Here's is just something that I was experimenting with. Don't take it too seriously. :) PS I used this poll on my family's blog and so there are already some results on it. Just FYI.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
shout out from Stef (copied from the Bark)
Hi all,
I just wanted to share a few really fun things that have been happening lately.
First: We have been trying to work really hard with Bret on recognizing his letters and numbers. Its been really funny because has just hasn't really had any interest. We have puzzles, games online, games on our phones, etc. to try to encourage him to learn them. I have been doing a joy school swap with four other gals, and its been good, BUT Bret is the youngest of the kids and has such a short attention span. The other kids are already in preschool and alot further ahead, so I think that its been a little too advanced for him and that's why he hasn't shown interest. The cool part is coming- the day after Valentines, Bret was eating a frosted sugar cookie with a conversation heart on top. He randomly just said to me, "Mom what does L-I-P-S S-U-G-A-R say?" It blew my mind! I hadn't even bother to read it but by him saying those letters, I knew what it said! Now he is noticing letters everywhere and spelling them out! It finally clicked and it is magical to watch! The other super fun thing that happened is, the other night, we were at the Pizza Factory with Blaine and Kristi and Kristi's parents. (They were on the way home from Disneyland and stopped in St. George). I noticed Bret staring up at the clock and he would say the number out loud as the second hand passed it on the clock (hopefully that makes sense). I didn't know that numbers had clicked too! I was seriously so excited to see his little ticker going like that!
By far, the best thing that has happened with Bret was last Sunday. I am in the Primary Presidency, and pretty much every week, Bret bawls his face off and ends up sitting up front with me. He is as good as gold when he does, he pays attention, sings the songs with bright eyes and all, but he still wouldn't go sit with his class. If he does end up sitting with his class, like clock work, about 5 minutes before its time to go to his individual class, he starts bawling. I don't even know how he knows its time to go, he just senses it I guess. This has been a little crazy, but we've dealt with it and have thought and prayed and talked and more about how we could help him. The one thing I have found to work is gum balls. Two weeks ago, I told him I had a gum ball in my pocket and on the way to class he and I would chew it and not tell anyone about our special little treat. I totally pulled it out of the air and it worked! So this past sunday we did the same thing only he told me in Sacrament meeting that he would try to sit with his class. I let him put the gum ball in his pocket (it was orange-his favorite color) and I told him I would signal him when he could eat it. I had him eat it just as they were going to class and he was just like "see ya mom." CRAZY, who'd a thought an orange gum ball had that much power. We were so proud of him and praised the heck out of him, etc.!! After church he said," Where's Dad, we gotta tell him that I get a treat because I was good and went to class without crying." I was just like "yah, you do get a treat." I hope this wasn't a fluke, but signifies the beginning of new ways for the Bretster. :)
It seems that the glorious fours have arrived for Bret and just in time because Clay has entered that other kind of not so glorious twos. He has a biting problem, ugh! Any suggestions? Poor Bret has scars all over his back and one broken capillary on his face from Clay's biting. Clay is a sweet boy, and he is so advanced for a two year old, BUT we have got to break him of the biting, other parents like it even less than we do :( !
I thought I would share a few more details about my dance group. My favorite piece that I am in is called Gethsemane. The music comes from the movie Avatar, its pretty intriguing and powerful. The premise of this dance is that all of us girls are Spirits and for some reason or other are in the Garden of Gethsemane while the Savior is praying and suffering for each of our sins. It is based on the dream that Elder Orson F. Whitney had as a young missionary. http://www.lds.org/liahona/2008/03/the-atonement-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng&query=gethsemane+dream you can read the talk from this link. The feeling that we are in the presence of the Savior is so powerful during this piece. At one point in the dance we are plagued by our own sins and depict through dance, how burdensome those can be. I really can't describe it very well, but it is powerful.
Its interesting as I have been a part of this company because in some ways, I have a lot of the same feelings that I did while I was on my mission. I can't really describe those either, just that I really feel like I am part of something important and that I am testifying of the Savior through dance and that Satan does not want me to do this. I am committed to this, but many obstacles have come up that would have made it very easy to quit (like only having one car and the only night I have dance happens to fall on the same night that Nick needs to drive boys around for young mens). Also just having Satan hit you with feelings of inadequacy and discouragement in hopes that you will give up on your cause. Many of you probably know the feelings I am talking about, I have no idea how to clearly express them. It has been a special thing to be a part of and I feel that my knowledge and testimony of the Savior have grown by participating in the dance company. Many of our neighbors and friends have helped watch the boys or have let us borrow a car to make it possible and I feel very grateful!
I am blessed with such a wonderful husband. I have really noticed lately how hard Nick has been trying to do so many things to make me happy. That doesn't mean it always works, but his efforts have made me feel very loved by him. I have the two sweetest boys and I cherish the time I have with them. I love my family so much and I love you guys!!! Hope everyone is doing well,
Love,
Stef
Sunday, February 26, 2012
3 dates in one week...
Okay, so I only went on 2 of them, but I was asked on 3 dates this week! I think I got a glimpse into what Janey's life must have been like as a single woman! Anyway, this weekend was a fun one because it was chalk full of dates. On Friday night I went to the basketball game of a guy friend of mine with Jill and Amber. While we were there I got a phone call from a guy I used to be in a ward with (like 2 years ago), during the time I was in the ward with him, he was kind of the "wanted man" in the ward. All the ladies loved him. Anyway, he called while I was at the game and asked if I wanted to go on a date with him later that night, unfortunately I had to say no because I already had a date set up for that night. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME. It was a bummer, but he said he wanted to call me some other time (in more advance) and ask me out. So I ended up going out with another guy that night to Trafalga. We mini golfed and then played some arcade games, it was a double date with Amber and it ended up being a lot of fun. Then on Saturday, after my exciting morning of talking with my landlord about my frustrations with the neighbors (I woke up at 3 Am to blasting music next door and the house full of the smell of smoke, it was frustrating and ridiculous), I headed up to WVC with Melanie Gurney to go to Gwenie and Jamie's baby showers. It is always so fun to be with Mom and her sisters. They crack me up. When I got home from the shower, I made a salad and then went on date numero dos for the weekend. I took a guy in my program to a "mardi gras" party at the home of one of the ladies I work with. It was a ton of fun. We ate Mardi Gras food (jumbalaya, kings cake, etc.) and just had a good time talking. The date ended up being more fun than I thought and I kind of hope the guy I took asks me out again...we will see. Anyway, life is going well. I know this is short, but I need to get to church so that I can play the piano for Relief Society. I hope B and K had fun in Disneyland, I hope N and S are enjoying St. George's warm weather, I hope J and W are having luck find a job and hunting :), and I hope little bro is enjoying his last few months of his senior year...it all changes after that. Life is good and life is busy for me. I am beginning to stress a bit about finding a job, but also very excited to graduate and have more time and money. Whelp...until next time (that I write)... Sure love ya!
Adios,
Roseritta
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A New Experience
I just wanted to share with you guys a little something that I'm working on. I've been working with my brother Brandon on a blog. It's a way for me to write about something that I find enjoyable and learn some things about blogging, and social media management. I'm not studying social media management in school, I'm just learning as I go and sharing new things that I learn with my brother.
Anyway, the name of the blog is thehunterhq.com and lets just say that it's a work in progress. I'm still figuring things out and learning a lot as I go. If you have some time you can go check it out. Maybe you'll learn something.
PS I think with a little more practice, Janey will rival Annie Oakley.
PSS I'm not advocating violence but this article is interesting. It's sad that someone got hurt, but I'm glad the woman and her baby are ok.
PSSS My website is more about hunting for animals and using those animals as a food source. Just FYI.
Anyway, the name of the blog is thehunterhq.com and lets just say that it's a work in progress. I'm still figuring things out and learning a lot as I go. If you have some time you can go check it out. Maybe you'll learn something.
PS I think with a little more practice, Janey will rival Annie Oakley.
PSS I'm not advocating violence but this article is interesting. It's sad that someone got hurt, but I'm glad the woman and her baby are ok.
PSSS My website is more about hunting for animals and using those animals as a food source. Just FYI.
Presidents Day Weekend (Janey)
Hi Fam-
Phew! Warner is the best. I wrote this letter yesterday (Tuesday) and must have pushed "save" rather than "publish." It never appeared and I panicked thinking my post was gone. Not to worry...Warner found it! Anyway, here's a little update:
I'm sitting here feeling so jealous of B&K and their little trip down to Disneyland. I told Kristi I would be happy to tag along and act as Nanny....she said yes, but I think I still had to pay. :) However, Warner and I got out of town for a quick little trip to visit Gwenie and Robbie in Logan. Gwenie and I have made plans in the past a couple of times for us to go up and visit them, but for whatever reason (usually the weather) it never worked out. So last week I kind of asked if Warner and I could invite ourselves up for Sunday evening and Monday morning. They agreed and it was a fun time!
We had stake conference on Sunday so we got out of church by noon. We arrived around 4:30 (thankfully the storm was over) to their MANSION that they only pay $400/month for. Seriously, I have always been kind of jealous....but now I am really jealous! This place looked super new and clean and was actually pretty big! It's a three bedroom, two full baths, w/d (very important to have), large kitchen (with a dishwasher), nice size living room, and.....a TWO CAR GARAGE! And the other cool thing is that the little community it's in looks like a "new home" community. Oh, and the other cool thing is they only share one wall in the far end bedroom....they don't get the job and pleasure of hearing upstairs neighbors. Basically, if you can't tell, I'm just a wee bit envious. It was so bright and happy with windows in ALL the rooms! The one thing I have to remind myself is that they live in Logan....which is pretty far away. Anyway, pretty nice house, I'm happy for them.
Gwen made us dinner and we ate shortly after we arrived. Then Robbie's younger brother and his wife came over and taught us a game. It was basically pretty similar to 6 card no peekie. That was fun and it made us laugh how competitive Jason and Brittney (Robbie's brother) were. Gwenie and Robbie said that that is what Jason and Brittney do for their "relax/unwind" time. Most people (like us) spend our "unwinding time" watching TV, but those two play games. Loved it and thought of the Bassetts who do that.
After the game we decided to watch a movie. I hesitate to say what it is since it was a Sunday and I was raised differently (and for the record, we normally only do watch "Sunday Movies.") However, we figured that this movie had good morals, and we were "on vacation." We watched the movie FLIPPED. Not sure how much Robbie loved it, but hey, we had a good time.
After that (as well as these HUGE shakes Gwen made during the movie), Robbie whipped out his famous blow up mattress and Warner and I slept on that in the babies room.
The next morning Robbie made us waffles and his famous syrup. Then around 10:00 we all headed out to go up with Robbie's dad to go shooting in the canyon. The sun was shining, and because we bundled up, it actually wasn't really too cold. We shot shotguns, rifles, and pistols. I shot the shotgun, but it had a little more kick to it than I am comfortable with, so I stuck with the rifle and the pistol. I was getting pretty darn close to the targets we had....but I still need practice. Warner and Robbie were both really good and loved it! Robbie's dad had some super old school gun that the boys loved shooting. It was SUPER loud and Gwen said that the baby was jumping around. Gwen and I shot a little bit, but we mostly just stood around and talked.
After two hours of shooting, the boys finally felt manly enough and we headed back home. Gwen made us BLT's (minus the lettuce) and then we headed back to Lehi. It was just what we needed. I just needed to get out of the house so we didn't sit around all day in our little (and somewhat dark) apt.
Okay, I'll end it there. I rambled more than I thought.
Loves. Jane
Phew! Warner is the best. I wrote this letter yesterday (Tuesday) and must have pushed "save" rather than "publish." It never appeared and I panicked thinking my post was gone. Not to worry...Warner found it! Anyway, here's a little update:
I'm sitting here feeling so jealous of B&K and their little trip down to Disneyland. I told Kristi I would be happy to tag along and act as Nanny....she said yes, but I think I still had to pay. :) However, Warner and I got out of town for a quick little trip to visit Gwenie and Robbie in Logan. Gwenie and I have made plans in the past a couple of times for us to go up and visit them, but for whatever reason (usually the weather) it never worked out. So last week I kind of asked if Warner and I could invite ourselves up for Sunday evening and Monday morning. They agreed and it was a fun time!
We had stake conference on Sunday so we got out of church by noon. We arrived around 4:30 (thankfully the storm was over) to their MANSION that they only pay $400/month for. Seriously, I have always been kind of jealous....but now I am really jealous! This place looked super new and clean and was actually pretty big! It's a three bedroom, two full baths, w/d (very important to have), large kitchen (with a dishwasher), nice size living room, and.....a TWO CAR GARAGE! And the other cool thing is that the little community it's in looks like a "new home" community. Oh, and the other cool thing is they only share one wall in the far end bedroom....they don't get the job and pleasure of hearing upstairs neighbors. Basically, if you can't tell, I'm just a wee bit envious. It was so bright and happy with windows in ALL the rooms! The one thing I have to remind myself is that they live in Logan....which is pretty far away. Anyway, pretty nice house, I'm happy for them.
Gwen made us dinner and we ate shortly after we arrived. Then Robbie's younger brother and his wife came over and taught us a game. It was basically pretty similar to 6 card no peekie. That was fun and it made us laugh how competitive Jason and Brittney (Robbie's brother) were. Gwenie and Robbie said that that is what Jason and Brittney do for their "relax/unwind" time. Most people (like us) spend our "unwinding time" watching TV, but those two play games. Loved it and thought of the Bassetts who do that.
After the game we decided to watch a movie. I hesitate to say what it is since it was a Sunday and I was raised differently (and for the record, we normally only do watch "Sunday Movies.") However, we figured that this movie had good morals, and we were "on vacation." We watched the movie FLIPPED. Not sure how much Robbie loved it, but hey, we had a good time.
After that (as well as these HUGE shakes Gwen made during the movie), Robbie whipped out his famous blow up mattress and Warner and I slept on that in the babies room.
The next morning Robbie made us waffles and his famous syrup. Then around 10:00 we all headed out to go up with Robbie's dad to go shooting in the canyon. The sun was shining, and because we bundled up, it actually wasn't really too cold. We shot shotguns, rifles, and pistols. I shot the shotgun, but it had a little more kick to it than I am comfortable with, so I stuck with the rifle and the pistol. I was getting pretty darn close to the targets we had....but I still need practice. Warner and Robbie were both really good and loved it! Robbie's dad had some super old school gun that the boys loved shooting. It was SUPER loud and Gwen said that the baby was jumping around. Gwen and I shot a little bit, but we mostly just stood around and talked.
After two hours of shooting, the boys finally felt manly enough and we headed back home. Gwen made us BLT's (minus the lettuce) and then we headed back to Lehi. It was just what we needed. I just needed to get out of the house so we didn't sit around all day in our little (and somewhat dark) apt.
Okay, I'll end it there. I rambled more than I thought.
Loves. Jane
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Passport in Hand
I got my new passport today and it's really cool looking! I am getting very excited for our trip just wanted to share that with everybody. Hopefully you saw the link to the pictures from our ski trip on my Picasa Web album. I sent it to the bark!
Quick hello (mom)
Dear family,
This will be quick so you can read the two new posts below. I thought I would list a few highlights from this past week.
Monday max got his passport application filled out and turned in. I couldn't help but wonder if he will need it for his mission.
Tuesday was Valentines Day and dad, Max, Rosey and I all had dinner together at home. It was very romantic! Hehe. In addition to our grilled steaks we had baked potatoes, baked asparagus, and Danish dessert with strawberries. Yum. Then Rosey, Max and I watched the Lady Lancers beat Hunter. Wahoo!
Wednesday was the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. As a Primary presidency we love to support Jennifer Shaw and the scouts. It was amazing to see the work she and other leaders went to. It was a mediival theme with castles, swords, helmets, etc,etc, all the leaders dressed up and served (I wore Janeys dress from the Shakespeare festival in 9th grade) and it was fun. There were over 100 people there.
Thursday I attended my last parent teacher conference. My last one ever!. Unlike most parents, this is something I am going to miss since these were always pleasure for me to hear how wonderful others thought my kids were. Thanks to everyone for making them so great. And who would have thought that I would be meeting with Marg at my last conf?. As I walked out I saw Mrs. Moore and told her this was my last and she was just packing her stuff up as it was her last, too! I also gave Miss Woodward permission to retire.
Friday I met dad at West High and we watched Caroline's team beat Viewmont. GHS came from behind for an exciting win. Then dad and I used our Christmas gift from B& K and went to Pats b-b-que. Delish!. Then to top off our date we went to the sleep number bed store and laid on beds. (We actually bought us one last night!)
Saturday we teamed up with Yorgs to see I Bought A Zoo and eat at Wingers.
Sunday we loved having B&K and family and Rosey over for a soup dinner and games. We kept the kids overnight and Max and I attempted to take them to the Muppet movie but I guess everyone else had the same idea on this Presidents Day and we gave up after two theaters being sold out. Dad had to work. We went home and watched the Bee Movie.
So that is my life. I just got off the phone with Blaine who is almost to Barstow. Fun times.
Love to all, mom
This will be quick so you can read the two new posts below. I thought I would list a few highlights from this past week.
Monday max got his passport application filled out and turned in. I couldn't help but wonder if he will need it for his mission.
Tuesday was Valentines Day and dad, Max, Rosey and I all had dinner together at home. It was very romantic! Hehe. In addition to our grilled steaks we had baked potatoes, baked asparagus, and Danish dessert with strawberries. Yum. Then Rosey, Max and I watched the Lady Lancers beat Hunter. Wahoo!
Wednesday was the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. As a Primary presidency we love to support Jennifer Shaw and the scouts. It was amazing to see the work she and other leaders went to. It was a mediival theme with castles, swords, helmets, etc,etc, all the leaders dressed up and served (I wore Janeys dress from the Shakespeare festival in 9th grade) and it was fun. There were over 100 people there.
Thursday I attended my last parent teacher conference. My last one ever!. Unlike most parents, this is something I am going to miss since these were always pleasure for me to hear how wonderful others thought my kids were. Thanks to everyone for making them so great. And who would have thought that I would be meeting with Marg at my last conf?. As I walked out I saw Mrs. Moore and told her this was my last and she was just packing her stuff up as it was her last, too! I also gave Miss Woodward permission to retire.
Friday I met dad at West High and we watched Caroline's team beat Viewmont. GHS came from behind for an exciting win. Then dad and I used our Christmas gift from B& K and went to Pats b-b-que. Delish!. Then to top off our date we went to the sleep number bed store and laid on beds. (We actually bought us one last night!)
Saturday we teamed up with Yorgs to see I Bought A Zoo and eat at Wingers.
Sunday we loved having B&K and family and Rosey over for a soup dinner and games. We kept the kids overnight and Max and I attempted to take them to the Muppet movie but I guess everyone else had the same idea on this Presidents Day and we gave up after two theaters being sold out. Dad had to work. We went home and watched the Bee Movie.
So that is my life. I just got off the phone with Blaine who is almost to Barstow. Fun times.
Love to all, mom
Nick's Update
I'm looking at our BAWB picture (the family at Disney Land) and texting back and forth with Blaine (who is on his way to Disney Land) and must admit being pea green with envy. I'm actually more excited for Blaine and Kris and their family than anything as they are taking advantage of Blaine's week break from school.
It's been a fun week for our family. It's always a little tough getting back into the swing of things after such a wonderful vacation. Stef covered the details very well, so I think I'll only touch on our week trip to SLC and Park City, and then spend the rest of the time talking about this past week.
As Stef already mentioned, Park City was amazing. Thanks a million to everyone who helped with the kids. It's such a blessing to not only have people willing to help watch, but also to not have to worry at all about whether the kids are ok. The only element to the trip that was not already covered by Stef were a couple of the details to my conference. I won't say much, but the attendees at the conference were mostly executives and physicians from across the country. I was presenting on the my bundled pricing work with two of the physicians who have helped support the work we've been doing. I got an email the night before the presentation from the main physician I have been working with who said he wasn't sure whether or not he was actually going to be able to make it (he was presenting at another conference in San Francisco). He said in his email "it'll be close...I'll do my best". Well, needless to say, I was sweating bullets all morning leading up to our presentation. Every time someone opened the door I would look back to see if it was him. About 15 minutes before our presentation he walked in. I was so happy to see him. That doc (Dr. Jevsevar) led off and went for about 10 minutes, then the other doc went for about 20 minutes, and then I had about 20 minutes left. I got going on my portion (the real meat of the presentation...the docs were presenting more on high level conceptual type stuff) and I only got maybe 10 minutes in before people started having questions. These are questions like "explain more about how you do this..." which are GOOD questions. They were very interested in the work and actually kept questions going till we'd gone over 10-15 minutes and the MC stood up and asked the group to wrap up. It felt so good having that done and behind me, and I was so grateful it went as well as it did. I know that Dr. James (the host and lead physician at the conference) thought I did well because just last week I got an email from his team asking me to host a workshop on our work for a similar group sometime in March.
That was longer than I'd intended. This past week has been fun. Yesterday for President's Day we went out hiking. We found a great stick to make Bret a sword. I figure for the countless hours mom spent making me face masks and swords...I owe it to Bret to pass it on. So, I sat down and pulled out my pocket knife and whittled a pretty nice little sword. We carved his name in it, made a little holster he can put on his belt loop and the works. I think it was more rewarding for me to watch him, than it was for him to get it. He was SO proud of it. He just ran around showing all the neighbors, and I'd just watch him and he totally had a "perma" smile that wouldn't go away. He'd just practice pulling it out of his holster, and then put it back in. It was really cute. Bret has really started to "mature" the last couple of weeks and I'm really proud of him. He's sure a joy to have around.
Yesterday we bought Clay a big-boy bed and that was almost as fun as watching Bret with his sword. I wish you could have seen Clay's face last night as he lay there with his covers pulled up to his head. You could just see him beaming knowing that he is starting to be a big boy. It was really cute.
Well, gotta go. Love you all!
Nick
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Pictures needed
Hey Family, I need a favor. I need a face shot of each of you. I am making a calendar and on your birthday your face gets to fill the square! Fun!!! I have one of B and K and all the grandkids, but I need one of everyone else, will you email me a little head shot when you get a chance? Thanks, loves!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
It was a fairytale...
...It is amazing to me that you can spend a week or ten days or whatever on a trip, fully enjoying every moment and the second you get back home its back to work just like that! We had such a fabulous week and couple days in West Valley and Park City!
We are sad that we missed the Bassett 2nd Sunday, but the roads were terrible for several hours of the drive, so it was the right thing for us to do. Thank you everyone who helped watched kids: Mom, Dad, Max, Jane, Rose... as it made for such a fun trip for us. The kids just love you guys and it was a very positive experience for them.
I just finished importing the pictures to iphoto and will get a web album sent out as soon as I can ;).
Now for details of our trip: Saturday we attended a sealing at the Draper Temple. It was for Mike DeMotte who was the single dad that works with Nick, also one of his best buds down here. He was sealed to Mallory who has a little one year old girl. Now they are a happy family of five. We were so excited for them. That same day we also made a little stop at Ikea and bought two long ledge shelves that literally BARELY fit in our car on the way home, but they DID FIT! We are hoping to have our home look more homey by the next time you all see it! :)
Wednesday morning, we left our boys with my parents and headed up to Park City. Our first hotel was FABULOUS-the name was New Park Hotel. Our room was small, but very well designed so it still felt very comfortable. There was a fridge, sink, dishes, a nice bathroom with heated floor tiles, a MONSTER tub, closet and drawers under the vanity. There was also an electric fireplace, leather sofa, comfy bed with a down comforter and storage drawers underneath, a flat screen TV and an ihome on Nick's side of the bed! This hotel was sweet! They had a pretty nice fitness room and an indoor to outdoor pool and an outdoor hot tub. They also had a sauna and steam room. I am proud to say I exercised everyday there!
While Nick was at his conference I got to shop the outlets, tub, read, relax, enjoy the fireplace, etc. It was a really nice break for me. I almost felt guilty, but I tried not to. When he was finished with his conference, we had fun dinners, enjoyed the pool and hot tub and watched White Collar on Netflix. It was so much fun. His conference lasted Wednesday-Friday afternoon. Oh yeah, the other cool thing about our hotel was how much it was connected to. It was super close to the outlets, the movie theater, a ton of stores AND it had three or four restaurants, a nail salon, and some other places all CONNECTED to the hotel. It was a great location and super fun.
On Friday afternoon, we went to Chevron and heated up our leftovers from the night before in their mic microwave. (This is sort of a romantic trip tradition as we ended up doing this same thing at a Chevron on our Honeymoon.) Next, we went bowling compliments of the New Park hotel. It was a pretty sweet bowling place too! Jupiter Bowl- if you ever go to Park City and want to bowl, it won't disappoint. After bowling, we hit up the outlets again, then dinner, then over to our new hotel to relax. We sat in the indoor hot tub at our new hotel- Best Western- and met a nice young couple. Unfortunately, we talked their ears off, at that point we realized we were super excited to have Blaine and Kristi come join us on Saturday for skiing, hot tubs and dinner. :)
We enjoyed our complimentary, hot breakfast Saturday morning. It was so interesting that all around our two hotels, the outlets, restaurants, etc. everyone was dressed in their best under armor and stuff, just walking around. Way different culture, but everyone was comfortable with themselves like that, which isn't always a bad thing. We headed up to Park City Mountain Resort and started off with an easy run appropriately called First Time. Nick was trying to get me to try these little conveyer belt things, but I would have been the only adult amidst a bunch of red-coated ski instructors and a ton of cute little kids. :) Little kids in their ski gear is one of the cutest things I have ever seen!! I felt pretty comfortable on the ski blades this time and was able to relax and enjoy myself a lot more than the first time I went skiing. After that first easy run, we did another one that was connected to the "bunny hill" but a little longer. After that, I don't really know where we went, as I was just more of a follower. I know we did the Homerun run a bunch and that one was definitely my favorite! We had a great time and it got even more fun when Blaine and Kristi got there. We all had fun skiing on the green (easy) runs and pretty soon we were starving and took a lift way up to the top and ate at a yummy grill inside. My favorite thing about lunch at the lodge was just that everyone looked so happy. Everyone was exercising, having fun, and at their down right nappiest they had ever been, yet no one seemed to care. Loved it!
Nick and I shared a burger and a piece of pizza. YUM!!! After lunch is when the craziness started, somehow or other I was talked into going down a blue run (more difficult) and I felt super uncomfortable. I start to panic and clench my body and I stopped having fun. We are already a few minutes down the run and YES, I unstrapped my skis and walked back up. The volunteer peeps all asked if I was okay and each time I had to admit how scared I was and that's why I was walking back up a huge hill. That was the best cardio I had had all day :). After that, I was more vocal about how Stef only does green runs. I went to have fun, not to scare the heck out of myself. All in all, it was a great day! Towards the end, Nick and Blaine went off to some scary black diamond junk called Widow Maker, or something like that (they promised they would be safe so they wouldn't make us widows) and Kris was so sweet to stay with me as she is a much more confident skier than I am. We did the bunny hills tons of times in a row, there was no line and it was super fun. Thanks for humoring me Kris!
My other favorite thing about skiing (besides seeing all the fun styles of ski clothes-some people like to make quite a statement with their outfits!) is going on the lifts and looking down at all the skiers, you can see that there are sooo many people just skiing all over and I find it so amazing there aren't more collisions. I imagine that's kind of what Heavenly Father feels like watching us drive cars and probably ski too, everyone is just going crazy going around each other. Its way funny to watch. After skiing we all felt super tired, so we went back to our hotel and sat in the hot tub for awhile. Then we headed back to Main Street and ate at a way yummy Mexican restaurant. I had fish tacos and a pork tamale. YUM!!! And they had the best Sprite ever (I stole a few sips from Nick). I nicknamed it Mexi-Sprite. As we were leaving, a huge group of guys came in a totally hit on Kristi!!! She can give you more details. :) After this we went our separate ways. Nick and I watched a bunch more episodes of White Collar and hit the sack.
Sunday morning, I think we were both ready to end the trip, we missed the boys and felt totally spoiled. I know that I won't always have such an easy week off, but I sure enjoyed it! The craziest thing was all the snow that morning in Park City, we were nervous to drive down Parley's, but were very blessed. We went to church with Mom and Max, hugged our boys SOOOO much, ate dinner with Mom and Dad and Max, went to say good bye to my folks and headed home. We stopped in Lehi to give the Christoffersons a little gift for the ski passes and braved the fierce weather on our drive home. We always feel so grateful to make it home safely. We are reminded how fragile life is each time we drive past Sherri's mile marker.
What a fun trip. Thanks everyone for being so fun and making effort to see us when we are in town. It means a lot. We sure love you and you do get a prize for making it to the end of this post!!! Sorry I rambled a little bit! :) love STEF ps it did take me about three days to finish this post ( with the kids and dance and all) !
We enjoyed our complimentary, hot breakfast Saturday morning. It was so interesting that all around our two hotels, the outlets, restaurants, etc. everyone was dressed in their best under armor and stuff, just walking around. Way different culture, but everyone was comfortable with themselves like that, which isn't always a bad thing. We headed up to Park City Mountain Resort and started off with an easy run appropriately called First Time. Nick was trying to get me to try these little conveyer belt things, but I would have been the only adult amidst a bunch of red-coated ski instructors and a ton of cute little kids. :) Little kids in their ski gear is one of the cutest things I have ever seen!! I felt pretty comfortable on the ski blades this time and was able to relax and enjoy myself a lot more than the first time I went skiing. After that first easy run, we did another one that was connected to the "bunny hill" but a little longer. After that, I don't really know where we went, as I was just more of a follower. I know we did the Homerun run a bunch and that one was definitely my favorite! We had a great time and it got even more fun when Blaine and Kristi got there. We all had fun skiing on the green (easy) runs and pretty soon we were starving and took a lift way up to the top and ate at a yummy grill inside. My favorite thing about lunch at the lodge was just that everyone looked so happy. Everyone was exercising, having fun, and at their down right nappiest they had ever been, yet no one seemed to care. Loved it!
Nick and I shared a burger and a piece of pizza. YUM!!! After lunch is when the craziness started, somehow or other I was talked into going down a blue run (more difficult) and I felt super uncomfortable. I start to panic and clench my body and I stopped having fun. We are already a few minutes down the run and YES, I unstrapped my skis and walked back up. The volunteer peeps all asked if I was okay and each time I had to admit how scared I was and that's why I was walking back up a huge hill. That was the best cardio I had had all day :). After that, I was more vocal about how Stef only does green runs. I went to have fun, not to scare the heck out of myself. All in all, it was a great day! Towards the end, Nick and Blaine went off to some scary black diamond junk called Widow Maker, or something like that (they promised they would be safe so they wouldn't make us widows) and Kris was so sweet to stay with me as she is a much more confident skier than I am. We did the bunny hills tons of times in a row, there was no line and it was super fun. Thanks for humoring me Kris!
My other favorite thing about skiing (besides seeing all the fun styles of ski clothes-some people like to make quite a statement with their outfits!) is going on the lifts and looking down at all the skiers, you can see that there are sooo many people just skiing all over and I find it so amazing there aren't more collisions. I imagine that's kind of what Heavenly Father feels like watching us drive cars and probably ski too, everyone is just going crazy going around each other. Its way funny to watch. After skiing we all felt super tired, so we went back to our hotel and sat in the hot tub for awhile. Then we headed back to Main Street and ate at a way yummy Mexican restaurant. I had fish tacos and a pork tamale. YUM!!! And they had the best Sprite ever (I stole a few sips from Nick). I nicknamed it Mexi-Sprite. As we were leaving, a huge group of guys came in a totally hit on Kristi!!! She can give you more details. :) After this we went our separate ways. Nick and I watched a bunch more episodes of White Collar and hit the sack.
Sunday morning, I think we were both ready to end the trip, we missed the boys and felt totally spoiled. I know that I won't always have such an easy week off, but I sure enjoyed it! The craziest thing was all the snow that morning in Park City, we were nervous to drive down Parley's, but were very blessed. We went to church with Mom and Max, hugged our boys SOOOO much, ate dinner with Mom and Dad and Max, went to say good bye to my folks and headed home. We stopped in Lehi to give the Christoffersons a little gift for the ski passes and braved the fierce weather on our drive home. We always feel so grateful to make it home safely. We are reminded how fragile life is each time we drive past Sherri's mile marker.
What a fun trip. Thanks everyone for being so fun and making effort to see us when we are in town. It means a lot. We sure love you and you do get a prize for making it to the end of this post!!! Sorry I rambled a little bit! :) love STEF ps it did take me about three days to finish this post ( with the kids and dance and all) !
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
9 Years
Hi Family!
I was feeling all prideful thinking how everyone posted the first day of the challenge, but I would be the first one to post a letter this week. Not only am I not the first one to post this week, I'm not even the first to post today! Nice work mom! I love the new life that has been pumped in to the blog (who knew all it took was a little money?!).
Anyway, a quick little update from me:
Job Stress: Choosing which job to take was more stressful than you might imagine. I really, really, like really wanted to go to Portland. I am grateful that I was able to take a step back and really listen to the spirit because, despite the extra pay, extra fun experience, tantalizing location, etc. I still felt like we should choose the South Jordan job. Of course that was back when I thought I was being noble and providing my children with a stable home and life by making such a selfless choice, and also I figured the extra income would have been eaten up by trying to maintain this home while we were gone and paying rent in two places. So when we found out we have to leave this home anyways I certainly had my doubts (and tears, and rants of rage). I just need to try to remember that I thought choosing South Jordan was the right idea back then, and hopefully that was the right choice that needed to be made. I am just so grateful to even have anything at all, and really the man who owns this firm has been amazing to work with so far, so I think it will work out great.
I was feeling all prideful thinking how everyone posted the first day of the challenge, but I would be the first one to post a letter this week. Not only am I not the first one to post this week, I'm not even the first to post today! Nice work mom! I love the new life that has been pumped in to the blog (who knew all it took was a little money?!).
Anyway, a quick little update from me:
Job Stress: Choosing which job to take was more stressful than you might imagine. I really, really, like really wanted to go to Portland. I am grateful that I was able to take a step back and really listen to the spirit because, despite the extra pay, extra fun experience, tantalizing location, etc. I still felt like we should choose the South Jordan job. Of course that was back when I thought I was being noble and providing my children with a stable home and life by making such a selfless choice, and also I figured the extra income would have been eaten up by trying to maintain this home while we were gone and paying rent in two places. So when we found out we have to leave this home anyways I certainly had my doubts (and tears, and rants of rage). I just need to try to remember that I thought choosing South Jordan was the right idea back then, and hopefully that was the right choice that needed to be made. I am just so grateful to even have anything at all, and really the man who owns this firm has been amazing to work with so far, so I think it will work out great.
Now that the job decision has been made I just stress every day on whether or not we should join Blaine in DC and how on Earth I will survive if we don't. Don't get me wrong, we can be apart, but I am a leeeeeetle worried about the safety of the children and the sanity of me... and lets be honest, I am kind of worried about Blaine out there in DC all alone. Plus, I put in my two years of living without Blaine already! I stress about whether to go, I stress about how hard it will be to stay, and I think I've stressed myself right in to denial. So I've stopped planning, which is unfortunate as it is coming up here in about two months. Gulp.
So yes, we will be moving coming up here soon, which is so sad. I am not particularly attached to the neighborhood. I have some friends here, but the kids aren't really close to anyone. So that is not the issue. The issue is that I am attached to this location (it being the furthest away it would logically make sense to live and have me still attend my gym. Gym = sanity, I know that sounds weird, but it is). And I am attached to this particular house. Love the floor plan, love the carpet, love our bedroom. The thought of cramming in to something a third this size, ugh, we just have aquired a lot of "house stuff", and squeezing back in to an apartment might prove to be challenging. The good news is that Katie (Warner's sister, and my BFF) thinks there might be a condo opening up in their complex. The price is right, the location is still doable, we would be cramped but it is a really nice place. Also my sister called yesterday and said the house next to her is going up for rent. That would prove challenging for Blaine to get to school, but it would be close to his work, the gym, and actually Carolyn F. was telling me last night that they are buying a house in that area just for the elementary school that neighborhood goes to (Welby elementary, they offer a dual immersion Spanish program), so I am excited about that possibility as well. I would be game to looking at Provo as well, though my hesitation (besides the gym issue) is that Blaine attributes his good grades to his long bus ride (isn't he dedicated!), so I would hate to deprive him of that!
I just can't wait to be settled. I love adventure, you know I do. I love to live in new places and meet new people. When I started having kids I made a vow that they wouldn't slow me down, and they haven't, but I feel the need to provide them some sort of stability now. I'm ready to find "home", put down some roots, and be done with moving every year or two. Of course, if Blaine can work from home, we might pack up and go exploring every summer, but I want them to attend the same school for more than a year, so I am looking forward to that!
That being said I wouldn't change this law school experience for anything. I am SO GLAD that we are doing this. I am watching Blaine just soar and excel in ways I wouldn't have ever even known about if we weren't doing this. Not only academically, but I feel like he has grown socially, spiritually and become a better father and husband. The long hours would be awful, but he comes home from 12-14 hour days and devotes all of his energy (which he couldn't possibly have much of) to playing with the kids, and putting them in bed (Max...if you want to be the perfect husband some day just get it in your mind now that the key to doing that is to be the primary put-kids-in-bed person, it's one of Blaine's finest qualities). Then he will often tidy up the kitchen. He just takes over when he gets home. I feel guilty because I know he has got to be tired, but I am too, so he does it. Love him and love watching him grow and change and reach new heights.
Boy this is getting awfully rambly, isn't it? Continuing on...
Gwen is doing well in her new school academically but I am worried about her socially. If we end of moving back to South Jordan I will really regret the choice we made to switch her schools. I keep hoping things will turn and that she will find a good friend, so maybe if you think about it during your prayers you could pray for that. She is so smart. She loves to read and has been reading the Beverly Cleary books (Ramona and such) all by herself. I will get her books for me to read out loud to her, but she finds them and reads them alone in an afternoon. While I still have a hard time with her a lot, there are good times too, I am grateful for that. I love her so much and can't believe how big she is getting. We measured and she is only a foot shorter than me, it's mind boggling. I really don't want her to grow up! She's too sweet for that and has the potential to be such a hard teenager, ha ha. Agh! I am nervous! (Though the prospect of having a live in babysitter makes it almost okay... :).
Bentley is doing good and loving preschool. I am thinking he might be lactose intolerant, so we are trying our best to not give him milk products. And so while you are praying please pray that no one in this family will develop a deadly allergy, because I can barely remember to not give Bentley milk and cheese and yogurt. In fact he probably gets one of those each day, I think if someone were really in danger from eating a certain food it wouldn't be safe for me to be their primary care taker :). He is so sweet, always willing to share with his sisters, always kissing peoples hands when he says goodbye (to the point of awkwardness). The other day, after six months of being super excited to go to preschool, I dropped him off and big old alligator tears welled up in his eyes. I nudged him along and he just burst in to tears, "I JUST WANNA BE WITH MY FAMILY FOREVER *sob* *wail*". I have no idea where that came from but for like a week solid he refused to go to preschool without me. It was sweet, and a little weird (I kept thinking, what...is there a bad guy in our house waiting to get me if I go home...why is he doing this?!). I love Bentley so much. He is so sweet and though he is getting his rebellious side for the most part he is obedient and kind. What a cute little guy.
Ivy is crazy. So much energy packed in such a little package. Wild man hair that looks like she stuck her finger in a socket. SO SPOILED. Sleeps in our bed every night. Screams till she gets what she wants. POTTY TRAINED, woot! I feel so liberated! I love her so much, but I spend a lot of time pondering over where she came from. Blaine and I were talking on her birthday about how it feels like she has been in our family a lot longer than three years and we finally realized that it is because she is so packed with character. Her personality is so strong that we can't even envision our life before her. Likewise I told Blaine that if we had lost her back when she was six months (don't like to bring that up...) my whole conception of who she was going to be as a person would have been completely wrong. She was calm and demure as a baby, I would have never guessed that she would be the bouncing ball of craziness that she is. Love her.
Today is our nine year wedding anniversary, that's just crazy. Growing up is scary and hard, but at the same time exciting and fun. I'm glad that I've "grown up" with Blaine by my side. We truly have figured life out together, starting from very early on. I'm so grateful that I tricked him in to marrying me (it was a lot of work people!). I've really got a good thing going.
Well congrats if you made it to the end. Now that you are all caught up hopefully the next letter will be shorter and more fun!
Happy Valentines Day!
PS Today Gwen asked if I could cut some strawberries in to heart shape for breakfast. I did and handed them to her, she kind of scrunched her eyes and was like, "well....at least you did your best, didn't you?". Ha ha.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Happy Valentines Day! (mom)
Dear Family,
First, check out Warner's post below. It's a great countdown that I wish we could somehow keep at the top of the BAWB. Thanks Warner.
It's been good to hear from everyone and know that you are all willing the accept the $20 BAWB challenge. I just wanted to share some of my wonderful week. I just feel really full of gratitude this morning for my family and for the Gospel. It is a great way to start a week, feeling so full of gratitude!
This morning Max, dad and I left at 7 to go to the Granger Seminary Morningside. Our stake was the host stake and Brother Jr. Bonza from our stake was our speaker. He talked of miracles and told the story of his family joining the church in The Congo. There are now over 40,000 members in his country and he was the very first person baptized back in 1986. He has an amazing spirit and testimony and I only hope the students felt it. What a great way to start my day. I loved that Max's good friend Chris was there (he is not yet a member but has not missed a morningside this year.) He told me he felt the Spirit. I loved seeing lots of Max's friends and it made me think how I am going to miss all this fun when Max graduates.
It has been a great week being with Nick and Stef. We had FHE together on Monday and then got to tend Bret and Clay the past few days. What a fun time we had. They were so good and obedient and cooperative and happy. We played cars and horseys and blocks and read lots of books and watched movies and Max built huts with them and played basketball. And we went on a long walk to grandma great's and just had the best time. Bret learned to do the milk jug chore and the recycling chore and I learned that Clay will eat as many waffles as you will give him. They were so fun!
And they love my tub because they can slip and slide and splash like crazy. Next time I bathe them I am putting on my swimsuit!
Last night Dad and I enjoyed going to Blaine and Kristi's for Bassett Second Sunday. Their home looked great. We met downstairs and Blaine looked so handsome as he conducted. Ben led us in song and Gwen and Kristi gave lovely prayers. Ivy impressed us with her potty skills, announcing very loudly that she needed to go just as we were getting started. Janey and Warner gave a wonderful lesson on patience and bearing our trials with joy. I loved Warner's story and picture about the bullweevil. And we had tasty treats to wrap it all up. Thanks guys.
So I am full of gratitude that we have the true gospel and that all of you are healthy and strong and seem to be making good choices each day that we ultimately bring us all back together again someday in Heaven. I could go on and on but won't!
Love you all, mom
First, check out Warner's post below. It's a great countdown that I wish we could somehow keep at the top of the BAWB. Thanks Warner.
It's been good to hear from everyone and know that you are all willing the accept the $20 BAWB challenge. I just wanted to share some of my wonderful week. I just feel really full of gratitude this morning for my family and for the Gospel. It is a great way to start a week, feeling so full of gratitude!
This morning Max, dad and I left at 7 to go to the Granger Seminary Morningside. Our stake was the host stake and Brother Jr. Bonza from our stake was our speaker. He talked of miracles and told the story of his family joining the church in The Congo. There are now over 40,000 members in his country and he was the very first person baptized back in 1986. He has an amazing spirit and testimony and I only hope the students felt it. What a great way to start my day. I loved that Max's good friend Chris was there (he is not yet a member but has not missed a morningside this year.) He told me he felt the Spirit. I loved seeing lots of Max's friends and it made me think how I am going to miss all this fun when Max graduates.
It has been a great week being with Nick and Stef. We had FHE together on Monday and then got to tend Bret and Clay the past few days. What a fun time we had. They were so good and obedient and cooperative and happy. We played cars and horseys and blocks and read lots of books and watched movies and Max built huts with them and played basketball. And we went on a long walk to grandma great's and just had the best time. Bret learned to do the milk jug chore and the recycling chore and I learned that Clay will eat as many waffles as you will give him. They were so fun!
And they love my tub because they can slip and slide and splash like crazy. Next time I bathe them I am putting on my swimsuit!
Last night Dad and I enjoyed going to Blaine and Kristi's for Bassett Second Sunday. Their home looked great. We met downstairs and Blaine looked so handsome as he conducted. Ben led us in song and Gwen and Kristi gave lovely prayers. Ivy impressed us with her potty skills, announcing very loudly that she needed to go just as we were getting started. Janey and Warner gave a wonderful lesson on patience and bearing our trials with joy. I loved Warner's story and picture about the bullweevil. And we had tasty treats to wrap it all up. Thanks guys.
So I am full of gratitude that we have the true gospel and that all of you are healthy and strong and seem to be making good choices each day that we ultimately bring us all back together again someday in Heaven. I could go on and on but won't!
Love you all, mom
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Countdown timer...Finally
Here is the Countdown Timer that I've been working on. And no I didn't write the html code for this, I just copied and pasted, but it took a little bit of research to figure out how to get it going correctly. Enjoy!
PS Blaine, it's set for when we have to arrive at the SLC Airport...11 August 2012, 5:30am.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Happy Valley...not so happy
So...we all grow up in the "ghetto" of Utah. West Valley City - home of the drive by shootings. Yet throughout my growing up years, I was almost completely unaware that horrible things happened in the world. Thanks for that Mom and Dad. Anyway, I managed to graduate high school and move to Provo to go to school without any major incident that would shake my faith in the human race. Of course I was aware of horrible things happening in the world as a 15,16, 17 year old, but none of the horrible things really happened close to me. Okay, so I won't go on and on, I am sure you all get the point...and I am going somewhere with this....
On Monday night around 9:30 PM, I was inside my house talking with Amber and Kara (my roomates) about the events of our day. Meanwhile, right (and I mean right) outside my house, there was a girl being raped at knife point. Obviously I was unaware that such a horrible action was taking place right outside my door, but I figured things out pretty quickly when I woke up Tuesday morning to find a S.W.A.T. team with yellow tape and all the works, right outside my door. When I say right outside my bedroom window, I am talking from Mom and Dad's bedroom window to the Swenson's basketball hoop. It was close. Throughout the rest of Tuesday, I began to hear rumors about the incident and finally was able to read an article in the paper about what occured. I was, of course, horrified about what I heard and felt a variety of emotions. While I may be sounding as if I was unaware that rape is something that actually happened in the world, having it happen this close to home really shook me up. It could've been me, or somebody in my ward, or one of my friends. This event just really changed my perspective.
So a few thoughts I have had as I am trying to process this horrific occurance that happened right outside my home:
1. I have stewed over wondering what leads a person to become THAT horrible to another human being. What occured in the man's life that would cause him to want to do that to another person who was innocently running? It honestly scares me that we as children of God have that kind of potential for evil.
2. Why her? Why did this girl have to suffer something SO horrible? As I have thought about the event, I can't help but think about how it all happened. She was probably out for 3-4 mile jog after getting home from a long day. She was probably listening to a great song, just kind of venting. And suddenly out of the bushes comes a man who grabs her and threatens her with a knife. He must've pulled her down in the river because it is too well lit and too much of a populted spot for him to attack her there. And I cannot imagine how she must've felt when he finally left and she lay there alone. I am sorry to be so graphic, this has all just gone over in my mind and I feel so much pain for this poor girl.
3. I have of course thought a lot about how fragile life is. I take so much for granted, including my safety. I fell asleep last night praying that I would be protected and also thanking the Lord for the protection I experience in my every day life. I was of course a bit scared as I came in and have thought about all sorts of safety measures I should take to help save me from such an event.
Anyway, I won't go on and on. I feel like I have already done enough of that. I am just glad I was able to type this letter and get my thoughts out on paper. For some reason I have never had this type of reaction to an event like this. I guess just because it felt so real.
To end my letter on a more positive note, my life is going great! Tonight I have a basketball game against a team with 3 girls who played for BYU (scary!) And tomorrow I have the wonderful privilege of attending a very fancy dinner that the Home and Family Social Science College is hosting for all of their major donors, in fact I get to pick up and bring the guest of honor who is speaking at the event. It should be a wonderful experience.
Love you all. Life is good.
Love, Rosey
On Monday night around 9:30 PM, I was inside my house talking with Amber and Kara (my roomates) about the events of our day. Meanwhile, right (and I mean right) outside my house, there was a girl being raped at knife point. Obviously I was unaware that such a horrible action was taking place right outside my door, but I figured things out pretty quickly when I woke up Tuesday morning to find a S.W.A.T. team with yellow tape and all the works, right outside my door. When I say right outside my bedroom window, I am talking from Mom and Dad's bedroom window to the Swenson's basketball hoop. It was close. Throughout the rest of Tuesday, I began to hear rumors about the incident and finally was able to read an article in the paper about what occured. I was, of course, horrified about what I heard and felt a variety of emotions. While I may be sounding as if I was unaware that rape is something that actually happened in the world, having it happen this close to home really shook me up. It could've been me, or somebody in my ward, or one of my friends. This event just really changed my perspective.
So a few thoughts I have had as I am trying to process this horrific occurance that happened right outside my home:
1. I have stewed over wondering what leads a person to become THAT horrible to another human being. What occured in the man's life that would cause him to want to do that to another person who was innocently running? It honestly scares me that we as children of God have that kind of potential for evil.
2. Why her? Why did this girl have to suffer something SO horrible? As I have thought about the event, I can't help but think about how it all happened. She was probably out for 3-4 mile jog after getting home from a long day. She was probably listening to a great song, just kind of venting. And suddenly out of the bushes comes a man who grabs her and threatens her with a knife. He must've pulled her down in the river because it is too well lit and too much of a populted spot for him to attack her there. And I cannot imagine how she must've felt when he finally left and she lay there alone. I am sorry to be so graphic, this has all just gone over in my mind and I feel so much pain for this poor girl.
3. I have of course thought a lot about how fragile life is. I take so much for granted, including my safety. I fell asleep last night praying that I would be protected and also thanking the Lord for the protection I experience in my every day life. I was of course a bit scared as I came in and have thought about all sorts of safety measures I should take to help save me from such an event.
Anyway, I won't go on and on. I feel like I have already done enough of that. I am just glad I was able to type this letter and get my thoughts out on paper. For some reason I have never had this type of reaction to an event like this. I guess just because it felt so real.
To end my letter on a more positive note, my life is going great! Tonight I have a basketball game against a team with 3 girls who played for BYU (scary!) And tomorrow I have the wonderful privilege of attending a very fancy dinner that the Home and Family Social Science College is hosting for all of their major donors, in fact I get to pick up and bring the guest of honor who is speaking at the event. It should be a wonderful experience.
Love you all. Life is good.
Love, Rosey
Monday, February 6, 2012
Still......Waiting.......
Hey FAM!! It's so great to be back on the BAWB!!! I definitely accept the challenge Mom. Thanks so much.
Well, as my title says, I am "still.....waiting....." I've realized while applying for college and jobs that patience is definitely a skill that needs to be learned now for later.
As all of you know, I've applied to Utah State, BYU-I, and BYU. I have been accepted to BYU-I and Utah State. In fact, today I received a $400 scholarship for Utah State housing. I was pretty happy about that considering I didn't apply for any scholarships at USU. BYU-I has sent me my track schedule for fall-winter of 2012. That is 2 out of the 3 schools! But I am still......waiting.....for BYU to send either really GREAT news, or really not so great news. I've signed on my gmail almost every day looking for some news, nothing so far. I have to remind myself that they are not sending the letters till mid February. So I wait, and wait. It seems like centuries since I pushed that "submit" button on November 30. I can't even remember what I said....I sure hope it was good! ;)
Anyways, as I wait....I'm still working hard in school and in seminary. We are planning some really fun activities for 3rd term as seminary council! It is going to be so fun. I don't know if I've shared this with you guys, but I do love my calling as seminary president. It really has been a great experience for me to see the light that seminary brings to my peers at school.
Well, sorry I can't write more, I've got to go finish Siddartha for Woody's class. Our test is tomorrow!
Thank you all for your examples to me!
Love you all!
Can't wait for the cruise.
Max
Free Money!? Of course I am in...
I hope to write a better post soon...but I just wanted it to be known that I am definitely in! I miss reading the blog. I wish I could write right now about all of my classes, or my job...but alas, I have had a long day and classes are finally over! So...I want to get the heck out of here! If I hurry I can even hear the National Anthem being played on campus :) Loves!
I did it. And a single tear fell lightly on my keyboard as I did. :'(
My title is a text I just sent to Kristi about 20 minutes ago. But before I get into it, can I first say that I love mom's idea and I'm up for doing my best. Also, you'll see I posted long comments to Nick's and Janey's and I'm wondering if I can count substantial comments because that is usually the easiest way for me to write and I end up writing more than most people do on their posts! Think about it, Mom, and get back to me. :)
No, the real thing I'll write about today is the hard decision I had to make. I just sent an email to the firm in Portland--the one that I loved, that is in an area that we love, that offered me more money than I've ever made in my life, and that actually made me an offer when they haven't had a first year student like me in the office for years--and I declined their offer.
Yeah, it was tough. And you might wonder why I did it. Well, we can talk about that in person but in short I also have a really great option here that I am accepting instead, it would have been very difficult logistically to make it work to move to Portland for 10 weeks, and, basically, I was just rolling the dice on what I have come to believe will be my best long-term career strategy. I'll tell you though, it is different to strategize on paper than to hit send on the email that closes off the opportunity forever.
Anyway, it was not easy, but as I just wrote (much more eloquently than I think this email has been, by the way) in my lengthy comment to Nick, I really do have faith that the Lord leads us where He needs us and I think I am at peace with this decision. It is just tough.
But here's hoping that time will prove that it was a good decision. And here's to the party we will have this summer since we will be here in Utah! Who wants to go to 7 Peaks with us??
I am totally in! (Janey)
I am totally in! Especially if it just has to be a quick something. I figured I would write about my awesome morning. Because I didn't have to work today, Kristi invited me to go with her to her magical gym and her amazing Zumba class. I have heard her talk about her gym multiple times before and heard her say how she feels like she is on a cruise boat and it's like the best thing she has ever done in her life (okay...maybe that is going a little too far) but I could tell she loved this place....and I kind of doubted how nice it could ACTUALLY be.
Well, she wasn't lying! It's pretty dang nice. I did feel like I was on a cruise! She drops her kids off for up to 2 hours and it looks like they have nice, clean, playing accommodations. The Zumba class was fun and Kristi is a rock-star at it! Thanks to my clogging experience and step aerobic dance experience I don't think I looked TOO lost or dorky. The locker rooms are perfectly clean (everything is perfectly clean), and there were about a million high quality treadmills to run on. It was fun to run/walk next to Kristi and chat. It was just a fun morning and I can now see why Kris spends the big bucks to go there! Maybe someday when Blaine is finished with law school and they are rolling in the dough and Kristi wasn't a Zumba/running partner so bad she'll pay for me to have a pass with her. Good idea, huh Kris?
Anyway, thanks again Kristi. I enjoyed myself! I'm glad you found something that makes you happy and helps get you out of the house.
Love, Janey
P.S. I was wondering what I need to do to change my long-in? And, how do we get Warner added so that he can possibly earn $20.00? Thanks for the fun motivation Mom!
Well, she wasn't lying! It's pretty dang nice. I did feel like I was on a cruise! She drops her kids off for up to 2 hours and it looks like they have nice, clean, playing accommodations. The Zumba class was fun and Kristi is a rock-star at it! Thanks to my clogging experience and step aerobic dance experience I don't think I looked TOO lost or dorky. The locker rooms are perfectly clean (everything is perfectly clean), and there were about a million high quality treadmills to run on. It was fun to run/walk next to Kristi and chat. It was just a fun morning and I can now see why Kris spends the big bucks to go there! Maybe someday when Blaine is finished with law school and they are rolling in the dough and Kristi wasn't a Zumba/running partner so bad she'll pay for me to have a pass with her. Good idea, huh Kris?
Anyway, thanks again Kristi. I enjoyed myself! I'm glad you found something that makes you happy and helps get you out of the house.
Love, Janey
P.S. I was wondering what I need to do to change my long-in? And, how do we get Warner added so that he can possibly earn $20.00? Thanks for the fun motivation Mom!
Thrilled with Mediocrity (something I try not to do too often)
Rather than respond to Mom's post, I figured I would go ahead and write a blog post of my own in light of my big day today. I think all of your were aware of the fact that I was taking the GMAT today. About 4 months ago, I paid $400 and signed up for an online class. For the next couple of months I studied at least an hour a day, and then after that, for months 2-4, I have been going in to work around 7:00, studying until 9, and then trying to get another hour or so in in the evenings. Obviously there were lots of exceptions to that, but that was my default plan. The avg GMAT score at BYU's business school is about a 670, and at the U it is about a 590. I knew I would have to get at least somewhere between those two. Well, when I started out taking practice tests I was doing very poorly. My first test was a 450, my next was a 520 and so on. After months of studying, my best score came last Saturday which was a 590. The week before that though I got a 530. So, as you can see, there was still lots of variability in my scores...and I really did not want to get a 530. It costs $250 to take the test, and if I needed to take it again, not only would I need to pay the $250 to re-take the test, but I would also need to pay to re-take a class. So...yeah, I really really really did not want to do poorly. My original goal was to get a 650, but when I started really taking practice tests my big goal became to get at least in the 600s. Well, as most of you probably know by now, I got a 610 on the test. I was so happy with my score that I went out in the car and just cried. I really can't express how relieved and grateful I was to have gotten a score that I'm confident will allow me into at least the U's program, and possibly better. Most of all I'm grateful that I don't need to think too hard about whether or not to take it again.
Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers on my behalf, and most of all, thanks to Stef for all the encouragement and patience as I've been studying. She would always gently remind me that I needed to keep studying even when I didn't want to.
Loves,
Nick
The Challenge/The Reward
Dear Family,
It was wonderful being all together last night and catching up with many of you about your day-to-day life. After our meeting about the cruise, I have come up with an idea. We have about 27 weeks until the cruise. I would love to challenge everyone to write something on the BAWB during at least 20 of those 27 weeks. Then anyone who has at least 20 posts will get a $20 bill at the airport to pay for their luggage charge. This would come out of my cleaning money so it would be a gift from me to each of you. Yes, this is also known as a bribe. Mothers are good at bribes.
So is anyone in? If you want to write a full letter, great. Or if you write to the Bark and want to copy that letter in here, great. But mostly what I am thinking of is just a paragraph about something you are doing. Or something the kids are doing. Or a funny story. Or a tender mercy that happened. Or what you are grateful for that week. Or what is making you happy or getting you down. Perhaps it could be a date report. Or the name of the blog you post for and how that is going. Or tell us about the dance class you are teaching. Or the meals/diet you are interested in. Or what classes you are taking this semester. Or how your job interview went. You get the idea. I'm not Ms. Woodward so it doesn't have to be perfect, just something. And it certainly doesn't have to be long. Truly just a paragraph would be great. I just LOVE hearing from all of you.
And as you can see, this would be an individual, not a couple thing.
Think about it. Love you all. Mom
It was wonderful being all together last night and catching up with many of you about your day-to-day life. After our meeting about the cruise, I have come up with an idea. We have about 27 weeks until the cruise. I would love to challenge everyone to write something on the BAWB during at least 20 of those 27 weeks. Then anyone who has at least 20 posts will get a $20 bill at the airport to pay for their luggage charge. This would come out of my cleaning money so it would be a gift from me to each of you. Yes, this is also known as a bribe. Mothers are good at bribes.
So is anyone in? If you want to write a full letter, great. Or if you write to the Bark and want to copy that letter in here, great. But mostly what I am thinking of is just a paragraph about something you are doing. Or something the kids are doing. Or a funny story. Or a tender mercy that happened. Or what you are grateful for that week. Or what is making you happy or getting you down. Perhaps it could be a date report. Or the name of the blog you post for and how that is going. Or tell us about the dance class you are teaching. Or the meals/diet you are interested in. Or what classes you are taking this semester. Or how your job interview went. You get the idea. I'm not Ms. Woodward so it doesn't have to be perfect, just something. And it certainly doesn't have to be long. Truly just a paragraph would be great. I just LOVE hearing from all of you.
And as you can see, this would be an individual, not a couple thing.
Think about it. Love you all. Mom
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