Voorhees Trio

updates

2011-12-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

So here are a few updates recently of what we've done.

1.) We spent two nights in Kodiak with an awesome family who let us stay there for free. Mikayla got to make a new friend while she was there. It was fun seeing those two play together.

2.) Christmas time was fun to see the Coast Guard arrive with "Santa" and visit the kids. He had gifts for all the kids, the staff, and the ladies who were pregnant. The kids loved seeing him, then the students sang a song for him, they had some food, mingled, and then left later.

3.) For a bet that I made with my Volleyball students about them not being able to make 6 straight serves and win the game (to win us 2nd place instead of 3rd.) As you can see, the student obviously made 6 straight serves. They got to pick the color.

4.) Mikayla is doing so well. She loves being home and visiting people. At first it was a little much. Especially when there were more people in the Build a Bear when we went shopping, than what live in our entire village.

5.) Grandpa took her to Build-A-Bear, and she had tons of fun. She got to pick out her bear, (Jeremy picked the outfit), and she had lots of fun watching the process. Thank you Grandpa.

6.) On the way home from the airport, we had so much stuff, that she was able to relax in the cart. This is also how she slept in the airport. Poor girl. For being in an airport or airplane for 19 hours... she did a very good job.

We are enjoying being able to be home and visit with family. We've missed them so much, and are glad that they can spend time with Mikayla.

SNOW

2011-11-21T16:56:00.001-08:00

Besides it being REALLY COLD, and blizzardy sometimes, the snow is gorgeous.

Halloween!!

2011-11-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

So Halloween was pretty exciting. The individuals in our household were

Me- Saloon Girl

Jeremy- Vampire

Mikayla- Tinkerbell

School was over at 12:00 because we decided to have our party at 1:00. Our party was a ton of fun, we had lots of games, and I was in charge of the mummy wrap game. It was a lot of fun. We had some really good cookies too. It was a lot of fun.

We went home an the kids all came around for trick-or-treating. It was a lot of fun to see the cute costumes. At the party there was a competition for all the students who were 0 to 5 years old, and Mikayla won the costume competition. It made me feel REALLY good!! IT WAS AWESOME!!! All the other kids were adorable too, there was a cute tigger, and a little girl dressed up as a cop, and her daddy was the inmate. FUNNY!!

Then that night there was a spook house that the community and I put together. Jeremy was the vampire that was supposed to scare the other kids, and I would have played a party, but Mikayla and I went through the spook house and then waited at home. It was fun, you could hear all the kids screaming and crying. I know it's not good to torture kids, but it's fun around halloween to hear them scream. he he

Then we went home and watched a scary movie. Overall, it was an awesome night.

lately

2011-10-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

So I know I haven't posted for awhile, but been pretty busy. Here's the run down.
Oct 11-14th was inservice. Lots more training, hanging out, and having some fun. Mikayla and my birthday fell during this time. We celebrated Mikayla's birthday early, so it wasn't just us by ourselves. My birthday was pretty good. We went to dinner with one of our aides Ryan, and our mentor Geoff. It was a good dinner.
Then Oct 15-25th I was with the students for AFN. We weren't supposed to be there for that long, but the weather was SO CRAPPY that we got stuck for about 3 days.
AFN WAS A BLAST!!! I can't explain everything, but I had SO MUCH FUN!!
The meetings were actually pretty cool, because I got to learn more about the life up here, and what they go through.
Some of the other fun things were:
*Zoo
*Movies
*Mall
*Imaginarium
*Gravity Hill
*Flattop
*Pool/Hot Tub
*Qyanna night dancing
*Benihana's
*Meetings/Meetings/and Meetings
*Helped a student get his ID while there, which was a ton of fun, because we had to walk to 2 seperate buildings to get 2 seperate things. Then he couldn't come in, so I had to run up and down to get the information to him. :-) It was worth it.
*And quite a few more little things.

Then when we were coming home we got stuck, so we had to stay in town. We were able to go to school and have them teach there, watch Freedom Writers for their American Lit class, go visit some people, do a bit of shoping, and get some Halloween stuff.

Then I taught for one day, and the next day half way through the day we had to leave for Voleyball. The students won 2 out of their 4 games. Which I heard was awesome, becuase last year they didn't win amath at all. I was sitting there running up and down the sidlines, put on my cool Volleyball socks on the outside of my pants and had fun.

Visiting the other village was pretty exciting as well. They have WAY MORE trees than we have here, and their village is a bit bigger. I realized you can only get cell service by standing maybe half a foot away from the edge of the dock. It was pretty there too. Reminded me of home, being up in the mountain.

Now I'm finally home and can't wait to do Halloween tomorrow. More pictures will be posted soon. This was just to let you know what I was doing.

ONE YEAR OLD!!

2011-10-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Here is the video I created for Mikayla's One Year Birthday.

I can't say how much I love here, because there are no words to express that feeling. She is the love of our lives, and nothing could replace her. I look at that sweet little face, and gorgeous blue eyes, and imagine all the things I want to give her, or hope she accomplishes.

LOVE YOU SWEET CHEEKS!!

INSERVICE

2011-10-13T11:40:00.001-07:00

So this weekend most of our time was spent at the school doing inservice. The training was good, even though it was boring.

One of the best parts was the math. I was so glad to get some of the stuff organized. The math is being taught by another teacher, and he does a GREAT job, I just had a hard time figuring out what assignments he wants done when, etc. So now we figured out more of a plan of what to do.

I also got CPR certified, and that was good. I was a little embarassed when I had to demonstrate in front of the whole class.

Then we went to the Dr. so Jeremy could get his work physical (saying he's healthy enough to teach), and Mikayla get her one year check up.

She is in the 58th percentile for weight

and

She is in the 85th percentile for height (which is no surprise, she's always been like that)

We then went to dinner at Henry's with Geoff Bechtol which is our mentor, Ryan Amodo, which is Jeremy's aide and our friend from the village, and us. It was a nice birthday dinner, and I didn't think that Geoff would pay for everything. It was AWESOME!!

Overall the dinner was FABULOUS!!

LOVE YA!!

2011-10-01T12:47:00.001-07:00

This one's for my Grandma!!!

Wild Weekend!!!

2011-09-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a ton of fun. Friday after school the students did their Pizza Feed for raising money to go to AFN. They were here from 2:30 to 6:30 making pizzas and cooking only a few. It was fun to walk into the kitchen and see flour, dough, and kids going haywire trying to fill the orders. They made and sold 30 pizzas. Some they had to cook for people because they didn't have ovens big enough, so that was fun. Mikayla had a load of fun playing with the little baby boy that was there, especially when he tried to kiss her, and she denied him.

Then Saturday we went on a picnic to "Sandy Beach". It was a cold boat ride. We were able to go on the beach and have fun. We had hamburgers and hot dogs, smores, and lots of chips. (WEIRD FACT: cool ranch and nacho cheese doritos have crushed beetles on it to give it the red color). Anyway, it was so cool to watch Mikayla play in the sand for the first time, and the other kids thought it was weird that she'd never seen sand before. So she played for a bit, till we decided to go out Halibut Hooking. Marcella and Jo watched Mikayla while Donene, Jeremy, Linda, and I went out. We started catching A TON of cod, which they all throw back because they view them as junk fish. I ended up catching two rays (which they call skates). Jeremy caught himself a halibut, and Donene caught 2 also. So we didn't get much in food wise, but the conversation and fun of it was all we needed.

Sunday was Marcella's baby shower. It's different here in Akhiok. When you get to 36 weeks, you have to be sent into Kodiak or Anchorage for the last 4 weeks until you have your baby. All Jeremy and I could think of was, hopefully you have family there, otherwise you will have one high hotel bill right before a baby.

I helped set up some decorations, baked some cookies for it, and just hung out with the ladies. It was an AWESOME baby shower. The decorations were very cute, the food was really good, and the games were lots of fun. It was more fun watching the games than doing them. I almost one one, where you got to keep your safety pin if you didn't say baby. However, one of the 5th graders took Mikayla on a walk, and when she brought her back I said "Oh, hi baby, did you have fun?", so the 5th grader got my safety pin... I'm still convinced she did it on purpose!! j/k.

Overall I had an awesome weekend, and did quite a few things. I was glad not to just be stuck at home cleaning, doing school work, putting in grades, or doing the normal reading/working on Mikayla's Christmas stocking. It was fun to do something different.

My Class

2011-09-06T17:42:00.001-07:00

Excluding 2 students who weren't here. This is my whole class. Seventh through Twelfth Graders. They are pretty awesome, and make me laugh everyday!!

2 weeks in

2011-09-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

The kids are AMAZING! I have 7 right now, and still 1 that was on vacation. The High Schoolers are very self-relient, and help each other which is amazing.

The middle schoolers keep me on my toes, but are fun, and make me laugh every single day.

It is still gorgeous here, but you can tell that Winter is coming because the wind is picking up quite a lot.

We've been going over to the gym and working out during the weekends to keep us busy, but this weekend or next we are going to go Silver Salmon Fishing. I'm really looking forward to this. (this pic is to show you the size)

The school secretary held a sleepover for all the students, and we came over to watch a movie. I do have to mention that it is great to see the students not in an academic environment. It really makes me appreciate them much more when I get to see them as "kids", instead of trying to always see them as "students". Not sure if that made sense, but oh well. We watched Rango, which was cute but weird.

We did get a phone number, but I'm not putting it up here. If family members want it for emergencies, please e-mail me and I'll give it to you.

Mikayla has enough hair to do piggy tails in, but everyday I send her to the babysitters with a cute piggy tail, she comes home without one. :-( bummer for me, but I think they are cute. Looks like a little alfalfa.

Overall things are going great, no more TV class problems, the secretary here is great!! Very energetic and friendly.

Last but not least it's fun to be able to see the kids here in a different light than the ones at home. I know they are going through a hard time, but when they joke with me, and I can use my full sarcasm to joke back, and tease, it makes it fun. The students like the fact that we are younger, so we can actually do things and play games like basketball or volleyball. (Yes Jesse, Jeremy is learning to play). However, even though we participate in those things with them, they still have enormous respect for us, especially my high schoolers.

The only sad part is that if we get another teacher, I can't teach the MS/HS kids. I didn't think this would be a problem at first, because I've always been used to the 5th graders. However, I honestly think that I will miss teaching them all day. Strange I know.

First Day of School

2011-08-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

So school started here. The weirdest things are.

1. There's no Bell

2. There were only 5 students

3. You have to watch the time to help change periods, and periods I'm not used to

4. I'd be teaching the MS or HS kids, while the others listened to the teacher over the T.V. teach them

5. We all share a room

6. The room is pretty unorganized (or at least to my standards) so it's hard to figure out what to do or where to put things

7. The students seem REALLY nice, but they are for sure different than 5th graders

8. Each MS/HS student gets their own MacBook, and the Elementary kids each get an iPad

9. Jeremy had 9 students today

10. There are still 6 kids on vacation till next week

11. The Band Class was not up and running, so I got to WING IT for 2 days.

12. I get to use a smartboard with the class, which is AMAZING!

13. There is WAY MORE one-on-one time here, and I get to do a lot more projects, and go through things faster.

14. The VTC (video telephone conference) where the students learn, is kind of frustrating me, because the teachers are trying their best, but it takes too long. For example, my students here are doing Bridges to Algebra, and the teacher teaches that and regular Algebra. So today out of the hour and 20 minutes, they only took an 8 question pre-test. Then I figured out where the teacher was, and started correcting it with them and explaining, but that is what he is going to do tomorrow. I guess I get frustrated wondering what they are doing.

15. I feel bad because I have one High Schooler here right now, so when he is doing the VTC, he's the only one here.

16. These kids are very fun, and nice. They are respectful, and make sure to take care of their things.

17. Jeremy's kids are good, and fun, but he's having a hard time realizing how to teach them all different things.

18. After this week it won't be a problem, but this week we don't have aides, so we're trying to do it all ourselves.

Overall, it has been a major learning experience, but the kids are great, and it's fun to learn new ways of doing things.

Getting to Kodiak

2011-08-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

First off, Kodiak is a GORGEOUSLY green!!

Our flight from Salt Lake to Long Beach California was really good. Mikayla didn't cry at all, and I was glad. I was really worried that she was going to have problems with her ears, since Jeremy had TONS of problems with his ears. She was really good, and actually just wanted to play with all of the people around her.

At Long Beach we fed her the bottle and Benadryl that the DR. said to give her. When we got on the plane after we got in the air, I tried to get her to go to sleep, but she wouldn't. She started SCREAMING, and I was worried that the people around us were going to get upset. The hard part was that Mikayla likes sleeping alone, in a really dark spot, where there is NO NOISE, and then she sleeps really well. So with the lights, noise, people talking, and everything else, I wasn't sure how it was going to go. Luckily she slept in my arms and then I traded her of to Jeremy for a bit. When we got there it was 11:50 p.m, then when we finally got to the hotel is was 12:20 a.m, and by the time we got ready, it was 1:00 a.m. Mikayla slept REALLY WELL, until I got a phone call (from someone who will remain nameless) at 6:15 a.m.

Our flight to Kodiak was really good, Mikayla slept the whole way, even through the landing (suprisingly).The plane only held 38 people (including the flight attendant). When we got off the plane we were met by the Kodiak Island Bourough School District Superintendant Secretary (Bonnie). She told us that the house wouldn't be finished in Akhiok until Monday, so we could stay in Kodiak over the weekend and they would pay for it. It was very sunny, and warm. I think I was the only one wearing flip flops though.

We are planning on doing fun things this weekend, and I'll post all that later.

9 more days!!

2011-07-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

So just wanted to update. We only have 9 days left!!! HOLY COW!! These 9 days are going to fly by. The average daylight hours that we will have is:

Jan: 6 hours 30 minutes

Feb: 8 hours 15 minutes

March: 10 Hours 30 minutes

April: 13 hours 15 minutes

May: 15 hours 45 minutes

June: about 18 hours

July: about 18 hours

Aug: 16 hours 30 minutes

Sept: 14 hours

Oct: 11 hours 30 minutes

Nov: about 9 hours

Dec: about 7 hours

So overall it should be exciting. We won't have a phone for probably a month, so if you need anything you have to e-mail me, or message me on Facebook, because we will have internet immediately and a computer.

We shipped the one box that we needed, unfortunately it was Mikayla's stuff, because they don't count a child able to carry a suitcase until they are 2 years old. So since she has more stuf than we do, we have to ship her stuf. It cost $360, and weighed about 80 pounds. UGH!!!

Our other luggage weighs 50 pounds, so no worries there. We both have backpacks for carry ons and I have my purse, so that can hold quite a bit. The biggest problem that I'm still worried about is pulling off Mikayla's Birthday and our Goodbye Party, and going shopping for everything we need in Kodiak when we get there so we have enough food for a few months.

Overall we're EXCITED, NERVOUS, AND HOPEFUL all at the same time.

Weight Update

2011-07-20T11:08:00.001-07:00

So, with everything else that has been going on, I've forgotten to update my weight!! As of today, it's been 30 days, and I've lost 16 pounds. I would have lost more, but I took a week off when we had birthdays, and BJ's wedding, and get togethers.

I have 8 more pounds to go AT LEAST!!

9 months

2011-07-15T11:49:00.001-07:00

So Mikayla's 9 month old check up went pretty well. Besides being sick this week, she is healthy in everyway. Here are her stats.

Weight: 18.63 pounds (47% Centile)

Length: 28.74 in (87% Centile)

Head Circumference: 16.9 in (22% Centile)

She is still such a happy little baby. (WHEN SHE'S NOT SICK). She has started crawling, and getting into EVERYTHING. She doesn't like playing with her toys, she loves playing with anything new. She is talking a lot more, and trying to play around. She loves going out in the sun and looking outside. She is loving the dogs even more, especially when she tried to feed them her puffs. Not only is she crawling, but she is finding things to try and pull herself up onto, and then stand. She's done it twice where she actually pulled herself up on to her feet, then fell right on her butt!!

GOODBYE!!!!

2011-07-12T14:41:00.001-07:00

Well Jeremy and I are going to teach up in Alaska for 2 years. We will be back during the summers to spend time with family. So here is all the information.

1. It is in a place called Akhiok Alaska, which has a population of 83 individuals.

2. Jeremy will be teaching a multigrade classroom K-6, and will probably have 12 students.

3. I will be teaching 7-12th graders, and I will have probably 9 of them.

4. It is 90 miles away from Kodiak, on a tiny TINY island.

5. They have Kodiak Bear!!! Which scared me at first.

6. The pull out programs we would be in charge of as well, are volleyball, basketball, rifle shooting, and archery.

7. We will have our food shipped to us from a kind of "Alaska Costco".

8. We will be getting nicely compensated for the sacrifices we will have to make.

9. It doesn't snow A TON, it actually rains more.

10. We will be leaving August 4th.

11. We will be back for Christmas.

12. It has tons of fishing, and fresh salmon and other fish.

13. One good thing, is that the flat rate box that is about $15.00 will ship all the way there, for the same price, so we can hopefully get some things throughout the months to help, so it's not so expensive.

14. They are attached to the National Coast Guard, so if the doctors there can't help, they will Medevac you to Kodiak Hospital.

Overall we are very overwhelmed, but it will help. We will be there for 2 years, because that is how many years Jeremy will need for experience in St. George. That way when we get back, he'll have experience, and we can both get jobs, and won't have to worry about leaving St. George.

The size of a Kodiak Bear, and a picture of a Bush Plane.

4th Anniversary

2011-07-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today was our 4th year anniversary. I couldn't believe it was 4 years ago that I got married to the amazing man I am today. We celebrated our Anniversary a little late, because Jeremy was still in St. George at the time. That day we wished each other a happy Anniversary, but I sent Jeremy a surprise around 5:00. I called up the mobil waiter, and got them to deliver a veggie pizza (Jeremy's favorite), 2 fat stix, and a desert pizza with Happy Anniversary written on it. The pizza was from:

Today we are going to:

Jeremy got me a surprise. He told me to pick out of 1, 2, or 3. I picked three. #1 would have been a coupon to get my nails re-done. #2 would have been to let me go get a massage somewhere. #3- was to save the money for a different gift that I wanted.

Overall it was a pretty good Anniversary even though we weren't together for it.

Here is 4 photos of our years together.

Year 4:

Year 3:

Year 2:

Year 1:

Weight Update

2011-06-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

This week was a little bit harder. My soon-to-be sister in law had 2 showers on Saturday, and I was having a hard time fighting the urge to eat everything. Especially since Jeremy's mom cooks the most amazing food (they are these croissant sandwiches that have chicken, onions, mayonnaise, and craisins, i LOVE IT), and cookies, and brownie bars, and everything else you could imagine, and Emily baked really good mint cookies.

Anyway, then my mom tried this new recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu, (which is another one of my favorites). It was really good!!!

Even with all that, after 9 days (from when I started), my weight is down to 185.2!!! Which is a 6.8 pound loss. Needless to say, I'm excited!!!

Down 1.4

2011-06-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

So it took me awhile to start everything, but I finally got all my measurements, and took my weight. I started out at 192 (yes I know this is scary for some of you to see I'm actually writing my weight, but it helps me stay motivated). I started watching what I ate and working out on this last Sunday. I weighed myself today and was at 190.6, so I lost 1.4 pounds!! YAY!!! I know it's only a little bit, but it's a start.

8 months

2011-06-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

So Mikayla turned 8 months old today!! She is trying to crawl, but all she has been able to do is get up on her knees. She rolls over in her sleep and sleeps on her stomach now, so that worries me a little bit.

She is still healthy, rolls all over the place, tries to get into or on everything, and hates when things are taken away from her. She also doesn't like you to leave her alone. Her favorite toy is her little piano music maker. She loves singing, and listening to music.

Her favorite thing of all though, is swimming and going for walks outside in the warm sunshine. She giggles all the time.

Overall she is a happy, healthy, fun little baby, who loves playing and being active.

Being held accountable

2011-05-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

So.... I've been struggling. I normally don't write posts that are negative, but I am going to vent a little. We had issues with our townhouse, that added SO MUCH stress to me. St. George school district wouldn't even give me an interview, because I was still on contract with Jordan District. The Plasma job that seemed like I had a good chance at, said that they chose somebody else, which was the first time that I have ever been turned down for a job, so it was really hard for me. Jeremy living down in St. George and doing everything without him, and struggling to find times to just chat on the phone, while I'm trying to take care of Mikayla. Jeremy not really liking his job, and trying to set up a new house in St. George.

There has been so much that has been going on, I've felt like I'm trying to grab at any branch or hand, while I'm being whisked down a rapid river, and going to plummit over the edge of a waterfall.

Through all of that, I haven't been watching my weight at all, so I thought that I would write something on here, to make myself more accountable. This is the first time I have ever really shared my weight, so I'm kind of worried, but think that it will be good to be held accountable to more than just me.

Before I had Mikayla I weighed 185, I weight 186 right now. THAT'S FABULOUS, some of you are saying,,,,, but it really isn't. You just had a baby, so don't worry about it, is also what you're saying. She's 7 months old, I don't think she counts as an excuse anymore. According to my BMI chart, I need to be 154 to be in the healthy range. That is what I'm going to work for.

So every 2 weeks I'm going to share what my weight is along with a blog, to hopefully hold myself accountable to somebody besides me. Any tips or encouraging advice would help, because I seem to put myself down sometimes.

Thanks for listening!!

Mother's Day

2011-05-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! Today was my first REAL Mother's Day, and it was a lot of fun. I got these earrings from Jeremy.

Mikayla also gave her grandmas something for Mother's Day as well, and I think that they enjoyed it.

We were able to spend some time with other family members as well, so it was a nice relaxing day. I want to say happy mother's day to everybody else. Also because it took us SO LONG to get pregnant, and also took a lot help to get pregnant, I want to say happy Mother's Day to those who aren't mothers yet either. Those of you who don't have children yet, or can't have children, you can celebrate mother's day as well, because you all have a mothering instinct in you. All the children you help, or the nieces and nephews you might have, you are a great mother to them as well.

Me and Mikayla

Happy Mother's Day, try to think of something amazing that your mother has done for you in the past, and all the great things about today!!!

6 month Review

2011-04-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

So Mikayla is 6.5 months old today, and I keep asking myself, "Where did the time go?"

I can't believe she is already that old, and as big as she is. A friend of mine and I went out to Chili's and I took a look at her cute 4 week old and thought, "were you really that tiny?" I can't believe that she is as big as she is.

Overall she is still doing FABULOUS! I can't believe how lucky I am to have her as my child. She still sleeps through the night, (unless she has a cold like she did last week and then she woke up about 8 times during the night).

Here are her stats:

Weight: 16.9 pounds 52nd percentile

Height: 87th percentile

Head Circumference: 17th percentile

She can sit up now pretty well on her own for long periods of time, she's been able to roll to her stomach for a long time now, and still talks ALL THE TIME!! She grabs things really well, especially my hair!! :-)

Easter and other thoughts!!

2011-04-27T21:11:00.001-07:00

So Easter was eventful!!! We went over to my mother-in-laws and had breakfast. It was really good, and everybody was there. It was nice to have Jeremy's older brother's fiance there too, since she lives in Colorado, and we don't get to see her very often. The nieces and nephews were calmed down a bit from their normal hyper state, which was nice, because I normally leave the family parties with a headache.

Something that was mentioned as a joke, but I seemed to take it a bit more was a comment from Cindy (my mother-in-law). She said that the family who had the more grandkids would be her favorite. I felt kind of bad about this, because

A- I don't want tons of kids

B- I'm going to be living in St. George so I'm worried that she's not going to like them as much.

NOW I KNOW THAT'S STUPID

I know that it really doesn't matter who has the most kids, but it's hard for me not to think that Aspen is the favorite. Mikayla doesn't have any photos besides the ones we've given her around Cindy's house. Plus even though we are only 4 hours away, everybody is acting like we've moved across the country. I honestly don't think they are going to come and visit hardly at all, and I would LOVE them to. Even when we were living in Herriman, we had them visit once and that was it, because it was TOO FAR of a drive and too hard, even though we would drive up all the time, especially for cousins to hang out. We ALWAYS went up there.

I guess I'm not sure why I'm so upset, but I guess I don't ever want my Mikayla to feel second best, and I don't want to feel put down for making the great decision that we wanted to make for our family.

Got BORED

2011-04-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

So I was really bored today and created these characters.

Warm Sunny St. George

2011-04-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well for this Off Track Break, I am really looking forward to going down to St. George. I won't be able to be there the whole time, since I have a lot of work I also still have to get done, but I am really looking forward to it. Since we moved all of our big furniture down there this last week, I will have a lot to put away. I'm glad that I'll have a little bit of time to do that, instead of having to rush and get it over with.

I am looking forward to it actually being WARM, instead of snowing still, and I'm looking forward to being able to live in the house for longer than a weekend, since we've had it since November.

Anyway. I'm excited to go to St. George and have some time off from school, before our last 8 weeks.

Bye Bye Daddy!!! :-(

2011-03-14T20:26:00.001-07:00

So Jeremy got a job in St. George and has his orientation this Friday March 18th. Mikayla and I are SO SAD daddy has to go, but we know it's for a good reason. We are glad that when I am done with school, we'll have insurance down there, and at least one of us has a job right now. However, we will miss him helping out, doing fun things like making Mikayla giggle, helping take care of Mikayla when I have a lot of schoolwork to do, etc.

Luckily I have a month off for D tracks break, but then I'll still have to wait 2 months after that. LOVE YOU!!!!

Mommy and Mikayla missing Daddy

Townhouse!!

2011-03-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

So our townhouse has FINALLY been approved for the short sale. Our house is going for $140,000, so if you have anybody who is interested, PLEASE let us know. We only have until May 9th to find a buyer. So tell everyone you know about it even if they have a house because we need to get the word out. Since the short sale is already approved we could get it finished in 10 to 30 days.

1440 square feet

built 2007

3 bedrooms, 2 and 1/2 bathrooms

tiled kitchen

fireplace

laundry room upstairs with all the other rooms

Central Air

Balcony

Porch

Community Pool and Gym

If you have any other questions, let me know.

5094 W. Fortrose Drive

Herriman, UT 84095

4 months

2011-02-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

So Mikayla is 4 months old, and I CAN'T BELIEVE it!! It hasn't seemed like that long go. She got herself a new seat and she LOVES sitting in it.

She also loves talking to anyone and everything. When you don't pay attention to her, she then decides to YELL at you. It's really funny.

She is still trying to roll over, and hasn't figured it out yet though. She is still very healthy, and such a funny girl.

We love her so much, and her new favorite toy is her burp rag.

(which you can see her playing with, by shoving it in front of her face)

Jeremy's Graduation

2011-02-11T17:35:00.001-08:00

Well we had to wait for a few months for Jeremy's Graduation because of WGU being an online school, but it was worth it. The ceremony was really good, and we were very proud to see him walk up and get his diploma.

Mikayla and I were very happy to see him. We were also glad to have his family there for support. I am glad he is done so we can spend more time together, instead of doing homework.

YAY

This is Mikayla wearing daddy's hat and holding his diploma certificate holder.

2011-01-26T14:30:00.001-08:00

This invite card customized with Smilebox

OFF TRACK

2011-01-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

So, I only have 2 weeks off this time instead of three, but here are a few things that I am planning on doing while off track.

1.) Go visit brother-in-law in St. George

2.) Have Mikayla go to Kiddie Kandids for photos

3.) Clean the house

4.) Go down to St. George for the weekend

5.) Work more on the cross stitch pattern I have

6.) Hang out with my mother-in-law for fun

7.) Work out quite a bit

8.) RELAX and have fun!!

3 months

2011-01-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

Well Mikayla is 3 months old, and still as cute as can be. She is growing and is now out of all of her newborn clothes, but still in 0-3 month clothes, 3-6 months DROWNS her.

Here are some fun things she is doing.

* Smiling even more often

* Talking to everything, even when she's supposed to be sleeping

* When you put her down for her nap, she tries to play with you instead of sleeping, sometimes she wins and I have to make Jeremy put her to sleep, because I'm laughing to hard.

* Trying to roll over

* Blowing Bubbles and drooling a lot

* Loves being walked around to check things out.

* Still loves her bath time and splashing around in the water.

* Lastly she still tries to sit up all the time even thought she doesn't have the muscles for it yet, so she just frustrates herself and gets mad.

Overall she is still a healthy little girl, and still cute and chubby cheeks.

Mikayla's Room

2010-12-31T19:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the design that I made for Mikayla's nursery room. I had it neutral just in case we end up having a boy the next time we decide to have another baby. (well the butterflies and decals can be taken off of the walls).

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T15:46:00.000-08:00

So this year was a lot of fun. I was SO EXCITED to have Mikayla's first Christmas. She got quite a few toys and gifts.

rocking horse

your baby can read

gift card to target

little sea horse that makes noise

cute little ballet socks

a frame and bows for her room

and paint so I can paint her room that we'll decorate in St. George this coming week.

The fun part was being able to see all the family members and see how cute they were with her. She is so happy and loves being passed around and given attention. We had a great turkey dinner provided by my mom, and I watched how to cook it, since next year I will be attempting to make Thanksgiving dinner all on my own!!

We also went out to look at lights, and she had a lot of fun staring at all of the blinking lights.

Lastly, during Christmas Eve we went out with Jeremy's side of the family, and went to our first move with Mikayla. Luckily, she slept through the whole thing. My mother-in-law was holding her and every time I heard a baby make ANY NOISE, I'd look over in dread and worry about taking her, so I wouldn't the annoying lady who brought her child to a movie theatre.

Overall it was a fabulous Christmas, and I am grateful for all the people that we have in our lives. I am excited for the coming year, because there are so many things that I have to look forward to. I can't wait to spend it with my family, and see what new and exciting things Mikayla has to offer.

2 Months Old

2010-12-15T07:14:00.000-08:00

Well our little Mikayla isn't as little anymore. She is now two months old, and here are some of our favorite things:

1. She sleeps normally 5 1/2 hours at night so we only wake up once during the night before we both go to work.

2. She smiles all the time when you play with her now.

3. She noticed when people walk by and tries to follow them, or look at them.

4. She doesn't spit up hardly at all.

5. She LOVES,,, LOVES,,, LOVES her bath time.

6. She likes watching fun animated colorful shows when we watch them.

7. She DOESN'T like sitting still, so we use the BJORN and walk around alot, which is good exercise for me.

AND

8. She likes talking (more like gurgling) to us. It's fun to say something, and then pause and watch her get all excited and make noises, then stop and wait for us to say something again. She gets so happy.

Overall, we love our little one, and she is so fun to take pictures with. I ca

n't wait t

o spend our First Christmas Together, even if she's too little to remember anything.

Christmas Fun

2010-12-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

So, we were getting stuff out and decorating for Christmas, and I couldn't help, but take these pictures!!

Mikayla got her first Advent Calendar as well. My grandma Flink always gave them to us as grandkids. So I'm eating hers this year... he he

Blessing Day!!

2010-11-21T22:13:00.000-08:00

Mikayla got blessed today at Steve and Cynthia's house. We had friends and family over. I was expecting around 35 people, but ended up counting 60 people.

Jeremy did a FABULOUS job on the blessing, and I was such a proud mommy to see that she was being given such great advice and promise.

I enjoyed seeing everybody there, and was so happy. I am glad to be a part of people's lives, and I hope that Mikayla will grow up knowing how important that is.

Mikayla's One Month

2010-11-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

So Mikayla reached one month old yesterday. I can't believe that she is already a month old. The time is flying WAY too quickly. I sort of want to go back to work to keep me busy sometimes, but I am also going to be very sad to leave my baby girl all day.

She has been staying awake more and more which is fun, because it's great to interact with her. She has a funny personality, and she is VERY strong. The nurses were surprised at how strong she was as well.

Overall she is the best little "sweet cheeks" ever!!!

My hubby's 26!!!

2010-11-12T09:48:00.001-08:00

So the other day was Jeremy's Birthday and he turned 26. He woke up to a nice surprise. I print and cut out about 40 of these cut out feet, wrote on them, and then had him walk throughout the house. (Idea I got from the Dating Divas Blog).

The feet led him to his present, which was cookies (12 dozen and 12 mini dozen cookies), also some other things like chocolate covered nutter butters, rice krispies, oreos, and brownies. Needless to say I'm sure he'll be on a nice sugar high for a few days... he he

Mikayla got him a gift as well. The poem daddy's hands on the picture of her grasping his finger in black and white. The catalog wanted $30.00 bucks for it. I made one for

free.

We then wet to the movie Red, which was funny, and my brother Jesse took us out to Due date.

Overall it was a really fun day!

Mikayla's HERE!!!!

2010-10-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

So on October 14, 2010 my cute little Mikayla Jane Voorhees was born. I went into the hospital at 8:00 in the morning, and got started on Pitocin to get my contractions closer together. I was already dilated to a 4 and 85% effaced, so we thought that the labor would go pretty quickly. However, the Pitocin didn't kick in, so they uped the dosage, then uped it again, and finally by the third time, it decided to kick in. The doctor broke my water at 1:00 p.m., and that's when I finally started to continue the dilation.

It took until around 6:00 to dilate fully to 10, and then the nurse started teaching me what to do to push. I pushed for about 35 minutes, and then the nurse said that she needed to call the doctor. He came in, and about 15 minutes later she was born.

Mikayla was born at 7:12 p.m., weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces, 19.5 inches long, and got an Apgar score of 10. She was very healthy, and nice and pink!!!

I was bawling, and so was my mom, and Jeremy was having a fun time taking pictures of the baby, cutting the umbilical cord, and other stuff, but I really wasn't paying attention to him.

Overall the process was long, but SSSSSSSSOOOOOOO worth it. I had an epidural (which wasn't bad at all, I'm not sure what the fuss about them is), and I admire anybody who does it naturally, because that was a lot of pain.

Jeremy was very sweet and was there for me the whole time. He helped count through the contractions, tried making jokes to make me forget about the pain, and was very encouraging. I couldn't ask for a better husband.

Seeing my little girl makes me so happy to be a parent, and I enjoy every minute of her.

Last 48 Hours

2010-10-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

So in the last 48 hours, this is what has gone on.

1. Jesse got engaged to his girlfriend Chante.

2. I turned 25.

3. The Dr. scheduled my induction for Thur. at 7:30 in the morning.

4. Jeremy took me to Menchies for dessert, and it was really good.

5. I woke up with a huge headache.

6. I found another song my dog incessantly howls to.

7. My parents took me to dinner for my B-day.

8. A lady said that she had a few clothes she was getting rid of and wanted to know if I wanted them for my little girl. A few clothes turned out to be 8 boxes worth.

Note to Baby From Grandma

2010-10-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

So this morning, I got this nice message written by my mother-in-law. Thought it was funny enough to share.

Dear Baby,

Since you've tortured your mom this long, you might as well wait till tomorrow so you can have the cool birth date. If this is indeed your plan, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind arriving in the morning so I could get out of teaching Sunday school. I'd appreciate it. Love you, Grandma

So I thought it would be funny if my little girl came tomorrow.

Waiting

2010-09-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

So.... I only have 9 days left... AAAAAAAHHHHHH I am very nervous and excited at the same time.

I keep wondering what she is going to look like, or how good of a mom I am going to be. I am hoping that I can give my child everything that she needs and everything I could ask for her.

Jeremy has been very busy with school, but I'm sure that as soon as the baby is on her way, he will be VERY excited and nervous too.

Anyway. I can't wait for my little bundle of joy to show up. I'm sure everything will go okay, but there is still that small doubt that something could go wrong. Now it's just a waiting game!!!!! :-)

WOAH BABY!!!!!!

2010-09-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

So went to the doctors yesterday and he mentioned that I was already dilated to a 1.5 and effaced to 70%. It shocked me quite a bit, but I was told that I needed to take a few days off of work. So I will be back to working on Monday, but had a sub for Wed, Thur, and Fri. Hopefully our little girl will decide to keep still for a few more weeks, if not... SURPRISE!!!!

New Crib and Changing Table

2010-09-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

So this weekend Target was having a sale, and they had a crib on sale for $80 cheaper than the one at Babies R Us. The best part is that is came with a free changing table. I was really glad that I had my family help me set it up.

Jeremy had fun setting up the changing table.

Here are a couple of pictures.

My hubby!!!

2010-08-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

So Jeremy is starting his Student Teaching on August 16th. He has to student teach for 12 weeks, and is working in 3rd grade, with a really good teacher. I'm excited and happy for him, and by Nov 5th, he will have his degree.

Hope all goes well, and he does a good job. I know he'll do a fabulous job!!!

GOOD LUCK and CONGRATS.

10 weeks left!!!

2010-08-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Well after Jeremy and I went to Mexico for 2 weeks, and Vegas for 1 week, we are ready to relax and get ready for baby Voorhees. I have 10 weeks left which seems like a lot of time, but everybody says that the time will go very quickly. I start teaching on the 16th of Aug, and Jeremy does his student teaching for 12 weeks starting on the 16th as well. He will be working in a third grade classroom, which I think will be very entertaining.

Today we went to get a 3D/4D ultrasound done, but the baby was in a really bad position to get good pictures, so they don't look very good. She is breach right now and her face was so close to my ribs that it was squished between the placenta and the uterine wall. So he said to wait 2 weeks until she turns and maybe isn't in a bad position. He did take a few photos though, so here are a a couple. He said she's a little underweight so I need to eat more, but she has really chubby cheeks (explain that one to me). He also said that she has very cute luscious lips.

Also on the pictures, since she's in breach position her feet and arms are RIGHT by her face.

Fun times!!!

2010-07-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

So today is week 28, and I had to have my glucose levels taken, to see if I have gestational diabetes. (diabetes only when you're pregnant).

This was the nice little bottle I got to drink, which wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Still tasted gross though.

Then I was given the nice little timer and told to wait one hour before they would take my blood levels.

Here is a picture of me at 28 weeks.

Double Digits!!!

2010-07-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

So I can't believe that I'm on double digits for the pregnancy already. It is hard for me to think that I've already been pregnant for 6 months, and only have 3 months left to go. I can't wait to see the cute little baby, and even though it seems like 3 months will go slowly, everyone keeps saying that it will go quickly.

Here are a few pictures of our vacation here in Mexico. It is REALLY hot and humid, but we are having fun.

Boston!!

2010-06-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our Boston trip.

Me at Washington's Crossing, and the USMA.

A Tea Brick. It was easier to transport that way. Really good pizza.

A Philly Cheesesteak from Philly. What I bought at McDonalds so I could use the bathroom.

A huge fudge wall. The healthy lunch that I actually ate.

The teddy bear I wanted to buy for the baby at Hard Rock Cafe, and the skirt that I teased Jeremy about letting me buy. It was only $1,214.00

Cookies that reminded me of Jeremy.

Really good Clam Chowder that we had in Boston.

MMMMMMMMMMM.

More pictures to come later.

And the result is.......

2010-05-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Here is how the rest of the week went.

Went shopping for the garden stuff. (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, etc.)

Saw this cool hat that Jeremy said he wouldn

't let me buy. (he he)

Ate the lobster that Jesse cooked.

AND HAD FUN RELAXING WEEKEND!!!

Step right up, and take your Guess

2010-05-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

PICK WHAT YOU THINK IT WILL BE. You'll find out the answer next Friday.

2010 Race for the Cure

2010-05-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

So today we went to the Race for the Cure, and had a blast. Jeremy and I sprayed our hair pink, which was by far from the weirdest thing to look at there. Jesse hurt his foot badly before the race, so we didn't get to sprint or job, but it was a nice walk.

This is a picture of the people that were running. There were over 18,000 people there, it was VERY PACKED!!!

Overall is was really good. Our team was only planning on raising $300, but at the end of today we raised $480. I was so excited. I am so glad that there were people there to support us for our family and my mom.

Here are a fun few picture of what we saw while we were there. The only two pictures that I don't have is the dude that ran in a neon pink speedo, and these ladies that crocheted hats that looked like nipples "it was really funny".

Cruising for Coconuts Group

Saving Second Base Group

17 weeks!!

2010-05-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

Well I have reached my 17th week. I am so glad that all of the puking has stopped, and that I can go through the day without gagging all the time.

I finally reached the point where I couldn't fit into my pants anymore, so I broke down and went shopping for maternity pants. I got a pair of jeans, and stuff I could wear at school. They are a little big right now, but I'm sure I'll fit into them soon.

After talking to the doctor, we scheduled a date to see the gender on May 21st. I'm so excited. Everybody has their own opinions, and I'm not even sure if I had to guess which one I'd pick.

Anyway, we are excited that everything has worked out so far, and here is a picture of my baby bump at 17 weeks. (sorry it's a bad quality picture)

WALKING OR DONATING!!!!

2010-04-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

There is a 5K walk/race for Breast Cancer on May 8th at the Gateway. I will be walking for my mother who has a different kind of cancer. If you would like to come with me, please let me know, or if you would like to donate to our team I would highly appreciate it. You don't have to be way physically fit to walk 3.3 miles. PLEASE HELP THIS CAUSE!! Our team is called Pink Power, and we are trying to raise $300.00

The website is

komenslc.org

Please do anything you can. Tell your friends, see if they want to walk or donate.

Thank you

OUCH!!!!

2010-04-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

So for the longest time Jeremy has wanted me to get a taser, just for safety reasons. I kept telling him no, it was fine, I didn't need one.

This last weekend we went to the gun show with my brother Jesse, and guess what they were also selling there... TASERS!!

They weren't very expensive, and since he'd been asking me forever, I decided to get one.

It's 2.8 million volts, has a flashlight thing on it, and a safety cord which if not plugged in- the taser doesn't work. This is just in case your attacker rips it out of your hand and tries to use it against you, he/she can't.

Luckily it's nice and small and I doubt I'll ever use it, but now Jeremy is happy.

On a funny note, Jeremy wanted to make sure that it really worked and we didn't just buy a piece of junk. So when we got home he let Jesse use it on him, and I at least know it will hurt the attacker because there was a bit of yelling. However I wouldn't let Jesse hold it on him for the 3 to 4 seconds it takes to lose total muscle control. (Even if I wanted to see that happen.)

HE'S FINALLY HOME!!

2010-03-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

I am so excited. Jesse finally arrived home today. I was able to leave school early, which was good because we made it home just before he got home from the airport. I tied a bunch of balloons to trees and to the house, and we had his favorite dessert too.

We got to look at half of his army pictures, because he took CRAP LOADS of pictures there. I am way excited to have him back, and am glad that he came back safe.

So what do you think of the number 3?

2010-03-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I think that it is amazing!!!!

We are excited that after a year and a half of trying, we finally have a cute little baby growing. We found out when I was in San Antonio, which was a shock, because after taking all of those pills every single month, it was always a negative.

Everything is going well so far, went the doctor to see the little bean on the ultrasound, and we were also able to hear the heartbeat. That was amazing to hear.

So far I haven't felt too bad, but I have to stick to a routine for me not to get REALLY sick.

6:30- Wake UP, and spend the next 5 minutes in front of the toilet. Then shower.

7:00- Eat Breakfast, (or try)

7:30- 4:15 Leave for school and teach for the day

(10:30)- have a snack at school

(12:45)- eat lunch at school

4:30- eat a snack

5:00- take a 30 to 40 minute nap

6:00- Dinner

9:30- go to sleep, or else I get REALLY sick!!

So overall everything is good, and healthy, just hope it stays that way.

The Due Date is October 12th.

Boston, here I come!!!

2010-02-28T12:26:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I went to the Seminar to go over the upcoming teaching trip to Boston. I am SO EXCITED to go. It will be from June 10-16, and I'll be going with another teacher that I work with. I have never been to Boston, and we are going to see SO MANY historical sites. It should be a lot of fun. There is quite a bit of reading and assignments I need to do before I go, but it will be worth it.

YAY!

Rocky Mountain Oysters!!!

2010-02-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

So we went to this restaurant that we got coupons for called Twin Peaks.

We walked in and everything seemed normal, till our waitress walked up to us and asked what we wanted to drink. HOLY CRAP!!

I could not believe the uniforms (or lack there of) these women wore.

I don't think that they would be accepted in Utah very well.

We also decided to try Rocky Mountain Oyesters.... which if none of you know what those are, they are bull testicles. (EW I KNOW!!) but Jeremy and Steve wanted to try it, so I decided to take a shot. It didn't look bad because it was fried, and it actually didn't taste bad, it was very soft, but tasted kind of bland. Good with some cocktail sauce!!

Thought it was Funny!!!

2010-01-18T15:40:00.000-08:00

So since most of us don't like the way our butt looks, I thought I'd take a picture of this sign I saw in the mall.

he he

NEW YEARS!!!

2010-01-01T20:11:00.001-08:00

Jeremy and I went to his brother Tyler's house up in Logan. It was fun to spend time with Tyler and Brittany, and even though we were joking about how Logan was so BORING!! We played a few board games, watched a movie, had fun at their new apartment. We went shopping, hung out at their mall, and found this amazing shoe store. I was able to buy two pairs of boots for the same price of 1 at a discount store. It was GREAT!!! (Yes Jeremy is showing them off for you)

We also saw some cute kid playground stuff shaped as food, so we got some pictures of that. Our new years eve was good, and here are my new years resolutions.

1. Read the whole Book of Mormon

2. Lose some more weight.

3. Finish my Master's Degree

4. Be able to run a 5K in March or May

5. Stop arguing as much with my hubby

6. Sell the house

7. Learn to play rachmaninoff

8. Spend more time with the siblings

Hope you all had a great New Years Day, and that you start out your New Year well,

and with lots of love.

Favorite Christmas Decoration

2009-12-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

My grandma and the grandpa from St. George have my favorite Christmas Decoration. It is toilet seat cover, that always makes me laugh.

What it looks like before you raise the lid.

What it looks like after you raise the lid and are pulling down your pants!! he he

P.S. Yes he is peeking!!!

My Rockin Husband!!!

2009-12-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

So Jeremy wanted a jacket, so he picked out a leather jacket. He has never had a leather jacket before, and thought it looked pretty good. I told him it looked REALLY good.

The other thing is that Jeremy saw another shirt and really liked the fabric, and I thought the design was pretty interesting. So with his completed outfit, I thought that he looked like a wanna be rocker. He said he wasn't sure what he thought.

So everyone....

Does he look good as a rocker....... or not?

(sorry couldn't figure out how to rotate the picture)

Cute puppy!!

2009-12-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

So Jeremy's brother got a new puppy and her name is Saddie (however you spell it). She is a Beagle/Pointer mix, and is very cute. She is also very cuddly, and loves to snuggle with you.

The only bad thing is she is still not potty trained so she pees everywhere and has her sharp puppy claws and teeth, so when Jeremy was playing she decided to bite his arm. Luckily she let go quickly.

Here is a picture of BJ's new puppy.

P.S. Cookie was NOT A FAN of the new puppy. He is very jealous.

Interesting Candy

2009-12-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

So for my ward Christmas Party tomorrow, they asked us to make a desert from somewhere around the world. I decided to make something that I had never made, and something interesting. I chose to look for Brazillian deserts. I found one called Brigadeiro, and thought it would be fun to try.

The recipe was quite easy:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2-3 tablespoons of Nestle Quick (or other chocolate powder)

2 tablespoons of butter.

Add all of these ingredients into the pot, and cook for about 10-12 minutes. Then let the stuff cool. After it has cooled put some butter on your hands, grab a small amount of stuff, roll it into a ball, and finish by rolling it in chocolate sprinkles.

This is what it turns out to look like.

Haven't tried it yet, I'll get someone else to be my guinea pig.

Face Attire

2009-11-23T17:36:00.000-08:00

So my mom needed to go the grocery store and I decided to go with her, but we decided to keep her healthy and so she wore a mask.

She didn't want to feel awkward, so I decided to wear one with her.

We got quite a few funny looks, smirks, and points. OH WELL!!!

They don't know what's going on.

Here are a few lovely pictures of our gorgeous mask.

Jeremy's Birthday

2009-11-17T18:40:00.000-08:00

Well my husband just turned a quarter of a century old... he he. He hates when I say it that way.

His birthday fell on Friday the 13th, which is really funny because the Friday the 13th movies are based on the character Jason Voorhees.... hm..... pretty close names. Should I be worried???

For his birthday he got some good cookies, a weight set, and I bought him his favorite cologne Aqua Di Gio. The other gift I gave him was changing my hair color back to brown. Jeremy didn't like it very much, and I started not liking how bright it was.

I also cooked a homemade chicken pot pie, and better than sex cake.

Jeremy said the chicken pot pie was really good, I thought it tasted kind of funny, but who knows.

OFF TRACK!!!

2009-10-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

YAY, 3 weeks off track.

This is what I'm planning on doing:

1. Clean the downstairs area

2. Read 4 books

3. Substitute for Susie (1 week)

4. Go to West Jordan High School to do my observation hours

5. Start my new diet uh... program

6. Go to the doctors

7. Family Halloween Breakfast and Corn Maze

8. Clean my car

9. Work out EVERY DAY

10. Enjoy sleeping in

11. Try to get the house sold

12. Just RELAX

24th Birthday!!

2009-10-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today was TONS of fun.

Birthdays are lots of fun, and I was very excited this year to get some REALLY nice presents.

Jeremy got me an iPod touch (which is very addicting)

My mom, Dad, and grandparents got me a Kindle (can't wait to start reading).

Jeremy also got me a pillow case I needed, and a charger for my car phone thing.

My students gave me TONS of Dr. Pepper. I think I'll be set for quite awhile. After school we went to dinner and got some dessert. Then I spent a relaxing day at home. Such a nice birthday.

Open House

2009-10-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I am selling the house for quite a few reasons.

My realtor is having an open house on October 10th, from 1:00-4:00 p.m.

If you know anybody that would be interested, please let them know. I am really hoping to sell the house quickly.

My address is:

5094 W. Fortrose Drive

Herriman UT, 84096

Please tell anyone interested.

Here is a link to all the information you will need to know.

http://brycestringham.point2agent.com/Herriman/Utah/Condos/109/Rosecrest/Agent/Listing_5451695.html

Thanks for any help I can get.

Haircut!!!

2009-09-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

So I was tired of my same haircut and style. So I decided to do something drastic to change it.

I asked for blonde, about the same color like I used to have when I was younger and always blonde, she went MUCH lighter than that!!!

I am still having a hard time getting used to it, but I like it!!!

MOVING!!

2009-09-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

UGH!!!!! Is what I have to say

I forget how many different things that you have to include when you are moving. We moved all the little stuff over, and food was just put into random buckets.

The curio cabinets and dressers took the most time, and luckily my cousin Chad was able to let us borrow a truck that he uses for work.

I also realized again, that it is a very good thing to de-clutter your house. Not that you should move just to clean up, but I found many things that I wondered why did I even have it.

We are moving back into my parents basement, because we are trying to save money before we decide to move to Texas. We are also moving back in to help out, while my mom goes through her chemo and radiation, since I'm sure that she won't feel up to doing much, and she'll be busy focusing on recovery.

Anyway. Thanks for all the help that we got. Now I just need to deep clean the place, so that our realtor can try to sell it. Hope it doesn't take too long to sell.

70's Day!!

2009-09-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

So today was 70's day at school, and I tried to get all dressed up. Every time there is a dress up day at school, I try to go ALL OUT, because I do find it very fun.

I had:

rainbow leg warmers

rainbow headband

hair pulled to the side

funky sunglasses

a bunch of different color necklaces

square colored bracelets

and

an interesting shirt that kind of went with the theme.

Here are the ladies that I work with, and their outfits too.

Overall it was a fun day

Wonderful Mother!!

2009-09-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

So.......... this is hard for me to say, but my mom has cancer right at this moment. She had a surgery to get out as much as possible last Wednesday, but they weren't able to get EVERYTHING out. She has Stage 3 cancer, and when she is done healing from her surgery, they are going to start the Chemo and Radiation treatment.

The doctor said that she has a pretty okay chance (67%). She is a VERY strong person, and I know that she is going to FIGHT very hard for this. We are behind her all the way, and will give her all the support that she needs.

Even though she is going to go through 6 weeks of crap, it will be worth it, and I hope that it will take care of it, and the cancer will be gone.

Superman Ice Cream

2009-09-06T17:02:00.001-07:00

Jeremy has never had Superman Ice Cream, so when we were over at our neighbors house he got to try some. He thought it tasted like candy, and the colors were interesting. Pretty funny!!

CREEPY!!!

2009-09-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

So my dad got a book all about his life and pictures from his mother, since she passed away. In that book there were pictures of all of us in there, and I found this picture of me in the book. Jesse says it freaks the crap out of him, but I thought it was kind of funny!!

Grandma Flink

2009-09-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

So my Grandma Flink died on September 3, 2009. She wasn't EXTREMELY healthy before this, but I didn't feel that she was anywhere near death. I guess during the night she had a stroke. This morning my Aunt went in to wake her up and realized she wasn't moving at all, so she called my other Aunt. Both of them tried to get her to say something, move, or do anything, but she wouldn't. So they put her in the car and drove her to the hospital. When my mom was told about it, she rushed to the Elementary school I work at to get my dad (I work with him at the same school), and to tell me. I had my students lined up to go to lunch and when she told me, I was really shocked. I unfortunately started crying in front of my students, but they were very nice and gave me a hug and said sorry. I felt a little bit better, and people at work were really nice and thoughtful.

I am very sad that she is gone, but also happy that she is in a better place. I am also happy that she is with my grandpa who already passed away MANY years ago.

Overall, I'm sad that I won't have my grandma in my life anymore, but I am glad that she didn't have to suffer very long.

LOVE YOU GRANDMA!!

JESSE!!

2009-08-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well my brother Jesse had his 4 day pass, and decided to come home!!! YAY!

I have to thank my cousin Mike, because without him Jesse might have gone somewhere else for his 4 days.

He got here on Thursday night, and went home on Monday morning.

Thursday he spent with one of his friends.

Friday he came to school to visit and after school we went to the movie G-FORCE.

Jeremy had a fun time shooting guns with him and the rest of the family on Saturday. On Sunday we spend a lot of time together, breakfast, hanging out, playing games, and talking with family.

Overall it was GREAT to see him before he leaves again over seas for another year. I will miss him tons, but I know that he is doing what he feels is right. I just hope he stays safe.

UPS

2009-08-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

Today I helped out at the UPS Store, and much to my surprise it was VERY busy!!

Normally on a Saturday, there will only be about 6 boxes that people want to ship. Today was ridiculous. I worked from only 9-1, and this was the pile I got. (yes it's sideways)

The reason it was so busy, was a mother was telling me that up the road is place for a rehabilitation center, and all the girls that were there were finally graduated and going home after two years. So the parents were shipping the clothes, and things they got back home.

All was pretty good, except for the weird 30 pound SALT LICK that one of the girls said she just HAD TO HAVE, BECAUSE IT WAS A GRADUATION GIFT!!

Interesting....

Lastly, an old lady came in and wanted to ship off a tiger for her great-great grandson. It was so cute and fluffy I didn't want to pack it, but had to.

Working on Saturday wasn't too bad.

Slip-N-Slide

2009-08-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, our friends Teara and Matt, along with Jeremy and I decided to make a slip-n-slide at the park. It was actually tons of fun!! We used some soap to make it even more slippery.

My stomach was hurting a bit, so I didn't slide as much, but it was still a blast. Afterwards we went to our community pool (AFTER WE HOSED OFF ALL THE GRASS) and swam for a bit.

The only negative part about it, was our slide ended a little early. So when you got to the end, you were sliding on grass, which wasn't too bad, except that Jeremy and I ended up with grass rashes on our butts!! he he.

So part way through we decided to try and fit into a garbage bag, to avoid the burns!!! It sort of worked.

It also took me 15 minutes to get all the grass off of me. :-)

Encouragement

2009-07-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

First Pedicure

2009-07-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

I went earlier today with my mom to get a Pedicure. It was the first one I have every had, and it was GREAT!!

I was very surprised at how much skin got taken off my foot, and the scrubby thing made me giggle a little bit, but it was good.

My foot afterward felt SO SMOOTH!!

Here are some pictures.... although I'm sure you don't care about seeing my feet.

Weight Loss!!

2009-07-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

Alright...

So I went to the doctor the other day, and didn't like what he had to say. I weight more right now than I have every in my whole life.

I don't like it.

I have tried doing the weight loss pills, I tried Weight Watchers, and I'm trying the working out thing, but nothing seems to work right now.

I know everybody has their problems, but I just can't seem to get weight, or the self body image ideas, or numbers, etc.. out of my head.

I don't mean to complain, but something has to change. I want to feel healthy, and better about myself.

Therefore, I am starting a certain diet, and going to join a few classes at the gym. (I figure if I'm paying for the classes, then I'll make sure to go, instead of sluff it off sometimes).

I am hoping by October 12, (my birthday) that I can lose 20 pounds. We'll see!!

Anyway, just wanted to update you on my new endeavor, so that I can have some support from people.

Thanks for listening to me complain!!

MEXICO!!

2009-07-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

I just got back from our vacation in Mexico. It was AMAZING, and I only burned once!!!

I have been updating the vacation from Facebook, so I'm not going to re-write everything, and if you want to see some pictures, go there. Here is a list of what I did:

1. Jeremy went Parasailing

2. Glass Bottom Boat trip in Cabo San Lucas

3. Scuba Diving by Pelican Rock, and the North Wall

4. Had fun on a wave runner

5. Got to do a Training Dolphins for a whole day

6. Sat by the pool

7. Went to the Beach

8. Snorkeled

9. Got stung by a Jelly fish

10. Did some hiking and zip lining. 8 lines to be exact

11. Went shopping

12. Walked down the Boardwalk

13. Scuba Dove in Cabo Pulmo

14. Went to La Paz

15. Saw the Hotel California, (the one in the song)

16. and plenty of other things that I didn't mention

Anyway, just to say overall, everything was AMAZING. It was really warm down there, and the people were very nice. The food was amazing, (the scale showed me proof of that)!! :-)

The trip was fantastic, except for the Jelly Fish sting. I went with my parents and they are still there for another week. Jeremy and I came home, because he has to go back to work on Monday.

First time in Mexico, and it was completely worth it.

2 Year Anniversary!!

2009-06-30T11:58:00.001-07:00

Last night was our 2 year anniversary.

We went to The Melting Pot, and the dinner was AMAZING!! However, I had no idea that it took that long. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes to eat dinner. The meal consisted of a cheese platter, salad, meat platter, and then a dessert platter. I REALLY loved the dessert platter.

After dinner we went home and hung out at home. I know it wasn't as fun, but I came home and did some homework for WGU that I needed to.

For the presents Jeremy got me these gorgeous earring, since I lost the other ones that look like these.

My gift to Jeremy was an embroidered Beach Towel that we can use for our vacation to Mexico this Friday!!!

BAD DAY!!

2009-06-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

UGH!!!!

This morning we were out playing Softball, and right before the game was supposed to start, a bird pooped on me. It hit my face, right by my collarbone, and down my shirt.

Then a student of mine ended up smacking a sub in the face while she was refereeing their game. Which made me feel horrible, but I know there was nothing I could do about it.

Then we had a Fire Drill, because the one the day before wasn't good enough because the people on 5th grade doing the sweeps, didn't get it done.

Kids in another class were fighting and all the rest of the 5th grade team were subs today, so I got to deal with it. We also lost the Softball game we were going to play tomorrow.

Then eight 6th graders were in the computer lab when I needed to use it with my class. Then they were goofing off and I think messed up computers.

I had to help a sub today, because the stuff got done too early and she needed stuff for them to do. Which isn't bad, just frustrating to get it during my teaching time.

I went to buy snacks for our trip to St. George, and Jeremy couldn't find his wallet. (Luckily he found it later on that day).

2 of my strawberry plants died today.

Etc....

The good thing about today which made it worth it, is that I got to go to Chick-fil-A with a few friends. Which was the good thing about the day.

Anyway... I know everyone has those kinds of days, and I hope this weekend will be better.

ONE MORE WEEK OF SCHOOL TO GO!!!

Fathers Day Activity

2009-06-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Cindy, Emily, and I got together to create these small gifts. The red didn't really work, because we didn't have the color violet so it was just very pink. They were very fun to make, although our fries were kind of fatter than the ones pictured here. My dad and grandpa that was up from St. George loved it!! I admit, they were actually pretty good too.

Anyway wanted to show you.

The fries were just cookie dough flattened, cooked, and powered sugar put on top.

The bun was a white muffin cut in half, with some sesame seeds put on top.

The meat was a brownie that was cut into a circular section as well.

Then the red, green, and yellow was icing.

The other stuff was just printed on the computer, cut out, and glued together.

They were TONS of fun!!

2009-06-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Homework is very boring and feels like it will NEVER end. I started my Maters Program through WGU on August 1, 2008. I am getting my Degree in Administration, and so far it hasn't been too bad. The only problem is that it is a degree that you can earn online, and that requires TONS of essays. I am in my second semester there which will end in July, and then I have 2 classes left, a practicum of 450 hours to complete, and finally a Capstone Project. The Capstone Project is the one that I worry about the most because I have to complete a HUGE written project, and then do an Oral Defense for that Project. Overall I am hoping to be finished with one more Semester, which will be half a year early than they say it normally takes.

Anyway... Just wanted to update how everything is going.

Girls Night!!

2009-06-11T15:29:00.001-07:00

So last night a friend of mine came in from Arizona, and I got to spend some time with her. Growing up my next door neighbor Lacey and I hung out with our friend Kirsten. Then she went on her mission, and moved to Arizona, so last night was a GREAT get together. We ate at Training Table, and then went over to Lacey's house to watch She's the Man.

I was really glad to catch up, and re-tell fun stories from our childhood.

My friend Kirsten My friend Lacey

HAIR!!

2009-06-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I went to the same hair lady that I normally always go to. All I asked for was to have my hair highlighted. It took the lady 3 and 1/2 hours to finish my hair. She completely messed it up the first time, then tried to fix it 4 times after that. Finally when we where the only ones left, and it was 10:15, I told her I wanted to go home. Even the manager gave her the closing key. The top of my hair looks kind of interesting, since it has brown, blonde sections, and according to Jeremy (some orange). I was SO annoyed. She told me that I could re-schedule to fix it, and I think I will take her up on that offer.

SMORES

2009-05-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

Last night for date night, Jeremy and I decided that we were going to make some smores, after we went swimming (which explains the hair-do). We didn't have a campfire, but my parents did have this nifty thing we decided to borrow. It was pretty good, except the flame really took on a mind of its own and burned the marshmallows instead of cooking them. So the smoke detectors kept going off. Oh well!! They were REALLY good. mmmmmmmmm.

My first crochet project.

2009-05-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

So here is my first crochet project that I have tried. I made this for the lady that I work with that is having a baby boy. It looks really good, except one side is slightly larger than the other because I wasn't used to having the thread as tight. The baby is due this Sunday, so I tried to make lots of holes, so it wouldn't be too hot for the summer!!

OH CRAP!!!

2009-05-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

SO....... Jeremy got into a car accident. Luckily it didn't total the car, didn't hurt him or the other lady. I guess the other lady was parked at a light, and he wasn't paying attention and hit her. Luckily she was nice and wasn't yelling. The car had to get towed, which cost $50. He got a citation for reckless driving which was $120, and then to top it off, we have to pay quite a bit to get it fixed. Overall it was just an accident, but now the driving situation between his job and mine with one car, is kind of a problem. Such is life.....

SAN FRANCISCO

2009-05-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

I was able to go to San Francisco with my mother-in-law Cindy from May 4th to the 9th. (Just to mention this, I actually LIKE my mother-in-law, so no this was not torture.)

Even though we only went for 5 days, it was amazing and we got to see so many things. We went to:

1. Fisherman's Wharf, where we bought the most amazing fruit, walked the pier, and checked out all the street performers.

2. Pier 39, where all the cute sea lions were.

3. Alcatraz, where I learned so much.

4. Lombard Street, which made me realize San Francisco streets are REALLY steep, and that when you don't rent a car, the street is not as great as I remembered.

5. Ghiradelli Square, where I consumed WAY TOO MUCH chocolate, but it was so worth it. Especially their sundaes. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

6. China Town, where my mother-in-law who hates Chinese food ate at one of the restaurants. Plus it was really crowded, but fun.

7. Exploratorium, where there was so much science and fun activities to do. I spent 2 hours there alone.

8. Boudin Bakery, where their sourdough bread with clam chowder was delicious.

9. Golden Gate Bridge, where I realized that it's suicide trying to get onto that bridge. You have a small space where people and coming and going, and bikes are coming and going, and neither one cares about watching where they are going. The view from the bridge was spectacular.

10. The beach, where I realized that the ocean was WAY too cold to swim in.

11. Lastly... the Orpheum Theatre, where I got to see WICKED!!! It was way more than I expected, and the performance was perfect.

Overall, I had an amazing time, and I was glad that my mother-in-law Cindy got that experience, since the plane ticket was her Mother's Day gift. The weather was amazing, and the architecture of the building, and being right there on the ocean was so peaceful. The plane ride to and from was easy and no problems there either. Here are some pictures.

EYE SURGERY!!!

2009-04-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

Alright, on Friday the 24th I got Lasik Surgery for my eye. The surgery was at 12:30, and I finally got it done at 1:30. I took a Valium before hand, and really didn't feel much from that. However, the lady that came in after me, who was twig skinny, was really hopped up on it, and was WAY out of it. She was really funny to listen to, especially when she complimented the doctors butt.

I had to put on the wonderful blue colored medical things, and then was ushered into the surgery room. After I laid down they put a big stuffed bunny on my chest, which I'm guessing was the thing that if I got scared I could squeeze onto. (I kept wondering about if they had a really large gruff man, would they give it to him as well?)

They also put my name upside down so that they can read it while they work.

They told me to look at the blinking orange light for 60 seconds, which was easy enough, although the bright blue color when I couldn't see anything else, they decided not to tell me about. So that part freaked me out a bit. Then after that, they moved my eye around for a bit, then put these cooling drops on my eye, and then covered it with a contact lens.

The worst thing that actually kind of hurt as the eye grips that they put on my eye, to keep it open during the procedure. The procedure only took about 15 minutes, but the fuzzy eyesight that I have is still here. The reason being the contact that is covering my eye has all the drops covered up on it, and I can't get the lens off until Thursday morning.

Overall it was a really good procedure, and I think it is going to be worth it, I just c

an't wait till I can see clearly, and I didn't like the 48 hours of burning eyes.

Here is a picture of my awesome glasses that they gave me to block out the light. Also here is a picture of the annoying goggles I got to tape to my face at night so I don't scratch myself.

Also I don't get to wear makeup for about 10 days!!! oh well

GETTING MARRIED!!!

2009-04-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

No..... I'm not the one getting married. My youngest brother-in-law Tyler, is getting married June 26th in St. George. I am very excited for him, even if it is going to be really hot down there during that time. I hope all works out, and they get things planned. Just wanted to mention how happy I am for him, and how I hope all will work out for them.

Here is a pic of the happy couple.

RANDOM THOUGHTS!!!

2009-04-04T10:19:00.001-07:00

1. Will I be working at my school next year?

2. Why is it so hard for me to get myself to work out? If others ask then no problem, but I can't seem to motivate myself.

3. I figured out my dog is anti-social. He won't play with any other dog.

4. My crochet skills for being a first timer, are coming along really well.

5. CAN'T WAIT FOR SPRING BREAK NEXT WEEK.

6. Trying to figure out what to see in San Francisco when I go with my mother-in-law in May.

7. Sick of the snow.

8. Want it warmer so I can ride my scooter.

9. Am thinking about moving to Texas.

10. With my taxes, thinking about getting Lasik.

11. Tired of writing essays for school, but it's going well.

12. Luckily have kept my house clean for longer than 2 weeks.

13. Excited to go to the Desert Star Play next Friday.

14. REALLY RANDOM, but Taylor Swift I think has a weird look about her face. Her eyes are too squinty, and something just looks weird to me.

15. Did I mention sick of snow!!!!!!!

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW!!!!

Megan's Birthday Party

2009-03-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

My niece Megan just turned 7, and we had a family celebration for her on Sunday night. It was really good to get family together to have some fun. It is really exciting for me to be an Aunt, although they live about 40 minutes away so I don't get to see them very often.

Those are my only nieces and nephew, and they are very cute. I tried to find something a 7 year old would like, because I don't have children, and since we don't spend much time with them, I unfortunately didn't know what she liked. I ended up choosing a felt/marker board for her to color on, and a big princess coloring book.

Overall the night was really fun, and even though I didn't like the Dora the Explorer cake, I had some good ice cream.