The Price of a Priceless Life

Ahh Spring,

 new growth, the big changes that are in store~ 

 Earlier this week I was looking at our yard.  The grass in Texas really sucks.  Our grass really sucks.  I cant tell you how hard we (meaning Doug) have tried to make it 'pretty'...It just isn't the same as the grass in Washington State- it never will be.  My severe frustration drove me to call Doug at work.  I went off about the grass in our yard for a good 5 minutes.  'It is embarrassing... We need to fix it... blah blah blah'-   I went on and on and got Doug all worked up about it-  surely he would succumb to my annoying whining right?  After all isn't it just so important to have great grass?

Call me puddle.

Reality check. Bigger problems in the world.

Feb 15th Heather, a dear friend of mine, received a phone call around 9:30pm.  It wasn't good news.  Heather is a divorcee mother of 4.  Her X husband, Brent,  has parents with a ranch in middle of nowhere (hunting grounds) Texas.  Her sons love to go up and hunt with their Uncles, Grandparents, and friends.  Garrett, her 15 year old, has been driving on the family ranch grounds for some time.  It is legal on private property.  He was driving in his fathers Tahoe with his 13 year old brother and a friend from school. You don't need the details of the accident.  It was an overcompensation by an inexperienced driver.  The Tahoe flipped 3X and landed on Garrett who , after being bashed around inside the car, had been thrown from the car.  The accident occurred 4 miles away from the home, on the Ranch.  Braeden, the 13 year old, was banged up but heroically went for help.  There was a 2ft radius around the car with cell phone service, walking past the car on any side there wasn't any service for miles.  Jonah, the friend, used his phone to call Garrett's father in Austin.  Brent received a frantic screaming childs message.  He directed Jonah to sit Garrett up and not let him sleep among other things.  Garrett had broken every bone in his face and jaw.  He was bleeding out of his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.  Even though Garrett was in unimaginable pain he was worried about everyone else.  He kept on asking if Braeden was back and apologizing for the accident, He was second guessing the decision to send Braedan for help.  o concerned that they had sent Braeden out in worse condition than they had thought, maybe he had passed out...

After waiting for over two hours the helicopter finally located them and was able to Medivac them to the nearest hospital.  Everything, although horribly bloody, was extremely optimistic.  No concerns other than broken bones.  A big phew right?

The accident happened on a Saturday night-  Things were going really well, they scheduled Garrett for surgery (they basically rebuilt his face and jaw) Wednesday.  They placed him in a drug induced coma to help his body deal with everything the best way possible.  They pushed the surgery back to Friday.  He was having trouble with the tube down his throat.  Garrett was in pain but such a trooper.  When not in the coma he wrote notes to his parent, he apologized about how much money this was going to cost them... he joked about things, he shared Ipod music with his nurse.  He was regular (just a smidgen banged up :) Garrett.  Garrett is incredibly athletic, funny, family loving, and very respectful-  he is a GREAT kid.  Girls adore him ( didn't mention he is very handsome) and boys love to call him their friend.

After surgery things seemed to be going well.  He on the road to full recovery.  His parents had called his HS soccer coach and relayed what had happened.  They said he would be there for the last game of the season.  They explained he couldn't play but would be suited on the bench for his team. 

After the surgery the medical staff instructed Garrett not to fidget or pull out the intubation tube.  He was well warned.  His mom was in the his room after a nurse came in to change the tube.  She changed a couple of  things and left the room.  After a few moments, Garrett started to throw his hand up to get his mothers attention, motioning to her that something was wrong with the tube- a motion that looked awful to her- she feverishly called the nurses in to fix whatever was going on...The nurse casually walked in and looked at the monitor.  She reassured Heather that the numbers looked fine...  while blood was coming out of Garrett's mouth.  After this continued for a minute more the nurse realized she had neglected to connect the hose to the other part of the hose- no oxygen was coming in.  He was suffocating.  After attaching the hose Garrett began to vomit all the blood that they had neglected to clear from his stomach-  Garrett coded.

Fortunately, they were able to bring him back.  The doctor that oversaw Garrett told Heather and Brent that he was not going to give Garrett a trachea- otomy  because he had never trache' d (sp?) a child before... He was not a pediatric surgeon.  This was concerning to Heather and Brent, after all the tubes had been problematic since the beginning.  But Doctors know best, even in Hicksville Texas right?

A few days later Heather was sitting bedside.  She saw Garrett's tied down arms bounce up and down off the bed.  She saw his white knuckles as he grasped the bedsheets.  He was arching his back.  He knew better than to touch the hose.  He had been warned.  Heather screamed for the nurses.  They filled the room quickly,  they struggled for over 5 minutes to try to fix his tube-  when they couldn't they escorted Heather out of the room and closed the door.  They continued to try to fix the tube, ultimately, after 10 minutes, they preformed an emergency trachea- otomy.  Once again he coded, Once again they brought him back.  This time it wasn't the same. Things will never be the same again.

Garrett has since been awake yet non responsive.  Because of the lack of oxygen he now has an Anoxic Brain Injury.  He cannot control his body.  People are exponentially less likely to recover from an Anoxic Brain injury.  After so many tender mercies from our Heavenly Father how can the mistakes of his caregivers win in this battle?

My heart is broken.  I cannot quit thinking, racking my brain- how the heck can we help?  What can we do.  So many tears and prayers for this amazing boy and family.  Their struggle and journey is going to be so difficult.  I am so angry.  They have been robbed of their Garrett.  The world has been robbed of Garrett.  This should not have happened.  This wasn't supposed to happen.  How could those doctors and nurses screw up so horribly?

Times like this (and ONLY times like this ) I wish I were famous.  I wish I had the clout, money and big business support that philanthropists like Oprah and Ellen have.  If Ellen were my friend I know she would get her people to help- that is one of the first things my children said...'call Ellen'.  I wish I had people.  The hospital bills are already beyond the 6 digits and this is only the beginning.  They have to prepare a handicap accessible home for Garrett to come home to.  Disability takes 3 years.  How can a single mother of 4 (3,9,13,15) without a home of her own make this work?  I am baffled- I dont understand-  I told her to get a lawyer right away-  She is so calm and Christ like.  She explained she does not have any extra energy or time to give to anything outside Garrett and her kids right now.  How do you put a price on such an enormous tragedy? 
 I am going to open an Charity for Garrett.  I don't know the exact protocol yet but I will figure this out.  I hope and pray there will be many Angels in our midst.  I hope and pray we can help right his wrong the best we can.  When it comes down to it you don't have to be famous to make a difference.  If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.
Seeing Garrett for the first time since the accident the other day-  Looking into his beautiful eyes- was beyond heartbreaking.  It was as if he was trapped within himself, fighting, pleading for help.  I want to make a change outside the walls of my silly little yard.

 

Please Fast and Pray for Garrett and his family.

Happily Ever After-

17th Anniversary this past month!

18 Years together!

Seems like

Yesterday and Always...

I Love and adore

My One and Only

my Forever

Thanks for putting up with me all this time-

dream a little dream of me...Lyrics

Stars shining bright above you

Night breezes seem to whisper "i love you"

Birds singin in the sycamore trees

Dream a little dream of me

Say nighty-night and kiss me

Just hold me tight and tell me youll miss me

While Im alone and blue as can be

Dream a little dream of me

Stars fading but I linger on dear

Still craving your kissIm longin to linger till dawn dear

Just saying this

Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you

Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you

But in your dreams whatever they be

Dream a little dream of me

Stars shining up above you

Night breezes seem to whisper "i love you"

Birds singin in the sycamore trees

Dream a little dream of me

Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you

Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you

But in your dreams whatever they be

Dream a little dream of me

Yes, dream a little dream of me

lil' H

I have come to the conclusion we have a thug for a 2 year old. He likes a heavy beat to dance to, He loves to pack heat around the house- Laser gun- I'm talking tilting it to the side for the 'Kill shot'. Before he starts dancing he likes to say 'o yeah' quite comical. Very entertaining.
A few weeks ago we DVR'ed the movie Hitch beginning at the part where the chubby guy in the movie shows Will Smith his moves. In the movie He named his moves 1) Start the Fire, 2)Make the Pizza 3) qtip 4)throw it away and the best of all 5) and if it doesn't work you hit her with a little of this...He finishes his set of moves with a solid' o no- you cant stop this, cant stop this....' Hayden say each of those things before he proceeds to dance like a thug. I am going to tape it and put it in You tube. We cry because we laugh so hard each time he does it- too cute - the white baby can dance!

Little Pebble Big Ripple

Spring is so inspiring. So many changes on the horizon. So many motivating factors for change. Alas the many motivated people at the beginning of Spring- Or so it seems. It starts with Spring cleaning, a purge of all the excess accumulated throughout the winter months. there is get ready to wear your swimsuit exercise and diet go time- once again getting rid of the excess from the winter months. The children are winding down from the school year- The older ones looking into which Summer jobs and plans are most advantageous to their 'future'. Whether it be in combination with their future academic schedules, their social schedules, or their collegiate interviews to come- these decisions as which route to take don't come easily. Spring Training for Sports. Trying to decide which team to devote your time (and mom and dads money) to. Mom and Dad trying to coordinate their schedules to spend the most time together as a family- Make the most of the time allotted for Memory making... When I lay it out ike this it sounds so exhausting...
But don't you just love Spring?
Over Spring Break the kids and I took a trip out to Lufkin Texas. Doug was working a contract weekend job there and we wanted go have dinner with him. Haven't heard of Lufkin you say? There really is no reason to hear of Lufkin. It is about 20 miles South of Nacogdoches, close to the Louisiana border. Tiny little town. Not a cultural Mecca calling anyone's name. Not an academic Utopia. Not a lot to it.
The drive there was breath taking! It was like we were in a different state. Forests, every shade of green, color all around. Hills and Horses. There were flowers and beauty all around. Dont get me wrong, I think Austin Hill Country is a sight to be seen in Texas, l but there is something about getting a little further off the path most traveled that allures me. There were enormous Mansions neighboring Tiny Shacks. Antique stores, Mom and Pop produce shops..o yes and it is Texas, so every 30 miles or so there was a Walmart for all your fashion essentials. God Bless Miley Cyrus fashion inspirations. We drove through a few ghost towns. It reminded me of the movie Cars. I wondered what wonderful places that those towns probably were at some point of time. Looking at the buildings- thinking at some point of time those businesses were people dreams, their futures that most likely entailed some serious sacrifice. All the abandoned buildings in the downtown area, all the broken windows in between the beautiful columns, It was really quite sad. So much wasted. I wondered if these peoples dreams were fulfilled? Why did this town fail? What happened?
Wouldn't it be great if everyone saw the beauty of these towns. Their potential. People could farm and trade. Become self sufficient. Help and teach each other. O wait, I guess that is only done in places where perverse men marry multiple little girls and have oodles of children all in the name of their God- Too bad- I could see their potential. With so many towns like that why dont we pour money into rebuilding them for welfare reasons-Have people pay back their (private) student loans by working for a year or two in town being rebuilt- fix the houses- Have the people farm or choose a trade to barter pay back their loans. Education/vocational training must be criteria to live there. Wouldn't it be great for people to learn the value of their dreams and education and the power of service for our fellow men...
Spring- I realized once again how much we as Americans discard as excess- The saying one mans trash another's treasure- Maybe these Ghost towns can be someones treasure...

Epic fun

Today I sat down.

Amazed.

I am 37 years old! I really don't feel it and I am absolutely sure I don't look it. Even harder to believe is the fact that our baby, Hunter, is turning 16 this month!

Hunter is an amazing daughter. I have soo much fun with her. I have great respect for her and her choices. Wise little grasshopper she is. I fear my little partner in fun is getting to that age when it is no longer 'accepted' to want to go shopping with your mom rather than your friends every now and then. Although I know my fashion sense is far superior to any of her buddies, I must accept this new phase in life and embrace watching her tackle the many things that life will throw her way. Lately the after school questions are met with very short answers more so than the conversations I am accustomed to. When I am taking her and her buddies places I am now merely a fly on the wall. That is fine, I will take what I can get.

For those of you who don't 'know' my Hunter let me tell you about her.

She is perfect.

She is an athlete. She is a leader, from the time she was 3 she has been a Pied Piper of people. People want to be near her. She is a scholar. She is a perfectionist. She is very intuitive. She is caring and kind. She is a protector when she feels as if ,she, her friends or her family are being mistreated or disrespected. She believes in treating adults with respect and courtesy. She is incredibly artistic. She is driven and ambitious. She is an overachiever. She believes in winning or getting the highest possible mark- Just finishing a project isn't enough for her- She will have the best project. She is the best big sister a brother or sister could ask for- She does her sisters nails and hair, she reads to all her siblings as much as possible. Her smile lights up the room. Her giggle will make you laugh. Her smiling, crystal, blue eyes draw you in with their beauty. She makes her family and friends feel loved and important. She is Love.

Like many Sophomores in H.S., Hunter is getting letters from schools across the country. Invitations to visit the campus this summer. She is trying to envision where she wants to be and choose which path she will take for her Major. She knows she will be successful at whatever she chooses to pursue. I am heartbroken knowing my baby will be leaving the nest in 2 years. But I cannot wait to watch her soar.

Thankfully she asked to go on a trip with me for her 16th birthday. I am so excited. She is equally excited. A European Adventure (I choose not to call it European Vacation due to the horrors that happened to the Griswolds...dont act like you don't know what movie I am talking about, Classic) awaits us this summer. Having lived in Belgium we were able to travel to many countries and loved taking a breath of the different cultures. Unfortunately we never had the opportunity to visit Italy. So Italy and a few other countries are on our itinerary. O the memories we will make- the pebbles we will take.

I sit down. Reflect. I am so amazed. My beautiful husband was more than encouraging about our adventure. All that he provides. His Love. I look and listen to the world around me. I am humbled and filled with gratitude. I pray my choices in life are compassionate and Christ like. I want to give as I have been given.

I am soo excited for this new chapter in the big ole book of life. The stories we will have to tell of our adventures.

Next month is Rachies Birthday, May is Jordies and Hayden's, October is Cole's...I look forward to many adventures with each of our babies and my hot babe of a husband. Wish us luck! For all of you who have visited Italy... pointers, tips any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Be careful what you pray for...

Wow- once again a lot has happened since I last blogged. Everything is in a constant state of change. I keep waiting for everything to get back to normal after each ordeal in our life... I guess ordeals are what is normal in our household. Nothing major or catastrophic. Just constant change. Our kids are movers and shakers- we are moving three different directions at once. No complaints- Just trying to enjoy the ride as much as possible.
Biggest wow that happened...
You may have heard before that Doug was slated to ship out to Iraq. We had ample time to get ready for this ordeal. Almost a year of preparing, waiting and fretting. I kept on reminding myself what a great duty it is and how thankful I am to have such a wonderful husband that loves his country and the soldiers that fight for our freedoms. Blah blah blah. He was anxious but ready to go. The month before deployment I started to unravel inside. Doug is my best friend. I adore just about everything about him and everything about us. He is such an amazing husband, friend and father. I cant imagine life without him in it. Preparing meant getting ready for the worst to possibly happen. Life insurance, Wills, me taking over the bills. Things I honestly wasn't ready to grasp. I didn't let the kids see me unravel but one night I let it all out with Doug. I was a little more at ease once I let it out. I didn't want him to think I wasn't going to be able to handle it. I know I can, but I also wanted to let him know how much I wasn't looking forward to him not by my side. Thankfully he kinda fell apart with me too. I didn't feel like such a dunce.
The countdown was on. One Sunday night Doug officially signed out of the hospital and into the Unit that he would be attached to in Iraq. That night he came home after a day of PT and paperwork. Late at night he started to complain of a pain in his back. He couldn't lay down comfortably. It sounded like kidney Stones... I suggested we head to the ER. I expected Doug to shoot that idea down. Instead he agreed and we were on our way to the hospital at 1am.
To shorten this Epic saga- Doug spent the next 3 days in the hospital. He had multiple pulmonary embolisms. He is now on an anti coagulant and is non deploy able while he is on it. The say 6 months on the meds and 3 months after for the re evaluation for the deployment.
I looked at Doug in the hospital and apologized for all my prayers. I so didn't want him to go. I prayer for him to be able to return to us safely. I prayed for him to be able to stay- I now know you have to be careful what you pray for...I just wanted some young gun without a wife and kids to go experience this deployment... not my cutie. oops. On the brighter side the doctors cannot attribute the embolisms to anything. Many test have been done and he has a spotlessly clean bill of health. Doug is active- he runs 4 miles a day, swims every other day, he is not a couch potato- No explanations for this. I guess the Lords will was not the Army's. Thank Heavens!

So there you have it. My guy is home! We have a full house. On the downside- all the things this little mouse was going to do while the cat was gone are out the door now. Months of planning...

Command what you Demand

Okay I have to go there-

State of the Union last night-

WOW! AMAZING!

Surprised I said that?

I am utterly amazed and in awe of the idiocy, self righteousness, and disillusionment our commander and Chief.

Just finished watching the DVR of the spectacle. I wanted to see it for myself before reading others feeling and comments. Cant wait to see if people got what I did out of it. I was hoping for him to change the tides with learned wisdom and insight into picking up the pieces of this mess rather than scattering them further away from reach.

EMPTY RHETORIC.

It seems to me that the President of our great nation was on the defensive all night. Trying to convince the masses why he is holding onto disastrous ideas (mainly health care). Why and who (DUH it's always the darn Republicans) is to blame for his inability to make progress on any of his promises. Mr. President showed blatant disrespect for anything that wasn't his platform. He threw a few Supreme court Justices under the bus and publicly received (once again) discord at a public address- At least they didn't flat out call him a liar this time.


The press is going to go to town on this again. 'How disrespectful, How horrible and Wrong that Someone publicly disagree with our Puppet President- Whatever. He has done NOTHING to command any respect. He is going against the majority that elected him, playing the blame game, constantly referring to the garish tactics of the Republicans campaigning talking smack about the Flavor of the Election while his entire brigade participate fully (and still) with vigor and vim in the smack down.

I look how he carries himself. Tyring to be 'one of us' Trying to relate with the average man. Who wants that? We want someone that is respectful of others - someone that everyone will hold great respect towards.

Not happening.

He wears far too casual clothes in public and in the oval office. 'Disrespect to you and you family'. The Obama's seem far to involved in the celebrity of the office. The Oprah factor...I will bottle that disgust for now...They seem to want to be on the cover of People magazine or at Chicago's campaign for the Olympics with celebrity rather than working on relevant Foreign policy.

I saw Mr Obama's need to convince and explain last night as a need for the cheerleaders to bust out a cheer for him- 'O yes our eyes have been opened again- why o why did we loose sight of the great Mr. O's tunnel vision. Yes...o yes We walk in your light...Please lead us blindly down this mudslide...but wait it is okay, those darn Republicans provided the mudslide.

Once he begins acting with the Authority and Elegance that the President of the United States should exude, perhaps then those in the public forums will respect the forum and wait until they are out of ear or eye shot to disagree with the President during a speech.

-Talk of a 'Budget Commission'- joke-
He has spent more than any other president right off the starting blocks.

-His Lobbyist lecture..again-
Hypocritical

The 'speech' wasn't inspiring or insightful. It seemed to be a lecture of a self righteous wanna be leader. Self Justification, a lack of passion and grace were evident in this spectacle. I was not proud of my elected officials after watching this. MR. O's choices of battle seem to be incoherent, unpopular, and economically devastating.

On the plus side of the speech-

-a minute nod towards capital gain decrease for small businesses,- passionless baby steps by the government in the right direction

-an utterance that opened the door for off shore drilling and clean Nuclear Power Plants in the US.

And Michelle Obama wore sleeves!

Swiss Miss-

I was able to go to Swiss Days in Midway Utah last week. What a blast. Too be (or act) young (childish) again! I really dont think I have laughed (giggled) soo much in years. I few out with 4 close friends from Texas on Wednesday- We stayed until Monday Morning. It has been awhile since I got to hang out in SLC area. One word- Beautiful. I still dont want to live there- but would absolutely love to have a second home there for breaks with the family.

Cathy was the coordinating force behind the festivities,

She is a dooer-

She booked the flights

She arranged the itinerary for the week

She coordinated with her family and friends

She essentially made it happen for all of us.

Yay Cathy!

We hit her favorite haunts from her days in the hood- We got to meet her family- LOVE them! We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking and giggling. On the first night I think Michelle and I were the last to get to sleep- Actually Michelle was the last to get to sleep. I kept on telling her I was going to sleep- literally. I found myself in the middle of a sentence that made no sense at all, more than once- talk of a monkey and putting our shoes by the door... What do you do with that? Since there is no logical recovery from that babble- I would just wake myself up again and giggle again...

Simple me.

We shopped until our wallets felt light- Trolley Square- Tai Pan (?) Rod Works, Material Girl (amazingly cute quilt shop), Swiss Days, Shade, Brighton, ahhh

We ate until my friends size 2 pants were nearly tight... no comment here-

Cafe Rio, Lori's Livingston Lodge, Spaghetti Factory, Swiss Tacos, Pei Wei, Diane's Bed and Breakfast..

We got to go to Sally Smarts house- Tami's mom. She made everyone feel welcome and loved.

Went to see the new Sandra Bullock movie- Best part of it was...looking at the lovely Bradley Cooper- DONT GO SEE IT- The only reason we had fun at it was the fact that we were together... It Really SUCKED.

We ended the week in SLC- We saw the Spoken Word at the Tabernacle on Sunday morning. God Be With You gets me every time- Humbles me. We were able to go with Tami to see her MIL. She is in a care facility. She can barely move, doesn't communicate with people. She is still young- She was diagnosed in her early 50's. She is only in her 60's, she looks as if she is 80. To watch Tami hold her close and talk to her so honestly and gentle- Tami kept kissing her cheek. FINALLY Joyce (Tami's MIL) gave her a simple kiss and squeezed her hand. Although she seem to be a shell of what she once was- She is loved- The care facility specialized in Brain injury- It was heart breaking. We had a patient of about 70 in full flirt mode- Yet he prefaced everything he said with..."I was married, my wife was beautiful. She died." You could see he still remember how much he loved her at one time. By the time we walked out the door to leave- we were in tears. The power of love. We have decided to find a home to visit and adopt a patient to visit and get to know.

Sunday was a family Dinner at Cathy's moms house. Now when I say family I mean the ENTIRE family! 43 people were there. She cooked and cared for EVERYONE. A highlight was everyone watching Americas funnies Home Videos - There was a roar of laughter- Too much fun for on Sunday.

We had fun with Photography- Will post pictures as soon as some are forwarded my way.

After all the fun I was so happy to get back to the sweltering heat of Texas and my amazing family. I missed them so much. The messes Hayden Makes- not so much- but everything else.

Welcomed in the drive way with a kiss from my love- A big hug!

Home Sweet Home!

But excited to do this again next year!

Long time no Blog!

My biggest excuse is..FB

For those of you not familiar with the great FB it is Facebook. The thing really sucks you in! The story on Facebook and me...I signed up for it last year sometime- I had an invite from our old neighbor Marcell, I signed up- All you do is add your birth date, name, hometown, and where you currently live. I didn't think much about it. Truthfully I thought it was like more like myspace- for the 16-15 year old's. Recently I was talking with my mother and she mentioned something about my brother posting some pictures that my sister liked. Bell goes off in my head- My siblings have an account on FB. I need to check their pages out. I logged onto my account I had over 300 friends that had requested to be added as friends... Wha? For those of you wondering how the heck I could not know that- I have a crap email account that I sign up for everything with- So my 'real' email doesn't get cluttered. I went through the names and was amazed- People from as far back as 3rd grade- People and friends from High school, old neighbors, missionaries from my ward when I was in HS, old church leaders, old boyfriends, roommates from college, our German exchange student, friends from abroad. I seriously never believed I would see hide or hair of many of these people for the rest of my life. Some (that I hit the ignore with) I never wanted to see again. I have received many friendship requests over the past few months with attached messages- Some saying things like ' I know you probably don't remember me- but when we were 16 I was ...in the convenient store by the beach and you were with... you sat by me...." Really? Do people really think that -if you most likely have no recollection of who they are- didn't know their names, you want to waste time on the computer talking/ catching up with them? Baffles me. I guess I just don't like to open our book of life for just anyone. Who is to say who these people really are? But on the flip side I have caught up with some great people. I have been amazed at the amount of friends from throughout our life that have done so many wonderful things for the world. We are talking humanitarian missions, adoption of children from all over the world, Political analysts, campaign coordinators- Doctors, lawyers, pilots, Newscasters, Musicians, Artists, Published Authors- I have always known that I walk among giants. I am also floored how many of my friend have turned to the democratic party since Bush... I guess it is the Illinois upbringing and the fact that many of them still live in Chicago- that's all I got- other than Guantanamo style brainwashing there is no intelligent reason for the change of party-

I am amazed at the random things people post on FB- Conversations I really don't want to see or be part of- I occasionally post comments to friends referring to their comments. I have posted pictures of our family- the biggest response from friends that haven't seen me for the past 20 years is- Holy Crap- you have 5 children- How are you not crazy- Or you look great for having 5 children- That comment always makes me smile. What are mothers of 5 supposed to look like- Hair knotted, dirty apron on, huge circles under your eyes, no makeup, mom jeans? Really? C'mon now. I wouldn't post those pictures- Ha.

Oh well- Even the lame things of FB suck you in. I really get nervous when people try to 'chat' with me ...I don't respond...I haven't any idea what to say to them other than 'Whats Up' and 'wow that's great'.

Closing the book on FB chapter...

Life has been busy. Hunter just turned 15! I can't believe my baby is 15, HS soccer is in off season, Shw now has Rec soccer again, Cole is playing with his newly created select Baseball team, Rachie has finished Basketball and is playing soccer again, Jordie is doing Gymnastics and writing a story a day, Hayden is climbing everything! He still isn't talking.

The other day a laugh track was obnoxiously playing with some Disney show- Hayden was standing a foot away from the television...each time the laugh track would begin he would follow suit and begin to laugh wildly- abruptly stopping when the track stopped- he would glance over his shoulder as if to acknowledge to us that he knew what was going on- why weren't we laughing with him? His insane actions caused us to laugh for obvious other reasons- entertaining child. Hayden can now open all the doors in the house... Scary.

As for me and Doug- Life is great. Still love and adore him. He has been golfing quite a bit. I bought him the Golf membership for Christmas. For those of you who don't know my Douggie, he gets wound up pretty tight at times. He doesn't explode, we don't fight but I can just tell by his whole demeanor when his cup is full. Golf and monthly massages have been quite therapeutic for him. He is getting a little time to himself outside work, family, and church- He deserves it.

- Then again don't we all?

Same ole me. I am still a slave to my toddler. I get kind of bitter about it occasionally, feeling stuck at home, limited by his schedule and the demands of being a mom BUT then again that is my job, I chose it, I love it (some days more than others), and I will be the best I can be at my job. BTW, I made Doug have a little surgical procedure after Hayden... I am looking forward to Haydens College years! 16 more years to go! This time there will be no recalculation of that number leading to an empty nest! Yeah Me! Although we recently went to a UT baseball game- The kids are convinced we should build an 'estate' with 2 guest homes on it- They then can go (25 minutes away) play ball for UT, glean the reward of their educational system AND still hang out and eat with the family. Ha- I keep telling them I need to record them saying that- who knows what tune they will be singing in a few years!

Here are some pictures of the last couple of months. We just went on a family vacation to Maui for Spring Break. Doug set us up in a great Suite. Amazing. We had a blast hanging out with Uncle Ben. The kids thought we were going to Breckenridge again- we surprised them by handing them the tickets to Maui in the Denver Airport. They hadn't been to Hawaii before- They were so surprised and excited.

Phew- well there is a novel for you-

Back to work!

Dream House giveaway

For those of you entering the HGTV dream house giveaway- Just thought I would let you know you need not waste your time. I have it from a trustworthy source (the voice in my head) that this home was made for me- It is going to be mine so... Don't be a hater- just be happy for me- You guys can come visit as soon after they announce my name as the winner.


Funny Story.
The other day I was watching HGTV with the kids. Doug was out of town. They showed a commercial for the Dream Home giveaway. I remembered that I have yet to inform them that I will be the winner this year. I told the kids that I was going to sign up for the contest. Jordan, our 6 year old, was overly excited about it. She kept on giggling and telling the rest of the kids to look and see what mom was doing- look at this house... After her being silly about it a bit too much I asked her to please calm down. About 15 minutes went by and Jordan still had a smile from ear to ear. I looked at her, baffled. What was this kids deal? She looked deep into my eyes and with her smile, she giggled and nervously said "Mommy, Daddy is going to be soo upset" giggle giggle.
Pause wah?
All of us asked her "What? Why will Daddy be mad?"
"You just bought that 2 million dollar house, Daddy is going to kill you-(giggle giggle) he is going to be mad..."
All of us started laughing.
All the nervous laughter now made sense- she really wanted the house and was excited but she knew how this was going to go down when daddy came home- I guess she thought I was willing to sacrifice my life for my children to live their life's in our new mansion. The things I do for my children- the sacrifice.

Why isn't it this simple?

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

'In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else , for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.'
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Brace yourself for what I think...

A friend published this preamble in her blog.
I love it and felt the need to share.
So often we are bombarded with whining Americans. Sad. We as Americans have an abundance of opportunity and freedoms. This is my forward to all the whiners-
Put your big boy/big girl pants on and get over yourself.

I have the freedom to say this and you have the freedom to agree or disagree.

God Bless America.

PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION

This is probably the best [forward] e-mail I've seen in a long, long time. The following has been attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye from GA. This guy should run for President one day...



'We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and
secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights.'



ARTICLE I:

You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II:

You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III:

You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives
independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV:

You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are
quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes .

ARTICLE V:

You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI:

You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII:

You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII:

You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE IX:

You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X:

This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (Lastly....)


ARTICLE XI:

You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it,
TOUGH!

If you agree, share this with a friend. No, you don't have to, and nothing tragic will befall you if you don't.. I just think it's about time common sense is allowed to flourish. Sensible people of the United States speak out because if you do not, who will?

A few of my favorite things

Our guard at the front Door

Hot Cocoa Bar with the kids- even in Texas!

The warmth of the kitchen for preparing with the family

Red and white around the kitchen table - Candles!

The twinkle of the Christmas lights through the glass of the front door

The warmth of the fireplace and the scent of the candles. The stockings awaiting their fill

Full cookie jars, seasonal pears, snowmen decorations, wreaths of berries

Family and Friends - bright sunny weather (83 degrees again yesterday). The Holidays were smooth sailin or driving in our case! Fortunately for us, Doug had quite a bit of time off this Christmas Break. No longer being a resident and having a staff position pans out quite well in the time off department! We enjoyed every second together as a family. Were able to see and stay with my parents in Dallas, and Doug's in Colorado. Were able to see Doug's big brother Dave's family (Dave, Robin, Taylor, Alex, Brandon, Melissa, new baby Kale, and Nicole) Doug's baby bro Ben (aka Beaner in our household... that's what Doug refers to him as in our home and it sticks quite well in my head- sorry Ben), and my sister Courtney's family (Court, Bryon, Taite, and Addison)- We visited Dallas, Colorado Springs, Ft Collins Colorado, Monument Colorado and Berthoud Colorado. We relaxed and gained weight. We shopped and 'saved' money. We anxiously retrieved mail- waiting for the great cards and pictures from family and friends. I stressed and got pimples. We rapped, I mean wrapped and wrapped and wrapped. We drove and consumed large amounts of sodium. We gave and received. We Enjoyed. We sang. We car danced. We went to movies and listened to movies in the car. We laughed - I giggled (watching Enchanted on New Years Eve...what can I say I am simple and easily entertained). We soaked up the beautiful scenery along the drive. If the hills and fields could talk. The history- the people- what what and who has come and gone- so many things to peak curiosity. We stopped on the side of the road to pick cotton that had been left behind from the harvest. We went to the dirtiest Burger King EVER... NEVER go to the Burger King in Amarillo, Texas. GROSS. We had to leave. We shared favorite memories of Christmas in the past. Wii played games. We read books. We cooked, we baked, we decorated. We made many new and wonderful memories. We hope you too had a wonderful holiday season with family. Now that we are back home I have to take down the decorations... It seems as if they were not up long enough. Here are some photos so we can have the decorations up o the blog a smidge longer.
Happy New Year!

World Spins Madly on..

So we have been here in Georgetown, Texas for 15 months now. I am now past the first year. The 'hard' transition part. But I am still not feeling it.

Moving is not something new to us. I am used to it. We consider each move an adventure. Life is what you make it... right? I keep telling myself that.

We have a great family- a sweet house- an incredibly family friendly job, we are healthy yet... I still feel the need to complain. What is my problem? just not feeling it here. Where is the love man?

I miss U.P. sooo much. I miss everything I didn't like about it , everything and everyone else!

This week another friend moved away.

Arizona bound. I took our friendship and her proximity for granted. I am sadder each day knowing I wont see her this week. She also had 5 children- ages and genders matching our children. She also had a husband that is an MD. She is an incredible person that is honest and loyal. I am kicking myself for not being more proactive in facilitating more get togethers. Back to square one out here.

One of my closest friends of all time- Jennie Martinez (in U.P.)- was my balance. She knew if given a choice of getting things done around the house or going out with my girlfriends I wouldn't go out- I would stay home and whine about my plate being too full- She would come over with a game plan and whisk me away. She organized a girls vacation to Hawaii. I never would have done that without her. She constantly was doing things to include people in gatherings and making sure everyone felt her sisterly love. She never complained.

Our ward out here is... different.

I am in the Primary Presidency again. Love the kids, love the rest of the presidency and it really isn't that stressful, yet I feel out of the mix with the rest of the ward.

I have 2 friends I really like in the ward. Unfortunately they both work. Fortunately for them it is at the same place. They are best friends. Their families go on vaca together. Although we do a lot together and I know if I put a little more effort into the friendship we would do even more, I will always kinda be the third wheel. No fault of theirs, they always include me but...Just not feeling it. I need a Jennie Martinez out here! I miss her!

I need a Becki Blackner.

Becki is the improved version of me. Same hobbies, Same dislikes, We love to cook, we love cute little things, we love to shop in antique type shoppes. She is wonderfully creative and I fancy myself as being a touch creative. We love to travel- Paris! England! Seaside! We love to read, We are BOTH loud at soccer/baseball/basketball games cheering for our girls and boys. Books... the list goes on. Our differences-She doesn't drink diet coke or any soda for that matter, she would never cuss at a horrible driver and she is far more scheduled/organized than I am. She is a petite blonde with blue eyes- I am 5'7" brunette w/ brown eyes- Salt and pepper there. I miss her.

I miss...

Our cul de sac in U.P.! We had it made! The Kings! Jacqueline and Marcel have children that match up with ours in ages, Keza the oldest, Hunters best friend. They talked about everything at all hours of the night. So well behaved- always a pleasure having around. You always wanted them around! I could walk into their house and feel at home, anytime. My talks with Jacqueline, Christmas Eve together, The kids ringing in the new year loud and proud in the cul de sac. Rachel and Quinci organizing a neighborhood Olympics! They handed out flyers at school! The Shaws! Little Cole visiting. Katy playing with Jordan and Rachel- making them feel so special. Denise... I want to be Denise. Rahul- Coles sidekick. Rahul was at the house for dinner more than Doug. The Arringtons! Julie, Debbie, Miriam, Sherida, Melody, Melanie, Jackie B., Lori, our entire luncheon group, FAB bookclub, All the wonderful Sunset girls- Tamara, Nicole, Tiffany, Tami and Eric Anderson Terri and the girls. I could keep on going and going! Do you see why I miss it soo much?

Why can't I move on and find my new 'cul de sac' a Jmar or a Becki. I have tried to get people to do a luncheon group- nobody is interested. They think it sounds like too much work. We have an older ward. We have Sun City in our boundaries. That is an active living adult community- 55 and older. Lots of wealthy retirees that are done with people in their 20's and 30's. Been there and done that and are moving on. That really limits your buddies in a small ward.

Doug and I are throwing around the idea of moving back to Europe for a few years- Germany this time. Screw our heads on again and enjoy the travel with our family and the schooling for the children. Many Pro's yet many Con's with Hunter and Cole getting ready for college...

Ughh.

I am not miserable. I do not cry myself to sleep. I am merely complaining that my plate isn't full enough. I just need to get over myself and get out there.

Thanks for listening through my self realization blogging. I just wish I could wave a wand and have all my friends here.

Today it was 71 degrees and beautiful- clear skies.

Looking onto new horizons.

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Recently I have been painfully aware of some close friends being effected by things out of their control.

Job Loss, Divorce, Cancer...

Many prayer have been said from our household- I often wonder why? What is the reason behind these ordeals- why them?

I have a testimony of Jesus Christ, his love for each of us and of the Plan of Salvation that Jesus sacrificed so much for- My testimony has been strengthened as I am humbled by the amazing spirit of my friends. I made a comment to the husband of my friend who is plagued with cancer. I said it was unfair- He kindly put me in my place. Telling me it was fair. it happens. Through their ordeal he knew their love only was growing stronger, He knew they were doing all they could and they knew that through their ordeal scientists and doctors would learn more to help others... They also knew whatever the outcome this time- thy will be done... No matter what happens, they will be together for eternity. They have children who are grown and married, they have grandchildren. They are active and giving of their time and talents at church. "Don't feel sorry for us- we have an amazing life filled with love and purpose"

Such amazing and insightful wisdom. Knowing our purpose here makes a world of difference as to how we handle our challenges.

Just in time for holiday driving

Gas prices are now hovering at $1.72 in Georgetown, Texas- drive on!

FIZZLE

Twilight- I have read some reviews and I am soo confused. I loved the Twilight series. I went to the movie today with an open mind. There is no way that a man could fit my minds eye of Edward therefore I had no intention of (to many) comparisons between the book and movie.
It was really poorly done. It screamed low budget. The only good scene was the baseball scene. The editing and script were laughable. The acting...city theatre quality. In the beginning when Bella's scent was caught by the fan in the classroom- it looked like a Saturday Night Live skit, then when Edward caught Bella's scent it was on the level of my children pretending they were going to vomit. I literally lol. I don't know, maybe it was the editing or perhaps the lack of a decent musical background -but come on! It was marginally as good as an after school special.
On the plus side, Emmett! WOW. All the Cullens (except Edward)- two thumbs up.

My Opinion-

I think they need to get on board with some new directors and rethink the cheesy (over)drawn out scenes/script.
My reccomendation-

Go to a matinee, don't expect much, and have fun! Although I was disappointed, I had fun.

Thanksgiving Prep Stress

We are going to have a full house for Thanksgiving. I am starting to get stressed a bit. 22 people. 8 children 2 babies & 12 adults. Everyone, except one, is getting in on Wednesday night, including my cutie Doug. He will be in at 1am Thursday morning...
I am sure many of you have done this type of cooking on Thanksgiving before- What would you ask people that are driving 3 hours, driving from Missouri, driving from Colorado, flying in from Colorado to bring to the table? Any suggestions for activities for the children ( ages 14,13,12,10,8,7,6,4,3,16 mo and 9 mo). I am so excited to see everyone. 6 days and counting...
Help

Parenting 911

Lets all admit it, before we had children we knew exactly what everyone else was doing wrong. All the horrible children crying in the carts in the store- Clearly the parents fault. The children with the dirt on their hands and possibly a smudge on their shirts. Really, did their parents ever bathe them? And the children that threw things or did not do what their parents directed them to do. Once again obviously a lack of discipline on the parents part and possibly an inability to back up their threats.
I was certain I had the master plan game plan. I KNEW that I knew all the right answers- How much to give how much to take. After all we have 4 perfectly perfect children.
#5...Hayden!
Wow, what can I say... I take back all the cursing of the poor parents- Hayden is amazing and fun and loving but I fear he has anger management issues, an incredible set of lungs, and possibly a tendency to defy authority... He is finally getting better- He understands and is now following directions better. Is this a temporary (please) curse from above for my smug ignorance? Shall this too pass?
If anyone has any suggestions for stopping a child from swatting at anything and everything when he doesn't get his way- PLEASE- pass them my way. I have tried holding his hands tight and with an authoritative voice telling him that was not acceptable... He will smile at me and give me hug -n-luvs..
Help