Bells Will Be Ringing

This Christmas was really great. Not only did Glade open all the presents we had under the tree Christmas Eve, but she was able to open some more on Christmas Day when my parents and brother came into town. We got a lot more stuff than we thought we would and Glade absolutely LOVED all her presents.

It was so hard to find stuff she would like just because she is in that weird age they don't make things for. It goes from 0-6, then 6-12, then 12-24.... Where the 18 months?? It just baffles me they don't have anything. So we made due with other toys she had played with and loved and some other stuff I thought she would enjoy.

They all turned out to be perfect!!

We spent the beginning of the morning with my family, then Blake went to work, and when we got back we had Christmas Dinner and then just hung out as a family watching movies and playing games together. It was a lot of FUN.

And now that it's over, we have a whole new year to prepare for. And it starts with Nate's Farewell and Teagan's birthday. I'm so excited to get jump started on 2009!!

We got her a play pen for her baby, but she doesn't let the baby in there. she sits in it to watch TV
Her new moses basket from Grandpa and Grandma Pearson

She set up the baby toys next to the tree and said it was so the baby could see the lights

Her new table and dishes from Grandpa and Grandma Pollock!! She absolutely loves them. She feeds you fake food for hours on end.

Her new bed set from Grandpa and Grandma Pollock! It matches the flowers on her wall and she loves going to bed and pointing at all the flowers

My new quilt rack!! (Totally wish I had had this a month ago...;) )

Now that it's finally Christmas...

So, in October, Rachelle thought of an idea to do for Curt and Reita (Blake's parents) for Christmas. When they went to visit them, she noticed their comforter was getting old and thought it would be a neat idea to make them a new quilt for their California King size bed. I agreed and found a pattern that looked relatively easy to put together and Rachelle picked the fabric and started cutting the pieces.

The best part of this whole thing was I sent Rachelle the amount of pieces she needed to cut and how small and everything. Each square was 12", but she thought the pattern was just one big square so she didn't understand you had to make a lot of little squares. I thought she had never pieced a quilt before, but it turns out she just didn't read the pattern. It was definitely a good laugh.

The week after Conference (the weekend they came down, with the accompanying blogs about those weekends - it was so hard not to say why they were there), Rachelle and I spent two days piecing the quilt and putting it together so I could quilt it after they left. We were up pretty late at night and then up early the next morning just so we could get the whole thing pieced before they had to go home.

After they left, I borrowed a couple C clamps and a few pieces of a quilting frame from our friends to quilt it. I ended up using TV trays to stand it up since the stands they had went missing. It was definitely a ghetto looking quilt lol.

Since it was from all of us, I decided to embroider-quilt all of our names into the centers of six of the squares. I think it made it more personal and added that added touch to the quilt it needed. And since there were the few green squares in the middle to offset the peach, I thought it would be perfect to do the names in there. They went in this order:

Blake ---- LOVE ---- Darryl
Kayce ---------------Rachelle
Glade ---------------Teagan
The row of hearts

So, for the next month and a half I worked on the quilt (more off than on) and finally got it done and took it to Rachelle to bind and finish.

I have never realized how hard it is to do a quilt when you have a child. Everytime I would start to work on it, I swear Glade would know and think of something she needed. I should have finished it pretty fast, but she just didn't let me.

I have wanted to post this since I started, but I couldn't since it was a surprise. I am so excited I can tell everyone now!! :)

Here are some pics of how it turned out.

The finished quilt
Teagan's name

Glade's name

Kayce's name

Rachelle's name

Darryl's name

Love in the top center

Blake's name

The regular quilted pattern throughout the peachish squares

I did a heart in the bottom three green squares for added pizzaz and so it would stick out

A closer look at the heart

A little motivation for everyone

One of those terrible moments as a mother...

Blake and I decided it was time to take Glade's binkies away. She is almost a year and a half and she doesn't need them anymore except to fall asleep. But most of the time she falls asleep without them. So, we got her last two binkies, I sat her in my lap, she helped me cut the nipples off, and then she helped me throw them away.

She thought it was a cute game until we threw them away. She then gave me a look that said "You have betrayed me... You couldn't possibly be my mother." I wanted to cry with her. So Blake took her and had her look at the tree to keep her mind from her binkies in the trash. He then took the trash out to erase all memory of them.

The next few days will be the longest of my life. It's a good thing Blake isn't in school so he can stay up with Glade ;).

On a lighter note, here are some pics of Claire I took this last weekend! I know they aren't the best but I couldn't get her to cooperate. (Strange 3 week old babies ha ha).

Our "Christmas" Weekend

This past weekend we decided to go up North for our Christmas since we both have to work before, during, and after Christmas. We went up Friday afternoon when I got off work and had so much planned. (We always plan to see everyone, but we always end up doing too much ;) ).

Friday night we went to Temple Square with Darryl and Rachelle (Teagan was sick so he stayed home). I had never been before and I absolutely love going to the Temple so I thought it would be so pretty lit up. I was right! I love Christmas lights and I think they did a fantastic job at decorating the Square! It was a pretty good night to go, too, since it wasn't too cold or windy. Glade really enjoyed seeing the lights and pulling off her mittens. She eventually lost one of them around the Square somewhere. She thought it was pretty funny!

Family Picture

On Saturday we went and saw a couple of our friends in Provo, went to Barnes and Noble (should never go there... I always spend too much), then went up to Clinton to be with Nick, Mandy, Michael, and Claire. Glade had an absolutely blast with Michael. She would chase him around and he would kind of cower in corners. It was pretty funny.

I held Claire all weekend and it was awesome! My arms didn't fall asleep and I felt like I wasn't holding anything at all! It was an awesome weekend!

Below are some more pics of Temple Square, enjoy!!

SLC Temple

SLC Temple

Darryl looked at the church and turned to us and said "Everytime I see this it reminds me of the church on Resident Evil 4". Needless to say, I will never look at this building the same ever again. One day zombies will come piling out and I will be ready for them ;)

A Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,

Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light

Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,

"Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers.

"My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son.

"Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Oh, Christmas Time

We asked Caleb and Brenda if they would do our Christmas pictures for us. I think they turned out pretty good!

Glade being Glade
The fam

The fam 2

The fam 3

She just looks like she has something evil planned...

A really cool idea!

I got this off of the Ford's blog and thought every parent might want to know about this!

It is a tatoo with your information on it so just in case you go somewhere (the mall, Disneyland, the park) your child will have the number to call you if they get lost or someone finds them. You can also get them personlized with allergies, special instructions, and other medical problems for those birthday parties and other things.

Here is the link if you are interested!

http://www.safetytat.com/

Oh my lol....

So, there are a few things I would like to post on this blog today. The first is about my daughter.... the beautiful, happy, unspoiled thing she is....

We went to my parents house for Thanksgiving. Last week they asked if they could keep her with them after we had to leave Thursday till they come to Cedar Sunday. I couldn't say Yes fast enough. I have a few projects I need to finish and I was actually excited to have a kid free weekend. Totally uncharacteristic of me and totally opposite of last time.

It was a really fun Thanksgiving. Glade was adorable with the animals and it was so good seeing a lot of my family. And it was actually quite easy to leave Glade at their house. She was having a ball and I didn't think she would mind me leaving. Little did I know that she would cry the minute I stepped out the door...

But, after about ten minutes she was fine. She had a great weekend with grandma and grandpa and got severey spoiled by my brother. So when she got home, of course she would want everything he gave her all weekend ha ha.

But, on a lighter note, my parents brought some of my stuff with them and also my old bed! Which is Glade's new bed now!! While Glade was taking a nap, I set it up in her room. When she woke up, she loved it. And for two reasons... She can now reach the light switch, and she can look out her window.

Playing with the lightswitch (and I know there are no sheets on it, but they are being washed ha ha)

The next thing, since I got my stuff from my parents, it had the outfits my mom made me for the handcart trek we did in Virginia right after I graduated. I tried them on, and aside from the fact my hips are a little bigger, I thought they looked pretty spiffy!! Most of the trek, I did have my skirt tied around my waist so that I could pull the handcart. And the bloomers were definitely my favorite part of the ensemble. (And just an FYI, I did pick the colors and I had a blast wearing them!!)

This one was my favorite. People thought I was crazy, but It was awesome!

You could never tell I like green...

The bloomers!! They are dang sexy!

NEED HELP ASAP!!

Glade has started to become very mean, mainly just towards me, and she won't stop biting and hitting. I am just about at my whits end. Time-outs, hitting back, telling her "no hitting/biting", putting her down, walking away... Nothing is working. She is actually just getting worse. I don't know what else to do.

And it doesn't help that I am only with her in the evening and she isn't mean to anyone else so she doesn't understand why I am upset at her, but I don't think I can take the biting and hitting anymore without exploding.

Please help me!!

What a stressful day

So, yesterday, my best friend, Mandy, went to her midwife and she was given stuff to start her labor progression. Well, it didn't quite work that well, so they went back today and labor started at about noon. She kept updated me periodically untill about 4 pm and then they stopped. I figured something big happened and it was just too much hassle to text me while she is trying to concentrate and stuff. And however great it is that she was actually in labor, I was a nervous wreck. I was pacing the house and Glade kept following me giggling.

She is birthing at home, which is so COOL, and doing a water birth like she did with her son, Michael. They had everything set up Thursday thinking yesterday would go very well, and Michael loved climbing in and out of the labor pool.

At about 9:30 pm I got a text saying she was starting to push, but they hadn't seen anything yet. About an hour later, I get a text that says "Mandy just gave birth to Baby Claire!" They didn't find out the sex of the baby (when they had Michael he was supposed to be a girl... so they figure it wasn't worth it). She is 6 lbs 11 ounces and 18.5" long.

The best thing is that with Michael, I joked with them that it would be a boy since at her shower all she got was girl stuff, so we got gender neutral clothes and toys for them. Turns out I was right. And with this one, I said it was going to be a girl and lo and behold, I am a freakin genius (he he).

The only thing that sucks is that she lives in Clinton and I can't see the baby for about another month... I'm gonna die lol!!

A November Update

Well, I figured we would post a little update on how everyone is doing.

And since Glade is the cutest, I figure we would start with her. She is now 16 months old (still can't believe it). She has 12 teeth and is into everything. It is definitely a good thing she is so cute!

She can say a few more words, including baby, wii, no, and yum. And her brand new thing to do is to take everything of hers and stick it down her onesie. When you change her diaper, everything falls out when you open the onesie. She gets a kick out of it and it is pretty cute.

She is also now 17 lbs 14 ounces (moving right up there ha ha). To me she has gotten so HUGE, but she is still really tiny in proportion to all other kids. But little babies are better ;).

I am still at convergys (one month on Thursday!!) and it is actually a pretty fun job. Whenever we aren't on calls, we talk and make jokes, and you get to sit down all day. Most people aren't that mean, since I only have to deal with online banking, but this last week I think every third call was someone that would yell. And it doesn't really make sense why they are upset... especially since all I ask is if I can verify their information... is it truly that hard to tell me your address and SSN?? But then again, some people are just difficult.

Blake is still at Crysallis and is in class when he isn't at work. Thank goodness the semester is so close to being over. It is going to be a relief the three weeks he doesn't have to go to class inbetween semesters.

I'm pretty sure that is all that is going on, but if you want to know more, just hit me up!

Why God Made Moms

I thought this was too cute to not share! I hope you moms get as much laughs out of it as I did. Enjoy!

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

The final diagnosis on Blake's finger

So today was Blake's appointment with the dermatologist. We waited for about 30 minutes (we were about 35 minutes early) and then he came in and asked what was up. So, we told him the entire back story and what the ER did and how it was starting to grow back. He looked at it, asked if it bled A LOT and it took forever to stop bleeding, we said yes, and he told us what it was.

It was a (drumroll please) pyogenic granuloma. And me saying that explains everything to everyone, right? Mostly they happen in pregnant women and horses... But, for you people that stare blankly at those words like I do, here is a short synopsis of it.

Pyogenic granuloma is a relatively common skin growth. It is usually a small red, oozing and bleeding bump that looks like raw hamburger meat. It often seems to follows a minor injury and grows rapidly over a period of a few weeks to an average size of a half an inch. The head, neck, upper trunk and hands and feet are the most commonly sites.

And in common english, what happened was when Blake smashed his finger, it over-healed instead of just healed, creating a huge mushroom looking liver thing. The skin sometimes does this, and then the pyogenic granuloma occurs.

So, he took Blake's finger, numbed it, cut off the growth that was growing back (shaved it off is more acurate), and then burned the entire area. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen. Blake got REALLY light headed and then he turned white as a ghost. So he had to lie back down for about 10 minutes, then he was fine. The doctor was super nice about it and I thanked him over and over again because he didn't back away and he knew what it was. You have no idea what a tremendous relief it was knowing that it was a normal thing and what a simple proceedure it was to take off.

Right after this we went and had Glade's Flu Booster shot. All in all, we saw doctors for 50 minutes today... Blake's app was at 1, then we were on our way home from Glade's at 1:50. It was absolutely fantastic!

First experience with two kids

Last night we babysat our friend's two month old. I was a little nervous, but I was more excited than anything else. They watch Glade while Blake is in class so I figure it can't be too hard. Plus, Glade absolutely adores Rebecka.

So they dropped off Rebecka and went to dinner and a movie. I absolutely loved babysitting! Glade had a blast with her. They played on the floor for about an hour and had a blast together. Rebecka is started to smile and coo and kick more than usual and Glade just loves talking back to her.

And when Rebecka would cry, Glade would run and grab a binky or a bottle so she would be ok. It was adorable!!

Here are some pics I took (I just couldn't help myself ;) ):

Glade is tickling Rebecka's feet
She would lie down to cuddle with her... it made it more like lying on her but it was cute anyway

Giving kisses

Trying to pick her up to hold her

Just being cute for the camer (and the bump on her head is from falling off the bookshelf... It isn't child abuse....)

Darth Vader

I was cruising the web for patterns and things (much like I do when I'm bored nowdays) and I came across this. It's a Darth Vader Hot Sauce Bottle cover. How freakin sweet is that!!

I was showing it to my friend Shar and she wondered what was so cool about it... So I had to explain.

Darth Vader is awesome for 5 reasons :

1. He has the best strut of anyone. The only person to ever come close is The Duke.

2. He has a voice that can send chills down someone spine before you were strangled to death by the force.

3. He has a cape.

4. He is the single greatest villian created for Sci-Fi.

5. He cuts off his own son's hand.

Some people would beg to differ, but it's all true. Anyone that says otherwise will have to deal with my hot sauce bottle.

Now that I have calmed down a little...

Here is my commentary on what happened yesterday:

We have been listening to this election crap for almost two years. It is so sad that I was barely into my second trimester of my pregnancy when Hillary Clinton started her campaign. There is no reason to believe people wouldn't be sick of it all by the time the actual nominees were picked.

By the time this happened, no one truly cared. And then they tried to make people care with a million and a half debates and speeches that cut into my TV time and shows I was looking forward to watching.

And the saddest part of this campaign is that no one truly said anything worth while. Obama only preached "change" (whatever that entailed) and McCain didn't preach anything worth listening to. He was limp and lifeless. The only thing that jogged me and probably some other people back into this campaign was when he picked Sarah Palin to be the VP.

That was the most bold and smart move McCain made in the entire race. She is highly conservative, a real feminist (as I think they should be), and she hunts Moose. There was nothing better than that.

And then election day rolled around...

I cannot believe America could be so stupid. But then again, the people that probably voted the most was the people that should not be allowed to vote. And before you get mad, let me explain.

Anyone that is on Government help or does not pay taxes should not be allowed to vote. They will always vote for the person that is going to give them more money, no matter who that is. I know that I would be one of the people not allowed to vote, but that is fine with me. I would have voted for McCain (I do have a brain - and this is in comparison to only those on government aid), had I voted, but I am totally ok if this were the real rule. It would make so much more sense than people that don't actually vote with their head voting for more government aid.

Obama won because he promised "change". No one knows what that means except that he is the new Messiah come to save America from filthy Republicans who only take money from the poor. Taxes will stay high or get higher, college will stay pricey, and I highly doubt Universal Health Care will happen. No one knows what he thinks, but he is definitely something to be scared of.

And I am still WAY curious as to why his birth certificate is sealed.. the only reason to be worried about someone seeing it is if he wasn't born in the US, which would mean he couldn't be president, right?!? Wow, he must be an evil genius...

But on a good note, Prop 8 in California passed! It definitely brings hope back to my heart. And I am so glad that the church actually told people to be active about it. The only thing that stinks is the bill will probably go to the Supreme Court and get overturned. But at least we know that the majority still has a say and they are saying the right thing!

All in all, the next 4 years will be the longest of my entire life.

The flu is ALTOGETHER evil...

Saturday rolled around and Blake and I started to feel a little better. I didn't throw up at work, Blake didn't throw up at home, so it was bound to be a good day... NOT.

I got home from work and Blake's finger (the strange infected growth) had started to eat away at the skin around it on his finger. So, I figured, what they hey, we'll go to the ER... they have financial aid, right??

We go in, and everyone backs up a step or two when Blake shows it to them. And then the doctor walks in. "I don't think I have ever seen anything like this before". Which is definitely not something you want to hear a doctor say. So, she asked if Blake wanted to keep it until he could see a dermatologist and see what was up. Blake said sure and she left to call the dermatologist.

She came back in, and said he wanted a biopsy so when we went to see him, he would have more information. SOOO, she numbed him up and then cut the thing off. It came off like a mushroom top... kinda creepy.

And of course it left this hole in his finger that won't stop bleeding. She tried to burn the veins so they would stop bleeding, but when she burned one, another would open up. So they did a pressure bandage. The bleeding has slowed (18 hours later...) and it doesn't even hurt now that the numbing has worn off.

BUT TO MAKE THIS STORY EVEN BETTER....

We got home and watched a movie and Glade had been acting perfect and chipper and just being great.

Since Blake and I were both feeling awesome, we figured the flu was over and we would have nothing to worry about.

How wrong we were...

Glade had her flu shot with her 15 month app, but she has to get the booster on the 12th of this month. Little did we realize she can still get the flu.

She woke me up at one this morning just puking her guts out. I felt so bad... I had never seen her throw so much up in one sitting. And it is probably our fault. We didn't realize that she could get sick, so we had been giving her chocolate milk all day. Definitely not a good combination for an upset stomach.

Blake gave her a blessing after she threw up the second time about five minutes after the first, and then it proceeded to get worse. She refused to drink anything and she would fall asleep for five minutes then wake up and throw up again. We actually put her on a towel to sleep because that was the easiest way to clean up the mess...

So, she threw up till about three, dry heaved until four, drank her gatorade (finally) at five, and then crashed. The biggest problem is that she threw up on every blanket, bed, and pillow in our house EXCEPT our batman blanket and one couch pillow...

The worst part is that everytime she would throw up or dry heave, she would just cry this really sad cry and there was nothing I could do to help her but rub her back and try to comfort her... I think that's one of the worst moments in my mommy life so far...

But she did fall asleep eventually and woke up at ten happy and healthy. We aren't going to feed her much today for fear that she will throw up again, but she is downing gatorade like a champ!

What an awful Halloween

This morning at 4am, Blake woke up with the flu. I had to be at work at seven, so I told him to skip class and just rest.

Well, work rolls around and I start to feel awful also. It hit me at about 10 am.

Needless to say, neither of us were able to stand up for that long without getting queasy and dizzy, so we didn't go Trick-or-Treating.

I know Glade wouldn't have remembered it at all, but I still feel bummed

This is a picture of her in her costume. I bought it in August and had her try it on. (She is mad, because Blake was in Vegas and she missed him).

She definitely was the cutest monkey. I just wish I had been able to take her out in public.

The Book Thief

When Rachelle came down a few weeks ago, she let me borrow The Book Thief. She had just read it and said it was fantastic, so I figured I would give it a shot.

The writing style is strange to begin with, but it actually makes the story better. It is a German book and just for some background for you, in Germany everything is a person, not something abstract. Death is a person, greed is a person, love is a person, and so on. This book is narrated by Death himself.

I was reading it at work when I was on break or other times and at the end I just couldn't read it there anymore. (It would be weird to be at work with tears streaming down your face).

Tonight I finished it. I read the last 30 pages to Glade because she wanted to be held and I really wanted to finish it. She would sit next to me and look at the book and comment as I read sometimes.

I have never know fear or doubt like they did. I didn't have to go through a World War or a bombing. I have never had a leader that discriminated against an entire religion or race. I have never been scared that my parents would be taken away by the government because they did something they weren't supposed to.

As I read the last 30 pages to Glade, all these thoughts kept running through my head. What if something happened to me? What would Glade do? Would she remember me like Liesel remembered Hans? Would I have taught her enough? Would I have kept her safe enough?

When I was in Germany we went to Dachau when we were in Munich. It is a totally different atmosphere than anywhere I have ever been (besides other Consentration Camps). Even though it is completely open (well, there is a fence all around it), nothing of the outside world comes in. There are no birds, no car noises, it is just absolute silence. And the strangest part of the entire experience is that you don't truly realize people were held here during WWII. People died there. People who were loved and honored before Hitler.

Would I have the courage to stand up for them? Or would I be one of the people on the sidelines just watching?

I looked at Glade and hoped that she would never have to ask herself those questions. I hoped that no matter what, she would be safe.

It is so incredibly hard to put yourself in someone else's shoes. That is probably why there is such a difference between empathy and sympathy. They always say "History is written by the victors". In this story, it is the utmost truth. The ones who stood up, they were the victors. Against the odds they lived.

I just wish there was a way to honor them. We could all learn so much.

A Legacy of Excellence, my &#$ !!!

Blake can register for his classes for next semester starting on Tuesday the 28th. Since I do all his classes and make sure he is set up with everything, I went in yesterday to look at classes he needs and what he has and all that since he is SOOOO close to his Bachelors.

I went in and saw that they had 5 of the classes he needs available. He is 21 credits away from graduation, so this puts him within 6 credits of graduation after next semester.

BUT, they don't offer the other two classes he needs until next FALL!!! What the freak?!?!?

And since six credits would only be part-time enrollment and we need the grant from full-time enrollment, he has to take 2 classes he doesn't need so we can survive through that semester....

TWO FREAKIN' CLASSES AND HE WOULD BE DONE!! Stupid, stupid school......

To my relief...

I started at Convergys today! I have six days of training before I actually go to the call floor permanently, but I actually got to start this job!! I was so worried friday and all weekend that I was going to get the call I got before... When this morning rolled around and it still hadn't come, it was amazing!

Training is actually more boring than orientation, if that is strange to believe. It is six days of seven hour shifts where you just sit and learn. The most interesting part today was when we actually went to the call floor and just sat with someone and listened and watched as they took calls for 2 hours. It went by FAST and it was way interesting. The programs to use are very simple (at least I think so) and it looks pretty easy to learn.

There was one call where the guy got mad, because the system was actually down so we couldn't help anyone with anything. He said he had a business to run and he couldn't sit on the phone all day or at the computer because he had houses to paint. She just said sorry and took it while a smile on her face. At one point he said he was just going to cancel his account and pull all his money and she just smiled and muted the mike and said "it's people like this that actually make my day". She unmuted him and said sorry sir and kept smiling and trying to calm him down. It was actually truly comical.

But the best part of this job is all the added benefits I get. In 60 days I get paid time off, holiday pay, benefits, tuition reinbursement, 401k, life insurance, and accidental death insurance. It is absolutely fantastic! I have never had paid time off before and I am so excited to take a vacation and get paid for it!!

I actually think that is the best part!!

I also can get $0.20 raises every 3 months ($0.80 a year) so I should be making over $9 an hour in April. Which is AWESOME!!

If we do move, also, there are tons of places I can transfer to. Especially if Blake goes to the U in a year, there are a few in Salt Lake, and 1 in Provo/Orem I can look into.

And I am sure it has its downsides, but every job does. I am just excited to finally be working!!

HA HA HA HA HA!!!

If you need a laugh, just look at this:

Legal case against God dismissed

The plaintiff argued an omniscient God would know of the lawsuit
A US judge has thrown out a case against God, ruling that because the defendant has no address, legal papers cannot be served.

The suit was launched by Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers, who said he might appeal against the ruling.

He sought a permanent injunction to prevent the "death, destruction and terrorisation" caused by God.

Judge Marlon Polk said in his ruling that a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a case to proceed.

"Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice," Judge Polk wrote in his ruling.

Mr Chambers cannot refile the suit but may appeal.

'God knows everything'

Mr Chambers sued God last year. He said God had threatened him and the people of Nebraska and had inflicted "widespread death, destruction and terrorisation of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants".

He said he would carefully consider Judge Polk's ruling before deciding whether to appeal.

The court, Mr Chambers said, had acknowledged the existence of God and "a consequence of that acknowledgement is a recognition of God's omniscience".

"Since God knows everything," he reasoned, "God has notice of this lawsuit."

Mr Chambers, a state senator for 38 years, said he filed the suit to make the point that "anyone can sue anyone else, even God".

The definitive example

My daughter is the definitive example of what happens when you tell a child no. We were practicing pointing to body parts and I asked her where her nose was. She pointed to her ear, so I pointed to her nose and asked her where her nose was again. She pointed to it, but instead of just pointing, she stuck her finger in it.

I laughed and told her no, and asked her again where her nose was...

Of course she stuck her finger in it again, but this time she giggled at me!!

It is like when she was first crawling and getting into everything. My mom had to deal with this first, and Glade would crawl over to the pictures and then get her hand slapped and a harsh no. She eventually learned that if she touched them, she would get slapped, so she would reach to the pictures, without touching them mind you, and then look back, giggle, and hold her hand out. She thought it was very comical.

Now she is kind of doing the same thing. She has been sticking her finger in her nose everytime she is not getting enough attention, then we tell her no, take her finger out of her nose, and she giggles and puts it back...

Sometimes it makes you wonder what is truly wrong with her sticking her finger in her nose. It is only wrong because someone way back when decided it was bad manners, but since he did this, we have to stick to it! You can't have your kids running around at the park with only their knuckle hanging out of their nose!

But if you ever have trouble with your children, just look at mine and it will give you a very firm giggle.

High School... oh boy...

Burkburnett High School
Berlin Brandenburg International School (the whole thing is the school now. When I was there it was just the two middle buildings and no Olympic size track and pool....)
Green Run High School (definitely the most ghetto school ever... we had open campus behind us and a teacher was shot in the parking lot)

1) Did you date someone from your school? Two actually. Joshua Young (VA) and Christopher Felten (Germany)

2)What kind of car did you drive? I didn't.

3)Did you pass your driver's license test the first time? When I took it after I got married, yes.

4) Were you a party animal? Not really. I think I only went to one party and that was when I was in MUN in Russia.

5) Were you considered a flirt? Not at all

6) Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Not in High School. I was a huge theatre geek though.

7) Were you a nerd? Still am!

8)Were you on any varsity teams? Not in High School.

9) Did you ever get expended or expelled? No

10) Can you still sing your fight song? I don't even think I ever learned my fight song...

11) Who were your favorite teachers? Mr. Padiokov (math in Germany), Mr. Jacobs (History in VA), and Mr. Sternadel (History in TX)

12) Where did you sit at lunch? I went to the IB room in Germany, and in VA I sat at the same table my entire senior year when I actually had a lunch period.

13) What is your school's full name? Burkburnette High School, Berlin Brandenburg International School, and Green Run High School

14) School mascot and colors - Orange and Black were the colors and a bulldog was our mascot. The colors were blue and white and we didn't have a mascot. The colors were green and white and the mascot was a stallion.

15) Did you go to homecoming and who with? I went to the homecoming game but only because I was on the float. But I didn't go to the dance or anything.

16) If you could go back and do it again, would you? Depends on the day. Some days I would just because it was so much fun, and some days I just look at my life and wouldn't want to change anything.

17) What do you remember most about graduation? Josh broke up with me that night. (Sad thing to remember, but that's all I can really remember about that day.

18) Where did you go on Senior Skip Day ? I went to the beach with Amber.

19)Were you in any clubs? National Thespian Society... I think that was it

20) Have you gained weight since then? I have actually lost about 15 pounds...

21) Who was your prom date? Josh Young

22) Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? Probably not. It depends how I feel in 7 years.

23) Did you have a job while in high school? I had a few babysitting jobs and I worked at the Embassy for a summer.

I tag Amber, Rachelle, and Andrea.