Christmas Joy

Another great year for the Brown's. We have four very content people in our house tonight. Not only because of the thoughtful and unique gifts we received, but mostly because we are together on this special day of the year. We are a family, and we have the Gospel in our lives which gives us incredible peace and joy.

We are blessed and we are grateful.

We hope you have the same peace and joy this holiday season.

Merry Christmas!!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Exactly 10 years ago today, on one of the coldest December days in the history of Idaho, this happened:



Da da da da dun da da, dun dah duh dah...(wedding march). Look out world, here we come!! This was us coming out of the Idaho Falls Temple, freshly hitched. It was absolutely freezing that day, and I felt like a popsicle in my short-sleeved dress. I channeled Rose from Titanic that day whilst taking picture after picture on the frozen Temple grounds. By the end of the session we couldn't use many of our pictures anyway as we both had red, Rudolph noses and were visibly clenching our teeth.



Later on at our Reception...us and our parents, the people who made this all happen. Our reception was held in a Banquet Room on the campus of the former Ricks College, Rexburg, Idaho. Very appropriate as we met at Ricks 5 years earlier. Mark's Mom worked there, and had special connections and the room was just perfect. We went with the Christmas theme, and had trees with white lights, white and burgundy poinsettas, and emerald green and burgundy accents throughout. (I know, veeerry 1998.) It was beautiful though.



Me and my pets, oops I mean "bridesmaids". Melanie had just celebrated her first anniversary with Jeff that summer, and Erin was in her single days at UVCC. We found the emerald green velvet dresses at a JCPenney in Provo during Thanksgiving break that year. I think they were like $30 or $40. My roomate Nicky (also a mission companion) was also my bridesmaid that day.



Mark and his "groomsmen". From left, Tony Mosier, Dan Brown, Jason Brown. My how we've all changed!!



I just love this picture of Mark. Isn't that expression priceless? Especially on his wedding day. Doesn't he look like he's saying "whoo boy, what have I gotten myself into?!?" Either that, or somebody spiked the punch and he's feeling a little happy. Anyway, what a cute groom, huh?

P.S. We want a cut of any winnings anybody acquired on bets placed on whether or not we would actually make it this far...you can mail them to our new address.

Thanks!!

It's Great to Be Eight!

Maryn's birthday was on Sunday, as well as her baptism. She had a great celebration. Grandma and Grandpa Brown came all the way from Rigby to be with us, and the fun just never ended.

Except...

that Maryn came home from school on Thursday with a fever over 100 degrees. The same night that her Grandparents were arriving to stay with us, and the same night as my RS Christmas Party. We made quick arrangements for me to drop off my treats to the party early (and not go), and to keep her with me while Mark and Avery went to the airport. We all had dinner together that night, and kept Maryn as far away from them as possible.

The next day (Friday) I kept both of them home from school. Maryn definitely had strep (like the 6th time this year), and Avery was just a ball of jealous determination that she needed to stay home as well. We got Maryn into the dr. that afternoon, and started the antibiotics, hoping that they would kick in for her to feel well at her baptism.

And they did.

Saturday was pleasant, and we went out and ran some errands and had "the grandparents" party, where both sets lavished her with presents and attention. It was fun. Later that night we had more presents and she blew out her premature birthday candles on top of a Tim Horton's double chocolate donut.

Then we went to Church on Sunday, and after we got home Avery complained that her tummy was hurting. Usually Ave uses this tactic to get out of eating what is being served, but what was being served was one of her faves...roast, potatoes, and carrots. And she didn't touch it. She went to lay down, and then she jumped up and got to the toilet just in time for, you guessed it!! I was shocked. At first I thought maybe she was faking it...that her jealousy had reached an all new level and she was making herself sick to turn the attention on her. She fell asleep and I figured when she got up, she'd be fine for the baptism.

I was wrong.

She got up and threw up again, and again, and again. Mark and Grandpa Brown gave her a blessing. She was miserable. They left without us to set things up. I packed the puke bucket, towels, a change of clothes, and off we went. She was fine for awhile, and when we got there she was seemingly fine as well.

Then towards the middle of Grandma Brown's talk she said she needed to GO! And off we went...sprinting across the back of the chapel to the nearest garbage can. A couple friends followed me out, but I didn't want to pawn off my sick child on somebody else...and basically spread the germs for all to acquire. (Maybe that was already too late?)

So I missed the last half of Laurie's talk and the beautiful musical number I had arranged with my friends, Maryn and my favorite primary hymn, "If the Savior Stood Beside Me". Ave pulled it together and we went to the Baptistry.


Mark and Maryn got in the font and it was freezing. Ave got up close enough to see. It was wonderful. But I was distracted. And I walked Avery back to the Chapel with her bucket, forgetting that a sopping wet skinny little 8 year old was waiting for me in the changing room. It finally hit me, and off I sprinted across the back of the chapel again to rescue my poor little chicken baby Maryn.

I got into the changing room, and there she was completely naked with a HUGE grin on her face. She looked at me excitedly and said, "I'm freeeeeeezzzzing!" It was so cute, and something I will never forget. It calmed my nerves immediately. I grabbed her blue fuzzy towel and finished drying her off and got her dressed. We met up with Mark and walked back to the Chapel.

When we got there, Amy was playing beautiful Christmas music on her violin and I immediately felt the Spirit again.

But then...

I noticed that Avery was missing, and so was her bucket. Sprint #3 across the back of the chapel to see if she was puking somewhere on the other side of the building. Nowhere. to. be. found. I returned and saw that she was sitting with friends on the back row. My friend insisted she would keep her and that I needed to get up to the front row and sit with Maryn and Mark. I did and started calming down again.

The program really was beautiful. Wonderful talks by both of her Grandmothers, prayers from her Grandfathers, Ordinances by her Dad and Uncles and Grandpas. It was awesome.

Unfortunately, Avery had to cap it off with another dash to the garbage can.

After the closing prayer, she went home with Grandpa and Grandma Brown. I'm so glad they were there. I went into the Young Women's room to cut the birthday cake. We had a great turnout (thank you for all of you who came!), and we were able to visit and enjoy our guests and Maryn's birthday.

I think it was another momentous occassion in the Brown family that was perfectly punctuated with a little drama and tribulation. Remember our honeymoon story? I think that it's just our luck quite honestly. And it also makes for great stories afterwards...and lllooooonnngggg blog posts!! Hee hee.

All in all, Maryn had a great birthday. At one point, she looked at Mark and said, "I just can't stop smiling." I think that sums it up. She is a big girl now, and we are so proud of her. And so happy that her birthday was such a memorable one.

And lest we forget her little sister...she's fine today. I kept her home from school, and she's been happy as a clam watching Star Wars and eating Ramen Noodles. I think it was a quirky 24-hour bug that just so happened to have the worst possible timing imaginable.

Oh well.

Life goes on.

Dramatic Interpretation

Have you guys heard the story about a guy named Joseph yet? It's a big hit at our house this year. As a matter of fact, we've come up with a little dramatic interpretation of our own just for fun...after raiding the dress up box, and finding a few props, we came up with this.

I give you Joseph, humble carpenter by trade.



And his lovely, rosy-cheeked wife Mary,



(who was all smiles after just having given birth to the Christ child),



in a humble, carpeted stable made of pillows and blankeys, in a little town called Bethlehem.

Aaaand, Scene.

Wacky Kids

Avery and Maryn had a wacky "mix-n-match" day at school last week. They were so excited to pick out their outfits the night before because one of their absolute favorite things to do is play dress-up. This was like getting to wear dress-up all day.

Except...

You know how sometimes when you were a kid, and you'd have nightmares of showing up to school in your pajamas or worse yet, naked. Well, that's not exactly what happened, but kinda close. When I picked up the girls from school, I noticed that none of the other kids looked quite as wacky as the Brown girls. I asked them how "mix-n-match" day went, and they said that nobody really did it. One other girl in Maryn's class dressed up, and when the other kids remembered, they kind of half-heartedly turned their shirts around so they'd be backwards. Avery said nobody else in her class did it. I asked them how it made them feel, if they were embarrassed or sad, and they said a little bit, but mostly it just didn't bug them that much. Maryn actually really loved it and wore one tennishoe and one boot all day long to complete her wacky ensemble.

I guess it taught me a couple little lessons too.

It taught me that at this age, appearance, etc. doesn't really matter a whole lot. They could go to school with mismatched clothes everyday and it wouldn't be the end of the world (lesson for me is to relax about perfectly matching outfits).

Also it taught me that my girls (and maybe other kids out there too) are developing into independent thinkers and learning that it's okay to be different and stand apart from the crowd. I think the other kids wished they'd remembered by the end of the day. I hope that when they are teenagers and they're deciding to dress modestly instead of like the rest of the girls at school, that they have as much fun as they did that day. And that even if nobody else is doing it, they are doing what is right.

Anyway, just thought I'd share.

Oh and Happy Birthday...

...to this little guy,

who somehow turned into this big guy over night.

Happy Birthday to our favorite missionary...Collin Jeffrey Pierson!!

Stuff

NO way, I just wrote a super long post and it disappeared!! AAGH!!

I was going to say many things, but now I'm kind of mad, so I'm going to keep it brief.

I was going to say that I'm sorry that I haven't posted much lately. Now that I'm not sitting in front of a screen all day, I forget about blogging. My life in a cube wasn't great, but it definitely gave me lots of time for blogging.

I was going to say that everything with the house is still good to go. We still need financing, appliances, a dryer vent to the outside, and area rugs. We're scheduled to close on the Monday before Christmas. Hopefully we can get everything hooked up for our actual move date. We're thinking either the 26th and 27th or the 30th and 31st. What do you think?

I was going to give you updates on the family.

Mark finishes working at Henry Ford on Thursday, and Young Detroit Builders on the 19th. I know he's glad and anxious to move onto IVCC. I know I'm glad that now he'll be going to work in a cornfield, rather than the hood.

Maryn got chosen to be the "star student" in her class starting next week. It involved a detailed poster all about her. The platypus and mac and cheese had prominent places on her poster, you can be sure. She has a crooked, 2nd grade smile right now. 2 huge teeth at different angles and lengths coming in on top and lots of little white baby teeth hanging on for dear life all around them. She's a funny girl. She'll be turning 8 and getting baptized on her birthday, Dec. 14th...it's a Sunday...the baptism is at 7 at the Stake Center. You're all invited.

Avery is (thank the heavens above) doing so much better with her reading. You get that girl a comic book or a book about Star Wars and that's all it takes. I was really nearing the end of my rope. She's strong willed, but when it's in the right direction, she really does well. I kind of held my breath at parent/teacher confs, but her teacher had great things to say. Phew. She cracks me up and still lets me snuggle and treat her like my baby. Although we may start sharing shoes soon. She's a tall tilly.

I am busy and happy...happily busy. I didn't realize how drained I was...my reserves were empty and I didn't feel like I had anything left over to give. Now I do, and it feels great to have more time and energy for my family and friends. Busy Christmas shopping, organizing and beginning to pack, filing for unemployment, etc. It's all good though.

So that's our stuff. It was more brief than the first post, but it's just going to have to do. Let me know if I left anything out.

Some Thanksgiving Recipe Hits of 2008

Cran-Raspberry Jello Salad

No Thanksgiving would be complete without Dad's favorite...

2 (3 ounce) or 1 (6 ounce) box raspberry flavored jello
1 ¾ cup boiling water
1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple
1 16 ounce can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup (or more) sour cream

In a bowl, dissolve jello in boiling water. Add untrained pineapple and cranberry sauce, stirring until cranberry sauce melts. Chill until partially set in the refrigerator (about 45 minutes).
Pour half of the jello mixture into the bottom of a 7x9 pan or jello mold. Chill until firm (about 30 minutes in the freezer or another 45 minutes in the fridge). Let the remaining mixture stand at room temperature (so it doesn’t set up).
In small bowl stir up the sour cream. Spread evenly over the firm jello in the pan/mold. Gently spoon the remaining mixture over the top of the sour cram layer. Chill until firm.

Makes about 12 servings.

French Silk Pie

This yummy pie comes from my SIL, Mindy Brown. It was fantastic!!

¾ cup butter (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
(or 3 tbsp. oil and 9 tbsp. cocoa powder)
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
Baked pie crust

Cream butter and sugar. Melt chocolate in microwave, and add to the creamed mixture along with the vanilla. At medium speed, beat in eggs, one at a time beating for 2 minutes between addition of each egg. Pour/spread into baked pie shell. Chill before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.


Pioneer Woman’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes

These can be made in advance up to 2-3 days and heated in the oven prior to serving.

5 lb. bag of potatoes (or double ingredients for 10 lb. bag)

Peel, chop, and boil for as long as it takes for them to be fork tender. Drain and cool. Return to pot and mash with manual masher to allow steam to escape.

Add the following ingredients:
1 ½ sticks of butter
8 oz. block of cream cheese
½ cup of half-and-half or 2% milk
½ -1 tsp. of Lawry’s seasoned salt
½-1 tsp. of pepper
½-1 tsp. of salt
Can add garlic, parsley or whatever seasonings you prefer

When I made a 10 lb. batch, I only used 8 oz. of cream cheese and that was plenty, but definitely don’t skimp on the butter or seasonings.

Spread in 2 casserole dishes and dot with butter to melt on top.

To reheat, let the potatoes come to room temperature and then bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Good to Go

Here are some pictures of our new house. We are finally good to go. Offers have been accepted, inspections have been made, finances are still being negotiated, but we are forecasted to close the week of Christmas.

I give you, 624 Wauponis, Tonica, Illinois:

Situated on the edge of town, it is on a 1.1 acre lot.



The living room.





The Kitchen:




The 4 season room aka The Dance Floor Room:






It's a really well-built home of the 1960's era. Lots of linoleum and hardwood floors, built-ins, and paneling. It obviously needs some cosmetic updates, but that's actually one of my favorite parts about buying a new house.


So there you go! Suggestions on paint colors and furniture arrangements are welcome!!


This whole thing is surreal.

HOW!

I think that's how you say hello in Indian, right? (That was probably the most un-politically correct thing I have ever said...like the whole Native American language is called "Indian". HA!)

ANYWAY, we're going to be learning a lot more "Indian" because we're moving to TONICA, Illinois! And the house we're buying is on a street called "Wauponis". Other streets in the small town of 700 include Shiawasee, Hiawatha, and Minnehaha.

Our offer was accepted tonight, and the paperwork is coming. I'll post more later, but just thought that I'd let you all know the good news.

I wonder how you say "platapoos out" in Indian.

My Brain

My brain is a washing machine of thoughts and ideas and worries and wonders and fears and excitement all swirling about, but never really finishing the cycle.

I have a lot on my mind these days.

First of all, I don't need to reiterate the fact that I am so grateful and relieved that we are moving. I'm still in awe and shock over how completely cosmic the timing is, and how wondrous a blessing could be bestowed on us. I'm humbled.

But now, I'm all tied up in knots.

Not bad knots, not the kind of knots you get when something's wrong and your getting that "stupor of thought" feeling in your mind and in your gut. No, it's not that.

It's a good kind of knot I guess. The kind where I worry and wonder about school districts, commute times, shopping, friends, being close to the Ward building, whether or not there are LDS babysitters within a 10 minute drive, etc. Lots to think about.

So I need some help untying my knots, if you please.

Remember when I had that post awhile back about the top 5 most important things you look for in a house...mine were lots of natural light, sidewalks to ride bikes and take walks on, good appliances, a garage, and a decent mortgage (not being "house poor"). I think, I may have changed a few but essentially these are big for me. Many of you shared with me what's big for you, but if you forgot something, now's the time to let me know. Okay, now the next thing.

So now my big dilemma is where to look for houses this weekend.

Here are the two options:

1. Peru, Illinois: It's about 5 minutes from Oglesby and has TONS of shopping, good schools, and low property taxes. The only problem is that it's about 20-30 minutes from Ottawa where the Ward is, and ALL the members. There's not 1 LDS family in Peru. Nope, not one. It's a small Ward.

2. Ottawa, Illinois: It's about 20-25 minutes from Oglesby (which is where Mark will be working), and in the winter the drive is dicey. It also has TONS of shopping, good schools, and has the Ward building right there, along with the majority of members. However, the property taxes are higher here, and houses in general cost a little more than Peru.

So basically, we either live in Peru which is close to where Mark works, but far away from the Church, and insta-friends (meaning members of the new Ward).

Or we live in Ottawa, which is close to the Church, but Mark has to commute and we may not get as good of a deal on a house.

What would you do?

Please share your opinions with me, I really do value them.

Thanks in advance!!

Taggedy Tag-Tag

J. Vos tagged me from Notes from the Burrow. I'm happy to comply.

8 Favorite TV shows
1. Lost
2. Dancing With The Stars
3. Growing Pains (back in the day)
4. (Embarrassed to Admit) Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters
5. The Office
6. 2000 Acres of Sky
7. American Idol (only 2 more months before the next season!!)
8. Little House on the Prairie (classic, all-time favorite)

8 Favorite Songs
1. Romeo & Juliet--The Indigo Girls
2. Wide Open Spaces--Dixie Chicks
3. Muskrat Love--Captain & Tenille
4. Close to You--The Carpenters
5. The Water is Wide--James Taylor or the group of ladies who sang it at Lileth Fair: Sarah McLaclan, Jewel, Indigo Girls, 1999ish
6. When We Dance--Sting
7. Hey Ya--Outkast
8. Your Love is Better Than Chocolate--Sarah McLachlan

8 Favorite Restaurants
1.QDoba--all across our blessed country, except LaSalle, Illinois!! Boo hoo!!
2. Leo's or Kerby's Coney Island--a Michigan classic and favorite!! Once again, Boo hoo!!
3. Pei Wei--a chain, I think. 14 Mile and Orchard Lake.
4. La Pita or Fattoush Village--I love Middle Eastern Cuisine!!
5. TGI Friday's--I don't know why, but I love all the choices, and I'm ALWAYS grateful it's Friday!!
6. Wendy's--My old reliable...usually the chili and fries, but also the Taco Salad, or the Junior Bacon Cheeseburger and top it off with a Frosty!
7. The Garden--Twin Falls, Idaho. I had this coconut chicken and shrimp there on my birthday one year, and I still remember it!!
8. Pier 49--Logan and Pocatello. Awesome pizza, I had the pesto chicken and still remember it!

8 Favorite Movies
1. Terms of Endearment
2. Little Women (the one with Winona Ryder)
3. Annie
4. Anne of Green Gables, the series
5. Drop Dead Gorgeous
6. Whale Rider
7. Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre
8. Sense & Sensibility

8 Things that happened yesterday
1. Slept in a little.
2. Had a ham & cheese omelet made by Mark for breakfast.
3. Did chores around the house.
4. Finished preparing my sharing time for Primary.
5. Got lunch with my family at Leo's in Westland.
6. Went shopping with the girls and Mark--Burlington Coat Factory, Kohl's, and walked the Westland Mall.
7. Met my peeps for a Girl's Night Out in Belleville at O'Charley's...awesome!!
8. Went to bed way too late.

8 Things I am looking forward to
1. Going back over to Illinois this weekend to shop for houses.
2. Thanksgiving.
3. Seeing the movie, Australia over Thanksgiving weekend (fingers crossed, hint, hint, Mark, I'm talking to you!)
4. Maryn's Baptism--December 14, 7 pm, you're all invited!!
5. Our Tenth Wedding Anniversary--December 19, I can't believe we made it!!
6. Christmas
7. A New Ward
8. A Fresh Start

8 Things on my wish list
1. Reusable grocery bags--going green!!
2. The Mother In Me (book from Deseret)
3. Errand of Angels (movie about Sister Missionaries from Deseret)
4. New Bedroom Furniture and Bedding
5. Getting to stay home for awhile and not having to find a job right away.
6. A Fun Getaway with Mark to celebrate our Tenth Anniversary sometime after the move.
7. Cable TV (or Satellite, whichever)
8. That everyone else's wishes would come true...stable jobs for everyone, health, babies if you want them, happiness, and prosperity!!

8 people I tag
1. Mark
2. Mom
3. Shauna
4. Amy
5. Melanie
6. Erin
7. Shalee
8. Sheila, maybe this could be your blog debut!! And please invite me!!

Hip Hip

Hooray! Mark got the job!!

Needless to say we are thrilled and so incredibly relieved!! Not sure on too many details right now, but we are tentatively planning the trek west (it's only about 5 hours away) after Christmas. We have lots of planning and house hunting to do in the meantime.

Thank you all for your faith, prayers, and incredible compassion and support. It really means so much to me to know that I have so many people in my life who are always there when life throws a few curve balls. Isn't it strange to think that exactly 2 weeks ago tomorrow I was laid off? And now, 2 weeks later we are blessed.

My testimony is recharged. I feel full of gratitude and humility and love for our Heavenly Father who never deserts us, and for His Son, our Saviour, who continues to shepherd us to the places we need to be at the appropriate time. I know this is His plan for us at this time. Is there any doubt?

Once again, hip hip hooray!!

My Sister--Always There For Me

{I don't think I need to reiterate the fact that I completely suck at remembering birthdays, but in case you missed it, I DO, BIG TIME!! Shauna's birthday was on Saturday, and I wanted to blog her a tribute, but forgot about it until today! So, without any further adieu (or lame excuses), here is my birthday blog for Shauna Lynne, eldest of our family, and greatest big (little) sister of all time!!}

My sister Shauna has always been there for me. She was there when I was blessed and welcomed as the fourth member of the Paul and Linda Day family.

She was there for my first Christmas, and made sure that I got to sit on Santa's lap even though I probably cried because I was so scared.



She was there to play dress-up and fashion show. I'm not sure if this was actually dress-up or what we were actually dressed in for Church or something. But regardless, we were adorable then and we're adorable now!!



Shauna was always in charge. She was the queen-bee and we were her loyal subjects. She was always so much fun, had a wild imagination, and always came up with the best games and activities.

My sister was always there for a wagon ride around the Katherine Court.



She has always been full of adventure!! Never one to balk at something too high or too fast or too scary. She loves the thrill!!

She was always there to push me around in my stroller and I would wait for her as she went on her fast rides, clapping for her the whole time.



Shauna has always been there for me, and has been a gift and blessing in my life. From the time I was young, she was there to care for me and help me out. And as I've grown she has always been there for me, offering advice, a good example, and her unending support. She is such an incredible person, she is always moving 90 miles an hour, and I admire her energy and tenacity. She is so loving and nurturing as well. She has helped us all as we've welcomed our babies into our own families, and I appreciate all of her Motherly wisdom. She is a great cook, an avid reader, a determined student, a fast runner, a fun friend, a hip and cool Mom, and an AWESOME SISTER! I am so sorry this is late, but I wish you the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!



Love You Shauna!!

Belated Halloween Pictures

Maryn, her friend Sharpay, and Avery


Simba--can you get over those cheeks?!?


Avery holding Braeden's hand--they had so much fun!!


Halloween 2008--Livonia, Michigan--Another success!!

Thursday's Thoughts

We got home late last night from our 2-day trip west to Illinois. It was a good trip. Beautiful, unreal Fall weather. The 70's if you can believe it. I wasn't brave enough to whip out the flip-flops again, but it was nice to sport short-sleeves, with no jacket!!

We drove down on Tuesday after Mark and I voted.

The Illinois Valley is very nice. The town of Oglesby is pretty small. There were 2 hotels, a couple fast food places, a family diner, and a drive-in rootbeer stand. Oh, and the College. Illinois Valley Community College. It's pretty small too, but a nice campus just the same.

We drove around quite a bit after we arrived. First we drove through Ottawa (where the Ward is, and many Church members, but also 30 minutes away from Oglesby). The downtown was adorable, and many of the storefronts were bright and busy and it was a sight for sore eyes. Mark and I are accustomed to seeing boarded up storefronts on Woodward downtown. We then drove over to Oglesby, and figured out where everything was, and then before we lost our daylight we decided to go over into LaSalle and Peru. These two cities are basically 5-10 minutes away from Oglesby and have lots of shopping and lots of cute neighborhoods. Well Peru does, LaSalle is kinda rough from what we've heard. We had dinner at Applebee's in Peru (which is by the Mall, a Target, a Kohl's, a Super Wal-Mart, etc. I felt right at home!!) Then we headed back to the hotel and swam.

The next morning, we dropped Mark off on campus. He looked very handsome and professorial in his plaid jacket, brown slacks, and a fallish colored tie. He had the whole thing in the bag from Hello, I'm sure. The girls and I went back to the hotel, and finished getting ready and packed up the car for check-out. The Bishop's wife agreed to pick us up and take us around the area to show us the sights. I'm glad she did. She spent a good chunk of time telling us lots of great info that will really come in handy if we end up moving over there. It was great, albeit a bit overwhelming. My eyes were about to pop out of my skull by the end of the day. She dropped us back in Oglesby so she could pick up her own kids from school, and the girls and I played at a local park while Mark was finishing up. We also decided to grab root beer floats from the Rootbeer Stand and talk to some locals. The owner had lived in that teeny town for 50 years. Wow. He told me that one of the Elemetary schools is on "Mormon" street. Ha!

We picked Mark up around 5, and drove around a little more, got some dinner in LaSalle and headed home. It was a long day for everybody, but I'm so grateful we were able to do it. It gave us both a lot of hope, and Mark feels that he did his best in the interview. Hopefully everything will work out for the best. We'll know by next week or the week after. I know. It's excruciating having to wait, but hopefully I can distract myself somehow.

Perspective and a Request

Today, perspective is settling in.

Yesterday I was able to squeeze in a quick dental procedure (I needed a filling) before my benefits expire in November, and I was also able to squeeze in a session with my Mom at the Temple. It was exactly where I needed to be. As you can imagine, I went with a prayer in my heart seeking peace, comfort, and guidance. It was a lovely session, and lucky for us also there was an old friend who was there for the first time taking out her endowments. It was special to be a part of her special day, not to mention the Spirit that was there in abundance.

I prayed for peace and comfort and perspective. I felt all of those things. It was a great session...full of women! We totally outnumbered the men. In attendance yesterday were all the sister missionaries from the Detroit Mission with the President and his wife. It was so neat to see them all there. It reminded me of my own mission. And then a thought occurred to me...today I feel like I did the day I came home from my mission. And then another thought occurred to me, "well done thou good and faithful servant". I knew the Lord was answering my prayer for perspective. Much like a missionary, for the past 2 and a half years I have dedicated my life to working, providing an income and benefits for my family. It has required sacrifice and dedication. It has caused to me to grow, stretch, and learn many new and valuable lessons. I have been so entrenched in the "work", that I have lost myself in many respects. Much like a missionary feels after returning home, I am weary from work and not quite sure what to do with my time now. I feel lots of mixed emotions. I feel a sense of loss, I will miss my little daily schedule that brought so much stability to my life, I will also miss many of the people I worked with and getting to know them better. On the other hand, there are many things I will not miss. The commute, the actual workload, the office politics and gossip, etc. I feel like my mission (working) is over now. I feel like I have returned with honor. I can hold my head up high, knowing that I did my best with what the Lord assigned me, and that it is time for me move on and find my next mission, whatever it may be. One thing I know for sure is that He always has a plan for me...I don't get to sit idly for too long!!

So isn't that an interesting answer to prayer? I feel like it was and the analogy spoke volumes to my heart and mind yesterday and even as I sit here writing this post. Sniff, sniff.

I also felt the overwhelming peace and comfort from our loving Heavenly Father that he loves me and my family, and will always be there for me, and will never leave me alone. He's okay with the fact that sometimes I only come to Him in my hour of need, He always has a solution to my problems and a way to fix what's been broken. (He did the same thing for Adam and Eve after they messed up, remember?) He will do the same for me and my family.

I love the Temple. I love the direct line it provides to Heaven. I feel closer to my Father and Savior there than in any other place. I'm grateful I could go yesterday. It provided me with such a sweet sense of closure and I feel ready to move on. I have much to be grateful for.

I'm grateful for my parents. My Mom is always such a calming voice of reason. She was the first person I called after talking to Mark, and by the end of our phone conversation she had me laughing about something totally unrelated. I'm grateful for her support and friendship. My Dad as well. I got to talk to him after our Temple session and he was extremely sympathetic and supportive, offering whatever we needed when the time comes. He will always sacrifice whatever is necessary to care for his children, no matter their age or circumstances. My Dad has always been there for me, no matter what.

I'm grateful for my siblings and in-laws, who have called and left messages (I don't answer my phone, sorry!), sent me email messages and already been sending out prayers for me and my family. Thank you for always rallying around when someone needs it. I love you all.

I'm grateful for my friends, most of which are my blog readers. Thank you for your sweet comments and words of encouragement and support. I am grateful to have sympathetic friends to share my life with. I only hope I can be the same friend to you in your hour of need.

And now a request...I lost all of my "favorites" for browsing my friend's blogs at work. If you could comment with your blog address, and current email address that would be great! I don't want to miss out on reading your awesome blogs and staying in touch!! I may not be as quick as I was at replying, but I will definitely be checking in on all of you.

Plus with such an open schedule now, let's do lunch sometime!! Shoot me an email, cause I probably won't answer my phone. Hee hee!!

Once again, thanks and lots of love,
Suzy

So Long, Farewell

Well, the time has come my friends. The time for me to bid adieu to my days at Compuware. You may have noticed this little thing in the news, well here it is: the economy is crumbling down around us. And I'm not sure, but you also may have noticed (probably not) that Compuware's stock plummeted and plummeted and plummeted over the past several weeks. What you may not have known is that in the meantime the employees at Compuware were shaking in their ergonomic chairs, clutching their arm rests for dear life. We were sent an email last week that warned of bad earnings last quarter, stock prices that were pretty much in the toilet, and an urgent call for CHANGE!! Changes and strategies for "cutting costs" and "saving money" were being worked on by the big-wigs on the 15th floor. So what brilliant strategies did they come up with? You got it!! Lay-offs.

They actually termed it a "separation". I don't like that word. I like the word "lay-off" better. Anyway, what they mean is it wasn't a firing based on infractions or mis-behavior. It wasn't based on performance either. In my opinion, it's based on the fact that lay-offs are happening everywhere. Did you know that Detroit has the highest rate of unemployment in the nation? And it was based on the fact that I was at the bottom of the Tech Comm totem pole and my co-workers had lots more seniority and were lots more enmeshed in the company and products they were assigned to than I was. They couldn't stand to lose them. They could stand to lose me.

It's okay. I'm a little dazed and confused but ready to move on. I feel like my job served it's purposes in my life. It was a good income with good benefits, and it came along at the perfect time that I needed it. And now that it's been taken away, I know the Lord will provide me with another opportunity equally as generous and intentional.

I'm kind of looking forward to moving on...and am looking forward to what's waiting for me around the corner (not to mention the fact that I don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn, wear yucky work pants anymore, commute 60 minutes a day, etc.).

Yes, there are bills to pay, food to put on the table, insurance to negotiate, but for now I'm trying to listen to the still, small voice.

I know it will guide me.

Pray for us.

Ode to MSB

Mark's been out of town this week. He had to take a bunch of his hooligan students on a student retreat clear up north in the middle of nowhere. He and one other staff member with 20 wayward, inner-city youth. You betcha I was nervous and a bit perturbed. Hopefully he will return unscathed (albeit smelly) this afternoon, or Bev will have some serious hell to pay.

Anyway, since he's been gone, we've missed him. We have all noticed his absence and we are all looking forward to him coming home. So today, here is a little tribute to Mark...may he return home safely to us soon.

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV; what is on the screen?
DWTS, reruns of Lost, or one of his boring old QE prep movies.

2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Ranch or Italian.

3. What’s one food he doesn’t like?
Mushrooms…he gently scoots them to the side of his plate and then looks at me with raised eyebrows and says, “want ‘em?”…so thoughtful.

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order?
We don’t go to the bar, we go to QDoba, and he orders the Chicken Burrito every time…sometimes with queso, sometimes without, sometimes with fajita veggies, sometimes not.

5. Where did he go to high school?
Madison High School in Rexburg, Idaho.

6. What size shoe does he wear?
10 and a half or an 11. More like the 11 these days. His shoe size is the only size he remembers by himself. He has to ask me what size pants he wears every time.

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Are you kidding me? Mark collects everything!! Comics, Movies, Action Figures, Book making supplies, Paper, Vintage Typewriters, Glass jars with rocks and water in them (I don’t get this one), Music, Books, oh the books, and then some more books!!

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Subway’s Cold Cut Combo or Chicken Bacon Ranch footlong. He loves his sandwiches. Add some soup and he’s happy as a clam.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
Once again, Soup. Any kind really, but he prefers cream-based soups.

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Frosted Flakes or Grape Nuts with lots of sugar.

11. What would he never wear?
He’s not a fan of polo shirts or flip flops.

12. What is his favorite sports team?
The Detroit Tigers, particularly Gary Sheffield. Ha ha!

13. Who will he vote for?
Obama.

14. Who is his best friend?
He should say me, but he’d probably say Tony Mosier.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?
Probably stop being such a grump on Saturdays, and/or be more polite when it comes to bodily functions.

16. How many states has he lived in?
5...Idaho, Mississippi/Louisiana, Utah, and Michigan.

17. What is his heritage?
English and Welsh.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
Chocolate!! With chocolate frosting!!

19. Did he play sports in high school?
He did a season of wrestling, I think. Mostly he avoided sports and spent his time in the Theaaah-tahhh.

20. What could he spend hours doing?
Blogging, reading, watching movies, going on long drives, making books and stamps and other crafty stuff, listening to music, sleeping, talking on the phone to his family and friends, playing with our girls, going to new places together, taking walks and bike rides, spending time with people he loves.

Festive Fallish Fun

Last weekend, we did some very festive, fallish things and I wanted to post a few photos to share our festive, fallish fun with all of you. (Love alliteration!!)

On Friday night, we had our Ward Trunk-or-Treat. It didn’t rain this year, which was great in and of itself. The girls settled pretty easily on costumes, so there was no drama right before the even either. Mark handed out candy, and I walked with the girls. It was a fun night.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to pick out our pumpkins from a really small, family patch close to my Parent’s condo. We went there last year and they had this amazing homemade jam, and Mark still hasn’t forgotten it. This year in addition to getting our pumpkins, we also got 2 jars of the homemade jam…one strawberry and one raspberry. It’s delicious!

(I thought my poor sister in Arizona would appreciate this shot of color...sorry if this makes you homesick, Melanie!)

Maryn sitting on a big, dirty pumpkin.

Avery trying hard not to squint and keep her eyes on the camera.

Happy Fall Everyone!!

Victory

Well, I finished. In one piece. A little sore and breathless, but complete nonetheless. I can’t believe it. That was a thought that kept me going actually. “I can’t believe I’m finally doing this! I can’t believe how far I’ve come.” It kept me going. For those of you who may not know my story (probably only a few), I’ve come a long way baby!

My Story

As a teenager I was always chubby. For a lot of reasons really. I was probably genetically predisposed to gaining weight easily, but I was also extremely inactive. Most days I’d come home from school and take a nap on the couch until dinner, and then get up, eat, do my homework and go back to bed. Not a lot of exercisin’ going on. I also ate more than I needed to. We all do it (right?). Too many calories in and not enough calories out. It’s a simple equation that reaps unfortunate results. Anyway, I was chubby growing up. I’d go on crash diets every year or so and lose the weight, only to turn around and gain it right back. This went on for probably 6 or 7 years. I was at my heaviest my senior year of high school. I didn’t go to my Prom. I wasn’t happy. I went on another crash diet that Spring. By the time I went to College, I was down 30 or 40 pounds. By the time I went on my Mission I had about 40-50 lbs. remaining that I wanted to lose. And I did it on my Mission. When I got off the plane, nobody recognized me! I was at the thinnest of my life, and it felt great. I stayed pretty active and in shape while I was single, and when I married Mark I wore a size 6 wedding dress. Never thought that would happen! After the honeymoon, the weight started creeping back on. Lots of reasons once again. I thought I could eat like my skinny little groom…mac ‘n’ cheese at midnight, ya know what I’m sayin? And I stopped exercisin’ in favor of snuggling on the couch and watching movies. When I got pregnant with Maryn, I really started gaining fast and it put me right back where I was at my heaviest in high school. And my weight hovered in that range through my second pregnancy, and afterwards. It wasn’t until Avery was almost 3 that I finally decided to get serious.

Road to Victory

It was January of 2006. I didn’t join Weight Watchers (again!) this time, but I did join a gym. I started going 3 times a week, just walking on the treadmill…slooooow walking on the treadmill. Eventually it got brisker, and then I started doing the bikes, and some weight machines. Eventually I started doing 5 minutes on the Elliptical. The Elliptical was my nemesis, but I wanted to conquer it. As I built up strength (out of nothing) in my legs, I started jogging for 2 minutes, then 5, but always ended my workouts with walking. I remember I didn’t jog for 20 minutes consecutively until I moved to Michigan in the Spring of 2006. And it went up from there…slowy longer durations of jogging, and then a faster pace of jogging, until I actually wasn’t jogging anymore, I was running. It hurt and I was always sore and out of breath, and felt like a red-faced sweaty mess after every workout. But it worked!! The pounds came off faster, my stamina increased, and I had more energy afterwards. The endorphins kicked in and I felt a new excitement about life, and it kept depression at bay. It was the answer to so many of my trials and obstacles in life. I was hooked.

I ran the Detroit Free Press 5K in October of 2006. I remember thinking it would be so cool to return and run the half-marathon the next year. Well it didn’t happen the next year, but it did 2 years later! At least I didn’t give up! I’m so glad I didn’t. There’s a lot of satisfaction in achieving your goals. I feel really good about that.

The race was exciting and fun and I’m so glad I did it. Seeing the sun rise while running across the Ambassador bridge into Canada was breathtaking. Running along the Detroit River in Windsor was beautiful, and the Fall colors were radiant. Seeing the crowds and hearing everyone cheering us on when we crossed back over into Detroit was so fun! I couldn’t help but smile and get all excited. It was a very memorable experience. I pushed myself throughout the entire race. I can honestly say I did my best. I’m sore today, but otherwise I feel great.

Thanks to all of you for encouraging me and cheering me on. I appreciate all of your support and love.

Here’s the stats:
Chip Time: 2:16:00
Clock Time: 2:17:53
Overall: 3379
Female: 1497
Division: 261

You Say It's Your Birthday!?!

Happy Birthday to my Darling Sister, Melanie Lee Day Norman (she's the one on the right)!!

Melanie is the next youngest from me…and we are about 3 ½ years apart. I think I was used to having the spotlight before Melanie came and was definitely trumped when her chubby pink cheeks and adorably cute blonde curls arrived. She has always been a beauty!! I remember finally going to a Homecoming game at Stevenson (I used to protest them in my teenage angst and rebellion), when she was invited to sit on the royal seat of Homecoming Court beginning her Freshman year, and ultimately winning the Crown of Queen her Senior year. People were often amazed that SHE was MY younger sister. “Really?!?”, they’d say, quizzacly, not making the connection. Indeed!

Melanie is extremely creative, crafty, and has a great eye for all things cute and fun. I envy her handwriting, she should patent it and make it into a font. She is gifted with the camera and has taken scads of seriously awesome photos. She then takes those photos and makes some wicked good digi-scrappy layouts on her other blog, “Scrap Matters”. She also sews—homemade costumes for her kidlets, and other fabric-y bits of goodness. She once made me a Christmas quilt and album that I still adore to this day.

Her house is adorably decorated. I’m always shoplifting her ideas to fill my own. On her living room wall, she took a painting that had graced my now passed-on Grandparent’s mantel, reframed it, found a fitting quote to go along with it, and vinyl-lettered it right to the wall underneath the painting. It not only looks striking, but is so sentimental (and here I thought I was the only one!!)

Melanie is also a great teacher (taught Elementary school), Mother, and Wife. She and I got to be roommates at Ricks after I got home from my mission. She and Jeff were engaged within a couple weeks of the semester, and so I got to be a part of that time in their life, and it was so fun (sappy) to watch the two of them fall in love. Jeff is a great guy, and I’ve always been so happy to see how much he cherishes Melanie. I know he knows he got a great catch when he found my sister. I used to love to visit them in their newlywed apartment and look at all of their new shiny stuff and silently wish that my time wasn’t too far distant. I also discovered that Jeff takes his games and his cuisine fairly seriously in those early days, and still does!! Can’t wait for Jeff’s Diner, “Thick, Rich, and Buttery”…coming soon!!

Melanie is Mom to 3—Gage Jeffrey, Hallie Beth, and Maia Janine. They are the cutest little toe-heads you ever saw, and so fun to be around. They live in Mesa, Arizona now…too far away in my opinion, but awesome just the same. I was able to visit them in their desert home a couple years ago, and am hoping to make the trip again…hopefully in the middle of February when Michigan’s ice and sludge is at their peak.

I am grateful to have Melanie for a sister! She is fun, extremely intelligent, and has a great outlook on life. She is serious and thoughtful when she needs to be, responsible and persistant as well. She is sympathetic and has a supportive ear when times are tough, and she is always willing to give without asking for anything in return. She is always up for an adventure, and trying something new. I love Melanie’s sense of humor as well. She can always make things seem funny in her own way. I am so glad that we were born into the same family! It wouldn’t be complete without #5!!