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.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Rememberance Day

Today has been designated Pregnancy and Infant Loss day. The government actually passed a bill about this day because of how many babies are lost a year. So for one hour tonight, starting at 7pm, light one candle in rememberence of babies lost through miscarriage, SIDS, or any other condition.

On September 28, 2006, House Resolution # 222 was passed in the House of Representatives supporting the goals and ideals of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

Just below is a word for word of the transcription that took place on September 28th in the House of Representative.

SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL PREGNANCY AND INFANT LOSS REMEMBRANCE DAYMr. WESTMORELAND.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con.Res. 222) supporting the goals and ideals of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, as amended.

The Clerk read as follows:

H. CON. RES. 222

Whereas each year, approximately one million pregnancies in the United States end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of a newborn baby;

Whereas it is a great tragedy to lose the life of a child;

Whereas even the shortest lives are still valuable, and the grief of those who mourn the loss of these lives should not be trivialized;

Whereas during the past 3 years, Governors of all 50 States have signed proclamations designating October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day;

Whereas the legislatures of the States of Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, and South Dakota have passed concurrent resolutions recognizing October 15th of each year as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day;

Whereas the observance of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day may provide validation to those who have suffered a loss through miscarriage, stillbirth, or other complications;

Whereas recognizing Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day would enable the people of the United States to consider how, as individuals and communities, they can meet the needs of bereaved mothers, fathers, and family members, and work to prevent the causes of these deaths; and

Whereas October 15th of each year is an appropriate day to observe National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day:Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

That the Congress—
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss remembrance Day; and
(2) requests that the President issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe such day with appropriate programs and activities.

So please, light a candle for all the little babies that are in heaven.

My daughter, the bully...

This weekend we had Darryl, Rachelle, and Teagan come down for a few days. Glade doesn't get to see other kids near her age very often, so we love when they come down so she has someone to play with.

It really is nice to have cousins close to the same age, too. Glade is 15 months old and Teagan is 8 1/2 months, almost 9. Six months isn't that big of a deal once they get older, but when they were littler it was a HUGE difference.

Well, it was not a good weekend for Teagan to have a girl walking around riling him up... He was getting two teeth (one came in Saturday but it swelled over again) and he was pretty cranky. If Glade walked up to him, he would just throw a tantrum and cry.

But, there were the few moments where they would play together happily and we could get pictures and such. They would kiss and hug and Glade would try to hold Teagan like she holds Rebecka. But, Teagan weighs a LOT more than her, so she would just end up pulling him over.

When they played it was absolutely adorable. But when Teagan was through, he would cry and Glade would get very worried. She would try to hug and kiss him better and he would cry some more. Since he was using her crib this weekend, she would hear him cry in her room and would run away from whatever she was doing and try to find him to make him better. It was absolutely adorable!!

But Teagan is so cute! Looking at him makes my arms hurt, because of how much bigger he is than Glade, but it's cute watching him crawl around the house after food. Glade left a chicken nugget on the ground, and Blake was walking with Teagan and Teagan saw the nugget, and just plopped on the ground and crawled as fast as he could toward it. It was pretty funny! But it was nice to hold a baby that doesn't walk. Glade doesn't like to be held very much because she has better things to do, but Teagan hasn't really hit that stage yet. It was WAY nice.

On another note, Glade had her 15 month checkup yesterday. She is now 17 lbs 1 ounce (just a tiny thing) which is in the zero percentile, 28 3/4" long which is in the 15th percentile, and her head is a whopping 46 3/4 cms... which is in the 75th percentile!! She does have a big head....

But the doctor isn't worried about her weight at all (we switched doctors because I hate them telling me I don't feed my daughter and I'm a bad mom). Her soft spot isn't filling in, but since she is small, Dr. Miller isn't worried. Plus, some babies don't have theirs grow in until they are two.

ALSO, since after Glade had her chicken pox shot in July and got the "mini-pox" from it, she doesn't have to have the booster chicken pox shot!! It isn't given until she is 4 or 5, but she doesn't have to have it because her immune system is top notch! And Dr. Miller has had over 1000 patients, and only two have gotten the mini-pox, so don't be worried if your child is getting the shot. It's very rare and it truly isn't a big deal.

But because Glade knows so many words and can do so many things just seeing them once, she is at the development of an 18 month old!! Which for a preemie is HUGE! Sometimes she is too smart for her own good, but I love watching her learn!

So, all in all, it was a pretty good weekend.

(The pics that I got from Rachelle are below... they are so cute!!)

Blake had to work, and Glade only wanted Darryl, and minute he picked her up, she cuddled to him and fell asleep.

She is a pretty good sharer

Darryl with the babies. Him and Blake would hold both and say they are so lopsided they were falling over

Giving Teagan a kiss on the forehead
Giving each other kisses

Surfing the web can make you giggle...

Rachelle and Grandma Pam got us into the show "The Office". I don't think I laugh so hard at anything else, Sponge Bob movie aside. Well, I missed half the episode last night, so I went cruising the internet to find it so I could watch what I missed. (Seeing the end of an episode truly doesn't do much for me).

Well, I go to NBC.com because they have full episodes available, but I end up finding Dwight Schrute and Creed's blogs. I know they are fake, but that doesn't mean they aren't funny as all get out.

Dwight's latest one is about him wanting to build a moat... It's definitely a must read.

Creed's is about how Michael had a squirrel imprisoned in his safe and Creed rescued it and is training it to be the best trained squirrel in Pensylvania.

I know I am a complete dork, but it's my life!! You have to read them though... some are bound to make you laugh so hard you bust a kidney.

It's a good day

So, I had my interview and everything today and I am officially hired!! I don't start till the 20th, which sucks, but I am going to be working full time, from 7 am till 3:30 pm so I don't interfere with Blake's schedule at all. Which is the biggest plus.

I will be doing inbound calls for Key Bank at Convergys here is Cedar City. I help people with their online accounts like if they are locked out or are making a new account and need help. Which is absolutely fantastic!!

So, thank you everyone that sent prayers my way! Now let's just hope I don't get fired on the 19th...

I need some serious prayers

I applied at Convergys a few weeks ago, but I contacted the HR people and had no contact at all. SO I emailed them and she finally emailed me back and said I needed to apply at this other site.

I did, and now I have an interview and computer assessment scheduled for Thursday!!

I need some serious prayers from everyone for this... The job starts at $8 an hour and after 7 weeks of training turns to $10 with a bonus... It is absolutely perfect!

So, thank you all in advance for your prayers and thoughts.

Never plan construction on conference weekend

This weekend, we went to Henrieville to help my parents put rock on the bottom of their house. Well, you can't put rock on a house unless it is above 60 degrees and not raining. This weekend, it was both.

We woke up at 7 on Saturday to get an early start, and low and behold, it is raining. As my dad put it, "The Saints have gathered and the Angels are weeping." How true he was. Since it was conference weekend, it was the perfect weekend to do the house. No one would have to go to church, and we made sure to get the weekend off so we could go over.

I guess God had other plans.

But, we had such a good time. Glade had an absolutely ball with my parents and the animals, but she had the most fun with my brother. He is enthralled by her and she just loves him to death.

Saturday we watched movies and lounged around most of the day. We played a game of Phase 10 (which mom my cheated at.... well, she won, so she had to have cheated, right??). It was just so much fun to be away from home.

Saturday night we went to bed looking at the forecast and saying there was no need to get up early because it was going to be cold until later in the day anyway.

Sunday, I woke up to the sun shining in my room, and I was so excited to be able to do something besides lounge. Well, it was still terribly cold so we couldn't do the rock. We decided to go get wood instead. (My parents have a wood burning fireplace, and it is cheaper than keeping the heater on, so they have gone up the last three weekends and gotten loads of wood. My mom carries it to the trailer and stacks it while my dad cuts it. So they were VERY glad to have extra hands to help).

I don't think I have ever had more fun getting wood in my life. Clint kept us laughing, and Glade just made us happy. The weather was perfect for being in the canyon. The wind wasn't blowing and the sun was shining and it felt like 50 degrees. It was wonderful.

My mom hauling wood

The men and my baby

Clint says he got a workout in both arms today... carrying Glade in one and the wood in the other!!

They are so cute together

After it was all over, they sat down in the truck for a break

After the wood was all collected, Clint and I decided to take pictures of Glade in various locations around where we were! We are calling them her "15 month" pictures ;)

She will be the first lady lumberjack!

Admiring her machine

With her favorite Uncle and her treasured leaf!
She found the leaf on the log and it was adorable how she was sharing with us
Clint was so scared she was going to fall off... it was really funny
We put her in a bunch of dead wet leaves. It was so cute we couldn't resist (and by we, I mean Clint...)

It was definitely so much fun this weekend. Glade learned to say "blue" and "up" and she now flies like a goose when she runs. She got two molars and a new bottom tooth this weekend, too, making the total 10!! She is getting teeth so fast. They come in before I realize she is teething.

She would follow my mom's animals around and then squat in front of them and talk to them for hours. But, she is terrified of their paws. My mom's cat Nala doesn't like to be touched and so she pats Glade on the head when she steps over the bounds (without claws). But Samus uses claws when she gets annoyed. So whenever she sees a cats paws, she backs up and covers her mouth. It is absolutely adorable!!

The funniest two moments of the weekend though, were on the first and second nights. When we got there, Glade had barely woken up. She was kind of out of it, and she hadn't seen Bandit since August. He came over and licked her hand and she screeched and cried for a half hour. We were so scared she was going to cry everytime she was around him, but I loved on Bandit and she realized it was ok. The whole weekend she would run after him grabbing him and he would just run away. It was funny.

The second was when we were watching Gridiron Gang on Saturday night. (FANTASTIC movie, btw. You have to see it. It is 1000000x better than Remember the Titans). She turned the movie off in the middle of their first game, and my mom went to her and spanked her and turned her away from the tv. She ran to my dad with her lip sticking out and he held her against the couch. My mom started throwing beenie babies at Glade as a joke and she didn't take it very well. My dad was throwing them back, and then Glade let out the same screech she did when she saw Bandit the first night and just wailed! (It was 11 at night, so she was tired and cranky, but it was still pretty funny). She ran to me and I picked her up, and she crashed. I told my mom we should have thrown stuff at her 3 hours before!!

All in all, it was an awesome weekend.

Another Month

One more month has come and gone, and still I am at home with Glade. Last year I prayed that we could budget everything out so I could stay home. We had it perfect. Blake made 900 a month and that covered everything except rent which was covered by student loans. And we had a ton of savings so we were set.

Then the Nissan broke down and we entered the world of the car owner. Well, not so much owner as person paying a car payment they can't really afford. So, we started working at the Girl's Home in Tropic. We worked only weekends ( I worked two 16s and Blake worked a 16 and an 8). We were able to earn enough and not have to pay a babysitter because my parents would watch Glade.

Well, gas prices went through the roof and we couldn't afford to drive 100 miles to work every week. Especially only making $7.50 apiece. So, the beginning of August we quit thinking we could get jobs easy.

Blake got a job a week and a half later. I applied and bugged people, but no one was "hiring". So, finally I found the job at Sunshine and life was looking better. It sucked that I got fired the day before I started, though...

So, since that took an entire two weeks out of my job hunt, I still do not have a job. I have applied at so many places, I am out of resumes (and I printed 50 of them!!). One place said they would call me, but it has been a week and still nothing. So, I have begun applying at fast food places. They were my last resort thinking that I wouldn't even need to think about it. How truly wrong I was...

So, here it is October and me still unemployed... Either I smell really bad, or I look funny. You choose...

The genes continued...

After I posted the first part of this blog last night, (I didn't realize it would be a two-parter at the time) Blake had made a surprise for me in the bedroom. He had set up our 64 and put my favorite game in for me to play, Pokemon Puzzle League (it is like a faster paced version of Bedazzled). I love games like that.

Well, because he had put this game in for me, he did his homework with me in the bedroom. After he was finished, he got his SP and started playing The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (great game btw). He went to go do something while it went through the beginning story and Glade climbed on the bed and picked up his game.

The intro story ended and Glade actually started playing the game. She got into some cave with monsters and didn't die, despite the fact she didn't have the sword yet. She was so happy doing it I couldn't take it away from her. When Blake came back, he just smiled at her and she smiled back. It was the cutest moment I have ever seen.

To put it all in perspective, she is doomed to geekdom...