I am in a crafting withdrawal right now! I want to make something...more specifically, I want to make these!
Pin Wheel Hair Clips
I may make them when I get home...and send them to someone who wants them....or a random stranger....
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Birthday Curse
There is a curse in my family! No really..... It is called the Birthday Curse. You would think that birthdays would be a day for celebrations, but when our birthdays come around...we kinda expect something to happen.
And a couple of weeks ago, the curse struck again. But before I go into that, let me show you how the birthday curse has affected our lives.
Our dog Sparky died on our grandpa's birthday: November 10.
My Papa Russ died on his wife's birthday: March 22. The day after is my mom's birthday.
My uncle got in a head-on collision on Trio #3's birthday: December 13. Luckily he survived.
A couple of weeks ago, we were getting ready to celebrate Trio #1's birthday, July 10.
But unfortunately, we were not really in the celebrating mood.
My Grammy, Sara Jayne Woolsey Meeves, was in the hospital. She started having stomach pains and was admitted to the hospital with a bowel obstruction. They put a tube in her nose that helped remove all of her stomach contents so that they would stop putting unnecessary pressure on her bowels. As she was in the hospital healing, she was eating ice chips (her favorite) and she aspirated some of the water. It would be fine for anyone else to do that, but Grammy had really bad lungs. She has really bad asthma, and her lungs are not very functioning. Because of the aspiration of the water, she contracted pneumonia. For someone that has bad lungs....pneumonia is a cuss word.
She got moved up to the Adult ICU. They tried to put her on a c-pap machine, but she was extremely uncomfortable and was not wearing it appropriately or long enough. That means that she was not getting any better. While admitted in the ICU, they laid out all the possibilities of her survival. Not something that anyone wants to hear. My mom was in contact with the nurses all week. My mom, actually, worked at that same hospital about 9 years ago, and knew most of the nurses that were taking care of Grammy. My mom asked them to call her if things got really bad, and she needed to fly out to Utah. My mom got that call on THURSDAY, July 7. She booked a flight from Memphis, and was going to be in Utah on Friday, July 8 at about 5:00 pm. My uncle from Birmingham was also flying in on Friday evening.
On Sunday evening, my Grammy asked them in intubate her. After being intubated, if she was not off the ventilator in 4 days, she was most likely not going to be able to breathe on her own after that. On Thursday, things were not looking good. The pneumonia was not getting better. They asked my Grandpa for her living will. That's when it finally hit my Grandpa (and the rest of us) that things were was worse than we could have imagined. My Grammy and Grandpa had decided long ago that they would sign a DNR and stick to it. My Grandpa knew that this was the time that they had dreaded for a long time.
Trio #3 and I were down in Colorado working. Every time we got a phone call from either Mom of Trio #1, we dreaded it. We got a phone call on Friday afternoon from Mom that said that she was flying into Utah, and that they were taking Grammy off life-support on Saturday morning. We shut off our tractors, and rushed home to pack our bags. We left as soon as we could and drove the 6 hours to Provo. We went straight to Grandpa's house.
Everyone got into town on Friday night. They were able to take Grammy off the sedatives so that she could know that my Mom and Uncle Kevin were there. On Saturday morning, we all met for breakfast at Uncle Ricky's and Aunt Dawn's house. Then we all drove over to the hospital. It was a very somber experience. There were several of us there. It was Grammy's brother Perry, Grandpa, Mom, Trio #1, 2, 3, Uncle Kevin, Uncle Rick and Aunt Dawn, Aunt Mary Lynn and Uncle Scott. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I was to be there, but sad at the same time because the last image I had of my Grammy was in the hospital bed, hooked up to lots of machines, and in pain.
The nurses took her off sedation for a little while so that we could all say goodbye to her. My cousin Robert's fiancee just had a baby boy, so they brought pictures of baby Talon Conrad to show her. We all told her goodbye and kissed her. Then, something spiritual took place. In our church, we believe that men of the church can be given the power to act in God's name. It is called the Priesthood. Through the priesthood, the men can give others a blessing. It is all done in God's name, and according to God's will. My Grandpa was the one to give her a blessing. He blessed her to pass quickly from this life and to rejoice in the world to come. He told her that she had accomplished a great work here on this earth in regards to Genealogy. He told her not to worry about us and to go peacefully. I cried so hard. He then told her he loved her, and closed the blessing. The Spirit of the Lord was soooo strong. I think it was one of the strongest I have ever felt in my life.
The nurses asked us to leave the room for just a moment while they re-sedated her, and took all the tubes out and turned most of the machines off. They told us to expect her to live for about 5 minutes. They told us we could come back in, and then left us to say goodbye. She looked soo much better after all the tubes were removed. We all stood around her bed, and watched her and the monitors. You could tell that she was more comfortable without all the tubes and machines, so she finally fell asleep, and even stated to snore. It was soo her. Her breathing started to slow down and were very slow. My Grammy is kinda stubborn, and showed her true colors those that few moments of her life. She actually lived exactly an hour after they unhooked all the machines. When she took her last breathe, it hits you hard. I have never cried soo incredibly hard in my life. We all just sat there in stunned silence not wanting to believe that she is truly gone. We all just sat in perfect silence that whole hour. Then we all slowly left her room after she was gone.
That was Saturday, July 9, at 12:55 pm. Trio #1's birthday is July 10, so luckily the curse did not hit us on her actual birthday. The next several days were all a blur. Going to bed was the hardest, because then when it was dark, you can just let the tears flow freely. Praying for Grandpa was also hard because you feel bad that he has to now live on his own.
In our church, we actually bury people in their temple clothes. They are all white, and represent the highest of covenants that we make with the Lord here on the earth, and then continue to keep once we have passed from this life, into the next. Only those who have been through the temple are allowed to see those clothes in their entirety. So, my mom, aunt, Trio #1, and I got to go dress my Grammy. She was already in her white temple dress, so we just added the accessories. My Grandpa was very adamant about her wearing her glasses, because that is what makes her look like her. I was nervous about seeing her, but was kinda willing to help out. I was putting on her knee-highs, and I touched her leg and she was freezing cold. She wasn't the Grammy that was warm and full of love and hugs for you at any time of the day. I totally lost it at that point. (I swear I didn't have full control over my tear ducts...) I wasn't able to help out again. Luckily my mom has done this multiple times, and was able to remain strong. Afterward, Grammy looked as amazing as anyone who is no longer here can.
The funeral was on Thursday, July 14. It was really nice. My dad got to give Grammy's life sketch, and tell about all she was able to accomplish in her lifetime. My mom, Kevin, and Rick all got to share memories and lessons learned from Grammy. We sang a song as a family. I am going to go off here and let you know that I do not enjoy singing at funerals!!!!! My grandpa requested that we all sing, and I tried to get out of it because I cannot physically stand up in front of everyone and sing a song that reminds me that the person we are singing it for. I did not make it through the song at my Papa Russ' funeral, I did not make it through the song at my Grandma Dixie's funeral, and I refused to even attempt it at my Uncle Todd's funeral. I tried my hardest to let everyone know that there was really no way I could make it through the song at Grammy's funeral, but no one was willing to listen. So I stood up there with everyone else, and cried so incredibly hard through the entire song!! The song we sang was "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again".
After the funeral, and a luncheon, we were able to go up to the cemetery. Luckily, her burial place is really close to Trio #1 and Trio #2's apartment, so we can go take her flowers as often as possible. She is actually buried in a WALL, because she did not want to have anyone walk all over her, and she did not want any dirt thrown on her face. :o] It was so sweet because my Grandpa doesn't like standing up in front of people and talking, but he took a few moments to thank us all for coming and for loving her. He told us multiple times that he was hoping that she would live another 4 years. (We don't really know the significance of that amount of time...) He was very sweet and tender when talking about her.
I feel so blessed to have had Grammy in my life. I was very close to her. We spent many summers staying with her. She taught me how to quilt. We even made several quilts together. She taught me how to crochet, and was willing to make several projects together. She taught me how to play games, especially her favorite one "Oh Hell!". I learned how to play many different styles of solitaire, and loved spending many many hours playing games and sharing memories. She was unselfish in her teaching and always loves to give hugs and kisses. She will be missed, but I will keep her in my heart forever!!!
And a couple of weeks ago, the curse struck again. But before I go into that, let me show you how the birthday curse has affected our lives.
Our dog Sparky died on our grandpa's birthday: November 10.
My Papa Russ died on his wife's birthday: March 22. The day after is my mom's birthday.
My uncle got in a head-on collision on Trio #3's birthday: December 13. Luckily he survived.
A couple of weeks ago, we were getting ready to celebrate Trio #1's birthday, July 10.
But unfortunately, we were not really in the celebrating mood.
My Grammy, Sara Jayne Woolsey Meeves, was in the hospital. She started having stomach pains and was admitted to the hospital with a bowel obstruction. They put a tube in her nose that helped remove all of her stomach contents so that they would stop putting unnecessary pressure on her bowels. As she was in the hospital healing, she was eating ice chips (her favorite) and she aspirated some of the water. It would be fine for anyone else to do that, but Grammy had really bad lungs. She has really bad asthma, and her lungs are not very functioning. Because of the aspiration of the water, she contracted pneumonia. For someone that has bad lungs....pneumonia is a cuss word.
She got moved up to the Adult ICU. They tried to put her on a c-pap machine, but she was extremely uncomfortable and was not wearing it appropriately or long enough. That means that she was not getting any better. While admitted in the ICU, they laid out all the possibilities of her survival. Not something that anyone wants to hear. My mom was in contact with the nurses all week. My mom, actually, worked at that same hospital about 9 years ago, and knew most of the nurses that were taking care of Grammy. My mom asked them to call her if things got really bad, and she needed to fly out to Utah. My mom got that call on THURSDAY, July 7. She booked a flight from Memphis, and was going to be in Utah on Friday, July 8 at about 5:00 pm. My uncle from Birmingham was also flying in on Friday evening.
On Sunday evening, my Grammy asked them in intubate her. After being intubated, if she was not off the ventilator in 4 days, she was most likely not going to be able to breathe on her own after that. On Thursday, things were not looking good. The pneumonia was not getting better. They asked my Grandpa for her living will. That's when it finally hit my Grandpa (and the rest of us) that things were was worse than we could have imagined. My Grammy and Grandpa had decided long ago that they would sign a DNR and stick to it. My Grandpa knew that this was the time that they had dreaded for a long time.
Trio #3 and I were down in Colorado working. Every time we got a phone call from either Mom of Trio #1, we dreaded it. We got a phone call on Friday afternoon from Mom that said that she was flying into Utah, and that they were taking Grammy off life-support on Saturday morning. We shut off our tractors, and rushed home to pack our bags. We left as soon as we could and drove the 6 hours to Provo. We went straight to Grandpa's house.
Everyone got into town on Friday night. They were able to take Grammy off the sedatives so that she could know that my Mom and Uncle Kevin were there. On Saturday morning, we all met for breakfast at Uncle Ricky's and Aunt Dawn's house. Then we all drove over to the hospital. It was a very somber experience. There were several of us there. It was Grammy's brother Perry, Grandpa, Mom, Trio #1, 2, 3, Uncle Kevin, Uncle Rick and Aunt Dawn, Aunt Mary Lynn and Uncle Scott. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I was to be there, but sad at the same time because the last image I had of my Grammy was in the hospital bed, hooked up to lots of machines, and in pain.
The nurses took her off sedation for a little while so that we could all say goodbye to her. My cousin Robert's fiancee just had a baby boy, so they brought pictures of baby Talon Conrad to show her. We all told her goodbye and kissed her. Then, something spiritual took place. In our church, we believe that men of the church can be given the power to act in God's name. It is called the Priesthood. Through the priesthood, the men can give others a blessing. It is all done in God's name, and according to God's will. My Grandpa was the one to give her a blessing. He blessed her to pass quickly from this life and to rejoice in the world to come. He told her that she had accomplished a great work here on this earth in regards to Genealogy. He told her not to worry about us and to go peacefully. I cried so hard. He then told her he loved her, and closed the blessing. The Spirit of the Lord was soooo strong. I think it was one of the strongest I have ever felt in my life.
The nurses asked us to leave the room for just a moment while they re-sedated her, and took all the tubes out and turned most of the machines off. They told us to expect her to live for about 5 minutes. They told us we could come back in, and then left us to say goodbye. She looked soo much better after all the tubes were removed. We all stood around her bed, and watched her and the monitors. You could tell that she was more comfortable without all the tubes and machines, so she finally fell asleep, and even stated to snore. It was soo her. Her breathing started to slow down and were very slow. My Grammy is kinda stubborn, and showed her true colors those that few moments of her life. She actually lived exactly an hour after they unhooked all the machines. When she took her last breathe, it hits you hard. I have never cried soo incredibly hard in my life. We all just sat there in stunned silence not wanting to believe that she is truly gone. We all just sat in perfect silence that whole hour. Then we all slowly left her room after she was gone.
That was Saturday, July 9, at 12:55 pm. Trio #1's birthday is July 10, so luckily the curse did not hit us on her actual birthday. The next several days were all a blur. Going to bed was the hardest, because then when it was dark, you can just let the tears flow freely. Praying for Grandpa was also hard because you feel bad that he has to now live on his own.
In our church, we actually bury people in their temple clothes. They are all white, and represent the highest of covenants that we make with the Lord here on the earth, and then continue to keep once we have passed from this life, into the next. Only those who have been through the temple are allowed to see those clothes in their entirety. So, my mom, aunt, Trio #1, and I got to go dress my Grammy. She was already in her white temple dress, so we just added the accessories. My Grandpa was very adamant about her wearing her glasses, because that is what makes her look like her. I was nervous about seeing her, but was kinda willing to help out. I was putting on her knee-highs, and I touched her leg and she was freezing cold. She wasn't the Grammy that was warm and full of love and hugs for you at any time of the day. I totally lost it at that point. (I swear I didn't have full control over my tear ducts...) I wasn't able to help out again. Luckily my mom has done this multiple times, and was able to remain strong. Afterward, Grammy looked as amazing as anyone who is no longer here can.
After the funeral, and a luncheon, we were able to go up to the cemetery. Luckily, her burial place is really close to Trio #1 and Trio #2's apartment, so we can go take her flowers as often as possible. She is actually buried in a WALL, because she did not want to have anyone walk all over her, and she did not want any dirt thrown on her face. :o] It was so sweet because my Grandpa doesn't like standing up in front of people and talking, but he took a few moments to thank us all for coming and for loving her. He told us multiple times that he was hoping that she would live another 4 years. (We don't really know the significance of that amount of time...) He was very sweet and tender when talking about her.
I feel so blessed to have had Grammy in my life. I was very close to her. We spent many summers staying with her. She taught me how to quilt. We even made several quilts together. She taught me how to crochet, and was willing to make several projects together. She taught me how to play games, especially her favorite one "Oh Hell!". I learned how to play many different styles of solitaire, and loved spending many many hours playing games and sharing memories. She was unselfish in her teaching and always loves to give hugs and kisses. She will be missed, but I will keep her in my heart forever!!!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
I think my own tractor is SEXY
I am so sorry for getting behind on my blogging. When you are working about 12 hours each day, and come home exhausted, it's really hard to pull out the computer, turn it on, wait forever for it to boot up, and then type out all the words in my head before I am asleep!
But....I told my mother today that I was going to try and catch up.
Here is a picture to hint at what I have been up to:
That's right! I drive a TRACTOR! Can you ever believe that I would be doing this? Me neither. But, after many circumstances that were out of my control, I ended up here in Cortez, CO. I work with Trio #3 and her good friend, Brookelynn.
We get to drive MacDon tractors all day. They are called Swathers and they cut hay. The picture above shows the rows of alfalfa that are freshly cut.
Sometimes we find interesting creatures in the fields. These elks were really close to us, and could care less. It was awesome to see them soo close.
And sometimes, the tractors get stuck in the mud. It is nasty! And you feel embarrassed when you have to announce over the radio that you need someone to come and pull you out. This is Trio #3's tractor that actually did NOT get stuck in the mud, but in a huge wheel rut, left behind by the sprinkler pivot.
SHE IS FREE!
This is a beautiful owl that we saw one day. I was riding tandem with Trio #3 in her tractor, and jumped out with my camera and chased the owl through the fields. The MacDon test tech stared at me like I was CrAzY! lol
This was a HUGE pond in the middle of the fields. It makes it really hard for us to work in an efficient manner. If you look closely, you can see the shady bridge that crosses this grand canyon.
The order of operations for the job, is to GROW the crops. Then we SWATH them. After they are cut, RAKERS come and combine two rows into one. After the piles are combined, the BALERS come and make bales. Then the STINGER comes and puts them in nice tall piles. When people don't do their jobs appropriately, this is what you find when you are trying to cut. A huge bale left behind....and lots of money lost because of it.
**WARNING** To those of you who have weak stomachs....do NOT look at the following pictures!!!
I was driving in my swather, and it started to stink really bad. I could not figure out where the smell was coming from...and then I saw this when I drove past again. I will leave it up to you to notice the details... :o]
If you know me, you know that I never wear t-shirts and jeans. I think that it is too grungy, and I don't really have reasons to wear them. Well, working on the farm gives me reason to wear grungy clothes. I scrounged up as many t-shirts as I could from home and brought them with me. Most of them have some sort of significant value...so when I ruined the first t-shirt, I was really bummed. So, to solve the problem, I bought some mens undershirts. Well, wearing white is not a grand idea....so we had some fun! We each took turns to tie-dye my undershirts. Look how awesome they turned out!!
But....I told my mother today that I was going to try and catch up.
Here is a picture to hint at what I have been up to:
 |
| Trio #3's design |
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| Trio #2's first design |
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| Trio #2's second design |
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| Trio #2's third design |
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| Brookelynn's design |
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| my hands were blue and purple after the fact! |
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
"I'm proud of you"
Those are words that bring a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart. If everyone knew how powerful those words were, they would be said more often for more small accomplishments.
A couple of months ago, I decided to change my major. This came with lots of thinking, lots and lots of prayer, and lots of talks with my friends and family. I was going to school to major in Civil Engineering. After many opportunities working with children, I have changed my major to Secondary Education. I will major in Math and minor in Physics.
While I was home in Memphis, I had an opportunity to visit with previous employers and previous professors at the University of Memphis. While preparing for the reunions, I was nervous to break the news to them about the major change. (ps: I have wanted to be a Civil Engineer since I was 12......) The first person I told was a previous boss who has been a Civil Engineer for more than 50 years. He told me he was shocked, but proud of me.
Then I told one of the professors that made the most impact in my life. He is the one of pushed me harder, made me work harder, and made me question everything so that I could know for sure the truth in all things. He expected the most out of me, and then expected more because he knew the potential that was in me. I was the most nervous in telling him. Once I told him, there was some disappointment in his eyes. He told me that I was one of his grandest students and it kind of felt like I was "giving up". That broke my heart. He saw that I was sad, and then went on to say that I should stick with it, especially on the hard days, and do my best. However....he did not say he was proud of me for following my heart.
Lastly, I made a phone call to one of my best friends. We have known each other for many years. We met in my freshman engineering class at Memphis. I was nervous to talk to him too. We made small talk, and then he asked me about school. I hesitantly told him that I had changed my major. He started laughing and then went on to say that when he first met me, he knew that I would someday be a teacher. He said that I had the right type of personality to teach and change kids' lives for the better. He then said those magic words to me: "I'm proud of you" That meant a whole lot coming from him!
I am soo grateful for those people in my life who care about me as a person, and know that I don't do things without thinking through them, a lot! My parents raised me to be someone who relied on the Lord and who trusted in the Spirit of the Lord to lead me on the path that would be in most harmony with the will of the Lord. I do things in my life that will make both my Heavenly Father, and earthly father say to me: "I'm proud of you!"
A couple of months ago, I decided to change my major. This came with lots of thinking, lots and lots of prayer, and lots of talks with my friends and family. I was going to school to major in Civil Engineering. After many opportunities working with children, I have changed my major to Secondary Education. I will major in Math and minor in Physics.
While I was home in Memphis, I had an opportunity to visit with previous employers and previous professors at the University of Memphis. While preparing for the reunions, I was nervous to break the news to them about the major change. (ps: I have wanted to be a Civil Engineer since I was 12......) The first person I told was a previous boss who has been a Civil Engineer for more than 50 years. He told me he was shocked, but proud of me.
Then I told one of the professors that made the most impact in my life. He is the one of pushed me harder, made me work harder, and made me question everything so that I could know for sure the truth in all things. He expected the most out of me, and then expected more because he knew the potential that was in me. I was the most nervous in telling him. Once I told him, there was some disappointment in his eyes. He told me that I was one of his grandest students and it kind of felt like I was "giving up". That broke my heart. He saw that I was sad, and then went on to say that I should stick with it, especially on the hard days, and do my best. However....he did not say he was proud of me for following my heart.
Lastly, I made a phone call to one of my best friends. We have known each other for many years. We met in my freshman engineering class at Memphis. I was nervous to talk to him too. We made small talk, and then he asked me about school. I hesitantly told him that I had changed my major. He started laughing and then went on to say that when he first met me, he knew that I would someday be a teacher. He said that I had the right type of personality to teach and change kids' lives for the better. He then said those magic words to me: "I'm proud of you" That meant a whole lot coming from him!
I am soo grateful for those people in my life who care about me as a person, and know that I don't do things without thinking through them, a lot! My parents raised me to be someone who relied on the Lord and who trusted in the Spirit of the Lord to lead me on the path that would be in most harmony with the will of the Lord. I do things in my life that will make both my Heavenly Father, and earthly father say to me: "I'm proud of you!"
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Home is Where the Heart Is!!
I'm home....for at least another week....but let me start at the beginning...
I had some awesome plans for this summer. I was coming home from SLC to work at the same place as I did last summer. I really loved the atmosphere. I worked with a really sweet lady, and we listened to Christian music all day while dispatching A/C technicians. I was really excited to come back. It meant spending the whole summer working there, and part-time at Best Buy, and then spending lots of time with my mom and dad, my brother and sister-in-law.
I was all ready to head out on Friday the 3rd of June. I got an email from the A/C place, on TUESDAY the 31st of May, that said that someone else deserved the job more than I did. I was heartbroken!! I really wanted to work there and spend my summer in Memphis. I called my mom and told her the news, and she was almost as stressed as I was in not having a job for the summer. So we both decided that I needed to really pray about it, and try and figure out what to do. Several hours later, my mom called with the idea of working on "the Farm" with Trio #3, in Cortez, CO. She also called Trio #3 and presented the plan to her.
On Wednesday morning, I talked to Trio #3, not knowing that mom had already talked to her, and told her of my jobless predicament. She then told me that I did have a job that summer. It was pretty crazy hours, but with a comfy bed, great food, and super awesome co-workers. I had a job waiting for me on the Farm. I started to cry. She had answered my prayers even before I had realized I was asking them earnestly.
So we came to Memphis. Trio #1 and I drove to Cortez on Friday, right after work got out, and we spent the night with Trio #3. Then we started driving the next day. We were going to spend the night in Fort Smith, AR....but when we got there at about 1:00 am, we wanted to finish driving the Four hours home. So we trudged through on music, and excedrine. Luckily, my brother and his wife have their own house with two extra beds. We called them and let them know that we were going to stop by, sleep for a little bit, and then surprise mom and dad at church. We rolled into Memphis at 5:30 am. We had been on the road for 19 hours...and were sooooo ready for a nap. We got a 2 hour nap, and then got up for church. We snuck into the church building, and then sat in the pews. My mom was the organist for the day and so she was up in the front playing prelude music. She looked up to check how many people were there, and she saw us! She gasped in surprise, and came running off the stand, and gave us huge hugs. Then my dad noticed us and gave us huge squeezes too. It was soo fun being able to surprise them.
On Tuesday we left for an all girls church camp. I will write more about that later. That lasted until Saturday. This week we are playing, and crafting, and swimming, and watching TV, etc. It will be a great week. Trio #1 and I have to head back west on Saturday, to make it back to work on time. I am still sad that there are several things that I will be missing here that I had already made plans for. I am a little nervous to drive the swathers, but I know that there is a reason for everything, and that I am supposed to be in Colorado this summer. (maybe I will meet a super cute cowboy...and fall madly in love....)
So, stay tuned for more adventures to come!
I had some awesome plans for this summer. I was coming home from SLC to work at the same place as I did last summer. I really loved the atmosphere. I worked with a really sweet lady, and we listened to Christian music all day while dispatching A/C technicians. I was really excited to come back. It meant spending the whole summer working there, and part-time at Best Buy, and then spending lots of time with my mom and dad, my brother and sister-in-law.
I was all ready to head out on Friday the 3rd of June. I got an email from the A/C place, on TUESDAY the 31st of May, that said that someone else deserved the job more than I did. I was heartbroken!! I really wanted to work there and spend my summer in Memphis. I called my mom and told her the news, and she was almost as stressed as I was in not having a job for the summer. So we both decided that I needed to really pray about it, and try and figure out what to do. Several hours later, my mom called with the idea of working on "the Farm" with Trio #3, in Cortez, CO. She also called Trio #3 and presented the plan to her.
On Wednesday morning, I talked to Trio #3, not knowing that mom had already talked to her, and told her of my jobless predicament. She then told me that I did have a job that summer. It was pretty crazy hours, but with a comfy bed, great food, and super awesome co-workers. I had a job waiting for me on the Farm. I started to cry. She had answered my prayers even before I had realized I was asking them earnestly.
So we came to Memphis. Trio #1 and I drove to Cortez on Friday, right after work got out, and we spent the night with Trio #3. Then we started driving the next day. We were going to spend the night in Fort Smith, AR....but when we got there at about 1:00 am, we wanted to finish driving the Four hours home. So we trudged through on music, and excedrine. Luckily, my brother and his wife have their own house with two extra beds. We called them and let them know that we were going to stop by, sleep for a little bit, and then surprise mom and dad at church. We rolled into Memphis at 5:30 am. We had been on the road for 19 hours...and were sooooo ready for a nap. We got a 2 hour nap, and then got up for church. We snuck into the church building, and then sat in the pews. My mom was the organist for the day and so she was up in the front playing prelude music. She looked up to check how many people were there, and she saw us! She gasped in surprise, and came running off the stand, and gave us huge hugs. Then my dad noticed us and gave us huge squeezes too. It was soo fun being able to surprise them.
On Tuesday we left for an all girls church camp. I will write more about that later. That lasted until Saturday. This week we are playing, and crafting, and swimming, and watching TV, etc. It will be a great week. Trio #1 and I have to head back west on Saturday, to make it back to work on time. I am still sad that there are several things that I will be missing here that I had already made plans for. I am a little nervous to drive the swathers, but I know that there is a reason for everything, and that I am supposed to be in Colorado this summer. (maybe I will meet a super cute cowboy...and fall madly in love....)
So, stay tuned for more adventures to come!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Giveaway
I follow lots and lots of blogs. They each have giveaways, and I always enter them. I am usually not very lucky...and most of the time I do not win them....but at least I try, right?!? RIGHT?!?
Here is the most recent one I entered....A Girl and A Glue Gun. He blog is really funny, and full of lots of ideas. Now lets keep our fingers crossed, and hope I win!!
Here is the most recent one I entered....A Girl and A Glue Gun. He blog is really funny, and full of lots of ideas. Now lets keep our fingers crossed, and hope I win!!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Tugs at my heart strings
I love being me! I love knowing that there is a grand plan for me that will help me to be with my loving Father in Heaven, and to be with my family for eternity! That knowledge brings me such great comfort. It helps me not to stress, and to appreciate all that I have right now in my life.
There is a song that I really listened to the other day. It is called "There's a Place for Us", performed by Carrie Underwood. It was featured on one of the Narnia movies. The words are so powerful, and so moving. I know that I am special, and not forgotten, and that I am a queen with divine potential to be all that I can be. My favorite line is: "...exactly who we are is just enough..." Sooo true! We don't need to be someone else, we are all unique, with special spirits, placed on this Earth at this time to bless those around us.
We all need to be us!
Here are the lyrics:
There's a place out there for us,
more than just a prayer or anything you've ever dreamed of.
So if you feel like giving up cause you don't fit in down here,
fear is crashing in, close your eyes and take my hand.
We can be the kings and queens of anything if we believe.
It's written in the stars that shine above,
a world where you and I belong, where faith and love will keep us strong,
exactly who we are is just enough
there's a place for us, there's a place for us.
When the water meets the sky,
where your heart is free and hope comes back to life,
when these broken hands are whole again,
well will find what we've been waiting for,
we were made for so much more
We can be the kings and queens of anything if we believe.
It's written in the stars that shine above,
a world where you and I belong, where faith and love will keep us strong,
exactly who we are is just enough,
there's a place for us, there's a place for us
So hold on, now hold on,
there's a place for us
We can be the kings and queens of anything if we believe.
It's written in the stars that shine above,
a world where you and I belong, where faith and love will keep us strong,
exactly who we are is just enough, exactly who we are is just enough,
there's a place for us.
more than just a prayer or anything you've ever dreamed of.
So if you feel like giving up cause you don't fit in down here,
fear is crashing in, close your eyes and take my hand.
We can be the kings and queens of anything if we believe.
It's written in the stars that shine above,
a world where you and I belong, where faith and love will keep us strong,
exactly who we are is just enough
there's a place for us, there's a place for us.
When the water meets the sky,
where your heart is free and hope comes back to life,
when these broken hands are whole again,
well will find what we've been waiting for,
we were made for so much more
We can be the kings and queens of anything if we believe.
It's written in the stars that shine above,
a world where you and I belong, where faith and love will keep us strong,
exactly who we are is just enough,
there's a place for us, there's a place for us
So hold on, now hold on,
there's a place for us
We can be the kings and queens of anything if we believe.
It's written in the stars that shine above,
a world where you and I belong, where faith and love will keep us strong,
exactly who we are is just enough, exactly who we are is just enough,
there's a place for us.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Another craft
A good friend of mine is having a baby boy at the end of summer. I wanted to make something special for her, that she wouldn't be getting from any of her other family or friends. I found this great tutorial and got to work!
I am super excited to give it to Leah and see her use it!
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| Picking out cute fabrics for boys is hard. The fabric world is dominated by pink! |
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| She like black and red, and he loves lime green, so I pleased them both! |
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| In use! How darling! |
Crafts run in my blood!
Trio #1 and I LOVE to do crafts! We love to "blog hop" and find ideas and try them out! We are never surprised to discover how much we are all capable of.
A few of our friends have had babies, or are about to have babies soon, so we wanted to make something special for them. We found a blog here that gave an easy peasy tutorial on hooded towels. Look how cute they turned out!
Trio #1 and I found a Brother sewing machine about a year ago at a garage sale for only $3. It was the biggest steal of a deal that I have ever encountered. The lady just didn't know how to use it, and wanted to desperately get rid of it. It was brand new, still in the box; and works like magic! Then for Christmas, Trio #1 got a Brother serger from Santa!! We have a really great office set-up in our apartment, so the machines get to stay plugged in and ready at all times. (I give you permission to be jealous...) So, we when we get the hankering to craft, we can, at any time of day...or night...
We also included several burp cloths with the towels. A tutorial for them can be found here. Most of our friends are having boys, so the ribbon is usually left off. Here are some fun pictures to show you how cute they turned out!
We have also made skirts from bed sheets, skirts from pants, a wrist lanyards for your keys, etc. Stay tuned for more projects to come!
A few of our friends have had babies, or are about to have babies soon, so we wanted to make something special for them. We found a blog here that gave an easy peasy tutorial on hooded towels. Look how cute they turned out!
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| This is for baby Knox White |
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| This one was for baby Parker Jones |
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| Added a little dino for the corner |
Trio #1 and I found a Brother sewing machine about a year ago at a garage sale for only $3. It was the biggest steal of a deal that I have ever encountered. The lady just didn't know how to use it, and wanted to desperately get rid of it. It was brand new, still in the box; and works like magic! Then for Christmas, Trio #1 got a Brother serger from Santa!! We have a really great office set-up in our apartment, so the machines get to stay plugged in and ready at all times. (I give you permission to be jealous...) So, we when we get the hankering to craft, we can, at any time of day...or night...
We also included several burp cloths with the towels. A tutorial for them can be found here. Most of our friends are having boys, so the ribbon is usually left off. Here are some fun pictures to show you how cute they turned out!
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| We had a circle theme going for baby Knox. It was pure coincidence. |
We have also made skirts from bed sheets, skirts from pants, a wrist lanyards for your keys, etc. Stay tuned for more projects to come!
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| Trio #1 surging her bed-sheet skirt! |
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| We had a craft night with some friends, and go to use their grandma's sewing machine, thread, and bobbins. It was interesting to say the least. |
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| This is what craft night consisted of. We made the wrist lanyards that night. |
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Minions
I work at an Elementary School, and our class is OBSESSED with the movie "Despicable Me". We quote it, draw pictures, quote it, and sometimes act like the minions, or just call ourselves minions. I am really surprised that it caught on like wild fire.
And speaking of wild fire, we had to take a "snow day" to make-up the day we missed because of the Herriman Fire. (more info) The teachers all had meetings to attend all day, so us TA'shad got to watch the kids all morning. Luckily we got out after lunch, and it still counted as a full day.
My sister, Trio #1, got to come and help me that day. After doing a very fun writing assignment, we got to watch "Despicable Me" and then make MINION TWINKIES! We got the idea from here (The Party Animal Blog). The lady who originally made them went to lots of precise detail, and we just let the kids go at it however they wanted. Here are the pictures to show you how creative and amazing our little minions are!
And speaking of wild fire, we had to take a "snow day" to make-up the day we missed because of the Herriman Fire. (more info) The teachers all had meetings to attend all day, so us TA's
My sister, Trio #1, got to come and help me that day. After doing a very fun writing assignment, we got to watch "Despicable Me" and then make MINION TWINKIES! We got the idea from here (The Party Animal Blog). The lady who originally made them went to lots of precise detail, and we just let the kids go at it however they wanted. Here are the pictures to show you how creative and amazing our little minions are!
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| This is the one that we delivered to the Principal. | She was a little confused at first as to what it was.... |
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