1 1/2 Years!

Savannah is a year and a half old today. I can't believe she went from a chubby baby to this little girl in no time flat! She is scheduled to get her well baby exam today too, I hope she doesn't cry too much from the shots. That's the hardest part about being a mother is inflicting pain on your kids for something that's good for them. They'll never know what it's like to be in your shoes until they have kids of their own.

What next?

Yet another view of Happy Valley. Could these people prove any more that they are not seasoned or cultured? Do we have to have columnists point out the valley is truly red-neck? And this is the place they say is on the top 10 of all places to live? Yeah, if you want to live a sheltered life not experiencing anything new and continue to dine in a freaking warehouse because a newspaper ad told you so! So I admit that if you do live in Happy Valley, you probably spend more time at Costco than you do at the Gateway, but come on! Sure there are plenty of samples to get your kids through the store without too much whining or carrying on while you choose your laundry products and stock up on diapers, but hello? I wouldn't write an article on the 14th Annual Taste of Utah Valley if I didn't bother to rate real restaraunts! My comment is the first on this ridiculous article and I hope the person who is in charge of this Annual Taste Test will learn from their mistake! And what is with the top #2 beverage simply being listed as Pepsi!?!?!?

http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=60597

Can I just say?

Can I just say that I love my husband? Can I just say that!? He was so funny and cute last night, even though we both needed to sleep, we had a great time talking in bed and just being friends. I love nights like that when it feels we're at a "sleep over." They just seem to sort of happen that way. With his job, kids, and school, not to mention the recently installed lawn, he always has time for me. I think it's good to point out the times when your marriage is great. I don't think people do it often enough. I will be so glad when he is done with school and I'm sure he will be also. So for tonight and all the rest of the Mondays and Wednesdays of this semester, I will miss him. I guess we just have to take this one semester at a time.

Talking about Not good.

So I'm scheduled to go in for an abdominal and pelvic CT (cat) scan at noon tomorrow. I only hope they can get to the source for finding what's wrong. I have this feeling they won't. I have a feeling it will take much more to get to this mysterious creature that has infested my body. I have bad dreams all night that I am dying and that as I die my kids and husband are being taken away from me one by one. It's horrible. I hate it. I've actually felt really good today and yesterday. Today I thought to myself, "It's probably going away." But in the past 5 weeks I have already had those same thoughts and it never did. I've never been in one of those machines, I'm nervous about it but I'm not. I never thought I would have to have something like this done so early in my life. Maybe it's all in my head. The pain these two days has only been there if I bend a funny way or comes in a bolt off and on when I am sitting very still. It is not as pervasive if I am moving around during the day. I feel it most when I'm lying in bed or sitting at my desk at work. Saturday night was terrible. The pain had turned into what felt like a tourniquet stopping the main blood flow in the back of my left arm up between my shoulder blade and the front middle vein of my left leg. I don't understand it. It scares me, but if it's an infection, it's treatable, right?

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Not good.

So I've been having this pain in my abdomen on the left side for about 4 1/2 weeks now. We can't find out what's wrong with me. We've even done an ultrasound. The blood test results came back and show there is some sort of infection, but what? How? Why? I guess they want me to go get a another test done. As you can tell, I'm not too happy about all of it. I hope I can only have good news after this next test. If it's just an infection, at least it's treatable. I feel bad for my poor grandma who always had abdominal pain her whole life but no diagnosis. So I guess we'll see.

Cool!

So we decided to get a new mower and weed trimmer yesterday. You'd never believe how much you appreciate mowing a lawn until you haven't had one for your whole life...if that makes any sense. Our sod is doing so great, it is green and plush. Funny it only took 2 minutes before the bag on the mower was full. I guess we waited a little long to mow it I don't know who had more fun doing it, Charlie or Jacob. I think the many benefits for me of finally getting this lawn is that our floors wil actually stay clean! No more dirt and dust to sweep up, that and I can let Savannah play outside without her getting filthy! I love it!

Random thoughts from being a mother

So who knows if Michael will want to come back after this summer of working at his uncle's farm. His psychotherapist was right. Without him having physical contact, the relationship wouldn't stay strengthened. He's spent the last two weekends working there and has not spent any time with us. It seems to have made him distant and less close to us. He doesn't call, he doesn't act like he was ever here to begin with. I suppose it's his choice if he wants to continue to work there and go to school in that area. He is old enough. But the things that go through a mother's head is still there. What did I do, what didn't I do, all that time and now this is what's left? And on the other hand it feels like a relief to take away the responsibility. I mean I spent every day since I was his age taking care of him, and now all of a sudden this whole mother-son relationship thing is just moving on with what feels like no future? I suppose it's more of an umbilical cord factor for me, but I think I'm coming to accept whatever he decides. If he stays and lives with his uncle, I'll feel let down at first and I'm sure he will feel happy being new to their family and receiving new attention, but it too will get old for him. Or maybe not. Maybe he likes having a grandmother who will spoil him and keep him the baby that he can sometimes be, to which will be their fault, not mine. I guess only time wil tell.

Pioneer Day

So I didn't think we were going to do anything to celebrate Pioneer Day, a Utah State holiday.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Day Turns out we went to mom's and had a BBQ with my two brothers and their families. It was fun even though it rained a little. We did some fireworks and had a few laughs watching MattiJo and Savannah playing together. The both do the silliest things. I don't know if you really could say we celebrated the holiday itself, I mean we didn't dress up like pioneers or go to a parade or anything. I think having the day off of work was celebration in of itself even if the LDS pioneers had to walk and walk and walk and walk to settle here and that is what we're really supposed to be remembering.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Day
I know there are those of you that don't get state holidays off, such as the mail men and yes, you Charlie. I may be a cardboard cut out, but hey I still work my "A" off on the days that aren't holidays. (Yes I'm referring that statement to you dear and to my brother, Marty who always make fun of government workers. Very funny.) For my actual day off, it was great! I was able to sleep in, or at least until the cats were scratching at my door and making all kinds of noise. I took my time putting clothes away, mopping and vacuuming the floor, took Jake school shopping, cleaned my sliding glass door, and watered and groomed my plants. (Which I might add I don't do as often as I used to hence why it was such a big deal to do in the first place.) Savannah and I blew bubbles outside and she chased them on our new grass (yay!). Of course my hubster was at work and school all day stuck without a phone so I didn't get to talk to him much :( but that makes me look all the more forward to seeing him when he gets home tonight. All in all it was relaxing and I got a little bit of chores done at my own pace without pressure, now if only I could have a day off during the week every week without having to make up the extra time for the paycheck, I'd be there in a second! Who wouldn't?

5 years and counting, I hope

Today is my 5 year anniversary working for the State of Utah. Woohoo! I first started out as an unpaid intern with the Department of Workforce Services on the Mountainland regional administration team. I was also a client of the agency having my own caseload on food stamps and child care benefits. I went on to an Accounting technician for about 4 1/2 years, then to where I am now, Financial Analyst II! Sure I can't take all the credit. Others have left and given me the opportunities, but I have also worked hard to earn where I am. The reason I say I hope on counting for more years is the regional administrative teams for all state agencies will no longer be. All administrative duties will be done at a state leve rather than regional. Since we've been governed under Huntsman, one of his goals is to do as much work with less people working. Our agency is the first to start this initiation. That's us. We are always so efficient and the first to start piloting these things. Not only administration but HR and Information Tech will also be greatly reduced in the amount of people working. So I am really unsure of where they will be putting me for now, but at least we know there will not be a reduction in force for us and HR, unlike the IT guys. I suppose I have done about everything in administration on my team, why not learn something new? If I do go anywhere, it will either be working for the Finance Division or as an eligilibity specialist. That's my two options and I have to say that I am interested in both so I don't have any other plans of leaving DWS at this time. Call me crazy. It's still up in the air.

Before and After

Before the grass....










After the grass...

Not good.

So I've been having this pain in my abdomen on the left side for about 4 1/2 weeks now. We can't find out what's wrong with me. We've even done an ultrasound. The blood test results came back and show there is some sort of infection, but what? How? Why? I guess they want me to go get a another test done. As you can tell, I'm not too happy about all of it. I hope I can only have good news after this next test. If it's just an infection, at least it's treatable. I feel bad for my poor grandma who always had abdominal pain her whole life but no diagnosis. So I guess we'll see.

Talking about Two Years & Counting

We had a great time! Charlie had sent me some beautiful roses to my office on Friday. A dozen roses for love and two yellow roses representing two years of friendship. How sweet! I was quite surprised to walk in from the breakroom and see them sitting there on my desk. So
I took a picture to make them last even longer.

Saturday we spent most of the day together going to new places and new experiences. We went to the Gateway to see War of the Worlds and then walked around the stores for a bit. It was so dang hot and I guess they were having the days of '47 that night so we didn't stay long. He then
took me to Rodizio Grill, a Brazilian restaraunt. Talk about a lot of meat! It was very tasty and fun to experience. They would bring a different item just off the grill to your table and slice it off a skewer right there for you. Sometimes it was pork, sometimes beef or chicken. And sometimes it was juicy sweet pineapple. Makes me want to go to Brazil. They had so many flavorful salads and meat, but I think the dessert was what was most exotic. Couldn't put my thumb on what type of fruit they had in this parfait, but it was soooo good. After dinner we walked around Trolley Square which I've only heard about and never been to. It's more of an adult mall than a teen mall, so it was actually quite relaxing.

We talked about what we should do for our next anniversaries in the years to come. We joked about how Michael would love that restaraunt and would walk out of there so full. It was really good to recreate ourselves and reflect back on our marriage as well as forward. What a
pleasant weekend.

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Two Years & Counting

So my and Charlie's wedding anniversary is up and coming this weekend. It seems only yesterday that we were standing there in front of the cute little judge in that cute little courtroom. Simple and sweet. (Little meaning cute and cozy, not little as in not big and fancy.)

Who's birthday is it here?

Savannah is so funny, she was invited to my cousin's baby, Alyssa, second year birthday party on Friday. Well it included swimming, dinner, and of course cake! She didn't like the water in the pool but wanted to throw the beach balls and the other floating toys in and out of the water. She didn't really even associate with the other kids unless she wanted something from them. I think it was such a new experience for her that she was overwhelmed with all there was to do. She wanted to sit in Alyssa's chair every chance she got, I don't know what it is with her that she loves to climb up on new chairs. As soon as she saw the gift we gotten for Alyssa, she wanted it right away but then forgot about it two seconds later. She woudln't eat her pig in a blanket, but drank about 3 glasses of punch. Silly girl. It was cute to see 3 babies gather around at a birthday party, talk about chaos! Even the other little boy wanted to open his share of presents. They were all helping! But funniest thing of all is the little boy tried to give Savannah a hug and what did she do? Pulled his binkie out of his mouth. He got mad and pushed her away. Don't mess with a baby and his binkie!

A day in the life... or two.

You working moms, or dads for that matter, can relate to this one. Sometimes I wonder why I fill in my breaks at work to blog, but really, there isn't time for me to take at home to do it and I'm not using my sleep time. Heck, I can't even be at the computer for two minutes to check my bank account without Savannah crawling up my legs. So I've been thinking, it sure feels like my life is full. Full of errands, full of appointments, full of all kinds of tasks. Tasks that can't be done at work. Let's just take a look at the last couple of days...

Tuesday:
5:30 a.m. Wake up, get ready for work.
6:10 a.m. Take Michael's friend home on way to work.
7:00 a.m. Stop at Walmart for diapers (I noticed Savannah was almost out last night) and birthday gift for a relative's party on Friday.
7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Not too busy day at work. Decided to just let Michael stay with me until he had to go to work since we were running late (Michael has work from 9 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. at the building next to me. During the morning while working I usually call Jacob to make sure he does his chores, ask him to take something out for dinner after I have decided what we're having and to check up on Savannah before he takes her to the sitters. I usually always check our bank account online first thing too, making sure there aren't any weird things happening. 4:30 - 5:45 p.m. commute home.
5:45 p.m. Greet Savannah with hugs and kisses, ask Jake how his day was.
6:00 p.m. Take laundry downstairs and say hi to hubby as he is working on homework. 6:05 p.m. Make dinner.
6:45 p.m. Serve dinner. We decided to eat in the downstairs family room so we could watch the last movie we rented, Coach Carter, while we ate. It was pretty good. During the movie I get up and down several times to check on Savannah as she goes from terrorizing one room to the next.
8:45 p.m. the movie ends. We all take our dishes up to the kitchen and go out back to watch the new sprinkler system in action.
9:00 p.m. I quickly do the dishes and clean up in a hurry to get Savannah off to bed.
9:30 p.m. I rock Savannah for a few minutes and lay her down. At last, she is in bed! Time for myself? Hah!
10:00 p.m. I sit on the bed for about 20 mins and watch Everybody Loves Raymond and wait for hubby to come to bed.
10:30 p.m. I pretty much pass out.

Wednesday
6:00 a.m. Wake up.
6:45 a.m. Leave for morning commute. Stopped and got the dirty car washed, it needed it bad! 7:30 - 4:30 p.m. Busy day at work today. During work, I called doctor in the morning while at work about my test results. Canceled Savannah's portrait appt, decided to take her to a new place. Entered some stuff on my online account register.
4:30 - 5:15 p.m. Commute home.
5:15 p.m. Savannah and Jake hello and of course Savannah always asks for a treat the minute I walk in the door, kind of like a dog. LOL
5:30 p.m. Finish up the checkbook assigning categories and fixing amounts so it's all current and up to dat.
5:50 p.m. Make dinner.
6:15 p.m. While dinner was cooking I actually sat down and drank a half of beer and watched Jacob blow bubbles for Savannah.
6:40 p.m. Hubby came home, we all visited for a few minutes in the front room before dinner. 6:55 p.m. Ate dinner. Had Jacob do the dishes. :)
7:20 p.m. Took laundry down and sorted, started a load of dark colors. (Savannah even helps me do this, it is so cute!)
7:25 p.m. Savannah was a mess from head to toe, so I gave her a bath and got her ready for bed.
8:00 p.m. Put the clothes in the dryer and another load of dark colors in. Folded clothes that were in the dryer from the day before and put them away. Anyway, you get the picture. Yada yada yada yada...and to start out today I already stopped by the video store on my way to work to drop off the movies, and am now trying to decide what to have for dinner so that when I call him in the next few minutes I know what to ask him to take out.

Long story long, that's a day or two in the life of a working mom.

See any resemblance?

Yep. That's my dad. That's my favorite picture of him. It's funny though. You see a lot of pictures in the old albums of him where you can tell that he's posed for the pciture, but then there are ones that he won't pose for at all, usually the more recent photos.

Two Years & Counting

So my and Charlie's wedding anniversary is up and coming this weekend. It seems only yesterday that we were standing there in front of the cute little judge in that cute little courtroom. Simple and sweet. (Little meaning cute and cozy, not little as in not big and fancy.)

I don't know what we're doing to celebrate, but I do know that we are going to spend the day together without kids, laundry, or home improvement projects! It's something we need to do more often.

Happy 2nd anniversary Dear, I love you

Finally!

Wah hoo! We have a front yard! So our back yard didn't get hydroseeded yet. The guy flaked out on us three times for coming to get it done, so hopefully there will be no futher problems and I will be able to have pics of all yards. Our sod is checkerboard right now, but it's really green and plush. It's weird. As we're driving up the road, we usually look for the house with no lawn to identify when to slow down. Now there aren't any! What's also weird is looking outside at it through the inside window. I mean we haven't had grass for almost two years now. For a moment it almost feels as if we are in the wrong house...

I think after this is all said and done we shouldn't start any more major projects for a while. It seems to be wearing on married and family life with all the stress of spending and hustle and bustle of working on it here and there. I can't say as if I've done anything as far as the physical side or the brains of the work, but I have tried to support Charlie the best I could. I guess that's why I don't feel very excited to want to make any more decisions for a while like on landscaping. It's as if I'm burned out, I wonder if he realizes that he probably is too? Probably not though. He is more the type of person that likes to have things going on, and I tend to be the one that gets stressed out, so I should speak for myself, but come on, the guy is in school full time, working full time, and is a dad? Need I say more? It's been three months and we are finally at a point of being done! (With the grass part that is.) All we have left to do is plant trees, landscape, and put a fence up. I guess I know this will take some time and some more major money, so I don't mind if we take a break for now.

It's funny, Charlie still hasn't figured me out after all this time. He got all worried thinking I wasn't excited to have the sod in, but my personality isn't an expressionable one like his. He shows his emotions on the outside more than he knows. I simply just take it all in and quietly gloat in excitement like a little kid does on Christmas morning trying not to wake mom and dad. So yeah, he doesn't see me when I look outside before bedtime to make sure it's still ours. He doesn't see me take it in with the little picture from camera in my head. He does see me write about it in my blog, which is another way I show my emotions. Through writing. So yes, I am excited and thank you Dear, for all your hard work. I love you for it.

What makes Happy Valley Happy Valley? And is it really that happy?

Found on Wikipedia:

"Happy Valley" is - especially when used with air quotes - sometimes used in a pejorative or ironic sense when describing Utah County, for a number of reasons:

Some studies and antecdotal evidence suggest Utah County residents have higher than average use of anti-depressant medications, especially Prozac [4], [5] Note that other researchers have questioned the accuracy of such reports. [6] The large number of Latter-day Saints - arguably the highest concentration of the faith in the world - has led some Utah County residents to charge that some Latter-day Saints practice overt or tacit religious discrimination against non-LDS individuals, against persons who have chosen to no longer practice the LDS faith, or against critics of the LDS church. [7] The fervently conservative atmosphere of the region has found more culturally non-native and liberal Latter-day Saints complaining of discrimination by the more conservative locally-rooted Utah Mormon culture.

In more local and recent items of discussion that have been the topics around town:

I heard that the firework display at the Freedom Festival held at the BYU stadium, in yes,no other than Happy Valley, was presented on Saturday night in lieu of Monday being "Family Home Evening."

Isn't celebrating our nation's birthday as a family good enough to count as an evening spent together with lessons to learn? Although not at home, couldn't you arrive home afterward and then have a lesson and a prayer in relation to what you had just experienced at the festival?
Isn't staying at home on Sundays enough? A local community barred a grocery chain from entering business because they planned to be open 7 days a week and would also sell beer and wine spirits on Sundays.

Ooooh, provide no temptation and there will be none? Isn't it a much stronger person to resist letting go of the rod, than to never have a real test and being able to simply ignore what's evil and in front of them by not putting it there?

Many say the LDS community is much different in the communities throughout the rest of the states. Utah must create some sort of ingenuity that none other can. People think this is the promised land that they themselves are the judgers being so concerned of others
actions yet are hypocritical of their teachings. I know of these people. To give you an example, one I used to be related to. She stated recently not to judge someone until you knew them. Yet she has already made judgements on me and my family. Do these people have eyes and ears of their own? Why are they so oblivious to their own hypocrite behavior? Are they that righteous? What's your view point?