Christmas Traditions. Part 1.

Every year, I buy the kids a new Christmas outfit.

I almost forgot this year with all of our crazy illnesses and I almost decided that it wasn't a necessity (WHAT???). But it just didn't seem like Christmas without out them, so I busted my butt on over to The Children's Place last weekend.

And to my surprise, the older boys actually "liked" their new clothes (because "they're black").

I tried to get a spiffy pic of the kids together, but it didn't really worked out...However...individually, they shined...
I may be biased, but I think I've got some good looking kids!! You can be the judge, but just keep your opinions to yourself!

Holiday Lovin'

I can't believe that 2008 is closing.

I just wanted to wish everyone some happy holidays. Our Christmas card list grew this year because of new "online" friends, re-connections with past friends and our ward split...however our budget did NOT grow, so my apologies if you did not receive a Christmas card from the Kunzs. Just know that we love you still the same!! And digital will just have to do!

Happiness

10 years ago, I was as happy as I thought I could ever be...
10 years later, I'm even happier...

Happy Anniversary, Rob. I love you.

Slang

Jared and I now have a new appreciation for the slang "toss your cookies." As much as we love all of the Christmas cookies in our home(from the cookie exchange), they can go now.

We have tossed them, we're ready to toss them and when we're better we'll hopefully not be so fully disgusted by the thought of cookies that we'll want to literally toss the rest of them.

Good news, though...Rob is coming home a day early. Lucky him!

Imitating Life

There are so many new discoveries I have come across while raising a daughter.

My boys version of pretend play consists of crushing dinosaur battles and blood drawing light saber wars.

Anna enjoys doing the every day things like grabbing her doll by the hair and dragging her around the house (okay, so that's not an every day thing--at least not around here).

She loves to sweep, set the table, get dressed (she's a much better dresser then her brother who is two years older than her), and even this morning she was pretending to get her nebulizer treatment all ready!

But never fear, my daughter is not only a domestic goddess in the works, she's also been found clicking away on the computer...I wonder what she's pretending to do...digital scrapbooking or programming?

Just counting my blessings...

Rob
Mary Jeanne
Diane
Delilas
Denise
Lenee
Emily
Lia and Chris
Sue and Tony
Jeff
Brian
Marlene
Julie
Jean
Leanne
Tyler
Jared
Evan
Becky
Mom
Susanne
Wendy
Mike and Diane
Erica
Melanie :>)
and more...

E-mails, phone calls, blog, forum and facebook messages, food, errands, babysitting, etc...I have been so overwhelmed with the kindness and compassion of our family and friends. It truly is humbling.

I have been thinking a lot today about the talk from General Conference give by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland called "The Ministry of Angels."

I have spoken here of heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.
...God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face.

Anna is doing better. Her oxygen levels were higher when she went in for her recheck (so we escape a hospital stay) and her sweet personality is finally coming back. She'll receive nebulizer treatments round the clock (every four hours) for the next few days. Sleep however has been difficult for her, but we seem to be going uphill!

Thank you for all of your support.

No rest for the weary, but this isn't about me (or is it?)...

I keep thinking about "finding joy in the journey"...haven't found it yet...at least not today, at least not during this journey...

As much as I do NOT love my toddlers tantrum phase (as seen in the above photo), I'd take it over my lethargic, rapid breathing toddler who I've been worried sick about. After Denise returned from her ER visit, she took Evan for me so I could take Anna back to the doctors.

At first they thought pneumonia, then they mentioned "doing our best to keep her out of the hospital"--nothing a tired, alone and concerned mommy wants to hear.

The conclusion is most likely RSV/Bronchiolitis.

She'll love the albuteral/nebulizer treatments every four hours (even through the night--no joy there) and then a follow up visit tomorrow morning--with strict instructions to take her to the ER if anything changes for the worse.

Keep her in your prayers. You can throw one up for me, too.

Living like a rockstar!

We had a few fun sessions of Guitar Hero World Tour while at my parents house this past weekend. The kids sat by and patiently watched, dying to put their own musical skills to the test. Finally, we let them have a chance.

Needless to say, they LOVED it (it has in fact made it on Tyler and Jared's Christmas list--little do they know that it was already on ours and is currently hidden in the basement...shhhhh)! Tyler loved bass, Jared guitar, and Evan on mic.

A few days ago, Evan asked to call his Grandpa Happy to see if he could buy the microphone off him. Evan wouldn't settle for a "fake" microphone--like a brush or a light saber--nope, had to be the real deal. I made him a deal that if he'd sleep in his room all night (rather then sleeping on the floor in mine after he wakes up in the middle of the night...grrrr...) then I'd get him a microphone (dollar store version). He slept in his bed all night!!!...

I think he's a natural!

Jared had to make a musical instrument for school. Of course, he wanted a "cool" guitar. So we came up with something "cool" in his eyes! Oh, those eyes! What a creative kid!

I fully claim this child as my own!! Always more fun when you're dressed the part!

Which now leads to our new rock star duo...

What should their band name be?? Suggestions?

They sure did have a great time tonight. There favorite numbers are Eye of the Tiger and Imperial March.




Rock On!

My Secret Agent Man

Well, Rob is gone AGAIN--what a crappy time of year to take off! Thankfully, I have the greatest husband in the world and he put up the tree and Christmas lights before he left and did a lot of the family Christmas shopping (crazy, I know)!

Before we left on our trip to PA, Rob had to pick up a "secret" package from his work. He needed to take this with him to Japan, but it COULD NOT leave his sight. He could not sleep while the package was in his possession. He could not leave it in the car or with me if he pumped gas or took the boys to use the bathroom--it had to remain with him at all times. He carried it around in a backpack all the way to PA. So to refrain from total teasing at the hands of my Dad and brothers, Rob delivered the package to King of Prussia after we arrived at my parents--to be watched under lock and key until he could pick it up on the way to the Philly airport on Saturday morning. Could you see him playing in the Turkey Bowl with his SECRET package on his back? Or going to the movies with it, playing Guitar Hero while wearing a backpack, eating Thanksgiving dinner,...HAHA!! Good thing Rob had a great sense of humor about it!!!

Never left his back!!!Off to ditch the SECRET package!Cloak and Dagger

Gifted and Talented??

Tyler and Jared both participate in the START program at school (gifted and talented). Now, this is by no means a post to brag on my kids, but in fact it is quite the opposite.

Lately, I've been wondering if my children should really be in this program. I definitely do think that my kids are "smart" (when they choose to be), but isn't the gifted and talented program supposed to be more than that? It almost seems like half the kids in my boys classes are in the program. And are my kids "outside of the box" thinkers. Sure they're good readers, wiz's in the math department and very obedient (at school)--but "outside of the box"??? I wasn't convinced. UNTIL...

Before we left to Pennsylvania, I noticed that Jared had shoved all of his Sunday clothes into his pajama drawer. I reminded him that Sunday clothes get hung up in the closet and that he needed to go upstairs and hang his clothes up. Fast forward to this morning when I went into his closet to find and iron some of the Sunday clothes. This is what I found...I really couldn't complain. He did what I asked him to do.

Outside of the box?

Most definitely.

Growing Pains

Mike from the hypochondroplasia yahoo group posted a message last week about an article that would be posted in the Washington Post Magazine on Sunday, November 30th. We don't normally receive our Sunday paper on Saturday, so I was excited when I got home from our long drive to find it in the driveway. After I sent the kiddos to bed, I pulled out the magazine and started reading. I haven't finished the article, yet, but I thought I'd pass it on to you, so you can have the opportunity to read it, too.

Growing Pains by Caitlin Gibson

I guess limb lengthening is a controversial topic in the dwarfism community. And I can understand why, but I always enjoy hearing both sides. Caitlin Schroeder has hypochondroplasia like Evan does and so far it has been interesting reading her perspective on dwarfism as a teenager. She seems like a smart girl who has thought this through and is very fortunate to have supportive and understanding parents. I look forward to reading the rest of the article and seeing the outcome. I can't wait to hear what you think about it!

You are now entering...

I never thought I'd be a fan of a teenage based book about vampires...BUT I was sucked in (HAHA). I'll admit, I don't think the books were necessarily well written and I was a bit disappointed in the ending of the last book, but they were a great way to pass away the end of the summer, without having to think too much. And it had me anxiously awaiting the Twilight movie.

My movie review in brief (without giving away too much)...

I saw the movie last night with 5 other women and 5 teenage girls. If you liked/loved the books, I don't think you'll be disappointed...if you keep in mind that these books were written for a teenage girl audience. Thus, expect LOTS of squeals and oohs and aahs throughout the entire movie. If you haven't read the book, you may think the acting is not so good, but I was impressed with some of character portrayals--especially Bella's.

Hopefully, the movie will make enough money to support making New Moon, but I must say that I hope there will be enough money to improve on the special effects and make-up. The running/tree scenes were cheesy. If using the effects in Twilight, I can only imagine how hokey it will be watching Jacob turn into a wolf! Oh and the make-up was awful. Just awful! I could barely look at the character Carlisle. And Edwards lipstick--smooth it out, dude. And the shimmery sunlight deal, not how imagined it.

But all in all, I enjoyed the movie. I stayed awake--which speaks volumes for me!! I'd even see it again. Maybe Rob will go with me this time!!!

Have you seen it yet? What did you think?

Who Me?

I love this look on Evan..."I don't know what you're talking about. I'd never make this kind of mess."
Actually, they're both guilty of tearing apart the house today (what is in the picture is only a small fraction of the disaster zone). But I guess I'm somewhat guilty, too, because they were 100% supervised during the process...by me.

I just don't care today. I don't care that all of the clean laundry is strewn around the house or that all of the napkins are shredded into teeny tiny pieces all over.

These two have become the best of friends lately--I guess that's all that really matters right now.
My problem is that I really do need to keep a close eye on them...they're too cute for their own good!

Tantrum in Photos

You can think I'm the worst mom ever...I don't care.

I just had to document and share a full fledged Anna tantrum! She's 19 months old now, so hopefully this is "it"--the terrible two's. Let's hope she gets it out of her system quickly.
Stomping her feet...
Even jumping up and down...But I must say, she is cute as can be with those little piggy tails poking out of the top of her head!!All it takes is a quick cuddle to calm her down (but don't get too excited because it starts all over again a few minutes later)!!

I sure do love this girl!!

FHE...Kunz Style

Monday night is family night (we call it FHE or Family Home Evening). Sometimes we have a little lesson. Sometimes we just play a game together. Sometimes we just have a special treat. Often, we use this time to teach our children about important issues that arise within our family (i.e. an example of this is found in here). Tonight will be one of those nights, but we're keeping it short and sweet.

Scripture:
Matthew 15:2 "...for they wash not their hands when they eat bread."
Luke 11:38 "And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
2 Corinthians 7:1 "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh"

Activity:
Washing our hands.






Here's to a sick free week at the Kunz household.

I am only one month (or so) away from celebrating my 1 year anniversary to blogging--haha! Any reason to celebrate!!

Katie (in this post here) encouraged her readers to go back and re-read their blogs from the start. I took her up on this challenge. So, I will now bore you with my deep thoughts...

• I actually kept some of my New Years Resolutions and so did my children. I didn't think I'd be able to keep up with the whole blogging thing, but I did!! And how grateful am I to now have this record of the past year--the good and the bad.
• It's been a great year! We've been able to travel, the kids are doing well, we've avoided major health issues, we've survived my husband's traveling, our house is coming together, etc, etc...I really can't complain. 2008 has been very good to us.
  
• My technical skills are improving. The fact that I can even navigate around my blog (and yours) is AMAZING. And now I can even use PhotoShop without screaming at the computer--what a difference a year makes!!
• I am so grateful to blogging for introducing me to others in the dwarfism community. I have learned so much from them and I know that their support is only one click away. I used to think it was weird that people had "Internet friends" but now I'm one of them.
• And a year ago, I had NO IDEA that there was a whole cyber world of digital scrappers out there. I've enjoyed being a part of this community and have enjoyed doing something for "me". Everybody needs their "me" time and this year I've learned to make it a priority for my sanity and my family's)--but everything in moderation, of course. I wonder if next year I'll be attending an on-line scrapper addicts anonymous courses!!??!!
• I have a great life. I really do.
• I look forward to 2009.
  

I've been sucked in...

Every so often I get bit by the nostalgia bug. I'll reflect on high school (but not TOO much because I hated it), Ricks College, BYU before my mission, my 18 months as a missionary in Paris, BYU post-mission. Each of these time periods helped make me who I am today (take it or leave it) and all of the people I acquainted myself with, hold a special place in my...sap, sap, but it's true...heart. I would never trade where I am now to go back to any of these times, but occasionally I think and wonder about what my mission companions and district Elders are up to or where my college roommates are living, what their families are like, if they've still kept the same quirky qualities that I loved. I wish I had been able to keep in contact over the years with all of them, but to be honest...there aren't enough hours in the day.

When I started blogging, I started to reconnect with some of them and now that my eyes have been open to Facebook, people from my past have been flying out of the woodwork and I must say that I love it!! That's all I needed...just a little glimpse to know that they're fine, an occasional post "wall-to-wall", a way to still feel connected to the past while living in the present.

Okay, enough cheese for now...more to come tomorrow.

Where Has Autumn Gone?

I wish time would just pause a moment and wait for me. My favorite season of the year seems to be breezing by and I'm getting left behind. Time to take a deep breath, step back and enjoy it a bit.

The temperature is in the mid-70's today. The skies are blue. The leaves are falling and their colors are beautiful. AND I'm finally starting to feel better. Evan, too, is on the mend. We both finally had a restful night of sleep. Antibiotics are a godsend. I think a walk is in order today! I could use some fresh air!!

On another note...isn't this pumpkin awesome--no, not just because of it's extremely cool coloring, but because of the design. My husband has some mad carving skills. Can you tell who it is? He wasn't too sure about it and actually "forgot" to bring it in at the Trunk or Treat, but I think it looks great. We've even had a few threats about it disappearing from our porch...you know who you are--we're watching you!

Our mischievous plan

We love our neighbors. Have I ever told you that before?

We don't want them to leave.

So, when my child built this in our front yard......I let it stay! This beautiful masterpiece was built by Tyler and used for this (in case you were wondering)...So, if you drive by and see this atrociousness, please remember that it is our last hope.

We are desperate here!

And we apologize to all of our other neighbors who have to look at it.








P.S. On a side note, if you're looking for a home, we know of a great one. The neighbors are awesome!! (Do you believe me?)

SCORE!

This is a post "Melanie style"! Check out the sweet deals I got. I had a few minutes before picking up the preschool kids today, so I thought I'd peruse the Target aisles. I must have looked like a zombie because I've been feeling like crap today, but there is nothing like a 75% OFF sale to perk me up a bit!! And the kids were even more excited then I was once they saw the goods!
T-shirt for Anna
Lighted Vine Tree for the porch
Door mat
Ghost pillow
3 glow-in-the-dark pillowcases for the boys
spider web
spiders for the web
pumpkin carving patterns and tools
3 big bags of fruit snacks (I was So good and passed on the candy--at 90% off, it may be a different story)
6 12 hour burning jack-o candles
Paper plates and napkins for Mummy dog night
8 melamine dishes for spooky dinner
2 awesome decorative pears (my favorite deal)
1 decorative green pumpkin
4 hand towels
4 wash clothes
Halloween party invitations
2 small serving bowls

I'm still giddy over my deals!!

There will be change...

...whether it will be Obama or McCain, there will be change. Here's our proof that we were at the rally. A few things on my mind after returning home...

My husband is a good leader and I would follow him anywhere. Even through a prickly forest in the middle of the night.

Politics bring out the worst immaturity in people.

I never thought I was prone to claustrophobia, but after being crammed together with 100,000 people with no exit in sight, I realized that I didn't like it one little bit.

Obama is a rock star. I felt like I was at Lollapalooza.

I'm not easily persuaded.

It feels good realizing that VA is such important state in this election--so go vote my fellow Virginians !

I love being American. I love that we choose. I love that people take their vote seriously. I love that there is more than one choice. I just wish people would be a tad bit more tolerant of different opinions.

And I felt this overwhelming feeling that the Lord is mindful of us. I love that people can be faithful, God-fearing people and be Democrat or Republican or whatever.

So whatever you feel our country needs right now, go and express it at the polls tomorrow.

Are you going to vote?

Can you believe the election is finally here? We're heading to the polls on Tuesday and I will break my vow to never take my four kids out alone in public. I think it's important they they see democracy in action. And when we're done, we'll get a free sandwich at Chick-fil-a just for voting! So worth it...

And guess what Rob and I are going to do on Monday night... Check it out here. Keeping all political opinions aside, I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to hear our possible future president speak in my backyard--seriously, we're going to walk there! Anyone else want to go? You can park at my house.

Is this really an award...

...or a desperate attempt to actually get me to blog! I'll take it, though, for whatever it's worth, Denise! There is a stipulation, however, in receiving this prestigious award...you must list 7 things you are grateful for. I think I can handle that!

1. Autumn--this is my favorite season. I love seeing the leaves change into beautiful colors. I love the crisp weather (not cold, I said crisp). I love pumpkins and pumpkin food, Halloween and apple cider, wearing sweaters and boots,...I wish it could last longer!
2. My sweet, sweet husband. I sure wish we were still on vacation. I loved spending so much time with him. I love his dedication to his family, work and church responsibilities--he has a knack for finding the perfect balance between them all. I never feel alone--even when he's away, I know he is supporting me.
3. My children. They challenge me, they encourage me, thy make me laugh (and cry). I love watching them grow and seeing their personalities develop. I love how forgiving and accepting they are--they are such an example to me.
4. The gym. Who knew that I would ever be so grateful for this little outlet in my life. I look forward to going, seeing friends and working my butt off every day! And even though I'm not '"losing" loads of weight (that's because I eat what I want), I feel awesome.
5. Great friends. I don't need a lot of them to be happy, but I am so fortunate to have some super friends! It's nice to always know that I have friends I can talk to and who are always looking out for me. I've learned that true friendship extends past boundary lines and I am so grateful for that!
6. My family. I sure wish I could see them more often. I am so fortunate to have great in-laws (parent, brother, sister). I am so glad that my kids look forward to seeing their cousins, aunts uncles, grand parents. I am so grateful to Susanne for coming out and watching the kiddos and that they got some good quality time with her. I'm excited to head up to PA for Thanksgiving and see everyone. I love them all!
7. The Gospel. My knowledge of the Savior and of our Heavenly Father is one of my greatest blessings. I am so grateful to know who I am and to know and understand my purpose.

I would now like to share this award with some creative bloggers that I know!! Lucky you!
Check out their blogs while you're at it!!

Katie (such a crafty gal and great blogger)
Suzy (private blog, but she's such an awesome writer--you're all missing out)
Audrey (she has the creative food/party bug, sure wish she lived closer)
Heather (she designed my blog and super creative, too)
Emily (love her writing, too--she should do more of it...)

We knew this day was coming...

...the day when Evan and Anna would wear the same size pants.Even though Evan is still quite a few inches taller then Anna, their legs are about the same length now. Last year, I'd bought Evan a pair of jeans that looked a bit girly when he wore them, so I put them aside for Anna to use down the road. Well, we've finally arrived at the road. They are both in 24 month pants. Still very strange to me...

Cruise in Review

I'm sure you won't find, the details of our cruise very exciting, but you can just look at the pics instead!

Some cruise things I have learned...

We will never take a young child on a cruise. First, where would they sleep? The rooms are SO small. And they can't go in the pools. And they'd be awful in the Dining Hall--and who wants to eat at the buffet the whole time.

Maybe a Disney Cruise would be different, but the kids have to be at least 4/5 years old and older!

Best part of cruising--no worrying about your next meal and whether or not it will be good. EVERY meal was a treat! And I have an extra 3 pounds who agree with me!

And you don't have to pick up after yourself (or anyone else). I loved leaving my towel on the floor and the bed unmade and MAGICALLY, it would not look that way the next time I went in the room!

It's a toss up on whether or not to have a window/balcony for me. I loved the pitch black room!! And not having sunlight to wake me up too early. But I always wondered what time it was when I did wake up.

I don't know if I'd book excursions off the ship. Because of weather each of our excursions were screwed up in one way or another, but the cruise line was very accommodating and we didn't feel like we were out any money. Key west excursion--snuba diving (I hated it, Rob thought it was okay). There was nothing to see because a storm had come through earlier, but we did go on a mini dolphin excursion which made up for it. Cozumel was our favorite, but because the ship was late getting in (because of weather)we had to rush through our visit at Tulum and our lunch/beach break was cut short. But we know now that we definitely want to go back!! Belize was the worst day (but fun at the same time)! Most excursions were cancelled because a Tropical Storm had just blown through (so, no zip line, cave tubing or snorkeling) but we did go to a beautiful private island and went kayaking and spent time walking around and getting rained on. Somehow being in a rainstorm is kind of fun when you don't have whiny kids with you!

The days at sea are a lot of fun! I loved just sitting out in the sun and having nothing to do but eat, sleep, read, layout, watch Rob belly flop, eat some more, go for a walk, rock climb, attend a yoga class, eat even more, etc...I could go on and on. If we had stayed on the ship the whole time, I would have been just fine!

Being with the same person for 7 days straight is not that bad! I thought we'd be annoyed with each other by the end, but it was quite the opposite. Since being home, we've barely seen each other and you know...I kind of miss the guy!

However, going on a cruise with people you know would be a lot of fun. We met lots of cool, fun and nice people, but it's not the same. Sure would have been fun having my sisters to dance with on 80's night or some friends to go to the spa with instead of snuba diving!

Take Dramamine with you if you go on a cruise--especially during hurricane season. It was my lifesaver!! The ship was rocky and next time I'd prefer to go at a different time of the year, but cheapskate me would sign up again during this same time of year because we had THAT MUCH FUN!

Puke Fest--On our way from Cozumel to mainland Mexico, we took a VERY BUMPY 45 minute boat ride--and no joke...2/3rds of the boat got sick--over and over again. Some how Rob and I avoided the inevitable (thank you Dramamine)! Sit in the open air to avoid this nastiness!

All in all, we will go again on a cruise and hopefully we won't have to wait another 10 years to do it!

Halloween on a Dime

What could cause such glee?
Spooky Dinner!

A Kunz Family tradition. Each Halloween, we weed through our recipe books and cook up a "spooky" or not so spooky, but more fun filled dinner. This year, the Beatty kids joined us for mummy meatloaf, crystal ball jell-o, bloody punch, witch broom bread sticks and mummy fingers. I think the kids had a great time and stuffed themselves full!
Saturday was the annual church trunk-or-treat and we all had a really good time. Carnival games and trick-or-treating...what kid wouldn't have a good time! It was "different" being with the new ward and we missed seeing all of our friends costumes, but that being said...we all had fun!

The boys all wanted to go with the Star Wars theme, so I whipped up some major cheap-o costumes! Tyler (aka Luke Skywalker) wore a black shirt, black pants, a quickly sewn up vest, one of my belts and his light saber. Jared (aka Yoda) wore his shepherd costume from a Christmas play and I made him Yoda ears out of a knit cap and felt and a big stick--he looked so cute!We bought Evan's costume earlier in the month, so his was easy. We got him the Darth Vader treat bucket to carry around, too. He's been in heaven ever since I bought him this costume--some of the best $20 I've ever spent! Anna was Princess Leia. I made her a white dress (made the pattern myself, too...I know...CRAZY!!), added a silver belt and made her these cute Leia buns out of felt and a headband--all stuff I had already at home.Rob was Senator Palpetine (the evil sith lord) and I was Padme. Another family did Star Wars, too and Rob and I's costumes were duplicated by them. Their Sith Lord won for scariest costume (he was 4 years old) and their little baby was an Ewok and he won for best baby costume--his costume was SO cute! But...the Kunz Family took the prize for best group costume!! We couldn't disagree with the judges! Especially considering we did Halloween on a dime!

Taggety Tag Tag Tag

2 Tags in one day! I guess if it gets me to blog, I can play along...

The first one is from Melanie...post the sixth picture from the sixth file in my photos. (We have way too many photo files, by the way!) But here is an oldie but goodie from 2003!This is from when we took Yao and Kinglo (and their sister), our Togo friends, to see the Christmas lights at the Washington D.C. Temple. Good times! I should look at these pics more often. So, I now tag Audrey, Kim, Suzy and Tara.

Next tag is from Kim...

10 Years Ago I
-I was gearing up for our wedding--2 months away!!
-I flew to Pennsylvania for my bridal shower.
-I was working for the Utah Youth Village at the Cedar Hills group home--oh, good times!
-I was living in Provo, UT (wishing that I wasn't), but I'd have lived anywhere to be with my honey.
-We were searching for an apartment to rent.

Things on tomorrow's to-do list
-Finish making Anna's Princess Leia buns.
-Make a "spooky dinner" for the kids and their friends.
-Go shopping for the "spooky" food!
-Make time to go to the gym (did I mention yet, that the cruise food was SO AWESOME...).
-Buy two cute baby boy shower gifts and make some dip for the shower--I'm thinking spinach artichoke...

Things I would do if I were a millionaire
-Buy an entire new wardrobe--loads of shoes/boots included.
-Put money away for my children (but not tell them, so they learn to fend for themselves).
-Have a total re-haul done on the yard (front and back), the bathrooms and the kitchen.
-Travel, travel, travel (several more cruises, travel around Mexico, go to Africa, oh what dreams I have...)
-Boring stuff--pay off the house and save for retirement.

5 Places I have lived
-Pontiac, MI
-Royersford, PA
-Rexburg, ID
-Rouen, France
-Manassas, VA
(and many, many other places in between)

5 jobs I have had
-Early Head Start family educator
-Family Teacher for Utah Youth Village
-Supervisor for mentally challenged group home (Chrysalis)
-McDonald's employee (and proud of it!)
-Dietary Aide at Phoenixville Hospital

I now pass the tagging buck on to...Rebecca F. and Rebecca K. and Laura.

Belly Floppin'

Oh my, look at this crowded ship deck! There wasn't even an empty chair in sight. So, what in the world motivated my husband to sign up for the ship's infamous belly flop contest? I'm still wondering...

There were 9 contestants. Two dives a piece. There were some BIG guys in this competition...I didn't know how Rob would fare being that he was the smallest of the nine. Rob did "okay" on the first dive and scored near the bottom of the pack.

On the second dive, they had to show off their dance skills (uh oh!)...I knew Rob was in trouble...
(Check out all the big dudes). Rob wowed the crowd with his incredible moves...Not Really! In fact, the cruise director stopped him and asked him what he was doing!! And he then became known as "White Boy" to all of the people on the ship. Luckily, Rob didn't let this public humiliation (actually it was quite endearing) get to him. I, however, was gloating. Finally, a thousand plus people as my witnesses--I've been trying to tell him for years!!!

But when Rob jumped from the platform, he pulled out the most remarkable flop!! One that has been "attempted at each competition, but never executed correctly." I wish I could have captured him mid-air--it was AWESOME! The whole ship was hooting and howling, cheering like crazy. In just a few brief seconds, Rob had become King of the Enchantment!!

He even got a coveted "5" from the Captain!! He scored a 4.889 for the dive--the highest score in the competition. But it wasn't enough for him to squeeze out a top three slot, but an impressive performance none the less!

One of the highlights of the trip!

Puke Fest

Funny how something as simple as the little boat could cause such an incredible reaction from a majority of the people on board. Story to come...

Brighter Days Ahead

Leaving Fort Lauderdale (and hopefully the rain) behind...

Sunday, October 12th--Our Day of Rest

Beauty and the Beast

Spent the day at Ft. Lauderdale beach. Sand stayed off our towels and snot stayed off the corners of my shirt! Everyone needs a day like this. Feeling much better. Slept a lot on the plane and at the beach and slept straight through the night--this cold will only be a minor set back...hopefully!

Too Excited

Because I lost 2 pounds this week.
My house is clean enough.
My bags are almost packed.
My kids are on the mend.
The weather is beautiful today.
My cupboards are full.
Because there are no hurricanes on the horizon.
The trip countdown is less then two days.
Yippy!!!

A Mere Head Wound

Oh no! Evan sure has had one BIG day! Makes me wish I'd taken him out of school to go to the farm...

I dropped Evan off at school and headed to the gym. When I got to the car, I noticed that I had 5 missed calls on my cell phone. Immediately, I called Rob who was home doing work around the house. He was on his cell and hadn't been home, so he had no clue who had called. Turns out it was Evan's school calling. He had fallen and hit a chair and they thought he'd need stitches.

When I got to the school, I knew right away that we were headed for the ER for Evan's first stitches! Evan has had tons of goose eggs and bruises from falling on his head--it's just part of the deal and we're okay with that. I explained that to the teacher because she felt awful. I'm surprised that this hadn't happened sooner.

Evan was a trooper and a charmer. His wish was their command while in the ER! Stickers, popsicles, crayons, lollipops, etc...And of course, he was as happy as can be--even as they wrapped him up as a mummy! UNTIL, they had to re numb the area and then he lost it. "Get off me!" "Me want to go NOW."

Six stitches later, all is good. He is home now, busy being spoiled and resting.

Tisk Tisk

Rumors spreed so quickly. Really, there is no word yet on the exact location of the Philadelphia Temple, so we patiently wait...

Tokyo Temple Adventure

I've been attempting to go to the Tokyo temple since I started traveling to Japan, and yesterday I finally succeeded. I finished work ~2:00 (for a change), and decided to head to the temple. When I logged on to the internet, I found that lds.org has a new map interface, which no longer seems to know about my Japanese congregation, so I no longer had directions to the temple. I did however get the address from LDS.org. Once I had the address, I had to figure out where in Tokyo it was located. None of the usual map services recognized the address. I finally found a web site called 'diddlefinger' that found the address. If you click on 'Panoramio' and/or 'satellite' you can see the temple under the green arrow and a picture from the street.

You'll notice if you clicked on the map-link above, that just to the west of the temple, is a train stop called Hiro-O (pronounced hero-oh). I next went to my favorite English train finder program and put Yokosukachuo as the start, Hiro-O as the destination, and 'unreserved' as train-type. Out popped my route and train times! At 4:30 PM I finally set out. I walked across the street to 7-11 (7i in Japan) to get cash. As I put my card in the machine, my cell phone rang. My co-worker said I needed to meet him, right then, in the hotel lobby to discuss some serious issues that just came up. I promptly returned to the hotel figuring temple trip attempt #10 was now over. After 45 minutes, though, I was on the road again. I hopped on the train and made it to the temple in 1 hour 40 minutes, just as the sun was setting. Usually temples are easy to find because they tower over everything in the area. Drive 495 in Maryland and you can't miss the D.C. Temple. In Tokyo, this is not the case. The temple is the same height or smaller than all the buildings, so I didn't know if I was in the right place until I was nearly next door and saw Moroni sticking out through the trees.

I entered the temple, and of course, no one spoke English. After attempting to ask if there were English sessions, I gave up and just showed him my recommend. (I have no clue what he may have thought I was asking for...) He then went and found a patron who spoke limited English and helped out.

Do you know your pant, shirt, shoe, and neck size in centimeters? I do now. After some trial and error, they got me some white clothes that fit. I then went to the service with headphones that provided English translation. (The headphones also had Spanish and various Asian languages you could hear by spinning the dial.) There were ~40 Japanese and two other Americans at the session. I felt the Spirit of the Lord very strong as we were being taught, and left the Temple very uplifted.
Afterward, I got some dinner nearby and made it home at 10:30 PM, ending my great Tokyo Temple Adventure!

Rob