tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74921576793314210592024-03-05T23:39:25.461-08:00Im laughing inside...reallynate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-74394725716290758052018-12-23T16:24:00.000-08:002018-12-23T16:24:54.340-08:00Christmas Letter 2018Hello everyone, it has been 4 years since I have been on our blog, so I figured I would give it a try again. I have been busy, and ran out of time to send out a Christmas card for several years.... I can update everyone this way, and save some stamps!<br />
<br />
This past year we remodeled both of our bathrooms, and the laundry room. Nathan did most of the work completely by himself, with yours truly assisting, in between work and kids and husbanding. He really is the best. He has been making quite a difference for tons of kids as a biology teacher at Snowflake High School for going on 5 years. We have lived in Snowflake for that long as well. We moved into our current house in June of 2016. It is small, but perfect for our family. We are very grateful to have it, and our family be so close because of it. Nathan also works security at sporting games for the school while I do ticket taking. We both work a ton, and do our best to do everything else.<br />
<br />
In November of 2017, I fell at my desk at the high school where I work as the attendance clerk with Nathan. My darling Rachel accidentally pulled my chair out from under me when I went to sit down. Rather than fall to the floor, I tried to stop my fall by putting my arm on the desk. Bad idea! It wrenched my shoulder pretty bad. It took a few days for the pain to hit, it was my back at first. I have had two MRIs and several x-rays. All the radiologists that read them saw nothing wrong. I finally went to see an orthopedic surgeon, and he found damage. I am waiting for surgery, but it probably won't be until the summer so I have time to recover without worrying about work. I also have struggled with ovarian cysts that rupture and are painful. The last round may have been what caused a TIA, and I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance because the doctor thought I was having a stroke. I have had numbness in one side of my face, and my arm will go numb at random as well. It has been a very interesting time! I am having the ovary removed soon. To make things more fun, I fell at work again this week. I tripped over a pile of cans for our canned food drive, and flailed, stumbling forward several steps until I skinned my knee and wrenched my other shoulder and knee pretty good when I landed on the floor. It has been a trying week for me, and I have suffered to find peace and happiness amidst the never-ending pain. I will have two surgeries in the coming year. I am also in my second semester of college at NAU online, through the personalized learning program. It is self paced, and perfect for my chaotic life. Hopefully, in just a couple more semesters I will earn my Bachelors in Business Management with a Healthcare emphasis.<br />
<br />
Colby is 17, and in his Junior year of high school. He has straight A's the last year and a half for the first time in his life. He is taking Physics, and Acadec, which have helped him to figure out a little more of what it is to grow up. He worked this summer at the Youth Conservation Corps. He did very well working full time and didn't have much of a break before school was back in session. He has been getting taller, finally, and he hit 6 feet tall. He did better than ever running cross country for the school, even though he didn't like it..he pushed through the pain and misery. He still loves legos and playing on the Xbox. I am proud of the man he is becoming.<br />
<br />
Rebekah is 15, and a Sophomore in school. She started the season running cross country, but developed stress fractures from her shin splints. She took the rest of the season off in preparation for trying out for basketball. She didn't make the team after she put in hours of work and practice, but she did get a nasty black eye on Halloween night from a girl jumping for a shot and coming down with her elbow to Rebekah's eye. It took several weeks for the swelling and blackness to go away. She has straight A's as well, and is taking all honors classes. She plays the violin very well and sings with the school's honor choir. She is doing amazing and growing up to be an exceptional lady.<br />
<br />
Caleb is 13, and tiny as ever. He is growing a little, but not quite 5 feet yet. He is in 8th grade, and doing well in school too. Junior High is tough though, so it's not quite straight A's. He writes stories and plays percussion with his school band. He is quirky and has the best sense of humor. He is such a fun and funny kid, he has us all laughing at inopportune moments. He loves to play legos and Xbox with Colby and his friends.<br />
<br />
Rachel is 10, and in 5th grade. She struggled with school this year, as she is easily distracted by friends and other things. We are working with her teacher to get her grades up again. She is doing well, reading a ton, and loves to play with her friends. She does not appreciate all the movies we watch, and often falls asleep during them. We love to show our kids the movies we loved, and the new ones as well. Redbox is our constant friend!<br />
<br />
As I said before, it has been difficult to be happy amidst all the uncertainty and pain. I know things will change this year, and it's been hard for me to wrap my head around, financially and in general. I am trying to have faith, and something that was said at church today resonated with me. When learning about the angel talking to Mary, and how she was told she would be the mother of the Son of God, she humbly said, "Behold the Handmaiden of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy will". She didn't rail and complain about the hardships she would have to endure. She knew there was a whole lot more going on than just her suffering and loss. So she bore it willingly and faithfully. I am trying to emulate her now. It is going to be difficult, but I know I am not alone in my trials. I was reminded of that fact today, and I am grateful for this time of year. I am grateful for life to slow down a little, and be off of work for a couple weeks. I am going to rest as much as possible, and gear up for whatever life brings my family and me. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, and we can all feel the spirit of the baby who made all of this possible, and the Man we all want to live our lives to return to; Our Savior, Jesus Christ. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9pWsBQq97WPQElijyuLEiSac_njBoIhyphenhyphennf8CP89ETyf-1SzPt46VQT6H7icUU9PsMcLDw92_2-xAK-mbLX0HfXXVCMDTXst4XHml7oyjpIVtP7C-SB74pj7vjYhFR_Zfl1doH-y2gaRu/s1600/IMG_6297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9pWsBQq97WPQElijyuLEiSac_njBoIhyphenhyphennf8CP89ETyf-1SzPt46VQT6H7icUU9PsMcLDw92_2-xAK-mbLX0HfXXVCMDTXst4XHml7oyjpIVtP7C-SB74pj7vjYhFR_Zfl1doH-y2gaRu/s320/IMG_6297.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPFTuR4YXyPU5hVM-Aghcnvo49IGyUKYjDEqYwhKZKeiJWeBNM1Cq9PEszJ2AhrxWINi-CwypAQBLmlPyAiYiZxeYrQqSrgXIvtwxBQrZ80457oPn1rAiVgw7iEgMei5yxf6EkM7XRe7o/s1600/IMG_6306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPFTuR4YXyPU5hVM-Aghcnvo49IGyUKYjDEqYwhKZKeiJWeBNM1Cq9PEszJ2AhrxWINi-CwypAQBLmlPyAiYiZxeYrQqSrgXIvtwxBQrZ80457oPn1rAiVgw7iEgMei5yxf6EkM7XRe7o/s320/IMG_6306.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozjrqorHWmWimJFwclHYU2D7dPmdLsaWwwP8KVqqMIKFvJlyA94fXxjXLT7rCoqgPWIMYJSQAStvvMfMK77NKVGZPG4fM95BAM3oVgnbKdzImpZJKdnM1H3Zs7S0I51LpnefuKioCyc9m/s1600/IMG_6311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozjrqorHWmWimJFwclHYU2D7dPmdLsaWwwP8KVqqMIKFvJlyA94fXxjXLT7rCoqgPWIMYJSQAStvvMfMK77NKVGZPG4fM95BAM3oVgnbKdzImpZJKdnM1H3Zs7S0I51LpnefuKioCyc9m/s320/IMG_6311.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF82hOaNxxX3DXm4l9YnULGobh-6aWUoTWFDUltnHsHazLUc0K1wlZ6BG2W4HHf3QHs6DdMvGrWQuZtOJRS5jJadI9Y5kBmLdZyXLqH7VF8ao1RiiavHMG62rCHICZudV0n6-A7N9Viy4S/s1600/IMG_6318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF82hOaNxxX3DXm4l9YnULGobh-6aWUoTWFDUltnHsHazLUc0K1wlZ6BG2W4HHf3QHs6DdMvGrWQuZtOJRS5jJadI9Y5kBmLdZyXLqH7VF8ao1RiiavHMG62rCHICZudV0n6-A7N9Viy4S/s320/IMG_6318.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMJp5_e1mCtwhE_1CHYZ9Ir0ZjSMRebbEX1GyzWJIbS-t-CO7Artar8LtGtba0oD0Xe4yEdpjBdrIyaoBN00AzJFhuOQFi2YwkPaiy7FaPsrhhrIPkj3spKSQ7k-S7QbHnpl_uRzpiFNK/s1600/IMG_6321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMJp5_e1mCtwhE_1CHYZ9Ir0ZjSMRebbEX1GyzWJIbS-t-CO7Artar8LtGtba0oD0Xe4yEdpjBdrIyaoBN00AzJFhuOQFi2YwkPaiy7FaPsrhhrIPkj3spKSQ7k-S7QbHnpl_uRzpiFNK/s320/IMG_6321.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtr_vwxxRug7sJCkyi8Fd1fAie6SbGW5rMyZdn9qOH6jW3Okp1JsKcb4gVqO1qmnBxwL4Jw8nMHF1qZfyKUKuyR7DjlI3BnDPZjAZxvmM50B60_P7Kw8u67ZbNczUrTyQSWJLzPo-MLe_N/s1600/IMG_6324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtr_vwxxRug7sJCkyi8Fd1fAie6SbGW5rMyZdn9qOH6jW3Okp1JsKcb4gVqO1qmnBxwL4Jw8nMHF1qZfyKUKuyR7DjlI3BnDPZjAZxvmM50B60_P7Kw8u67ZbNczUrTyQSWJLzPo-MLe_N/s320/IMG_6324.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WLuQrlR3cJj0HE0cah2vM-c5F6wm0DCNeINB8RKgIZpiMH_zI_znWrLH5Bc-kARIpnUKLAfoDDQXJvJ6vT9hNzUtUwK0Im0K7x_cwG1UaIZyDubQ7X5sAPGB8-ROYUgqmM92pzFmgDHJ/s1600/IMG_6326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WLuQrlR3cJj0HE0cah2vM-c5F6wm0DCNeINB8RKgIZpiMH_zI_znWrLH5Bc-kARIpnUKLAfoDDQXJvJ6vT9hNzUtUwK0Im0K7x_cwG1UaIZyDubQ7X5sAPGB8-ROYUgqmM92pzFmgDHJ/s320/IMG_6326.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5kMCL1kKymqphysz6L2UgN6HzqdqG-wL2gwob_c0F_PA_EVdgqfKBCCO5jfEq2Vdy_V09FqJObJSBcO4krFJel9YzcEDi_5BeDUV6sXenGmSmky_WA80sqHhMZKvMMiiuYProP_rUqjF/s1600/IMG_6334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5kMCL1kKymqphysz6L2UgN6HzqdqG-wL2gwob_c0F_PA_EVdgqfKBCCO5jfEq2Vdy_V09FqJObJSBcO4krFJel9YzcEDi_5BeDUV6sXenGmSmky_WA80sqHhMZKvMMiiuYProP_rUqjF/s320/IMG_6334.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-14417395252757177412014-12-27T10:06:00.000-08:002014-12-27T10:06:41.189-08:00Christmas letter 2014<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year has been an incredible one
of change and growing. After the new year, my mom was at a friend’s retirement
party, and I got word that an ambulance had taken her away. I didn’t really
think a whole lot of it, assuming it was a diabetic complication, and she would
ultimately be fine in a day or two. I was shocked to learn that she had
suffered a massive heart attack, and would most definitely not be ok. The
doctors got all of her valves opened up and heart beating again like it should,
but too much time had passed. Her other organs had gone without oxygen for too
long. She was kept alive on machines for 2 days, but after a negative brain ct
scan that showed no activity, and dialysis did not clear her blood of the
strong drugs and wake her up, Dad finally came to the conclusion that the rest
of the family already had. She was not in her battered body anymore, and we
needed to let her go. We all gathered as a beloved family around her hospital
room to say goodbye. I found peace in knowing she hadn’t suffered, and was
given the best chance possible. I love my mom, and am so grateful for the
knowledge I have that she is at peace, and waiting for the rest of us on the
other side….and pain free. She can walk, dance and not be confined to the
scooter anymore. I love her.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In April, Nathan entered the pathway
program through the University of Phoenix, and was told he could become a
teacher in the fall. Without him going through the rest of the masters program,
or student teaching first, his only option was to go to a small town school, or
an inner city school to become a teacher. His first choice was a small town, and he went
to a job fair in northern Arizona. The schools were impressed with his business
knowledge and sports experience, and seemed excited to meet him. Just a few
days later, the Snowflake School District called him to set up an interview. We
both took a day off to drive up and explore the city. He had his interview, and
they were so taken with his new ideas and excitement, that they actually
offered him a job the same day. We were so excited, and knew that the next
chapter of our lives was about to begin. We moved up to Snowflake the last weekend
of June. So far, we are loving it here. It is hard for Nathan to be a first
year teacher, while also in his master’s program. He has done incredibly well,
and been accepted and well-liked by most of his students. He will be done with
the academic part in just a few more weeks. This is one proud family, he has
worked exceptionally hard for us!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Marne was out of work for about a
month, until school started, and the intermediate school had an opening as the
attendance clerk. It is a perfect fit for her, and she loves the interaction
she has with the new principal, secretary, teachers, students and parents. Half
the town knew our family before we knew anyone! We love our small town, awesome
community. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Colby is in his first year of junior high, as a
13 year old 7<sup>th</sup> grader. He has improved so much since moving here. He has made some friends, enjoys school for
the first time, and is so much happier. For him alone, it has been worth it. All the kids, but Rachel played soccer, and now the older ones are starting basketball. They
love it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rebekah is 11 and in 6<sup>th</sup>
grade at the school Marne works at, and happier as well. She has an entourage
of friends that have chosen our house as the neighborhood hang out. She walks
all over town with them, and loves it here. Caleb is 9 and in 4<sup>th</sup>
grade. He is a great student with straight A’s and perfect attendance. He has
made lots of friends at school, and his favo</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">rites are girls! He likes to hang out with them, and they are so sweet to him. He writes little stories and makes riddle games on the computer and always has the family laughing. Rachel is our 6 year old 1</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;">st</sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 19.9733333587647px;"> grader. She is still our firecracker. She has such energy, and constantly falls down while rollerblading or running…but jumps up and says she’s ok. She is hilarious. She would stay outside all day if we let her.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_BudnVeGfV-tcAioDrxqn0b1iPzGQkR20T2hmW2dsXCySaBJ6-yfpYhSAYfO68-0-HRkTh54I4nj1FpFpHWub6uxEKO4bvrJ4zv0-jQeXPXYR8_qVMo9sPkOttRwWHftF5sRm8d59CGs/s1600/hubby+and+i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_BudnVeGfV-tcAioDrxqn0b1iPzGQkR20T2hmW2dsXCySaBJ6-yfpYhSAYfO68-0-HRkTh54I4nj1FpFpHWub6uxEKO4bvrJ4zv0-jQeXPXYR8_qVMo9sPkOttRwWHftF5sRm8d59CGs/s1600/hubby+and+i.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Mom and Dad</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ8anyFfRClyrPs_mA7h58DXHbQ5PMNJ-S2QYzbsl81oFXIApPATT-WYbwzAzhCP885RjCX731RD_9HBIrNkGSXE655P9nZW0shYqegxFBhSYlbxBZffne7rgKtTREDBA0v19BMJUmdoR/s1600/caleb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ8anyFfRClyrPs_mA7h58DXHbQ5PMNJ-S2QYzbsl81oFXIApPATT-WYbwzAzhCP885RjCX731RD_9HBIrNkGSXE655P9nZW0shYqegxFBhSYlbxBZffne7rgKtTREDBA0v19BMJUmdoR/s1600/caleb.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Caleb</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhr_4jOH9To62lCAfZM1Dg-RKqprHwdthM5MN7v5HZwj0lWWRJOqOt6Q0eYx9qXZXTyhuEwooInacNogCexvLuoAUrjjy1bSxwErgaTRvpr8BwNz8diHVkjgahOK_FrFOgICBaXZMZL2np/s1600/bek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhr_4jOH9To62lCAfZM1Dg-RKqprHwdthM5MN7v5HZwj0lWWRJOqOt6Q0eYx9qXZXTyhuEwooInacNogCexvLuoAUrjjy1bSxwErgaTRvpr8BwNz8diHVkjgahOK_FrFOgICBaXZMZL2np/s1600/bek.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Rebekah</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DBzqvid-kDNQQeP8XYcgbG-v68duZ_VnWscmtWslo2aLumjc3FqYpySlmv7JYCbTRY468upz2tnG1MMBOn42RFV8CK6plk2T0CzilgDWX6hUQPqFKTWYIxvAbMX3Xvi8ygt_DWmI5VHx/s1600/family+kissing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DBzqvid-kDNQQeP8XYcgbG-v68duZ_VnWscmtWslo2aLumjc3FqYpySlmv7JYCbTRY468upz2tnG1MMBOn42RFV8CK6plk2T0CzilgDWX6hUQPqFKTWYIxvAbMX3Xvi8ygt_DWmI5VHx/s1600/family+kissing.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Our awesome family</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OOxjdjXyKzMpYUjyy4Bxjd703z9-TCu1YQF1WIj5-FwuhsNS9i_dZfjd9eeL6Lx7BtSBEXGGSAay8kVz2yEIyDmYn3GvnaEk-uckHDpuhENoLMMUR7BQqUMOqGrz8TMlIVx8Gsr9Xh-r/s1600/rachel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OOxjdjXyKzMpYUjyy4Bxjd703z9-TCu1YQF1WIj5-FwuhsNS9i_dZfjd9eeL6Lx7BtSBEXGGSAay8kVz2yEIyDmYn3GvnaEk-uckHDpuhENoLMMUR7BQqUMOqGrz8TMlIVx8Gsr9Xh-r/s1600/rachel.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Rachel </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> The weather here is amazing. It has been in the 60s for 2 months, I guess
we got some really mild fall weather. We are grateful and have loved our slow
descent into freezing temperatures. We are still waiting for a good snowstorm,
it has barely snowed a few times, but the kids want some good snow to play in.
We feel very blessed where we are in life, we feel that we have been led and
directed for many years to be at this place and time. We see the Lord’s hand in
our lives, and are very grateful for his watchful care. We love Him, and are
grateful for the reminder of what is important in life. Merry Christmas to
everyone, and may this year be a littler calmer for us all</span>nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-16393059794240319702013-12-18T18:35:00.001-08:002013-12-18T18:35:44.416-08:00Christmas letter and fun<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Merry Christmas to everyone!!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We skipped our letter last year, so
let's just sum it up by saying, it was not a great one!!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This year we moved in July to a house
with lower rent. I was contacted by a friend to do some data entry
for his company, and I must have impressed someone, because that
turned into a full time job for me!! It has been the hardest, but
most rewarding thing I have done outside of the home. I generally
work a 8-10 hour day, and come home and collapse!! I am not used to
this hard working all day schedule. I really need to get into a
better dinner routine, since we are not eating that great these
days...</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I have new empathy for single working
parents. It is hard being a working mom. I think it would be a lot
more doable with a maid and personal chef!! Until we can afford
those, we will settle for training our kids. They are not loving the
added responsibilities they have, but will appreciate the knowledge
when they are older and have their own families.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We went to Utah right after we moved
into our house, and had a great time with the Gresko side of the
family. Nathan worked a lot of it, but was able to come up and spend
2 days with us. We were there for the 4<sup>th</sup> of July weekend,
and had a family reunion with all the in laws and cousins, minus Josh
Crowther, who was still on a mission in Korea. We came home and did
our best to unpack before getting into the school routine.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Colby is in 6<sup>th</sup> grade, and
is doing pretty well. He plays the piano, and surprises himself a lot
at how far he has come. He turned 12 in September and was ordained a
Deacon in our church. We are very proud of the awesome, and sensitive
young man he is growing into. Rebekah is in 5<sup>th</sup> grade, and
turned 10 this year. She is officially taller than Colby, and loves
to wear heels to rub it in! She is in orchestra, playing the violin;
and plays the piano as well. That is one busy girl we have!! Between
Achievement days, homework and instruments, she doesn't have much
time. Then comes our Caleb. He was baptized this July, as a member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We are very proud of
him and the choice he made to join us as members of the church. He is
now 8, and in 3<sup>rd</sup> grade. What a character he is! He is
still tiny, but has grown a little in the last little bit. He is just
a funny, crazy, bouncy kid. He loves to show off and perform songs
for us while jumping around the room. He cracks us all up. Then last
but not least, comes Rachel. She turned 5 in June, and has always had
such a strong and distinctive personality. She is usually happy, and
has developed quite the sassy attitude since starting kindergarten.
She is always up for snuggling, and comes to sit by or on our laps
all the time. She is learning to read, and loves how the world is
opening up around her with words, and notices phonograms everywhere.
They are all growing up so fast!!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Nathan has had a hard time finding
steady work since the Post Office cut our contract last August. He
has had several jobs lasting from a few weeks, to several months.
Nothing has panned out like we hoped it would, and we have been
frustrated about what to do. After a lot of fasting and prayer, he
has decided to completely switch fields, and become a high school
science teacher. He is back in school for his Masters of Secondary
Education. He is working weekend nights from 10pm-10am at a computer
company monitoring their servers. He makes sure everything works
right, or fixes problems as they arise. He is doing well, and being
given full time hours at the start of the year. His program is
supposed to last 13 months, so hopefully, by the time our next letter
rolls around, he will be close to done!! It is hard work, but we are
so proud of him for all the sacrifices he is making for us!!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then, there's me. I have had a hard
time this year. I spent the first few months of the year on the
couch, trying to let my compressed and painful discs in my back heal.
When that didn't do much, other than make me crazy, I sought out many
other kinds of help. I have tried chiropractors, myopractors,
acupuncturists, and doctors. Epidurals, trigger point injections,
numbing creams and medicated patches. None of them provided much
lasting relief. I have been pretty discouraged, but try to trust in
my faith in Heavenly Father, that in time, I will be free of pain and
able to be the mom and wife I want to be. I work at Rehab AZ, where I
get physical therapy and massage and other treatments to get me
through the day. The people I work with have saved me on more than
one occasion. I am very blessed to be where I am, and I count my
blessings every day for my family and friends who help me and my
family.</div>
nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-16128475122005034532013-04-09T15:33:00.002-07:002013-04-09T15:33:26.851-07:00holy moly, it's April???Ok, I am appalled that I haven't posted on here in so long. I guess I've been busy!! I don't really have any pictures to post, since I didn't have my iphone for a few months there, and my camera is a piece of poo. I now have my phone back, and can take random pics again. It is very nice!! Let's see, how do I sum up so many months?? I guess I will start where I left off. Nathan worked for his dad, who bid on our postal contract in aug, right when he lost it. He got the run until February. Nathan worked for him, doing the same job getting less pay. It was super. Then in March, we were officially unemployed.<br />
I found a sweet gig with a car service. They wanted someone who could work from home, and answer the phone when it rang, but not sit in an office bored all day. It is a perfect fit for me and my situation. I answer the phone and answer questions most of the time, but occasionally I will book rides, which I get a commission off of. I have been getting a lot more hours than I originally thought, so I am happy with it. Nathan has been applying, interviewing, and waiting. He tried working for a railroad contractor up north, but when the 6-8 hour days turned into 16 hour days, with the same pay, it was not worth it. He could make better than that, and not be out of town for weeks at a time!! He is now looking at networking jobs, so if anyone has any leads, let me know!!<br />
The latest with me, is that I finally had an mri done, and found that I have 3 compressed discs in my thoracic spine. I have been getting trigger point injections, but getting no relief once the numbing wears off. I finally gave up, and scheduled an epidural. I was fully aware during the whole procedure, which I did not enjoy much. I experienced the most excruciating pain of my life for that entire day, and into the next. I barely moved at all, was very disappointed, and sure I would just never feel better. Thankfully, a few days later, I started to get some relief. Then, just when I started feeling better, I realized my throat had been hurting for several days, and went to urgent care after Rebekah was told she had strep throat. Sure enough, I did too!! I went on antibiotics, and felt better on Sunday. I went to church last week and stayed for all 3 meetings, for the first time in months. It was very nice to get to experience meetings with Nathan again!! <br />
I am improving gradually, going to physical therapy once a week, and getting chiro and massage when I can fit it in. It is crazy busy, but I guess that is how I like it!! Soon, the kids will be out of school for the summer, and then, all 4 of my babies will be in school all day. I may just lay down for a week!! :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL0euTtRmjxOXarH0OggBdJpzqRw9899RI1nLVmg72jTHV4pLd68mirqEktyzcbEH3beN7M-8oB1l_HwZxDv0k54et3tVDZPzVATJssCIx4qDj1MzYtPzx17lInR9uQ98LDpBwh98hBGJ/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL0euTtRmjxOXarH0OggBdJpzqRw9899RI1nLVmg72jTHV4pLd68mirqEktyzcbEH3beN7M-8oB1l_HwZxDv0k54et3tVDZPzVATJssCIx4qDj1MzYtPzx17lInR9uQ98LDpBwh98hBGJ/s320/013.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
colby in the battle of books<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecs1V7AYbD5Sc3N-JnWcd6dmYXbvLt5iom42JX2g64Z5kTatVNNQjAoPvq43vX8u7MQfpc-4LK9SxCKTK1Py95BudNAB1P1KPFcxtyBCXckEtYKLPbkxj2Zr5Bva8hmTE3GXNX6Sc_cei/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecs1V7AYbD5Sc3N-JnWcd6dmYXbvLt5iom42JX2g64Z5kTatVNNQjAoPvq43vX8u7MQfpc-4LK9SxCKTK1Py95BudNAB1P1KPFcxtyBCXckEtYKLPbkxj2Zr5Bva8hmTE3GXNX6Sc_cei/s320/011.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
rebekah ready for church<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUn3_GqXJa82_tGgoQAgGFVDLofTcT_y12E6LqM1sj1NPAcz2Xb2EYXhvwOtK9eNmUeayxj8YTxmxOEYtVfcSI4SSnmo_hSYJbkkWV1VitVCUJzzhOqCR6xpGQTVtTbEpHMJVK63ZJhx3/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUn3_GqXJa82_tGgoQAgGFVDLofTcT_y12E6LqM1sj1NPAcz2Xb2EYXhvwOtK9eNmUeayxj8YTxmxOEYtVfcSI4SSnmo_hSYJbkkWV1VitVCUJzzhOqCR6xpGQTVtTbEpHMJVK63ZJhx3/s320/014.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
caleb being caleb<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLK-Q8iVelsxnL9Y-HkMCE1ccvhhjY4JUlX4YVSb9bWFeINXQW2z6gf5ytEIaq70qIEn4zAdewEFO2n78pRG2gXbRJnIPUjggh6DVXq5zvgE0D4kbQpL5m6xkk9NVg7D3LSvjnxW6JyrK/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLK-Q8iVelsxnL9Y-HkMCE1ccvhhjY4JUlX4YVSb9bWFeINXQW2z6gf5ytEIaq70qIEn4zAdewEFO2n78pRG2gXbRJnIPUjggh6DVXq5zvgE0D4kbQpL5m6xkk9NVg7D3LSvjnxW6JyrK/s320/019.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
kids watching the hobbit with dad<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIFkGDH-3WantJmsj5ZCYW6Rzjz6vtV3O0rjJN2v5mBnpDW45HcbvyX5RzHlT1Q9X2DZlW7VkKodP1LzlmqEPldnhb6t8_YEdqMPzQm_8bm9YXhBm-C5dVWChnjfw6CvK97K7-5cFIUOh/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIFkGDH-3WantJmsj5ZCYW6Rzjz6vtV3O0rjJN2v5mBnpDW45HcbvyX5RzHlT1Q9X2DZlW7VkKodP1LzlmqEPldnhb6t8_YEdqMPzQm_8bm9YXhBm-C5dVWChnjfw6CvK97K7-5cFIUOh/s320/018.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
abby and rachel taking a swimsuit bath<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngw4IId5Oh4-7mTLDD5hJVSa9Meia3KV3eF6UDnjBzuicRBUflM9nHe1LBRvX5JarWdGNpn0XT9Xi-co6KLxXrGeTapj68zq1IaeqcnHh5L0OfAbUxCHuYlMdaevqLVbWeoGPDwvjxHHV/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngw4IId5Oh4-7mTLDD5hJVSa9Meia3KV3eF6UDnjBzuicRBUflM9nHe1LBRvX5JarWdGNpn0XT9Xi-co6KLxXrGeTapj68zq1IaeqcnHh5L0OfAbUxCHuYlMdaevqLVbWeoGPDwvjxHHV/s320/022.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
the night before daddy left for what we thought was a month<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmU_EvZ9UY1jyTJmWfg4lDoxh-PVpqUxmW5WcoJsdViQ8xa7qOpvfVCXU3w0556NgycltZZHgwmCB0imehHD3u2eFkiYPw-t2K1IcwhYwWjJ8aYBh0M99s13NmUq8okJGkySlDQe2JvEF/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmU_EvZ9UY1jyTJmWfg4lDoxh-PVpqUxmW5WcoJsdViQ8xa7qOpvfVCXU3w0556NgycltZZHgwmCB0imehHD3u2eFkiYPw-t2K1IcwhYwWjJ8aYBh0M99s13NmUq8okJGkySlDQe2JvEF/s320/023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
watching the hobbit<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipR3F_f2LqR3IKR_HNpQ5buZUIBrF_7WSHnWjVi8LILGmdWSOx1rwUhYARWDOgCv6W5ptrfiQ2CmWqUmr32yxH6qg_qI13bfoGp3ZXt6L2ycauVk9_TM8R0wP7COIVqsyXyBaSwwh0r2_1/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipR3F_f2LqR3IKR_HNpQ5buZUIBrF_7WSHnWjVi8LILGmdWSOx1rwUhYARWDOgCv6W5ptrfiQ2CmWqUmr32yxH6qg_qI13bfoGp3ZXt6L2ycauVk9_TM8R0wP7COIVqsyXyBaSwwh0r2_1/s320/026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
snuggling Daddy all together<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZdqEk_GLUAaKkdBUBqYtQD5JfEjJcNyhqv6jkUYnW3rmE4QUJl1PwUXXAYUowEErjCJ5dKGF2tvtH6VV3GWME9CjXqVSwMDAfktNIRtm3VwHxgWecrbG9VQGUS3oXic91MEanGy4rFEm/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZdqEk_GLUAaKkdBUBqYtQD5JfEjJcNyhqv6jkUYnW3rmE4QUJl1PwUXXAYUowEErjCJ5dKGF2tvtH6VV3GWME9CjXqVSwMDAfktNIRtm3VwHxgWecrbG9VQGUS3oXic91MEanGy4rFEm/s320/027.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
fearless Rachel trying to figure out how to go down backwards!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzkHD8QO46QzGY_MdU9a3mWG2ULh2j5TKPZ3js5MNRKQ7tfWWycPEsrlrZkMlv5jWUIYRkb1h50AV-CzKqHS6AXF_KWEk9MIysTVo4P_z5r4nmizQ9VT_4vZvFXk8sOO72FxTMRNKnny8/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzkHD8QO46QzGY_MdU9a3mWG2ULh2j5TKPZ3js5MNRKQ7tfWWycPEsrlrZkMlv5jWUIYRkb1h50AV-CzKqHS6AXF_KWEk9MIysTVo4P_z5r4nmizQ9VT_4vZvFXk8sOO72FxTMRNKnny8/s320/031.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
Nathan's new love- ROSES<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqWBA5htlMjy_IdMbl0-1xGug0hM2VFJazSZylEAu06R50aRFPWmdaqEheQs8r3dRRthVWm8GdxFDSnnWXdKZp0PAj5oXpaq_DlO-gxrvtp7SHrwOLXN-cayrI-siHwlFV0X9ueKfRvfj/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqWBA5htlMjy_IdMbl0-1xGug0hM2VFJazSZylEAu06R50aRFPWmdaqEheQs8r3dRRthVWm8GdxFDSnnWXdKZp0PAj5oXpaq_DlO-gxrvtp7SHrwOLXN-cayrI-siHwlFV0X9ueKfRvfj/s320/037.JPG" width="239" /></a>rachel in her favorite dress</div>
nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-24455505188687068312012-09-15T17:48:00.003-07:002012-09-15T17:48:48.162-07:00cabin and webelos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5qAq7W73OIDOOmIfAdPgL11nj8apPyaJi8LL4sMRKFt0nCXihWX4Qt6dLLwhaL2g8-JEMQMRl7mvFTni3OYnAqTE0PULp4zdRD62QHS-HE4npsMHFrzv5IQ1fiU3GTZFoC_aPOZ0f1m5/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5qAq7W73OIDOOmIfAdPgL11nj8apPyaJi8LL4sMRKFt0nCXihWX4Qt6dLLwhaL2g8-JEMQMRl7mvFTni3OYnAqTE0PULp4zdRD62QHS-HE4npsMHFrzv5IQ1fiU3GTZFoC_aPOZ0f1m5/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a>we went to the cabin with some great friends, and here is caleb saying he is freezing!!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmd1O_r9zRlLls0dfPaKtFcoPQN9qYeyJnNw8hdBaRL58XVrvEHpnD-qKIbL7dCL7ypV-WRD64Kx3JgPkN1njSozcu0XgC_20acXWRsqVFcG58c0QEDEZOECENJahluj8T1AwqR8QxZ6l/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmd1O_r9zRlLls0dfPaKtFcoPQN9qYeyJnNw8hdBaRL58XVrvEHpnD-qKIbL7dCL7ypV-WRD64Kx3JgPkN1njSozcu0XgC_20acXWRsqVFcG58c0QEDEZOECENJahluj8T1AwqR8QxZ6l/s320/016.JPG" width="320" /></a>here i am with my great friend marie after riding quads through the mud puddles and all over the fields!!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMZha8l9gg5sRn-skYfM2qcbfiPFUXrkJ4l4R8RlEgKmvHPzSXLbyjjntCe87CNCvufiSMdKASYYfvOg9P64zQRt1mvsaxjImu0k2XXAwLNd2aE-E3SclcVy-uMGFg2gldHjDyvN-5RRm/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMZha8l9gg5sRn-skYfM2qcbfiPFUXrkJ4l4R8RlEgKmvHPzSXLbyjjntCe87CNCvufiSMdKASYYfvOg9P64zQRt1mvsaxjImu0k2XXAwLNd2aE-E3SclcVy-uMGFg2gldHjDyvN-5RRm/s320/019.JPG" width="320" /></a>here is colby and his almost twin, diego. they were born on the same day. i am still mad at his mother for that!! She wasn't due for another 2 weeks. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iGFXijE6LFNDA80WaG7NWTFZZm_EJo3hdwt8VAXC9DkLE-JL42Uq1XOtWXE_3EPoBRuYYY6cvdast-dOxcwzHD0NrNruKaps8TnZqbW_C0EFJSdk45xrMV0PrOAr4fl31YshUiRmgnW3/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iGFXijE6LFNDA80WaG7NWTFZZm_EJo3hdwt8VAXC9DkLE-JL42Uq1XOtWXE_3EPoBRuYYY6cvdast-dOxcwzHD0NrNruKaps8TnZqbW_C0EFJSdk45xrMV0PrOAr4fl31YshUiRmgnW3/s320/020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHhCoj6sH4XCkraXUgYRhZ2hHjTDJII9hJ_lWM9-87y9QqcN6czI919K8PDX1NL-ME6jo8V8_DJyipP47BzdLUvd4dR2GVg112mByzdGfvbSSYWTlNGFk_7I2X1xO1KCL45sl2IkBzdST/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHhCoj6sH4XCkraXUgYRhZ2hHjTDJII9hJ_lWM9-87y9QqcN6czI919K8PDX1NL-ME6jo8V8_DJyipP47BzdLUvd4dR2GVg112mByzdGfvbSSYWTlNGFk_7I2X1xO1KCL45sl2IkBzdST/s320/024.JPG" width="320" /></a>Nathan took Colby to his first asu game, and the poor kid got a nasty migraine. these are becoming almost a daily occurrence, poor boy!!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa093k6ytd73WBANwAohJcFesvS8kZPJrM1YBbsJ3otGbQ8Gkt528k0M8k9uSWDIky4vx9Mgvd220_Q7A3F8thdUo8LAQfW3ExMoUDys0GEvYxLdSuHVnuwlzB8mEjBm47hH4yggnObkH/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa093k6ytd73WBANwAohJcFesvS8kZPJrM1YBbsJ3otGbQ8Gkt528k0M8k9uSWDIky4vx9Mgvd220_Q7A3F8thdUo8LAQfW3ExMoUDys0GEvYxLdSuHVnuwlzB8mEjBm47hH4yggnObkH/s320/031.JPG" width="320" /></a>colby got his webelos award, and i got to paint his face. it was fun!!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfw3PJ1PAw2jUSfZdxYtiE97D5aiEmuMjInSNOVC2qjYT8esw55V6QU-YF-QZRJvrLBlsiRcvzakxOcE62LY5yLTzWZXtgqOwo6FwrIeSGT_80lrLiMx0XtrgH0PHIiCQ7KLefhyphenhyphenFReia/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfw3PJ1PAw2jUSfZdxYtiE97D5aiEmuMjInSNOVC2qjYT8esw55V6QU-YF-QZRJvrLBlsiRcvzakxOcE62LY5yLTzWZXtgqOwo6FwrIeSGT_80lrLiMx0XtrgH0PHIiCQ7KLefhyphenhyphenFReia/s320/033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7koEfrTIBrxhpRxEcvEjKOh0ExZIgFGKSkdzhTdfFeDS5Fu6BVFjPBUceBVf8U8o6H08jD5w8KehB_RonaAUeHCv3pX6GrgKmwikSgibPH7O8-dgdgJxuDbksnyyPpErZcV7ctTjRXHa/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7koEfrTIBrxhpRxEcvEjKOh0ExZIgFGKSkdzhTdfFeDS5Fu6BVFjPBUceBVf8U8o6H08jD5w8KehB_RonaAUeHCv3pX6GrgKmwikSgibPH7O8-dgdgJxuDbksnyyPpErZcV7ctTjRXHa/s320/036.JPG" width="320" /></a>the finished product, a blue w from ear to ear, yellow triangles, and red stripes. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8grUrJBmb0lGozFMm6-sBwzZ3klh1fNVKCn_cSRypCjkC3W9IfzafhKmrx4Rh4_2SRFYXNOqK2_vhOYOek9hx7GT3jtI8rqDr6GRXIxZ0uthjhpdVdzrqMnsnOZaMhIYk6waDXugNWrCF/s1600/098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8grUrJBmb0lGozFMm6-sBwzZ3klh1fNVKCn_cSRypCjkC3W9IfzafhKmrx4Rh4_2SRFYXNOqK2_vhOYOek9hx7GT3jtI8rqDr6GRXIxZ0uthjhpdVdzrqMnsnOZaMhIYk6waDXugNWrCF/s320/098.JPG" width="239" /></a>we went to the pool a lot this summer, and waited for the tubes to get on the lazy river several different times. here is nathan with rachel, our green goggled girl!!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixBL9BKqp4sRN8rCYpLtTaQKB7gGx6xyGvvMI02SFmYslgc7fQxYkEbkehWau5yGn8_YhUVCyCD1YT50Ssnin2OM6iLwoiB_FHogxBy8omBpsBT5WDooyaT8dyw_0-aEGLyeUm4Bj_ZDe/s1600/105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixBL9BKqp4sRN8rCYpLtTaQKB7gGx6xyGvvMI02SFmYslgc7fQxYkEbkehWau5yGn8_YhUVCyCD1YT50Ssnin2OM6iLwoiB_FHogxBy8omBpsBT5WDooyaT8dyw_0-aEGLyeUm4Bj_ZDe/s320/105.JPG" width="239" /></a> Rachel in an adorable dress I got her at a stake clothing exchange</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZo5yGbAfGopgmCrnf62kS2cd6iGtBJcTvHMfcs8F2qOrf9Ra4nFiPgY2OAapH6hKXsrMraSBSoXuOdTTneNQHuOSKVzDfA0HVUZnPDzzePHr89JhBB1IOh1IMKCcWudxHdLVqBLyltyh5/s1600/106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZo5yGbAfGopgmCrnf62kS2cd6iGtBJcTvHMfcs8F2qOrf9Ra4nFiPgY2OAapH6hKXsrMraSBSoXuOdTTneNQHuOSKVzDfA0HVUZnPDzzePHr89JhBB1IOh1IMKCcWudxHdLVqBLyltyh5/s320/106.JPG" width="239" /></a>could she be any cuter??</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFXqtoN3uBYmpEvRojVdfOLQWNmcVkcaKE7wlE6TKwGe2YCNB1818E2hgpth0q2njW8biCNOO3uq3iH6UhWhleNfYLZiL6EfCIHHrQHROECpHpedQ55ch5GOCWYly50EIJenk42_a98pq/s1600/110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFXqtoN3uBYmpEvRojVdfOLQWNmcVkcaKE7wlE6TKwGe2YCNB1818E2hgpth0q2njW8biCNOO3uq3iH6UhWhleNfYLZiL6EfCIHHrQHROECpHpedQ55ch5GOCWYly50EIJenk42_a98pq/s320/110.JPG" width="239" /></a>kids on the first day of school getting out to get on the bus</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGQKpkJwJLjftFEPmjtYV82IAWtALS7370WNxOLt586oMHsmCqLd2uVBPsDWA0McrazML7x9kMpZ9_ueIe5x59VcYDCVH_dAyBzrZ1ELOKFt-HTnsSj5kZhLbEdFVP3gSxJf3Mb9yy_eY/s1600/121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGQKpkJwJLjftFEPmjtYV82IAWtALS7370WNxOLt586oMHsmCqLd2uVBPsDWA0McrazML7x9kMpZ9_ueIe5x59VcYDCVH_dAyBzrZ1ELOKFt-HTnsSj5kZhLbEdFVP3gSxJf3Mb9yy_eY/s320/121.JPG" width="239" /></a>while camping, we had to wash a blanket and jammies that rachel had an accident in. this was our cool little washing machine!!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguU3E2SlljOWutnilyFOW78L4Cr-sIFhaesAHpNmN2IelMi0lkfy3k0H98ajC4e07S8MzTzi0X48QY7Bl-Y6aR_6RPprpPHymTn6619NairvEgKo38cM4vUQC8RVbzKe77t0JWLkNX9NLB/s1600/124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguU3E2SlljOWutnilyFOW78L4Cr-sIFhaesAHpNmN2IelMi0lkfy3k0H98ajC4e07S8MzTzi0X48QY7Bl-Y6aR_6RPprpPHymTn6619NairvEgKo38cM4vUQC8RVbzKe77t0JWLkNX9NLB/s320/124.JPG" width="239" /></a>here i am washing clothes!!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ9xTeWKrzy7DsK_aE4hAegFxl-gKAHlDLQtlxwC91rxo23qLk3trkoBIUiU2_do1GwvT3hPh9xei4YhbTN3lzKd836Btdy1c_784tZmii46Es2BsZvuc3bR_laRMxOUVxc9T9RIYGLWS/s1600/125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ9xTeWKrzy7DsK_aE4hAegFxl-gKAHlDLQtlxwC91rxo23qLk3trkoBIUiU2_do1GwvT3hPh9xei4YhbTN3lzKd836Btdy1c_784tZmii46Es2BsZvuc3bR_laRMxOUVxc9T9RIYGLWS/s320/125.JPG" width="239" /></a>it was fun spinning it around</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUB_yaOt09JTw2B90hrDL4gyI5MFhdmYDQ6vV-VXZDu8XdJd0fCAFOaK_RZi0ONaF9UvtdU4f6ou0xhzMb1JQ-NH4KBPWYHpUkXIZTAoTJxPB41bsVRWinKTDP9dy6LimADjaBSLlu02Zg/s1600/127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUB_yaOt09JTw2B90hrDL4gyI5MFhdmYDQ6vV-VXZDu8XdJd0fCAFOaK_RZi0ONaF9UvtdU4f6ou0xhzMb1JQ-NH4KBPWYHpUkXIZTAoTJxPB41bsVRWinKTDP9dy6LimADjaBSLlu02Zg/s320/127.JPG" width="239" /></a>rachel had so much fun picking flowers in the fields</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPCvugMnCxlUv7CJoL9PM94HWCiSeTK1YCcQ_yBlHCgpXwN6rD2UKXBxa8pXc6J5ehBM6CpcTcq0fr6tkymjM3B9UN8MAJHv5M-RgQBw4jWObw3WtUXdd_AEA9qKmdki0iB7wluyBTt_1/s1600/133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPCvugMnCxlUv7CJoL9PM94HWCiSeTK1YCcQ_yBlHCgpXwN6rD2UKXBxa8pXc6J5ehBM6CpcTcq0fr6tkymjM3B9UN8MAJHv5M-RgQBw4jWObw3WtUXdd_AEA9qKmdki0iB7wluyBTt_1/s320/133.JPG" width="239" /></a>here we are caravanning in the field, 2 prowlers followed by 2 quads. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0w7fxWXcVk9tRCEoi2ZvZgmQ6AyNy0H0XZLtoc2eCHCM-_jNugMDi_LJBUDuEs8C0AV9i7WgoQtDQMFstfdnYURXs-NrDKWpcC9k4wDzFMVKHjKYXQbxMNjledaGDuekXPTSk4_I_CqLE/s1600/135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0w7fxWXcVk9tRCEoi2ZvZgmQ6AyNy0H0XZLtoc2eCHCM-_jNugMDi_LJBUDuEs8C0AV9i7WgoQtDQMFstfdnYURXs-NrDKWpcC9k4wDzFMVKHjKYXQbxMNjledaGDuekXPTSk4_I_CqLE/s320/135.JPG" width="239" /></a>nathan having a blast zooming around on his quad, he thoroughly enjoyed splashing through the puddles, and it was fun watching the giant mud wave come crashing on him!!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu19KHW8Vyy_eRyQ7hUotV-se9IvCpPwyeIrF1dn_VBCZMMnCsBi2EORPArMnyhdrEs5GWknTY5SV8O9J1S1CgcodWy-VO1ig6hQ-SRVPfUXEu9HOZnw7krxcT76SijD_NzFRfv0pb0BJD/s1600/142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu19KHW8Vyy_eRyQ7hUotV-se9IvCpPwyeIrF1dn_VBCZMMnCsBi2EORPArMnyhdrEs5GWknTY5SV8O9J1S1CgcodWy-VO1ig6hQ-SRVPfUXEu9HOZnw7krxcT76SijD_NzFRfv0pb0BJD/s320/142.JPG" width="239" /></a>Dad and his girls after splashing through the puddles. </div>
<br /><br />nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-2832284732399723102012-06-14T13:01:00.002-07:002012-06-14T13:01:43.168-07:00summer newsWe moved!! For those of you that didn't know, we moved into our new house on Memorial Day, which was just over 2 weeks ago. It is off of Crismon and Guadalupe, much closer to work for Nathan. It is a perfect little house for us, with just the right sized rooms and layout. The only problem is the lack of storage space. The girls bedroom is huge, so I naturally assumed it would have the toys in it, and everything would be lovely. When we hastily came looking through the house, I didn't realize that the closet in there was teeny tiny!! It barely holds the girls clothes and a few boxes of too big clothes for rachel!! The boys room is tiny, with their beds being up against each other in a t shape. There is no room for anything else in there. The dressers take up the rest of the room! They have a good sized closet, and have some toy buckets in there and under their beds, but the telescope takes up half the closet. Needless to say, there are toys all over the living room most of the time. Cleaning up means shoving everything in one of the 3 small laundry baskets and pushing them in a corner. We will figure it out eventually. There are still several boxes of toys in the garage I haven't even brought in, and hope to keep it that way. If I can hold the kids off for the summer, once they are all in school, I can slowly get rid of them without them even knowing!! I cannot stand to live in a house with no pictures up, so after unpacking, that is the first thing I do. I think I have all the pictures up now, and it feels much more homey. Like we actually live here!!<br />
<br />
The kids are not in any summer programs, and have no structure at all. They spend the day alternately playing computer or wii games, and playing crazy imaginative games with the toys we do have in the house. Caleb and Rachel play quite well together, and Colby and Rebekah have friends next door they play with. Overall, everyone seems happy. Colby has been going to scouts, and Rebekah to achievement days, so they are included in the activities and making more friends.<br />
<br />
Our newest news is that Colby got glasses yesterday!! He has been getting headaches for a year or so now, and when I took him in at the beginning, he didn't need glasses. When I took him in last week, he most definitely did!! He picked out the ones he liked, which happened to be the second pair he tried on. Boys. They came in yesterday, and he is very happy to be able to see clearly!! He keeps lifting them up and saying, can't see, then back down, and can. He is funny. He has adjusted to them with no problem, and everyone seems happy with our new, ultra cool, nerdy boy!! :) He has a few friends that have had glasses for a while, and he has joined the club now. They seem excited to have another friend in glasses.<br />
<br />
Also, I took the kids all in for their dental cleaning and x-rays. They all need work done!! Rachel has 2 cavities to fill, Caleb a tooth to pull and put a spacer in, Rebekah a tooth to put a crown on that has chipped, and another to seal, and Colby one to pull and another to fill. Colby and Rebekah are going to the orthodontist next week to see about the major crowding and funny teeth, and see if they need braces. Yay for them!!<br />
<br />
I am working hard toward getting my life license, and being able to earn commissions off of the work I am doing. I am working with Primerica, and really believe in the principles we teach about getting the financial house in order and being properly protected, debt free, and financially independent. We had a kick off meeting last night for a new debt program we are implementing, and how much money it could save clients. I am super excited to get out there and help people who are struggling like we are.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsTR7CMMNTYfzunNLzPH3-_Q7rRCniMa0zL8PosGUcs-qxOTPViX8zKq1y3Q-ER5I4aFDSCYLp6gfwk329lx2dytl2-3CogPR6gIm8ewjr8vaPKlQgYB09biwB-njmmq2yyYC9EHw1KS3/s1600/colby+glasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsTR7CMMNTYfzunNLzPH3-_Q7rRCniMa0zL8PosGUcs-qxOTPViX8zKq1y3Q-ER5I4aFDSCYLp6gfwk329lx2dytl2-3CogPR6gIm8ewjr8vaPKlQgYB09biwB-njmmq2yyYC9EHw1KS3/s320/colby+glasses.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8F7FOEctii1-dkqUXRcELhP3qrZQgpETG5vJ9VA9r8_1_FkeL0NH6fvQiIMfp5Gq03sQIz0qSru0wjjKnYMpwjlbVW6K4Lw7LKJl8x_-TigzRcXUnn2jBWOmH4ucHmJptFnCf84VIuLW/s1600/rachel+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8F7FOEctii1-dkqUXRcELhP3qrZQgpETG5vJ9VA9r8_1_FkeL0NH6fvQiIMfp5Gq03sQIz0qSru0wjjKnYMpwjlbVW6K4Lw7LKJl8x_-TigzRcXUnn2jBWOmH4ucHmJptFnCf84VIuLW/s320/rachel+water.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8Cs-QT38D4SP5nkZDvrdrw5Lik0g2Xvh5SnWZY9b5RfoY3zFC-Msvv92-H_zbZVfWFGHrmwwyBu64pqaYspJXwChiAv9m56RiaRCcGC6pyykACYxI5ZPJXvJ49X56gVxWewD44-qwqlJ/s1600/rachelbday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8Cs-QT38D4SP5nkZDvrdrw5Lik0g2Xvh5SnWZY9b5RfoY3zFC-Msvv92-H_zbZVfWFGHrmwwyBu64pqaYspJXwChiAv9m56RiaRCcGC6pyykACYxI5ZPJXvJ49X56gVxWewD44-qwqlJ/s320/rachelbday.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
So, that is our life this week. Sorry to bore you with so much information!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-52385831472622811622012-05-16T20:07:00.001-07:002012-05-16T20:07:08.077-07:00new developmentsOh man, have we had some crazy recent developments in our lives. Our latest one has been to go into my first doctor appointment and hope to listen to the baby's heartbeat, only to find out that there wasn't one. They brought in the portable ultrasound machine, and showed me the gestational sac. I asked the nurse if she wasn't seeing anything in it, or if I was losing it. She confirmed my fears, and said she wasn't seeing anything either. It either meant I was wrong in my dates, or the pregnancy was not going to continue. I knew I wasn't wrong in my dates, I was 11 weeks when I went in. For her to say the size was about 8 weeks, was very wrong. They left me sitting in the room until the ultrasound tech was free, and brought me in there for an official ultrasound to check the viability of the pregnancy. I layed down on the table and waited for the picture to come up on the screen. What I saw, jolted me to the core. Nothing. There was nothing growing in the sac. There was a yolk sac, or something like that, that showed that the egg was fertilized and attached, but stopped growing at 6 weeks. It was bizarre to me though, I had no idea anything was wrong. I was feeling incredibly nauseated for the last 6 weeks, and was super tired and all the other pregnancy symptoms. I was even starting to show!! For some reason, my body kept growing and expanding like there was a baby in there, when there wasn't. It is really hard. I fully expected to get bigger and more miserable throughout the summer, and barely make it through Halloween, and have a baby sometime in November.<br />
We were really scared and trying to figure out how we were going to care for another little person in our family, but we were excited to try. We were looking at houses and trying to decided based on where we would put the baby. This has changed things dramatically. It was hard to tell the kids that they wouldn't be having a new brother or sister. Rachel is the only one that seems ok with it. She says, now that you are not having a baby, you can still hold me! I have been trying to weigh the options and decided to have a d and c, versus taking the pills that would cause it to happen naturally. So I did that today, and slept for 4 hours after I got home. I actually feel pretty good now, and am just waiting till bedtime. I have restrictions on what I can do and lift, so I can't pack anymore today. I did what I could before the procedure, and have to wait till tomorrow to do anymore.<br />
On a different note, we found out that we didn't get the house we wanted on Lindsay and Southern. We searched for the last week and a half, and couldn't find something that was quite right. Finally, yesterday we found it!! It is on Crismon and Guadalupe, and will save us so much on rent, gas to work and back, utilities being in a smaller house. We are excited, and get to move in next Friday!! Finally, something is going our way. Now we just have to figure out what to do about schools for the kids, and what ward we will be in, and all of that. Yay for us!!<br />
<br />nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-41676786730655574742012-05-07T11:55:00.000-07:002012-05-07T11:55:07.045-07:00life as we know itIt has been a crazy busy and fun time in our lives. I started working with a company called Primerica, and actually got my first bonus Friday!! Things are going well, but I have definitely added to the stress level in my life. I finish school this week, just a final in one class, and 2 projects in the other. Thank the heavens, I will have my associates degree in general studies!! It has been a long road, taking me 12 years of off and on again schooling, but I did it!!<br />
I am now just over 10 weeks pregnant, and feeling it already. I have been shaking pretty much since I got pregnant, and can't figure out why. It doesn't matter what or when I eat, I still shake! It's frustrating when I am trying to do something small and meticulous, like painting my toenails or something. I cut myself shaving almost every time. Lame!!<br />
On another subject, I finished my semester with the EVMCO, and decided I needed to take some time off to be pregnant and have this baby. I am due the week of the Christmas concert, and figured that would be a lot of work and wasted time if I couldn't be in the concert!! It was a hard decision, and it still breaks my heart, but I know it is right for us right now.<br />
We were going through finances last week, and decided we really need to cut costs, especially with a new baby coming along. We are downsizing, and moving to a smaller house with a lower payment. We have put in an application for one on Higley and Southern, and really hope we get it! It is as close to perfect as we can get right now, and is even close to one of my best friends and her family!! We will be in the same ward and our kids will go to the same school. It is gonna be fun.<br />
So now, my life consists of trying to organize and pack, (I don't want to bring crud we don't need), a little bit at a time. I got through 4 boxes today, and I couldn't even stand up, I had no energy, and my heart was racing. I think I have to take it slow, this baby is taking all that I have and more!! I am super stressed with getting the house packed and cleaned in the 3 weeks we are hoping to have until we can get into our new house. In order to get our security deposit back, we need to do a little bit of work on a few areas, and a whole lot of deep cleaning. 4 crazy kids wreak havoc on a house!!<br />
I know we are doing the right thing for our family, but it is hard to leave our friends and ward, which we have really come to love and value!! But, when you start getting comfortable, that's when you need to shake things up, right? It seems to always be that way for us. We have moved 8 times in our 12 years of marriage, and it doesn't look like we are done yet!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-43649734858947607582012-04-16T15:16:00.003-07:002012-04-16T15:26:41.057-07:00so behind!!!holy moly, i didn't realize how long it had been since i had updated my blog, or even read other people's!! having facebook and email on my phone limits what i need to do on the computer. i really only get on it to do schoolwork and balance my checkbook. sorry guys, i am a slacker! so for those who don't read facebook or see me a lot, i am PREGNANT!!! if you are shocked, imagine how i felt!! it just couldn't be more ironic, since nathan was on track to do something permanent to prevent future "accidents". i had had problems with every form of birth control over the last few years, so we finally decided we were done with it all. the day before he was scheduled, i was talking to a friend, and realized i couldn't remember my last cycle. that is not good!! i kinda freaked out a little, but figured nothing could really be going on. i had to get a prescription, so i picked up a test while i was there. i came home, and ran upstairs to take the test. normally, i track so closely, that i am only a few weeks when i take a test, and it takes a while to creep across and get to the result. this time, it literally zoomed across, flashing a big dark plus sign!! i about died! this was not planned or expected. we have donated or sold everything needed for a pregnancy or baby. i have one box of a few maternity clothes that i was keeping to sell, since they were the cute ones (thank you heather!!), and that is all i have. i had lost the last few pounds over the last couple of months, so at least i have a few things that are bigger to wear. i was not sick for the first week, and very optimistic. sadly, hitting six weeks meant getting sick. not horribly, just enough to remind me to eat a lot, and not chocolate!! (which makes me so sad!! i love chocolate!!!) i am trying to figure out what to do now, since choir starts back up in august, and our concert is the week of my due date!! do i continue with choir, even though i will most likely have to drop? or do i drop now as a preventative measure? i am really torn. i love the choir, and the amazing music and people. but i was on bed rest with the last 2 pregnancies by 23 weeks. i don't want to jeopardize my health, or the baby's. also, i will be done with school in 3 weeks, finally getting my associates degree in general studies. it only took 12 years! :) well, that is our crazy life!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-76596281228914887632012-02-26T20:00:00.002-08:002012-02-26T20:30:27.339-08:00random musings number 2<span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">as you all know, that are acquainted with me at all, i am in pain a lot. i have irritable bowel, go to the chiro all the time, get a massage as often as i can afford, have headaches, dizziness, extreme fatigue at random intervals, and a few other things. well, as you also know, facebook is a good place to whine about all these things. i did so, and have for a long time. i have a friend, the mother of my kids friends, that has read these things. she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few months ago. upon further investigation, she added things up and told me about all of the things she had learned. then she gave me the shock of my life. she thinks i have it too. </span></span><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">now, if you are like i was, i had only heard of it as a catch all for random pains and </span>unexplained<span style="font-size: 100%;"> symptoms. i was very unconvinced because i didn't fit the mental picture of that sickly of a person.</span></span></div><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;"> i was given a book by this friend that has totally changed my life. i have read the book from cover to cover, and have found myself described on its pages. i didn't realize that all of my wacky symptoms could possibly be related to each other. nathan even agrees with me after just the few things i told him to read. i actually have watched mystery diagnosis for several years, hoping that i would find something that fit with all of the things that bothered me. i never did, and had long since given up hope. i was improving with the dizziness for a few months, but the last 2 months, it has come back. i am just now coming to functionality after a full three days in bed. this book, and it's information has given me hope again for the first time in years. it has brought things to memory that i had forgotten from my childhood, and the way i used to feel. i have a diagnosis, pending all the labs that i had done showing up normal. they always have in the past, so i am not worried about this time being any different. and the better part, not just a diagnosis, but a treatment!! according to this book, guaifinisen, or however you spell it, is the treatment. it reverses all of the storage of the phosphates, which causes the symptoms. so, i am pretty nervous about the whole reversal process, going through all of the misery again. but hopefully, this time, it will be for a purpose, and then, they will be gone forever!!</span></span></div>nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-83041218862910935552012-01-22T21:14:00.000-08:002012-01-22T21:33:28.867-08:00random musingsi'm sure i have pictures around here somewhere, but with no good camera, they are on my phone. it is very frustrating to get them off of there, but once i finally do, i will post them! i guess i have a lot to catch up on, and will try to do it quickly!<div> first, my sisters and i got to be in the choir for michael mcclean's forgotten carols, for the 3rd year. i love it, and it is the highlight of the season for me and nathan. then i had a few weeks off of singing, and am now back in the swing of things.<div> i got a part time job, helping my sister in law's mother, who had a stroke a few months ago. i check her blood sugar, give her a shot and meds, and make her lunch. now, i pick her up from rehab as well. it is a good fit for us right now, since i can bring rachel too.<div> a few weeks ago, nathan came to me and suggested we go to the temple once a week. in the last year, i think we had been twice, so this would definitely be a change!! but we worked it out with his relief driver to cover for him, and i arranged a babysitter for rachel. we have gone the last 3 weeks, and it has been such a blessing!! the first week was good, nothing special happened. the 2nd, i started getting dizzy that morning, but was not going to have anything stand in my way. i toughed it out, then went home to bed the rest of the day. i was better by the next night, which was earlier than in years past, so i am grateful. then this last week, i woke up knowing that we would be the witness couple in the session that day. don't ask me how, or why, but i did. when i went to drop rachel off, my friend wasn't there! i called everyone in my old ward i could think of, but noone was available. when i was ready to give up, my friend walked up, from taking some of the kids she watches to the bus stop. i got there a few minutes later than planned, and we didn't make it to the session. we were the first ones waiting for the next session, and a few minutes later, while reading the book of mormon, the officiator came and asked us to be the witness couple. i wasn't surprised, and said yes. now, nothing super exciting happened in the session, and i don't know why i was told we would do that job. i kinda think it was to show me that i am in tune enough to the spirit to hear a prompting. who knows. but it was meaningful to me, and helped strengthen my testimony, so i guess it was a good thing!! <div>on a different subject, i am taking online classes again. 4 this semester, but only 2 for each 8 weeks. so they don't overlap, and hopefully i will be able to handle them!! wish me luck! </div></div></div></div>nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-74861860079995629362011-12-08T11:14:00.000-08:002011-12-08T11:32:09.859-08:00family pics and concert<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUk9geF0ehUV5nZN620X87uW4mgDdxlpoDRYfJplDt_qOHxzQ5lv8fmXG7qoH5LDdjrliuKmu5mpnxHLIgAktpzNw14MhpRPs4ORTrsb3ief_9H8rSjdLAb0qwf1QW5MFLO_Ykd1Q5s1l/s1600/DSC_0878.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUk9geF0ehUV5nZN620X87uW4mgDdxlpoDRYfJplDt_qOHxzQ5lv8fmXG7qoH5LDdjrliuKmu5mpnxHLIgAktpzNw14MhpRPs4ORTrsb3ief_9H8rSjdLAb0qwf1QW5MFLO_Ykd1Q5s1l/s320/DSC_0878.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683840293218803762" border="0" /></a>we had our family pictures taken this weekend. they turned out quite well! i was happy!! here are the kiddos<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7C8qVRM4Dj0GMC2oftdhQFLddbtlGf-lqXPCNBIa9yEwvxCDBKs1Qo1JhCPs5d1QX4LI9YxMnMMapXdrHypyq1Ky3uHagUPDPqcYytBDsSvMOPvY6zxL1cjfCVPw9TNr176TMNY4n3Hi/s1600/DSC_0853.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7C8qVRM4Dj0GMC2oftdhQFLddbtlGf-lqXPCNBIa9yEwvxCDBKs1Qo1JhCPs5d1QX4LI9YxMnMMapXdrHypyq1Ky3uHagUPDPqcYytBDsSvMOPvY6zxL1cjfCVPw9TNr176TMNY4n3Hi/s320/DSC_0853.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683840281790910946" border="0" /></a>here is me and the boys<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub6Uoo5uhMJAp152b4VX7EZmSdzqtpDeShSJ31mZlfON9pTIfXuP9TLQQFvq46e_Pl1lymOFPTtJ3nBuoW4TNKG_sGeLS-X6GXyFKWFH1_p-OpYD6JfZpbFRLFvF0PugnQ3rMeX7-IIjm/s1600/DSC_0844.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub6Uoo5uhMJAp152b4VX7EZmSdzqtpDeShSJ31mZlfON9pTIfXuP9TLQQFvq46e_Pl1lymOFPTtJ3nBuoW4TNKG_sGeLS-X6GXyFKWFH1_p-OpYD6JfZpbFRLFvF0PugnQ3rMeX7-IIjm/s320/DSC_0844.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683840278419104370" border="0" /></a>dad and the girls<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kjxWo29tG1xMWbmDyFXv2nHYQA9FdGR9q7lksmNY73wBOQg1oeAJMstFC0j9RThWb85L0ZYqfx4yFIRaVhukMGiZgAgvPk0jYTnIs8-sKWjL6Nhj6zBrQsTVfI0EiCA_BPBT7B5HU41F/s1600/DSC_0657.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kjxWo29tG1xMWbmDyFXv2nHYQA9FdGR9q7lksmNY73wBOQg1oeAJMstFC0j9RThWb85L0ZYqfx4yFIRaVhukMGiZgAgvPk0jYTnIs8-sKWjL6Nhj6zBrQsTVfI0EiCA_BPBT7B5HU41F/s320/DSC_0657.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683839656475013218" border="0" /></a>silly and gorgeous girls<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAB4vpdS_dndEtBJYQoonbQDjxZBgKPJ3pyt_hKgkbnJVtHpO5InGZl7szR3M8H3nInkV9nyGbGc_0Ng8PTU_HifFlY-U1jENTSmjRzqREiTOSA8cLiG5vGqw3xmYOfucw9PYgCY3s2e-v/s1600/DSC_0624e.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAB4vpdS_dndEtBJYQoonbQDjxZBgKPJ3pyt_hKgkbnJVtHpO5InGZl7szR3M8H3nInkV9nyGbGc_0Ng8PTU_HifFlY-U1jENTSmjRzqREiTOSA8cLiG5vGqw3xmYOfucw9PYgCY3s2e-v/s320/DSC_0624e.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683839647172124450" border="0" /></a>our awesome family pic that i enlarged and put on the wall in the living room<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1KCahXFRlLPoFUrqyErDdsaKAk9MHZSs-HYlNjjrl6tuSTfegpKWAaEBhbA5m_JAzH7mmibwO0pWv7VO1qC_vTE78FPX1hW5jf38xhCR7VuIsFhrSnMj__7jrPVxJA9ew0Nfi3dSV19a/s1600/DSCN6445.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1KCahXFRlLPoFUrqyErDdsaKAk9MHZSs-HYlNjjrl6tuSTfegpKWAaEBhbA5m_JAzH7mmibwO0pWv7VO1qC_vTE78FPX1hW5jf38xhCR7VuIsFhrSnMj__7jrPVxJA9ew0Nfi3dSV19a/s320/DSCN6445.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683839633746716594" border="0" /></a>our concert was friday and saturday. we got a standing ovation half way through, when the full choir sang together, from the 4 year olds, up to the adults. we don't fit on stage, so the adults were all the way around the hall. it was awesome!! here is tat and i waiting to go on.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Ibp2KP6SBURpTrQGrFNfPrTYhbpWX3bt8Th7_bsDwVr9nKFcP10r9Owfn6GyitSuVLIfKkqw_DwaCHAUy3fLM5JBejmYH6pvkj7ehuw_vLcSHvJOVgvo0gqfBvQYJdZEGgV8ElkGkbDS/s1600/DSCN6441.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Ibp2KP6SBURpTrQGrFNfPrTYhbpWX3bt8Th7_bsDwVr9nKFcP10r9Owfn6GyitSuVLIfKkqw_DwaCHAUy3fLM5JBejmYH6pvkj7ehuw_vLcSHvJOVgvo0gqfBvQYJdZEGgV8ElkGkbDS/s320/DSCN6441.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683839624289021426" border="0" /></a>gorgeous rebekah, all dolled up and ready to perform.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWOAzSzORV93JtvTd_z0y7Ajvu1gK3jdt0gRnY6x0Y6fpwXcX7g1j-e-dmEth5Fp_u5le5R-c8iSxJnr4U2zJAdQsrZmTWGqQcscVKPZZ5loV8Ds2rgZULl708dLp016jZOJjFKLpjkmN/s1600/DSCN6437.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWOAzSzORV93JtvTd_z0y7Ajvu1gK3jdt0gRnY6x0Y6fpwXcX7g1j-e-dmEth5Fp_u5le5R-c8iSxJnr4U2zJAdQsrZmTWGqQcscVKPZZ5loV8Ds2rgZULl708dLp016jZOJjFKLpjkmN/s320/DSCN6437.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683839620071564018" border="0" /></a>me and bekah. my good friend rebecca (whose husband is caleb, go figure!!) did our hair, and my makeup. she has been such a blessing!! and her sweet baby doesn't hurt either!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6B2O9uLNoAbHfNh81JrRS96BcdwIDxnI5ehrGbLf9SbYivmDqBL8eM3Lj2aI5fZLY2aySbtM1Oyb3gjYQbXVNeOqsn2ZABYMvX-UUhjFv1NAyDDj8kujUp0Fzmv8YRZIn9-BCpow0pT6/s1600/DSCN6452.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6B2O9uLNoAbHfNh81JrRS96BcdwIDxnI5ehrGbLf9SbYivmDqBL8eM3Lj2aI5fZLY2aySbtM1Oyb3gjYQbXVNeOqsn2ZABYMvX-UUhjFv1NAyDDj8kujUp0Fzmv8YRZIn9-BCpow0pT6/s320/DSCN6452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683838736260980722" border="0" /></a>i'm never happy with pics of myself, but here i am, in all my stage makeup!<br />i finished my classes yesterday, with a final and a web post. hallelujah!! i've never been so happy to end a semester! now just ten more credits to go.<br />we put up our christmas tree, and found that half the lights had burned out. same with the outside ones. what is it with lights this year?? so after a quick run to the store, it is looking festive in here. i love christmastime!! nathan doesn't though, it means extra hours away from home, and driving more monotonous routes. we gave ourselves early christmas/anniversary presents, and upgraded our phones to the new iphone 4. we are very excited, and are still figuring them out!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-86126363495253784932011-11-27T20:59:00.000-08:002011-11-27T21:10:38.618-08:00frustrationman, this has been an uber frustrating time in my life. i have gotten a huge blessing, and had the dizzy spells associated with my headaches subside. it's been over 2 months now, which is AWESOME!! now, if i could just kick the headaches altogether. i had been doing good for a long time, then last saturday, i got hit with one, and it has just come and gone day and night all week. blah. i woke up with it today, worse than ever. i got a blessing from my awesome hubby and father in law, and was able to rest finally, this morning. i've just been frustrated with the whole, not going away, factor. blah.<br /><br />i am in online classes, and am doing pretty well. i got my geology grade back up, and am happy with it, and my religions class. but this communications class, that is the accelerated, 8 week course. blah. it is kicking my butt. and not because i am having a hard time with the work. i'm not. it is because my teacher lacks the ability to communicate, then penalizes for it. she gives us super detailed instructions, but not very clear. then, when we ask her to clarify, she says it is all in the info we already have!! aaaaaahhh!!! obviously not, or we wouldn't be asking!! i have been working on a group project with 5 other people. everything has been fine, and we turned in our first portion. we got it back, with a zero, because the heading wasn't right. seriously?!?!? i understand the importance of following her directions, but seriously? i am getting a bad grade because a guy in our group forgot to cc everyone's addresses into the top? does that seem asinine to anyone else?? sorry, i needed to vent, i guess. thankfully, we will be done in 2 weeks. then, blessed winter break!!<br /><br />our concerts are this weekend, and i am super excited. we sound better with every week that goes by, and i thought we were awesome last year. we have grown in ranks, by leaps and bounds. we were almost to 200 last year, and this year we are pushing 250, and most of that is guys!! hallelujah!! rebekah's group has grown tremendously as well, and i love sharing this with her! it is amazing to be part of such an inspiring, amazing organization. i love it!!<br /><br />well, we survived the black friday shopping madness, and i finished all of our christmas shopping. i love that. and i didn't break the bank, though the kids won't be getting as much as they are used to. i think it is good for them, right? :)nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-10336627532655179862011-10-26T22:17:00.000-07:002011-10-26T22:27:00.537-07:00busy beeok, so i thought that taking online classes would be a fun, albeit challenging, undertaking. i have had the hardest time this semester!! i feel so scatterbrained and unable to figure out and follow deadlines, and the simplest directions look like a foreign language!! at the beginning of the semester, i was hit with a whopping dizzy episode, but since then, i haven't had one. so that is a huge blessing. i am in world religions, which is actually very enjoyable and i am learning a lot. i had to read a very thought provoking book and go talk to my professor about it. (these are online classes, and i hadn't been to campus in a long time! eek!!) i am also taking geology of arizona. now, i thought this was going to be my easy ride class. rocks, what's so hard about that??? ha. a lot!! we don't have a book, so i thought it would be a cake walk. boy was i wrong!! we have a powerpoint with 20-50 slides each week we have to go over, an activity involving 5 or 6 puzzles with questions about the material, a supplemental reading and a quiz for each week. i pretty much had this part under control, but was not doing super well. the part that threw me, was the special activities due every 3 weeks for the first part of the semester. i had the dates wrong in my head, and like i said, can't seem to look at a planner. i missed the first 2 completely!! by the time i realized my mistakes, i had a 43 in the class!! i emailed my professor asking if i should bother continuing with the class or just drop it. he advised me to do better, and not miss any more assignments, and i would be fine with a b or c. that isn't failing, so i agreed. it has been much better since i got my head on straight. now, those 2 classes were for the whole semester, but i thought it would be fun to test my sanity and throw in small group communications for the second 8 weeks. oh my. it has required so much more work and time than i even thought i had!! i am spending an average of 4-6 hours a DAY on the laptop for these classes. i am so behind in my housework it is not even funny. rachel is enjoying all of the tv and computer time, but the older kids are starting to get annoyed when i have done NOTHING but homework all day. sheesh. add in the kids activities, choir, and being ward choir director, and you have a busy bee for a mommy!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-68924558779337035882011-10-02T12:16:00.000-07:002011-10-02T12:34:21.753-07:00my baby got baptized<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmIvXHtV_oVbqEhmWtibiijMrEWaQDFaxc9EATux1NCzCadtPF3ceWCXODz5rVljFsF_xYD1L6Ju9Waa1yEUyBLlTaSUaal0GJLMmXX-jVD0r2acjGH9iT6Pls-qfo8B56sY41SjSN0eC/s1600/IMG_6389.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmIvXHtV_oVbqEhmWtibiijMrEWaQDFaxc9EATux1NCzCadtPF3ceWCXODz5rVljFsF_xYD1L6Ju9Waa1yEUyBLlTaSUaal0GJLMmXX-jVD0r2acjGH9iT6Pls-qfo8B56sY41SjSN0eC/s320/IMG_6389.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658977245491347314" /></a>of course, i always post pictures in backwards order. but here is the whole family after rebekah's baptism.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUghMdECQfS1XFRTPAdQRQ8rkt169uVXwNW9lFI5_ZUKdYPCREnrwvF_ITAbpe6qgsFDKGrU3mxveoumUc9NPlB3d4601MkB8o59wWLfkDbPbPEZkYRre4s324d6NEXKFlRkO-h_3a7AUW/s1600/IMG_6385.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUghMdECQfS1XFRTPAdQRQ8rkt169uVXwNW9lFI5_ZUKdYPCREnrwvF_ITAbpe6qgsFDKGrU3mxveoumUc9NPlB3d4601MkB8o59wWLfkDbPbPEZkYRre4s324d6NEXKFlRkO-h_3a7AUW/s320/IMG_6385.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658976980204682146" /></a>rebekah with her baptism blanket made my grandma gresko<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZj9fPne704GKGs1mRfqhJnboBTj9VrMLq_Q39LgIi1jxWDJHbAnYs0Usb0dwm6dUUg2Q2MOVg7Wf55TGiTM8ea7cUxAUb0nUdyBM3Dc92vGU4myiWUvbDyKeJpq7t1qde9N-gzWCRcYJF/s1600/IMG_6384.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZj9fPne704GKGs1mRfqhJnboBTj9VrMLq_Q39LgIi1jxWDJHbAnYs0Usb0dwm6dUUg2Q2MOVg7Wf55TGiTM8ea7cUxAUb0nUdyBM3Dc92vGU4myiWUvbDyKeJpq7t1qde9N-gzWCRcYJF/s320/IMG_6384.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658976974519484578" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bRFwUw2byzb357PcmpQWprE4t-HJe1ur5Oggqww0CAS0LcGUuoE2sUN0zlXQ1Hpm19H5m5Dwa6P_iUou0ZXO7xLw4xCz2lM3-FvCo2j_2zHhzfjb_r5z0g7cI4ELxbRcrevFG7p8deGW/s1600/IMG_6383.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bRFwUw2byzb357PcmpQWprE4t-HJe1ur5Oggqww0CAS0LcGUuoE2sUN0zlXQ1Hpm19H5m5Dwa6P_iUou0ZXO7xLw4xCz2lM3-FvCo2j_2zHhzfjb_r5z0g7cI4ELxbRcrevFG7p8deGW/s320/IMG_6383.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658976968625737250" /></a>bekah and her daddy<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlYaRhBns5bruP_VggP-ns9Q-b2QMpisnHIZR0-LT92z64eYpnVyf9ailVx6NSfZQf31zL6pc7-KoweQvQvPokD-v9ubG4u4NNHxSd8bnULFk79oYgnGn3FCXMhRJ5qsO6vW9lz0xzqnS/s1600/IMG_6375.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlYaRhBns5bruP_VggP-ns9Q-b2QMpisnHIZR0-LT92z64eYpnVyf9ailVx6NSfZQf31zL6pc7-KoweQvQvPokD-v9ubG4u4NNHxSd8bnULFk79oYgnGn3FCXMhRJ5qsO6vW9lz0xzqnS/s320/IMG_6375.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658976966684639410" /></a>rebekah with mom and dad<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFa6BFu-_cQ2FO8jBfbuRd1rGNVM_DqUhFADMGIPH5cm-Xqy3E0XSek5xenwBtRa6x8rm7BGMFt3WDXh8xhleh5tubLHan1F2TVmccLEbAR48wmJnvCKsBxg8D1vfhTpC49wAP3NSKPH9s/s1600/IMG_6371.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFa6BFu-_cQ2FO8jBfbuRd1rGNVM_DqUhFADMGIPH5cm-Xqy3E0XSek5xenwBtRa6x8rm7BGMFt3WDXh8xhleh5tubLHan1F2TVmccLEbAR48wmJnvCKsBxg8D1vfhTpC49wAP3NSKPH9s/s320/IMG_6371.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658976960579988738" /></a>rebekah the sweet<div>so i was unprepared for the experiences we had yesterday. i was expecting a little bit of a hectic day, hard to feel the spirit of what was happening in my baby girl's life. it was so much more than that. we wanted to perform the ordinance when everyone could be there, so we went for in between conference sessions on saturday afternoon. conference ended at 11, and it was an hour to fill the baptismal font. we decided noon would be a good time to hold it. our bishop was scheduled to be on duty, where he is the fire chief in a nearby town. the other counselors were up at conference in salt lake, and working. it was a hard day to get ahold of the necessary people we needed for keys and such. it all came together though, and everything was set. the family were all there on time, and we began. we had talks and songs, and the baptism and confirmation were great. my sister was asked to give the closing prayer, and she said what we were thinking and feeling, but couldn't express. she said that we all feel the presence of our deceased grandmother, and know she is proud of rebekah. after some more sweet things were said, and with tears rolling down my face, because of the confirmation that sandy was indeed there, i hugged my sister, who was crying as well. she said, i don't know what happened, i was supposed to tell you that. then, grandpa gresko gave rebekah the blanket that sandy had made and wrapped a year ago for her. i was unprepared for the card attached to it. she had written a personal note to rebekah, which was so perfect and eloquent. rebekah squealed and wrapped herself up in it. it is beautiful and perfect. then, when we came home, and i was looking at the card again, i noticed that it opened up, and the inside was written in as well. it was filled with more of sandy, and we treasured it. what a day!!!</div>nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-58891537545801872922011-09-29T23:02:00.001-07:002011-09-29T23:06:50.990-07:00rebekah<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvvcMbl9tQHBk-w9cN6Z4Z-CjWSVpKFrp3eA8HLAIHc4hRfBiK5R85o-utzwpL3gm_RbVWNWc41kUL36XSBZSUUAy7bDT65Jn22T-6jwtS3s2EDVE8kSc8HiqcCf6Jw32nbjSmdIl7s2Q/s1600/IMG_6370.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvvcMbl9tQHBk-w9cN6Z4Z-CjWSVpKFrp3eA8HLAIHc4hRfBiK5R85o-utzwpL3gm_RbVWNWc41kUL36XSBZSUUAy7bDT65Jn22T-6jwtS3s2EDVE8kSc8HiqcCf6Jw32nbjSmdIl7s2Q/s320/IMG_6370.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658029752290516178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcP5AlB7dkBEINoRhgCG9hf2kfgxtBbMWfH-8kxFV2oWJWZyOs5ukTtVdbwuuBVin3YnO-aFTyzW5s6Eq3OAFOZ8maOtArcWFLXjLcqeaqUEEfRtDbV-Hvh93zydLF6rWT_ahJMji9z65t/s1600/IMG_6369.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcP5AlB7dkBEINoRhgCG9hf2kfgxtBbMWfH-8kxFV2oWJWZyOs5ukTtVdbwuuBVin3YnO-aFTyzW5s6Eq3OAFOZ8maOtArcWFLXjLcqeaqUEEfRtDbV-Hvh93zydLF6rWT_ahJMji9z65t/s320/IMG_6369.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658029748439062370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnvFRbAuXwvaGaZ_oytKUVTaXOT3QYxDG5VQC1hbG7524rg_9GOgqJNm4PEGdR1HilCoquTStJn2aQGJKaGAxIDMpYgqMZgpdDZ1GwETuCJsG8dP8HSR5coa2bueWl-1PlUEu8wVR9vLV/s1600/IMG_6366.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnvFRbAuXwvaGaZ_oytKUVTaXOT3QYxDG5VQC1hbG7524rg_9GOgqJNm4PEGdR1HilCoquTStJn2aQGJKaGAxIDMpYgqMZgpdDZ1GwETuCJsG8dP8HSR5coa2bueWl-1PlUEu8wVR9vLV/s320/IMG_6366.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658029746601496658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUU7BIHsWbGCCUUNT0I6pDm1UiDCV0ILPgNRFcA0Dj4dEWBoVBSLEgqZCcg_Sh6XFp83ybnifl854sSxPqkQZMtV2w8zb8ZiVpkAXTRs4gzGFU1HDBzKPJGyx-H6Bp6bdpLRsQifpBy8W/s1600/IMG_6359.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUU7BIHsWbGCCUUNT0I6pDm1UiDCV0ILPgNRFcA0Dj4dEWBoVBSLEgqZCcg_Sh6XFp83ybnifl854sSxPqkQZMtV2w8zb8ZiVpkAXTRs4gzGFU1HDBzKPJGyx-H6Bp6bdpLRsQifpBy8W/s320/IMG_6359.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658029739819644226" border="0" /></a><br />i can't decide which picture to put on the table at rebekah's baptism on saturday. the 3rd, or 4th? she is so stinking cute, either one is awesome. what do you think? the dress was given to us by a friend who's daughter was 10, so score! it's like a wedding dress, with beading and buttons down the back. couldn't have been more perfect if i had designed it!!<br />she will be getting baptized at noon, between conference sessions. we will make it all work!! :) a year from the funeral of her grandma. i think it is fitting.nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-31997579079597390442011-08-18T21:55:00.001-07:002011-08-18T22:10:35.215-07:00preschool and humble pie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZOyLaG3pWz-GV5PRawsgUmpig3qoCbM-wadyOMmGcUNbMgCN2CaKs-fmyqze6Tt9QUdC-sp0hb1Psy7f3a9BPO9wak3iFHYBnevZ85v9cM1yraoVijJvspF1ZZJpwcCl_-8bzJML1J6v/s1600/016.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZOyLaG3pWz-GV5PRawsgUmpig3qoCbM-wadyOMmGcUNbMgCN2CaKs-fmyqze6Tt9QUdC-sp0hb1Psy7f3a9BPO9wak3iFHYBnevZ85v9cM1yraoVijJvspF1ZZJpwcCl_-8bzJML1J6v/s320/016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642428639129721442" border="0" /></a>rachel standing outside of her preschool class. what a big girl!!
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqo0dIsFyQ4S2LRhEoGCgozxzOJv8NOcGesBQEWfZkUgF6zKwT4GKmvFQLOk9Y753Tdd0I53gve5kxOWdb1Ri96mnvMWnCVUmCny4ezWi2ehc7MB497-0P4iih2HDfCQCFvyRGMuhIZdX/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqo0dIsFyQ4S2LRhEoGCgozxzOJv8NOcGesBQEWfZkUgF6zKwT4GKmvFQLOk9Y753Tdd0I53gve5kxOWdb1Ri96mnvMWnCVUmCny4ezWi2ehc7MB497-0P4iih2HDfCQCFvyRGMuhIZdX/s320/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642427311465833698" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgCZx2VKmyqk1ml2ghNK1LHM2VJ3DXM7BMD4zqE9si2pXF9zZxcn23OYPk68HTFC-hc9qWPgh7XFi-mWNb1HcsK_03JkAhy-0FaBLqDababAqJUH-EV8lL6FesOpvfa-HLCWrieMlaKyr/s1600/016.JPG">
<br /></a>putting on her shoes before class. like the cuts on her lip? she totally face planted and had a huge fat lip for school. i thought that was pretty fitting for her!!
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUheRFb8TEq74EgDT9aUi4km2a0AU1Gk_N3a9SQnrzy0Ckrb7VIHWact5i7XN2xZ7rQDVgGrWsAqMRJzJiJ8_bbbJF_KlrKsQg-3eYEjj2R8mZg8K9Lc311qdd4AnT0YQP6MKyotqZljlB/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUheRFb8TEq74EgDT9aUi4km2a0AU1Gk_N3a9SQnrzy0Ckrb7VIHWact5i7XN2xZ7rQDVgGrWsAqMRJzJiJ8_bbbJF_KlrKsQg-3eYEjj2R8mZg8K9Lc311qdd4AnT0YQP6MKyotqZljlB/s320/004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642427301756812050" border="0" /></a>yes, this is what the kids do with the hose!!!
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQSTjNPZXeGF0pSaBt9cS40guYJhEZ9IMz7XB0YPn9RBopAZtF4QZ9zZgdzv68Ba1mSJRvSCz1GX2A6Dj_GXhQz85YIc4-mKYmIT2RiCzmBfWId8JviekVEq75kK_Izz2PVF4D4rfkNZU/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQSTjNPZXeGF0pSaBt9cS40guYJhEZ9IMz7XB0YPn9RBopAZtF4QZ9zZgdzv68Ba1mSJRvSCz1GX2A6Dj_GXhQz85YIc4-mKYmIT2RiCzmBfWId8JviekVEq75kK_Izz2PVF4D4rfkNZU/s320/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642427298922061970" border="0" /></a>rachel and i made muddy buddies a few days ago. she thought she needed to lick the lid after i shook it. it got powdered sugar all over her nose and dress. it was too cute, i had to snap a pic!!
<br />and on a more somber note, on monday, my good friend and cousin saved her daughter's life by not letting an ex boyfriend in the house. for her efforts, she got shot in the head and killed. i was reminded just how precious life is, and wanted to take a minute to express my gratitude. i am thankful for my family and friends. for my kids and hubby. for the knowledge that i have, that this is not the end of our existence. my cousin lives on, and will continue to do so. i am thankful for the health i have, though i complain about it a lot. what i go through is so small in comparison to so many others, who suffer with no complaint. i have been very humbled over the last week, and just want everyone out there in cyberspace to know that.
<br />
<br />nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-75018910800650405992011-08-13T12:19:00.000-07:002011-08-13T12:25:45.406-07:00end of summeri didn't get the job, but i am still looking. it was weird, because of the way it happened, i thought it was a sure thing. i was strangely relieved and disappointed at the same time. the kids started school again on wednesday, and i am good with it. i enjoy having my time with just rachel, and i enjoy knowing they are learning and having fun at the same time. caleb has rebekah's student teacher from last year, rebekah has colby's teacher from last year, and colby has the only 4th grade teacher. they all knew who their teacher would be, and were excited to get to know them. they have gotten back into the swing of homework and chores, and of course, playing like mad when they finish. oh to be a kid again!! i am busy cleaning and trying to put the rooms back together after the crazy summer we had. we have gone to the lake twice, and i pulled the ligaments in my knee attempting to waterski. it still hurts, and i was told to get into better shape before i tried it again. ha! i agree!! so now i am just doing all the day to day stuff, waiting for school to start on the 20th. rachel starts preschool next week, and she is more than ready. she wears her backpack and tries to do homework with the kids. she is hilarious!! we love our kiddos, and our family more every day!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-44284124160556694772011-08-03T14:03:00.000-07:002011-08-03T14:12:34.702-07:00working momi know, it is totally boring without the pictures, but bear with me for a while until i can replace the camera!! this week has been very interesting, to say the least. we have known for a while that nathan's job is going to be cutting pay. (pay, not hours, explain that to me!!) he will now be backtracking 4 times a day, instead of 2. he really hates this job, but it pays the bills, so sshhh!<br />anyway, i applied to about 30 jobs 2 weeks ago, and hadn't heard much from anyone. a few days ago, i noticed one of my friends posting on facebook about how she had a friend that was trying to find kids to watch, so she didn't have to go back to work. then, out of the blue, yesterday i got a call from a woman i knew a few years ago in a previous ward. she said she noticed my resume on jobing, and wondered if i was still looking for a job. the position she had was for a 7 hr day, still part time. it paid better than anything i was looking at, and she had confidence in me. i set up the interview for this morning, and sent my friend a message about how to get the info on the woman for the child care. i pretty much freaked out after that. i am pretty overwhelmed just doing what i am doing, and now i am considering going to work!! after the kids went to bed, i read my scriptures for the first time in a while. twice, i read a verse about putting your trust in God, and finding peace. so, i took that to heart, and was at peace for the night. i got up this morning, and after getting beautified (trust me, it's rare on a weekday!!), i checked my messages. the friend who was doing the childcare, was actually a friend of mine too! she lives next door to the lady who runs the preschool rachel will attend. it really seems perfect, as that was one of my worries. i didn't think we could get her there. i interviewed this morning, and was impressed by the principal i met with. the job is at sun valley high school, entering transcripts and meeting with parents and students to give them a personalized graduation plan. i think i could actually do this. things seem to be falling into place, now if i can just get the job! i am also registered for 3 online classes, so we will see if i can do it all!! here's to peace!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-18571605701257248972011-07-27T13:04:00.000-07:002011-07-27T13:16:59.537-07:00no more picturesi am so incredibly sad not to have lovely pictures to post on here. we had an awesome vacation, and i had pictures from caleb's bday party to post. sadly, i will never get the chance. i took pictures all week, and was so excited scrolling through them. i didn't bring the camera cord with me, and the card was so old, my laptop wouldn't read it. we had to wait till we got home to upload the pictures. now, i am just kicking myself. let me start at the beginning of the week. i had been having pain in my side for several weeks, but monday it started getting bad. tues, i finally gave up and went to the er. after blood tests, hours and ultrasounds, they said i had a ruptured ovarian cyst. nice. i went home and took some strong stuff, and went to bed. i woke up wed super dizzy and out of it. i still don't know if the drug triggered it, or i was set to have vertigo anyway. i spent the day in bed, and the next morning, the kids packed their own stuff for the stay at ajs house, and nathan did everything else. i went with nate and my sister tat to the airport, getting immensely sick while doing so. i can't say i have ever gotten so ill on a plane before! then we had a 4 hr drive to our hotel from the kansas city airport. thankfully, i started feeling better about half way through the drive, and had a great time while there. we toured all the houses and buildings, and historic sites. we played old time nauvoo games, walked on stilts, learned dances, and pulled sticks (i won!!). we watched the pageant, which was awesome, and spent time with family. i talked to my brother more this trip than i have in my entire life. it was a great time. the pinnacle was going through the temple with my little sister, and seeing the wonder in her eyes. she got sealed to her husband, and did all that was required of her to do so. she has had to change her whole wardrobe, and basically everything about her. she has done it though, and it was so exciting to be with her for it.<br />the next day, we went to carthage on our way to the airport. there is such a peaceful feeling in the jail, and you can almost see how it would have been for the Prophet Joseph. we took a lot of pictures, then went to return the rental car. somewhere around here, i put down my camera, and will never see it again. i have called everyone i can think of, but have had no luck so far. i can live with the lost camera, if i could only have the pictures on it! they are priceless. we survived waiting in the smallest airport i have ever seen, and the turbulence of landing in a giant thunderstorm (in phx, really??). we are home now, and back with our kids and our own home and beds. grateful to be there!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-11738317659924107022011-07-05T21:17:00.000-07:002011-07-05T21:52:12.735-07:00family reunions!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2MH_E5Xq7musMej2-3VWBwLQhLn4mBuFyyVS4nu6EAHbg4XR0Dht0Btjek8Iuexmk62YfVBP3TcxZC-cqSh1edWrauacxvFNvD00VCiWBo6_6dlG4RatEAzYlPlsNTz3jufvBauiqC8B/s1600/012.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2MH_E5Xq7musMej2-3VWBwLQhLn4mBuFyyVS4nu6EAHbg4XR0Dht0Btjek8Iuexmk62YfVBP3TcxZC-cqSh1edWrauacxvFNvD00VCiWBo6_6dlG4RatEAzYlPlsNTz3jufvBauiqC8B/s320/012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626092328174691554" border="0" /></a>ok, again, these are in backwards order, so i will start from the end! we were in natalie's backyard and posed the grandkids with their bear blankets, that great grandma nehmer made for each and every one of them. they are well loved, and appreciated!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2tSW6Whog2_rJ3iqQDdyBDzNMC4HWcyj7iWhrr2FwyzjE4exZAKxqRL94tIzbvk8m6XIIYsJD0mJ2uY5s2RS1_5eypM8dHMGrq8HpxT-UTa0vhfK_kSDnhT8OgI8D8wRonb7KSnGbDVv/s1600/009.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2tSW6Whog2_rJ3iqQDdyBDzNMC4HWcyj7iWhrr2FwyzjE4exZAKxqRL94tIzbvk8m6XIIYsJD0mJ2uY5s2RS1_5eypM8dHMGrq8HpxT-UTa0vhfK_kSDnhT8OgI8D8wRonb7KSnGbDVv/s320/009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626092323563978370" border="0" /></a>what gorgeous kids!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_pIIh8eEry39LWhxDJqY4-pY9Qx5e2eMudGGQu7858gANcgS0S5iUpGEuryyei1kx0ZJsu5jB6u9h0ARmeOdgmQm-n1SVlwdwVVCc_P8dT_1SEGgJbRBI4nIJscFRkSfuOZWSeSjAU9q/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_pIIh8eEry39LWhxDJqY4-pY9Qx5e2eMudGGQu7858gANcgS0S5iUpGEuryyei1kx0ZJsu5jB6u9h0ARmeOdgmQm-n1SVlwdwVVCc_P8dT_1SEGgJbRBI4nIJscFRkSfuOZWSeSjAU9q/s320/007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626092316369539554" border="0" /></a>here is the whole clan, minus heather's 4, who are in the philippines<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPt8qQMvPogy_Huo9aNneKClMSD0E-2sySs2gIJvmLMndLqmZVVZ_99jZiM8jaWtedzwK7yt4oovSy38O_sBe3332qk42KXVeLeO5igpDopYiZUiFM3CNKW1hPaCPlaccPLA-zvRyom5vw/s1600/104.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPt8qQMvPogy_Huo9aNneKClMSD0E-2sySs2gIJvmLMndLqmZVVZ_99jZiM8jaWtedzwK7yt4oovSy38O_sBe3332qk42KXVeLeO5igpDopYiZUiFM3CNKW1hPaCPlaccPLA-zvRyom5vw/s320/104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626091741702133122" border="0" /></a>caleb was mad about something, and went to pout inside. here is where we found him not 5 minutes later!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0mt_KKTTz2nCh3piHl9kR_qitW-7uFMyQ63EduTyyy7YeWaovVF0MZf1FjMDmr3wplh4JKfTl0ugBZF78fot9aFX__oKo4wydo0QgxF-4Wn5s-HV7NKCbYDKYE3EB8xB0mnwi_1SxbpS/s1600/103.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0mt_KKTTz2nCh3piHl9kR_qitW-7uFMyQ63EduTyyy7YeWaovVF0MZf1FjMDmr3wplh4JKfTl0ugBZF78fot9aFX__oKo4wydo0QgxF-4Wn5s-HV7NKCbYDKYE3EB8xB0mnwi_1SxbpS/s320/103.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626091731521874082" border="0" /></a>lake tahoe was freezing, but here is rebekah and alissa holding rachel<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35yHCEHKcdtOXINeHHfi6I_8pq4YgBkqeNWUWTW6iIH6RKByQWj2Mf88xLUU-dGEEnoDDvr6xAkfgA6DrqmDr_ipJ0HAw_G81odchNRD_F8f4qQ9k-IqP_HcLPxrQ4YD06-Z_IU0KDUN4/s1600/096.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35yHCEHKcdtOXINeHHfi6I_8pq4YgBkqeNWUWTW6iIH6RKByQWj2Mf88xLUU-dGEEnoDDvr6xAkfgA6DrqmDr_ipJ0HAw_G81odchNRD_F8f4qQ9k-IqP_HcLPxrQ4YD06-Z_IU0KDUN4/s320/096.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626091727146512402" border="0" /></a>caleb<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-894659T4RS_QIh9NoUixk_sR7kxvAxQfJRrGTBOX8VUIB_fa0dJwCNGitdPbMN15o880-M6RWD_M44Sv2aLABh1Ip5Q3Js43xm2pZ6Dp3hJNreXh8iRgLtC6J4vMOsJR3OAsEPzh9WTn/s1600/093.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-894659T4RS_QIh9NoUixk_sR7kxvAxQfJRrGTBOX8VUIB_fa0dJwCNGitdPbMN15o880-M6RWD_M44Sv2aLABh1Ip5Q3Js43xm2pZ6Dp3hJNreXh8iRgLtC6J4vMOsJR3OAsEPzh9WTn/s320/093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626091722058146098" border="0" /></a>colby and cousin out on the rock<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzLWI2ZJPCp5QbsNo85LPMZmSZQo80VRMbtKZ3e03oy-qY4mifvzKaOu0SNfChXdXnZyl1Qj5jEzzST86tgMQQPHee-HvvfM05vtYEP3k1SXKGDWwX5xmXsqlqiyeSjvWeK7X3QxZNne0/s1600/092.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzLWI2ZJPCp5QbsNo85LPMZmSZQo80VRMbtKZ3e03oy-qY4mifvzKaOu0SNfChXdXnZyl1Qj5jEzzST86tgMQQPHee-HvvfM05vtYEP3k1SXKGDWwX5xmXsqlqiyeSjvWeK7X3QxZNne0/s320/092.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626091717809867666" border="0" /></a>grandpa with jenna and morgan out on the rock<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsbpuPB6G61i4JJ4zpmK1xaz60xFfs4XS4gWHJ2JZpV_-Zw-61SR8l1CNeuL0pSXkT8QDi3WAwucmnRqMP_GvL5nNZbO1ynvWrcLg3OpAsNsgZOF75TrShQBGTGtxv3D0t4iWC0Phxu66/s1600/088.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsbpuPB6G61i4JJ4zpmK1xaz60xFfs4XS4gWHJ2JZpV_-Zw-61SR8l1CNeuL0pSXkT8QDi3WAwucmnRqMP_GvL5nNZbO1ynvWrcLg3OpAsNsgZOF75TrShQBGTGtxv3D0t4iWC0Phxu66/s320/088.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626090818499010002" border="0" /></a>rachel and caleb playing in the soft sand of the beach at lake tahoe<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc01TsIbjbSbfvL5XhwNwW-rJkaC1DEhJiTgiUiGepVAEWaA7iW1Ea8iOzPJV5DwLj30tZqN2p19zM1P6lVGC-q3mJHkqIy1IgGARtCMENF8A7dDHsT3Af3loevbTJC9r_-cUEb925hU14/s1600/086.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc01TsIbjbSbfvL5XhwNwW-rJkaC1DEhJiTgiUiGepVAEWaA7iW1Ea8iOzPJV5DwLj30tZqN2p19zM1P6lVGC-q3mJHkqIy1IgGARtCMENF8A7dDHsT3Af3loevbTJC9r_-cUEb925hU14/s320/086.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626090809084191778" border="0" /></a>rebekah and colby were crazy and brave enough to go out in the 53 degree water with most of the cousins and grandpa<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6tJeP0BmorvvwhaNYTc7ovrkTmA0eAGBiKH-5C63wIuCMSWFeZfWDawg5FP-yr8_ui-mHliyfE9rvRsogqo8WqeWiU8W3fEzd6nbzQZVbeuZrom48rvszw9eMB5xmgiolKOF8tiqjuNo/s1600/073.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6tJeP0BmorvvwhaNYTc7ovrkTmA0eAGBiKH-5C63wIuCMSWFeZfWDawg5FP-yr8_ui-mHliyfE9rvRsogqo8WqeWiU8W3fEzd6nbzQZVbeuZrom48rvszw9eMB5xmgiolKOF8tiqjuNo/s320/073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626090802565741490" border="0" /></a>here is caleb at the beach in san francisco. much too cold to swim!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6JmCEHA_SDkBkoyfedgYDFZK3fNuucZmFhfE09dbjGfZp_iH9lTx__764KYOfKkQvKb7WK4-AkYDUzkneXlZmx6h_OPgKbKXcIDvvd200au2pBQwogRm3nlECEIy61XDZflPgHf3RpzE/s1600/062.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6JmCEHA_SDkBkoyfedgYDFZK3fNuucZmFhfE09dbjGfZp_iH9lTx__764KYOfKkQvKb7WK4-AkYDUzkneXlZmx6h_OPgKbKXcIDvvd200au2pBQwogRm3nlECEIy61XDZflPgHf3RpzE/s320/062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626090799023383250" border="0" /></a>caleb, sam, andrew, and rachel playing on the beach<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgrvkAhUmdQC9rI-goHWmZ0ZDjssJOByYM_-1UcEaVpv8M55bzQauHw0NaBtPQ3UK5K3AbGBXYQLYMLwWnb14ENfUeHaRoctQIXJGNvs075BK_uKXwQ8qSzDKqYiJcfTk6yN_Ap2s07M9/s1600/040.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgrvkAhUmdQC9rI-goHWmZ0ZDjssJOByYM_-1UcEaVpv8M55bzQauHw0NaBtPQ3UK5K3AbGBXYQLYMLwWnb14ENfUeHaRoctQIXJGNvs075BK_uKXwQ8qSzDKqYiJcfTk6yN_Ap2s07M9/s320/040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626089897334666578" border="0" /></a>this is several of my cousins and other awesome family members that we got to see after almost 15 years without them!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFfvD_FHGoFdGbICDt3r_0IOJD-NGG1-pproQUkrK0xKCPW60lldK_V8dfk9yqyMEba1LTNbWsfHgXrYrkbtQum0VSNNyr_Y0enkc0csC1I9gpA0ZHYzPI83_-UrtUNI1gBcQUSLexNtl/s1600/035.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFfvD_FHGoFdGbICDt3r_0IOJD-NGG1-pproQUkrK0xKCPW60lldK_V8dfk9yqyMEba1LTNbWsfHgXrYrkbtQum0VSNNyr_Y0enkc0csC1I9gpA0ZHYzPI83_-UrtUNI1gBcQUSLexNtl/s320/035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626089890570547298" border="0" /></a>caleb holding a tiny baby chick<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QemrYYNmenk9OX4U5CFImHPZZCYvRPQj3CVbIisc0hCWPym55StEGwfmb_CxAHCknwAG3GaBSbc-ZCOzHxHNM0CDI2wh2w3PyxbuhUShVvHG3BFT-TDYLsFb09PWkd711j-z-DaYQzVz/s1600/032.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QemrYYNmenk9OX4U5CFImHPZZCYvRPQj3CVbIisc0hCWPym55StEGwfmb_CxAHCknwAG3GaBSbc-ZCOzHxHNM0CDI2wh2w3PyxbuhUShVvHG3BFT-TDYLsFb09PWkd711j-z-DaYQzVz/s320/032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626089881903419746" border="0" /></a>colby loved holding the baby chicks<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAyZ8lbqXIwZ9TGblLx15gGeAl_yz3fEPIgf58Mg-HwoJlKjtCQWhyXX4evxTxJfpQAlSMzM_ww082KY3nxgGi0FBvYq2YhTid1UliC0hjZuqusc8gDdVsUJggG7OhkchNKLFvlgoHcAm/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAyZ8lbqXIwZ9TGblLx15gGeAl_yz3fEPIgf58Mg-HwoJlKjtCQWhyXX4evxTxJfpQAlSMzM_ww082KY3nxgGi0FBvYq2YhTid1UliC0hjZuqusc8gDdVsUJggG7OhkchNKLFvlgoHcAm/s320/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626089878804256978" border="0" /></a>sam and rachel looking a real live cow!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8xOJjaoWeQ1f6GgyEb2aiKAQtosJr7dDGlpHoa53diMtlFXOU364ueYaRHj8hPF6PU5fh-AryXWn692GJ-L_RaPNtBPwlW0ig3lFszcVJ5zL_mmJ0kVite3o59cda7IHlStm1avP7nL3/s1600/010.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8xOJjaoWeQ1f6GgyEb2aiKAQtosJr7dDGlpHoa53diMtlFXOU364ueYaRHj8hPF6PU5fh-AryXWn692GJ-L_RaPNtBPwlW0ig3lFszcVJ5zL_mmJ0kVite3o59cda7IHlStm1avP7nL3/s320/010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626089868235494290" border="0" /></a>the cousins lined up looking at the pregnant cow<br />i didn't have my camera on me during some of the most enjoyable days i can remember. my sister kirsten got married, and we had so much dancing at her wedding! the rehearsal dinner and wedding produced a lot of fun pictures and memories, but alas, they were captured by a professional! i will see if i can post some of them later!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-7868317996688210142011-06-05T11:09:00.000-07:002011-06-05T11:24:54.597-07:00week of amazing experiencesi will add pictures once i get home, i did not bring my camera cord. i have been sitting in the airport again for 4 hours. i got the genius idea several weeks ago to ask one of our drivers who also works at usairways, to get me a buddy pass. it was so cheap, i was ecstatic. turns out there is a reason it is cheap. they overbook by 3 or 4, so the chances of getting on are nill. unless you camp out at the airport and get on the first flight of the day. they had 2 empty seats then. blah. who wants to be on a 715am flight? i was still snuggled in my bed. anyway, i had to buy a ticket on southwest on monday, for 300 dollars. today, i did the same thing. i have wasted many hours for being cheap, and i will not do so again!!! but i digress, the reason for the post is my amazing experience in slc this week. our choir, the evmco, was asked to come to slc and join with our sister choir, the ocmco, and record the messiah in america, the original oratorio written by our director, brett stewart. it was by far the most amazing experience ever!! there were over 400 choir members, and a combined orchestra of over 150. once the kids joined with us on friday, we had over 700 members on stage. it was spectacular!! i took several pictures of our amazing force, but am unable to post them because of copyright laws. we spent tues-thurs in intense, have to be silent, recording sessions. that is stressful. coughing is prohibited, and there are several of us that have coughs lingering for the last few weeks. tues was especially bad, and i was getting vertigo, combined with a severely upset stomach. i knew i couldn't continue like that, so i asked my father in law to give me a blessing before i left on wednesday morning. he did, and i immediately started feeling better. on the hour drive from provo where i was staying, into salt lake, i improved even more. i have never been more grateful for the priesthood in my life, and the knowledge and faith to use it. i was rejuvinated, and able to perform for the rest of the week. also, that day, i went through a live session in the salt lake temple for the first time in my life. it was beyond description. so beautiful, with the murals on the wall, and i loved moving from room to room as you progress. it was so moving, and the live actors they had, made such a difference to me!! i loved it!! i got to spend time with my sister every day, and my friends. i had some of the most spiritual experiences of my life, and was solidified in my testimony regarding so many things. we performed in the tabernacle friday night, to a sold out audience, and the sound was so crisp and clear and perfect in that building!! it was awesome. then saturday, we performed at 2pm in abravanel hall to another sold out audience. the entire organization was so exhausted from all the work of the last several days, that we did not perform to the best of our ability, but i hope our audience was moved despite our flaws. the soloists were stunning, and sounded perfect. i am so grateful i had the opportunity to do this. and that i get to go to choir every week and join in singing praises and being educated by such awesome people. i love it!! and now, i am very much looking forward to going home and seeing my husband and kids again. i had an awesome week, but i am more than ready to be home!!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-24449291275161738352011-05-23T17:11:00.000-07:002011-05-23T17:39:29.228-07:00concert, messes, and sick!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6euZCyjsv9CTZwAN7btHPkOik_YP7j_Ccdk_1OlSszCKqxN1r70db68wpNRAcdTrup9LswDizBR70QY7jWJADMcypn5GxAfpbPHWoZCk_LI_Ylhxcm-HZhmlF0SG93S61K_yUt1BF4xHm/s1600/159.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6euZCyjsv9CTZwAN7btHPkOik_YP7j_Ccdk_1OlSszCKqxN1r70db68wpNRAcdTrup9LswDizBR70QY7jWJADMcypn5GxAfpbPHWoZCk_LI_Ylhxcm-HZhmlF0SG93S61K_yUt1BF4xHm/s320/159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610072627307612162" border="0" /></a>again, these are backwards, so i will describe it all backwards!! after rebekah's first concert. she did great, and i loved singing with her onstage!! there are too many people for the adults to be onstage with the kids, but we were down in the audience, so i could see her singing her little heart out!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4C4uy_8HvrRAAPeg32AIV_dAx3bV8xkcRabNSIxTR63geFlH9yy9FV5QOzMCMIhu3wHQf08gnRTDtmDMesOLfZVDOIoVVb8KqU1YgZukIkgiqoknIjZAbwgpwYCsrT8qMeYlZs_gMljG/s1600/157.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4C4uy_8HvrRAAPeg32AIV_dAx3bV8xkcRabNSIxTR63geFlH9yy9FV5QOzMCMIhu3wHQf08gnRTDtmDMesOLfZVDOIoVVb8KqU1YgZukIkgiqoknIjZAbwgpwYCsrT8qMeYlZs_gMljG/s320/157.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610072615578576610" border="0" /></a>rebekah in her cute little choir outfit. she is such a doll!! her hair was curled by my friend, and stayed curly even for another day!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudO5yeOlvnAHZbL15yzOVsljDEncelr8lnTrxP4g1-9HGzNRB21kTUBByaanfJxrfJKuhvM_VrlJJjE7gsw1PKZdgCe2TyYGKMedtvK-j3ZREKdwUgbB4JZfbRpXYa3Jf_wlJnOphETy-/s1600/156.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudO5yeOlvnAHZbL15yzOVsljDEncelr8lnTrxP4g1-9HGzNRB21kTUBByaanfJxrfJKuhvM_VrlJJjE7gsw1PKZdgCe2TyYGKMedtvK-j3ZREKdwUgbB4JZfbRpXYa3Jf_wlJnOphETy-/s320/156.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610072615004931762" border="0" /></a>my sister, tat and i. i always seem to look weird in pictures. not sure what it is......<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PjXT3tl6NVwU1D6MW0yThas9GBJs5dVJWY8oBnEDdCdfGM8njVNtdXSuK66Ssg3x3ByqoFc8GhZ9fo7Hf2lS29LncJWYjRmzX2YWLUy4pIOW-gfsTJ9xZYGSeOZlkOjS0XwHNaIJoDNG/s1600/154.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PjXT3tl6NVwU1D6MW0yThas9GBJs5dVJWY8oBnEDdCdfGM8njVNtdXSuK66Ssg3x3ByqoFc8GhZ9fo7Hf2lS29LncJWYjRmzX2YWLUy4pIOW-gfsTJ9xZYGSeOZlkOjS0XwHNaIJoDNG/s320/154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610072610082450210" border="0" /></a>trying to pose on my "skinny" side<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5WCr1aONI_4eFDm6JXtWwPW_MZL8M0yMnJWijOmCKIUKr3LnwQoyaAstTGCHbGKlUeI93UCZ1qVB9-P9ndqKE1ASwE7XDsAdqyjupiAX47mxZl0nc6bix-YCXEkXRKpOPOHbKj6wtUW_/s1600/151.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5WCr1aONI_4eFDm6JXtWwPW_MZL8M0yMnJWijOmCKIUKr3LnwQoyaAstTGCHbGKlUeI93UCZ1qVB9-P9ndqKE1ASwE7XDsAdqyjupiAX47mxZl0nc6bix-YCXEkXRKpOPOHbKj6wtUW_/s320/151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610072604192790306" border="0" /></a>my curls from the back.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWefME4LBhUBKQ6Sjo4zLHylFsg04dpIbWCTyEEi0dlPsvH3RJdJcdJSeA5ASF2EOKhn8jb7Q4o5QzDEuPfWNMAVK8-bBXAUkh94_4kVHOfAua2LqVQrva83fYxUH919_b_l3o5JnCBReq/s1600/149.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWefME4LBhUBKQ6Sjo4zLHylFsg04dpIbWCTyEEi0dlPsvH3RJdJcdJSeA5ASF2EOKhn8jb7Q4o5QzDEuPfWNMAVK8-bBXAUkh94_4kVHOfAua2LqVQrva83fYxUH919_b_l3o5JnCBReq/s320/149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610071896003303634" border="0" /></a>walking up to the ikeda theater. so excited!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrKFN2IARnS4Q81pf9kVOFAz8urIV7giKYzyNRB5irwvu_EfPe7llNAB9JJSrXoE6E8M4oGYLoXB8OcjRhFnZHNk63Ez-APP9V_LVZN-E9L0zHIc1W9jx4OR-A5XowfPPQGuaKdQm1kfe/s1600/145.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrKFN2IARnS4Q81pf9kVOFAz8urIV7giKYzyNRB5irwvu_EfPe7llNAB9JJSrXoE6E8M4oGYLoXB8OcjRhFnZHNk63Ez-APP9V_LVZN-E9L0zHIc1W9jx4OR-A5XowfPPQGuaKdQm1kfe/s320/145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610071893395515186" border="0" /></a>rachel joined a swim lessons class for tiny kids. she loves it, and even moved up to the next level after 2 weeks. i never knew starting them young was so awesome! she is just thriving in there!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4s5BudnIuBcXKiWcJHLyGi9iWVAwfDoGKOOCWrX8gx1hre_5bb91OHqXmhbF4erfn_D5MzySC4NZ5VVo0W98IKwZRYPd6TnSfzzf5fSRwElx2xJgv5yaY3KP23DuQJ5qxCcaRBoK3uFjI/s1600/142.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4s5BudnIuBcXKiWcJHLyGi9iWVAwfDoGKOOCWrX8gx1hre_5bb91OHqXmhbF4erfn_D5MzySC4NZ5VVo0W98IKwZRYPd6TnSfzzf5fSRwElx2xJgv5yaY3KP23DuQJ5qxCcaRBoK3uFjI/s320/142.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610071883333282194" border="0" /></a>after sleeping in foam curlers, here is rebekah<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbtWAZtgbWzD-fUh4IpwHsE9Rmj_lDS_Nmbc0P-eRbaCiLim41edyMTYLY1xJ60AwuZcJFAobqMaN13CIiXWMEL65RFWJfFacE_xac9LX6_ZL3ApUxtGlsjE51XT93wJt2crO3A20P1Ou/s1600/141.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbtWAZtgbWzD-fUh4IpwHsE9Rmj_lDS_Nmbc0P-eRbaCiLim41edyMTYLY1xJ60AwuZcJFAobqMaN13CIiXWMEL65RFWJfFacE_xac9LX6_ZL3ApUxtGlsjE51XT93wJt2crO3A20P1Ou/s320/141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610071874048628722" border="0" /></a>both girls from the back<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpiWp7UsHbtK5pFHQjVHKrw44xOVx_mTFVLnO4azsSAvRakZ_Ponjy0ueJdL87aptF5oKI9QPuTLHcL7XREn2pU9I1fa34fwNygP3_BjJmaCCOLKwC-pnfESCe6bARqxDjI0g_BAPgQg2/s1600/067.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpiWp7UsHbtK5pFHQjVHKrw44xOVx_mTFVLnO4azsSAvRakZ_Ponjy0ueJdL87aptF5oKI9QPuTLHcL7XREn2pU9I1fa34fwNygP3_BjJmaCCOLKwC-pnfESCe6bARqxDjI0g_BAPgQg2/s320/067.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610071869002578386" border="0" /></a>rachel thought she needed some curlers too. i only had hair for about 4, to rebekah's 20. they were very cute though!!<br />so thursday, i started getting a tickle in my throat, and it didn't take long for my body to decide it was at war. i woke up saturday, the day of our big Collin Raye concert, with a barely audible voice, and really hurting when i did try to talk. i preserved my voice the best i could until the concert, and was able to sing a little bit for the first concert. by the second one, my voice was completely shot, and i snuck cough drops in my folder. i sucked on 5 of them throughout the hour and a half of the concert. i only coughed a few times, then went home and collapsed. sunday i was wasted, and didn't get up in time for church. i slept until almost 11, then took a nap at 2. nathan didn't sleep well either, so he came upstairs to sleep with me, and left colby in charge. normally, he does a great job keeping everyone out of trouble. not so with this day. he got caught up in the imaginary world he was in, and rachel got into some serious mischief. i'm not sure which came first, but she put a roll of tp in the bathroom sink, and left the water on. flooded the floor and outside carpet with inches of water, and little floating bits of tp. also, she got out the comet powder and dumped a lot of it on the kitchen floor. i guess she thought she was cleaning. i swept the whole floor of all the dry powder, but she had sprayed windex and bathroom cleaner on it too, so had to mop several times to get all the residue up. i guess that's what happens with a 9 year old is left in charge of a crazy girl named rachel!!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-58707919253173800422011-05-06T22:51:00.000-07:002011-05-06T23:05:13.474-07:00Mom and DadAfter church on Sunday I took the kids over to see my parents. Here is Colby and my mom<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92jO2ezEttKHSPxeVuOXusrxe27X2Zc2zij6buUTcqFtRok7zZVFMBxQvPXeN6ZHgFF6RwoTcQF7FF-xmnizoZOPAsAo8xRCahOnO06PWYV1fwqvjGNhciMOovDxPqX1NBCImTFaM9RTu/s1600/DSCN1051.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92jO2ezEttKHSPxeVuOXusrxe27X2Zc2zij6buUTcqFtRok7zZVFMBxQvPXeN6ZHgFF6RwoTcQF7FF-xmnizoZOPAsAo8xRCahOnO06PWYV1fwqvjGNhciMOovDxPqX1NBCImTFaM9RTu/s320/DSCN1051.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603848914417632162" /></a>Here is the rest of the kids with her.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CWzmbhWBLSwuSdPRXj0TrxsySjR4jVt6B38yk3t0c-AFRTz9Eqzowuv5I1RkMg6xV33aB0btwCC2mpdS_en2kxaVxF-Ho3gzmLEaZLyzQMkMjCbj_hTya_RBZS47R68mOPHuX1Pkexp6/s1600/DSCN1049.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CWzmbhWBLSwuSdPRXj0TrxsySjR4jVt6B38yk3t0c-AFRTz9Eqzowuv5I1RkMg6xV33aB0btwCC2mpdS_en2kxaVxF-Ho3gzmLEaZLyzQMkMjCbj_hTya_RBZS47R68mOPHuX1Pkexp6/s320/DSCN1049.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603848909449348450" /></a>and here they are with my Dad. He is always in his office when we come over, so we have to go in there to see him!! With a computer and his own tv, who can blame him? :)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2T1i37H1qGy-KccZefizUDDwMg6HhJsEK1XRH1A-ss6qfHOk6uEy1qx2ij7JWNtAKVrvtttGEdFduRqSghIEnwV4rVcKNHebDF2mofWCcHMTUm56YR0zteu-_IE9EJvBE2g5bRpMuY4G/s1600/DSCN1053.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2T1i37H1qGy-KccZefizUDDwMg6HhJsEK1XRH1A-ss6qfHOk6uEy1qx2ij7JWNtAKVrvtttGEdFduRqSghIEnwV4rVcKNHebDF2mofWCcHMTUm56YR0zteu-_IE9EJvBE2g5bRpMuY4G/s320/DSCN1053.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603848903302932114" /></a>I was trying to get cute pics of the kids, and this is what they gave me! little Toads!!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtb5NObT0eAeVcH2xJ-1DXWh34pnojNE-zJ8QTyMaHgUy8gF8u8TmEVUlBdMrZgTQeJ7JhLfXggy1o7OkfZnficitRxb3F8CVM30QVsVE-da6qGwK-UgetoQ2FR7i13Y3AVl6VHPmlZgz/s1600/DSCN1043.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtb5NObT0eAeVcH2xJ-1DXWh34pnojNE-zJ8QTyMaHgUy8gF8u8TmEVUlBdMrZgTQeJ7JhLfXggy1o7OkfZnficitRxb3F8CVM30QVsVE-da6qGwK-UgetoQ2FR7i13Y3AVl6VHPmlZgz/s320/DSCN1043.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603848901724473234" /></a>My new dress. I got it for Kirsten's wedding, but had to see how comfortable and resilient it was first. And I got new shoes, which I love. Not sure if they go together well though....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkG8ygZtf2zCMBnXprOwfGtJTzwiYkvXWAoYNmpenfRBKIK7X4PFobCLhaoHYdCh1QFtY3BZcWGy1tDpFqaYGso3BXtQ0ikksUyBJvqjdl2ljLNCeivF6UmVBdGFc8j2-V2cX-iMlKTQv/s1600/DSCN1048.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkG8ygZtf2zCMBnXprOwfGtJTzwiYkvXWAoYNmpenfRBKIK7X4PFobCLhaoHYdCh1QFtY3BZcWGy1tDpFqaYGso3BXtQ0ikksUyBJvqjdl2ljLNCeivF6UmVBdGFc8j2-V2cX-iMlKTQv/s320/DSCN1048.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603848894482906130" /></a>Today I went to see a new guy for my headaches and back and everything. I went to his office, way out in Phoenix. Right away, it was different. There weren't six people waiting to get in, and he spent over a half hour with me. He did a minor examination, and listed off some problems I have that I hadn't even told him were bothering me. He gave me explanations for my headaches, back pain, neck and shoulders, all that has ailed me for so long. I was worked on for a while, and left feeling so much better I couldn't believe it. I have had a sharp pain in my low back that no doctor has been able to touch. Chiropractors, massage, anything. When I would sit down to drive, it would just feel like a knife was sitting in my back. Driving home was the first time in over a year that it didn't bother me!! Now all day, I keep waiting for it to come back. It hasn't!! But I do feel like I ran a marathon, all my muscles are SORE!!! Hopefully the exercises he told me to do will help, and I can finally have some relief. That is my deepest wish!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7492157679331421059.post-55613769215867580412011-04-25T15:48:00.000-07:002011-04-25T15:56:17.391-07:00great fun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm5V4O4iSuDbmkuuU3w7ivTqZyNw1oNSN4dFB5YViJbOpWOyUw32aCaxKgwYL1d45_jU0KWhLLdq1FNrzg2ggNOA0NnEC7ZJYW_AWtynM1agPH3PcqyLZoVWvijR_ZOCcQXQX-o23CxxM/s1600/036.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm5V4O4iSuDbmkuuU3w7ivTqZyNw1oNSN4dFB5YViJbOpWOyUw32aCaxKgwYL1d45_jU0KWhLLdq1FNrzg2ggNOA0NnEC7ZJYW_AWtynM1agPH3PcqyLZoVWvijR_ZOCcQXQX-o23CxxM/s320/036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599657451188854578" border="0" /></a>Rachel is constantly asking where Grandpa is, or if she can go to his house. Nearly every day, he comes in our backyard to work on something. At the moment, we have a sea-doo, a boat, and an old pick up truck in there. Not to mention all the yard work he does for us when he can't stand it anymore! Rachel sees him back there, and flips the lock on our sliding glass door, and runs out to see him. Barefoot, through the rocks. She doesn't care. Anything to give her grandpa a hug. She loves him and has such a connection with him!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-aY_JRh4sIoLru-RWiBcAjopP9a5DzPuzv82JKIsA6QbAZuhI5HN9qxLDQkysnNuqk9drE_2okG2qp0zrRpvTGhMytigHy3Yjbg1LXZCIVWuIYAR_9qkY_hXE1YuLq9APkOj02Z-HOsa/s1600/031.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-aY_JRh4sIoLru-RWiBcAjopP9a5DzPuzv82JKIsA6QbAZuhI5HN9qxLDQkysnNuqk9drE_2okG2qp0zrRpvTGhMytigHy3Yjbg1LXZCIVWuIYAR_9qkY_hXE1YuLq9APkOj02Z-HOsa/s320/031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599657445891408162" border="0" /></a>The kids dyeing easter eggs. Rachel thought it was the best, to plop her egg in the dye, and splash it all over. Good thing I have a vinyl tablecloth on the table! They had a blast with the eggs this year.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIUWnVsK98oaqFMigad_kKIofoP9hI2tZDj-ZRL4DkQ1vZXRpTFliUptw9MyN44qfvlQXP40slHGBHzqw_BQwndXn8jSVAd0v4f2F9PIJeHEUpPJQ6vsXKk5WcweCovsRyFYeBEtr5aIM/s1600/030.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIUWnVsK98oaqFMigad_kKIofoP9hI2tZDj-ZRL4DkQ1vZXRpTFliUptw9MyN44qfvlQXP40slHGBHzqw_BQwndXn8jSVAd0v4f2F9PIJeHEUpPJQ6vsXKk5WcweCovsRyFYeBEtr5aIM/s320/030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599657436369824786" border="0" /></a>After a few weeks ago's fiasco of getting white nailposlish all over herself, I thought we could soak her and get it to come off. No such luck. Although she really enjoyed splashing everywhere. A little big for the sink? NAH!!nate and marnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05805687315234073047noreply@blogger.com0