St. George Vacation

Warning!  This is an extremely long post!  Continue at your own risk!

This weekend Nik and I were lucky enough to take a trip to St. George for Thanksgiving.  It was a rare chance to see my aunts and uncles down there, and my family was going as well, so it was even better.  

We left Wednesday night around 7pm and had a traffic filled trip that put us arriving just after midnight.  That wasn't as bad as it could have been, but for a mid-week trip, there were tons of cars.  Thats what we get for leaving on the busiest traveling day of the year.  We were staying at my Cousin Lacey's house cause she has tons of extra room.  We found out on our way down that she has a cat.  So, yeah.  Nik was pretty stuffed up by the next morning.  We stayed up talking to Lacey and went to bed late.  Thanksgiving dinner was at 12:30 at Aunt Debbie's house  Or, at least that was the plan.  I think we ate around 1:30.  We were expecting as much, so no harm done.  Just let me say, Dinner was amazing.  We had all the Thanksgiving staples, along with all the St. George staples, so I was in heaven.  Mmmm....Dixie salad....Anyway.  We sat and talked for a while after dinner and somewhere in there decided that we would all go to Enchanted the next night.   It looked like it would just be the girls till my uncle Kelly spoke up and said he wanted to come too.  So then it was the girls plus Kelly...and my dad.  He's always up for a movie.  Later that afternoon my family went to my cousin Eric's house (where the other side of the family was having Dinner) where we caught up with how tall my younger cousins are, how tall their kids are, and the latest movie news.  Unfortunately, Eric and his wife Noel have two big brown dogs.  Which did not help Nik's allergy problem.  Needless to say, he was having some problems by the end of the night.  We didn't stay long, and Grandpa had some Claritin-D, so he was able to sleep that night with no problems.  

The next day I avoided Black Friday.  Meaning, I did not get up at 3am to stand in line at Wally's World for the latest Mattel toy.   My mom, however, went to J.C. Pennies with her sister around 7am to catch the deals.  Which I guess there were plenty of.  After that they came and pick me up to go to the Michael's sale.  We missed the good coupons, they ended at 9am.  They were still having a good sale of yarn, which brings me to my next topic.  I have decided to make scarves for the lucky winners of my Pay it Forward game.  I finished one yesterday during the game and left it there for my Cousin Lisa.  So, one down, two to go!  We did a bit more shopping, stopped at Grandma's for lunch then it was off to the Santa's Workshop craft fair that is held down there every year.  I went with two aunts and my mom.  And a younger cousin.  We had a great time looking at all the booths.  This was the first time in all the years we have gone that either my mom or myself actually bought something.  I didn't spend as much money as I could have, and it took great will power to pass up the home-made fudge booth, but I did it.  While we were at the Fair, Nik and Jeff went to Target to get Transformers, but came back with Oceans 13.  You'll have to ask Nik why the change.  When we all met back at home it was time to go to the movie.  Phone calls were made and a destination was settled upon.  When we got there, it was sold out.  Bummer.  Even more of a bummer was that ALL the theaters in St. George were sold out.  No movie for us.  It was back to Grandma's.  We just visited after that.  

Saturday morning dawned with the smell of rivalry in the air.  The entire days events were being scheduled around the University of Utah vs. BYU football game.  It was settled that we would congregate at my Uncle Russell's house because he had just purchased a big screen TV for the event.  That is a remarkably Dad thing to do.  We had a good time watching the game surrounded by my younger cousins....the game was fun to watch anyway.  I brought my crocheting and worked on above mentioned scarves during the game.  I was being teased that I jinxed the game by bringing my blue and white yarn to the unanimously red house.  Personally, I think it was the reffs.  Sad game.  Sad game.

We chose to head back home after the ball game and after a second stop at Frost Top and gas tank fill up, we were on the road.  Our decision to leave on Saturday was two fold.  Our friends were having a game night at their house, and one of our friends that goes to school in DC was going to be there, so we wanted to see him if we could.  Also, I really wanted a day at home before I had to go back to work. 

We arrived at the game night after is started, but we were not late.  Yay for us!  We played this great game called Werewolves.  It is like Murder in the Dark, and Nik says they used to play a version of it on the mission with Angels and Demons.  We had a blast. 

Over all the vacation was fantastic.  I got to see tons of family and spend tons of time with Nik.  Which is ultimately the best part of a vacation.  I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, and I want to hear all about them!

PS- Happy Birthday Lou!

Happy Naked Day!

This is what we reffer to Nik's birthday as now. It was his one wish. Naked day. And I obliged to the best of my ability. I will spare you the details, but I will say that we kept the house very warm.

Nik and I slept in this morning, then I cooked breakfast. In the afternoon we made a list of things to do and on the top was a trip to Wally's World. There we purchased a Chocolate Silk pie in leu of a birthday cake. I was going to make one, really, it just didn't happen. But Nik got to pick out the pie, so all is well. While we were at WW we had the oil changed on my car. There is a Goodyear right next door and I had a coupon, so it was great. Since we are driving the length of the state next week and I was a couple thousand miles off my recommened, it needed to happen. I can tell that my car feels better now. All full of oil. After WW we stopped at home for some quick games...of the video variety, and then off to the Flurers who were holding our towels for ransom. Well, not really, we washed them over there the night before and they were not dry at midnight when we left, so they dried them again for us and we picked them up today. After that it was back home and more games till we decided where we wanted to go for dinner. We were ready to leave before we made up our minds, so we just drove down State till Nik suggested Mimi's Cafe. Dinner was awesome and they even brought him chocolate pie with a candle. No singing, but thats ok. Later in the evening Spence and Jess stopped by for pie and we got to sing Hapy Birthday to Nik. I was glad to have them there, I would have felt funny singing off key by myself. They had something else to be to later, so they didn't stay long, but it was good times anyway.

We are currently just chilling and playing Viva Pinata. I have had so much fun today with my husband. He is always asking me if I love his birthday. Which I hope means that he loves his birthday. But I do love his Birthday. I love getting him presents, I love how he is always smiling because he knows I will let him get away with more for these 24 hours. Nik is such an amazing man. I am so lucky to have him in my life. He is smart, and funny, and so creative. I know he doesn't want to grow up, but he is doing it anyway, in his own ways. He tells me he loves me multiple times every day, and it makes me feel so good. I hope he had a great day and knows that I love him so much! Happy Birthday Baby!

Windex Anyone?

It was a day like any other. The weather was clear, my car had a full gas tank, and I got to work on time. About 10:00 I hear a *thump* from just outside my office door, in the lobby. And I think, "ha, i bet a bird just hit the window." But I was hard at work, so I didn't bother to check if out. No sooner had I thought this than the receptionist Shea, suddenly stands up and says, "A bird just flew into the front window!" I was immediatly interested. (You should know that the front lobby area is all windows. So this was very noticable.) We both ran to the door and found the stunned finch lying on his back on the concrete out side the office. After studying it for a while and discussing what we could do for it, we decided the best thing to do was to get some tissues and move it onto the grass and the shade. I wanted to bring it home and keep it forever, but I figured that would not be the best choice since I was at work and had no way of containing it until I got home. And even after that. Not to mention all that stuff mom used to say about not knowing where it had been and what diseases it might be carrying. Oh well. Maybe next time. So Shea picks up the poor bird and moves it next to a bush on the side of the building. We took turns checking up on it through out the day, till finally we checked and it was not there. I have no idea what happed to our little birdy, but I am imagining that it came out of its window enduced haze and flew home to tell his friends and family about how he has discovered a patch of solid sky. I am sure he has some sort of Chicken Little-esque nick name by now. But I am pulling for him. It won't do any lasting mental damage.

Iron Chef Michael Symon

Now, I know that this name may not mean anything to most of you, but to a select few, it is the future...of Iron Chef America. last night was the conclusion of The Next Iron Chef on the Food Network. Nik and I have watched this show religiously from day one. Luckily, we have had some partners in crime, Lou and Ten were just as engrossed, so we had some one to talk to about it. We were addicted to this show. There have only been a few Food Network "reality" shows, The Next Food Network Star was the last one they did, and I have to say that the lady that won has a pretty good show. You go Amy!

The Next Iron Chef was a short series that started with eight chefs from various parts of the country that had been challengers on Iron Chef America before. I love ICA too, so nothing about NIC could disapoint. All the Chefs either had restaraunts of their own, or were sous chefs for high end restaraunts. The origional contestants were as follows: Traci Des Jardins (out too soon), Jill Davie, Chris Consetino (looks like JD) , Gavin Kaysen (whiner), Morou Ouattara, Aarón Sanchez (stuck up), John Besh, and Michael Symon. It was an intense 6 week battle involving such challenges as: creating airline food for the largest air bus in the world, cooking out doors with just a grill and some essentials (what they were given was chosen for them by a competator), presenting six, one bite of thier signature dish, making deserts from such quality ingrediants as cat fish, tripe, lamb, etc, and the final battle which was a real Iron Chef battle in Kitchen Stadium with secret ingrediant Sword Fish. Symon even survived the crappy judges...stupid long haired Bon Appetit critic.

Since day one Nik and I had been rooting for Chef John Besh. He was amazing on his first Iron Chef appearance, against Chef Batali (I think) and we were so excited to see him here. And he did really well! Won a couple challenges, and was never in the bottom 2. And at the final battle, it was Besh against Symon. I will admit, after a couple battles, I was hooked on Symon as well. So it was really hard to decide who I wanted to win. In my heart I still wanted Besh, but when Symon's picture was revealed, I was not disapointed. That night they also revealed that Symon's Iron Chef coat was designed by viewers and would be revealed at the begining of the new season of ICA. I am excited. That is one cool thing about ICA, all the Chefs wear the signature light blue with red/orange trim, but they are all a different design. This should be good (Trust me, I know what a big nerd I sound like here, but the Food Network is my guilty pleasure, and it could be worse, I could be telling you about One Tree Hill, or how the final season of Gilmore Girls comes out on Tuesday...hint hint, Christmas).

I hope that even if you did not see this series, you can relate to the excitement I am feeling right now. I can not wait for the new season of Iron Chef America and Chef Symon's debut.

Late Post for Pumkin Carving

The Monday before Halloween Nik and I went over to my parents house to carve pumkins. We did this for two reasons: 1) my mom had just had surgery and was not getting out much, so we were her entertainment for the evening. 2) there is no room in my house for pumkin carving. It would have been a pumpkin-guts mess all over my living room floor because my kitchen table is doubling as a storage unit. So it worked well for everyone.

I was incharge of getting everything set up and cleaning out the pumpkins. Nik thinks its gross, and I really could care less, so it was no big deal. In fact, both of them cleaned out pretty quickly.

True to form it took me about 20 minutes or more to decide what I wanted to carve. I am a real stickler to getting it right the first time, so I think about it long and hard before hand. Nik decided on a smirking and had it done in about 15 minutes. He then helped me with the art for mine. I decided on a panda with some bamboo, and I can't draw pandas, so that was Nik's job.

The first picture is of Nik's creation, and the pic to the right is mine. I think they both turned out great. I know it is a little late in the season for this post, but I haven't had as much free time as I thought I would have, so deal with it. :)

I Voted! Despite it all!

Last night Nik and I did our civil duty and voted in the city elections. We knew that our voting location was the Christian Center on 7th east and 43rd south. We also knew that we were not registered in this new district. But we went anyway. We stood in the half and hour long line just to find out that we were right, not in this precinct (spelled that wrong). We were told that we could vote provisionally, and that would also register us in the new area. So we go over to the two old fogies at the short-bus table, Mr. I Invented Voting, and Ms. Where'd I Put My Pen, were more than happy to help us get even more confused about the process. Mr. I told us that if we were still registered at the old house then our votes here would probably not count. So we were in limbo untill nik called the Voting Hotline (or something like that) and the nice lady said that we were in exactly the right spot and if we would have gone back to the other place our votes would definitly not have counted. I ran into a friend of mine whom I haven't seen since high school, so I was able to pass the time talking to Nate. In the meantime, Ms. W. skipped over us a couple times, and voided my voting envelope. It set us back some time. So we voted. Voted for the only thing we were allowed to. Refferendum 1. Or should I say against, Nik and I were against this stupid school voucher law. I am so glad it didn't pass. Utah school systems are not ready for something like that. Utah government doesn't like to give school systems money. It only took us an hour from the time we got in line, to the time we walked out the door. I am glad we didn't have any other time sesitive plans.

I hope everyone else had a easier time voting.

Hey, I posted down there!

I just wanted all to know that I finished a post i started a while back, so it posted down a couple, and I wanted credit for doing my Tag thing. So, everyone, check it out. Thanks.

The Moment Of Truth!

Hello all! Its time to announce the winners of my Pay it Forward contest! Since my party last night was a bust, I had Shea, the loveley receptionist here at Zeit Company, pick the winners this morning. And here they are!

In no particular order:

Laurie


Lisa


Kathy...Mom


Yay for the winners! I considered giving fun-size Play-doh as the gift, since I didn't have many trick or treaters last night, but I will pick something better. In the rules is says that the winners promise to do something similar (in the Pay it Forward spirit) soon as well, and I hope to figure out what to give out by the time they do! Lisa has already done it, so she is off the hook, unless she wants to do it again! I have high hopes for Lou and Mom though. Don't let me down!

******--------*******--------********

I would just like to discuss trick-or-treating for a moment here. I was so excited to live in an apartment complex because of the high possibility of trick-or-treaters. I was sorely disapointed. I got four, count'em...4, door knocks last night. Granted there were at least three kids each time, but still, thats not even my whole complex, not to mention my neighborhood.

I even had cool Play-Doh instead of yucky candy to hand out, and it seemed to be a hit, but still, I was lacking the numbers. I still have a bucket full of fun-size Play-Doh at home. At least I know Nik will be entertained at church. I am substituting for the 9 year-old girls in Primary (yes, I worded that funny)and I am thinking I will bring that as the treat.

Thank you for participating in my little game!

Last Chance!

Count down: eleven hours and 56 minutes left to comment on my PIF post for your chance to win! Come on Dad! I want to see your name in there! Right now it is between Mom, Lou, Nik, Lisa, and Heather. English family, tell Jeanne and Charlie, I want as many people here as I can get! Flurer Family, tell the girls, I am sure they would like a chance to win. As it stands, I am still at a loss as to what to send, so it will be a suprise for everyone! Oh, and I found out I am one of the lucky three from my Cousin Heather's PIF and will be receiving lovely foaming anti bacterial soap from Bath and Body Works. I can hardly wait!

I am having a Halloween party at my house tonight so I will have one of my guests pick out the lucky winners!

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It has been a while since I have posted anything worth while here, so I hope you all forgive me. My new job has turned my world upside down. I am constantly behind on laundry and dishes. I have only cooked dinner once in the two and a half weeks I have been employed. My house is a mess and I am having people over tonight. I desperatly hope I can get it cleaned before people start coming. I only have about an hour...maybe less.

Last night we went to a Halloween party at Al and Jeanne's. It was quite a shindig. Nik and I were late since he doesnt get home from work till after 6, and I had had a bad day at work, so I work, so it took a little time to be ready to go. I had a lot of fun. I heard some fun stories from Al, and everyone (well, almost everyone...Kersten) was dressed up. Em was Jack Sparrow, and it was a stricking likeness. I think she should consider a career change ;) I forgo'd my Harley Quinn costume, even though I am way excited to have it, I just didn't want to mess with the face makeup. Instead I was a Punk Rock Angel. I thought it was pretty cool. That is what I am today at work too. Minus the wings. Nik was a Young Hue Heffner. I was impressed how many people got that right off the bat. I wanted to be a Bunny, but it was a family party.

Well, I guess that is all for now. I have a little more time today at work, so maybe I will post again.

Happy Halloween!

Two minutes in Heaven is better than one minute in Heaven

One, Two, Three, TAG!

I've been tagged (and I have nothing better to do)!

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.


1. I love singing along with the radio and CD's, but I cannot sing. Just ask the lady that sits next to me in Ward Choir. And don't ask why I am in Ward Choir.

2. I have a horrible memory, except when it comes to stupid stuff. Then I remember it all.

3. I moved 14 times before I was 8.

4. I would love to have laser eye surgery, but when I think about the precedure, I gives me the willies.

5. I am envious of my Cousin Lisa's life. I know it is hard, but she gets to be a stay at home mom, and take lots of pictures all day long. I feel like I have no free time anymore. Stupid job. I know she will say its not all it looks like, but still.

6. I am excited to have an apartment I can decorate. And by decorate, I mean rearrange furniture and hang pictures. I love finding art and nick-nacks to put around, and plants, and furniture. I can't wait to have a house so I can go all out.

There. I was tagged first by Lou and then by Lisa, and I am pretty sure that everyone is all tagged out, so this will be the end. If someone was missed and feels strongly about posting a tell-all about themselves, don't wait for someone to tag you. Be a trail blazer!

My Husband Controls the Radio

Saturday night Nik and I were running errands and in the midst of it all we stopped to get dinner at Take Five Drive-in. It's pretty good, for future referrence. While we were waiting for our food Nik was listening to the faint music playing in the dining area and by the time we got back out to the car he had a song stuck in his head. That song was "Welcome the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance. I really like this song too, but I only have it on my iPod, so his pleas to listen to it were falling on deaf ears. We tried to find it on the radio but no such luck. I tired of the radio soon and put my CD back on. After stopping at Albertson's Nik confessed that he still had the song stuck in his head so he used his Force powers and we turned the radio back on and low and behold, it was playing on X96! Not 20 seconds in! It was quite amazing. Neither of us had high hopes cause we haddn't heard that song for some time. Needless to say we crancked up the volume and sang our hearts out. We have been meaning to tell everyone this since it happened and could never remember. I hope everyone enjoyed Nik's control over the radio. Please check out the title link to YouTube to check out this great song. I know, the video is a little weird, but please listen to the whole song, it is reminicent of Queen, so that makes it really good!

Also, I have heard that the instructions to my Pay it Forward blog are not exactly clear. Yes, you must comment to win. You do not have to have a blog, so tell all your friends!

Also, also, my mom is going in for surgery this morning, so please remember her in your prayers!

Considering a career change

"I wish I were a glow worm, a glow worms never glum, cause how can you be grumpy when sun shines out your bum."

Pay it Forward

I am taking this great idea from my cousin Lisa who recently did it on her blog. My mom won from Lisa (so you know it works!), and even though I didn't, I am going to Pay it Forward anyway! I am not sure yet what the prizes will be, but I promise it will be good! Here are the rules (I stole them from Lisa's, who stole them from her friends blog...thats like paying it backwards...or something):

1. I promise to send 3 lucky comment makers a gift as soon as I get around to it (with in a three week time period of the end of the contest). It will not be a leg lamp.



2. I will choose 3 winners randomly out of... a hat or something... based on a one entry per person rule.



3. Comment winners must be willing to "Pay It Forward" by offering a similar contest to others, somewhere, somehow (I know not all of ya' have blogs - c'mon, jump on the bandwagon, people!) *YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A BLOGGER TO JOIN! ANYONE CAN COMMENT- BLOGGERS, SPACERS, EMAILERS, FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, HUSBANDS, KIDS, DOGS, GECKOS, ETC.*



4. Comments must be a little interesting to read....I'm not gonna count a "count me in" comment. Give me something funny, something new I may not know about you...I'm talking quality information here. Maybe why you would like to PIF...or how you feel about the challenge altogether. Or just something entirely preposterous. You know utter nonsense always makes me happy. :0) If you have been lurking around my blog not commenting, now would be a good time to make yourself known.



5. I know some of you are related to me but that doesn't mean you shouldn't enter. I think you will still like what I am giving away, and the drawing will be completely random so your chances are no better or worse.



6. Now for the time line. Given that it is about half way through October, I am going to cut this one short! You now have until 11:59 on Wednesday the 31st to post your comments. Thats Halloween people, so don't slack off! I will announce the winnners Thrusday November 1st here on my blog. Good Luck!

*Remember! If you win you promise to Pay it Forward in some way!

First Day of the Rest of My Life

I am, as we speak, nearing the end of my first day at my new job. I am happy to be employed and I like the environment, but I have been very bored today. I know, it takes a while to get in the flow of things and I have done a few orders by myself, but I spent most of the day on the internet. Oh, and my PC has Vista on it, so it is taking some getting used to. Its not as bad as I have heard though.

It looks like my job will be to help answer phones and input orders from clients who are ordering from our catalouge. There are a few things I have to remember and I am glad I am not afraid to call the client for more information if needed. I am really looking forward to getting in the thick of it all and knowing all the ins and outs of the company. Everyone has been really nice and willing to help me. Especially this guy josh, he is like my sensei. "Take the cricket from my hand..."

Welcome Back!

I have received a few comments regarding my lack of blogs since I have been back. I would like to explain that I am holding off on the trip stories till I have all the pictures from the trip. I can tell a few stories, but I think that most people will have heard them by now, but I will high light for those I don't talk to on a regular basis. Forgive me if this is a little random, I can never remember what order everything happened in.

First of all, this trip was my first time on a plane. Ok, for my moms sake, that is not true. I guess I was on one when I was really little, but I don't remember it, so it doesn't count. Regretably, the first experience was not the best one. The plane was dizzying small, and it was night out, so I couldn't see anything. I made it through alive, though only just. We had a layover in San Fran for two and an half hours. We were prepared and found our gate early and took a nap. A about nine, plane leaves at nine thrity, I decide to double check some things about our seats and find out that we are at the wrong terminal and need to be across the whole airport in less than half an hour. Needless to say, we almost didn't make it. Stupid sescurity. Anyway, they were paging our names and everything. It was a really close call. And we didn't even get to sit next to each other.

Once on the plane we were relaxed till we realized we did not rememer the name or address of the resort we were staying at. After making through customs we asked a nice taxi service to help us. It if were not for this man, we would never have figured it out. He even let us use his cell phone. Even in the taxi on the way there I was still a little skeptical, but we met a great couple from Seattle who had internet on their Blackberry and he was able to check my blog and the link I posted to find out that not only were we going to the right place, but that ther were staying there as well! Turns out they had the room next to ours. We became pretty good friends with these guys and they even bought me an amazing terracotta painted frog to put in our nursery (when the time comes).

We made it safe to the resort and met our friends at the pool. Everything was great until we pulled out my lap top to download the camera so we could take more pictures. The computer couldn't find the hard drive...again. The last time my lappy was out it was for this same problem less than a month ago. Bummer. This new perdicament led us to persuading the front desk people to let us down load the camera to their lobby computers and then putting them on to Spencers iPod cause Nik's is formatted to a Mac. The only time we have regretted anything about a Mac. Well it worked, but those are the pictures I still need to get before I post any. Jess got some of the best ones.

The rest of the trip was awesome! No one got sick, and we all got along great! I will tell my picture related stories when I have them.

On the way home we had a stop in LA and got to eat at this great restaraunt in the airport called L.A. Roadhouse. It was amazing! Best BBQ Pork sandwitch I have ever had! We had a couple hours there too, but we didn't know that when we got off the plane from Mexico, so we had to book it across another airport (seriously, the WHOLE airport) just incase I was wrong about the layover. The flight in to SLC was smooth, but the plane wasn't much bigger than the first one, so I was still a little anxious, but I did get to sleep a little, which is good.

Ok, those are the stories I don't have pictures for, so as soon as I get those pics I will tell you all about the trip its self!

Don't Worry!

Ok, I know this is going to look weird, but we just got to the resort and it is awesome! I already have so many tales to tell! I just wanted to let my mom know that I made it ok and that I am going to have fun! Thanks for talking me through it!

oh, and all the web sites here are in spanish!

Begin Countdown!

Well, it is now hours before our much antici..p...p..(say it! say it!)...pated trip to Mexico. We have arranged the lovely and talented jeanne to take us to the airport at 4:00 in the morning. It was absolutely great of her to offer to take us. She is even tending Cute Ally before comming to our house to sleep for a few hours in hopes of saving her some time in the morning. I am very greatful. I am starting to get nervous now. I was doing fine all day, and it wasn't even a very hectic day. But now that it is down to where I need to get a couple hours sleep before getting up way too early tomorrow morning, it is all becoming more real. We are packing our carry on and dividing up the money. I have a bunch of stuff I will have to throw in a bag in the morning after I use it, but that is normal for me when I travel. All this does not seem to phase Nik. He just threw a bunch of clothes in the suitcase and asked me what I was already packing so he didn't have to worry about it. I hope he has everything he needs! This is the first time I have not packed for him.

We will take lots of pictures and I hope to be able to email some of them while we are gone, but if not, I will post the good ones when we get back! Nik and I will both have our phones (off) in case of emergency, and will be checking our messages at least once a day. Please call if anything important happens, we would like to be kept informed. For my mom: I will call you when we get to San Diego (if its not too early) to let you know everything is fine. Oh, and I forgot to tell you to water the small plant in the frogs cage at least once while we are gone. Thanks!

Thanks again to every one who helped us prepare and who listened to our worries and overthinking-ness. It was all appreciated. Pray for us while we are gone, and don't forget us!

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Ok, I will cut to the chase. I have a job. I received the call this morning from the company I had that great interview with, with an offer to start the monday we get back from our trip. He offered me more than I was asking with a possibility of a dollar and hour raise in January. Which will be here sooner than I think. I was more than happy to accept his offer. It is such a relief to know I have a job to come back too. After everything that has happened in the last few days, this is a sign to me that it is ok to go to Mexico. That and seeing where we are staying! Back to business. I have been so stressed about what we were going to do if I did not get a job soon. Nik had some savings but not enough to support us for very long. I am very excited to be able to finally help support my family. Nik has been under such pressure to get maximum hours at work and I know it is taking a toll on him. It might even be one reason he ended up with strep. I really hope that this is a great job and that I can stay there for a long long time. I do not want another Alpine experience. I aired all my concerns at the interview and he seemed pretty sure that he could meet all my expectations. So we will see. The atmosohere was really great and he seems like he will be a great boss. I hope I get along with the other employees quick so I can have some friends at work! The only thing I don't really know is what the dress code is like. If I remember right Dave (previously referred to as "he") was wearing jeans and a plaid shirt, but I could be wrong. Overall: I am really excited and I think I can enjoy the vacation more fully not worring about our financial future. Thanks for all the prayers and support from everyone. Now, pray for Jason!

Sick Day

For all those I have not told already, Nik has Strep Throat. Great huh? I don't want to sound like I am blaming Nik's sickness for all this, but I am set back a whole day with my preparations for Mexico. I had so much to do yesterday and I didn't get any of it done! Anyway, Nik woke up yesterday with what he described as a bruise in his throat and some pretty bad back pain. But he went to work any way. The little trooper. It was only about an hour and a half later that I got a call from him asking me to come get him. 20 minutes later when I got to work he was laying on the couch in the back room. He felt a little warm, but he was saying he was cold. We started home and at just the right time Nik requested i call some people to give him a blessing. The only person I thought would be available was Kersten. Bless his invalidness. We headed right over there and got a great blessing Ten and a great lortab as well. Nik was in severe pain by now and was just laying on the couch.
It was hard to watch him knowing I couldn't do anything to make it better.

When it seemed like the meds were taking too long to kick in I started rubbing his legs and he was able to fall asleep for a little while. Ten kept me entertained while he slept and I made a couple Dr. appointments. When the first time rolled around 2:45 Nik was in the height of the Lortab and so we opted to give it some more time and waited for the 4:00. He was back in emense pain by this time and it seemed to take longer than normal waiting for the doctor. When we finally got in we were pleasently surprised that even though he wasn't Dr. Henry, he was a doctor that knew Nik from a check up/physical he had when he was in scouts. His name is Bruce Callister. He was great! He asked Nik about his symptoms and took his temperature and before he even had tests done, he was writing prescriptions for antibiotics. "Well, it looks like you have strep. You have a fever of 104 and your throat looks terrible." He even gave me a prescription in case I get symptoms as well. With my luck I will be getting what Nik had on sunday when we are getting on the plane saturday morning. I have started taking the meds just in case. I will NOT be sick in Mexico! The Doc also gave Nik a small script for Lortab so his back pain would go away long enough to sleep. Its probably the only reason he has slept at all in the last 24 hours. He spent most of yesterday evening asleep and was really only awake long enough to eat half a bowl of soup and take a hot bath. He is in the process of a lortab induced sleep now.

Unfortunately, being the hypo I am, I had a hard time sleeping as well. Every time Nik rolled over I would wake up worried he was going to be sick or that he needed my help with something. We both woke up around 5:00 and were in and out of sleep tll about 7:00 when Nik got in the tub again. So now I am up. I have so much more to do today, plus I am meeting a friend for lunch. I am glad we got Nik's meds yesterday, I would not be able to leave him alone with out them.

Thank you again to Lou and Ten who let us stay at their house way longer than we intended to, and helped me out a lot with Nik and let him take over their couch for several hours.