Super Saturday

We had the GREAT blessing of having our Super Saturday today! It was quite an end of the week for us. We were up at the church helping to set things up last night. After set up was complete, the girls and I stayed to participate in book club. Kathy had some VERY yummy Thai recipes ready for us to snack on. Then, we finally got home (at 10pm) to get some last minute things together for this morning. Finally, we hit the sack. (Melanie and I) Julia was my dead log sleeper upon getting home. Sleeping in was something that came naturally after a late evening the day before, but we couldn't linger in those covers for long. Cleaning and preparing was pushed back half a day, but I am getting some time to do it now. I will probably pull an all-nighter tonight to get things in order for Sunday and so that I can FINALLY relax for this week! Yay! I know you all are just waiting to see what we had available, so here they are:


#1 Cards - Some free, some for $1


#2 Bead Snowflake Ornament, Free

#3 9 B's - $10

#4 Hot Chocolate Mix - Free

#5 Garland - Free

#6 Glass Ornament - $1

#7 Joshua 24:15 - $12

#8 Families are Forever Frame - $3

#9 Ho Ho Ho Blocks - $3

# 10 Joy Letters - $10

As a side "class" our very own talented Jenna demonstrated how to make her Grandmother's famous Orange Rolls! I will make them, take pictures and share with you all when I get the chance! Warning: They are yummy yummy, and you WILL be taking the recipe once I post it!

Daddy's Girl

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My Dad with Julia


This man means the world to me. Before I tell you all how great he is and what an impact he had in my life, I want to apologize. I am sorry that you all didn't have my dad, you missed out on a pretty great dad! Having said that, I know most girls have a special place in their heart for their father. So, you would probably feel just as badly for me not having your father. I get it, but I really feel that I got the best dad ever. Let me tell you a bit about him.

First off, he was an awesome missionary to the great state of Oregon (and surrounding areas) in '79. After my parents were married and I came along, my dad decided to go out for Cosmo. I know, way too cool! Sadly for me, I was deathly afraid of him in his get up and have the pictures to prove it. On a good note, it happened to be the year that they won all that college stuff. He got to "see the world". Oh, but before I say he "saw the world" he really did "see the world" as an Air Force ("brat" - nickname for military children) dependent. He lived in Germany for a while and then saw some of the United States. Needless to say, change was the norm in his family growing up.

In my opinion, my Dad got to do tons of really cool, useful jobs. The thing that I loved most about his jobs was that he was always able to be there for me and my sisters growing up. If we had something going on (track meet, field hockey, softball, soccer, chorus concert, band, etc.) he was there. I could maybe count the number of times he was unable to be there on ONE hand. His priority has always been his children and helping others. Mostly his children though. The other really amazing thing about my father, he never YELLED at us. He had his "serious" voice, and boy those swats hurt at times, but he NEVER yelled.

Reading Scriptures as a family was a treat (when I wasn't playing the teenager card) because he always made the story fun. He loves the scriptures, and I love him for that. I fear that I am not doing him justice in the slightest with my "speech". He helped us with anything that he could, was there to support us, always encouraged us and praised our strengths, gave us sound advice, and provided for our needs. Sure he had those "embarrassing" qualities. Such as yelling LOVE YOU after us when he dropped us off at HIGH SCHOOL for all other kids to hear, playing his records and singing at the top of his lungs (he does sing well though), and wearing those Give Blood or Apherisis hats he got from donating.

Small children in our home ward know another interesting thing about my dad, he has 2false teeth. He had a motorcycle accident when he was a teenager and completely shattered two of his teeth. He likes to surprise the children in the ward by popping them out of his mouth and turning them around during church. (He's the Bishop now too!) He has always been very good with children and youth. It seems that once he was old enough to get out of the youth program himself, he was called back into it. He has always served in YM as long as I can remember until his current calling. His dream calling is to be a Primary teacher. He would be such an amazing one.

Daddy - I love you. Thank you for teaching me kindness among another million things. Every time I think about you I know the love that Christ must have for our Heavenly Father. You are such a shining example of a true disciple of Christ. I am VERY blessed to have been your daughter. The principles you have taught me have always governed my life. Thank you for supporting me and sending me those letters on fast food liners while I was away at school. I couldn't have gotten through it without you. I have kept every single letter you have ever written to me.

Just Plain Excited!

I just had to blog and share my excitement with someone other than myself!! There are a few reasons why I am super excited right now. First one is....

Granted... I took this a few days ago and gas is now $2.75 in my neck of Norfolk!! I just want to cry about the savings our little family is getting from that $0.60+ drop! Yes, you can all think I am the worst frugal person in the world.

The next one is two things actually, but I am trying to keep one a secret from Jeremiah. Let's just say I am excited about some of the sales at BJ's right now.
Here's one of them:

I've been wanting to get this puppy for a few years now. I love these shows. I think it really helps get the spirit of giving started. Since I am lucky enough to have my birthday in the same month as Christmas, I get to sometimes purchase "Christmas-y" items. I just had to get it when I saw it was on sale.

Another bit of excitement: CATO!!! I know some of you have been shopping there or are at least trying to get there to see what they have. I just love the place!! It's not like finding pants on sale at JC Penney for 80% off or anything, but it definitely beats paying lots of dinero for something that will eventually get stained, trampled on, thrown across a room, and most likely spit upon. Not to mention all the dirty hands that cry "clothing, please!! Johnny just pushed me down, I just have to rub my muddy fingers on your new"er" shirt!! It'll make me feel a lot better, promise!" So, I perused a bit today and got a few things. I definitely suggest that anyone who has not taken a look should definitely make the time.

Last item on my list, I'M ALMOST FINISHED WITH BRISINGR!! Yay! I am reading the dragon series books and have been trying to fight for some time to finish it so I can get to the book club book! T -6 days, I know! So, here's to the last leg of the journey!!

A little busy...

Tuesday found us running from place to place. Here is where we went: to a brunch in honor of one of my friend's birthday, drop my girls off at Tara's so I could go to my lovely annual pap smear(ughhh!)- plus, they even took blood from me this time to rule out something that could have been going on with me, then to visiting teaching, then finally home for a few hours!! While we were relaxing, Julia started getting warm and fussing (TOTALLY needed a nap HOURS before!!). So, the last trip of the day was supposed to be the recipe exchange and unfortunately, I was only able to drop off my Halloween "creation". I missed out!! I'm so bummed! I look forward to the pictures of the goodies that were there and hope to get those recipes! Needless to say, today we are taking it easy. I moved my furniture around in my living room/dining room today. I welcome change (in the form of rearranging furniture). We'll see what Jeremiah thinks!

Julia's 2nd Birthday!!!

Julia loves Elmo, so we planned an Elmo birthday for her. Since the girls are still pretty young, we just get together with family for birthdays. We celebrated Julia's birthday yesterday with cake and ice cream (and presents of course!). Today is her actual birthday. It's hard to believe that 2 years ago today I was in the delivery room at this time with just about an hour before I got to meet her! (she was born at 12:44 PM) HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA!!!
Here are a few pictures:


Julia's Birthday!!

Julia at 1 year

2nd Birthday! She has grown up so fast!!






The cake that took forever to decorate!! (Ok, not forever, but it sure seemed like a long time!!)

Navy Shmavy

Navy - it's a blessed word and a curse word in our house this week. Jeremiah got back from San Diego on Tuesday morning. He was thinking he would fly to his ship the following morning. Well - to get to the point - he didn't fly on Wednesday morning - or at all for that matter. They decided he would stay here until his ship returned and was passed around the different areas of "temporary duty" (not using any names). We thought we landed in a dream (turns out that is all it was). He got a few days home with us and was thrown back into the worst area of "temporary duty" on Saturday morning. (It was the worst of times and the best of times comes to mind when I think about that) I was excited to finally have him home for a General Conference weekend (it seems that he has missed every single one since being on this ship (minus the one a few days before he left in '06 for deployment). However, now he's missed Conference again! He works again today until who knows when. It's probably my fault he got it. I tend to be a jinx. Maybe I was so thrilled to have him home with me that it just couldn't last. His ship comes home this week - so, he'll be back on it and home for about another week and then he leaves again. It's Navy life. I can't complain I guess. But, I sure can be frustrated with it (I've earned the right). Only Plus is he is "HOME" and not in the Ocean.

My Silly Goose

In order to encourage my children to say nice things about others that are acting special at times, we say "Silly Goose". Plus, as a nice perk - it sounds so cute coming out of their mouths! Julia has been awarded the Silly Goose recently because of her obsession with these:



She just loves the glasses from Mr. Potato Head and ALWAYS puts them on upside down! She walked around the house for hours wearing those glasses. She even "read" books with those glasses on! I'm so proud of my Silly Goose!

Relief Society Broadcast

Nicole is hiding behind Brooke's head there - I wasn't able to get a really great shot of her. She is there!



So, the Relief Society Broadcast was last night and we got a bunch of us together to go to Panera. I have never actually EATEN at Panera, so it was a new experience for me. A group of us got together to carpool and eat at the Panera near the stake center. I really had a great time with my friends (at least I think of them all as friends) - I really enjoy friend time. I don't get it very much and I definitely think I need to do it more often, so I will have to keep in touch with everyone! Upon getting to the broadcast and finding a seat, it was a wonderful meeting. I enjoyed all of the talks so much and took a lot away from them. Relief Society is really something I have missed since being in Primary. (I love my friends!) I also learned at the meeting that I don't need to feel left out of RS while serving in other auxillaries. I guess I need a little more "refining" in that area. Here are a few pictures of those of us that were able to meet up together.

Meeting Aunt Laura

I hope I spelled the name right. I have been married to Jeremiah going on 5 years this December and have yet to meet his mother's sister - Laura. On September 20th, I had the opportunity to finally meet her and visit a little bit with she and Uncle Tom. It was nice to see them and finally put a face with the name that Jeremiah mentions. We ordered chinese food and ate at my place while we had some time to visit and enjoy each others company. Here is a picture of the siblings.


Nana, Uncle Tom, Aunt Laura

Camp Out!!

The trip across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (photos courtesy of Courtney)

Melanie in front of our tent (before it rained)

Julia after smores! The picture is a little fuzzy, but you gotta take what you can get when the girl is moving quick!

Andy Vaughan with his "catch"

Marshall Robertson with his fish

I decided to go to the ward camp out. Unfortunately, Jeremiah was unable to attend. We toughed it out and stayed with the Gaines family. (Again, I will be forever indebted to them!!) So, Codey helped me with the tent, and the girls got situated in the great outdoors. I think they had a wonderful time! It was a little difficult at first to get the girls to bed, but once they were asleep, they slept for a decent amount of time (especially with having colds). After we went to bed early Saturday morning, it decided to rain and continued off and on for the rest of the morning. We ended up leaving around 9:30 am because of the downpours. I was completely soaked from taking down the tent and packing up the car. It was great fun though! Hopefully we'll get to go next year and will have nicer weather so that we can enjoy all the perks of camping! =0) Oh, and while the guys (and some of the older children were fishing) we visited under the canopy that the Gaines brought. Andy got a flounder and Marshall got a gift (I think that's what Chris said). However, the fishing trip went from about 9 ish until 12:30am. They are very dedicated fishermen!

Book Club, Countdown, Campout

Yesterday was book club at my house. We discussed the book by Randy Pausch "The Last Lecture". To those of you who haven't read it, you can borrow it from me and read it! And, you better too! It is a great book and we had a nice turn out. I was glad some of my friends were able to make it. We missed those of you that had to work or were otherwise engaged. I loved having some time to talk about the views in the book and get feedback from my friends. Bottom line: I really liked the adult conversation!! Thank you for all who attended!

The countdown... well, who wouldn't count down the days until this guy arrived?

Well, the countdown is on and he'll be home in less than a handful of days! The visit will be short lived - he will most likely fly to his ship the next day. MAN!! The adventures he has! He's been catapulted off a ship before, now he is going to be caught on one!? How cool is that?! Anyway - I digress. So, we are excited to see him for about 20 hours before he leaves us for another week and a half.

The camp out. Big debate here in my head these past few hours. (The downpours yesterday, the dripping trees today, how weather-proof is my tent?, hmmm, my toddlers - will they get sick?) then on the other hand... (wow, what an adventure, it could make it to my blog!!, if I don't do it - I will remain a boring person, heck - let's do it for the adventure!!!) So, I am thinking we will tough it out! It'll be WAY fun!! I just know it! I'm sure you'll see what happened when I get back and am able to post pictures/stories. Wish us luck (and not lots of rain!!).

Finally Split

So the talk of our ward splitting has been a big rumor for about a month. Every time we went to church, we were hoping to hear something a little more official. Every Sunday we left with just as much information as the week before, until today. Our ward was finally split today during our Ward Conference. I have never been through a split before, so it will be an adventure. The Stake leaders there were wonderful about encouraging us to stay strong and help where we are needed or see a need. The thing I thought was ironic was that half (at least) of our ward is military. We see change as a way of life - so, I don't think we needed as much coaching as we received. I know that I still appreciated the words of comfort that were offered, even if we didn't need it.
Our family happens to be one of those in the new ward (Norfolk 2nd ward). Our bishopric is great and I know they will lead the ward to the best of their abilities and carry out what they feel is needed for our ward. Fortunately, we have a lot of our friends in our ward. Some friends will remain in the other ward, but I hope to continue friendships and enjoy their company still.
Next week will be our first Sunday as a new ward, I'm excited to see how thigns turn out! Mostly because the only people in our ward with callings are the new bishopric!! So, a little farewell to those who will reamain "behind" and "hello and welcome" to those who will stay and those I will meet that I haven't already!

Our Sunday Evacuation

A few of you know about or have heard about our evacuation Sunday morning. I woke up to Base Security pounding on my door. I went down stairs hesitantly until I heard, "BASE SECURITY!! " I was told upon opening my front door, that there was a police emergency and I must evacuate immediately. Like a good citizen, I followed the warning and left with my girls (all of us in our PJ's). So, upon leaving and my brain waking up a little more, I thought - when can I go home? What about my class at church? Will I even get to go to church? Where should I go?

So, I called my dad - he being an Air Force kid growing up. He helped me think through some things and get some ideas. So, I called Tara up. Since she only lives about 1/2 a mile away. She graciously let us sit in her house for a little bit until I could call Norfolk Police and see if it was safe to go home. We were there for about a half hour when we found out we could go home. THANK HEAVENS!!! So, we headed back home and got ready for church. I am so blessed to have friends that would let me wake them up Sunday morning to ask if I could sit in their house for a bit until things were figured out. So, Thanks Tara!! You are a wonderful friend!! For those of you wondering what it was? My neighbor said that it was a car stopped on base and they couldn't get the trunk open, so they evacuated in case it was a bomb. Our home is just across the street from base. I'm glad they thought of us, and I'm glad it wasn't a bomb!

My 6 random Things - courtesy of Marie Turner

In my attempts to catch up today with all the posts I've missed in the past two weeks, I came across the one where I got tagged! Why did I have to continue to scroll down!? Nah, just kidding. I love the Turner family, and that's why, I can't get enough of their goings on! So, here goes it, I hope I do it right (I'm following your format Marie). I'm a little hazy on the other things, but I get the quirk part! Here it goes.

1. I have a bad habit of spelling words subconciously with my right index finger while I am listening to people talk.

2. When I really enjoy a song, I will shake my head back and forth instead of up and down like most people. It is something I picked up from a roommate - plus, I think of her too!

3. I currently have an obsession with cookbooks. Mostly Pampered Chef right now.

4. I love good deals - sometimes I will look far and wide for them too!

5. I like power tools. I've used them a few times and I just LOVE them! I wish there were more projects I could do and think of where I have an excuse to use them again.

6. I love to talk too! (Like Marie) I feel "out of it" lately because I don't get to talk to adults much. MY VOCABULARY NEEDS YOU!! Please!!

Now I get to tag you! (Tara, Heidi, Jenn, Cheryl, Tami, Jamie)

Last but NOT least!

I had the great blessing of visiting with my BEST friend, Erin and her family while in PA. Momma D invited us over for dinner (which was a yummy mac and cheese with hotdogs). They had a chance to watch the girls and see how silly they are. I got the chance to see my best friend that I don't get to see or talk to much. We visited for a little while and took quite a few pictures! Erin is an Elementary School Teacher now and definitely has her hands full with her work. She is also dating a guy right now that she cares about a lot. I am so happy to see her happiness! It makes me smile every time I think of how happy she is dating this guy. He better make sure he makes himself the man she deserves! Here are a few pictures from our visit. Erin and I got together the next week and went out for a Rita's (I tried the new Pumpkin Pie Cream Ice - it was delish!).

The girls kept hiding in the closet and opening it up to "surprise" us

Julia - my bellybutton fetish girl!

WHAT'S THAT!!??? Looking at the Dickensheets' game.

Julia loves shoes. She'll put your shoes on and come out and say "I like your shoes!" She wore Mr. Dale's boots around a few times. This is one time I was able to capture.

More shoe fetish - "I think I'll take these"

Erin - my best friend! Gosh how I miss her! Portrait courtesy of Melanie

Momma D - truly my second mother. I love her so much!! Portrait also courtesy of Melanie

Kid's Kingdom

There is a playground called Kid's Kingdom near my parents house. One day, we packed a lunch and went there to play and enjoy the nice weather. We would call parks like this castle parks. They were made of wood and had different places with a little "roof" surrounded by mazes of passageways. All in all - kid heaven!

FHE

For our last Monday night there, we went to the park nearby and played with the girls for a little while. We drove over there after having our song and prayer. They love the swings and are quite good climbers! Here are a few pictures (it was getting dark)

Temple Trip

My mom and I had previously planned on going to the temple on the 6th of September. Saturday came and we woke early to head down for the first session. Unfortunate for us, it coincided with the tropical storm off the coast and so lots and lots of rain accompanied our trip. Well, we missed the exit (hey, it was raining! and mom was driving) turned around, got caught in a little traffic from an accident, then were unable to use the normal roads to the temple due to flooding. So, we FINALLY make it to the temple, dress and head up to the endowment session. Thank heavens they held the session for a little or we would have missed it! I love the temple. It's always a wonderful experience. My favorite part is the celestial room. I feel at peace there. I love being in that room so much that I don't want to leave! Since we drove to the temple, we decided we would stop in a the bookstore and see what they had. Upon leaving the bookstore, we started feeling something different with the car. First my mom thought it was a flat tire, so I get out in the pouring rain and check. Sure enough, no flat tire! We continue on a bit more only to feel the same weird scraping - so, we decide to look UNDER the car this time. I get out again in the pouring rain and look under the car to find out that my mom aquired a tire from the bookstore parking lot and we had drug it for a little less than a mile. Well, for any of you that know the area around the temple, there are HUGE speed bumps. I figured if the speedbumps we had already been over hadn't dislodged it, I would need to use the jack and take the tire out. So, that's what I did while my mom stood over me with the umbrella. I was soaked by the time we got back in the car and we had a good long laugh on our trip home!!

Bike Riding

Jocelyn and I did quite a bit of bike riding while I was there. Since she is homeschooled, she would finish her work around lunch time and we would head out for a ride and my mom would watch the girls. We rode to Giant one day to rent a redbox movie, then we went to Sheetz another day. On the way back to my parents house, we would stop at the UTZ outlet and test drive some chips. I bought some the last trip there and we took them home with us on the trip. I took Julia and Jocelyn with me on the UTZ factory tour (sorry, you couldn't take pictures) too. If you are ever in Hanover, you should stop by and do it. You get a small bag of regular chips for free at the end of the tour. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of Jocelyn and I riding our bikes either. Jocelyn ran a red light once but overall, we had a blast!

Celebration at the Olive Garden!

The 2nd was my mother's birthday. I don't get to be with her much on her birthday - so it was very special for us. She wanted to go somewhere to eat for her birthday and she chose the Olive Garden (also one of my favorites). Of course we asked them to sing to her - and they brought out a cake for us to share. IT was fun to be there with all of them on my mom's big day.

Labor Day Picnic

One of the first things we did while we were there, other than lots of walking (my family loves to take walks - I try to convince Jeremiah to go with me with our little family, but that doesn't happen much), was the Picnic. Growing up we always had a ward picnic on Labor Day and Memorial Day. Sometimes they were combined, and sometimes they weren't. We used to have the get-togethers at the Littlestown Community Park, but since the ward building is also the Stake Center, they have recently built a Pavilion right there on the church grounds! How nice is that?! So, we had it there this year. Melanie loved walking around to see the different children and watch them play games. She also liked to visit the dog that was there and chat with other members of the ward. She was hilarious!! Julia preferred to run out into the parking lot and try to snatch a little girls purse everytime I turned around (or sat down). Julia tired me out pretty quickly and so we had an early departure. Plus I wanted to head back to the Outlets in Gettysburg to catch some good deals on clothes. My mom and the girls went home and they napped while I went to the outlets. It was a lot of fun to shop by myself. I don't get that luxury much, and shopping is pretty demanding for me these days.

Visiting with my Parents

At the end of August, the girls and I "took off" to Hanover, PA for two weeks. We had a wonderful visit with my family and the girls really got a chance to warm up to them. Julia kept getting into my parents refrigerator and all the cookbooks. She's such a silly girl! I definitely know what I will be bringing with me for our visit this Christmas!! Now, for those members of my Primary Class reading this (or rather so you can't say I didn't miss you) - I did miss you all terribly while I was gone. You'll understand when you have children, that sometimes it is just nice to visit your parents. The next few posts will contain pictures of some of the things we did while we were visiting. I'm glad to be back and I have a lot to catch up on!

Quick Update

Things are going just fine here. We are up for another adventure! We will be going to visit my family for about 2 weeks. I have high hopes to get to the temple while I am away. It has been a long time since I have been able to go (It takes a lot around here to be able to get to the temple). I am VERY excited about going. I will miss my class for the next two weeks but I know they will be fine without me.
Tara and I toughed out the free bread program that the ASYMCA does for the military yesterday. It was a lot of waiting, but I think we did fairly well in getting bread for our families that will last a bit. Overall, it was a success I think. I had plans to go to the gym afterwards, but, yeah - it took WAY too long. SO, I will be there today and tomorrow. I have a lot of cleaning to do (I am obsessed with making my house JUST RIGHT before I leave so life is so much easier when I get home). I'll still be updating my blog - and the new blog I joined (Made by my sister - I'll tell you more about it later). I don't have to get anyone ready for school this year, but I do have to make sure one of them will be ready for some school NEXT year! Wish us luck on our trip and I will see you all in a few weeks!

Last Half of the OBX!

Thursday we went Parasailing. It was a ton of fun. If you check out my shutterfly pictures you can see them all. I will attach one so you can see. I just take so many pictures when I am on vacation. Most of them are bad pictures, but hey, I try! Jeremiah and I rode together and the 1st mate (one that hooks you up and makes sure you are safe) took a picture of him holding a knife up to our rope and pretending to cut it! He was a pretty funny guy. We saw tons of crabs floating around in the water and were hoping to see some dolphins (the group before us had claimed to see some). Then, at the end of the "flight" they dragged us through the water. We went up 600 feet. Friday was another day where we just wanted to get out of the house a bit and keep the girls busy. I wanted to go to the beach but we didn't get the chance to take the girls this year. So, no beach pictures. =0( Uncle Tom arrived Friday night. He and Nana went shopping Saturday morning, we went looking at some last minute things we wanted to see, then we all went out to eat at Jimmy's buffet. It was TERRIBLE!! (never go there!) It was definitely an "experience". Then Sunday, we packed up all of our things and made sure the house was cleaned out and traveled home. I tried taking some pictures on the way home of different things. That's what all the pictures at the end are about. There's a picture of Grave Digger (monster truck) I think a place called Burton (my maiden name) I tried to get the street name Cameron (name of my brother-in-law) and a few other odds and ends. So, all of those were taken from a moving car. That just about sums up the vacation though! We are back to the "regular life" and happy to be home.

Shutterfly

Ok, so I have uploaded almost 400 pictures to shutterfly. A lot of them are duplicates (I just kept taking pictures in hopes that a great one would show itself). You are now forewarned. Go ahead and check out my shutterfly album if you want. I hope to put explainations and labels on them in the next few days. Well, I hope that you enjoy the pictures! Just copy and paste it in your browser.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYuXDlu4YtGLl4

So...

My attempt to break it down a little so I could upload photos hasn't worked with the wifi we are using. So, I will have to add pics later when I get home I guess. So, the rest of the week (so far) in a nutshell... Tue - went shopping and looking around. Wed - Went to Manteo to see the Aquarium and Christmas shop (VERY disappointed with what they had to offer. They had closed a couple years ago and have now reopened - I'm not sure if it is under new management or not). The girls like the fish and Julia loved trying to touch the animals in the marine area. We've gone swimming or hung out in the hot tub pretty much every night. The girls are getting the hang of floating with their lifevests on! Oh, we also got a lifevest for free the other night. Pretty fun story. Then, Thursday - we're still just hanging out and checking out the stores in the area. But, this morning on my way home from the gym (I've gone every day except for Wed. so far) I filled up the car and ended up getting $10 of free gas! Apparently someone had pre-paid and then left. So, I was the lucky recipient of an unknowingly abandoned pre-pay!! Good things have been happening to us this week. We've been blessed.

Monday

Monday we headed up to Duck to sightsee and shop. We will be going back tomorrow to do some parasailing. I am hoping to get some really fun pictures - we'll see how it goes! We found me some crocs (on sale) to replace my pair that is wearing thin! The girls did pretty good and we were happy to have some time together to look at what we wanted.

First Half of the OBX!!!

So, Monday we decided to travel up to Duck to see what they had to offer. We stopped at a lot of the shops (Scarborough Faire and walked to the neighboring stores). I found some crocs (on sale too!) and got them - I am really wearing out my pair. I just love them, very comfy. Tuesday we decided we would go window shopping and ended up finding some fun things for the girls. Melanie just loves to touch on all the pretty things (very breakable) and all the toys she can put her eyes on!! Keeping her from touching them has been a great feat this week. Wednesday we went across the bridge to Manteo to check out the stores there. We hit traffic on the way and then found out that they had the art fair going on!! Go figure! I guess next time we'll have to check the events calendar! We went to the Aquarium and then of course went by the Christmas shop (it closed a few years ago and has re-opened, we were VERY disappointed). I got a nativity by Willow Tree last year with plans to add on a set each year. I have the basic set with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, a Shepherd, a few sheep and a donkey. So, I still need the wisemen, more shepherds and some more animals. I found the wisemen at the Christmas Mouse and I bought them this year. All that is left now is more shepherds and animals if I want! Like my mom, I love nativities and I also love Willow Tree.

Sunday's rainy trip

Our trip down here on Sunday was quite the rainy one. I thought that most of the week would be wet, we have lucked out so far. (only rain Sun and today (Wed)) It has been beautiful weather since - allowing us to get lots of time outdoors (not neccessarily tans though)! It looks like the rest of the week from here on out (starting Thurs) will be wonderful! I will post more later and hopefully be adding some pictures if this free wifi will allow me too! I also found out on Sunday that our ward will be splitting and we'll be losing quite a few families I really enjoy being around! I guess that means we'll have get togethers at my house now so we can keep in touch!

Olympics

I am so excited about the Olympics. I was eager to watch them on Saturday. I think there is a special spirit that comes with the Olympic games. Dreams come true, Miracles happen, etc. So, I am just so excited about them! My favorite sports to watch are swimming, gymnastics, and track events. What sports do you enjoy watching in the Olympics?

Our Trial before the Fun

I wanted to wait to post this so that I didn't jinx myself. So, on Thursday, our battery died. I found out by packing the girls in the car and having to go pick up Jeremiah only to find out that my car wouldn't do anything when the key was turned! I frantically tried to reach Jeremiah (I finally got him on his cell) to let him know. Of course I was crying because I felt I might not get the chance to go on vacation. So, the boys came to save me! YAY!! Thankfully it was only the battery and it was promptly replaced. We seem to not have much luck around the time that vacation happens. Last year, the day Jeremiah returned to work - he was in a car accident. Oh, then I thought the car completely "reset" the odometer to 50- some thousand miles. Only to find that it was probably fine. I just prepare for the worst I guess!! Imagine the relief when I find out it isn't that bad. Sorry, I'm rambling. I need to fill you in on what's going on here!

He's Back

Jeremiah is back! Yay! Now it is just a matter of days before we leave for vaction. If anyone wants to check out the house we'll be staying at this year, here's the link. http://www.kittydunes.com/rental/house.html?ID=81
It's really nice. For those of you who haven't been to the Outer Banks, this is a great example of what they have to offer as far as homes to rent for the week. They all aren't as expensive as this one, you can get what suits for your family's needs. I hope to catch some internet somehow while we are gone to share some fun things.

We Lost a Member of our Family Yesterday

This is a picture of my Aunt and our late family member, Suzy. She has always technically belonged to our Aunt. However, Our family took care of Suzy for a few years of her life and she always took care of us. She passed away yesterday living to be almost 17 years old!! She always had spunk and love for those around her - even in her last years. She suffered from blindness, and hearing loss before she passed away. I won't forget how she would run into the bathroom during thunderstorms and jump in the tub and shake because she was so scared, or how she would scratch up grass all over the yard after she went potty. Jeremiah knew her while he was on his mission and I'm sure will think, "Well, she smelled anyway." We love her though and she has made our lives a little more cheerful by being in it. I know she is watching over those who loved her now in Heaven with Our Heavenly Father. Since we stopped taking care of her, I have missed having her curled up at the foot of my bed keeping me company at night.

Here's to Susan - 10/2/1991 - 08/04/2008!

I got them!!!!

Yay! I finally received this month and next month's books in the mail today!! I was hoping to get them in time for vacation so I can read them. I am so excited to read next month's book (sort of because it's the book I picked) because I have heard so many good things about the author. The other thing we got today was Jeremiah's computer screen. I learned a few things and switched out the cracked one with the new. Sorry my posts haven't been as exciting as most of yours, I am trying to keep a journal and remind myself what I have been through and measure my growth. I hope you all are doing well!!

Ft. Monroe's Kid's Day

We traveled over to Ft. Monroe today to participate in the Kid's Day festivities. I brought my camera, only to realize once we got there that I had forgotten to put the memory card back in! So, I unfortunately do not have any pictures. The girls had fun and we have LOTS of information from different organizations in the area. Melanie and Julia jumped around in one of those inflatable jumping pits. After a little bit, Julia got a little spooked out. Melanie wanted to try everything, but due to the heat, was unable to bear the hot plastic on her feet. She ended her day by playing in the tent that the gymnastics program put together for children to "tumble" in. She had a blast! Maybe we have a gymnast in the family?! We got some snow cones and free lunch too! It was great fun!

Isn't he handsome? I'm sure you all feel that way about your husbands. He really does have some pretty cool powers though. A few of them are: making me mad in less than a nanosecond, making me melt in just as much time, making me feel safer than a bank vault, and getting me to laugh. It's been awhile since I wrote something for my dear husband. I love military life because we are never together long enough to get too terribly comfortable before they have to leave for a bit (be it a week or months). I hate military life for the same reason. However, I do find blessings in the times we are apart. I find that the longer they are gone, the more time I have to think about what he really does do for me. Well, for those of you who are wondering, he does quite a lot for our family. I like to feel as though he doesn't do anything because I have to deal with the girls all day or have to do most of the housework. The song I have on my playlist called "The Way I am" is a pretty good interpretation of us. Jeremiah shrugs it off when I get frustrated and mean because my house isn't clean and I have company coming. He is a wonderful father and they definitely know he's the patriarch! One look from him and they go running to their beds!! I wish I had that talent! He works hard each and everyday (sometimes even the weekends) for us. The boy has awesome work ethic!! I complain because I don't necessarily see that at home - but I suppose he should get a break sometimes. No one wants to work hard ALL the time!! (even though I would argue till I was blue in face that I work hard all the time) Everyone here that is married knows that there a million little things that can bother us and make us all too eager to punish them in some way. I'm just amazed how little those things are sometimes! He likes to let me go out and shop or be with some friends if I get the opportunity to give me a break when he can. But, the adversary is truly good at what they do - if a messy house will really turn my world upside down and ruin anyone's chances at seeing a smile on my face, that is usually what I get to come home to! Thus killing the good mood I might have been in from having a chance to go somewhere without my children. Time allows for perspective. I am grateful that I get that perspective often so that I don't continue to let the "little things" blind me.

Blessings

I have started this post probably three times already, maybe this one will be the "final draft". I've had chances for service this week and I've struggled with the load or hardship that comes along with brining my children with me. To keep this post short, I found out why one of these people needed my help. I felt so blessed to be available to help her and serve her today. I hope that I am not alone in thinking that sometimes doing the service is near to impossible with my children in tow! I find great joy in helping others, I've just realized that I am not supermom. I'm not like my church friends that seem to be able to do it all without the slightest bit of difficulty. I had to post this because I feel like it was something that helped to strengthen me and make me a better person. Does anyone out there understand what I am trying to say?

This week has gone by so fast!

I can't believe that it is already Friday! (well, almost) This week started out like most others, just minus the husband. Now, I know that that isn't something new for me, but it usually brings out bad behavior from my children. Kind of like how the full moon brings out the crazy people. On Tuesday, Julia decided to decorate my couch (and her face and clothes of course) with sour cream!! She managed to push over the gate that we use to block the kitchen and got right into that sour cream. Then, she did it again on WEDNESDAY!! For those of you that are thinking, "wow, she must really be a terrible mom" it's true. I was distracted with Melanie while the second crime took place - thankfully the damage wasn't as extensive as Tuesday's. Momma was pretty upset though and definitely tired of scrubbing her couch! I am very relieved and happy to say that today went pretty wonderfully. I didn't have any major problems with my children, and even was able to get some cleaning done!! (imagine that!) Plus take care of a few matters of family business (book order, ordering the screen for Jeremiah's broken laptop). I feel as though I have accomplished things, and that is usually half the battle when you're a mom (or at least I think so). I finally got the book Three Cups of Tea from the library (I've had it on my hold list forever it seems), I am excited to read it. I apologize that my posts are always a jumble of thoughts and lots of parentheses. It kind of gives you an idea of how my brain functions these days! I definitely need more adult interaction and visit time!!

In Honor of The Cheesecake Factory's 30th

While at playgroup on Wednesday, I heard about the Cheesecake Factory's $1.50 piece of cheesecake. I was unable to attend (military life) but decided I would go ahead and make my own!! Thank heavens for the Jello Cheesecakes! My heart was with you for those of you who took advantage of the birthday treat. This picture doesn't look like much, but it was still a treat for me.