OHLEO!!!

Pass Along Cards

2012-02-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

Working at the library has been one of my greatest joys in life. I get to meet so many amazing people and I love going to work every day. One day I showed up and one of the first people that I helped that day was a mom with several older children. I helped her find a book for herself and then got her son a library card and then helped her other son find a biography. I didn't feel as though I had done anything special or gone above and beyond but she kept thanking me profusely for being so helpful. After I checked out their items she began to dig through her bag and I was a little curious as to what she was looking for. Eventually she pulled out a pass along card. Before I said that I knew what that was I wanted to make sure it was from my faith. I flipped it over to find that it was in Spanish. I was a little confused because everything we had said up until now was in English. I was reading through it and I must have had a puzzled look on my face. She brightened as she told me it was a pass along card and that she belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I laughed and said that I knew what it was because I belonged to that church as well. She said that that would explain why I was such a saint. She then got a little embarrassed and left with her family.

That experience has left me with a lot to reflect upon. Am I really living my life so that others will know who and what I believe in? Am I a good enough missionary that I have pass along cards on me? Should I feel embarrassed that she didn't know I was LDS or should I feel honored that she wanted me to be part of this wonderful church? I know that since then I have tried to live in a manner that others will know who and what I believe in. I am so grateful that she gave me a pass along card that day. It really has made a big difference in my life.

Totally Stressed Out (Holiday Edition)

2012-02-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

With the holidays coming and wanting to have a home-made Christmas this year I was STRESSED! I seemed to always be working, doing homework, or working on Christmas. I felt like I just ran and ran and ran but wasn't every getting anywhere. I think that doing a homemade Christmas is an awesome idea but this next year I am going to have to start in like April! Seriously, I think Marc was as stressed about the holidays as I was simply because I had enough stress that it was contagious! I would wake up early for work and go to bed late after I had worked hard on whatever project needed to be finished. Marc helped with whatever he could be his crafting skills are limited. Thankfully Christmas will come and go regardless of how much I get done and the statement will be true once again, “And it came to pass....”

Crazy Ideas about Sign Language Discovered at the Library

2012-02-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

Being an ASL nut I get so excited when there are other people who share my passion. One day I was working and a man came in asking about some books on signing. I tried to explain that in some regards DVDs work better since it is a visual language but he insisted that he would learn best from a book. Off we went to find some books. (Which will be in the 419 section of your local library... did I mention that I am a totally nut?) So while we were there I found out that he is a priest... pastor... preacher... something that goes into prisons to teach. He wanted to learn ASL so that he could converse with deaf inmates. I thought this was a really admirable trait! That was until I discovered he thought he could look at one ASL book and know ASL fluently. In fact he would be so good at ASL that he would be an interpreter. I tried to explain that there is testing that has to happen for one to become a certified interpreter and that ASL is like any other language and takes time to master. I told him that if he tried to pass himself off as an interpreter and wasn't certified that he could get in a lot of trouble. By the end of our conversation this man was afraid to ever talk to a Deaf person! I tried to explain that one can sign to whoever they want but they can't do it in a professional manner without being certified. He still was terrified but was convinced still that one book would do the trick.... whatever!

The next guy I met about a week later. I was helping him on his laptop and he kept signing thank you to me in ASL. I finally asked him if he had studied the language? He said he had and we swapped stories as to why we started studying the language. I said that I studied because my husband was born deaf and there is a chance our children could be as well. If I can talk to them in English I should be able to talk to them in ASL. He said that he started studying ASL so that he could talk to other planets. Apparently there are other people or creatures that use ASL to converse on other planets. If we ever get invaded then he wanted to be able to converse with these creatures. The part that worried me is that he was dead serious about the whole matter! Hmmm.... I guess that is one reason to learn ASL.

Marc Tests for Police Department Again

2012-02-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

Marc was asked to test for the Police Department again. He passed this test with flying colors and went on to do the Oral Boards. He thought it did really well on his testing and felt he connected well with the Department. We are just waiting to hear back now. Can I just say how much I HATE the waiting game? Especially since they say they will get back to you eventually.... I really don't like that word either. I mean eventually was used to mean it could possibly happen one day in the future by my parents. I would rather know sooner than later!

Marc Fills out Application for Police Department

2012-02-12T20:03:00.000-08:00

Right after Marc tested with the Sheriff's Office another position with the Police Department opened up. Marc had been told that he would just need to fill out an application and that they would keep his background application on file for 6 months. They day the position closed Marc went in with his application and they informed him that he would need to fill out the background application again. Now he had just a few hours to fill out 28 pages and he was supposed to go to work. Let's just say our house was a little bit stressful but I filled out one background application and he filled out the other. He was able to get both turned in on time and was asked to test for the position again. I was so grateful that we are a good team and can pull together for each other. I won't lie though it did cost Marc some ice cream but even that payment was totally worth it for both of us :)

Marc Tests for Sheriff’s Department

2012-02-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Even with Marc quitting Subway his dream was still to work in Law Enforcement. He had already tested with law enforcement before but didn't make it through the sit-up portion. This time Marc was able to make it all the way to oral boards. He had worked so hard in his preparations for this test. I am so proud of how he works to fulfill his dreams and doesn't ever let anything get in the way. We were both a little nervous because the Sheriff's Department standards were even tougher than the Police Department standards but he passed the test with flying colors! We are now just waiting to hear back. CONGRATS babe!

Marc Says Adios Subway

2012-02-10T20:02:00.000-08:00

Marc has been working two jobs since we moved to Flagstaff and once again we have run into problems with Subway. Though I enjoy their food, I don't like working for their company. They weren't giving him any hours because the manager's son was stealing at Marc's other job and it was causing issues. Marc finally decided he was done! Luckily another position opened up with the other company he was working for and so we were able to quit Subway but still keep the same income. It was such a blessing in our lives and Marc was so excited to be done working for them!

Running LEGO Club

2012-02-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

Our library is super blessed to have LEGO Club. If your library doesn't have one you should suggest it to them! Basically once a month we have LEGO day and the kids come and just get to play with LEGOs for over an hour! It is so much fun. I have been asked to continue the LEGO Club for this coming session and I couldn't be happier. I have helped out with it in the past and spend most of the time looking for different pieces for the kids. I usually end up looking for these tiny, abstract pieces but am usually pretty successful at finding them. I mean I get paid to play with kids and help them find LEGOs. What more could a girl want?

Update on the Signing Program

2012-02-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

Doing the signing program at the library has been such a blessing in my life. I loved going to work on Fridays because it meant I got to sign. The kids were amazing and picked up on the language so fast! I got thank you letters from the parents and the kids were sad to take a break from signing. But every new program has to be evaluated to make sure that it is worth the time spent preparing. I wasn't sure what was going to happen to my signing program because my Branch manager was leaving for another job. I waited and wondered what would happen to my program. I knew the parents were willing to write letters of recommendation if I needed it and I just hoped that it would be allowed to continue. Thankfully it did continue! I get to start signing again this next week at the library and I couldn't be more thrilled. Now I just have to figure out what I am teaching.... Oh well I still have 6 days to figure it out!

Miscolored Hands

2012-02-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

While I was living in New Hampshire I was cooking and got a pretty bad burn on my hand. Between the ointment and the burn my hand turned blue:

For Christmas I was trying to get some message boards done and I was painting them with magnetic paint. It said it would come off with soap and water and so I did a lot of painting with my hand. Let's just say my hands were now black:

Bed Time

2012-02-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

Some of our little ones thrive on actually being tucked in. Here are some photos of Kovu, Aurora, and Carmel all tucked into bed.

Carving Pumpkins

2012-02-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

With Halloween approaching we decided to do pumpkin carving with our neighbors just down the street from us. They had little children and we figured it would be more fun that way. My family had always used a sharpie and a kitchen knife to do pumpkin carving but the Dennis' were that way. They used pumpkin carving kits and stencils. I figured we could try doing it the Dennis way this year since it was a big deal for Marc and I didn't really care. It was a lot of fun! We did Sesame Street characters and our pumpkins were Bert and Ernie. Holly ended up doing basically both of her kid's pumpkins but it was a fun night filled with a LOT of pictures.

Our Buddies:

Funny Faces:

Pumpkin Carving:

(Pick a pumpkin and cut a top)

(Use duct tape to put the top back together)

(Apply template)

(Pose with pumpkin)

(Start cutting the pumpkin)

(Put your name on it so everyone knows it is yours)

(Admire the final product)
(Mine)

(Marc's)

(Kid's)

(Ours together!)

Bored With Pumpkins:

Wednesday Night Girl's Night

2012-02-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

I have a good friend up in Flagstaff but I wasn't ever getting to see her. Our lives were both crazy and her husband isn't as social as she is. We both just needed to get out of our houses one night and we came up with the idea of Wednesday Night Girl's Night. Her husband was at mutual and my husband was usually working and so the two of us would go and hang out. Sometimes we would go out to eat but usually we would just go talk as we either wandered around thrift stores or just parked in a parking lot. Wednesday night was my favorite night of the week. Then Megan got pregnant and it hasn't happened since. We will have to see what the future holds but I definitely need my Wednesday Night Girl's Nights! Maybe even just once a month.....

Primary Program

2012-02-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

Being the CTR 4 teacher I was a little nervous for our Primary Program. Our practice sessions had been filled with wiggling, poking, dancing, etc. They practiced and practiced and were so done with the program before they had even officially performed it. When the day came our seats got changed because some of the other children hadn't shown up. Before this we were sitting at the sacrament table on a bench and now we were in the seats that fold up when you stand. This lead to a LOT of fun during the program. One child was so excited to stand up that the chair launched him up and then he fell to the floor. Thankfully no one was hurt but I was trying so hard not to laugh! I told one of the boys that he needed to be reverent during one of the songs and he stuck his tongue out at me. Again I was trying not to laugh but his mother was mortified and apologized after church for his behavior. All in all it was a great program and being around such sweet children is a blessing in my life!

You Can't Hide From Me!

2012-02-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

Marc is always trying to hide when I take pictures of him. He has done this several times in our marriage. He seems to think that if he hides then I won't have any bloggable material... silly boy :)

Once in Tempe:

Once in Flagstaff:

Missionaries for Dinner

2012-02-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

Okay so we didn't eat the missionaries for dinner but we did have them over one night. With Marc's work schedule it is always tricky trying to invite people over for dinner. Sunday nights are my only sure bet and so they are the only night that I am brave enough to try and have the missionaries over for dinner. The problem is that everyone in my ward feeds the missionaries at 5:30 and Marc doesn't get off of work until 6:30. I used this as an excuse to invite some of our friend's over for dinner and that way I wouldn't have to worry if Marc was off work or not. I didn't want the missionaries to show up and for me to not even be able to invite them inside! It even worked out that one family was bringing a salad and the other was bringing dessert and so I just had to provide the main course. I had all my bases covered.

Except for Marc got off late, both families showed up late and the missionaries were only a few minutes late. Thankfully Marc was driving in the driveway as they were walking up. It was a crazy night and I forgot to get the chicken out of the microwave. I had cooked it earlier but was letting it stay somewhat warm in the microwave. But we had fun and enjoyed the craziness that is our house. I loved listening to the stories the missionaries were telling and enjoyed the company a lot. It was a much better night than just having it be us and the missionaries! I can't wait to do it again.

Trying to look as cool as the missionaries:

My Sewing Machine Disaster

2012-01-31T18:07:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to own a sewing machine for a long time. But I have recently been bitten by the “crafty bug” and was extra in need of a sewing machine. I knew that money was tight and so I didn't have a lot to spend. So I decided to find a small, inexpensive sewing machine that didn't have all the bells and whistles and then save up for a better one in the future. One night I was out shopping with a friend when I found a used one at Good Will. It was only $30 and it had been tested. I figured this was as good as any other machine and I was so proud of myself for finding one. I bragged about my find to my sister and mother and they congratulated me properly.

So then I take my new found sewing machine back home with me so that I can play with it with my Mom. The first thing I learned is that I bought a MENDING machine and not a SEWING machine. I figured this would still be alright since I would be using it for small mending projects and refused to get unexcited about my amazing find. My Mom helped me set it up and we began to test it. It went for maybe 5 seconds but the bottom bobbin wasn't sending thread up properly. So we tried to fix it and before we knew it, the machine wouldn't work at all! My Mom felt awful and kept saying she broke the machine and I just kept laughing. I couldn't believe that for one I didn't even buy a sewing machine and secondly that it didn't even last through being tested. Thankfully I didn't spend a lot of money on it! And now I can always harass my Mom that she broke my first sewing machine :)

Creating Complexes

2012-01-30T18:06:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I love about my new calling is the kids that I work with. However, these same children are going to end up giving me a complex. Today as we practiced for the Primary Program it was discovered that I had moles on my arms. Now though I knew I had a few moles on my arms these haven’t ever been of great concern for me. This little boy asked what it was and when informed it was a mole told me, in a very disgusted tone, that he NEVER wanted a mole on his arm. This little boy then tried to wipe the off of my arm. Upon discovering these disgusting moles weren’t going anywhere he began to play connect-the-dot as he counted them for me.

“One, two, three, four, five (for the record four and five were the same mole, apparently it is HUGE!) …. Ugh my arm is getting tired, you have SO MANY moles! Okay focus….. whoo….. one, two, three, four…”

I might be wearing long sleeves the rest of my career in Primary!

Term Papers

2012-01-29T18:05:00.000-08:00

This is the semester of term papers. Every class is asking for ridiculous papers of ridiculous lengths but of the 6 that I have to write this semester I have finished three. We are half of the way done! YAY!!!!

Reverent Rabbit

2012-01-28T18:02:00.000-08:00

Okay so I realize he isn’t a rabbit but I think he will totally work for my purposes. Now I just have to name him.

Blissful Bear

Oh-so-wonderful Oso

Companionable Cub

Great Grizzly

What do you think?

Implications and Surprises

2012-01-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

Marc gets in these moods where he wants to be super sweet and surprise me with something. This last week was no exception. Marc was aware of my “Reverent Rabbit” search and had gone to a thrift store looking for stuffed animals. He found several that he liked but he liked them as presents for me. Realizing that he was getting them super cheap he decided to buy a few and leave them in my car at work as a surprise. The only problem is that I had the keys to my car. He tried to be sneaky and came in and asked for my keys because he needed to look for his “lost i-pod”. I knew something was up, as well as did my coworkers, but I let him have my keys anyway. He came back saying he hadn’t found the i-pod but he was off to go workout. Shortly after he left I went on break and went to go see what was done to the car. My coworkers had been discussing it and coming up with possible options but none of us really knew for sure. As I walked out to the car I was greeted by several stuffed animals with slogans that said things like “Kiss Me” “Wild Thing” and “I Love You”. I called him and thanked him for the stuffed animals. I grabbed two of the animals to bring in to show my coworkers. We discussed that I hadn’t missed an anniversary, one of the possible scenarios for the random act, and that Marc was just being sweet. I left for the day and I didn’t think anything of it until the next day when I was approached by a coworker. Apparently I had brought in a blue stuffed animal and a pink stuffed animal. Suddenly the rumors were flying that I was pregnant! I quickly told them that I wasn’t and the colors were simply coincidence but the whole thing made me laugh so hard and made me a little more aware of how my actions can be perceived!

New Calling

2012-01-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

Well I realize I just updated the blog with my last calling but it has changed. I am now the CTR 4 teacher in Primary and I can already tell it is going to be a riot. I am in the process of finding my own version of a “Reverent Rabbit” to help encourage the kids to more reverent but I think it will be fun and challenging experience.

For those who don’t know I had a teacher in Primary and she had a “Reverent Rabbit” and whichever child was the most reverent during all of Primary got to take the rabbit home for the week. It was a big hit and I think it helped with our reverence on most days at least. Now I just have to find one that will work with my 4-year-olds.

We also have “George” who helps us know whose turn it is to talk. The person holding George gets to talk and everyone else gets to listen. Not only does this set up being polite and listening but the kids are so excited to hold George that they participate way more!

Missing WalletS

2012-01-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

No that isn't a typo on the title, when Mikkel came to visit we lost not one but two wallets. It all started when we went to go fill up with gas and it was discovered that somewhere between the gas station and home his wallet had been lost. We searched the car and the gas station but couldn't find nay sign of it. Thankfully it only had his school id in it and nothing else was lost but I felt bad that we had lost his first wallet. I went to Savers to see if I could find him another one. I realized it wouldn't be the same and it would be used but I wanted to see what we could find. We found him another wallet and left this one in the trunk knowing Mikkel would be leaving the next day. The next morning that wallet was missing too! Seriously??? Thankfully that day we also found Mikkel's first wallet which had been wedge in on the side of the seat and had been impossible to find in the dark. At least he left with a wallet and maybe I will be able to find the other one for a backup for his next visit!

Classic Mikkel Pose

2012-01-24T13:06:00.000-08:00

Wanting some photographic evidence that Mikkel was actually at our house this time I took some photos on our final night together. I got some good ones but I wanted that "classic Mikkel pose". Mikkel didn't know what this "classic pose" was and so I tried to explain, "I come around the corner and how do I see you standing?" This is what Mikkel gave me......

Man I love this kid! But here are some of his "normal" ones too.

Foreign Languages

2012-01-23T12:48:00.000-08:00

Having traveled around and being fascinated by languages, I am able to say a few phrases in multiple languages. As we finished grocery shopping I said the phrase "cease and desist" to Mikkel about something and he looked at me and said, "Say it in Spanish!" (Usually Mikkel asks me to NOT talk in foreign languages but I obliged)

"Para ahora mismo"
"Say it in Sign Language"
"STOP NOW" (But I signed it not spelled it out)
"Say it in German"

Now I don't have the first clue how to say something like that in German but I did now how to ask if one spoke German, figuring Mikkel wouldn't know the difference I said, "Sprechen sie Deutsch?"

Mikkel kept on going not missing a beat and said, "Say it in Chinese!" I said some Chinese-sounding phrase and then busted up laughing. If I hadn't admitted to my misleading phrases I don't think Mikkel would have ever known!

Spelling Lesson

2012-01-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

I love having Mikkel come to visit and every visit brings more laughter and memories than the previous ones. This trip was no exception. Mikkel and I were playing Wheel of Fortune on the Wii one night, one of our favorite games, when the bonus trip was to Buenos Aires. I excitedly told Mikkel that we should totally try to win this trip and then asked him if he knew where it was located. He replied that he didn't and so I began to fingerspell the country in ASL. This was the result....

A-R-G-E-N-T

Mikkel then realized that he knew the country and excitedly shouts out GERMANY!

We might have to work on Mikkel's spelling because I am pretty sure Argentina and Germany don't even start with the same letter!

Four Letter Words

2012-01-21T12:35:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about working with Kindergartners is learning their "naughty" words. When a child would come tattle it was important to specify which "s-word" had been used. Growing up the extra four letter word that was added was BUTT. In our house the four letter words that create the most drama are MILK and FOOD for the cats and dogs respectively. If the word MILK is used the cats come running and meow so pathetically that one would swear we NEVER feed them. They run around the kitchen convinced that if there isn't constant begging that I will forget to give them any or that I will forget where to put it down. They are jumping over each other and really I find myself laughing through the whole, ridiculous ordeal. The other word is FOOD. If you say FOOD in front of Max, he is so excited and jumps around frantically. Again you would think we NEVER feed the little rascals. So when you come to our house these two words will probably have gone missing from our vocabulary. However they are smart enough that no matter what the substitution they still know exactly what I am talking about. Either that or the cats speak Spanish because they know what LECHE is too!!!

It SNOWED!

2012-01-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

One of the things I wasn't looking forward to in moving to Flagstaff was the snow. Having lived here before I knew it would be inevitable but I also hoped it would be nice and maybe I could come to not despise it. However, snow raged a war on me this year when it decided to start October 6th!!! I mean seriously, that is a little early in the season! Luckily it was just a simple powder and it hardly even stuck to anything. In fact, I had to get pictures of the snow. It is going to be a long, snowy season... I can just feel it. Wish us luck!

GRADUATION!!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

That's right I will officially be graduating soon! In fact this May I will be walking and the following August my diploma will be mailed to me. I can't believe this day was actually arrived. I am so excited and it means so much to see what I have overcome and endured to get to this position. I will go on to get my Master's at some point but after this year we will only put one of us through school at a time. So Marc will finish his Bachelor's and then I will go on to graduate school. But enough about the far distant future because graduation her I come baby!

Another Failure in Flagstaff

2012-01-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

Four years ago in Flagstaff I faced a devastating blow and faced my first real experience with failure. It crushed me and I have worked over the last several years to rebuild my GPA and self-esteem when it came to school. Returning to Flagstaff was hard because I didn't know if I could face being here again or if I had grown enough from the last failure. Apparently someone wanted this theory tested because I recently had another failure in Flagstaff. I have been taking online ASL classes so that I could get some graduation requirements fulfilled and was relieved that the semester was over. I had worked hard and felt confident in my final projects. I had five final projects and I was failed on all five. I was devastated by this failure especially because they weren't due to me doing the project incorrectly. The teacher stated that she didn't like my choice of children's book to sign and didn't think it showed my full potential of signing. I emailed back and forth and tried to get these grades reversed but in the end her decision was final. Luckily, unlike last time, I received a B in the class and it won't affect my overall GPA because it is a transfer credit. Luckily, unlike last time, I was able to represent myself with dignity and not let it get me down. So I guess, maybe it wasn't another failure in Flagstaff. :)

Walking Into a Door

2012-01-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

Wow okay so my system of blogging clearly has some hiccups. I usually send myself text reminders or write a list of things I want to blog about. I try to make the reminders short but with enough information about what I want blogged about. Apparently I either waited too long to write this one, have a terrible memory, or my clue wasn't long enough. I don't know what incredible story I had planned about walking into doors which would have warranted a blog post. Except maybe that we had two patrons walk into different doors within 30 minutes of each other one day (one of which was our favorite little Nicholas). But if it was the library doors than watch out they will get you or if not then I have forgotten some other fascinating story. I guess this is what I get for not writing my blog posts out sooner!

Who Wears the Hat?

2012-01-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

Usually the question is who wears the pants but not in our family. So who does wear the hat?

Snuggle Time

2012-01-15T11:58:00.000-08:00

Don't I have the cutest snuggle bugs even when they aren't snuggling!

Deaf Expo

2012-01-14T11:57:00.000-08:00

Being an ASL student I find myself being drawn to things like Deaf Expos. I wouldn't have ever thought to go before but I couldn't wait to go. Unfortunately because of the dog-sitting and homework I was unable to attend but there will always be next year! If your town ever has one though I would recommend going, there is some pretty fascinating things to be learned.

Dog Watching Miss Kalia

2012-01-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

Our neighbors went out of town for a few days and we had the pleasure of dog-sitting. I didn't think much of it because the dogs play together quite often and really what is one more in our crazy life? Boy was I wrong!! Max, the kind and gentle one, didn't like that she was in his territory and Kovu was so excited he couldn't hold still for a moment. Our weekend was filled with howling (done by Kalia because she was left alone or kenneled), running, jumping, playing, barking, rearranging sleeping arrangements, and keeping the cats away from her. It was a long weekend and though we would watch her again in a heartbeat we were all ready for life to go back to normal, including Kalia.

Rowdy Won't Make it Through This Winter

2012-01-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

This is a sad post to write and one that I was beginning to wonder if it would ever come. As a child my family rescued and it has been the family dog ever since. We must have gotten him in 1998 and he wasn't a puppy when we got him but we guessed he was 2-3 years old. Rowdy has been a great dog and a beloved friend over the years. But we knew that he was getting older and for the last several years we have speculated that he wouldn't make it through the winter. Well that prediction came true this year as Rowdy has passed away. I woke up to a call on October 9th saying that Rowdy had passed away during the night. I hope that he just slipped away peacefully as he slept and didn't suffer. I am grateful that he didn't have to survive another winter but I will definitely miss him. He was laid to rest in his favorite napping place and I couldn't think of a better place for him to be. Thank you Rowdy for being such a wonderful dog and please know that you will be missed!

Feasting on the Words of Christ

2012-01-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

Carmel has started this new fascination with eating paper. He loves to shred anything paper that is left within reach. I have had him shred letters, calendars, etc. He hasn't gotten to eating books yet so we will just have to keep our fingers crossed. But here is what happened to our Ensign after Carmel got a hold of it. Thankfully he didn't eat the prophet but he did demolish the temple on the other side. Apparently he took the whole "feat on the words of Christ" very literally!

*** So confession time... I wrote this blog post months ago and really thought that I had taken a picture of the eaten Ensign before I threw it away but I have searched my photos and can't find it anywhere... so let's just pretend there is a picture on this blog :)

Baby Blanket

2012-01-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

I have been working on developing my crocheting skills since my Mom taught me and nothing works better for developing relationships like service. It was time to make a coworker a baby blanket for her newest grandchild. I started with a very pink yarn but it felt more like a dish cloth rather than a cuddly blanket. We quickly found a softer yarn and began experimenting. It looked pretty awful and was definitely more dress than blanket as it flared! But after many hours trying to fix it, it didn't turn out so bad. I couldn't even bare to take pictures until I had fixed one side so there is a picture at the half point and one as a finished product. It was super soft and I am glad I had the experience. The one I am working on now is turning out so much better! I can't wait to see how it turns out.

But of course I couldn't have finished it without all the help of Mr. Carmel!

Dog Beds

2012-01-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

When we got the dogs we bought them dog beds. You would have thought we were trying to torture poor Max by asking him to sleep on a dog bed. I even took him to the store with me to buy one and he would jump over them or not move at all in an attempt to not lay on the bed. I tried sticking him in his kennel with his bed and he would squish himself to this little area so he would try and avoid the bed. One day we left the futon down in our living room and this is what we discovered. Apparently we finally found a bed that Max likes. Too bad I don't like him on it! Thankfully as long as the futon is up he still stays off the furniture!

Twins

2011-12-30T17:48:00.000-08:00

I love finding people’s twins. There was this lady that comes into the library every few weeks or so and I kept trying to figure out who she reminded me of in her looks and mannerisms. I didn’t ever really get a chance to talk to her until last week and I finally figured it out. She reminds me of my mother-in-law. No wonder I have liked this patron so much! Now I look forward to getting to see her but I also look forward to seeing the real Camille in just a few short weeks!

Marc’s Schedule

2011-12-29T17:47:00.000-08:00

Marc’s hours have been cut back quite a lot at Subway and we are looking for other forms of employment. But until that happens I am loving how much is being done around the house and yard. It is amazing what can get accomplished when you aren’t working 50+ hours a week!

Down to 18

2011-12-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

I am finally down to 18 credit hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a big deal in our house and I finally feel like I have a little breathing room. We are still really busy but we aren’t drowning anymore which is a big deal. Almost half way done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FHE Group

2011-12-27T17:46:00.000-08:00

We have started another FHE group. This one is very different from the one in Prescott and honestly we still miss our FHE group all the time! But here our FHE group currently consists of us and our neighbors. It is so much fun doing FHE with kids again and being able to hang out with them once a week, at least. This last week we told the story of the Good Samaritan but it was changed into a boy that had a bike accident rather than a man who was beaten and robbed. And the rivalry was between Arizona and Oregon (they had just moved from Oregon) and other things. The kids understood the story really well and we got a chance to show our “brotherly kindness” as we trashed talked each other through a game of Uno. Oops! We have met once and I can’t wait for our next meeting!

Halloween

2011-12-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

I have never been a big fan of Halloween but I was really looking forward to it this year. I was going to be able to pass out candy at my house and be a real grown-up this year! But alas, Halloween falls on the one night a week that I close the library. As such I will be at the library rather than passing out candy. Oh well, there is always next year!

Missing New Hampshire

2011-12-23T17:45:00.000-08:00

Fall for some reason makes me really miss New Hampshire. Marc and I both whine all the time about how much we miss New Hampshire. I don’t see us ever moving back but I do see us always missing it. The colors, the smells, the people, the culture, the food, the feeling of fall. I miss it all. In order to try and duplicate what little I can about the East Coast, I have bought apple cider and am going to make whoopee pies. Fall was always my favorite there and the next time I return I do hope it is in the fall and I could see all of the amazing tree colors and get to see all of my friends too!

Marc’s Running Crew

2011-12-22T17:44:00.000-08:00

With Marc trying to get into law enforcement, he is all about working out all the time. He has even roped some of our neighbors and friends into running with him. I think that it is awesome that he enjoys his runs and that others are getting benefits from it too. I do have to laugh though, his runs used to take his 20 minutes tops and now he is gone for at least an hour a night. I guess they run for their twenty minutes and then stand around and talk after that. What silly boys!

General Conference

2011-12-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

General Conference was this weekend and it is always such a blessing to get to listen to general conference. What a blessing to be able to listen to the words of the prophet and apostles today. I won’t lie though, some of the talks made me a little weary about what is going to come in the future. There were a lot of talks about waiting, relying and trusting the Lord. I do know that whatever happens it is for our good and that there is a purpose in it. After that, I guess I just have to trust in the Lord.

Finding my Blessing

2011-12-20T17:40:00.000-08:00

You know how when you move something always goes missing? Well that thing happened to be my Patriarchal Blessing this time. I knew that I had moved it, it was just a matter of finding which box of papers it had gotten put with. I finally found it yesterday and it was such a blessing to get to read it again. I love that we can have that kind of direction in our life and what an anchor and support system it can be. I also love how much it makes me strive to be better to be worthy of the blessings discussed. I love my patriarchal blessing and if you haven’t read yours in a while you should totally reread it. I promise it will be awesome!

Made Up Words

2011-12-19T17:39:00.000-08:00

Honestly, there are moments when Marc and I can be one of “those” couples. You know the kind that you hear talking and it makes you want to gag? The kind that is always, “You hang up first” “No, you hang up first!”. You know which ones I am talking about? Marc and I are that way in arguing over who loves or misses the other one more. The conversation usually goes like this:
“I love you!”
“I love you more!”
“I love you most!”
“I love you mostest!”
“I love you mosterest!”
“I love you mosteresterest!”

You get the point. Anyway, one night I decided to end this debate once and for all. I told him that I was going to make up a word that meant that I loved him more than he could ever love me plus one times infinity. He said he was going to make up a word that meant more than that. The conversation ended there that night but then I got the cutest text from him and don’t tell him but I am pretty sure he wins with this conversation:
Marc: “I miss you.”
Me: “I miss you too.”
Marc: “I made up word for miss you more than any other made up or not made up word :)”

I mean seriously I about died because I thought it was so cute but I can totally see how it would make me gag to read about it. I am sorry for any gagging that might have happened because of this post.

Crossing Your Legs

2011-12-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

How many times can you cross your legs? Max is an expert in crossing his legs in more ways than I can count!

Sleepy Saturdays

2011-12-15T17:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of us on our sleepy Saturdays. Carmel likes to sleep in a separate room from me so getting pictures of him is really hard. I will have to work on getting some more!

I finally found where he was hiding!

Cleaning

2011-12-14T17:22:00.000-08:00

I totally got the bug to clean this weekend. I went through tons of boxes, mopped, vacuumed, rearranged, etc. It was so nice to work on the house and I felt so much better when it was all said and done. I can’t wait until I have more time to do it again. Maybe next weekend that can be my project again!

The only problem with cleaning on the weekends is that the animals really like when we have lazy days on the weekends. Normally Marc is at work and I am home working on school and so we have lazy Saturdays and the animals just sleep. Kiara was apparently upset that my cleaning was interrupting nap time because the next thing I know she is sleeping on my project. It was so much fun to snuggle with her though that I didn’t even mind!

Rainy Days

2011-12-13T17:22:00.000-08:00

I had always heard parents with children complain about how bad rainy days could be with kids. I now know the feeling because rainy days are really hard with the dogs. The poor things aren’t allowed outside and they are all cooped up and can’t figure out why! Poor Kovu is the worst. Today is day two of rain and we are in for two more…. It could be a long two days for all of us!

Girl’s Night In

2011-12-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

With the priesthood session of general conference coming up, I thought it would be the perfect time to have a girl’s night! However, everyone was either out of town or sick! I know, what is up with that? It ended up being Holly and myself and we had a blast making cupcakes. They were supposed to be these really cute ghost cupcakes but we ended up with some interesting creations and some sticky fingers!

What it was supposed to look like:

What it turned out like:

The ones that we created:

(The Earthquake)

(The Bug)

(Fire Pit)

(Love Girls Night In!)

(The ones that weren't really anything....)

(I ran out of ideas....)

The next one I want to try:

Girl’s Night Out

2011-12-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

So apparently I only played this week. Friday night my neighbor called and asked if I wanted to go see a movie with her. The last time I saw a movie was before my parent’s Jerusalem trip because we took Mikkel with us. But anyway we went and saw a movie and hung out and it was so much fun! I love hanging out with Holly and getting a break from school.

While we were out partying Marc was back home with his friend Mark (trust me I get confused too!) working out together. They went running, did sit-ups and push-ups, stretched, etc. They had a fun boys night in while we had a fun girls night out!

Shopping Spree

2011-12-08T16:59:00.000-08:00

This week I was able to go shopping with a friend. We just needed a girls night out and this was the best way to do it. We went and searched around the local thrift stores and went out to dinner that night. Megan found a $500+ grill at goodwill that she bought for her husband’s birthday for $150! It was an awesome deal and Kaleb should be ecstatic about it! I was able to find some bedding and a few decorations for one of our bedrooms. We have finally started unpacking and moving into the house a little bit. I was able to buy

• A wall decoration
• A decoration for the desk
• Matching set of bedding (fitted sheets, normal sheets, 2 pillow cases, and a bed skirt)
• Another matching set of bedding (minus the bed skirt)
• And a set of curtains

For all under $50! I was super excited and can’t wait until I finish going through more boxes and I can decorate that room a little bit!

Zumba!

2011-12-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

This last week I was able to go to my first Zumba class with my visiting teaching companion. Side note: Jenni is fantastic and I love having her as a companion. But the class was so much fun! I have done Zumba in my living room before but being in a class was awesome! In fact I loved it so much, we are trying to fit a gym membership into our monthly budget. I can’t wait to go again!

In the meantime I have really enjoyed playing the Zumba game for the Wii. It is better than any Zumba DVD that I have found through the library and it is a really fun way to work out!

The Story of the Pop-Tarts

2011-12-06T16:52:00.000-08:00

Okay so funny story about Marc. 9 times out of 10 Marc has a better memory than me but when it comes to the kitchen he suddenly can be very spacy. I am always putting the milk that was on the counter back in the fridge or turning off the stove because dinner finished cooking 20 minutes ago, or whatever. One such incident happened with some pop-tarts. Marc loves to heat his pop-tarts in the toaster. One morning he went to cook them and then did something else and before you know it he had forgotten about the pop-tarts. These poor pop-tarts sat in the toaster for several days before I took this picture. I wanted to see how long it would take Marc to realize he had forgotten them. I few days after the picture was taken I found the pop-tarts here. Apparently he remembered them and then forgot them again. Poor pop-tarts!

Good Samaritan

2011-12-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

There are moments in life that make you realize that there is kindness and human decency left in this world. This week the teenagers have found it funny to start stealing from each other at the library. We have had several items stolen this week, most notable, a violin. We figured the kids stole it as a prank because why else do you steal a violin. The police were called, a report filed, and an article was written about it in the local newspaper. It made me so sad to think that they would do this to each other, even if they were trying to be funny. It really bummed out the staff but there wasn’t a lot we could do for him. After the article was posted in the newspaper, we had a patron come in to talk to me. I talked to her and apparently she had found the violin around the corner from our library. She had returned it to a different location because she thought that is where it came from and they had contacted the mom. Not only did this patron come to tell us but she went to the local middle school as well to make sure he got his violin back. The patron has his violin again but I was so impressed with what this patron did for this teenager and how much that act meant to his mom and him. Now if only we could get them to stop stealing everything else we would be good!

I have more animals!

2011-12-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

Before anyone has a panic attack that I really went out and got another fuzzy creature to add to my little family, check out these pictures of what happens when the new neighbors come over for dinner!

Getting to Talk…Again

2011-12-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

After being so sick last time, the Bishopric asked me to speak again. They let me use the same talk that I had prepared last time and I was so grateful to be able to talk about testimonies. I was asked to talk about a talk giving by President Eyring at the General Young Women’s Broadcast in April. It was entitled “A Living Testimony”. Reading and studying that talk really allowed my testimony to grow and created the desire to learn more and to be better. We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives and I hope we don’t take it for granted and become casual in our worship. Being able to give that talk really has made a huge impact in my life. I was even able to incorporate sign language as I talked about the meanings of the different signs for testimony. The sign in LDS ASL is different than the ASL version. The regular sign means a proclamation of faith and the other sign means a true and good statement said with authority. I talked about how we can grow in our testimonies to be worthy of that LDS ASL sign as the prophets and apostles are. As I listen to their testimonies they are said with such authority that I can’t help but believe them. I hope one day that I am worthy for that sign and that my testimony can be said with that much authority.

What a day!

2011-11-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

Though I adore my job, there are days that I come home and I think, “Why on earth am I a librarian?” Most people think of librarians to be the people who sit calmly behind the desk, speak only in whispers, know exactly where every book in the library is and what it is about, and have tons of time to read at work. I have yet to find a library where these rules apply.

One Friday I came in and this group of boys was in the parking lot. This is a group of boys that I deal with at least a couple of times a week. Their offenses range from throwing rocks at each other, to throwing each other into trees, to grabbing the girls bahookies (ask Mikkel for a correct translation for that word), to eating, to bullying, and the list could just keep going. They really do make for exciting days when they are there. But on this day I got out of my car and noticed them playing in the parking lot. They had a giant metal pole that they were trying to hit each other with and they were in the main entrance to the parking lot. I figured if they missed each other they were going to hit a car. They then started throwing giant rocks at each other. Before I even made it into the building I was dealing with this group! I told them that if they wanted to play at the park it was around the corner but this was a library and needed to be treated like one. I went to leave and they swore at me. With that they were kicked off of library property. From there it seemed like that is how my day went. I had grumps and people all upset that I expected them to follow the rules. I know I am weird!

Thankfully my typical days aren’t like this but sometimes I wonder if I work in a library or a bar!

Happy Birthday!

2011-11-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

This summer has been filled with celebrating new landmarks with the animals we have and enjoying having the dogs in the house. This August we celebrated having Kiara for a full year. Both her and Carmel are now a year old but we will celebrate birthdays with Carmel in May because that is when we got him. Okay, so back to Kiara.

Having Kiara be a part of the family for the past year has been amazing. It is hard to remember how little and frail she was when we first got her. Our little 0.4 lb kitten is now almost 10 lbs. She is such a princess and can’t stand to be dirty. She has toughened up quite a bit and I blame living with Carmel. The two of them have play together all the time, in fact as I type this they are playing in some plastic bags down the hall. They have recently discovered that they can steal my bags to put dirty clothes in and they drag them down the hall like they are racing. Honestly, I am glad they have each other and get along so well!

She fills our days with laughter and joy. She is constantly getting into trouble, “helping” or wanting to snuggle. It is through all of these things that we love her so much. Check out some of our favorite pictures of her over the year.

Doubles Day

2011-11-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

So after 7/11 day I loved my idea of new holidays. I kept the tradition going on 8/8/11 and 9/9/11. We called these doubles days and tried to do everything with a doubled theme. On the date in August we went to taco bell and only ordered things that had to do with numbers. So we ordered things like the double-decker tacos and 7-layer burritos. Honestly I am having a hard time remembering what twist we put on it for September but I do remember having a ball! I love how much we are able to laugh and enjoy life, even through small ways.

They are COMING!!!

2011-11-18T22:30:00.000-08:00

Some of us are totally looking forward to the holidays this year because they will be filled with family and fun! For Thanksgiving we will get to have Marc’s parents in town and will celebrate with my mother-in-laws family. We haven’t seen Marc’s parents since our open house a year and a half ago. We have definitely missed them lots and are looking forward to a few days with them this Thanksgiving.
We are also looking forward to Christmas this year. For Christmas we are being super spoiled to have Melissa and her family come over from Jerusalem. This will most likely be the only time they get to come home until they are reassigned posts which won’t be until 2013, so we are SUPER excited. I am definitely looking forward to being home as much as possible and hanging out with my kiddos again. Can the holidays just hurry up!

Catching a Cold

2011-11-17T22:30:00.000-08:00

Today I had the unfortunate fate of catching a cold. I have the whole runny nose, sore throat, achy body, the whole nine yards. I was able to recuperate and sleep all afternoon and it did me a world of good. The best part of it was being watched over by our little one while Marc was at work. Kiara made sure to snuggle by me the whole time I slept and even laid next to me when Carmel kicked her out of her spot on my stomach. I love knowing that I am taking care of even when Marc is gone and after passing out for several hours today I am starting to feel better but it also could be the medicine… Wish me luck tomorrow at work and please don’t judge me if I am a total zombie!

Book of Mormon

2011-11-16T22:29:00.000-08:00

Marc and I have started reading the Book of Mormon again as a couple. We have started back at the beginning and I have decided that late night commentary isn’t always the best at being religious. These are some of the comments of this last week’s readings.

Me: Do you know one way that I know the Book of Mormon is true?
Marc: How?
Me: If it were written by an author he would have thought of better names for his characters. I mean seriously we are on page 5 and still learning who everyone is and you send Laban and Laman together in the same sentence. I would have at least named him like Lashawn so that I could tell them apart! So it has to be real!
Marc: So that is how you knew it was true? That is totally going to be my testimony next month!

Then we had to stop because we were laughing so hard and we were beginning to fear lightning strikes!

Broken Hill

2011-11-15T22:28:00.000-08:00

Marc and I watch movies at night to relax and usually it takes us a few days to get through movies. The same was true with “Broken Hill”. The movie wasn’t fantastic and the actors weren’t wonderful, the storyline was weak and so forth. However, the MUSIC was PHENOMENAL!!!!! There is a scene where they have a drum sequence on a 5-gallon bucket and I have never seen something so amazing! I loved it so much that I went to find the soundtrack. I was super depressed to find out that they never made the soundtrack! How can you make a movie about music and not make a soundtrack? Really that is so wrong!!!

Another Angel

2011-11-14T22:27:00.000-08:00

One day at work, I wasn’t feeling good and I had to deal with crabby people all day long! It was getting towards the end of the day and I knew that the teenagers were going to come and push my buttons and I just wasn’t looking forward to it. Then I noticed this mom with her two little girls. The mom had her hands full with a baby carrier and books and the two year old was enjoying the freedom of having her mother’s hands busy. I was noticing how frustrated the mom was getting and her attempts to get the little girl round-up weren’t going very well. I picked up a stack of videos and walked by the little girl trying to escape out the front door. I put my hand out to her and asked her if she wanted to be my helper in putting the dvds away. She took my hand and off we went. The mother started professing her thanks to me and I told her it was my pleasure. We began putting dvds away and I laughed at the commentary that happened. She pointed out “mommy movies” “movies with bad guys” (we agreed we don’t like those movies!) and the list kept going. It was so funny! I laughed and thought and how much more fun it was to put away these movies because of this two year old. She totally made my day! The mother kept thanking me and you could see how much it meant to her. I just wish I could have truly conveyed how much her letting me borrow her daughter meant to me too!

Answers to Prayers

2011-11-11T22:26:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways. The other day I was explaining to Marc that though I love our new ward I haven’t found my niche yet. Sometimes I feel as though everyone here is so stable and set in their ways that there isn’t room for someone new. I know I am just feeling sorry for myself; I just miss how easy it has been to truly make friends in some of my past wards. I had just had this talk with Marc on Friday or Saturday night and I was still thinking about it when I attended church on Sunday. I was sitting there in sacrament meeting and I was listening to the speaker talk about their perfect neighbor and how wonderful they were and they were always there when they needed the, etc. I was listening and my friend Megan leans over and explains that I was that neighbor for her. She said that my moving into the ward had made her more comfortable and she was so grateful that I had moved in. I had been so focused on myself that I hadn’t even wondered if I had been the person I needed for someone else.

Babysitting

2011-11-10T22:26:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I have really missed is kids in my life. For some reason people think it is weird when you first meet someone and you asked to kidnap their kids for an afternoon while you play with them. I am not quite sure why but whatever. But anyway I finally got a chance to kidnap some children. My neighbor and good friend Holly let me watch her kids while her and her husband went swing dancing. Marc and I would have gone with them but he was working so I offered to watch the kids. It was so much fun and I loved being able to do normal things like bedtime. It isn’t the same to put the animals to bed as it is a child and tuck them in and read books. I have missed that. Thanks Holly for letting me steal your kids for a night. I can’t wait to see it again!

Hello Dolly with Holly (I love that that rhymes!)

2011-11-09T22:24:00.000-08:00

One of my coworkers was performing in a local play and I got the chance to go see her. Anyone knows I am a sucker for the theater and especially musicals! I took along my neighbor Holly and we had a girl’s date. It was so much fun and I loved being back in a theater. I have missed it so much and didn’t realize until I was back inside. Holly and I enjoyed a night away from the boys and kids and ate chocolate and watched a good show. We are planning our next outing and hopefully it will be sooner rather than later!

Library Episode #5

2011-11-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

Once again we get to hear from Mr. Nicholas. We have crafts for the kids at the library after school once a week. Nicholas went and was very excited that snacks were being served. He quickly shoved a whole cookie in his mouth and was chewing it while he went up the staff member and asked if there were peanuts in the cookies. She asked if he was allergic to peanuts and he confirmed that he was as he continued to chew. She asked how allergic he was, starting to panic, and he shrugged and said, “I don’t know.” She asked if he had ever had to use an epipen and he couldn’t remember. The cookies were made on the same machinery as cookies with peanuts but they didn’t actually have some in them. He was watched thoroughly and he appeared to be fine. We called him mom and talked to him about his allergy. Though we all shook our head at the situation, we were concerned that neither Nicholas nor his mother knew how allergic he was. If you have an allergy in your family, please take a moment to educate those around that person. You never know when your child, who is deathly allergic peanuts, will eat one at a library event at it could be a deadly scene! Please take a moment and talk about these issues with your children so that all can be kept safe.

9/10/11

2011-11-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

I am starting to become known for my made up holidays and September 10th wasn’t an exception to the rule. I made up the holiday “Counting on Each Other Day”. This holiday couldn’t have come at a better time. Finances had been tight with school starting and some other surprise bills and we were just out of sync with each other. We decided that we needed to start back at the beginning. We recreated our first date and spent the night laughing and it was just the cure that we needed. I can’t wait for our next made up holiday and the next 75 years of marriage. I know that I can always count on Marc and I loved being able to celebrate that!

ASL Club

2011-11-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

I have been granted permission to start an ASL Club at our library for Elementary aged kids. It has been so much fun to teach them Sign Language and it gives me a chance to enjoy the language with others! I am hoping to have a class for adults soon. We have learned all sorts of things including our alphabet and numbers. We don’t always use the most mature ways of teaching but the kids tend to remember better. Like for the number 11 and 12 it was taught as if were flicking boogers off of our fingers. I have gotten to know more of the kids in the library and they seem to really enjoy it. This next week we will learn our colors or animals. I can’t wait to see where this leads!

Classes begin once again....

2011-11-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

Well we are busy with classes once again and so if we are hard to reach or if our blog isn’t very well updated then you know why! Well and it doesn’t help that some of us are being over-achievers in going to school this semester. Marc is working two jobs and taking 15 credit hours. He is enjoying school but looking forward to graduating this May with his Associate’s Degree. I hadn’t finished my 7 credit hours from summer classes and decided to take an interpreting class at CCC. Between all of my school I am taking 29 credit hours and working full time. The summer school hours would have finished this weekend but their system went down. I have finished 95% of the assignments and just need to submit them at this point and I will be down to 22 credits. I have an 8 week class that will finish in about 4 weeks and then I will be down to the prescribed limit of 18 credit hours. Until then, don’t hold your breath from hearing from either one of us!

Library Episode #4

2011-11-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

My favorite patrons are the little ones that come into the library. We have this adorable little three year old that comes to the library and I am amazed at how smart he is! As he walked in the door he explained to me that he was wearing a camouflage jacket but he would blend in with the mud and not the trees because it was gray. He went and looked at books and came back later with his final selections. I was being silly and pointing to a picture of a frog and asking it was cat and things like that. He told me I was silly and laughed at me. I then thought that I could use this as a teaching moment and asked if he wanted to learn how to say cat in sign language. I explained that you take your hand like you were showing your whiskers and pulled out. He looked at me very seriously and said, “I am a boy and I DON’T have whiskers!” With that bit of knowledge he wouldn’t even try to sign it. I now think of that sign just a little bit different….

Library Epsiode #3

2011-11-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

Remember little Nicholas, well this is another story about him. Nicholas came in with a water bottle one day. He asked the front desk if we would hold the water bottle for him and we reminded him that he could keep it because it had a lid. He said he was sure he would spill it and wanted us to hold it. We were sure that he would forget it but held it anyway. Sure enough he forgot it and we went to dump out the water before throwing it away. As my coworker dumped out the water she discovered there was a BB in this water. Like a BB for a BB gun. We started to freak out a little bit because you can get really sick from sticking things like BBs in your water! We agreed to talk to him about it the next time he came in.
The next time he came in we discussed the BB in his water. He said that he knew it was in his water and that his teacher told him it would grow. We tried very hard to explain to Nicholas that a BB would not grow in water! It took a long time but I think we might have convinced him from not growing BBs anymore!

Reading to Each Other

2011-10-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

One of the traditions that Marc and I have started since moving to Flagstaff is reading to each other each and every night. I read to him and then he reads to me. It is such a wonderful tradition and so relaxing! The problem is Marc reads last and each night I fall asleep every night before he is finished… oops! So the next night he catches me up and reads again. I love how patient and kind he is with me and can’t wait to read another chapter tonight!

Memorial Day

2011-10-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day was a big day this year for our little family as Marc and I both had Monday off! We haven’t both had the same day off since we moved up here. We decided that we would go and see my parents and spend the day hiking with them. We drove down Sunday night when Marc got off of work and we were so unprepared for what life was going to bring us. Max and Kovu do GREAT sleeping at our house and we don’t have a problem with them at all. However, at my parent’s house there are new noises and smells and movements and we were in for a long night. We tried to get them to sleep in the laundry room but they were almost up to a full howl before Marc tried sleeping with them. That didn’t work and neither did sleeping outside with them. They were finally locked up in the car and the rest of us got a good night sleep. We got up the next morning and started our hike. The dogs did really well on the hike and Max really liked my Dad. We finished our hike and left the dogs outside while we went into town to walk the Square. I love walking downtown with my family and this trip was no exception. While we were out it started to storm and I knew I would come home to two drenched little dogs. Sure enough they were muddy and wet and reeked! My parents let them come in and wash them in the tub so they wouldn’t be so dirty for the ride home. We washed them and I was surprised at how much Max hated his bath! He held perfectly still and we hardly got wet but he HATED every moment of it. While we were going to bathe Kovu, Mikkel and Dad dried off Max and brushed him. They were equally amazed at how much hair that dog has! With Kovu we weren’t so lucky with not getting wet. I am pretty sure that Marc and I were just as wet as he was. It was nice afterwards because I was drying off Kovu and he lay calmly in my lap (which has never happened before or since!) It was so nice to see my parents and get to spend a day with them. I can’t wait till we all get to do it again!

Library Episode #2

2011-10-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

Most of our funny moments come from a little boy named Nicholas. Nicholas is the most unique little thing and keeps us laughing as we shake our heads. Our library has PIN numbers so that patrons can use our computers or check their accounts at home. Anyway, Nicholas was afraid that the kids had learned his library card number and pin and were going to use his account. He was going to buy a new library card and I suggested that he simply change his PIN number. I explained to Nicholas that he needed to pick a number that he would remember. He thought about it for a moment and declared “5032”. I asked him if he would remember those and he simply stated, “No!” After laughing for a moment we discussed a better pin for him. We picked “8888” because that was his age and he very seriously looked at me at asked, “But what happens when I turn 9?”

Talking in Church

2011-10-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Bishop asked when Marc and I would be able to talk together in church. I made the mistake of telling him that wouldn’t be until Marc finished the academy. Well Bishop thought that was too far away and so I got called to speak by myself. Unfortunately the day of the talk, I was deathly ill and couldn’t even get out of bed. Hopefully the next time I get to talk it will be with Marc!

Library Episode #1

2011-10-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

There are so many funny things that happen at work every day that I can’t help but put them here on our blog as well. So every once in a while I will interrupt our normal posts to put in some of the funny moments from the library.

Most of the funny moments happen thanks to children. They truly are the light of the library. Anyway, I had this new family come in for new library cards and I got to be the one who issued them. This little boy was waiting while I did his sister’s card and it involved the standard questions of birthday and so forth. When I asked her birthday, he very proudly announced that he was almost 11! I asked when his birthday was and he beamed as he said February. I was just making conversation as I clarified that this February he would be 11 as per our earlier conversation. He looked at me as if I had three heads and said, “No, I will be 8! But I am ALMOST 11!!!” Good to know I had no clue had birthdays worked!

Dinner with New Friends

2011-10-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have loved getting to know new people in our ward. One of the people that I have gotten to know is my visiting teaching companion. She is new married and so awesome! I find myself having so much fun with her and have even found another Zumba addict, which is so much fun! Anyway, we went over to their house for dinner. We had a wonderful meal and great company! I can’t wait to get to know them better as we live here longer!

We finished training!

2011-10-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! This couldn’t have come at a better time in our life. I was starting to feel like our lives were being run by dog training appointments. Life has been so much nicer now that the dogs are better behaved. Walking Kovu has become a manageable task and they are so much better behaved! I will always be grateful that we did the training but I am also so grateful that it is over!

Police Force and Sheriff Deputy

2011-10-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

I write this post with mixed feelings. Marc unfortunately didn’t get the job with the Police Force. There were some things that were unclear on their testing and we didn’t prepare in the right way. He has applied for a job with the County and is always looking for new opportunities to get into this field. His determination and training is amazing. He is doing two-a-days on top of working two jobs and I am constantly amazed by him. I am such a lucky woman to have him in my life!

New Calling

2011-10-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

So writing my blog in this new way usually means that I can’t remember what I posted because I do it so far in advance, so if I copy a post or some such nonsense…. don’t get too annoyed with me!

But anyway, I have a new calling in our ward. I am the new Primary Pianist. I have wondered over the past few months why on earth I would be called to this position and I realize that it is my own fault. Over the past few months I have really wanted to improve on my playing skills and this way I have to practice. Someone is relying on me to be able to play those songs each week and I can’t let them down. This has also been a great way to have kids brought into my life. Marc and I have wondered about our ability to have children and I really miss having Melissa’s kids around as my constant companions. This is a way to have those kids in my life and I thank my lucky stars that I get to have them in my life!

Marc's Grandparents Come to Visit

2011-10-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have Marc’s Grandparents come and visit this summer. They were so sweet to come and visit and want to spent time with us. I only wish that we would have been able to spend more time with them. The dogs, namely Max, weren’t quite so cooperative though. This had been the first time that we had had “strangers” in the house and he didn’t like being stuck outside and not knowing what was going on. So he took off to go find a new group of people. Max loves kids and when he wanders off he finds a group of kids and follows them home. This time he found a family around the corner from us and just walked in and made himself at home. Instead of being able to socialize with our guests I was off combing the neighborhood to find our lost dog. We did find him with just enough time to scarf down breakfast before I had to be at church. It was so much fun to get to see them and can’t wait to see them again! Hopefully we will actually get to talk to them this time!

7/11/11

2011-10-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

I love having reasons to party and am constantly creating new holidays for us to celebrate. Thankfully these are holidays that if I forget then it won’t be a big deal. The first of these made up holidays was July 11, 2011. Marc and I celebrated 7/11 day by trying to do things that reminded us of 7/11 stores. We went and bought icees (after going to three gas stations!) and spent the night hanging out like we would have on a road trip. It was a riot trying to find the icees and we just spent all night laughing. It was an awesome new holiday!

Beautiful Flowers

2011-10-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

Marc knew that I was having a bad day and not feeling very well and so he brought me home these flowers and some chocolates. Aren't they beautiful!

They are playing tag....

2011-10-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

with their teeth! Since getting the dogs Carmel seems to be having a hard time. He doesn't like to chase Kiara like he used to because he is afraid of Max but he stills wants to get Kiara to play with him. So his solution? To bite her butt.... I mean bottom. (sorry Mom) The poor girl hates this but it doesn't stop him from doing it. We are trying to teach him that this is not to be tolerated but he hasn't learned very quickly yet... maybe one day he will learn. Until then here are some pictures to document their playing tag with their teeth!

I am not doing anything:

I know you are going to do something:

Gotcha!

Spanxs

2011-09-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

Though I have enjoyed working out again, I haven’t enjoyed the weight gain that seemed to follow. I understand that muscle weighs more than fat but suddenly I was getting slimmer and weighing more and I didn’t like this at all. I still knew that I had weight to lose and was constantly whining to Marc about how much I weighed and how I looked fat in this outfit or another. He finally recommended that if it bothered me this bad that I could look into wearing spanxs. I went to Dillards to even see what they were. I bought a trial pair and have fallen absolutely in love with them! They are my new best friend. I feel so much smaller when wearing them and it makes me less self conscience. I still have the weight to loose and I am working on it but this is my favorite solution while I do that.

Date Night

2011-09-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

I love that Marc and I still take the time to have date nights. It was a piece of advice we received before we got married and we took it. Our date nights aren’t usually glamorous or anything out of this world but it is fun to have a special night with just us and to enjoy each other’s company. This last date night was a little bit out of the ordinary as we decided to have a picnic dinner at the dog park. This would have been a great idea if the dogs had cooperated but they were not very friendly this time at the dog park and so Marc and I took them home. We needed to do some grocery shopping and so we went and did that. We walked around the gardening area and talked about solar lights along the walkway and different things and at one point we just sat and swung on a porch swing. It was so nice to just sit and talk to Marc in the middle of the gardening section as we pretended that we were swinging in our backyard. Then we came home and watched a movie together. My favorite part of that night though was buying a shaved ice maker, also super discounted. We have loved making shaved ice and are looking forward to more memories from more date nights.

Too Many Broken Dishes

2011-09-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

Marc and I have cleaned up the glass from several broken dishes this last week and finally we decided enough was enough. We went to Wal-Mart and found some dishes that were super discounted and got a set of plastic dishes. I think for 24 cups, 24 plates, 24 bowls, and 2 serving platters our total was under $15. Our dishes are now super colorful but at least if the cats knock them over, they won’t break!

Cleaning Up A Mess

2011-09-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

One night Marc and I were sitting and cuddling on the couch when we heard a large bang. This was the bang that meant that the cats had knocked something off of a counter and it was broken. Marc jumped up to clean it up and after several moments of trying to clean it up while trying to keep the cats out I grabbed the camera. I know, a good wife would have helped but I felt this moment needed to be documented. Here is how the insanity went.

Marc captures the culprits:

The culprits try to escape:

(At this point Mr. Carmel gets put away because Marc can't juggle two cats)
Kiara waits until Marc is far enough away putting Mr. Carmel away:

Kiara goes to check out the mess one more time:

Marc is coming so Kiara jumps to the chair so he won't know she was in the mess again:

Kiara makes sure that Marc has really left the area again:

Jumps down to inspect what is left of the mess:

Kiara then "helps" to clean up the mess: (this is her catching a rock)

Kiara does a quick walkthrough to make sure Marc really didn't miss any pieces: (looks like he missed a leaf)

Kiara very sad that the mess is cleaned up: (don't mind the creepy colorful eye!)

Applications

2011-09-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

The last week or so has been spent filling out applications for the police force. There was an opening in our town and this would be Marc’s dream job. It has been so nice to see Marc so excited for something and to see him work so hard to achieve his goals. Marc has always been a hard worker but on top of everything else he was doing, he is working out constantly and filling out the application on his break at both jobs and still finding time to make me feel super special and loved. We are hoping and praying to get the job and will find out soon. Wish us luck!

What Marc Was Doing on My Girl’s Night Out

2011-09-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

So while I was being pampered with Megan doing my hair and going out to eat, Marc stayed at home. While I was on my girl’s night he vacuumed the floors and cleaned the bathroom and kitchen. The house looked so good when I got home that night and I really appreciate him working so hard all the time, even when I am out playing. He better be careful though... if he keeps this up I might have LOTS more girl's nights!

Girls Night Out

2011-09-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

I love to have girl’s nights out. I think they are super fun and a great way to get to know your friends better. My friend’s husband was away at scout camp and so we decided to have a girl’s night. We were going to get all dressed up and pick a restaurant at random and hit the town but the best part about girl’s nights is they are always subject to change. After Megan had fought with my hair for a while, we decided to throw it up and we both were twinners. But we did forget to take pictures of us together…. Oh well there is always next time. Then we were on our way out the door when we met her sister and brother-in-law on the road. We quickly invited them with us and off we went to Garcia’s. It was a fun night and we all ate WAY too much. I am so glad that I got a night out and can’t wait for our next adventure!

Washing the Dogs in the Rain

2011-09-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

So one night during our walk we got caught out in the rain. It started pouring and so we all ran back to the house. I had wanted to give the dogs a bath that night and with the rain coming down it seemed like the perfect time to do it. So perfect in fact that we started to wash them in the rain. This worked for about 3 minutes until the rain started to let up. Thankfully we had a hose near us and we finished the job that way. It was such a fun night and we were ALL drenched by the time it was over. Next time, I don’t think I will be washing them in the rain.

New Walking Habits

2011-09-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

Since we have the two dogs, they have had to be walked every morning and every night. This is such a great thing for us because we can’t decide we don’t want to take them for a walk and just sleep in, which would happen when it was just for our health that we were walking. As we have gotten more in shape and they have gotten more in shape we have started running and jogging with them. They definitely are a handful but we love them and I love that I am getting back in shape again.