Ok so apparently the mobile posts I've been sending haven't gone through. Sorry! I will add them again later. Can't believe it's Oct already, winter's next! Meh

More Rambling

Sorry, no pictures yet but my memory card is full so I'll be uploading them soon. I just wanted to thank everyone for a great birthday (especially Britta, for her support in my new year resolutions). Also a short update: Isaac is sooo close to crawling! It's both exciting and causing me anxiety because (as my pediatrician put it) my role will then change from parent to parole officer, and we really need to make sure the house is safe for him. Also, Enoch was hired on at the U of U for a small high school outreach program for the engineering department, and is still on the Dean's List at SLCC. He starts the outreach program this coming Saturday, so we'll see what that's like. As for me, my new job is going well. It's a steep learning curve but I really enjoy the work and the people, and I think behavorial health is something I could go into later in life (as a career, not a patient... hopefully). TTFN

Birthday Musing

As my birthday draws near, I find myself contemplating my very existence. I'm not where I thought I'd be when I was in high school, but I honestly have few regrets! I love my husband and baby boy very very much and I love our little condo. I'm grateful for the relationships I've created within my family and for the friendships I've been able to keep all these years. I rgret not going farther in school and not getting an adult job until now, but those can be remedied before too long. I have some "new year" resolutions I'd like to share with those who read this thing so that you can help me achieve them: I need to lose weight (about 30-40 pounds, I'm not sure how many inches) I plan to do that by eating smaller portions, eating mostly plant products, and doing more active things when we go out to have fun, like hiking, walking around the mall, playing with kids, etc. Also I resolve to decrease my carbon footprint by recycling and using reusable products like cloth diapers, towels instead of paper towels, fewer paper plates, canceling unwanted mail and subscriptions, and using less electricity throughout the day. Those are two pretty big goals, so I think I'll leave it at that right now. Thanks everyone for the caring and support you give me, and I hope this next year in my life is as good as the last one was.

Just finished Isaac's 6m checkup: 14#1oz, 24 in, developing on target. Got shots though <:\>. I'll try to post pics soon.

I know it's been sooo long since I've been on this thing, and this post is an odd reason to renew my interest, but anyone who knows me well knows I'm odd so you shouldn't be too surprised. I received this story in a dreaded email forward and wanted to share it without committing the horrible deed of forwarding it on again (because I know that gets annoying). So I thought I'd post it here for anyone interested. Enjoy!

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would be twins!' He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, 'I don't get it!' 'You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?'

He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or...you can choose to be in a bad mood I choose to be in a good mood.' Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or...I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested.

'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life.'

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?'

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

'The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,' he replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live.'

'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked.

He continued, '...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action.'

'What did you do?' I asked.

Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said John. 'She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled,

"Gravity"

Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude....I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:34.

After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

So excited! Went shopping w/my grandparents today & got some sweet baby stuff including a travel system & highchair. THX Aunt Jodi too. Can't wait 4 the shower!

My Trip to Washington

Yay, pics from our trip to Washington! (so what if they're from last May...) Mom and Garrett and I flew to Battle Ground, Washington for a few days (Enoch was in school) to visit my grandparents and aunts and uncles. I took a bunch of pictures of their house; they helped design it and it's tucked away in the backcountry so it's quiet and peaceful. In fact, you quite literally have to go over the river and through the woods to get to their house! While we were there we went to Seattle to see my uncle Matthew (not to be confused with Matthew in Manhattan), and spent some time at Pike's Fresh Market, then had the tastiest fish and chips at Spuds. We also went to Tillamook in Oregon where we toured the Tillamook factory, and down the road saw the nation's shortest lighthouse at Cape Meares. One of my favorite destinations was Powell's bookstore in Portland. They don't call it the City of Books for nothing! I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Thanks to everyone for trip, it was a blast and I hope to go again soon!

This is my grandparent's house from the front. It's set down on a hill and you can see all of my grandpa's flowers and trees from the upstairs windows.

Here's a pic of a stretch of their driveway, it continues uphill from there. Apparently last winter my grandpa's truck was the only vehicle that could go up and down the driveway in the snow. They had to plow it themselves, too. Glad I have an HOA for that!

Some of Grandpa's flowers, he told me what they are, but I don't remember.

This is a (not so little) playhouse that they got from their neighbor. They have it set on the hill in front of their house and it almost looks full size from the right angle. Grandma lovingly told me that's where Enoch and I could stay when we visit next, and although it looks cozy from the outside, there's nothing but leaves and bugs on the inside. Thanks!

One of my favorite parts of the house is Grandpa's topen library upstairs; it's just floor to ceiling books! Also, he is a Disney fanatic (and especially classic Disney, like Mickey Mouse)! I don't think my pictures do his obsession justice, I'm just stating it here because you're likely to see a lot of it from here.

Like this, for instance! These are original cells from the movies.

Another shot of the library, the bookcase wraps around the wall, but the rest of the room is open, like a loft area. I love it!

Here are the chickens they keep in the backyard.

This is a view of the trees in the front yard.

Here's Nuka, my grandpa's dog. She is adorable, but while we were there she got lonely and kept howling and howling so Mom and I had to take her out of her dog run and play with her which is harder than it sounds when she's as big as we are and muddy!
See what I mean?

I have a lot more pictures from this trip, but I'll write new posts for them because it's hard to organize a million images in one sitting! Thanks to those of you who read this!

Trick or Treat

Here are our Halloween pics finally! We went to the annual Rynearson Halloween Bash (new location every year, same great fun!). The kids were cute as always, and the entertainment was plentiful (Rock Band, the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, and mask painting) Against all odds I stayed awake until we left at 2 am!! Hmmm, nothing else to report on the evening really. Thanks Skip and Rachel for always having a fun party, look forward to next year... I wonder where it will be? (Oh, I do have to apologize for everyone's red eyes, I used to be able to edit them out in my picture viewer, but something must have changed recently because I can't figure it out now... oh well, it adds to the Halloweeny feel of the whole thing)

I was so excited to get this shirt because it's funny on two levels: the obvious Halloween funny, and because the darling little parasite is quite literally taking my brain function away from me (thanks for pointing that out btw, Rachel)

Britta and Abigail- you should have seen the Hughes girl's costumes, they were both wearing skeleton sweats. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics, but they were freakin' sweet!

Scott and Jen- He was a little too comfortable in that robe as the evil wolf, and she was a little too innocent as Little Red Riding Hood... yes something was definitely amiss

Greg and Marci Rynearson- happy vampire couple

Lauren and little William- She was a cheerleader, Raph was a football player, and William was a football. Last year when Lauren was pregnant, they were Juno and Bleaker. I think they're clever.

Here's everyone at the mask painting station. Bobby Hughes and his girlfriend Emily were pirates, John and Britta were...Mexican? I don't know, they had ponchos and big, flashy sombreros, except Britta took hers off. Then there's Enoch, and a couple of Raph's friends I don't know.

Asher and his parents were treasure trolls, complete with gemstones on their bellies. I have to give kudos to Rachel for her resourcefulness: when she couldn't find a child's wig or anything small enough for Asher, she found a dog wig and glued it to his suit. Me? I would have just given up or thought of a different costume.

There she is! Miss Resourcefulness! You can't see it very well but her wig is the pink thing next to her on the couch. It was made with cotton balls. What did I tell you about her?

If you can't guess who Enoch is, you aren't watching enough TV. Or maybe I should say enough daytime network TV.

Cute Katie Hughes, you can kind of see her skeleton on her sweater. Did you know that that is an exact replica of her skeleton put onto her sweats? Yup, and we also have an amp that goes to 11. (Most only go to 10 for those of you who don't know)

Hi Amber!

I don't have any pictures to post right now, but I wanted to give a shout out to Amber, the only person I know of who actually checks this thing. For anyone else who happens to catch this, everything is going well for us. All of my doctor's visits have been very positive and I'm 30 weeks along as of today. We're slowly getting things put together for the baby (either Isaac or Noah), and my baby shower is going to be Jan. 23rd. Enoch is between semesters right now, and enjoying the break by reading textbooks and a book on the history of math on the side (I know, weirdo). I've decided to quit Mary Kay for the time being and sell off my inventory at cost so that I can pick it up again in the future if I ever feel like it. Also thinking heavily on what I want to do with my life as far as a career goes, maybe go back to school? Maybe work towards stay at home mom? Who knows, the possibilities are endless!!

Anyway, looking forward to 2010 and all the changes (known and unknown) it will bring... Sorry I don't have much for you specifically, Amber, but thanks for not giving up on this blog!