Just a day, just an ordinary day

The most exciting part of my day was hearing that I would have a new niece; Congratulations Craig, Jac and Olivia! That saddest part of my day was learning that I have lost my powers:(. For those who don't know, I tend to be able to guess when people are pregnant and what they are having. Little Lucy or Emery broke my 9 year streak; I thought they would have a boy... well actually I was really confused because originally I thought it would be a girl but then I changed to boy. So, I'm just a normal person now, not the baby whisperer... dang it.

I'm blogging today not because I really have anything to say but because I'm bored. Todd flew out this morning to Arkansas to go interview with Wal-Mart. He will be back Saturday evening and I can already tell this will be a long couple of days. He has his first interview tomorrow so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He got all nervous last night (it was cute) but I am sure he will do great. It is strange to think in a couple more months we will be somewhere else yet again. We are both very excited for this big change. We don't know where we will be but we are excited for an adventure that requires us to plant some roots. I'm sure we will get cabin fever after four months... it'll be strange not to be moving.

Other than Todd flying around the country and leaving me behind, our life is pretty ordinary... ordinarily boring. Tomorrow night, I get the pleasure of spending three hours renewing my CPR and first-aid training... yippy for me. I'll miss my shows which I am sadly addicted to (Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice... life just seems so much better and happier after watching those shows, they have way to much drama). This morning I went and got my blood drawn (which seems to have become part of my monthly routine) and it went so well (that's how exciting our life is... I blog about getting blood drawn). I hate needles and even though I have gotten my blood drawn a bagillion times (I exaggerated, I know), I'm scared every single time. Today I went and the lady was amazing!! I was seriously out of there in less then a minute with no pain. I told her she was amazing and that I wanted her to be the one poking me from now on. She just laughed at me but oh how she became my new favorite person.

As ordinary as we feel life has gotten, we are enjoying having a routine in our life and we are very optimistic that life will once again be crazy, just the way we like it. We hope all is well with all of you and the New Year is being good to you. Love ya!

Take Luck Todd!!! (if you read this before tomorrow which I doubt will happen)

p.s. Gus was dog of the month at Blue Buffalo, here is a link to his card and his story:

http://www.bluebufftradingcards.com/Index.aspx

... we have yet to receive any of the free stuff...

Hmmmm...

Well hello. I feel like I should blog because I did it all the time and I haven't done it in like a week... haha. I really have nothing to blog about... We are in Idaho Falls as most of you know. Todd started school on Wednesday and it seems like this semester will be very busy for him. He seems to have a lot of homework but I guess that is what you can expect in your last semester. I think he is kind of excited to be back at school, ready to get it done and move on to something else. Everyday Todd is talking about a future job. I feel like he is a little stressed about finding a job but also very excited. I have no concerns about Todd finding a job; he is basically amazing, who wouldn't want the guy? But really, Todd is a very determined man and will find something he enjoys and that will support our family. I started working at The Learning Center this last Monday. I worked there after high school and before Todd and I got married. Now that I have a degree, I got a bit of a raise so that is neat. It's weird working again and getting ready everyday... I'm already sick of getting ready:).
So that's basically our life; Todd learns and I work:). Boring post...

A Christmas Story

I found this on a friend's blog and decided to repost it... Very good story and very good tradition (completely made me cry while Todd laughed at how emotional I was getting, but he liked it too)! Todd, Gus:) and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!! Love you all!

“For the Man Who Hated Christmas”

by Nancy W. Gavin

It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years or so.It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it--overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma--the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think ofanything else.Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike.

The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortlybefore Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took everyweight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.” Mike loved kids - all kids - and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.

For each Christmas, I followed the tradition--one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure.

The story doesn't end there.You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.Each of our children, unbeknown to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down the envelope. Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit will always be with us.

The last of our adventures...

I know I'm blogging again and this will probably turn into a long post but after today I probably will never blog again. So, enjoy:)

Yesterday I went into the city early to go to MoMA. I haven't been to a museum since Europe. I guess Europe wore me out when it comes to museums (or it could be the fact that Idaho doesn't really have all that great of museums...) but it was exciting to experience the arts again. I am a fan of Expressionism and Impressionism painting so I thought the MoMA would be my best fit. Here are some highlights of my trip... the good and the strange...

This guy was playing the piano IN the piano... he was good

Now I have never really understood Abstract and Pop art. This is a famous painting by Andy Warhol but I don't get it...

Umm yeah...this is by far my favorite piece in the museum... I call it wall on wall... I don't get it...

Hmmm let me stick this wheel in this chair.... by goodness, it's a masterpiece!!!

This is called "Big Red" and I love it... I don't know why but I think it is so pretty. To me it looks like a bunch of poppies.

"A Starry Night" by Van Gogh. This was so beautiful in person. It still remains one of my favorite paintings. And I love that it's big, not tiny like the "Mona Lisa"

This is a painting by Seurat. I like his work because he paints in a serious of little dots; it's pretty neat.

This thing is huge!!!! This is one of Monet's "Water Lilies." I would have to say that Monet is by far one of my favorite artists. I also enjoy a lot of stuff from Degas and Pissarro (he painted another one of my favorite paintings "Boulevard Montmartre at Night")

I thought this one was very cool. It's like the woman is walking through a very colorful waterfall... I think it's pretty.

The center one is called "Trafalgar Square" by Mondrian... it's famous, but Todd and I couldn't really pin point how we knew that....

I really made it only through two floors which is pretty good in two hours. I saw a lot of stuff that I liked and loved but a lot of stuff I was like "huh?" But I was glad I went. I can officially say, that I have seen all the paintings that I wanted to see in my lifetime (I mean the ones I have known about and loved... not that I want to stop seeing paintings).

Ok, so for the next part of the evening...

Todd met me at MoMA and we made our way to Rockefeller Center. We kind of got lost but in the end we were found. Here are some highlights of evening in the city...

This now concludes our New York Adventure!

 Tonight we are actually going to JB's (Todd's boss) house for dinner and tomorrow is cleaning and packing day (oh so fun). We have seen everything we have wanted to see and we have done everything we have wanted to do; I suppose it's time to come home. Todd is very excited to come home and I of course have gotten attached to this place (not Jersey City) and will miss it. It has been so fun to go in the city whenever we have wanted and enjoy the city life. I'll miss Central Park and all the hustle and bustle of the greatest city in the world. We will not miss Jersey City, parking in Jersey City, parking tickets in Jersey City, traffic jams in Jersey City and paying twice as much for groceries in Jersey City. I will also enjoy not hearing sirens all the time and not having the streets smell like garbage. The only thing I will miss in Jersey City is the noon bells that ring pretty songs everyday:). The last thing I will miss is just having it be Todd and I (and Gus). Besides all the guests that have come to visit, this time has really just been Todd and I. We had no guy friends or gal friends to go hangout with, we just had each other. I have a feeling Todd and I will see less of each other this next semester because both of us will be so busy. I am thankful that I have been able to embark in this great adventure with my best friend and we have had the opportunity to grow together. I'm thankful that Todd is adventurous enough to take a job clear across the country and to work so hard for our family. This really has been an amazing couple of months and I will always be grateful that the Lord has watched over us here and allowed us to have this adventure.

We are excited to see all our family and friends and to spend the holidays at home!! I'm praying for a white Christmas, so hopefully Utah gets a lot of snow (after we get there). Thank you all for your love and support. We can't wait to see you all!!

And they lived happily ever after... THE END!