting migranes since he was a kid - he's had a couple MRI's and tried every drug in the book and nothing seemed to help! He started going to Dr. Hunter and he has been fairly headache free for the last few months! He is like a whole new Nate!!! It is so nice and we are extremely grateful to find something that is working for him!!

I have been crazy run around woman with school and work, and it seems like I've always got some place to be, but I have to admit I love the busy schedule!! I do relish my weekends and my time with Nate though!! I am now a Jr. at USU and I've finally decided on a Major! It's a miracle! I have decided to go into Deaf Education and to aspire to be an interpreter!! We'll see if I make it to interpreting, I may fall in love with being in a classroom with such amazing kids, but for now, that is my plan! I am in Sign Language 1 and I absolutely love it!! I am also working about 20 hours a week, which is just enough to keep me on the edge of insanity!! My job is very interesting and it keeps me on my toes! (I'm a Legal Assistant).

Well, I feel like I've been very informative for the moment and I can't think of much else to say at this time, so we'll sign off for now!! Bye!!

Random Thoughts

Hey everyone, I just thought I'd take a second to post!! We had such a great time at the Trans! As always, they are terrific hostesses and we had a great time with the kids and meeting little beautiful adorable Jacie!! How come you all have such adorable kids, huh? I only hope that ours will someday measure up! It was hard to come home from such a great trip but we were able to meet up and have breakfast with Jen & Scoutie on our way home, so that was great as well! Scoutie had fun playing games with Nate and getting little green Martian men from the quarter machines! He is so funny and spunky!

Since we got back we have been immersed in work and school! Nate is still loving his job at Staples! They were happy to have him back from our trip, so they love him too! He has a pretty regular schedule which is nice so that we can plan our evenings! He is getting pretty baby hungry, especially after being around Jacie! We were driving home and he asked if we could go see Joe & Ollie so that he could just hold Jack! We have decided that the only way we could be happy after we have a baby is if we just have twins, so that we can both hold one and not have to fight over who gets to hold them!!

Speaking of baby land - I am going to the Dr. on the 28th to get the whole process started! I am very excited and very nervous, depending on which way it all goes down... I really feel that it is time for us to start trying and getting the help that we need, so I hope that those feelings are a sign from Someone with a little more knowledge that I have, and not just my own wantings... we feel really good about taking this step at this time though, so I'll keep you all updated!!

School is going so good! By the time my classes come around each week I am tired because I've worked for 5 hours, but when I get up to campus I feel excited and ready to learn!! My classes have been challenging this far, but I feel like I am learning and comprehending, and that makes me very happy! I am absolutely loving my sign language class and driving Nate crazy because he's not understanding a word that I say, well, sign, to him... I've got to practice on someone, and he's slowly getting some of the words! I've carried on a couple 10-15 minute conversations without using my voice, and it is so awesome! The nice thing about sign language is if you don't know the sign for something, you can finger spell it, so no matter what, there is a way to communicate!

All right, I'm gunna sign off now! Have a great day!!

Colorado

Hey all! How are you? Well, it is Labor Day night and Nate & I are hanging out at the Trans house! We sent Jess, Phuc & Jacie out on a date and stayed home with the three older kids! We had dinner, popcorn complete with candy boogers and whoppers, and watched a little "Unaccompanied Minors." We have had such a great time here and meeting Jacie has been so much fun! She is so beautiful and I already love her so much!! We are hoping to meet up with Jen & Scoutie tomorrow on our way home, but it will take a little finessing to get our timing right, so we'll see what happens!

Anyway, the kids are sleeping and I'm waiting for our laundry to finish before we can get packed up cuz we are leaving bright & early tomorrow so I thought I'd drop a line or two! Yesterday we went up to Cannon City and went to Buckskin Joe's Cowboy Town! It was... fun for the kids... and we got some great pictures, so it was worth it!! What else have we done? We have had some water gun fights, done a little shopping, made diet coke/mento explosions, played some Fumbly Pegs, Apples to Apples and lots of cards!! We have really had a great time and we are grateful for Jess & Phuc letting us come and stay! Anyway, I'd better go get things rounded up to quicken up the packing tomorrow!!

I'll be back soon!

Jacie Caitlyn

Good, good morning!! It is a lovely Friday Morning and as promised, here is a picture of my new beautiful niece Jacie Caitlyn!!! We get to go to Colorado a week from today and meet her, and I am very excited about that!!! We are going to head out over Labor Day and stay with Jess & Phuc for a few days!! I'm excited to see them and to hang out with the kids, and I can't wait to snuggle up to the baby!!

Well, as expected, this summer is officially past and school starts up again on Monday. I've been saying that I'm ready for school to start, but I've realized that I've only crossed off a few things on my Summer To Do List! That kind of sucks, but I am ready to get back into a routine and to feel like I am advancing in my life! I am taking 14 credits this semester and working 25 hours a week - oddly enough - my schedule is very relaxed and I don't have any school on Monday's or Wednesday's... that will be nice! I am trying to keep my schedule so that I have Wednesday's free from work and school so that I can stay caught up with life, so we'll see how that works out!!

Work is going well - our main attorney, Scott, was just appointed as President of Snow College, so he is down in Ephraim now - it was pretty sad to see him go and things in the office have been different since he left, but I'm trying to keep my attitude in check and I was reminded by my co-worker yesterday that we can only be as effective as they will let us be, so I shouldn't get so frustrated by the lack of communication. I really do love my job, but sometimes it's hard when there is no feedback given!

Nate is still a pretty happy guy at Staples! He is so good about making sure people have what they need (especially when he is supposed to be off work and I'm waiting for him!!) and his bosses love him, which is great! They were teasing him the other day because he got to use one of his computer tools that he hadn't been able to use yet - I'd say the teasing was warranted! He is a computer nerd, but I love him and I think that it's adorable! His trips to the Chiropractor have been helping and for the first time in the 10 years that I've known him, he has been fairly headache free. He will still get them if he doesn't sleep well, but there has not been a full nights sleep headache for about a month now, and it is amazing! Dr. Hunter is our own little miracle worker!!

Anyway, I think that I've chatted long enough and I should probably go get ready for the day! I'm sure I'll be back next week when I'm supposed to be concentrating on school stuff!! Until then, see ya!

Summer Fun

Hello, Hello! I am finally finding a few minutes to update you on our very busy and exciting (uh... yeah...) lives!! Amanda & Jen have come and gone, and I miss them so much! I had such a great time with the kids - I can't believe how fast they are growing!! I did, however, have such a relaxing night last night (my first since Amanda came!!) and I feel very rested today! We did a whole lot of playing and water fighting!! We played quite a bit of tennis - which the kids loved - and had some sleepovers with the kids! We took Kaobe & Surf to Shrek 3 and that was a great time! We missed Jessica and her family and wished that they could have been here! But, she was busy giving birth to a new beautiful girl and they are both happy and healthy! I'll post a picture of her when I get home! Anyway, I could write and write about it, but my time is limited!

We also dog sat for the D's while they were in Mexico visiting their kids, and it was a great break from the chaos of living in someone else's house! We had some quiet time and it was great to reconnect!! We had a lot of late night walks and poop scooping, and we have to say that although we love Hailey, cats are so much easier!! They'll poop whether or not you are around!! (I guess there are some dogs that do that too...)

School is starting up here in a couple of weeks and I'm pretty excited for it! I got into Sign 1 class and I can't wait to start it!! I hopped on line at just the right time, and I couldn't be more thrilled! All the classes that I am taking are for my major, which is Deaf Education, and I can't wait to begin!!

Anyway, I should go but I'll be back sooner than later!

Love, Me!

Nephews, Nieces & Insurance

Hello, Hello, Hello! Time is flying by and I can't believe that it's already the middle of July! That is crazy! We are doing pretty dang good! I just wanted to take a minute & update you on our happenings! Not that they're that exciting for everyone else, but they are happenings!! Amanda & Obeta got here two days ago, and it is so good to see them. The kids are getting so big! Little Leiah is walking and she is so sweet!! We had a cook out last night and as always, it is a great time! We are planning some fun things to do with them! Jen is bringing Surf & Scoutie out in a few weeks, and it will be a full on party! Jessica went to the doctor the other day and they said to be prepared for the new baby at any time! I am so excited for my new little niece and I can't wait to go out and meet her!! What else is going on? We finally got INSURANCE! Yahoo!! Doctor's, here I come!! I'm excited to be able to get a grip on what we need to do to become parents, and to get my sinuses cleared up! Nate, on the other hand, is going to visit a Chiropractor next week to see if they can zero in on his headache problem! I am so excited for the prospect of no more migraines and I know so many people who swear by this type of treatment, so we'll see what happens!! Anyway, I should get to work! It's Friday and I am extremely happy about that! I don't have to wake up to an alarm clock tomorrow! Yeah! Anyhow, have a terrific weekend!! Love, Me!

Birthday Thoughts!!

Well! This is it! Today, I turn 27! Is it just me or does it feel like getting older is going to make time fly by faster? I can't believe that it's the end of June, and I am certainly having a hard time believing that I am 27! Does that mean that I'm a grown up? I sure don't feel like one! I have spent my birthday morning online taking silly personality quizzes that Brittany found! I don't think that I'm quite a grown up yet!!! Well, let's see! I guess I ought to set some goals for the next year!! By this time next year I'll be a Senior at USU! Yeah! I might actually graduate by the time I'm 30!! (Wow, 30... ugh!) I would like to have fixed our baby making problems and be a mommy or be in the process of adopting!! (By the way, in 2 days we will be complete with insurance!! Doctors, here we come!!) I'd like to say that I'll be uber organized, but I don't think that will ever happen! Hmmm... I'd also like to say that I'll be deep involved in a steady and daily exercise routine... does that mean I have to start now though? Anyway, I think that'll do me as far as goals go! I want to keep realistic! Anyway, what are my plans for the day? I've got to go to work for a few hours where I'll have yummy cake! (My job is great about celebrating birthdays!) After work, I think we'll do dinner with mom & Blake, and then a full body massage!! I'm stoked!! (The massage won't be with mom and Blake - just in case you weren't sure!!) Anyway, I should probably go get ready for work now!! See ya later! Love, Me!

Father's Day

Hello all! I had a few minutes to kill so I'd thought I'd take a second to blog!! Things here are going pretty good! This weekend went by too quickly, but it was good, so I suppose there's no complaining! Friday night we went to the Summerfest with the Dutsons! I love the Summerfest! It's so fun to be outside, and even though it was crowded, it's fun to be mixed in with people from all walks of life! We had some dinner and walked around to peruse all of the talents that people put on display. There were some amazing photographers there - someday - maybe - that will be me!! Saturday brought a nice relaxing day! I was able to scrapbook for quite a while, which was nice, and the Nate & I took in some ALIAS! Such a good show! Today, Sunday, consisted of church - which was wonderful, more ALIAS, and dinner with Nate's family! Today is Fathers Day, but mom and dad went to Colorado for the weekend, so we won't be visiting them today! We are lucky to have two loving fathers and we are so grateful for them and for all of their love and support! Anyway, not much else has been going on! Just work, work, and more work! Time is flying by and before I know it, I'll get to see my sisters and meet my new niece! I'm very excited! Well, I suppose that's about it! Sorry there's not much exciting news! Love, Me!

New Nephew & Graduation

It was a crazy busy wonderful week last week and even though I wanted to share all of the good news, it was so busy! Nate & I got a new nephew last Tuesday! Jack was born at 9:26 in the morning weighing in at 7 lbs 9 oz and 19 inches long! He is adorable and looks pretty much nothing like Sam. They have the same tongue! That's about it! He has chubby little cheeks and he is so much fun to snuggle! Ollie is doing pretty good! Last night as we were leaving their house, she & Sam were getting ready to bake a pie, so I think she is feeling pretty good!

Anyway, another exciting feat for Nate's family is that Tom finally graduated! YAY! It was a great day for everyone when he walked across the stage (twice - once for South Campus and once for the High School.) I think that he finally realized that it is something worth celebrating! I've seen him for maybe 3 hours since then, but Nate's parents are on him about getting a job, so maybe he'll start to grow up a little!

Nate & I are doing great! We had a full house last week with Carl & Carlynne home. Carl is back in Oregon, but Carlynne will be here for another week and then she is going to Lance's graduation in Missouri! She is starting to show! On Saturday we went maternity shopping! We found her some really nice things! It has been fun to hang out with her this week!

We are so excited to see Amanda & Jen and the kids and to meet Baby Tran in a month or so!! This summer is going to fly by because of all the fun things that we get to do. We decided this morning that we are going to take a trip, all by ourselves, to Southern Utah! Nate really wants to go to Moab or the Arches, and I can't recall ever being there, so I think we'll take a long weekend soon and get away! Nate is still loving his job! I was telling Carlynne today that he is such a computer nerd (and I say that so lovinginly) and he'll come home and talk and talk about work... which is a good thing! We have been re-watching Alias and re-reading Harry Potter in order to be ready for the last book and the next movie! It's fun to have the same interests!!

Anyway, I just wanted to update you on what we have been doing! I'll be back soon! Love, Me!

Yada, Yada, Yada

Wow! Has it really been almost a month since I have written? I thought that life would get less busy with school out and all (yeah!!), but it seems like I always have something to do! But, I'd rather be busy than bored, so I'll be greatful! Things are going pretty good!! I'll tell you whats been happening in a nutshell: Nate & I have been able to spend a lot of time together this last few weeks, and it has been great. During school I get so stressed out and I feel that sometimes I take him for granted! I am truly grateful for him and for his patience and for the wonderful husband he is. Jess & Phuc came home for a week and we spent a lot of time with them! It was so much fun and it was so good to see the kids! I miss my nephews & nieces like crazy, and it makes me so happy when they get to come and spend some time with us! School is, as I mentioned, out for the summer. I ended up with a pretty good GPA, so that makes me happy! I was pretty worried about some of my classes, but it's all good! Nate & I lined up my friend Becky from the University Inn with Blake last Friday and we went to the canyon & had tin foil dinners and smores. It was a good time. Becky is from Hong Kong and she has never done that before, so it was fun to see her get excited about it! Saturday was Daisey's dance recital - it was a good time and she looked so cute all dressed up!! We have been spending a lot of time with our friends, and we are so grateful for them and for the strength that they are to us! Wrangler, my sisters dog, had an accident and had to be put down. It was a very sad ordeal for their family and for Nate & I, he was such a good dog and was literally a member of the family. He will be very missed. Ollie's baby is due a week from tomorrow! Sam is getting very excited to be a big brother! I am excited for the first addition to our nephew/niece "collection" for the year! Jess & Carlynne will follow soon, and I'm so excited to meet their little ones!! Amanda & Jen and their kids are coming home for a bit this summer, and I can't wait to see them! I have been really homesick for my sisters lately, so I'm excited to get to spend time with them all this summer! What else? I feel as if I have been rambling? I am excited for the Harry Potters that are coming out this summer! It's kind of sad that the anticipation will leave us when the last book comes out, but I'm also kind of glad!! I hate having to wait for so long in between books! Anyway, I feel like I have written quite a bit and you are probably sick of hearing about it! I'll go, but I'll be back! Buh Bye!

Weekend Rejuvination

And I'm back! It is a Sunday evening and the end of a fabulous weekend, and the beginning of hopefully a good week! It is about 10:30 in the evening, and we're headed to bed soon, but I just thought I'd clear my head real quick!
We did have a really good weekend, and as always, it went by much too quickly! The VZ's came up to stay for the weekend, so we spent a lot of time playing with all of our friends! Friday night we had the reveal of the Jackson 2007 video, and it was so good! Eric did a great job and we are grateful for all of his hard work! We then stayed up pretty late (Us, VZ's, Wilkinson's and Dutsons) just chatting and eating and having a great time! Saturday morning was spent cleaning, attempting to write papers, and re-watching the Jackson 2007 video, and then we played some more! It was a great weekend and it was so fun to hang out with all of our fabulous friends!
Today was Stake Conference, which was wonderful! The rest of the day was spent snuggling and watching movies, and eating occasionally! It was a nice relaxing way to end the weekend and to start the new week!
There is one more week of school left and then FINALS! Luckily I only have two finals this semester, so I think it'll be relatively low stress! I am ready for the change in schedule although I'm not really looking forward to working full time! But, we need the money because we are trying to get into an apartment within the next month or two, so I'll do whatever I need to do to get there!!
Anyway, I'm pretty tired and we've still got to fold clothes and read scriptures, so I'm gunna sign off for now! Have a great week and I'll be back later!

Gearing Up!

Hello, hello, hello! So, it's 9:00 on Thursday evening! I have drank a large Strawberry Dr. Pepper, made my note cards, watched the Scrubs (hilarious tonight, yet sad), taken my Afrin to ease my sinus pain and I am now clearing my mind so that I can get back to studying for my two tests that I have tomorrow!! I have been studying for them all week but I still feel like there is so much more I can do, so I'll hit it hard in a few minutes! More than likely it'll be a late night and an early morning for me, but if it gets me through my tests and work tomorrow, then it is well worth it! I am looking forward to this weekend as my last official "relaxing" weekend before school ends, because I'm planning on getting my studying for finals underway so that I can end the semester on a high point! It has been a long couple of weeks as I have been working many, many hours to fill in when needed - but someone new is starting on the 16th, and I can't wait to get her trained so that I can take a much, much needed day off! Nate is doing great! He is loving his job at STAPLES, and I am thrilled! It's nice to be able to come home at the end of the day and have both of us still be in a good mood! We may be tired, but we are happy, and that's what counts! Right? Right! This weekend is Easter, so I'm looking forward to Baby Animal Day on Saturday with Sam, going to the Wind Caves with Blake, cleaning our bathroom, and inspirational Church Meetings!! I'm a little jealous because my parents left this afternoon to spend the weekend in Colorado with Jen & Jess and their families, and I would have loved to have gone with them! Darn all the responsibilities!! Speaking of responsibilities, I should get back to studying so that my caffeine doesn't wear off before I get a chance to take advantage of it!! I'll be back soon!