Taking a moment...

Since it's Father's Day today and the weather isn't overly fantastic I thought I would take a moment and make a small post to say "Happy Father's Day" to my dad and all the men in my life who have made some impact on me... there are quite a few and I wish I had pictures of all of them so I could share them but I decided to just share a few of my dad. (I wish I had other pictures too but these are the few I found on my lap top)

Come June 27th it will be 4 years since my dad left his earthly home to return to his Father in Heaven. There are still a lot of things that I don't understand, and I am sure some of them I won't ever understand in this life, but I have learned to appreciate my life more and the blessings I have! I am grateful for the opportunities we have had to meet so many wonderful people and share our life with them and allow them to serve us. That is probably one of the things I have learned to do better- allow others to help me. I am still not perfect but I have gained an understanding of the good it does to allow others to serve. I am grateful for the always present "tender mercies" that show the love my Father in Heaven has for me and my family.

I am blessed to have 11 uncles, 2 grandpas, 1 brother, 4 brother's in law, a father-in-law, wonderful men who have been home teachers, bishops, and friends, and a very understanding and loving husband. I am grateful for all of these men in my life and all the countless others who have helped me and my family.

The past few years have also shown to me that no matter how much planning we put into our life our Father in Heaven is the one with the real plan and I am constantly trying to align my life to His map. I am a very linear and task oriented person and the past 6 months have especially shown to me that there are challenges we are presented with that allow us to grow temporally and spiritually.

I am grateful for my knowledge of the Gospel of Christ and the blessing it has been to help me through life so far. I am grateful for my family and the relationships I have with my siblings and with my Husband's family as well. I am grateful that I have been sealed to my husband, and to know that we are a forever family.

I love you dad and I miss you more than could ever be comprehended.

February...March...and on to April!

Where oh where have the past few months gone? Time has zoomed by and they say spring is just around the corner- although it has been more snow/rain than sunshine lately...

February: The hi-light of February was adding a member to our little family- Jack the puppy came to us for Valentines day! Aaron surprised me with an e-mail and picture a few days before Valentines day to let me know that he had picked out a puppy he liked and we were driving to Homedale on Friday to meet him! Jack is a mini-doxie and the moment I saw him I was in love with him! He was about 8 1/2 weeks old and teeny tiny! Now he has grown a little and come out of his shell so he is running circles around and on top of his kitty sister Cleo! He loves to ride in the car- especially when it's just him and the seat warmer is on! He was also quick to find all the heater vents in the house and can frequently be found occupying one. He is a mommas boy for sure and loves to play "hide and seek" looking for me! (Its pretty funny to see his little wiggly boddy jump around when he finds me!)

March: There were a few days of sunshine in March which gave us a bad case of spring fever! We started our spring cleaning and re-arranging of the house and scouring Craigslist for yardsale ads! Yardsales are still slow to start and haven't been very helpful yet, so in our quest for good yard sales we decided to venture to one of our favorite green houses in Boise's North End- I wasn't sure how much they would have but we found rows and rows of plants and flowers and veggies! Oh I was so excited to see all the green plants! We couldn't help but buy a few, even though it was still cold and icky outside, we have been keeping them in the house until it warms up a bit and a few were okay to be planted now. So far we have added a honeysuckle, day lillies, pansies, and a forsythia bush. The warmth of a few days in March also prompted us to get our bikes out and ready for riding! We enjoyed our first bike ride on the greenbelt and can't wait for warmer weather to enjoy more of the greenbelt!

The end of March was an adventure for us to say the least! March 31 to April 3 we were "temporary" parents to two cute kiddos while their mommy and daddy went with my mom to Texas to participate in Justin's graduation from basic training with the Idaho Air National Guard at Lackland AFB. We stayed in Eagle at their house and enjoyed the life of a family of 4- we went to the park, watched Scooby Doo and other kiddo movies (pretty sure I can sing the whole Scooby Doo song and name every character in any Pixar film!) Since the weather was cold and windy for most of the time we also learned to appreciate any fast food restaurant that also had a play area to help get out all of our wiggles! I had to work on Thursday so Aaron was with the kids most all day- I got a great picture from him on my phone about mid-day showing the kids in a fort watching movies. I was so jealous! Needless to say we were all in bed by 8:30 pm and slept soundly... We were excited to hear that Justin and his flight (group-similar to a boy scout patrol?) graduated with honors! We are so proud of him and were so happy to welcome him home Monday! I had to work so Aaron went to meet Justin and Mom at the airport and they came to see me at work on my lunch! He is all grown up! I can't wait to see mom's pictures and listen to Justin's stories!

The icky weather has also brought about my crafty side! I have wanted one of the super chic beaded watches for a while and finally just decided to make my own! It has been so much fun to make the watch bands to match different scrub tops, my patients love to see which one I am wearing!

I also decided I needed a way to hold my earrings instead of a ziplock bag and a glass bowl on my counter- so I went to the dollar store and found some wood frames- a few drilled holes, some thin wire, and a coat of green paint I now have some rather cute earring frames! Two have wires strung for hoops and "dangles" and another with plastic window mesh for studs/posts! It is so fun to look at the wall and see all my options and pick out something fun to wear!

April is here now and we will be busy as usual. I am enjoying my job working for Dr. Rasmus and Beverlee our Np- every day I meet new people and have already learned so much! I love to see my patient everyday, even on days that are crazy and busy and I am at the office for 10+ hours I still love to go back the next day and do it all over again! I am so blessed to have a job and to have one I love!

The past few months have been quite the adventure for us and we have surly experienced many opportunities to grow and learn. Every day I am grateful to have my wonderful husband at my side and the family and friends who support us! There are still trials and testings ahead of us and we will be excited to one day look back and see all the things we learned!

New Year

Well 2010 is here and what a month it has been!! To start off the year I had 4 job interviews the first full week of the new year, and was offered 2 positions. I accepted one and I am the primary MA for a pulmonologist/sleep specialist here in Boise. I started work on the 13th and so far I absolutely love my job!

Aaron started working for a call center and wasn't too thrilled with the policies and goings on there so he will start working at Direct TV tomorrow! Aaron also started taking a full schedule of on-line classes through CWI and so far loves being back to school! (I am sure I will have to remind him of this in a few weeks).

My younger sister Lara married her prince charming, Michael, on the 16th in Portland. We were able to get some great airplane tickets and spent the weekend in Oregon/Washington with them! We flew out of Boise at 7 am Friday the 15th (flying out at 7 am = arriving at the airport around 6am!), and spent the day playing in Oregon! We flew with my Grandparents Campbell, Mom, and brother Justin. In all we were a traveling party of 6! It was rather entertaining to say the least! When had a rental car for us (Aaron, Me, Mom, Justin) and Grandparents Campbell had their own. Grandpa and Grandma went to see Grandpa's brother in Oregon and we headed to the Ocean!

(Grandpa reading the paper, waiting to fly out of BOI)

(Aaron and I at Cannon Beach)

The Ocean adventure was pretty exciting, since mom was the driver of the rental car I had to convince her to go- I even promised her I would be a good girl on the hairplane if I could go to the ocean! :0) We drove about an hour and found ourselves in Cannon Beach and Seaside Oregon. It was POURING rain so I was the only one brave enough to get out of the car and run on the beach! (Aaron got out too at one stop). The rain let up a little bit in Seaside and we decided we needed some saltwater taffy, so we found a place called "Bruce's Candy Kitchen" and enjoyed some yummy treats!

(Me on Cannon Beach)

(Haystack rock)

In Portland we stayed at a Residence Inn with both sets of Grandparents and my mom's brother Jeff and his family! We decided to all go out to dinner Friday night at the Applebees by the hotel, we were quite the group of 13 at that point and enjoyed spending the time together!

(Mom and I helping steam Lara's wedding dress. If you look close enough you can see Lara's legs under her dress- she is up inside!)

The next morning we went to the beautiful Portland Temple to be with Lara and Mike. It was a very memorable and wonderful experience! The rain had let up and was mostly a mist while we were at the temple, which allowed for some pictures. Lara was beautiful!

Saturday night we went to their reception in Vancouver, WA and stayed at a hotel there. It was a long day but so worth it! Sunday we slept in and flew out of Portland and were home by Sunday evening, just in time to unpack and settle in and for me to get ready for my first Monday of work!

Overall we had a blast in Portland and it was a great little vacation and time away from home! The next weekend we had a reception for Lara and Mike in Eagle. Uncle Dan and Aunt Ann came up with two of their boys from California as well as my mom's brother Matt and his family from Louisiana, and Brett and his family from Utah. It was a full house with so many Aunts, Uncles and cousins running about! We decorated for the reception most of the morning and it was BEAUTIFUL! (I didn't take pics so I will post some later from Uncles). We had a wonderful time seeing family and friends. The love and support we have from family and friends is amazing, and we would be lost without them.

Now we are just enjoying our warm home and being employed! I am enjoying my time at work as well as my time at home and I am excited to get into a routine and settle into getting a few things done I couldn't do while I was in school and working before.

I now have a very serious case of spring fever and I can't wait to start playing in my yard! The snow today has helped to settle any thoughts of digging in the dirt however. We are so grateful for the love and support of family and friends over the past few months in helping us through our trials and testings and we hope that this year can be a wonderful year of learning and growth for us.

A year in review...

I can't believe it has already been a year and I have been a slacker in keeping our blog updated! So my pre-new years resolution is to keep the blog updated! So much has happened in the past year and I thought I would just highlight a few things...

The new house! (above: the back, below: the front)

In April we purchased our first home! It was quite a process dealing with banks and Realtors and all the legal garbage to boot! We love our house and it has been so much fun cleaning it up and decorating. Our neighborhood is wonderful and we are right in the middle of everything. It doesn't take us too long to get just about anywhere. The house had been empty for a number of months so we had the great task of de-winterizing everything and cleaning the yard. It has been fun to plant things and watch things grow. There were surprises all spring long as plants grew and bloomed. Aaron and I were both busy with school and work so we did the minimums as far as yard work but we have since put in a garden space, removed some dead trees and bushes and planted a few things. We have also painted some of the interior.

We both celebrated our birthdays in May by going to the Boise Zoo to check out the new African Plains exhibit. We saw the Lions and Tigers and Giraffes. It was fun to wander around and see all the animals and enjoy the day together! Through out the summer we enjoyed wandering the Boise greenbelt and playing in the various parks.

We also had the opportunity to take a long weekend and head to the Sawtooth Mountains for a much needed break from everyday life. We met up with my mom and siblings in Stanley and set up camp in one of our favorite campgrounds. We spent the days playing in the creek and hiking the trails and the nights lounging around the campfire.

Aaron and I were also able to sneak away toward the end of the summer to visit his parents in Pocatello and surprise my sister, Lara, in Jackson Hole. We spent the day with her wandering the town and enjoying the beautiful Teton Mountains.

Fall is always a fun time for homeowners, we decided that we needed to trim up some trees and clean up the yard a bit so we enlisted the help of my mom, brother Justin, and Grandpa and Grandma Beal to help.

(Above: Grandma Beal taking the hedge trimmer to the roses, Below: Justin and Aaron fixing the back gutter)

Fall also brought some major changes. I finished my schooling at Apollo College in late October and began my internship with a local Medical Group. With the end of my schooling also came the end of my employment with Franklin Covey. I couldn't keep the hours needed for work or the internship so we decided we would struggle through with one income and do our best to make it as short a time as possible. Graduation was October 30, 2009 and I was asked to be a class speaker. I was overwhelmed with the opportunity to share my thoughts with my classmates and be such a part of their college experience. Overall I graduated top of my class with honors. My internship lasted about 6 weeks and I learned more than I ever thought I would and made some great new friends.

Shortly after I started my internship Aaron was laid off from his job. We had no warning. It just happened. So now we are both unemployed and trying to figure life out again. So many thoughts run through your mind when things happen and so many "what ifs" but we have grown closer than ever as a couple and redirected our sails to make it through.

Soon after Aaron was laid off we also found out we were expecting our first child! We couldn't be happier and more excited! My greatest desire and ambition in life is to be a mom. Because of my diabetes we immediately got the "medical team" on board and started doctors appointments. We were planning on telling the rest of our family for Christmas, but Heavenly Father has a different plan for us. Our little angel was only with us for 7 weeks before going back to be Grandpa's baby. I had a miscarriage in early December, we couldn't be more heartbroken. Our faith has been tried yet again and we are leaning on family and friends for support. There are so many unanswered questions and so many thoughts, but we know that Heavenly Father knows what we need and He has a plan for us, and all the things that we are going through is for a reason.

As we near the end of the year and the Christmas season we couldn't be more thankful for our family and our faith. Our knowledge that Families are Forever and that we are given trials to help us grow. The past year has been a tough one, but looking back we have learned so much and grown closer to our family and strenghtened our faith in God and His plan for us. One day I hope to be able to look back on these tough times and see the lessons we were to learn.

Everyday we get up, put one foot in front of the other and move forward. Learning, growing, struggling, and relying on the faith we have.

Too Long...

Wow, I can't believe how long it has been since I have done a blog. September was so long ago! So much has happened since then! :0) Lets see... I am the Customer Service Manager at Franklin Covey, Aaron and I are both in the full swing of school, and we moved. Those are the big ones I guess! We have a zillion pictures to post so I will try to get them all in with some kind of caption so you know what they are.

Yesterday after Aaron and I got home from work we went over to Grandma Beal's to spend some time with my Uncle Brett and his family. My mom and sister and brother met us there with our Cousin Nora. (Lara was watching Nora while Eric and Vic were in McCall). We made ginger bread houses out of graham crackers, candy and merengue icing. It was super fun and super sticky! After we made our creations, had dinner, and played some games it was time for the munchkins to take a bath! Eliza (age 3) had been playing with a "touger" (couger aka- a plastic lion/tiger that my uncles had when they were kids) all day and insisted that the touger needed a bath too. So Brett made a " touger bath" in Grandma's sink while Eliza took a bath in the tub! :0) What a lucky touger!

This is Miss Nora Jean - she is skipping crawling- she loves to walk around instead. She was so fun to play with this past week while they were visiting from Jackson. I am so jealous that Lara got to spend the whole summer taking care of the little girl!

Gretel and I were quite the construction team! I was in charge of the pastry bag full of super sticky icing and Gretel showed me where to put it! We built a pretty fancy gingerbread house, complete with trees, fence, a pond with a waterfall and a rock path. We had so much fun turning candy and cookies into a masterpiece of construction and landscape :0) P.S. I didn't know that Aaron was taking the picture, otherwise I would have turned the right way!

Eliza wanted to make a choo-choo train instead of a house with her crackers. Her train even had a funny face on it with ears and everything! She insited on carrying it around the house until everyone saw her train. Then she passed out the left over candy until we all had some. She is such a cutie! We are going to miss having all the munchkins around to keep us on our toes and make us smile and laugh!

The day before Thanksgiving we were scheduled for Family Pictures with Tyler Cazier at Kathryn Albertson Park. It will still be a few weeks before we get the pictures back but Justin was able to snap a few afterwards. It was so fun spending time with my family, I am so glad to have such a wonderful family and a wonderful Husband who loves spending time with my family.

The past few months living in Boise, Aaron and I have taken advantage of the wonderful weather and living so close to the great outdoors! We love to take strolls down on the Green Belt and on the ridge to Rivers Trails by Camels Back Park. It is so peaceful! We can drive just 10 min. and be in a whole different place!

The Boise River Green belt

The Ridge to River's Trails

For Halloween we went over to my moms to carve pumpkins! It was closing night for the musical "Kiss Me Kate" at Eagle High. Justin was in the musical so he didn't get to finish his pumpkin, so we all carved different parts of it. We had a blast getting covered in pumpkin guts, even Cocoa (the chocolate lab) had fun fetching chunks of pumpkin.

Lara was helping carry out the smaller pumpkins. She looks great in her gym shorts and Justin's milking boots :0)

This year I decided that I should learn how to can my own things, we canned applesauce, peaches, and apricot jam. I had so much fun spending time with my mom and Grandma.

While we were packing, cleaning and getting ready to move Cleo wasn't quite sure what to do with all the craziness so she frequently hid under the couch, in the boxes, and even in her paper bag! She loves the new apartment, there are lots of windows with wide window sills that she can sit in and look out and see the squirrels in the trees.

Mom, Lara, and I ran in the 5K Women's Fitness Celebration. It was pouring rain the whole time and while we were at the starting line we saw lightning and heard thunder! We had fun and were soaked to the bone!

So, we are all setteled into our new apartment and enjoying the wonderful week we have been able to spend with my family for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We are truly so blessed to live in such a wonderful place and to live so close to my family! Christmas is right around the corner and I can't hardley wait to spend more time with my family! I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband who loves me (even when I am having a bad day). I am grateful for the extended family who take care of us and especially for the people who keep watch over my mom. The holidays are still a pretty rough time for us, everytime I turn around I expect to see my dad standing in the kitchen with a apron over his columbia fish shirt, or out in the back yard throwing toys for Cocoa, sometimes I think that if I turn around fast enough I might actually see him. I am so grateful for the gospel of Christ and the testimony that I have that one day I will get to see my dad again.

Crazy stuff...

Ok, nothing fantastic to really report. It has just been a crazy week and another one is on the books! When we moved up here to Boise I applied at about a billion different places trying to find a better job-which is how I landed two home health jobs-sounds great huh? It was for about a month then my hours were cut down to 10 hours a week- I have to drive out to Eagle three times a week for a 3.5 hour shift with a patient that doesn't think she needs care... (talk about a challenge)

So, about two weeks ago one of the places I had previously interviewed with called me up out of the blue and asked if I was interested in a part time position! I said heck yes and started about a week ago. Well, my third day on the job my assistant manager quit and left just my manager and I to fill all the shifts last week and this week! UGH! So crazy! School, and two jobs that don't really go together PLUS trying to start up with Mary Kay. I think I have lost my mind!

Well, since we are now short an assistant manager my manager thinks that I would be a wonderful replacement! So on top of everything I am now trying to get the assistant manager spot.... Yup, I have officially lost my mind! But if I get the position then I will get a pay increase and some more hours so I will quite the home health thing. (I didn't exactly sign up for 10 hours a week as a babysitter- I am not using any of my CNA abilities) So I will let you know how that goes...

Now that there is a possibility of a little more income each month, we are thinking that we should move. Our lease is up in November so we will see what we can find. We aren't really fond of our present apartment other than the fact that I can walk to school. But I think I will opt to drive to school and feel a little safer. We didn't quite realize what we were moving into when we signed up- if we knew what we know now we probably wouldn't be here. So back to hunting for an apartment! :0) I love looking for apartments!

Well, Have I bored you all to tears? I hope not... but I will stop now. Besides- I should tidy up a bit and think about getting to bed a little early! I hope you all are having a fantastic day/week/month! Loves!!! :0)

Staycations!

Happy end of summer! I have been in school at Apollo for two weeks now and I LOVE it! I was able to transfer some of my credits from ISU so my class load is a little lighter. Aaron has been at BSU for about a week and is enjoying it so far. :0)

A couple of weekends ago we were supposed to go on our last camping trip of the summer, but there was a nasty fire where we were supposed to go so we decided to stay home and help clean out my mom's garage. We are storing some boxes there so we figured we could help out! We built some shelves, rearranged, and cleaned off the food storage shelves we built a few years ago. Grandpa Beal came over to help, so with Mom, Grandpa, Aaron, and I it went pretty fast!

This weekend Aaron and I have to work a little so we don't get to go anywhere fun. The weather has been super nice here in Boise so yesterday we decided to paint our apartment! Our Land lord said it was okay as long as it was "neutral accents"... So we have "chocolate milk" brown in our living room and dining room, a sage green in the bedroom, and sunny yellow in the bathroom! It has been so much fun to paint and re-arrrange our little apartment! We have some before and after pics! I don't know how well you will be able to see the colors...

This is how Cleo kitty helped paint... she would sleep on the couch, under the bed, and guard the screen door... :0)

We hope that everyone has a safe and fantatic Labor Day Holiday! :0)