Remember way back, when we announced we had decided to build a house? Well, it turns out that some people didn't keep their end of the contract and lost our business. We are so thankful that the Lord is watching out for us and blessing us with new opportunities. We have found a different home that will meet our family's needs and wants.
Specs: 1800 sq. ft. 4 bed/2.5 bath Tile in all wet areas Granite countertops Landscaped front and back yards Gated community
Here are some pictures of it:
Here is the curb-appeal shot. I promise it has a door...I just forgot to close it while taking the pic.
Here is our living room, with the family room through the opening.
This is our kitchen, minus the appliances, which we bought this weekend for a great deal!
Here is the upstairs hallway looking from the master bedroom, showing doorways to the laundry room, 3 bedrooms, the guest bath.
This is our nice backyard. (Comes with free wooden table...the free table sealed the deal for us. That was a must-have in our minds :) Oh, and I'll have lemons soon because we have a lemon tree!)
Ok, I know, I know...my posting days seem to be dwindling. I have a few posts coming up that I'm excited for including Halloween, a tag, and a house update, but in the meantime, I just wanted to say how pleased and grateful I am that all 3 of the marriage initiatives (California, Arizona, and Florida) passed. What a blessing that is! Youth who weren't old enough to vote got involved as much as they could and helped out with the initiative here in Arizona. They even went to such lengths as to fast for such results. What great youth we have these days! And although the presidential results turned out to be less-than-desirable, it's nice to know that laws concerning marriage between man and woman will stay intact for a little while longer.
Oh, and I'm so glad the November Ensign FINALLY came. It's my relief for when I'm at work. If I can read one talk during my lunch break, then my day goes so much better. Today I read Elder Perry's talk about the necessities of life: food, clothing, shelter, and fuel. Here is a quote from it that I especially loved: "One of the challenges of this mortal experience is to not allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us—to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic. Perhaps when difficulties and challenges strike, we should have these hopeful words of Robert Browning etched in our minds: 'The best is yet to be.'"
So my family's and husband's birthdays all fall in the October-January range, except for mine which is out in the middle of the summer. My mom's birthday was on Saturday and my sister's birthday is today. I don't like buying gifts for family members because nothing is good enough for them. Nothing seems adequate. Nothing says "I love you" enough to be worthy of giving. That's what I've been experiencing with familial gifts for a while now and haven't been able to remedy yet. So since no material item can voice a sufficient amount of affection and gratitude, I have decided to just use words to express my emotions. (And besides, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups don't fair well in the postal system. Sorry.)
Here are reasons why I am thankful for my mom:
1. She isn't afraid to say what needs to be said, even though it may not be something she wants to say. I hope that's not confusing. For example, she has stuck up for me at school to frustrating teachers or counselors. She has advised me of dangers to avoid even though I wasn't even close to harm at the time. On the day I was moving away from home, she gave me a treasure of wisdom even though she knew I didn't need that knowledge right then. I have thought about that day a lot since then and have used her advice multiple times. Everyone knows that 'Mom knows best,' but my mom knows to share the 'best' even in seemingly unapplicable times.
2. My mom knows how to say "I'm sorry." She can recognize when she has made a mistake and does everything in her power to fix it. She is humble and teachable and has always been a good example of a repentant person.
3. My mom is a good friend. She is so loyal and trustworthy. And she's got the most "blue" points
in the personality test I've ever seen. Blue people are loyal. And that describes my mom.
4. My mom is wise in her decisions and actions. She is money-wise and makes a conscious effort to not spend her money if it's not worth it. She takes the time to make educated decisions by researching, asking for advice, and making calls to those she trusts. Once she has the information, she makes a wise decision. She never acts spontaneously on crucial decisions and she is a good example of spending time now to reap rewards later.
Here are ways I love Jenna:
1. Jenna is hilarious. I've probably cried more than I've laughed with her, but my crying has been because we were dying of laughter.
2. My sister can beat up your sister. She's strong. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
3. She knows how to have a good time. Jenna is good at finding fun in everything and finding the good in everyone. We have always said that Jenna will grow up to be the 'fun' mom because she is laid back and creative and can find the joy in any activity.
4. Jenna is good with people. She is a great example of being friendly. She volunteered with Special Olympics and was in the special needs seminary class in school (no, not because she was enrolled in special needs :). But seriously, she makes friends easily and is kind to everyone.
5. Jenna doesn't back down. She strongly believes in truth and righteousness and she doesn't waver in her beliefs at all. She holds strong to the iron rod and is a good example of sticking up for what is right.
So, on Monday morning I was in a work meeting and the presenter was trying to write 'transition' on the white board. It looked like this: transisition. He quickly tried to rewrite the word and failed again, so then he said, "I'll make it easy on myself." He then wrote on the board the following word: segway
For Will's birthday this weekend, I made him a cake. It was the first cake I've ever decorated and it turned out to be so much fun! Here are some pics of all the fun I had:
Frosting for the cars!
The cars, all with their respective colors, and with Kyle Busch's all beat up and hammered because we aren't his fans. Oh ya, and because he's pretty much out of the chase anyway due to previous car problems. Thanks, Dad, for the checkered flag :)
This was my practice before putting the numbers on the "cars."
This is a great view of my mom's new counter tops. Don't they look great?
"Oh, I wish I were in a racecar!"
Only the crumbs are left.
This was a chocolate cake with chopped 3 Musketeers baked in. The melted nougat was delicious!
Yay for our BYU Cougars!!! They are #8 in the AP Poll and #7 in USA Today. How great is this?! And if both BYU and Utah go undefeated until they play each other, it will be that much better when the Cougars beat the Utes.
Also, I love how the game announcers sometimes say how many players on the team are eagle scouts or return missionaries. A lot of the players are also married with children. BYU sports is a great missionary tool and I love that the players are good examples!
What an awesome year this is so far for our cougars :)
Will and I were able to enjoy a night at the theatre on Saturday thanks to Bill and Patty's generosity. They gave us their tickets to the Hale Centre Theatre's play Wait Until Dark. It was so fun to see the play of a movie we both thoroughly enjoy.
We love Audrey Hepburn's performance in the movie, and the theatre did a great job of mirroring the movie. We especially enjoyed how well the theatre did the dark scene. If you don't know what I'm referring to, you'll have to watch the movie.
(Here's the website for the theatre in Arizona, but there is one in Orem and West Valley City if you're interested in getting tickets for a future play. I highly recommend their musicals.)
Last night, when Will and I were lying in bed, he challenged me to a competition. He had me promise to participate without knowing what it was beforehand, and being the competitive person I am, I agreed. What competition?
a water-drinking competition
We put rules on it, of course: (1) you can stop drinking once you get to 80 ounces, (2) all drinking has to be done by the time Will gets home from school at 7:30, (3) every ounce has to be written down or it doesn't count.
The only problem is that I forgot about it until 4 o'clock. That gave me about 3 hours to drink as much as I could possibly muster. And only now as I write this am I remembering that I'm supposed to write it down. Grrr.
We each picked our own prize for winning, and tomorrow I'll post the winner and their prize. Wish me luck....and now I have to go to the bathroom for the 4th time in 3 hours.
Having read Mara, Daugher of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw about 5 or 6 times, I think I'm qualified to give this book a review.
Plot: Mara, a blue-eyed slave girl in ancient Egypt, is sold by her brutal master to a mysterious stranger. This new master, who is a hig-ranking officer for the Queen of Egypt, unexpectedly offers her freedom and riches, but demands she complete a task that may cost her life. Mara is determined to grasp this chance, and agrees to the bargain. While completing her duties, she meets suave Sheftu on a river barge. Sheftu is determined to get the queen's brother, the rightful heir to the throne, back in power, and employs Mara as a spy for his cause. With Mara's now-conflicting responsibilities, her loyalties are divided. As a spy for two sides working against each other, should Mara follow her master and take the freedom and gold he offers, or free Egypt of its burdens and follow her heart into the arms of Sheftu?
Wow. What a plot, huh? That's only the beginning of the goodness. This book has captured my attention multiple times, and I honestly can't wait until the next time I get to read it. Every time I pick it up, my procrastination with other tasks increases. (That's the sign of a good book, right?) The dialogue-description ratio is about even, so the reader doesn't get bored or confused with excessive amounts of either. I recommend this book for young readers in junior high all the way up to those just wanting to be entertained by wholesome and enthralling media.
So far this week, I've been fingerprinted, background checked (twice), and tested for drugs and Tuberculosis. A lot is required to be able to work in people's homes and with elementary children. I've been running around trying to prove I'm clean (one look at me usually tells people I'm more naive and innocent than a flower, but I have to be tested nonetheless).
Oh, and drug tests are expensive...why does it cost so much to give away 2 oz. of my liquid waste? I think if they want to test me for drugs, they should have to pay me to get my urine. It's mine, anyway, right? Grrr.
This one is a caregiving position where I'll go to client's homes and help with personal tasks such as laundry, cooking, cleaning, playing games, running errands, shopping, etc. Concentric Home Health helps a lot of elderly people as well as those who have disabilities, including children. I am super excited about this job because I'll be doing what I love most: interacting with and helping the elderly on a personal level.
Well, I guess it's time to start blogging again now that I'm somewhat settled and able to spend time on the computer. Here are some updates:
1. We are now graduated! Will's family came into town and we had a blast spending time with all of our friends and family. I'm proud to announce that I graduated with 120.5 credits and Will graduated with ... a few more than that. Talk about reaching the bare minimum!
2. I got a cold on finals day and I'm still trying to get rid of it. Sore throat, cough, aches, runny/stuffy nose, earaches, headaches, sneezing, etc. You name it, I've experienced it in the past 9 days.
3. I have one job and I'm working on a second. I had an interview 2 days ago with Elements Music. This is a company that sends teachers to elementary schools where they teach group piano lessons for an hour after the children get out of school. I was hired as one of the teachers, and I'll be starting next week. This is just a part-time job that only requires about an hour and a half each day, so I'll be able to work in the mornings at a full-time job. Yay for income!
4. All of our stuff is safe inside a storage unit and we're feeling cozy in our new room.
5. I get to read for leisure now and I've added a list of books I'm reading to the side of the blog. If any of you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I already have a little list going, but one can never read enough books, right?
I think that's about it for now. Sorry for the huge lapse. I'll be better now that life is getting back to normal.
Well, the time has come in Bri and I's life that we find a house.... Mission Accomplished. Bri and I have been to Arizona a few times house hunting and we found a place that we can afford and thats in a good area. The only problem was that we had to build it... Yes we are building a home in Gilbert , Arizona. For your viewing pleasure I have attached the pictures on the foundation and the framing. The house is scheduled to be completed in October. The last picture is where the house is at right now. Our Land!!!
This is the slab of concrete that comprises the foundation of our home. As you can see they pour it as one full slab which is really neat because the house will settle as one unit instead of multiple units which would cause cracks in the drywall and uneven settling.
The framing seems to be going well. The first picture is the stairs, the second is from the garage looking into the family room and the third is from the Master Bedroom into the Master Bathroom.
These pictures are from the outside of the house... 1)Picture of the back of the house looking West. 2)Picture of the front of the house looking East. 3)Picture of the side of the house looking South.
As you can see that the house is ready for the tile roof which is so conveniently placed in front of our house. Bri and I are extremely excited about our house. We will continue to post pictures of the progress of our home. Let me know if you have any questions.
There are some things that are "wicked" but provide immense happiness: the play and the ride. Wicked, the broadway play, is absolutely amazing. I assume any theatre you go to will provide an outstanding performance since I was overly impressed at both the Gershwin and Pantages Theatres. (click here to see the tour trailor for Wicked)
However, this post is not meant to discuss the play (although I could go on for some time), but rather to show the coolest ride at Lagoon:
Yes, we rode this ride multiple times and only loved it more each time. I highly suggest going on it even if you're not a roller coaster fan or if you hate the feeling or the speed or are afraid of heights or blah blah blah. It's awesome!!!
(more to come later about our full adventures at Lagoon)
I was reading the story in Alma 32 about Alma and the Zoramites. Alma goes and sees that the rich people are worshipping just for show and are prideful in their vain repetitions and costly apparel. He sees them praying only once a week for just a few minutes, standing on the infamous rameumptom and saying blasphemous prayers.
Well, then Alma preaches to the people and those who are poor listen to him. They have been cast out of their synagogues and are despised because of their poverty. I've read this story multiple times, but this time, I was surprised by Alma's bluntness. He tells them straight out that even though they have been kicked out because of the "courseness of their apparel" and their "poverty as to the things of the world," they can still worship and pray in their homes and private places more than just once a week. He goes on to say that it is good that they have been cast out because they have been compelled to be humble; however, immediately after this, he says that "because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word? Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed—yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble because of their exceeding poverty." (Alma 32:14-15) This caught me off guard because it seemed like Alma gave them a compliment, then took it back. As I thought about this, I realized that he wasn't retracting a compliment, but rather could say this to the humble people because (1) they were willing to repent, (2) they had been prepared to hear these words, and (3) he was the prophet and could tell them whatever he wanted.
Alma goes on to discuss knowledge vs. belief and what most people know this chapter to be about: Faith. My question for you is "What can we do each day to become humble of our own accord instead of being compelled to be humble?" Any thoughts or suggestions?
Well, I started my own personal blog called The Syko Synopsis. It will function much like Bri's blog Downright Delightful. Hope you enjoy it... I know I will!
A look of confidence, a smile of comfort, a wink to say I care for you, a hug that sends goosebumps throughout your body, sacrifice that can only mean the root of her love for our relationship...
My beautiful wife is the most amazing person that I know. She surprises me everyday with her strength and her confidence. She works hard to be the person that God wants her to be. She keeps the commandments of God so she can feel the warmth that it brings to our lives. She has worked extremely hard in college to be able to graduate in two years so that our family will be educated and prepared for what the future holds. She is willing to leave all her wants and desires at the door to better our relationship and to take the preparatory steps to live with Heavenly Father again. She is a light in my life that I can turn too for a great example in every facet of life.
I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for the opportunity that I have to spend my earthly life with her and to have made the proper covenants to continue to live with her in the next life. I thank him for her sincerity, her determination, her empathy, her love...This picture really shows what I am trying to say and the way that she exuberantly demonstrates these qualities. And the way that I look at her and how amazed I am by this phenomenal women... What an amazing view.
My toe is disgusting right now. If any of you don't like the sight of nastiness, look away now.
My big toe got infected with something nasty (probably a plague or something) and it is horrid. It's been oozing for a few days now and the flesh isn't attached to the nail at all. See the upper-left corner where it's all yellow under the nail? Ya, disgusting.
(Ignore the fact that I need a pedicure, please :)
"Humans are disgusting." - Sid the Sloth
Here is my sad face because it itches and sometimes hurts.
Here is my disgusted face because it's ridiculously gross and abominable in my eyes.
So for the last 7 months I have been driving a truck that I have had since Junior year in High School which has been lagging extremely bad. Throughout the 7 months I have replaced all the spark plugs, all the wires to the spark plugs, the distributer cap, and the fuel filter. Well, all these replacements did not help the performance of my once very torque filled truck. So I finally spent some real money and had a full diagnostic check down on my truck. The mechanic said that truck is great except that the Fuel Pump was only giving half the pressure that it was supposed too. I figured that this was the issue but I had hoped that it wasn't due to the cost of the fuel pump compared to a distributer cap. The mechanic said they could do it for 375 bucks and I choked. So I went to Autozone and spent 50 bucks for the part and thought this would be a great opportunity to learn how to change a fuel pump. My father-in-law and I spent 3 hours on Saturday and changed the pump. It was quite a process... 1) Remove the fuel tank for the truck. (Harder than it sounds) 2) Remove all fuel lines and electricity from the fuel tank. 3) Remove Fuel Pump. 4) Replace old fuel pump with new fuel pump. 5) Clean fuel tank. 6) Replace the fuel tank and reconnect fuel lines and electricity.
When looking at the old fuel pump you could tell that it was the issue the whole time. The fuel pumps filter had decomposed and had filled the fuel pump with the material that the filter was made out of. Well, after we filled the tank with some gas it was time to start the truck again. When I turned the ignition it sounded like a new truck that was tired of choking and ready to go out and run. I hit the accelerator and the truck took off as of old (even leaving some rubber down in the garage). I love my truck!!!!
Before college, I had planned on majoring in piano performance and excelling every minute of it. Then I graduated high school and realized that a degree in piano performance probably wouldn't be able to support me, let alone a family, if I ever needed to rely on my degree.
So I scrolled through the list of possible majors at BYU searching for something that could offer me a little more security in the real world. Julliard can wait...I'll become a concert pianist later.
Well in my first semester at the Y, I had Music 101. I loved the information and the subject. It was right up my alley; I loved being able to match piece with composer and time period, just by listening. It was so much fun. Now I am in my last semester, and I am taking my second and final music class of my college career.
I'm loving it. It's wonderful. The book was only $72, which is a major bonus because we were expecting much, much more. In this class, I have made comments every day except the first. I can't help but join in the discussion. I love the material, it's so interesting and applicable to what I already know.
I have been able to apply what I've learned in previous classes (mythology, religion in the home, music 101) to things we're studying in this class. Experiences from junior high and high school have helped me in this class. Knowledge from years of piano lessons and sacrament meetings allow me to relate with the professor. It's a magnificent class.
My professor is ... how do I describe him? ... fantastic? Superb? Outstanding? One-of-a-kind. He walks in everyday and just observes the myriad of freshman (with a few upper-class students just trying to finish general reqs, such as myself). He smiles as he hears silly comments made about exciting things like the dorms or french kissing. Then class begins and he teaches why things like Roman mass are important to Latter-day Saints. He tells stories of his past not to put himself above us, but to illustrate points and give examples.
He cross-stitches for fun and gardens to relax. He doesn't own a television. He can't stand brutality and violence. He is humble despite his amazing accomplishments and experiences. Some might consider him old-fashioned, but I don't think that at all. He is more of a modernized antique, at least knowledge-wise. He's not extremely old, but he has enough knowledge to be ancient. What a class! I love it.
Yesterday, we had a contest that turned out to be hilariously fun: ball balancing. We took turns seeing how long we could stay on the big ball. I held the record for 13 seconds. Then Mattea (my youngest sister) wasted me with 24 seconds. That was that for a few hours, but then Will was determined to beat his own personal record of 7 seconds. We kept trying and trying and he made it to 52, then I got to 86. Will holds the current record of 91 seconds. Wow!
Does anyone remember Pippi Longstocking? She was so wild and crazy and played by her own rules, but the thing I remember her most for was her hair. Red braids that stuck straight out like this:
In one of my classes this term, there's a girl who, for some reason, reminds me of Pippi. Haha.
(This was taken on the spur-of-the-moment via cell phone. Sorry for the poor quality.)
