The Windy City

My friend Nicole and I desperately needed a girls weekend. She lives in KC and so we wanted to find a location somewhere nearby one of our hometowns and decided on a little trip to Chicago! I love a big city and I am excited about any location that offers great shopping. What I didn't expect to fall in love with is the architecture and ambiance of the city. Chicago is an incredible place. Its clean and interesting with friendly people and plenty of things to do and see! The shopping was as good as we hoped and we literally shopped from sun up to sun down on our first day there. I think we hit every store that was worth seeing and we were so sick of shopping and hiking through the city that we spent the next day on a double decker tour bus! It was a great way to see the sights and we were able to get off at a few locations like the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium. We ate hot dogs and deep dish pizza, enjoyed the night life and overall had an amazing time. Nicole may be the only person in the world who I get along with 100% of the time and she can actually keep up (or put up) with my fast talking, opinionated, crazy personality. We left just a few days after my last final and the trip could not have come at a better time. I was there for my birthday and it was a great way to celebrate the end of a semester and the day of my birth! My amazing and supportive husband was home with the kids and genuinely wanted me to enjoy myself, waste money and relax! I was able to do all that and more!! It was truly the very best girls trip ever!

Baseball Season

I am not much of a sports fan but if there is one sport I actually understand and can watch, its baseball! So naturally I signed up the kids for the only sport I can bear to sit through. And what is more entertaining than watching 15 five year olds chase a ball! This was Anna's first year playing and although, she looked adorable in her uniform I could tell immediately her heart wasn't in it! She was the only girl on her entire team and while some ladies would have liked those odds she felt a bit out of place. She was a great little slugger and put as much effort as she could exert to run around the bases but when she was in the outfield she just stood there looking bored! It did not help that kindergarten is exhausting, and she just didn't have much left to give! Unfortunately, even the shiny new trophy she received was not enough to entice her into playing again next year and she has sworn off baseball forever!

Aiden on the other hand is definitely in his element. He is a natural athlete (thanks to Trent's gene pool) and did great for his first year of coach pitch! It took him a little while to really understand the logistics of the game, but he was a great team player and definitely held his own! With some practice he may turn out to be really good. I was so grateful that Trent was around for the majority of the season. I was a little surprised that I was the one yelling, "get that bat up", "watch the ball", "RUN" much more than Trent, who just sat back quietly and let Aiden figure it out on his own. My parents helped with the sideline banter and along with Trent's parents made a nice cheer squad for the kids at every single game!

New Years in Pinetop

 

In an attempt to keep this blog updated and consecutive I am trying to add all events between Christmas and June! The next big event after Christmas was celebrating the New Year in Pinetop with the Steven's family and the Wood's. We are very fortunate that my grandparents have a beautiful cabin in Pinetop and (albeit with some hesitation) believe I am responsible enough to use it! So Trent the kids and I spent a week there and brought the Steven's family along for entertainment. There was plenty of snow and the kids enjoyed sledding and building snowmen. Everyone got along beautifully and we really enjoyed our time together! On New Years Eve we were invited to Sandy's cabin, which is amazing! Even with 30 people, 15 of which were kids there is plenty of room for everyone! They prepared a wonderful dinner and a scavenger hunt for the kids. In each location the kids received hats, blowers, candy and other fun goodies. The best part was they turned the lights off and the kids wore head lamps to see! One fact about the Wood family is they think of everything and really know how to throw a party! It was a great way to bring in the New Year! I have a feeling 2010 is going to be out very best YEAR!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

This is the picture that I would have used if I sent out a Christmas card this year! But that didn't happen so here it is for your viewing pleasure! And Merry Christmas...just a little late!

In the past I would have said that Christmas was more work then pleasure. I have always been a bit of a Scrooge because of all the time and chaos involved in the event. Between getting cards out on time, Christmas decorations, baking, neighbor gifts, crowded stores and last minute shopping its enough for me to forget the reason for the season. But this year I said enough is enough and I kept it simple! I still went a bit overboard on Christmas presents for the kids but I kept the decorations to a minimum and cut everything else out. It was a simple, easy Christmas and I was able to enjoy every minute! This Christmas was even more meaningful then past years because Trent came home after being away for two months, I finished and passed my first semester in grad school and we were all together everyday for two weeks! We were able to see all the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins over the holidays and still celebrate with our own traditions. On Christmas Eve we read a Christmas story before the kids go to bed. This year Aiden picked it, and out of the many stories we have he chose the story of the Nativity. When I asked him why he chose that story he said its because he wanted to read about Jesus' birth since that what Christmas is about! I love those moments when the kids show us their depth! Just like all kids, Aiden and Anna love the presents involved in the celebration but they know the true meaning of Christmas is not about Santa and presents but that its about the birth of our Savior. If they remembered that as they tore through their abundance of presents then we have done our best to instill in them what really matters.

Welcome Home Dad!

After a very long 2 months, Trent finally came home for a visit on December 14th! Although, we had originally thought he would work for 3 weeks and then come home for 1 week, he ended up working 2 months straight and it was a very long time to have our dad away from home. I didn't even realize how much I missed him until he came back! It is so nice to have him around again!

He brought home a lot of pictures so that we could see where he has been sleeping and working. He has been staying on a barge in the Toba inlet which is just off the coast of Vancouver. His room is not much bigger than a closet with just a twin bed and a desk. They do have a chef on the barge so he has been eating better there then he does at home! He is working and sleeping in the middle of nowhere! There is nothing around but green trees, water and mountains. The weather conditions are brutal as it is typically 0 degrees and when its not raining, its snowing or the air is thick with fog. Trent and the other lineman are installing and working on power lines on the sides of mountains. In order to gain access to most of the power lines they are flown in by helicopters. Unlike work in the Valley, there is no way to get bucket trucks anywhere near the lines, so Trent has to strap on the climbing gear and climb more than 100 ft poles. The only benefit of this tough climb, is the view is absolutely incredible! Although, Trent is working long days, 7 days a week he is enjoying the adventure of this job. He is learning new ways of doing line work and he has never worked in such rugged conditions. He has seen several black bears, stood just feet away from large deer, caught a 20 lb. salmon with his bare hands and witnessed an avalanche. He has made a lot of new friends and says the Canadian guys are genuine and easy going. Although, he missed us while he was away and literally counted down the days until he came home he wouldn't trade this experience for anything. He is able to be home for 1 month and finally has some time to rest! He will return to Canada on January 9th and will continue working there until the job is completed sometime in February or March. As much as we all wish he could work closer to home, we are fortunate that he has a job at all! This economy is forcing everyone to make changes in their lives and all we can do is our very best!

Trick or Treat

Halloween has to be one of the best holidays! There is nothing better than playing dress up, so a holiday that encourages this behavior has to be my favorite. This year we started off the night at my Aunt Sandy's annual Halloween party. The party in itself is an event. It gets bigger every year and no details are missed. We had to take pictures at the beginning of the night because once the kids saw the bouncy slide and bouncy house along with the face painter and balloon guy I never saw them again! It was great to see the family, including my Aunt Wendy and Uncle Phil who live in Texas. Although there was over a hundred people there, it was nice to just sit and hang out with my family and catch up, so I didn't leave the table much (except to enjoy the yummy food)!

My mom talked me in to dressing up with her and since my entire wardrobe is black it was an easy transition to become a witch. Aiden was the Incredible Hulk (I miss the days when I picked out his costume) and little miss Anna was Strawberry Shortcake! She was going to wear a wig but she kept complaining that it itched so we sprayed her hair red instead. No one recognized her as a red head! My cutie pie niece was an elephant with a pink tutu! She was absolutely adorable!!

In past years the kids have been fine skipping the trick or treating and just staying at the party but this year they were really anxious to trick or treat with their cousins Madelyn and Brendan. So we left the party and went over to Grandpa Dan's. Our neighbors, the Cardons, joined us along the way and we trick or treated around the neighborhood. The kids got tons of candy and I couldn't help but be sick at the thought of where all that candy would end up. Sure enough they had eaten 1/2 of it before the night was through. At one point I could literally see they were on a sugar high as they bounced around like bouncy balls! As much as I prefer that they not eat it all I would rather have them get it over with so we don't have to keep the candy around! All in all it was an almost perfect night. The only thing that would have made it better would be if Trent was apart of it. It almost broke my heart when I talked to him and I could hear how sad he was to have missed it. He said it was one of the hardest days of work to date, as he had to wade in freezing water most of the day. Then he had the added burden of thinking about the kids dressing up and not being able to see them. He is making a tremendous sacrifice for our family and we are so blessed to have such a hard working daddy. This better be the last Halloween without him!

HCG Update

If you read this blog a couple of entries ago you know in my last ditch effort, to drop the pounds that piled on top of me this last year, I started taking HCG. I was on the hormone drops for 30 days and lost 15 lbs! That was the easy part (well sort of easy part...it was a really long 30 days) the hard part is keeping it off. Because I like to eat in times of stress, in times of sadness and happiness, in times of monthly cycles, and frankly all times, I am having a hard time maintaining! After you stop taking the drops you then continue to eat just fruits, veggies and proteins but you increase your caloric intake to 1500 calories and you get to add dairy. Well, there was something in those drops that made eating only protein and veggies doable, because now all I want is CARBS and CANDY! So I just ordered some different drops that you can take during maintenance that should help suppress my appetite and continue to burn fat. We will see if that helps. I know several people who have done this diet and maintained just fine but their husbands probably didn't move to Canada, and I am guessing they didn't start maintenance during mid-term week! So like my life in general I am taking this one day at a time and trying my very best!

Canada, Eh?

Just when I thought life couldn't become any more chaotic, with two parents in the house, one of them up and leaves for a job and Canada, and unfortunately it isn't me! Since returning from Hawaii, last summer, Trent has felt the effects of the economy and he has literally held on to a job for the last year by his fingertips. So it wasn't a huge surprise when his company ran out of work and he was laid off...The day he was laid off, in a desperate attempt to find work and support his family, he took off on a 4 day road trip around the western part of the United States looking for work. As a member of the line workers union, you have to sign "the books" in person, showing that you are available for work and when something comes up in that location they can call you out. So Trent, along with two other lineman, traveled through California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah signing "the books" in every union hall along the way. Trent and the boys came back to Arizona to sit and wait for any offer. Two weeks passed without a phone call. Although, we knew things were slow, I didn't think it was possible that no one needed a lineman (he installs and repairs electricity for goodness sakes) anywhere. Finally, an offer did come in. . . In CANADA! In fact he received two offers and they were both in Canada! At first I just had to laugh. Not only was my husband going to have to leave our home for a job, he was going to have to leave the country! I still held on to some hope, that as he waited for a Visa , something closer to home would be offered, but nothing else came. And because I have to most incredible, loving and hard working husband, he went all the way across the U.S. border just to provide for us. So Trent has been gone for almost 2 weeks now. He is going to be working in this incredibly beautiful area in Vancouver called Toba. He has to be flown in on a small plane and then he will stay there for 3 weeks straight. He will be working 7 days a week, 12 hours a day and sleep on a barge in a "man camp". The great news is, he will be very busy (leaving him less time to miss us) and he will work for 3 weeks straight and then come home for a week! He should be home for a visit around November 5th and we are counting down the days!

Things have been challenging without him here. If I thought things were chaotic before, the chaos level has just increased tenfold! Fortunately, for us we have a loving family that is extremely supportive and they are helping to raise our children! In all of the craziness the kids and I are doing well in school and are trying to find a life outside of all of our commitments. I am lucky to have very well-adjusted kids who can just go with the flow because we are definitely in the middle of a raging river! But we are taking each day at a time and doing our very best!

Anna's 5th Birthday

For Anna's big day we took her and 7 of her best girlfriends to Regency Beauty School for mini-makeovers! Each girl had her hair and nails done and they even had a couple of colorful extensions added to their hair! The girls loved every minute of it and they all acted as if they have done this a million times. Some of the girls even chatted with their stylists the entire time about everything from bugs, to girly things, to how they used to suck their thumb! It was very entertaining to watch each girl sitting there acting so grown up. The girls all chose very funky and colorful nails and each of their hair styles was as unique as they are. The all looked absolutely darling and they knew it too! It wasn't difficult to get them to pose for a picture or two. After we finished with the makeovers we went to Culver's for ice-cream. The girls all sat at a large table eating their sundaes and going through their goody bags my mom put together for them. They loved their groovy glasses, lipstick and blingy rings. After a little parade around the restaurant, to show everyone exactly how cute they are, we went home. All in all it was a wonderful party and of course the very best part was I didn't have to clean my house, set up, take down or cook! (The bear in the pictures is Birthday Bear. He belongs to Anna's kindergarten class and gets to tag along with each student on their birthday!).

My First Day...

Every year we take pictures of our children as they head off to their first day of school. So on my first day going back to school, I thought it would be fun to be included in the tradition. Outfitted in my ASU tee and suited up with backpack and all, I had Aiden take a picture of me in front of the house. I had originally thought it would be a nice way to document my big day as I headed off on my new and frightening journey, but....then I saw the picture! YIKES! When did that 20+ I put on over the last year become so noticeable??? Did I swell up over night? And then my own Oprah moment of "oh crap, how did I let myself get here again?" Of course the answer was clear it was the fist fulls of candy and cookies, and bowls of comforting ice-cream, not to mention the inappropriate sized lunches and all day snacking that powered me through my new long working days...but gosh darn it it isn't fun to see it all piled on me like that. So as I thought about deleting the picture, I decided that instead I would keep the picture to remind me that I was oh so close to that really awful place one comes to when it is just too hard to do anything about it.

Since I have tried every diet known to mankind, some successful but most not, I decided to try something new (and radical even for me). Several people at my school have had great results with HCG. Yes, this is the one you have probably heard of and immediately associate with YOU ONLY GET TO EAT 500 CALORIES A DAY! But after listening to my coworkers I became less skeptical and more willing to try it myself. Now as I write this on day 15 of my 40 day HCG journey, I am even more hopeful and 10lbs thinner! I know what your thinking...eating only 500 calories sounds foolish and risky! But its only made possible with the magical liquid HCG. Something in this concoction actually allows you to live on 500 calories and function normally, and in my case better than normal. I really feel great. I am clearheaded and I have tons of energy and I am not even hungry. Now is this a miracle drug? Is this diet a piece of cake (no pun intended)? No! I miss food like I would miss one of the kids if I didn't see them for 15 days. I dream of days with m&ms and ice-cream (or at this point a piece of bread) but it is doable and the results make every lonely day worth it! I know, I know, everyone always says: "well anyone could lose weight if they ate 500 calories a day". But my rebuttal is yes, that's true but without HCG they would have no energy and they would also probably die! Plus if you did this without HCG you would never keep it off once you started eating normally again, and on this diet you do! (Or at least all of the guinea pigs at my school who did this before me have!). Anyway, at this point I am an advocate and I am trucking on through. Some days are better than others but overall, I am thrilled with how quickly this extra baggage is coming off. I will gladly keep everyone posted over the next 40 days!

Now back to my first day of school...well that isn't as lovely of a story as my 10 lb weight loss! School is hard. I mean really really hard. Its a lot of work and saying I am overwhelmed is an understatement. But I am learning a lot and really just trying to get through day by day! During our school orientation my supervisor showed a slide that listed our priorities for the next 3 years...#1 was our job (since we are getting all of our clinical hours on the job) and #2 was school. #3 was everything else and only after we finished school! Now that I am a month in, I see she wasn't kidding. Between my job and school there really isn't time for much else. So how am I being a mother and wife and fulfilling my calling in church as a counselor in primary, I DON'T KNOW! Some days I think I am not doing it very well, but other days I think I must be very blessed. There seem to be just enough hours in the day for me to give to all of these areas and sleep. It really is amazing what we can accomplish! I will say after getting a massage on Saturday (a gift from my mom!) I learned why I haven't felt like a complete stress case, and that's because all of that stress is being stored in my shoulders! But with the help of my loving husband and family, and with a lot of prayer I have to say I really am doing my very best!