The Crawfords' Crazy Lives!

Many Happenings

2011-12-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

SO busy lately. Unfortunately I don't think 'Hey, I need to get this onto the blog' so this poor Media forum has suffered. We're full of events and travels, but I don't have hardly any pictures, so I'll try and paint a picture :)

- The first weekend in November was AWESOME! I was able to make a trip up to Logan, Utah and have a blast with SO many wonderful friends and family. There were TWO baby showers and about a million laughs. It was wonderful and I am SO grateful for my sister Tasha and many close friends that put together a truly memorable weekend :)

- We then had Thanksgiving down in sunny, Southern California with my Mother-in-law and a few of Adam's family. Adam was able to go golfing a couple of times and I was able to tour a few shops at the outdoor market with my Mother-in-law and Step Father-in-Law. It was SO wonderful to enjoy the warm weather and relax for the weekend :)

- The next weekend we were able to go to Logan, Utah again for the wedding of my little brother :) We were SO excited for these two to FINALLY get married :) She's such a wonderful gal and they are so happy together. It makes my heart happy :)

- Seven days following this adventure (do you see why we've been pretty busy? :), we had another baby shower here in Alamo, NV. My awesome cousin Amie and my dear mother were able to put together another wonderful baby shower full of fun and friends. Everybody has been so generous and helpful with getting us ready for these little twins. It honestly makes me want to cry when I think about all the wonderful people in our lives, both near and far, that have supported us and helped us these past months and even years. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

- Within all these travels, we've been visiting the doctors regularly and trying to follow all instructions. This past appointment had great news and okay news.... My body is doing REALLY well and the bed rest has helped IMMENSELY. My body is now on track with twins at 7 1/2 months and the doctors are really happy about that. The 'okay news' I try not to dwell on and keep me up at night, is that Zach is a little too skinny. He measures in wonderfully with his length, but his stomach is too little. I feel some of it is genetics (taking after his daddy :), but then a few tests showed that the blood flow to the umbilical cord isn't as high as it should be. The solution to this is...... MORE bed rest :) I honestly would stand on my head and drink whole milk if I had to for this little one, but they said the only thing we can do is 'take it easy' and help the blood flow that way. It really is a comfort when he's kicking like crazy, because I know he's okay :) I love that feeling.

- Now Christmas is right around the corner, and I am SO excited! I LOVE Christmas and I love spending it with family. The traditions of music, caroling, and decorations make me feel like a little kid and I truly appreciate the focus we get to have on our Savior Jesus Christ. So many things could be said about my feelings of our Savior, but they're so dear that I have a hard time expressing them..... I truly appreciate his life and his ultimate sacrifice. It's a wonderful time of year to reflect on his mortal life and the sacrifices he made and the love he showed each of us by making these sacrifices. Truly the BEST time of year :)

The Results

2011-10-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

I know this post comes in a little late, but I knew the information needed to be posted onto our blog :) We went to our Specialist a little while ago and we were FINALLY able to find out the genders of our little ones. We get to have a boy AND a girl :) We're SUPER excited to have one of each and to enjoy these sweet little ones :)

This is our boy Zachary hiding his face from the camera. He's shy showing the face, but it DEFINITELY wasn't a mystery as to his gender :)

Our sweet Elizabeth's (Ellie) profile. She would show us her face without any problems, but she was REALLY hesitant to show us she was a girl. Adam says she's not shy, just modest :)

It was SO incredible to sit there for about 20 min and watch while they measured the babies. I could've sat there ALL day watching them measure their brains, kidneys, etc :) Everything looks great for them and they are completely healthy. The Dr. did discover a problem with my Cervix (it's too short), so they've put me on bed rest for awhile (probably the rest of the pregnancy). We've been monitoring it the past few weeks and it has not gotten smaller, so we're feeling good about everything. The Dr. said my body was reacting normally to a 7 month single pregnancy (which is what the weight of the twins were at), but I was only at 5 1/2 months with the two 1 pound twins. SO, we're taking it easy and I'm LITERALLY feeling like an incubator :) Every day I feel SO incredibly blessed to feel them moving and beating me up from the inside out. The greatest gift we could've EVER received and I'm SO grateful to our Heavenly Father. So many blessings.....

The Baseball Game

2011-10-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

Adam's mom asked him what he wanted to do for his 30th birthday and he immediately suggested a trip to see a professional baseball game. We looked into Phoenix, LA, San Diego, and San Francisco, before we decided on watching the Diamond Backs play the Giants in Phoenix. We would be able to meet up with his family there AND enjoy a game. Win, win!

Adam and his mom enjoying the festivities :)

My sister is a HUGE baseball fan and hasn't been able to make it to a professional game, so my family was able to join us for the game! Sweet, huh?

GREAT game to go to! Unfortunately, we had gone there to cheer for the Giants, but the Left-Fielder Adam knows, was out with a blown knee.... At least it was cool to see Arizona do so well :)

It was SO incredibly hot while we were there (ESPECIALLY being 4 1/2 months preggers with twins :), but at least we were able to have a great time with family. I think we might have to turn this into a tradition :)

Bladity Blah

2011-09-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Yup, I DON'T KNOW WHAT to blog about, so that has lead to the silence from this section of the blogging world.... Nothing too crazy is going on - just the regular everyday comings and goings.
- Adam is still working hard at C.O. Bastian High School as a group leader. We're PRAYING with all our heart that he gets another job that will HOPEFULLY open up at the same school. It's as a therapist and he'd be able to use his Master's Degree.... Fingers still crossed (we've been hoping and praying for about 4 months now, so we'd LOVE to see some progress on that :)
-As for me, I've been busy canning/bottling a variety of veggies and fruits, subbing at the local schools, and finding excuses to go to 'Vegas with my hubby :) After I passed the 12th and magical week of pregnancy, I want to live again and I have the energy to do a few projects a day. I never really had too bad of a 1st trimester (I didn't ever throw up or have excessive nausea), but I did struggle with being SO tired and wanting to do anything. I'm told that's normal, but you do start to feel lazy eventually :) I'm about to start my 16th week, and I don't even feel pregnant, except for the KILLER heartburn I have.... I'm starting to show a little bit (which is great to have SOME sign :), but it's not really an 'I look pregnant', its more of a 'Did you gain weight?' look :)
- Adam and I went to 'Vegas on Friday and bought a few Maternity clothes. SUCH a guilty pleasure. We don't have the dinero to blow too much money on pregnancy clothes (and I don't REALLY know how many other pregnancies I'll have), but really it was SO much fun. What girl doesn't want to look nice and fit into clothes while pregnant? Definitely a fun shopping expedition for a couple that didn't know if it would ever happen :)
- I have picked up a love for trying new recipes. I now have the time to experiment and I've found some fun recipes (a few from this blog). Shocking, I know, but I guess every girl can try new hobbies :) PLUS I love cooking with my mom and hubby.
- Is it weird that I PRAY for my siblings to come visit? They need to try some of these new recipes :) AND I miss them.
- We gave in and started watching the series Dr Who on Netflix. COMPLETELY cheesy, but oddly addicting....
- I ADORE this video. She's just SO passionate, it makes me want to cry....
Adele - Someone Like You (Live): Adele performs "Someone Like You" live at the 2011 VMAs.

That's all from us. I hope ya'll are having fun heading into autumn

The Results

2011-07-20T21:44:00.001-07:00

So, after all those crazy procedures, we were FINALLY able to go get a pregnancy test done...... And we can officially announce our entrance into parental responsibility! We were SO excited to get a positive answer on the pregnancy test! 5 years and countless tears have set us up to be RIDICULOUSLY excited :)

We had barely digested that information before we headed into our first ultra sound (at 8 weeks) and found out that we would soon become a family of 4! TWINS! Adam was a little stressed out for a couple of days (you know how guys kick into providing mode :), but we honestly can't stop smiling about the whole thing. We are over-the-moon excited. SO many blessings....

Many people have asked me how I've been feeling, and honestly, I feel I'm doing pretty well. I'm WICKED nauseous all the time (but I haven't thrown up and can basically keep it under control if I eat regularly :), and SO tired, but I've known so many others that have been hospitalized that I feel pretty lucky. I've heard all symptoms can be compounded by multiple babies, so I figure that's why I've been so sleepy. I'll admit, I'm probably being a little bit like a wuss with the nausea, but tell me who DOES like to feel awful all the time? :) So, that's us in a nutshell. We're happy, sassy, and multiplying :)

IVF 101

2011-06-09T20:19:00.001-07:00

I'll admit, I was SO naive when I first went into the In-vitro (IVF) Dr last summer. I truly thought there would be a couple of appointments and then the embryo transfer would take place and we would know within a couple of days if we were pregnant. Not so, my friends. There is a WHOLE world of appointments, medicines, and charting of calendars that I would soon venture in to. So, here are all the dirty details for your reading pleasure :)

- Start Birth Control (on this for at least 2 weeks) to help control when the cycle will happen.

- At least 2 weeks into the Birth Control (up to 4 weeks if needed) start the Lupron injections (Needles. I. Inject. Into. Myself. Gulp!)

- Go off Birth Control and continue Lupron shots (this is when the dreaded monthly visitor comes around :)

- At this time, you start 3 shots a day of Lupron, Repronex, and Follistim (side note. The Repronex is PAINFUL stuff) In this time, I discovered I bruise EASILY. I really never knew this about myself, so I was surprised to see my body spotted with purple bruises.

- After a week and a half of this funness, you go into the dr every morning for ultra sounds and blood draws. You do this until they say your eggs are 'ready' for a trigger shot of HCG they give you. This has to be timed perfectly with your 'egg retrieval' at EXACTLY 36 hours before your procedure. The needle is HUGE but I had an amazing friend that did a great job and I didn't even cry :) (from the size of the needle, I really had worked myself up into a panic and thought I would pass out :)

- You then stop the previous 3 medicines and start taking an antibiotic the night before the 'egg retrieval'. You go in the next morning for the 'egg retrieval' and are put under. Coming out of the procedure just in time to take more medicine and then start Progesterone shots (that you continue until a pregnancy test. If pregnant, keep doing for 6 MORE weeks... Again, Gulp!) These are the same size needle as the GINORMOUS HCG shot, so I'm a little nervous about these...

- 5 days later you then go into the dr's office and FINALLY have the 2 best embryos transferred. Yeah!!!!

- About 12 days after the embryo transfer, you find out if there will be a 'little one' on the way in 9 months :)

Whew! Quite a few steps, right? I appreciated that they gave all those steps only one at a time, so you didn't get confused and mix anything up. This whole experience has been super educational with a steep learning curve. SO worth it though if the percentages work in our favor and we get to finally start our family.

Mother's Day

2011-05-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

I always thought Mother's Day was a good time to remind us all that we should be grateful for the women in our lives (as I feel most Holidays are good reminders :). I never minded Mother's Day..... up until a couple of years ago. I won't go into the gory details, but that Sunday ended badly with me crying like a little baby in bed. I told Adam I didn't think I could handle another Mother's Day at church and I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to stomach the torture again (I might've been a little too close to the situation and forgot that time does pass :) So, any who, I was surprised when this Mother's Day crept up and I wasn't too emotionally distraught. I took a deep look and realized that the first time in 5 years we had progression on the 'fertility' issue, so that was probably why I didn't feel so crushed. The day went without a hitch (gotta see my dear mom and chat with a great mother-in-law :) and then Adam bought me this painting of Hannah and Samuel. I don't know if you can read the caption, but it says 'For This Child I Prayed'. My favorite ALL TIME PAINTING now :) Tears and all that were FINALLY of happiness and I felt such hope for the future.

Cancun

2011-04-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

I happened to mention to a good friend that the snow in January was, "killing my soul" and she agreed that she was feeling the same discomfort :) She is an 'on the ball' type of lady, and before we knew it, she had found a SERIOUSLY good deal to Cancun. The deal included airfare, hotel, and rental car. WHAT?! Needless to say, we were excited to leave the 10 feet of snow that was here in Logan :) Here are a few pics of our wonderful get-a-way :)
Us at 'Explore'. A really cool theme park that had zip lines, underground rivers, and off road vehicles

Can you believe the blueness of that water?! I might be a little homesick for that beach.....

The gang at Tulum, Mexico. These were honest-to-goodness temple ruins built about 100 AD

This is the back part of the temple and you can see how close the amazing Caribbean Sea is to the temple. Can you imagine this as the view from your temple?! SO peaceful...

This lizard almost killed me! He was headed for my lunch and didn't care that a human was right there holding it. I don't think the pic shows this, but he was HUGE! I swear I'm not a pansy :)

I MIGHT have had a birthday while we were there, and it MIGHT have been a big one (beginning with a 3....). But I'm not admitting that age until Adam joins me in July :)

Ginormous stairs in Ek Balam, Mexico (another temple built about 200 AD)

Us at the tippy-top of those ginormous stairs in Ek Balam, Mexico

We're now at Chichen Itza, Mexico. AMAZING Mayan temple with thousands of astrological connections with the layout of the temple grounds and how the buildings are built. I can't remember all the details, but EVERYTHING had a meaning with the seasons and their religious beliefs.

Can you see the carving in this temple called 'the white god'? Yup, that's a white man with a beard.... Interesting, huh? Built about 200AD

This serpent was built as a railing up to the top of the temple (Which we can't go up anymore. Apparently someone fell a couple years ago, and that was the end of touring the temple). There is a period of about 2 weeks where the sun goes across the temple and gives the serpent scales. This JUST happens to end on April 6th.

A temple there called 'The 2,000 warriors'

Then we finished this INCREDIBLY hot/humid day with a refreshing swim in this gorgeous Cenote. They are sink holes found around the Yucatan Peninsula that are filled with fresh water. They use to be for drinking water, but now everybody gets to enjoy them as a swimming hole :)

I know I'm SUCH a geek, but I really enjoy touring old buildings and cultures. There is something to be found in looking through their records and beliefs. It fascinates me to feel like I'm connecting with people that lived thousands of years ago.... I often wonder if they knew their temples/alters/carvings would last until at least 2011? Or if they knew how much we would still have in common 2,000 years later (still trying to raise/teach children values, or do the right things in life) or how very different our lives would now be (with technology and advancement). I felt the same way in Italy and Spain as I did in Mexico and I can NOT wait until we go on another journey :)

Catch Up

2011-04-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

Yup. I have really lost the thread of blogging.... It's so lame to say 'we're busy', but the truth can sometimes be boring :) The biggest news was that we heard back from the Miracle Fund people... WE WERE APPROVED!!!! (we then promptly left on our trip to Cancun, which is why this news wasn't reported sooner :) It happened like this...

I came home from work a little while ago and was on the phone with my sister. I dropped my stuff down and noticed a letter on the table from the University of Utah. I did a double-take and realized the letter was very inconspicuous and only one page (having applied to a couple of colleges/programs in my lifetime, I thought 'Oh, crap'. EVERYONE knows a thin letter is NOT a good sign...) I glanced over it, while my sister dealt with her 18 month old son chewing her out for letting a balloon float out of the car (ps. I LOVE my niece and nephews! :). Nothing jumped out at me, so I went back and started reading the whole letter. 10 very short sentences latter, and I was screaming and hollering to Adam. I ran over to him and yelled, "Is this for real?!" He started laughing and said, "I think so!" I hollered at Tasha to hold on a min and then went tearing through the house laughing, crying, and generally making a fool of myself :) I couldn't stop repeating over and over, "I can't believe they got back to us so quickly!.... I can't believe they approved us!" I'm pretty sure my sister thought I had lost my dang mind :) Eventually I explained to her what all the chaos was about and then SHE started laughing and being just as crazy :)
One of my all-time favorite memories....
So, pending a visit from a Social Worker (they treat it like an adoption), we will start all the meds soon and do the whole procedure in June.... Thank you all for the millions of prayers you have already sent up. Thank you for your support and love! We would appreciate one more favor... if a couple more shout-outs for everything to go well in June could be sent to our Heavenly Father, that would be swell :) Truly we are blessed...
(Cancun pics to come soon :)

Weddings and News

2011-02-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we were able to go down to 'Vegas and enjoy the wedding of Adam's mom. She has found a great guy and they decided to 'tie the knot'. It was beautiful and we THOUGHROLY enjoyed the sunshine and wonderful weather.... It started us thinking that maybe we needed to be further south....

We came back up and stopped at the Clinic there at the University of Utah and the Doc gave me a clean bill of health! WAHOOO!!!! We were VERY excited to have that step done, but knew the next couple of steps would be critical.... Another Doc had to review everything and decided if we would be 'worth the risk' of using these private donations to pay for our In-vitro. Fast Forward another week and TADAAAAA!!!! We got a phone call from the head of the Miracle Fund and she said the 2nd Dr gave us the green light!!!! So, now we have an appointment set up with her (kind of an interview/application process). Our info will be brought before a board and they will decide if we can use the Miracle Fund to pay for In-vitro. We would appreciate all thoughts and prayers sent our way :) The whole process is nerve wracking, but the past several years have smoothed down my edges and have me relying more on the Lord and his timing. I can sit there and stress out and make a million phone calls, but none of it will progress until his timing has been met. He's really starting to teach me to become more Zen :)

Surgery

2011-02-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

We've been trying for 7 months to put some paperwork in for a program called the Miracle Fund. It's set up through the University of Utah and is funded by private donations to help people with the cost of Invitro. There is a MILE long list of requirements but if you jump through all the hoops, it's worth it, right? Well, that's what I thought 7 MONTHS AGO. It has been a never ending process of 'one last test' and trying to hit the right time of the month to take the 'one last test'. But we BELIEVE this past week we finally did our last test/proceedure.
One of the Xrays/dye tests found that I had some skin in my Uterus that needed to be trimmed out. This said skin didn't prevent pregnancy, but could increase the chance of miscarriage (not what we're going for when you drop $12,000 on Invitro :) So, my dear sister took me down to SLC last week and I was put under to have the knife taken to my VERY sensitive area. All I could think was, "PLEASE let this be worth it". We will be going down to 'Vegas this weekend for my Mother-in-law's wedding, and we'll stop through SLC on the way back to see if everything was successful. Fingers crossed!

Poor 2010

2010-12-31T09:32:00.001-08:00

I hate to say it, but 90% of the people I've talked to are HAPPY that 2010 is about over. 2010 has gotten quite the bad wrap! There have been SO many trials or heartbreaks this past year, that most of us are excited to change that calendar over:

- Back mishap in April (on my birthday) that caused intense pain for 6 weeks.....

- Playing Volleyball in July and snapped my Achilles Tendon which has lead to 5 months of Physical Therapy and pain..... NO sports for another 8 months (mandated by Dr)

-Lost 3 grandparents this year

-Rough and awkward work situation with bosses that makes me look forward to May....

-Adam's dad fell off a ladder and broke his back (through miracles he WASN'T paralyzed)

-SEVERAL loved ones are getting divorces, which entails tons of changes and heartbreaks....

-The ever present fertility issue just gets more and more complicated. Now there is another surgery needed before we can even think of starting in-vitro.....

As you can see, it's been a memorable year :) I've pondered this past 12 months and I can see the hardships that have been present, but every step of the way I can also see the blessings. I struggled SO much with my leg being out of commission for so many months, but having my sweet hubby, parents, siblings, and friends there to help me along the way has really made me feel SO loved! With the passing of loved ones, I've been able to look at and be grateful for the eternal perspective we have... The knowledge that our Heavenly Father and Savior are there for us, is truly priceless. As I've been praying heavily the past 6 weeks to forgive others, I've been able to grow in my appreciation of a loving Heavenly Father..... I know this is all temporary, but he continues to listen to my prayers and tears and comfort me. And through all this other chaos, he has whispered to us repeatedly that we will one day have children in our home. Having the patience to not know when this will happen, is another area of growth, but no matter how many times we ask, he comforts us.... This past week we celebrated our 5th anniversary and I continue to be amazed that he is my husband. How can a girl be so lucky? He is one of the greatest blessings in my life and I appreciate that the Lord has us together to get through all this craziness we call life.

So, I hope you all have a fantastic New Year's celebration and an even better 2011! May we all continue to grow and survive that growth :)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T12:52:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all! I love this time of year. I really can't believe it's come around again, but it truly makes me feel like a kid again. I love the traditions, the music, and the peacefulness that comes with this wonderful holiday. My favorite part is that we can finally stop and think of the birth and life of our Savior Jesus Christ. His life and love of us hits me every day in a multitude of different ways, but this time of year it seems to overwhelm me at times.....

I loved this section of a talk that was given by President Monson: "Brothers and sisters, this joyful season brings to all of us a measure of happiness that corresponds to the degree to which we have turned our minds, feelings, and actions to the Savior, whose birth we celebrate.

There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ. Let it be a time that lights the eyes of children and puts laughter on their lips. Let it be a time for lifting the lives of those who live in loneliness. Let it be a time for calling our families together, for feeling a closeness to those who are near to us and a closeness also to those who are absent.

Let it be a time of prayers for peace, for the preservation of free principles, and for the protection of those who are far from us. Let it be a time of forgetting self and finding time for others. Let it be a time for discarding the meaningless and for stressing the true values. Let it be a time of peace because we have found peace in His teachings.

Most of all, let it be a time to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the Wise Men."

I'm so grateful for our Heavenly Father and his Son. Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you all for being such great people. We are so lucky to have such wonderful people we are related to and have been able to meet such great friends. Wonderful blessings.....

Whirlwind

2010-12-12T16:23:00.000-08:00

Whirlwind is kind of an understatement. We've been ALL over the countryside the past couple of weeks having a ton of fun, but the blog has been neglected :) (Come to think of it, so has our house.... NO Christmas decorations are up yet.... HOPEFULLY tomorrow for Family Home Evening...)

To start everything off, we had a fantastic Thanksgiving at my parent's house in Nevada. The food was great and the warm 70 degree temperature was just right :) Unfortunately I had a terrible meeting right before the break, and I spent too much time crying over the long weekend. It has been a huge struggle for me to forgive some of the awful things that were said, but I've been able to pray a ton and see a few miracles come out of all this. Not what I had in mind when I prayed for 'growth' :)

After talking with a few people when we came back, I was able to clear up a few things and head out on our next adventure with a little less weight on my shoulders. For our 5th anniversary, we had talked about checking another item off of our 'Bucket List'. Going to a professional football game was that exciting item. Then we found out that a few cousins/best friends were going around the same time and that sounded even better! So, we headed down to Phoenix and watched the Cardinals play the Rams. Honestly, I was like a child on Christmas morning. I had never been to a professional game before and I was pleasantly surprised that it was almost like a carnival! SO much was going on at all times, that I would sometimes forget to watch the game :) Unfortunately I forgot the camera, but Scott and Deanna took a few and I'll post some of those when they catch up to the curve ball life has thrown at them recently.....

We rolled home late Monday night and have been slaving away ever since with 2 Christmas parties, Adam working until 10:00 a few nights and juggling Tithing Settlement, and ward conference thrown in there as well (Now you might be able to see why the Christmas deco hasn't made it up yet :) Like I said, 'Whirlwind'. With all of the craziness, we've felt a bit overwhelmed, but then we've been able to find small snatches of time together that have been priceless. Driving the 18 hour round trip from Phoenix or even driving down to Eden for Adam's Christmas party, has helped me 'recharge my Adam battery' :) Those little moments of stolen time are what keep us afloat. I'm so grateful to our Heavenly Father for this guy. Seriously, one amazing kid, and I appreciate his love and support through all the trials that get thrown at us. This past year has been difficult with all the health problems and trials, but Adam has always been so strong. Let's hope 2011 isn't as crazy :)

Timing

2010-11-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

I have these fun, light hearted blogs planned in my head, and then life happens and those posts get bumped. So I'm sorry if my blog has turned into a 'heavy' read :) However, my head has been swimming lately with the concept of timing.... You really start to feel like plans are crusin' along and then 'BAM' a road block come up. You feel like it's the biggest inconvenience ever, but once you make it around the new impediment, you see why it had to happen as it did (frustrating, right?)
When I was 20 or so, through a series of spiritual events, I decided to go on a mission for our church. The timing of that ended up being perfect and I was super excited to head over to Spain. While there, everyday things worked completely on the timing of other people's choices. After many frustrating and awesome experiences, I got home. I thought I had this timing thing figured out.
Then it took me a little while to find my amazing best-friend and marry him. Again. Timing. At the time, I couldn't figure out why I hadn't found him yet and what the meaning of it all was. But as I look back at the timeline of our lives, I could see why Heavenly Father had allowed me to work and wait awhile.
Soon after, we were married. And, even now 5 years later, we wait for those kids to join us. We continue the endless cycle to dr's offices and figuring out the correct times of the month. I don't understand this trial yet, but I do have confidence the Lord hasn't deserted us. I do know that he has a plan (even if I forget that at times and have a good cry :)
Now we have another thing to wait on. We had started to look into buying a house. We have the loan and mortgage figured out and we were about to start doing walk throughs and tours. A couple of days ago we were called into the Stake President's office and Adam was asked to serve as the 1st counselor in the Bishopric of our Family Ward..... So, guess what else will be waiting for a while? :) While we were talking with the Stake President, we both felt a huge confirmation that the housing plans should be put on hold for a while....
I sometimes think the Lord gets a good chuckle. I might have quoted this before, but there's a Hebrew phrase that says, "If you want to see the Lord laugh, tell him your plans." So true, right? I do know everything in life has an order to it. I do know there are blessings associated to each sacrifice and the willingness to serve. Sometimes I wonder why we have to do so much bumbling around, but I guess that just helps us learn more.

2 Weekends and a Funeral

2010-10-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

October started out with a bang and HASN'T STOPPED YET. We have been running EVERYWHERE. The first week, I had Parent/Teacher Conferences crammed into 3 days (that's 30 meetings people!) and then we headed off to sunny Albuquerque, NM for the weekend. I truly love going down to New Mexico. I always find something new and different there (PLUS it's warm :). We were able to enjoy a couple of care free days down there with Adam's dad and step-mom (Thanks guys!)

But when we were driving home, real life came crashing back. On the drive home, my mom called to let me know that her father had just passed away. We had been given a little warning, so I able to talk with him on Friday (Hardest. Conversation. Ever. How do you end that phone call?....) I truly love that man, so it was hard to imagine him passing on..... He's struggled with health problems for so long, that I just assumed he would always be around (even if diabetes had made him blind, caused his kidneys to fail, and led to heart problems....). But, he has been able to join his mom and dad, who've already passed, and I KNOW he is happier there without all the struggles his body has given him.

So, we got home from New Mexico, packed up again a couple days later, and headed up to Lovell, Wyoming. LOTS of car-time, but it was a beautiful ceremony and it was GREAT to see some family members I haven't seen in 8-9 years (Averett's don't keep in touch very well....)The week before, Grandpa had set up for us to go fishing with one of his Best Friends, so we even spent Saturday fishing in his memory :) Needless to say, we have had some crazy weekends, but we're glad we were able to see so many family members.

The Grand Canyon

2010-09-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in previous posts, Adam and I LOVE to travel. It's in our very blood and has led to many wonderful and amazing adventures in the past 5 years. Adam was feeling a little anxious to hit the open road over Labor Day weekend so we looked at our Bucket List and found something that was within our price range. The Grand Canyon was the lucky winner :) I was a little nervous because of my walking boot, but there were still plenty of trails and sights for me to hobble around to.

A big bug that welcomed us. I have NEVER seen a beetle this big!

Complete bliss

Our view while eating lunch. Amazing, right?

Livin' on the edge

Cutsie couple shot :)

I LOVED this adventure and I'm SO grateful for our get-away. This summer wasn't full of fun traveling like some in the past, so it felt refreshing to sneak in a quick trip. We also want to send out a HUGE thanks to my sister's In-laws the Stouts. They were amazing and let us stay with them while we were traveling around. A perfect end to 'One Crazy Summer' :)

Baby Thoughts

2010-09-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

I've tried to analyze myself these past several years, but I've never been able to figure out why Autumn is the season that hits me the hardest. I will cruise right through all of the other seasons, but when September/October comes around, I start to ache incredibly for children. We haven't wanted to complain or rail against the heavens for this trial, but sometimes I want to say, "This sucks. No, I don't know how this will turn out." We do look to our Heavenly Father a lot on this subject, but the ache doesn't completely go away....

My good friend Cally recently sent me a newspaper article that perfectly worded how this gut-wrenching trial feels. It is an article written by Laura Bush (which I hadn't known beforehand that they had dealt with infertility). She says, "The calendar advanced, and there was no baby. The English language lacks the words 'to mourn an absence.' For the loss of a parent, grandparent, spouse, child, or friend we have all manner of words and praises, some helpful, some not. Still, we are conditioned to say something, even if it is only 'I am sorry for your loss.' But for the absence, for someone who was never there at all, we are wordless to capture that particular emptiness. For those who deeply want children and are denied them, those missing babies hover like silent, ephemeral shadows over their lives. Who can describe the feel of a tiny hand that is never held?"

As I read this article, I finally felt like someone had ripped the words from my heart and laid them out for the world to see.... THIS was what I have felt while crying in the dark hours of night. THIS is the description I wish I could give to people when they ask how I'm doing....

Yes, I know people say I will long for these quiet times when I'll have a crying baby in my arms, or that I should enjoy the time I have. I kind of cringe when I hear this. I wonder how they picture my life? Adam and I DEFINITELY don't lay around crying all day. We travel around the world. We go on dates. We laugh. We play. But at the end of the day we don't have a little one to carry on our name or a little body to snuggle with that tells us they love us. THOSE are the moments we ache for. THOSE are the moments that make it hard to swallow the pain. This is why we pray for God's help...
(PS. I REALLY hesitated posting this.... It's so raw...)

New Chapters

2010-08-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

A lot of 'new' things and firsts are happening around here.

1. I am now off of crutches! Yeah!!!! HATE those things. But now there is more pressure on the injured leg, so it hurts more after those long days of school :(

2. Adam's job is off and running. He finished his first full month there and he's really enjoying it. He now has clients (which makes him one happy camper) and he is really getting into the groove of the company.

3. I took my first steps without my boot this week. I honestly feel like a 1 year old again (or maybe Bambi on ice :), but it's the little things that make you happy. Steps (unassisted) are a big deal around here.

4. Adam had his first school year in 4 years where he wasn't drug to an elementary school for long hours of helping me :) I had some absolutely AMAZING friends come through for me to assist with the set up. Adam was working LONG hours and I had crutches, so my angels from above stepped in and made a miracle happen.

5. I had my first day of school.... Gulp... I know it's my 4th year of teaching, but honestly I get nervous EVERY year. I get so anxious with meeting parents, figuring out the little personalities of my students, and then making sure it all runs smoothly. And THIS year had the leg pain added in, so I was pretty anxious. We are still in the 'Honeymoon' stage of the school year, but this class is going to be really great. A lot of funny and sweet kids.

6. For the first year since we've been married, we didn't get to go the the beach or have a travel crazy summer. I have mixed emotions on this one, but it makes me think of other possibilities now... For instance, my amazing cousin Kalee is now in Belgium playing professional basketball, and who WOULDN'T want to drop in on her?

7. This past little while is the first time in over 3 years that I haven't been through a crazy emotional rollercoaster every month when we find out we're not pregnant. In-vitro will be stinking expensive and I know it sounds weird, but it's been great to have that weight off my shoulders the past little while. All the 'what-ifs' and 'should I be doing more' are gone. Now we've got to get the money....

It's been pretty crazy around here with Physical Therapy appointments scheduled around our work days, and life crammed in around all of that. But we're doing pretty dang good. Life is a blessing. I ran into one of my all-time favorite quotes today. It always makes me happy - "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt. All I can say is "Amen, Eleanor." :)

Adam's Big Day

2010-07-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

He turned the big 2 9!!! I know it's stupid, but I was glad to have him join me in this age I've been at for the past couple of months. Unfortunately he had to work that day, but he was able to take off half of the next day and go golfing and enjoy himself. I love that everything he wanted was toys :) A kid at heart for sure.

Adam has been my best friend for so long, that I forget how I made it through the first 24 years of my life without him. He is an amazing man and truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. He has really earned this good name the past month or so with having to deal with a 'crippled' wife. He is one patient guy and I love him dearly.

4th of July mayhem

2010-07-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

It all started with Volleyball.... Doesn't most of lifes crazy, hairy raising adventures start with sports or outdoor activities of some kind? I'm starting to feel that way.... (Check out the bruising in this pic!)

We were in glorious Nevada for the 4th of July weekend and we had been enjoying ourselves immensely. Swimming, paintball, and playing cards had been occupying our time up until Saturday when the town festivities were scheduled. I was really excited to play in the volleyball tournament that was set up and I was REALLY excited for the team we had lined up. All family and good friends, so I was looking forward to a day full of volleyball. Well, apparently I'm not as young as I thought I was.... We were playing some fast paced, hard games and I was wearing out :) I told myself to buck-up and quit being a pansy, but 3 hours into this shin-dig and I wanted to just lay down :) We were on the last point of our 6th game when I apparently reached the end of my rope... I headed up to the net in a totally normal move (to cover our hitter), when I felt a huge "SNAP!" It felt like somebody and thrown a brick at my ankle.... I was really confused that somebody would throw something at the court during a volleyball game and I started to look around. Then the pain hit.... I couldn't support my weight anymore with my left leg, so I collapsed to the floor. Holy crap it hurt! After they carried me off the court, I was given rough news when an EMT told me it was probably my Achilles Tendon and we should head to the E.R.

Good bye wonderful 4th of July weekend! We wrapped up the useless ankle and headed on over to St. George. The E.R. visit was only about 45 min (amazing, right?) and they said, "The Achilles was torn at least 90%"... What?! I think I freaked the Doc out when I started to cry with the news that it would be a 4 month recovery.... He told us to find an Orthopedic Surgeon in Logan when we got home and to get in ASAP. I was able to get into the dr. 3 days later and surgery was then scheduled for the following day. I've NEVER been under the knife, so this was a point of anxiety. I made it through and I've been able to start down the road to recovery with the help of an amazing husband, friends, and family (thanks mom for coming up for a week! :). I'll progress from my hard cast through a soft cast (still with crutches :( and make my way to a walking boot and Physical Therapy.

The roughest part for me has been the stupid crutches. EVERYTHING is SO much harder. It's a trial in patience, for sure :) I HATE asking for help, so I feel like a little princess when I ask for a drink of water or for something that's upstairs.... On another sad note, I couldn't teach Summer School, so I couldn't make the money that would be my ticket to my Ireland/England trip that was planned this September... A couple of tough pills to swallow, but honestly I'm doing really well. Some days I wonder if I can make it out of the house, but I've had so much great help from my wonderful mother and family, and some amazing friends that the time has gone quickly. Can I send a shout out to my SUPER patient husband? He has REALLY spoiled me these past couple of weeks, and I SERIOUSLY don't know what I would've done without him :) The logistics of keeping a house clean with laundry to be done, trying to shower with this huge cast, and feeding me regularly has really put a load on him as he carries a full-time job. Oh, I LOVE him..... I SO don't want to go through this again, but I have been able to see many great blessings that have come from this trial. Needless to say, it's been an interesting experience :)

An afternoon out

2010-06-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

The other day my sister and brother-in-law had the FABULOUS idea to head up a canyon and cook our tinfoil dinners (My family always called them hobo dinners. Anyone else?). It was one of the few nice days we've had up here, so it was great to get away and enjoy the weather. Oh, I LOVE summer!

Delicious dinner! I added some cheese to the mixture and it turned out quite tasty :)

The cutest little guy and his awesome mother :)

World Cup

2010-06-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

I've never understood why the U.S. doesn't get as crazy about soccer as the rest of the world does. I actually didn't find the passion until I lived in Spain (Adam played soccer when he was younger and in High School, so he's been in LOVE with it his whole life :) After living in Europe and having a soccer loving husband, my eyes were finally opened. The skill required to negotiate the field, have non-stop play and running for 90 min straight, to be able to have the ball change directions in mid-air, and then to do this all without using your hands (Eat your heart out Princess Kobe Bryant :) is amazing! Needless to say, we are a soccer house hold. Which brings us to the Mecca of soccer, The World Cup.

THE WORLD CUP only comes every 4 years and is a solid month of pure soccer bliss. This round places the tournament in South Africa which obviously puts everything in a different time zone. Do you think this is going to stop us? Nope. We just stay up later and wake up earlier :)

The U.S. vs England match last Saturday was highly anticipated and lived up to expectations. Controversy and excitement over a tie? You definitely don't find that in just any sport :) We're only a week into this treat and you better believe we will enjoy the other 3.

I know.....

2010-05-25T15:13:00.001-07:00

I know we're boring and haven't posted for awhile, but we haven't had anything "post worthy" happening around here. Don't get me wrong, we've been so busy I've wanted to pull my hair out, but who wants to blog about that? :)

I've been finishing up this school year (tomorrow is the last day!!!! :), and I just shake my head and wonder where the year went? It seriously feels like March, so I haven't been getting too excited about the last day of school. It didn't hit me until today when we were taking things off the walls and packing everything up. We also don't have any crazy plans this summer, so it's weird to feel so relaxed about the coming months (I might be able to go to Ireland/England in September, so there is that to look forward to :) I always hate ending a school year, though. Some teachers might disagree with me, but it's hard to start over with a new class. I swear, I just get them trained and I just figure out all their little personalities, and they move on to 4th grade, ripping your heart out. Go figure.

Adam has been madly studying for his Clinical Exam that he has tomorrow, which pretty much determines when he can start his job. I have loads of confidence in him, but we're still praying like crazy that he'll do well (you have to cover all bases, right?) It's wicked hard and expensive, so we'll be glad to have that behind us.

Besides work, studying, church activities, family time, friend time, and doctor's appointments, it's pretty calm around here :) Anybody else think May is ridiculously busy?

Hallelujah!!!!

2010-05-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

GRADUATION!!!! When we were married 4 1/2 years ago, this day seemed like it would never happen. Getting through our Bachelor's degrees and then a subsequent Master's degree was not within reach. I don't think I have an imagination large enough to think of our lives without semesters or all-nighters finishing homework... BUT I don't have to try and imagine now! It will be our lives, so now I can find out day-by-day :) The day was beautiful and I couldn't stop watching Adam during the ceremony.... It just seemed surreal and I was SO proud. I am incredibly grateful for all his hard work and patience. Oh, I love him....

AND we recently found out that Adam was able to get a fantastic job!!!!!!!!! Yup, he will enter the work force within his field of study. Pretty excited about that! It's with a company that has offices all over northern Utah, so we will be here for a couple more years. We want to settle down further south, but the economy needs to even out a bit.....

Let There be Fish

2010-05-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

There's been an inside joke between Adam and I about our ability to keep things alive. We always have good intentions, but every plant that has entered this house alive, has left in a trash can. We've often laughed that maybe THAT'S why we don't have kids yet; They wouldn't make it a week :) But we decided we needed to 'dig a little deeper' and see if we could keep an animal alive. So, we got fish. Easy, right? The experts at Petsmart gave us a HUGE list of things that needed to be done before we could even get our hands on a scaly little friend. We followed everything to the letter. And the first night we had a casualty.... We relied on their 2 week guarantee and had to exchange one little body. I felt like such a criminal when I went into the store for the exchange! But since this little hiccup, we've been able keep all our little ones alive (We had a little scare yesterday involving too much sunlight, but everyone made it through the night :) Phew!

We bought this side table for the tank, and I LOVE it!

Moments

2010-04-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those moments where everything just feels wonderful? You feel so content and life just feels great.... NOTHING in life is perfect and I think we would get spoiled if everything did fall into place. But every once in awhile, there are those moments where I sit back and I think to myself "This is happiness. This moment right here." You might be surprised to find that NONE of it involves money or extravagance, but it always involves my sweetheart and our family and friends.... Those sweet moments make everything worthwhile. Even when work is crazy or I have 10 meetings in a week, I think to those simple moments when the world was "okay" and I realize I might survive :)

Learning

2010-04-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

Our topic this month is "Learning" and it was my turn to do the Newsletter. I thought I might as well put my thoughts on the blog too :)

I remember as a little girl, watching my mom read. I still remember being amazed at the fact that she could stare at those squiggly lines in the book, and have a story unfold for her. Books were such a miracle to me that opened a whole new world of possibilities. Using these books for my continual learning, and consequentially my Education, has always been an important part of my life. My parents put such an emphasis on our schooling, that there never was a question about its importance. For this, I will forever be grateful. To learn new things and be open to new possibilities is a gift without value.

“Reduced to its simplest definition, education is the training of the mind and the body. Education is the great conversion process under which abstract knowledge becomes useful and productive activity. It is the something that need never stop. No matter how old we become, we can acquire knowledge and use it. We can gather wisdom and profit from it. We can grow and progress and improve,” President Gordon B Hinckley.

Our education is a progression and can be improved throughout our lives. The resources we have available now are incredible. Almost any questions our brains come up with can be answered with a short search on the internet. Using these tools appropriately, we would be able to understand more than any other previous generation. This is a great gift from our Heavenly Father, which is another example of His endless love. “There is only one Source whence men obtain wisdom, and that is God, the Fountain of all wisdom,” Brigham Young.

May we all keep learning :)

Crochet and Cake Decorating

2010-04-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

Lately I've had this huge curiosity to try a bunch of new things. Maybe I'm realizing I haven't tried a ton of new things, because I knew I wouldn't be immediately amazing at them ;) That is definitely one of my faults. When I play sports or do projects I feel like I have to have perfect results. I've always struggled with that. I honestly think I'm too lazy to work on something and not come out satisfied with whatever I was working on. Go figure.

So, I decided to try my hand at crochet. I've actually learned quite a few stitches and it's not as hard as I thought it would be. EVEN better! However, to read a pattern is still a struggle.... I'm working on making anything harder than a pot holder ;)

Also, when we were down in Albuquerque, I was pretty immobile with my back. My Step-Mother In-law introduced me to the world of Cake Decorating. I never knew what was out there! The possibilities of beautiful flowers and designs, just boggles my mind. I'm pretty excited to be able to explore these techniques. I'm not very good, but it is fun to create things with sugary goodness ;)

Birthday Surprise

2010-04-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

My Birthday was on Saturday this year, so Adam planned a "big-secret surprise" that required a Friday off of school. Darn it. ;) The only hint he gave me was that it was in Ogden..... So we arrived HERE!!!! I was REALLY excited!!! He kept asking me if I was nervous, but I honestly didn't have any reservations. I just jumped right in and floated around ;) The only worry I had was if I would be able to breathe in the wind tunnel. No problems with that all! For some reason the wind doesn't affect your breathing. It was a surreal experience and I LOVED every minute of it!

I LOVED the surprise and I thought it was a great start to my "Birthday Weekend" ;) The next day was my 29th birthday..... Gulp! I wasn't looking forward to this step towards the big 3 0..... But it started out great and events later in the afternoon made me forget all about my concerns with aging.... It all started with an Easter egg. My family has a tradition that involves a mad dash to Easter eggs and the potential prizes they can get for you ;) It was the adult egg hunt, and we were all acting like crazy 2 year olds. The very first egg I bent down for, caused me to start gasping for air! In some crazy alignment of the stars, I had sprained my 'stabilizer muscles'. I had never been in so much pain in my life! The pain was shooting everywhere in my body, but was originating from my low back. After tons of help from amazing family, friends and chiropractors, I now want to live ;) It will take 4-6 weeks for me to feel 100%, but I have improved to the point that I can walk on my own now and even shower myself again. I couldn't stabilize myself which meant I couldn't sit up or stand up without those muscles going beserk.... Did I mention it was painful? ;) Needless to say, I was no longer worried about what age I was. I did think it was ironic that my body wanted to rub it in that I was getting older ;) Here's to wishing for many more (less painful) birthdays!!!

Greatest Dessert on Earth

2010-03-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

Yeah. I'm a little boastful about these. I can't take credit for creating the recipe, but I am pretty proud I can make them without screwing up the recipe ;) I found them through the 'Queen of the Kitchen' Martha Stewart. She put out a Best Selling cookbook that was all about cupcakes. I couldn't believe she hadn't done this before! It's been a ton of fun creating these little bites of heaven ;)

Here's the recipe:

Makes 36
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 3 lemons)
3 tablespoons finely grated orange zest (from 2 oranges)
3 tablespoons finely grated lime zest, plus more for garnish (from 3 limes)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9 large eggs, room temperature

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon finely grated citrus zest, such as orange, lemon, or lime
3 tablespoons fresh citrus juice, such as orange, lemon, or lime

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour and salt.

2.With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl every few minutes. Add citrus zests. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla. Add eggs, three at a time, beating until until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in four batches, beating until completely incorporated after each.

3.Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full; tap pans on countertop once to distribute batter. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4.To finish, dip tops of cupcakes in glaze, then turn over quickly and garnish with zest. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are glazed; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Ahhhhh.... Weddings

2010-03-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

I really don't view myself as a hopeless romantic, but there is something about weddings that make me cry like a baby. Everything is so fresh in their relationship and everybody is so happy. It just touches my sensitive side ;)
This past weekend we were able to attend the wedding of a person we all refer to as "Rocky" ;) Hermana Rockwood and I were companions on the mission, and have stayed great friends these past 7 years or so. We were so excited to see her and Jarom get married (we've been rooting for him the past 2 years!). I'm not super happy he is whisking her away to New Zealand for the next couple of years, but maybe that will give us an excuse to do a little sightseeing down there.....

Life Hunting

2010-03-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

Isn't it interesting how life works? We work our behinds off for 20 years through school, and then what? We have to search for our Life.... A very nerve wracking and stressful process. I went through a minor "Life Hunt" 3 years ago, when I graduated from college, but I found a job so quickly that I didn't have too much anxiety. However, Adam's Life Search is starting to really stress me out. This is the real deal. We've got to find a job, a house, figure out where the Lord wants us..... Then we need to see how it would affect us long term with children (school districts, is family close, etc)..... It's pretty overwhelming to say the least.

I think it's pretty ironic, since we've anticipated this time for SO long ;) When we got married over 4 years ago, there wasn't even a light at the end of the tunnel. No worries on trying to find our Life and pay off those student loans. Well, time does pass and it does sneak up on you. So, now we grow up and find our Lives. Here's where the Faith kicks in and we rely heavily on the Lord. Which helps my anxiety ;)

What will we do next winter?

2010-03-03T14:22:00.001-08:00

This coming Saturday marks the end of a tradition Adam and I have had since we were married. Every winter we have made several trips to the Huntsman Center to watch our cousin Kalee Whipple play a little B-Ball (I hope it's not a sin to have too much pride in this girl, because we might be in trouble ;) Sometimes my sisters would come, or other family members, and it would turn into quite a party. Needless to say, we Whipples are not quiet at sporting events ;) But it has always been a pleasure, which has brightened our quite, slow January days. We've been able to watch her grow up and keep updated on how she is doing over greasy skillets from the Village Inn kitchen (at 10 o'clock, that is the only restaurant open ;), while laughing at the completely random topics that come up.

I will truly miss those times..... She has grown up on us and is now a Senior. Saturday will be her last game before the MWC tournament. I'm pretty proud of her. Not just how well she has played, but how well she has handled it all. It's been awesome to see her grow in talent as well has a person. She is known to be shy, but I'm impressed with how well she deals with random people walking up to her and asking for her autograph. It'll be fun to see how she does in the draft these next couple of months. Oh, our little Kalee......

Nothing better than friends

2010-02-26T16:22:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to give a shout-out to friends (which of course include those wonderful family members that put up with SO much). I know this sounds SO cheesy, but I've really been thinking about this lately. Since this is the location for my "Thought Vomit", I figured I would have a stab at it ;)

I've been in shock lately from the support we've received. I know we've been exceptionally lucky in life to meet or grow up around amazing people, but it has really hit home these past 6 months. From phone calls, to packages (Ang, you angel ;), to emails, and even acts of service, it has been amazing. I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for showing your love. Thank you for taking a break from your hectic life to give us words of encouragement. Thank you. It really is appreciated and your kindness is a balm. We are truly blessed

I HEART the Olympics

2010-02-22T18:09:00.001-08:00

I was one of those geeky kids that would run around the living room, firmly believing I was sailing across the ice or vaulting on a twisted ankle and obtaining that perfect 10. I have always been OBSESSED with each event and every revered champion. I don't care if it is the Summer or the Winter Olympics, if they are in our time zone, or if everything is across the world. Every 2 years, my TV does NOT change from the NBC stations and I'll be watching even if it is 3am. Yes, crazy. I know.

Luckily, my BFF I married is just as obsessed! It surely was destiny ;) We could tell you all sorts of facts and statistics about any event and any contender. Funny enough, Adam has really started to get into Curling (I told you we watch EVERY event ;) It is SO funny to see us cheering for these sports we don't follow the other 1,461 days between Olympic ceremonies. We have been in heaven the past 11 days, and I will be a sad girl when that flame goes out this Friday...... However, maybe I'll be able to get the Olympic theme song out of my head ;)

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat

2010-02-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

One of my students is really excited about the theater and was recently involved in a production of Joseph
and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. The parents asked if Adam and I would like tickets and I quickly agreed. I hadn't seen the play in 12 years, but I remembered it was pretty good. I had forgotten how good. I LOVED the play! It was SO funny! I especially liked how this theater had added different local sayings to the dialogue (a couple of advertising quotes and of course the good guys were wearing Aggie Blue ;) I had such a great time.

Is it weird that I had an Epiphany in the middle? Sometimes things just hit me at the most random times, and I'm pretty sure Adam thought I had lost my mind since I was crying during a "non mushy" part ;) It was during a song that Joseph was singing right before the Intermission. He had just been thrown into jail after the whole Potipher incident. I realized he didn't know where his life was headed. He had lost everything. Again. Yet he still had faith in his God. So, I started thinking about all the famous people in the Bible and History. Anybody that came to mind, had their trials and through their darkest moments, they did not know how things would turn out. I'm sure they had doubts. They didn't even know if they would have a happy ending or not. But in the end, God had it all under control. It helped me realize that even in our darkest moments, our Heavenly Father will have everything taken care of. I heard a great quote the other day,"Don't worry about tomorrow, because God is already there." I find great comfort knowing that we're all in good hands.

Nope, life's not fair

2010-02-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

So, I've been thinking lately that the old adage is true "Life's not fair." We don't get everything the neighbor has and we don't get it right this minute. No matter how hard we rail against life or shake our fists at the heavens, many facts in life stay the same..... No matter how hard you want to find Mr. Right, or when you think you should be able to have children, or even if you desperately want a loved one back for "just one day", it doesn't happen in our time. AND THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!!

But then I think to myself "What, or better Who, would I be if I received everything I wanted? Would I care about anyone else? Would I feel empathy or be able to relate to their situation? Would I even look outside my own narrow view and lift others up? No, I don't think it would happen..... Which does make me grateful for trials..... They help us reach out. Look past ourselves. Even when our own hearts break, we are able to see through the pain and connect with those family members and friends that we are all privileged to know.

This past month we started the medical side of receiving help with starting our family. To be brief, it didn't work. There's always next month, and yes, we believe the Lord is in charge, but does that erase the pain? Nope. Does that mean I'm smiling through every step of this whole ordeal? Nope. As I said, "Life isn't fair", but in the long run, I'll be okay with that. Right now the pain is intense and at times sneaks up on me, but I'm able to take things one step at a time, one day at a time. And that's all the Lord asks of us.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2010-02-07T00:16:00.000-08:00

A huge mouthful, right? LOVED this book written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It's an interesting read because the entire book is made up of letters written to the characters, but man is it written well. For the first time in awhile, I read a book and FELL IN LOVE with the characters..... You actually feel like you know them and understand the difficulties they felt during World War II. They are sarcastic and just plain real. Some have become my heroes.... A sure sign of a great author. Find it.

THAT couple

2010-02-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are THAT couple. We have become the nerds that can't get enough of Family History. For one of our New Year's Resolutions, we decided we needed to start exploring our ancestors. Neither one of us knew a whole lot about our ancestors past our Great-Granparents. So, we decided that Sunday would be a perfect day in our crazy schedules to work on this new adventure. Needless to say, we have been blown away by what we have found. We've only been working on our Family Tree for a month, but the coolest stories have been found and I have truly come to love these people we came from. I would give a lot of money to be able to have a nice chat with a few of them. We found one of Adam's ancestors that lived in Philadelphia during the mid to late 1700's..... He was pretty influential and I would LOVE to know who he chatted with or even met on the streets! So like I said, we are THAT couple ;)

New Obsession

2010-01-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

It's pretty ridiculous that we are SO addicted to this game. I mean, with how busy our lives are, you would think we would want to spend our time with sleep or something a little more constructive. But this game is amazing!!! You're able to put your lines onto the other player and you have items that are used to trip them up.... Anybody with a little competitive spirit has got to love that right? When we get playing, an hour can pass without us even realizing it.... I don't even want to shower or worry about anything trivial like food. After we play it, we both have the blocks and shapes running through our minds..... Is that healthy? It can't be, but you better believe I will be walking over to that Wii soon ;)

Snow Again

2010-01-20T12:57:00.000-08:00

Well, the snow has come again. For the first time ever I am actually happy about this (Don't ask Adam, because he always loves this white stuff ;) I'm excited this time, because the air quality has been awful the past couple of weeks, so this storm is making it possible to breath again. Logan has the most beautiful mountains, but because of these great 'ole mountains, we sometimes get the worst inversions. Literally the air was liquid and the students couldn't even go outside for recess (which equals a teacher pulling their hair out ;) Now I look out my window and I can see those beautiful mountains and enjoy breathing again without a sore throat.... Very satisfying indeed!

Bumps

2010-01-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Life is good. TONS of blessings. Job is going well. Adam is cruising through his semester. Just cleaned the entire house, so I was productive.

And the only overwhelming feeling I have today is discouragement...... I have so many blessings and yet my heart breaks for my brother right now. He's a fantastic kid, but called us last night and told us that his dream of going on a mission will not happen. While he sobbed through his explanation, all I could think was "But, I still love you." I wonder if that is how God feels? Does he watch us make choices and then when we collapse in front of him sobbing, he says "But, I still love you" ? Does he want to hold us like I did for my brother last night, even though he was hundreds of miles away? Because I have complete faith in my Heavenly Father's love, I dare say he does. Which kind of helps the sad funk I am in today.....

Stuff and Anniversary

2010-01-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

This past year my family was able to align schedules, and we were all able to gather in Nevada for Christmas! I was super excited and looked forward to Christmas like a little child ;) We had such a great time catching up, spending time shopping and generally eating too much..... I do love the holidays! ;) Christmas morning was really great with a little niece and nephew LOVING Christmas, Santa, and all the excitement.... my overall sentiment of the whole Holiday was peace and relaxation. EXACTLY what we needed after the craziness of the last couple of months.

Right after Christmas, on the 29th, fell our 4th Anniversary. LOVE IT! It was Adam's turn to plan the festivities, and he did a marvelous job ;) One thing we agreed on years ago was that our Anniversary would NOT just randomly get squished between Christmas and New Years...... I still wanted it to be important. So, Adam took me to the Cheesecake Factory! I do love this man. I have been craving their fabulous food/dessert for a couple of months. We did some shopping and then headed to the temple.... a perfect way to remember our wedding day. Loved the day and REALLY love the man and all his quirkiness ;)

Then came New Year's Eve.... How is it possible 2009 has already gone by? Wicked fast year, but I find it interesting that almost everyone I talk to seems to be glad it is gone.... Poor 2009. The unwanted year ;) I have mixed feelings about '09....I have learned a lot about myself and growth has been great, but some of it has been painful and is something I'm okay leaving behind in the dusty file labeled 2009.... I guess that's the novelty of a new year, the unexpected possibilities that are waiting around the corner. With Adam graduating with his Master's Degree and a great Dr, I can't wait to see what will be in store for us

December

2009-12-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

Isn't this the time of year where you get to relax by the tree with all its lights? I always dream of such a time, but I think life is just SO much crazier..... Adam has finished with school, but hasn't really slowed down. The calling he received last week was Young Men's President. That has kept him hopping ;) I chuckled and said it was nice to be in the Bishop's office and not have it be me all sorts of nervous ;)

I think everybody should experience just one holiday as a teacher. It is the most wild, crazy experience you will ever have. One moment you are wanting to kill the little creatures and the next they are so dang cute. I'm down to counting the hours until the little rugrats are completely in the very capable hands of their parents ;) Then it's off to enjoy my favorite holiday!

We recently had some great testing results come in, and at this point we are very hopeful in the whole "finally-being-successful-even-if-we-have-to-steal-a-baby" process. We found an amazing doctor, which I feel makes all the difference. Here's to finally making some progress in 2010!

Realistically, we won't be able to get a Christmas card out this year, so I just wanted to express love to you all and say "Merry Christmas"! I feel very grateful for all the amazing family and friends we have been blessed with. You're all just "amazing pieces of wonderfulness" in our lives ;) Merry Christmas!!!!

What the...... ?

2009-12-08T16:01:00.000-08:00

I need some feedback from everybody. What is the etiquette of text messages? Aren't the rules that apply to phone calls the same for text messaging? So, don't send 'em super late?!
I seriously couldn't believe what happened last night. I received a text message from a person I had texted earlier in the day (noonish, and I really don't know them all that well) and they texted back at 11 o'clock at night!

*Now as a disclaimer, I believe it is totally okay to text family or close friends that you KNOW are awake

The reason why this really 'ruffled my feathers' was that the night before had been pretty chaotic. The Christmas tree went crashing down at midnight (Adam said he "had a wrestling match with the Christmas tree last night... it won, but the Christmas tree then wet itself all over the carpet in protest!" Everyone's a comedian..... :). Then Adam was up until 6 in the morning finishing up his last assignment for the semester. Problem with the all-nighter (besides we're old and hate doing that anymore ;) Is that he had to be up at 8 to hand it in..... The long term plan was for him to get to bed at some point in the day, but he had such a long to-do list (one of those being, making dough for my class. TOTALLY bailed me out, since I forgot we were making volcanoes), he never made it back to those comfy, wonderful sheets. So I put him to bed at 8 and finished some chores around the house. I headed up to bed at 10 and struggled to unwind... finally drifting off to sleep and BAM! Here comes the text! Woke us both up... As many people know, Adam struggles getting back to sleep.... GRRRRR.... I was NOT happy about that text. Some of this frustration comes after a 2am text I received on Sat! Am I crazy for wanting to strangle the messenger last night? ;)

Life and its schedule

2009-12-01T15:27:00.000-08:00

I feel like we have been running around like crazy people these past couple of weeks, but it wouldn't be that interesting to blog about ;) I had a surprise phone call from our Bishop a couple of weeks ago, and as a result I was called to be the 1st counselor in our Relief Society Presidency. That really hopped up the busy factor ;) Adam laughed and thought it was funny, but then he just received a phone call from the Ward Clerk yesterday and will find out tomorrow what he has been targeted for ;) I figured it was pay back!

We were then able to spend our Thanksgiving Holiday down in Carlsbad, New Mexico with Adam's family. Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE my Mother-in-law? SUPER great lady and I really enjoyed the time we had with her. While there we were able to take a trip into the Carlsbad Caverns National Park and took a million pictures that I will post later. Then it was back to reality and the crazy schedule once again.......

I looked at the calendar today and realized it was only 2 1/2 weeks until we could escape down to Alamo and my family..... I have been a little homesick lately so I'm looking forward to that journey!

I was given the biggest compliment today..... I have a coworker that I chat with a lot about the different trials in life and especially the difficult time we have had in starting our family. She said she was so proud of how unbitter Adam and I were with the whole process these past 3 years, because her daughter had started to get really mean and cynical. How can you not cry from that comment? About 8 months ago, Adam and I decided we would start looking at the blessings that were coming in and not focusing on those that weren't. I also changed my prayers from "Please let me get pregnant" to "Help me deal with the pain..... Help me grow." It has been amazing to feel the comfort and strength we have received the last several months..... By focusing on the blessings, we've really been able to notice the presence of our Heavenly Father. He guides us every day and it's been so great to see the millions of other blessings in our lives..... I feel so loved ;) I've also been able to notice changes within myself and figured I must be headed in the right direction.... Always forward, right?

I have another 2 meetings tonight, so I better take off.... I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving and know that we love you!

Bunco

2009-11-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

This past week I was newly introduced to the fabulously addicting game of Bunco. A couple of months ago I had a friend ask if I was interested. I said sure, but didn't know much about it..... So they put me on an alternates list, and I "got the call" on Tuesday. A group of 12 is needed to play the game, so I help out when someone has a scheduling conflict. We meet up, eat dinner, and then play like crazy people for an hour to win these pretty great prizes. What a great idea! Who wouldn't want to get together with the girls once a month and have a grand 'ole time? Right up my alley ;)

Blizzard (And not the good kind from Dairy Queen ;)

2009-10-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

Having grown up in Nevada, I have a certain expectation to how my seasons should unfold. To my utter amazement, THIS is what greeted me at the front door yesterday! WHAT?! It's only October!!! With several sighs and many groans, I headed out into the whiteness to earn a couple of dollars.
Speaking of work, I had quite the adventure today. We had barely lined up for morning greeting in the gym, when the other 3rd grade teacher ran up to me and told me one of my students was having a seizure. Talk about adrenaline rush! I tore across the room and saw that my amazing aide had her on her side already to make sure she wouldn't choke on her tongue. So, I took off across the school to have the office call her mom and get her back as soon as possible. The other 3rd grade teacher was amazing and took my class, so I could focus on this sweet, little girl. We then moved her into the office and kept her awake by chatting to her about her Halloween costume. I had to go back to class, but I was relieved when I heard her mom had showed up within a couple of minutes. Whew! What a way to start the day ;) Needless to say, it was a crazy start, but I was really grateful that everyone was okay. It's really great to work with such amazing people too. Another full day of hitting the curve balls that are thrown to you as a teacher ;)

Halloween Happiness

2009-10-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Probably my new FAVORITE cook book out there is a book I found while wandering the wonderful rows of Borders. I stumbled across this little gem and I have been LOVING the recipes! I seriously get excited just thinking about WHEN I can make them ;) So the big decision now is if I should make spiders, swamp fingers, or peanut butter, chocolate dipped eyeballs for our class party......

Jet Skis on Hyrum Lake

2009-09-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

Adam helped a friend/classmate of his a TON last semester, so his buddy said we could take his Jet Ski out anytime this summer. Well, this summer flew past and we finally got the chance to take them out this past weekend.

Wow! I had a TON of fun! I had never spent the day on Jet Skis before, and I couldn't stop laughing! It was the best feeling in the world to just lay on the accelerator and literally fly across the water. Adam was pretty helpful, but at one point he was teaching me how to do donuts and I went into it a little fast. The next thing I saw were his legs as he flew off the Jet Ski! (Did I mention it was a ton of fun ;) It was a great Saturday and we decided this was a NEEDED expense when we got older. (Disclaimer: This is a picture I stole from the Internet ;)

Running......

2009-09-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

For years I've been sad about the fact that I don't have an exercise buddy near by that could help me stay motivated. Well it hit me all of a sudden that I did. And he even slept in the same bed! ;) So, I thought I was really clever and that this would be the most perfect solution to getting rid of those unwanted pounds.....

Did I ever mention that I HATE running? I absolutely LOVE sports, but the idea of putting my body through pain and then gasping for breath when there is no goal or point scored, is such a let down. ;) So, when that alarm clock goes off in the morning and my sweet husband bounds out of bed ready to go, I kind of want to throw pillows at him (Did I ever mention I'm not really a morning person either? I love staying up late, but it takes forever for my brain to wake up!). Good thing Adam is really patient and laughs off my groggy threats. He helps me get going and out the door a couple of times a week. Maybe he missed his calling in life and should have been a personal trainer...

School days = Sick days.....

2009-08-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

Well, we are right back in the thick of things! Adam is constantly busy with his school schedule and his practicum... matter of fact, where is that husband of mine? He has been in trainings until 9:00pm almost every night the past 2 weeks. Bless his heart! He is doing well though and really enjoying his practicum work. He loves the agency and the help it gives to various families.

I am in my 3rd week of school and didn't waste ANY time in getting sick ;) I have NEVER gotten sick so much in my life, until I became a teacher.... those little germ carriers ;) So I am now battling a vicious, vicious cold.

My class is great though and I am enjoying the school year so far. I really do love teaching 3rd grade! They still love their teacher, but I don't have to wipe any noses ;) A great new thing this year is that my students last year get to come back and visit. I have LOVED this!! Last year, I moved schools, so I knew I would never get to see them again (my heart broke). But this year I get to see them every day. They have been stopping in the classroom and keeping me updated on their lives and experiences in 4th grade. I do miss those kids and honestly you can't beat their thoughtfulness. The future is bright with this next generation.

A little late, but still sincere

2009-08-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

This blog is quite late, but I did want to recognize my sweetheart's birthday. He turned the big 28 a little while ago and did it with a lot less emotion then I did ;) I admit that I struggled with the concept of being so close to 30, but he didn't even give it a second thought! Maybe it's just 'cause men don't care about these things ;)

On his birthday we were down in Nevada for a family reunion, and the only thing he requested was lunch at Red Robin. He started this tradition when he was about 12 and unconsciously (until this year ;) we had kept up that tradition. We had fallen in love with Red Robin when it became our date-place in Provo, so off to 'Vegas we went with my cousins Amie and Kelly. It was a really great day and super chill. We hadn't been able to hang out with them and chat for quite some time, so it just added to the whole 'fun factor' of the day ;)

He told me he felt "spoiled" from all the gifts and attention from everyone, but I just think he deserved it. He is truly the best guy EVER and I love him to death. I don't know why I was able to find this guy, but the stars aligned in June 2005. He is so selfless and I appreciate his continual help with my callings and classroom. He is my knight ;)

Portland

2009-07-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

So last week, Adam was talking with his mom and she mentioned that there would be a family reunion the next week up in Portland...... Yup, you guessed it. We loaded up the car a couple of days later and headed out for a fantastic adventure! ;)

We ADORE the North-West and really anything about it. (Well, the huge amount of rain might not be totally cool;) We drove straight to Eugene,OR and had the opportunity to have fabulous friends that took in a couple of vagabonds for a couple of days. We stayed with our good friends Teressa and Dave, and had SUCH a good time! We went to the beach, snuck in a good 'ole game of dominoes (Dave you're going to be humbled next time! ;), and caught up on all the good stuff in life. Thanks you guys!

The BEST restaurant on the planet!!! I LOVE this place!!! Food straight from their backyard ;) (Adam doesn't like seafood, so he was a champ to let Teressa and I have a treat)

The view from our table

It was pretty windy at the beach, so Adam found another way to entertain himself ;) Didn't I say in a previous post that he will find random ways to entertain himself? Photo proof is now available!

Unfortunately I totally forgot to get pics with Teressa, Dave and their ADORABLE little girl, but I guess that just gives us an excuse to see them again soon ;)

So, on Friday we headed to pick up my Mother-in-law from the airport and start the busy family weekend! We had such a good time touring around Portland and seeing all of the old hangout spots she had (Bev grew up in Portland, so we were able to see some really cool stuff)

At the Rose Gardens once again! I love this place! Dang gorgeous

Visiting my future house once again ;)

After the Pittock mansion I got to go to my little heaven on earth... Powell's bookstore! Could life get any better? An ENTIRE city block with 5 stories of wonderful books.... Ahhhhh..... DEFINITELY heaven ;)

Then on Saturday we headed downtown to the Portland Market. I really enjoyed being able to just wander the booths and see all of the handcrafted items. There are some seriously talented people out there!

Adam enjoying the trip

Then we headed over to the reunion and had a grand 'ole time chatting with everybody. It was good to meet some of the cousins I had never met and it was good for Adam to see some of them for the first time in 10 years. Gotta love family get togethers!

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, so we had to head back home on Sunday. On our way home, Adam wanted to show me this random little spot on the Oregon/Washington border. There was this random guy that had seen Stonehenge in England when he was there for WWII and he decided to build another one in the state of Washington. It's in memory of those soldiers and is COMPLETELY random ;) Adam told me I could scratch this off of my Bucket List and I said it didn't quite count ;)

Bear Lake

2009-07-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know how this paradise has escaped my attention before, but it is honestly a piece of heaven! Adam hadn't even been up there until a month ago and he kept saying "This is huge! I never knew it was so big." My surprise was the sandy beaches..... almost as good as the coast ;) We had planned this expedition a couple of weeks ago with my sister and brother-in-law, Tasha and Justin, and some friends Collin and Michon. It was such a fun day! We were able to just relax and play in the water until we were worn out. Definitely a perfect day ;)

Adam settling in for a wonderful day in the sun ;)

The cutest little swimmer on the lake!

The boys burning all their energy off playing Frisbee in the water.

Wyoming, Part 2

2009-07-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

So we were able to have TWO full weeks with family, and enjoy the fairly mild Wyoming weather. The second week started off really great with a girl shopping trip up to Cody, Wyoming. It was really great to just chill with my sisters and mom (and Mylah ;) but getting out of stores quickly is NOT always a talent the Whipple family has ;) I guess it has been cultivated over several generations! We had a great time and I loved our girlie trip.

The next day, My dad, my brother, Adam and I got up bright and early and headed out to fish on Sunshine Lake. It was gorgeous! I had so much fun! (Even if I did get out-fished by my husband ;) I guess I had been too cocky the week before.....

We got rained out for a bit, but headed out on our boat again after only half an hour.

Enjoying the view

After we enjoyed Sunshine Lake, we met up with my sister Tonya and watched Transformers 2....... was anyone else disappointed in the sexual content? I really liked the story line, but was SERIOUSLY disgusted in how they tried to sell anything inappropriate..... maybe I'm getting old, but it won't be a video I add to my collection.

The next stage in our vacation was heading back up to the mountains! Justin had joined us from Oregon, so we were able to head back up to the mountain for 2 more nights..... seriously my happy place! I love it up there.

The view from our tent. Gorgeous, huh?

One night we were peacefully playing Dominoes and in walks this moose! It walked RIGHT BY our table! If I would have reached out my hand, I could have touched the dang creature ;) All I could think was "Don't move.... please don't charge us. Don't move" ;)

After the excitement with the big ole' moose, the boys decided they needed to have a boat race. Whenever Adam gets bored, he starts pacing around trying to find something to entertain him. This night his creative mind came up with the race of the century! (We're not entirely sure who won..... there were a lot of rocks on the home stretch ;)

The race is on!

This is what happens when you take an adorable 2 year old to the bathrooms in the mountains! Check out all the beads! A random lady thought she was the cutest little thing and gave us a HUGE handful of beads..... go figure. It pays to have an adorable niece ;)

So, then we headed down the mountain on the 4th of July and helped my grandfather with his firework stand. Can I just express my intense love for Wyoming on the 4th of July?! EVERYTHING is legal to set off there! We went crazy for about 2 hours at my uncle's house and the boys LOVED the legal opportunity to light the world on fire ;) It was awesome to laugh until my sides hurt!

I LOVE the 4th of July..... it's really great to think of what this country stands for. I truly appreciate what our military men and women do for us and pray for them always. God bless America.

A couple of days later we headed home and back to reality. It was really special to spend so much time with our grandparents. I love them dearly and appreciate their patience in putting up with us! These moments go by so fast....

Wyoming: Part 1.5

2009-07-08T13:16:00.001-07:00

After reading the blog, I (Adam) felt the need to interject and comment about the whole "catching a 'tree fish'" scenario. Yes, I did throw my hook-n-bobber into the tree, but in my defense there are a few factors that my wife failed to mention:

1. The tree was practically in the water (to those of you that were there, go along with it or your Christmas presents are in jeopardy)…
2. I think that my hand was pretty well maimed after taking that hook into my hand, thus throwing off my aim. Also, I noticed that she didn't mention that it was HER fish that I was pulling the hook from--I do have one tough cookie of a wife, but she draws the line at grabbing a slimy fish…
3. I was trying to cast between Shari’s line—being the accommodating husband that I am—and the shoreline (in total maybe a 30 degree area). Given that this was really only my 2nd official time fishing, that tree at 45 degrees wasn’t that bad of a shot…

By all other accounts, Shari’s post is correct and I can now whole-heartedly endorse this blog… Stay tuned for more, including a close encounter of the moose-kind!

Wyoming, Part 1

2009-06-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

When we were younger, my family would always take a summer jaunt up to Wyoming. This 18 hour drive became a fond tradition for all of us to visit my mom's parents and family. Over the years, we collected quite the collection of wild fishing and camping stories, and sometimes there would even be some cousins to play with! ;) We always loved the Wyoming Trip and looked forward to it.

Well, the stars aligned this year, and all of my family was able to make it up here to Wyoming (except Tasha's husband Justin will be joining us in a couple of days. He's working in Oregon so he'll come over on a break) During this trip we have been making the most of our time!

On Monday, my dad, Nathan, my Uncle Wade, Adam, and I went Golfing. So, I must be getting better, because I beat them ;) Yup, you read that right! We had a ton of fun, but I think the mosquitoes got the better of us. They wouldn't leave us alone! We always joke that is Wyoming's state bird ;)

Tuesday we headed up camping and had quite the trial getting out of town. One car had troubles with the battery and then the truck had problems with the alternator! But we finally got up to the campsite and promptly started playing dominoes ;) I'm not sure when that tradition started, but we play dominoes everytime we hit those Big Horn mountains. We finished just in time, because it started to rain while we were cleaning up.
The next morning was a little damp, but my dad fixed a killer breakfast and we set out for the lake to go fishing. Because my brother was the last one to join us in our family, I was usually the child that went fishing with my dad growing up. I have several fond memories of us and our several fishing trips. We got into quite a few scraps and loved every minute of it ;)
My husband on the other hand, is quite new to this whole fishing experience! Adam decided he was going to do all of the rigging and everything by himself and wanted to fulfill the "teach a man to fish" parable. Well, after he cut himself on a hook when a fish was flopping around and then he caught this tree, he was done. He threw in the towel. Left his hook and bobber up in the tree and started his crossword puzzle! In his defense, it was wicked cold and not a lot of action was happening in the water ;)

Soon after that we had to leave, because the rain was coming down hard and the fog was rolling in.

So we headed down the mountain and got up early the next morning for a cool hometown parade the town was having for it's "Lovell Days". There have been some really cool events all week, which were concluded with a spectacular firework show on the lake last night. I loved it! We were able relax by the lake and enjoy the beautiful surroundings..... such a great week. Full of more wonderful memories.

The Bucket List

2009-06-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

So I've been adding to this list for awhile (and I will continue to do so). Some of the things I have been able to cross off my list and so I will give them an honorable mention ;) Adam has agreed to cross at least one of these off my list every year or every other year...... we'll see how things go ;) Some will be easier than others and I DO (hopefully) have several years to do all of these ;)

To Do: (In no particular order)

1. Tour the Parthenon in Greece (For that matter, MUCH of Greece ;)

2. Ski in the Alps

3. Walk in Stonehenge

4. Go to a taping of the Price is Right

5. Walk in the Garden of Gethsemane and visit the Tomb

6. View the Grand Canyon (Yes, I know it's ridiculous that I have not seen that yet when I grew up within hours of the place ;)

7. Tour a real Pirate ship.

8. Go sky diving (but the closest I will probably get is one of those vertical wind tunnels. I HATE heights!! ;)

9. View the blue, blue waters of the Caribbean

10. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon (Reference #8 and realize I will be doing this clinging to Adam ;)

11. Walk on, and hopefully camp on the Great Wall of China.

12. View and tour the Pyramids

13. Participate in a marathon

14. Adopt a child (And NOT because all the weird stars are doing it right now ;)

15. Paint a real landscape picture.

Been able to do: (These have all been on my list for awhile)

1. Married my best friend ;)

2. Touched an iceberg

3. Toured the real Disneyland Castle in Spain!

4. Been to the location of the "Birth of the Renaissance"

5. Been through the Nauvoo Temple

6. Gone rock climbing

7. Gone white water rafting

8. Toured a village from an ancient civilization (Nothing makes you feel younger ;)

9. Been in 4 states at once

10. Enjoyed the cramped quarters of a Submarine ;)

11. Got kicked off a train in France/Monaco (Well, that might not have been on my original list, but I did feel like a rebel ;)

Quite a list to get done, but it will be fun checking them off one-by-one ;)

10 years

2009-06-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? I don't feel like a teenager anymore, but I swear it has not been 10 years since we all graced the halls of Pahranagat Valley High School! Well, even if it seems crazy, we DID have our 10 year reunion this past weekend, and I had a really good time just chatting with everyone (I had been up until 3 in the morning the night before..... I hope I wasn't too delirious... I had helped my mom with Grad-night and I think I might have been a little punch drunk at the reunion ;) We were able to just relax and catch up a bit. Some of my classmates I hadn't seen since graduation, so it was pretty weird seeing them married with children! It was a great BBQ and I was very grateful every one took the time to put everything together and join the chaos ;)

It really does seem like the time has flown, but I have been grateful for the several experiences and blessings I have had the opportunity to go through in the past 10 years..... I don't know what my Heavenly Father has ever seen in me, but I truly feel grateful for the time he has spent on shaping me and trying to make me a better person. He truly loves each of us and I appreciate his constant guidance..... Where would we be without him?

Up!

2009-06-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

Adam and I decided for our date this week to go and watch the new Pixar movie UP. I definitly have to give it 2 thumbs up! I was hesitant, because Wall E was just "okay". I wasn't sure how they could make a movie about a man and a million balloons floating around, but I have to tell ya, it made me double over, full-belly laugh more than once! It starts out with a couple of tear jerking moments, and then I couldn't help but join in with the little kids behind us and laugh my head off. Over all, I think ya'll will like it.

Not much....

2009-05-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

Things have been fairly normal these past couple of weeks, but A LOT has been going on. Adam FINALLY finished his first year of his Master's Program and I couldn't be more proud. He got a 4.0 both semesters! So I'm hoping those brains will pass on to the next generation ;)

With Adam finishing his semester, it also means we have lived up here in Logan for a year. I can't believe how FAST this past year has gone! Have we REALLY been up here that long? Nah....

I have been getting my class through our end-of-year-testing.....those couple of words wrap up a CHUNK of emotions! As a teacher, these tests can be VERY frustrating! You know you have gone through all of this 3rd grade information a ZILLION times, and yet you just pray that they retain some of it ;) All of the testing is now done electronically, so I got some of the preliminary scores back within 24 hours. They did really well, but then they were a great class. I'm pretty proud of 'em.

This weekend, my mother-in-law Bev is coming into town, so we should have another action packed weekend ;) I really enjoy these weekends we have to visit with family and just relax... There's NOTHING better in life

Albuquerque

2009-04-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we hadn't traveled in a couple of weeks, so we decided we needed to get away for awhile. ;) Albuquerque sounded like a fabulous destination, so that was the lucky town! Really, Adam's dad lives down there, and we hadn't been able to visit him for awhile. Easter Break was ideal, so we headed off.

On our way down, we really wanted to stop in at Mesa Verde. We had vistited once about 4 years ago and I had wanted to stop in again. I LOVE this place! It is one of the most beautiful places on earth and I can't help but be in awe at the structures that have survived since about 300 AD

Adam enjoying his time by the Long House village

We were able to spend a couple of hours in Mesa Verde, before we headed on down to Albuquerque. While we were there, we were able to relax and enjoy our time with Adam's dad. We went golfing and generally just had a good time.(Golfing was DANG hilarious and there is a VERY good reason why I DO NOT have pictures of that! I now have a huge admiration for Tiger Woods and his talent ;)

We had to leave Sunday morning, so that was our Easter Sunday..... driving for 12 hours. It was a doosie of a drive, but I did convince Adam to stop in at Four Corners. I'm not entirely sure why I really wanted to head there, but it was pretty cool to be in four states at once! ;)

It was so nice to have some time off to tour around and visit family. It was a needed break and I'm glad everything went so smoothly. Now to get through my class's end of year testing.....

The 28th B-day

2009-04-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's bound to happen to all of us..... yes, we all start to get old! :) I entered the day with some hesitancy, because I wasn't quite sure how my mental state would be when I realized that I was WAY too close to the big 30. But the day was a lot of fun! Adam went out of his way to make sure I wasn't too traumatized. ;)

The students were really great that day, AND it was only a half day of school so I was able to go home at 12:30! (PLUS, it was the beginning of Spring Break, so a full week off..... Heaven....)

That night Adam had put together a WONDERFUL dinner that we got to share with Tasha, Justin, and Mylah, and some great friends Colin and Michon. I had told Adam that I WAS NOT doing dished on my birthday, so I thought we would be going out for dinner. But he put together the most wonderful Garlic Sirloin and did EVERYTHING that day. He had made my cupcakes (I wanted those instead of a cake) had the dinner set to go, and I truly didn't have to wash one dish.... man I love this kid!

So to follow my dream dinner, we played my favorite game, which is Dominoes. I love that game! It was a ton of fun, and I appreciated the patience of friends and family while we played this long game! (I even think they let me win.... there is no way I could have beat everyone by 200 points! ;)

Then the guys wanted to bust out the Wii and have some fun with Rock Band. It ended the night with a bang, and helped me enter this 28th year... I look back on some of my crazy adventures, and I can only be grateful for the wonderful experiences and people I have come to know and love. Thank you for your friendship and love! I can't believe the blessings that keep coming....

Beautiful Nauvoo

2009-03-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

"The Beautiful" is the translation for the Hebrew word Nauvoo, which is a small town on the edge of Iowa and Illinois. Now this little town of 1,000 people might not seem like a highly anticipated vacation destination for most people, but for members of the LDS church it is a wonderful place to stop and remember the sacrifices of the pioneers and first members of our church. It is ideally located on the Mississippi River and was the location of our church in 1840 before we moved out west past the Rockies. There are still several historical buildings that are amazing to see and right up my alley as a self proclaimed "history buff"!

We set out on our crazy excursion with a friend of mine from my mission, the one and only Tiffanie Player. Now, this was not the first time the three of us had headed out on a wild hair. We had been together on our European Adventures 2 years ago. This was the infamous tour that started in Spain, followed by France, and finishing in glorious Italy. We were ancient tour buddies, and we were excited to restart that travel bug ;) (And frankly, why not have some more fun?) Starting off in Kansas City early Thursday morning, found us broken down an hour later in Cameron, MO.... this was a little hiccup, but it did not stop us! Enterprise (the rental agency from Heaven!) brought us a car, and we were on our way again. However, I don't believe Adam saw this as quite the salvation. They brought us a PT Cruiser....I don't know how many of you know about my husband's intense hatred for that particular Chrysler model, but to say the least, he wasn't entirely ecstatic about our new "ride" ;)

But we were on our way again, and we arrived in good time. The next morning found us all over Nauvoo. We had such a relaxing time, but we were able to see everything. I was having the time of my life!

The beautiful temple rebuilt after a 160 years

I have been wanting one of these cool bricks for years!!!!

The gang back together again on the banks of the Mississippi

The quarry where the original marble was taken for the 1840's temple

The Wilford Woodruff home that has been completely restored. After all their hard work, they were only able to stay in the home for 100 days. Even after they had crossed the Mississippi to head West, Wilford came back to patch a hole that was in the roof! They were such hard working people and you can tell how precious this place was for them

Adam and I dancing on the same ballroom floor that Joseph and Emma Smith danced.... Ahhh!!!! I know that was what you were thinking!! ;)

I'm calling everybody to order in the 18th century school house!!! It's a talent that is ageless ;)

I'm not sure what this dude is doing in the "Hall of the Seventy" ;)

We then headed out to Carthage, IL to view the jail where Joseph Smith was martyred. It is a very simple set up, which basically outlines the couple of days leading up to the attack on the jail. It was a sweet reminder of the wonderful work Joseph did in his short life and the sacrifices they all made in restoring the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A window in the room where all of the men were held. (Same one Joseph fell out of when he was shot)

Adam had never been to any of these sites before and he made a really cool observation while we were there. He felt that the rebuilt temple and the surrounding area was a wonderful tribute to those hard-working pioneers that sacrificed so much.... they went through a lot to be able to worship freely. I loved this thought! It truly is a great place to see history and feel the power of our ancestors and the restored gospel.

Snow Shoeing

2009-03-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Snow shoeing has always seemed like some obscure Alaskan/Swedish sport to me, so I never visualized myself strapping on the huge-flat shoes and heading on out. But, this is where I found myself this past Saturday. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and the temperature at a lovely 40 degrees. We set off and trudged around for 3 or 4 hours..... I really did have a lot of fun, but I have decided I don't have any Alaskan/Swedish blood in me ;)

I though this was cute ;)

A Plumber?

2009-03-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

Thursday I decided to be a wonderful wife, and have dinner all set and ready for Adam when he got home. He has had a couple of really stressful weeks in school, and I knew that night was going to be an "All Nighter" with his homework. A nice dinner waiting for him might help him to get an early start, right?

Well, this was the plan I set out to accomplish, and it was all derailed right in the middle! I had everything under control until the sink started acting up. I had been trying to load the dishwasher at the same time, but the water level on the sink just kept getting higher and higher...... I figured the only thing to do would be to start taking apart the sink. It went a little something like this:

I was SOOO excited that I actually fixed it! I even had everything all cleaned up when Adam got home. So next time you guys have a problem with your plumbing, just call me! $75 an hour, phasha! (It ended up being a popsicle stick with junk built up behind it..... it must've been from the people that lived here before. Go figure ;)

And to top it all off, this was going on while dinner was cooking.... Shouldn't there be a "multi-tasker" award? ;)

Make me cry

2009-02-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

Many of you may know that Adam and I have been trying for a couple of years to have a family. (That little statement has SO many emotional strings attached to it..... Why us? What can we do differently? Are we not good enough? etc, etc, etc. It goes on and on....:) Through these times, we have always had such wonderful support from friends and family. The heartache is still there, but a little while ago Adam and I decided we were not going to let this bring us down. We wanted to be able to look at the good things that were still going on in our lives. Through this mind set, I truly feel we have been able to find the millions of blessings that still flood into our lives every day. When you go through a trial, it is SO comforting to see the Lord give you a multitude of other blessings in a totally different way.

Through this mind set and several wonderful priesthood blessings, we have felt watched over and protected. Amidst this content though, I still felt like part of our reason for not having children, was because I would be such a horrible mother. (Don't mock the emotional trials of this! It is a valid concern..... Does He not trust me?....)

Anyway, Friday was a usual school day with the usual variety of craziness. At the end of the day, I had a student waiting around for her parents to get out of a meeting. She usually sticks around to help me file papers or sort things, so I wasn't thinking too much about what she was doing, until she turned around and looked right at me and said, "Mrs. Crawford, I wish you were my parent." I just froze. I seriously thought I was going to start sobbing like a little girl! ;) Now, I know her parents and I have met them a million times.....they always help out with parties, field trips, etc, so I know they are fabulous parents. All I could do was look at her and say, "If that were the case, I wouldn't mind it." She innocently asked me, "Why?" I had to laugh and responded, "Because you are a pretty great kid."

This simple statement shook me up so much, because if this 9 year old little girl wanted me as a parent, maybe I wouldn't do such a bad job. ;) These students see me 8 hours a day, through the grumpy days and the snowy days...... It was a huge compliment, which is yet another amazing blessing.....

Valentine's

2009-02-24T16:01:00.000-08:00

Any holiday in our household, has to be discussed and planned out before any plans are set in motion. During our first year of marriage, we stumbled around trying to figure out what the other one had experienced the first 25 years of their lives. ;) So we decided we would set budgets and go from there. (Yes, very practical and boring, but it has helped us enjoy every holiday! No disappointment when the holiday does arrive. Especially when my crazy husband is not a fan of the Easter Bunny! Seriously, isn't that Un-American or something?;)

So, this Valentines Day weekend started out fairly regular with us getting up before work and wishing each other a "Happy Valentines Day." I went to school as happy as a kid on Christmas morning, because there was the class party that afternoon. I honestly feel like such a little kid during these school parties! How can you not feel their excitement? I always feel so special receiving those cute little valentines, and having them give me a huge hug! I truly enjoy the parties! So anyway, I was in the middle of the class party, and I heard some students start squealing. I looked up, and in walks my adorable husband with the biggest balloon I have ever seen! It seriously was hard for him to walk through the door! It was so sweet to see him walking into the classroom with the balloon and flowers, and to hear the students go wild! I turned bright red and was teased about that for 10 minutes.

The next day, we were able to have a totally chill morning followed by a nice lunch at our favorite restaurant (Iggy's is the place to go people;) We then got to go to a friend's house for a really great dinner, which ended a perfect day. I know that holidays like this stress the guys out, but how can you not like a holiday that helps you to remember how much you love each other? (Granted it's not that fun when you are alone.... ;) All in all, a wonderful and relaxing day.

Adventures in January ;)

2009-01-31T11:14:00.000-08:00

Nothing terribly fun or exciting has been going on these past couple of weeks, and so I ask myself, "Why would anyone even WANT me to blog?" ;) We have been pretty uneventful around here, but a lot of really weird things have happened.....

The first one being a death at Adam's school. He does his practicum work down in Brigham City each week with one day at an elementary school and one day at a middle school. His week was going along just fine and we were enjoying a ballgame of Kalee's, when he got a phone call telling him one of his students had been killed. Talk about a shock! How can you prepare for something like that? The boy was 13 and there was an accident with a gun..... Adam was then dealing with group therapy for the next week. His practicum advisor said he was amazing and I could only agree with her. Adam was able to help and give advice to over 100 students. He has such a compassionate heart and has had to deal with a variety of tragedies in his life, so he is truly able to understand their shock and pain.

Another random moment came in the form of a wedding. Is it weird to explain that I went "to my grandfather's wedding?" Well it was weird to say! But the event really turned out great and I was happy to see him smile again. He had been so torn up since my grandmother had died that it was nice to see him so happy. He was able to marry one of my grandma's best friends (before my grandma died, she told him to remarry and that he should look at her friend Gail). Well, 6 months later we are sitting at their wedding ;) They've known each other for 75 years, so I don't think there will be any skeleton's in the closet ;) I am glad he is able to joke around again and find such happiness.

There were a million other little adventures, but I won't jump into each and every one. Needless to say, our family is never boring! We have had a lot of events, but a lot of blessings have come our way as well. I have been reminded again, however, that this life is so short. It makes one stop and think about the important things.... To find the happiness in the blessings our Heavenly Father sends to us. I am so grateful for my life and the people I get to share it with. Thank you to all those who have influenced my life with so much good! I love you dearly (you know who you are ;)

3rd Anniversary

2009-01-21T12:33:00.000-08:00

So much happened over Christmas break, that I have struggled finding the desire to catch up on all of the details! But the one event that was really special was our 3rd Anniversary on the 29th of December. With the timing of our Anniversary, it's always an adventure to try and figure out what we can do within the boundaries of family Christmas celebrations and family New Year's celebrations. This year I called my Grandpa Whipple (AKA Mormon Mafia Boss! He always has a connection for someplace to stay ;) and asked him if he knew of any great deals or anyplace we could go. He ended up finding and then paying (the turkey!) for us to go to a timeshare in Mesquite, NV. I thought to myself "Mesquite?", but it ended up being a really nice place and it was really cool to get away for awhile and spend time catching up. For our special day ;), I bought Rock-Band to go with our WII for Adam. He absolutely loves it! I love it when I get him a present and he truly wants it. So anyway, we were able to play Rock-Band on our huge TV and generally just enjoy spending time with each other. Because of our busy schedules, we don't get to spend endless hours just being able to talk and play Rock-Band everyday!

I can't believe I have known this kid now for 4 years...... Being married to my best friend has been the greatest time in my life. I don't know what I have done in life to be by his side, but I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for bringing him into my life. He is truly my knight in shining armor AND he does the dishes;) I love this guy dearly and I look forward to the next 70 years and beyond.

Christmas

2009-01-10T11:23:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was a nice peaceful event with Adam's mom visiting us from sunny New Mexico. Bev. showed up Christmas Eve which kicked off our Christmas extravaganza! We had such a good time and we truly enjoyed the entire 3 days we were able to have with her. Christmas Eve found us driving around looking at Christmas lights, then curling up in front of the TV with a hot cup of coco to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" (That movie always makes me cry!) I might have gained a few years, but I still believe that night is so magical and it was really great to spend it with a few of the people I love.

Adam and I even felt a little mischievous as we were able to play Santa Clause and stuff all the stockings. In the middle of the scramble to be quiet and fill these little socks, I all of a sudden realized that I had gotten stocking stuffers for everyone but myself. I was a little bummed, but figured I really couldn't do anything about this, so I continued to dig around getting everything together. I grabbed my stocking to stuff an orange in it, and realized that Adam had slipped a present into my stocking while I had been gathering all of the candy! Seriously, could the guy be any sweeter?! I started to cry (realizing, once again, what a stinking great husband I have) and I'm sure Adam thought I had lost my marbles. It was just so cute that he remembered to get me a stocking stuffer, even when I was too scatter brained to remember myself.

So we woke up the next morning and had a great time opening our presents and generally just enjoying each other's company. Then we made our way into the kitchen and attempted to make our first Christmas Feast ever.... It was a wild success! I hate to brag, but this turkey turned out really soft and tender.

Adam had been marinating it for 12 hours in honey and salt (a recipe stolen from my dad;) Soooo good and I was actually pretty proud that we were able to pull it off! That night we had plans to go down to Salt Lake to see Temple Square and all of it's beautiful lights, but a storm socked us in up here and we changed our plans to include a movie. We went and saw "Marley and Me" and seriously cried our way through the movie! Yes, you are going to say we must be a bunch of pansies, but it is a must see movie if you have ever owned even one pet. While we were tearing up inside, outside it dropped another 8 inches of snow..... Geesh, we have had A LOT of snow! It's hard to complain though, because the snow pack was really low..... it helps us all in the summertime!

Anyway, the next day we went out and had a lot of fun taking pictures and enjoying the new white blanket that covered the whole valley. We then strolled along Main Street shopping and enjoying a local restaurant that is almost a hundred years old. We wrapped up the day with a rousing game of Dominoes and hot chocolate. We had such a wonderful time with Bev. Our time always goes too fast when we are with family and I hope she will come back again soon!

Friends and Good Games

2008-12-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

It has been years since I have sat down to a good game of Balderdash, but Sunday was the perfect excuse. Celeste Maloy, one of my friends from high school, was in town this weekend and we were able to have quite the jolly 'ole time lying our butts off! Celeste brought a couple of friends, combine Adam and I and my sister Tasha and her husband, and you have a great recipe for gut rumbling laughter. It was a great Sunday dinner and was wonderful to reminisce about the "good 'ole days".
I don't think I realized until Sunday that we graduated 10 years ago!! Since Adam and I are the same age, we are both hitting that magical 10 year mark and I wonder to myself "Where has all the time gone?" In so many ways I feel like it was just yesterday that we all stepped into that great, big, crazy world. But then again I don't even feel like the same person that received that diploma. I truly feel like my Heavenly Father has been guiding me through so many life events that I have started to change and develop into a completely different Shari.
I am truly grateful for my Father in Heaven/God and the love I feel from him during all trials and high spots in my life. I will forever be grateful for the pure knowledge I have in Him and His son Jesus Christ. I love this time of year and the time we can take to reflect on the Life of Christ. What a special time it can be.

Good 'ole Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

We started our Thanksgiving break off with a great basketball game in Salt Lake. The Utes were playing Lousiville who was ranked #8 in the nation. Being the ultimate Ute/Kalee Whipple fans, we had to go! The game was good and it was great to hang out with all millions of Whipples that showed up. The girls played a dang good game and we had a blast (For anyone who doesn't know, we LOVE watching Ms. Whipple play and we generally go to several of her games throughout the season ;)

We decided to stay that night with my parents in a hotel room, instead of traveling 7 hours after the game got over at 10:00pm ;) So we ended up in wonderful Nevada on Wednesday and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves over the Thanksgiving weekend. I was super excited to go home for Thanksgiving this year, because it had been 7 years since I had been able to go home or even relax for more than 12 hours on "Turkey Day". It was so relaxing and I was able to eat WAY too much great food!

The day after Thanksgiving is the honorary "Christmas Tree Hunting Day" in my family, so we packed up the cars and the coolers full of lunch fixin's and headed on out. Basically it's just an excuse to run around the mountains and play on the four wheelers, but isn't that why all good traditions are made? ;)

We spent a wonderful time this past weekend playing with family and catching up with those we haven't seen in WAY too long. I love my family dearly and I am so grateful for the time I had growing up with them (Isn't it funny how we never realize the good times when we are younger?). I love that we can still have good times together..... I am truly blessed.

My sweet hubby

2008-11-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

I seriously love my husband. I'm sure most people love their spouses, but I have truly appreciated his love and support lately. I had a doosy of a time last week (report cards, monthly testing, blah, blah, blah) and felt like everything was coming down on me at once. Well, in walks my sweet husband with a bunch of red roses. (I know. I'm a romantic, but those are my favorite flowers!) He is incredible! I don't know what I've done in life to have him with me, but I am a lucky, lucky girl.

He also found a soccer league up here. He has loved the playing time, but I have hated the times of the games!!! His last one was at 9:30pm, but tomorrow his game will be at 10:30pm! Geesh.... that puts us at home and in bed at 1:00am!!! Oh well. He has loved getting back into playing and it has been a huge stress relief for him. His Master's Program has been really tough lately, so I'm glad he is having fun. He deserves it.

Twilight

2008-11-13T14:38:00.001-08:00

In honor of the movie coming out, I decided to take this little quiz! I am excited to see how the movies turn out. I hope they do the books justice! I do like me some twilight...

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You are thoughtful and care very deeply for your family. A loving home is of great importance to you and you always try to make people feel welcome. Although you have a great capacity to love, you also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times you can be sensitive. You're firm when you need to be, but people trust your judgment and appreciate the kind way you always handle things.

Happy Halloween!!!!

2008-11-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful holiday has passed with fun moments and a lot of laughter. Adam and I finally got our pumpkins carved on Wednesday (thanks to the help of Tasha and Justin!). We thought they turned out pretty well! Adam was really excited about his Frankenstein pumpkin, which I thought was really cute (Especially when I went to school the next day and one of my students was really excited to have carved his pumpkin as Frankenstein also. Well, my student was over the moon excited that he and Adam had done the same style of pumpkin! I'm not sure Adam was as excited. At least my husband is still young at heart! ;)

On Friday, there were several of us that went over to my sister Tasha's house and had a Halloween party. It was a ton of fun! I really enjoyed going around with Tasha and Mylah trick-or-treating (Adam and Justin stayed at home and handed out candy;), eating a ton of junk food, and having a good 'ole time laughing. What more can you ask for than good food and good people to share it with? (Plus I didn't feel too guilty with eating all that junk food, because our school is starting a Biggest Loser competition on Monday. So I can still have fun this weekend! ;) I love the holidays and the fun traditions that come with them. On to Thanskgiving!!! ;)

Fall Break

2008-10-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying to post about this last weekend for awhile, but my turkey of a husband has been on the computer every night! ;) (For some reason, he has to do his homework;) (I'll probably get whacked for that comment!;)

But anyway, the state of Utah has a Fall Break about the middle of October every year (Nevada never had this one..... we did always get Halloween off though! Gotta love that Nevada was formed on October 31st!) I really wanted to do something during those couple of days, so we decided to hit up the good 'ole town of Salt Lake City. We recruited my sister Tasha and her little girl Mylah to come with us, called up one of my really good friends from my mission (Cally Ashton.... well her last name is now Johnson, but she will forever be known as Ashton!), and headed on down. We decided on IKEA and headed towards the wonderland of shopping. I'm not sure how many of you guys have been to this Mecca of all wonderfulness, but I ADORE this store! I had been to it before when I lived in Spain, but to have that here in the U.S. is a piece of heaven on earth! (There are a couple of stores, for those that know about the area.... Barrio 2,5,Alcobendas, etc) I seriously could just wander for hours (which we have done before ;) and not worry about anything but the hundreds of displays in front of me. Ahh.... heaven..... We even made it out of there with spending only $10! Yeah for staying on a budget! (Well, Cally had even more fun than us and bought a new bedroom set ;)

So after this adventure, we had a great lunch while Cally headed to her doctor's appointment (Congrats on having another little one on the way!). Another round of shopping and we were headed home to a dinner with Tasha, Justin and friends. The next morning we were even able to sleep in! (I NEVER get to sleep in! It has been ages!) THAT was definatly a highlight of our long weekend!

This past week has been crazy, but one of the fun events was a 3rd grade program we had on Wednesday. It was a musical program about the history of Cache Valley. So cute! The students did a great job and we all had a fun time with the program (OF COURSE I forgot my camera and didn't get any pictures.) Adam surprised me by showing up to watch the whole crazy production! (He was suppose to have classes until after the program, so I was really surprised to see him.) I am so grateful for his help in so many areas...... I sometimes feel so overwhelmed, but my wonderful husband supports me so much. I just stinking love that kid!

Football and Seasons

2008-10-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend included a rousing BYU and USU game with my parents and sister making the long jaunt up from their homes. It was really great to hang out with all of them! We had a lot of fun enjoying the game and conference all in one weekend. It was wonderful to see the fam and doubling the fun were the great talks we were able to hear from our church leaders.

In our down time, we were able to escape up the canyon and enjoy the colors of the season. I love this time of year! It always makes me so excited and I feel like a little kid again! I think I have really started to enjoy every season again, because of my job. Being around kids all day that can't stop talking about their excitement is hard to ignore! It just seeps into everything (their stories they write, their spelling sentences, etc) I have also loved the intense colors that come with this season. Growing up in southern Nevada, we didn't always get the deep reds and oranges that appear up here.
What a wonderful time of the year! ;)

(What's so random is that I absolutely adore the Fall Plain M&M's. I know there is absolutely no difference between these M&M's and normal plain M&M's, but there is no reasoning with a girl that loves chocolate!!)

Being a teacher

2008-09-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

So I stumble into work this morning thinking, "Wow! I'm so glad it's Friday!" I was trying to balance my breakfast, two textbooks, my keys, and papers I had graded the night before, when I looked down and saw a paper that had been pushed under the door. I bent down to pick it up and promptly dropped the granola bar, orange juice, and triscuits that had been balancing precariously. I flipped the paper over and read the words that made my morning and tears come to my eyes - "Dear Mrs. Crawford, you are the best teacher!" That is why I am a teacher. I absolutely love the students. They make everything worthwhile.

This year has been quite the adjustment, but I have loved my new school. I was afraid to leave my wonderful school down in Provo, but this school has been just as great! I was able to continue teaching 3rd grade and now I have an aide that does the work of 15 people! She is wonderful and I wonder "How did I do this last year without an aide?!"

Adam is doing really well in his Master's program (He is such a smart turkey! I wish I could get through school as easily as he does) A lot of doors are opening up and I can see how much he is loving all of it. He is really in his element when he can help the adults and children that are around him. I really do love seeing him so excited.

My Grandma

2008-09-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

So I had a wonderful and witty blog planned, with all sorts of details about the first couple weeks of school (from a teacher's point of view ;), our Labor Day weekend down in Alamo, NV, and even a wonderful barbeque we had with a high school friend, Sadie (Perkins) Lyman....... but then I got a phone call last night.

My Grandma Whipple died yesterday afternoon.... she was and is a truly amazing woman. She married my grandfather on the faith and belief that he was a strong man and would support her in this life and through the eternities. It was her strong example of getting up every Sunday and taking the kids to church that sparked his interest in the Church. If it wasn't for her, their family of 3 living children and 17 living grand children, wouldn't all be active members of the Church. I have always admired her poise and ability to stay calm (whenever an accident happened on the ranch, and there were A LOT, we all ran to her) These past few years have been harder on her, because of the effects a stroke had left on her. She was such a strong example of patience, even when she was frustrated with her slower speech and a walker to help her get around. I will miss her smile.....

I selfishly would like to see her one more time, but I know she is having a wonderful time with the several family members that have made it up there before her. I love her dearly and can't wait for the time when I will see her again.

The picture was at our Wedding. Her and my Grandpa Whipple are on the right side of the Photo.

The Beach

2008-09-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

After we were done touring the great Province of British Columbia, we then headed south to Seattle. We were able to spend a wonderful time with some friends of ours, Raj and Summer. We hadn't seen them for over a year (they had moved up there from Provo) and it was really great to catch up with them.

After exploring around Seattle and it's market place, we then journeyed down to Portland, Oregon. On our way there we decided to stop in at Mt. St. Helen's and we were fogged in the whole day!!! So we don't have any great pictures of that really cool Volcano..... Someday......

Next was Portland, where we met up with Adam's family and spent some time touring around the town.

The Rose Garden

Pittock Mansion.... My future house? Anyone agree? :)

A submarine in the Willamit River. The coolest guided tour ever!!!

Then it was off to the beach..... It was so nice.....

This is the lighthouse at Yaquina Head. It was alot of fun to tour and check it out.

Adam, Bev (my mother-in-law) and I were able to find a deep connection to sand castle construction while we were in Lincoln City!!! These are just a couple of the great sand castles that were created. (Adam even expressed a desire to leave our normal cushy lives behind and head into the competive life of sand castle competitions.... hmmmmm...)

2008-08-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

After our canoeing trip we then made it to the top of Whistler Mountain. Seriously, this area was one of the prettiest places I have EVER been. In the past couple of years we have been to 3 continents and 7 different countries, so I was actually very surprised that it affected me so much..... I wanted to stay right there on top of that mountain and live out the rest of my days! So peaceful.....

This is the Inukshuk image that will be used in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

I truly loved our time in Whistler and would jump at the chance to head back!!

Wow, what a month......

2008-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

So this past month was a doosy but boy was it a fun one! We had such a fun time being nomads and living out of our car! ;) (Have I mentioned lately how much I love my husband? We are always out and about touring the world. How can you not love that?!) So anywho, we were all over the place and took over a hundred pictures, so I figured I would break up the chaos and post the pictures over a couple of blogs.

The week in Canada

We started the vacation up in Whistler, Canada. The 2010 Winter Olympics will be in Vancouver, Canada, but the downhill events will be held in Whistler, which is about 2 hours north. Seriously, this place is one of the most beautiful places on earth! I truly loved visiting this place!

It was so cold!!

We were attacked by mosquitoes! I haven't seen that many since Alaska!

A couple of days later.....

We then decided to take a canoe trip down a couple of lakes and rivers that were several miles long.

So beautiful!!!

A nice calm moment!

My cutie!!!

We had a lot of fun and truly enjoyed our time together. I always come home from these trips and cry because I know I won't be able to have my best friend with me 24 hours a day any longer....

Moving

2008-07-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well we are officially moved!!! Life is definitely better with that behind us! When we moved into our house in Provo, we had just gotten married and only had a couple of bags of clothing..... surprisingly we accumulated a ton of stuff in the past 3 years!!! Fortunately, we had our cousins, Kelly and Amie Miller, and my parents there to help us poor kids out. It was an extremely long day getting everything packed, driving the couple of hours up to Logan, and then unloading the whole she-bang, but the troops were wonderful and everything went fairly smoothly.

We will now turn around and head to Canada for a week, Seattle for a week, and finally the Oregon coast for a week! This is the Crawford family tour of the Northwest, so life will definitely be fun. I will post pics when we get back.

The 4th of July!!!

2008-07-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished up my training in Logan and we immediately headed down to Alamo, NV for the 4th of July. What a weekend! This weekend was one of the best 4th of July's I have had in a long, long time! So many people to visit with and so many fields to set on fire! (Yes, there were a couple of fires on our ranch due to the pyrotechnics of a few people! What 4th of July is complete with out a good scrambling for a garden hose?!) So many wonderful moments this weekend

The 4th of July always makes me realize how lucky we all are to live in this wonderful country. I've lived and visited a lot of different countries and I still love the good 'ole US of A. There is a wonder in traveling and seeing the sites of the world (Who doesn't love Spain and Italy? ;), but the calm assurance of peace, freedom, and our beautiful country always wins by a mile. I am so grateful for our freedoms and those people who protect those freedoms for us. God Bless America!

We have a home

2008-06-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

We are up in Logan, Utah right now for a training I have. I am completing a two week course for the school I will be teaching for this next year and loving the time here because we get to stay with my sister Tasha and her husband! I am so grateful for their help!

We were also able to find a townhouse for us to rent!!!! That has been one of my serious stress points these past couple of weeks. I was so worried we weren't going to be able to find something we were happy with! But we have found a wonderful townhouse with hard wood floors, new paint, and it even has 3 bedrooms (it has an extra one for when the kids decide to come!!!;)So, that is a huge relief.

We also found out that our cousins Kelly and Amie, and my Mom and Dad are going to be able to help us this next month as we move (they will even be able to bring up a trailer so we don't have to rent one!). Another stress point removed! We have been helped so much this week.... it's almost like the Lord is confirming we are suppose to be here....hmm.....

The Dog Days of Summer

2008-06-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

School "officially" was out for me last Tuesday and I have been having way too much fun! I've been able to catch up on my house work and even catch up on all the books I have been meaning to dive into. The most recent book was the new book by Stephenie Meyer, The Host. I bought it forever ago, but i never had time to start this 619 page monster. But when I did, I couldn't put it down! Literally! Adam was shocked the other night when he came out into the living room and I was still up reading at 6:30 in the morning! I have never done that before! Needless to say, I REALLY enjoyed the book.

Well, I also have been packing up our house...... I have honestly been sad, thinking about leaving our first house together. Sounds cheesy, but we have had such a good 2 1/2 years here in Provo. On the flip side, I can't wait to get up to Logan and start our lives up there. It feels like we have been in limbo for 2 months as we have finished up the school year and semester. It's going to be so nice to be up there finishing up the schooling aspect and seeing my sister Tasha and her family (we will miss having my other sister Tonya in Provo with us though!) This will be one crazy summer, but I can't wait!

Adam's First Blog

2008-06-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

For fear that the "Crawford blog" will become "Shari's Blog," I have taken it upon myself to publish a post. It should come as no surprise to those of you that know me that I am horrible at checking e-mails, worse at replying to them, and technologically clinging to my hypothetical dentures while sitting in a creaky rocking chair yelling at "young whippersnappers" such as yourselves. Regardless, I refuse to let much more of the information age pass me by, let alone my wife--she already has a 2GB flash drive while I use my measly 256 MB one.
How grateful I am to have a wife who drags me (kicking and screaming) into uncharted territories and new adventures. Consider this a "welcome" to those friends of mine whom I have endured many a hoola-hoop jumping contest with (you know... high school, college, etc.), and to those friends of Shari's who have no idea what she got herself into. I look forward to receiving laughs and quips from each of you, and will attempt to make my presence known occasionally ... so long as the dentures remain in my mouth anyway.
-Adam

So many blessings....

2008-06-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

Life continues to be crazy, but how can you not find those wonderful little moments that creep up on you? Last weekend we had the opportunity to go to my little brother's graduation. It was so weird to be there and see him graduating from High School.... he was in 3rd grade when I took my own walk to receive that diploma! Wow, has time flown.....

(I'm shrugging in this picture, but it looks like I am scared! Gotta love the siblings!;)

It was good though to think back on time and see what has transpired in the past 9 years. I have been so grateful for the careful and patient guidance from my Heavenly Father. He has led me on the craziest journeys, but I have been guided through and around the greatest places: Being born into my amazing and one of a kind family, my mission to Madrid, Spain (anybody remember the crazy stuffed teddy bear with glowing red eyes?; or the most wonderful people and their culture?), receiving my college diploma (even when it felt like the world didn't support that... thanks mom and dad for all your help!), being lucky enough to find and marry the greatest guy and my best friend in all the world.... I could honestly go on and on, but it was really good to reflect back on the life I have had so far. So many blessings....

Crazy time....

2008-05-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

Wow!! This past week has been insane! It is the end of the year and you would think it would get easier for a teacher! Nope.

This past year I have been able to work occasionally at the temple, after all the patrons have left. We go in at about 9pm and get done around 1am. I worked a lot during the summer, but i haven't been able to work there as much as I would like since the school year started. This past Saturday I worked my last day, due to us moving and a crazy summer ahead..... I was so sad I cried! It has been so wonderful to be there late at night and to feel the calming spirit that is there. It was always so cool to think "Well, I'm headed to the temple now!" It was the greatest job ever and I will truly miss the time I spent there daily. Inspiration seemed to come to your mind so easily..... What a blessing to have a Father in Heaven that cares for us and helps us each day.

Hogle Zoo

2008-05-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

There is something about going to a zoo and it transporting you back to when you were a little kid. The sounds and excitement are so much fun! Mylah (my niece) turned 1 on Friday, so my sister Tasha planned a fun excursion to the Hogle Zoo. We all had a blast and I truly felt like I was an 8 year old again! You can't beat that feeling of youth and excitement. The whole day was made even better by being with so much family and so many friends! (We even got to see the long, lost Kalee Whipple! We hadn't seen her since before the NCAA tournament!)

Needless to say, the day was wonderful and I had a ton of fun. We wrapped up all the excitement by heading home and taking a nice long nap! But I then paid for it later, when I couldn't go to sleep until 5 o'clock in the morning! (Part of the blame for that can be put on the head of the Fablehaven book #3. That is one fantastic series!) I haven't stayed up that late in a very long time, and when our 8 o'clock church started; I was a little bleary eyed. I made it through and felt the spirit a ton, so I think today has been a success as well!

End of year testing is finally over!!!!

2008-05-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

The whole end of year testing craziness is finally over!!!! There is way too much pressure on teachers for these lovely State tests, but they are over and the dye is cast. I can only hope that the students remembered at least a fraction of my endless ramblings! ;) (I did tell Adam the other day that I think I became a teacher because I always have students that laugh at my jokes and I get to hear myself talk for 8 hours every day! I think it is actually too close to the truth!;)

Tonight we were able to go play Volleyball with some friends of ours in the ward. It was so much fun! I am beat right now, but I think we held our own for the 2 1/2 hours we played! It was great, and it took me back ten years when I really was young enough to not be so tired ;)

Disney Princess

2008-05-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

So I loved this on Sadie's blog so I decided to try it! I really like this!

Strong and spirited. You're no one's girly girl; actually you are very determined person with a strong sense of self. Never let go of that! The only thing that equals your sense of self is your family, but the traditions of society can always be bent to protect something or someone you love.

Which'>http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354">Which Disney Princess Are You?

Hope of America

2008-05-01T21:05:00.001-07:00

To say this week has been busy would be an understatement! We have been running around like crazy, and I know it won't slow down until the end of year testing is over next week for my students. However, one of the cool things we had this week was a huge Hope of America program that took place this Tuesday. It's this huge Patriotic program that took place in the BYU Marriot Center and involved 7,000 students! Yes it was nuts! We had so much fun and my students did so well. I was really proud with how prepared they were and how well they did in front of a crowd of over 22,000. There were several different songs the whole group of students sang, but the last 3 songs our school's 3rd and 4th grades were on the floor performing. During the closing song, the lights went out and there was a flashlight show with all 7,000 students. It was so much fun and the whole performance was definitely a once in a lifetime event! (However, the late night and few hours of sleep on Tuesday were not fun!)

Adam also finished up his finals this past week, so his Bachelor's degree is only 2 summer classes away! YES!! Then it's off to grad. school in the wintery wonderland of Logan. We also found out today that Adam was also accepted to UNLV..... it took them 3 months to let us know and the information came in WAY to late, but I couldn't be more proud of my smarty pants husband! He was able to get into almost all of the Universities he applied to! (Thanks Bev. for handing on those brains!) So in a nut shell, this week has been chaos, but entertaining!

These goofballs are so funny! ;)

The light show with all 7,000 students

The Sisters Grimm, Book 6 "Tales from the Hood"

2008-04-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

These books are the best! The 6th book just came out and I absolutely adore this series. The series is the "Sisters Grimm" and it follows these two girls that have just discovered they are some of the last descendents of the actual Grimm Brothers. The compilation of the Grimm's fairytales ends up being an actual history of Fairy Tale characters. So the sisters find themselves living with their grandmother, while their parents are missing (stolen by some renegade Fairy Tale characters!) The girls start running into these crazy, funny characters like Snow White and the Little Mermaid, but the characters are set in the 20th century. The author is hilarious and paints the greatest images in each book (Snow white is a martial arts expert and the name of her class is "The Bad Apples". So stinking cute!)

One of the greatest parts about this series (and maybe this is my geeky teacher side coming out) the younger sister is constantly questioning the bigger words the adults use, and the older sister explains the definitions to her. Several of my students have checked these books out and they have been able to learn so much vocabulary from the older sister's explanations. You can't help but love the learning aspect!

I could honestly go on for pages about this series, but you have to read them! You'll get addicted too!

The Planetarium

2008-04-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

This past week we had a field trip to the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake and I had such a blast! We have been studying Astronomy in Science, so we decided to take the students on a field trip. The Clark Planetarium is connected to the Gateway mall (so it's super easy to get in and out of) and they showed a film that took you through the different planets in our solar system. It was great! You got to see each planet and "land" to see what each one is made of (One teacher was so excited, because she didn't know that Jupiter-through-Neptune were all gas planets! See we all get to learn!)

I have had so much fun this year with the different curriculum that we get to cover in third grade. I love this grade! The students are so respectful and we get to do more complicated projects, because their level of understanding is so high. I truly enjoy my job.

Spring Break!!!

2008-04-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

So I honestly never knew how excited our teachers were for the same breaks we were all sooooo ready for! (Spring, Summer, etc) It has been so nice not having to worry about the alarm going off, or the lesson plans for the next day, or even showering! I didn't even shower until 8 o'clock yesterday, and I didn't even feel guilty!

Thursday and Friday we got caught up with all the millions of things that creep up on everyone, and then we decided to head up to Logan for a few days to take care of some college stuff and to spend some time with Tasha, her husband Justin, and their little girl Mylah. It has been so great! We have had fun just GEO Cashing and hanging out! (If anyone else is new to this whole GEO Cashing thing, so was I! It involves a GPS and finding little things people have hidden all over tarnation. It is pretty fun!)

Tomorrow, Adam will go into the College and register for his first semester of his Master's program. Man am I excited! It'll be nice to move onto this next phase. We are excited to get through this college stuff!

Here is the cutest picture of Tasha's little girl Mylah. Needless to say her dad had to give her a bath after this picture! (can anybody explain how to post a lable to a picture?)

Well, I gave in.....

2008-04-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

So I finally decided to join the crowd! Everyone has inspired me to start recording the craziness we call life. So here begins the rambling recordins of the Crawford's!

Adam has recently been accepted to the USU graduate program, so we will be moving from Provo to Logan this July. We are sad and excited all at once. We both have wonderful jobs here and great friends, but we have had some amazing blessings come to us already by deciding to move up to Logan. I already have a job up there at a Charter school that is very similar to the one I teach with down here, and I am excited to say that it is still for 3rd grade! I love teaching 3rd grade! The students still love their teacher, but they are on a higher level of understanding so we get to jump into some crazy fun units. Life is good and I love the changes that come with it.