Some Kind of Omerza Arizona Report

Little Artists and Climbers

2011-08-04T17:03:00.003-04:00

Omerza's and Friends

2011-08-02T11:38:00.005-04:00

PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORIES

2011-07-03T23:30:00.007-04:00

Yesterday without really thinking it through, I told my friend that the 4th of July was just like any other day plus watermelon and blowing things up. Today I tried to remember as much as I could about the 30+ 4th of July's that I have celebrated in my lifetime. I wish I could print out all of the images that flashed through my mind.

One of my first memories of the 4th was standing on 3rd East in Salt Lake City in front of my house, I was around 5 or 6 yrs old. My mom had cut my hair into a bob that morning. I remember shaking my head and my hair felt so light. I couldn't stop running my fingers through my hair. The Eddingtons had come to visit and our other cousins the Christensens had also come. The street was filled with people because we lived so close to downtown. My brothers and our boy cousins were throwing snaps at the ground and at my toes. I lost my big toenails that night because of those snappy snaps! Still what a great night! Perfect weather and it was a Sunday. I know this because my nemesis at the time (Heather from across the street) depanced me in front of all of my cousins and neighbors just as the firework show was beginning. I didn't take my slip off from church. I had tucked it into my shorts maybe to protect myself from Heather's evil plots, I can't be sure. But I showed her-ish. Actually not really, but my mom did give her the what for. Take that Heather! No hard feelings. It was strangely fun to have an evil villain in my life. It was good for my imagination. I loved chocolate even if it was masking EX-LAX! Still the night was magical to me with all of the patriotic songs playing on the radio..."And I'll gladly stand up, next to you and defenders still today, and there ain't no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA!"

Years later, my friends and I would walk the green belt loop as the fireworks show went off in Idaho Falls, Idaho. I felt so free going there without my parents and walking through the crowds with my crushes.

I remember the parades down Main Street in Rexburg. A few years hanging out with a mix of the following people: Amelia, Hebes, Bianca, Mark P., Terrence, Andrew, Laci, Stephanie, Christina, Rachel, Amber, Mark M, Lee, Jer, Angie, Lesha, Tricia, Mary, Scotty, Justin, Clinton, Allisa, Kris, Amanda, Eammon, Chris and Aud. Walking around the Green Belt, hanging out at the Sand Dunes, Yellowstone and/or driving to Jackson Hole.

One year I drove to Jackson, WY with Beau instead of Jackson, MT. OOOPS! Palisades and the dock and my awesome truck.

The next year I was watching the Phoenix Metropolitan Area one by one shoot off their fireworks displays as a van load of us dirty, thirsty, hungry trailwalkers made our way off of the trail driving through the valley after an amazing week down Rock and Cherry Creeks. The following week I met Paul, this handsome, hilarious, crazy loud, cynical boy I wanted my sister to marry, but somehow he worked his magic and lured me in with his amazing dance moves. Thank you Enrique!

A few years ago in Twin Falls, Idaho, I enjoyed one of my favorite 4ths to date. We took our girls to the morning parade and 4th of July festival. Addie watched the cars and floats. She was so excited! It was as if she was at Disneyland. She was mesmerized! When it was over we mosied around town with Clare in her stroller and Addie pulling us from booth to booth at the festival. That night we set up our projector with my bro Steve and his family and invited our buddies the Watsons, Michels and neighbors to watch a movie once the fireworks were over. Our little girls cuddled up by us and fell asleep. It was one of those days you wish could just keep going. Not too spectacular just happiness.

So many more specific memories I could write. I actually did write them but then accidentally deleted them and now I am burnt out. I am lucky to have so many good memories and I am going to work hard to help my children have the kind of fun that I did as a kid.

"You Gotta Have Faith," Said George Michael

2011-06-23T18:16:00.003-04:00

This morning I looked up faith on lds.org. This was the article that caught my eye,

The Transforming Power of Faith and Character by Richard G. Scott.

I went through the article highlighting all of the different paragraphs that really spoke to me. I was going to post each one but they are all so good and I would hate to motivate anyone to only read a portion. There was so much there that I needed to hear for myself.

A few weeks ago I was listening to this wonderful, full of life, smiling eyed lady girl (35 or so) tell how she climbed out of her hole of misery. The past several years had been overwhelmingly difficult. She had become consumed by her trials, hardened and bitter. Maybe 10 years ago I would have heard her story and I would have misjudged this lady. I would have said to myself,'that lady wasted years looking for the crappiness of life' or 'that lady chose to be unhappy all of those years' or 'she chose to be a victim.'(Thanks to my misuse of the Arbinger philosophy). But because life is unpredictable and designed to try the hell out of you, I understand where this woman had come from because it has been all too easy to find myself in that same place...the victim. I have a good life but yes I have had some trials that have been so painfully overwhelming to me that I wanted to be put into some kind of induced coma until the end was in sight, just as we all have and will experience at many points in our life plus or minus the coma desire. So back to this lady-she started to sincerely work through the young women's booklet (don't know the name, can't remember), relearn the gospel and had truly started to look at herself and where she had allowed herself to be. Within a reasonably short amount of time, light replaced dark, her heart had defrosted and she felt joy more often than she had in years. I was so inspired by her transformation that I got my own copy and cracked it the other day. Again I am learning of faith.

Fishing

2011-06-18T11:09:00.000-04:00

Elsie's Kind of First Food-(I can't figure out how to unhyperlink)

2011-06-10T17:09:00.007-04:00

Addie and Clare are still adoring Elsie. They have really been good helpers. They want to hug and kiss her when she is awake and they love to hug and kiss her when she is sound asleep. Cute but hell sometimes! So on the 8th she turned six months and we started her on oatmeal.

And..she likes it!

It is day 15 of summer and I decided that after I do a quick catch up post I am going to make sure that I don't waste a single day of our remaining summer and post the activities of the day to hold myself accountable.

Day 15 Playing in the backyard, we watched Pollyanna together and are going to make some beautiful baked goods. Oh yeah, Addie went to a friends house got ticked off and came home. I am afraid my girls and I need to unlearn being hyper-sensitive and offense taking.

What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love...

2011-06-09T01:06:00.007-04:00

My sister sent me a link to an awesome article that I posted to facebook today. I have never done that before and I have never really gotten into facebook until the past few days. I got a little fb happy for awhile.

Back to point-this is the article about the 5 things that people regret on their death beds (Disclaimer: I don't agree with every idea in this article I just really liked that it made me want to act!) and I want it to have profoundly touched my life. I want to live a full, happy, and free life. I reread this article to Paul just now and as I read it aloud, I narrated his thoughts between sentences and realized that I have some very sad ideas of how things are. Shoot! But they were funny narrations and I wish I could spit those back out but it was a one time deal I guess. It got me to thinking though. These "little narrations" are coming from my honest fears, coming from the insecurities that I joke about but truly feel. I started thinking about the dialogue that I have going on in my head as of late, sometimes reprimanding myself and often others, the crap I spew under my breath, the "I want to shake you" daggers that I sometimes shoot into the pantleg of the person I am feeling angered by so that they won't see the tel in my eyes (I have previously been a bit passive aggressive, darnit!).

Today a friend of mine posted a harmless article about the damage being done to the earth. A misguided ...okay I'll say it-dummy face- replied to her saying that people should stop having children. 'Oh no he di n't!' I thought about this earlier regrets article and decided to have the courage to state how I felt. I told the guy that he sounded super smart and that I wanted to know if he should be the one to decide who should have children or if the whole world should just totally stop having children altogether, but in a pretty sarcastic way. I felt great for a moment! I am always so afraid to say what I really think, it felt so good. Then minutes went by and I realized that I was spewing venom, feeding the fire. I fought it though because I wanted to make him aware that he was indeed the moron that I was certain he was. And again something inside of me kept telling me that I needed to chill out and remove the post. I hated that and kept justifying why I shouldn't delete it. Thirty minutes went by and I was feeling horrible, so I finally deleted it and apologized to my friend for being a jerk to her friend(?). All of the garbage and negativity relating to this stupid comment left me. I know this is a super minor moment. Not the end of the world, but entertaining these waste of time, negative feelings that suck me in end up giving away precious moments of my life that could have been filled with playing with my daughters, drawing pictures, singing, honeying the toilet, getting into Paul's facebook page updating his movies and books with things he doesn't really like, reading a book or going for a walk. All of the things that make me smile and make the people that I love smile. So I will be courageous and share my feelings but also be courageous and kind and work on my thoughts and my heart.

Pep Talks

2011-06-02T19:00:00.006-04:00

So we are going camping this weekend and we are leaving tonight. Because of the way this day is going I am remembering my mother wrangling her 7 children, packing, cleaning, and trying to stay calm. There was chaos usually leading up to any kind of outing. My flustered, sweet dad would help load up the car. Before we hit the on ramp or before leaving city limits inevitably my dad would vow to turn the car around. I remember the threat of,"Dagnabit (or other real swears), we just won't go! If I hear another word...! We haven't even left town yet!" Sometimes he would even pull over. Super daring because what if one of us kept poking the other or worse? I don't remember EVER not going. Which is hilarious looking back because the countless times he used that very threat. I now know how desperate he was to just have a peaceful, fun drive to whatever destination, make it a fun trip and then to have the kids so passed out tired on the way home that he could listen to AM talk radio all the way home.

My parents really did a great job of creating great childhood memories. Even those car rides filled with poking, elbowing, pinching and tattling are fun to look back on. My parents would buy the big, family sized red and black licorice packages and bribe us with the quiet game or the Alphabet game or Pumpernickel Pickle (I have no idea what the heck that was but I remember shouting it out when we saw a lot of livestock(???)).

Flash forward to this afternoon. Clare being a complete nut job crawling all over my lap while I am nursing Elsie. Then Addie started screaming at Clare because she pulled the hair things off of her mermaids and Elsie starts crying again (with similar repeats all day long) and I am thinking to myself, 'Do I even want to get into the car? How did my mother do this with seven?' I have come to the conclusion that though my parents may have lost their cool at times, they were incredible! They somehow pulled the rabbit out of the hat and made every adventure memorable and sweet for me despite the fighting and chaos. So I am going to breathe deeply, count to ten and really make some magic of my own this weekend!

Shoot...That should have really got me going. Okay I am getting up!

Every Day of my Life!

2011-02-22T10:34:00.003-05:00

This morning Clare was talking to the triplets next door. They were telling about their weekend adventures. They had gone to As You Wish. I asked if that's where they dress up like princesses and Clare quickly responded with a very serious/sassy look on her face,"I do that EVERY DAY of my LIFE!"

She is so cute and funny. The ages that our girls are at are so fun right now.

2011-01-09T22:19:00.002-05:00

Elsie Jane Omerza

2010-12-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

This is the most recent picture we have (taken about an hour ago).

This is in the hospital (I just got done changing her first diaper... at least the first diaper the nurses didn't change).

Here is a sequence of Elsie and her sweet sisters. Addie has been so insistent on holding Elsie, and Elsie loves it. Clare is really loves Elsie (despite Elsie's hand gesture in the 3 picture of the sequence).

CORRECTION:ELSIE IS BEING MONITORED IN THE NURSERY

2010-12-10T00:49:00.002-05:00

Paul was confused. Elsie isn't in the NICU. She has had an elevated heart rate and breathing and her labs say that her white blood cell count is higher than it should be. Her chest x-ray was hazy, and they weren't overly concerned with that. Elsie is staying in the nursery overnight and being monitored there for 24 hours. They really don't know what is wrong or if anything is wrong for sure. I get to go feed her every few hours. I am missing my kids right now. I hate being away from all 3 of them just mostly hanging out in my hospital room. I was very upset when this first began but I feel a calm inside. We are hoping to be released tomorrow.

2010-12-09T19:04:00.001-05:00

Elsie is in the NICU. The postpartum nurse today normally works in the NICU, and Elsie began to cry inconsolably, so that nurse came in, and said she thought it was possible (from Elsie's vital signs) that she had some sort of infection (possibly from aspirating some amniotic fluid). So she is in NICU, being monitored, having her blood tested, and getting x-rays. We don't really know anything beyond that. Pray for Elsie (or meditate, if you are a hippie).

8:54am, 8 Lbs, 4 oz., 19 in.

2010-12-08T12:02:00.000-05:00

2010-12-07T15:14:00.000-05:00

Jen went into the hospital last night at about 8pm to be induced. We are still waiting for this kid to come out, but it hasn't happened yet. Hopefully sometime today, but it might not be until sometime tonight... late.

Jen's mom is hangin' with the kids (and breakin' blenders). Jen's sister (Aud) is going back and forth between our house, and the hospital.

Jen is glad to be here. They are not letting her eat anything, except clear fluids (a.k.a., ice and water).

8 POUNDS, 10 OUNCES AND STILL COOKING!!!

2010-11-29T22:25:00.002-05:00

I had an ultrasound today to determine whether or not to induce. Upon hearing about our little Ginormica, we went to the hospital to take a tour. I was feeling very confident that Elsie would be here tomorrow or the next day until the nurse at the hospital gave me a dose of reality and said that I might have to be pregnant for another week. You know the Charlie Brown music that comes on when he is bumbed at Christmas, hanging his head in sorrow? I felt kind of Charlie Brownie until I decided that one more week is just not an option at this point. I am going to will her out of me.

2010-11-06T00:47:00.003-04:00

These are the Halloween Costumes, with the Triplets from next door:

This is for Western Days at school:

This is just a cute Clare:

Higher Ground

2010-10-24T19:26:00.004-04:00

I taught relief society today and the lesson was Quentin L. Cook's talk from April Conference 2010, titled We Follow Christ. It was very inspiring and for some reason it reminded me of my Anasazi days.

This part really stood out to me. I underlined the part that made me take a close look at myself.

.“Many in this world are afraid and angry with one another. While we understand these feelings, we need to be civil in our discourse and respectful in our interactions. This is especially true when we disagree. The Savior taught us to love even our enemies. The vast majority of our members heed this counsel. Yet there are some who feel that venting their personal anger or deeply held opinions is more important than conducting themselves as Jesus Christ lived and taught. I invite each one of us individually to recognize that how we disagree is a real measure of who we are and whether we truly follow the Savior. It is appropriate to disagree, but it is not appropriate to be disagreeable. Violence and vandalism are not the answer to our disagreements. If we show love and respect even in adverse circumstances, we become more like Christ.”

And also this story about his time in Samoa.

"A few weeks ago Presiding Bishop H. David Burton, Elder Tad R. Callister, and I were able to meet with the Saints who had lost family members as a result of the tsunami that hit the eastern side of Samoa last September. The chapel was full, and it was an emotional meeting. We were able to assure these choice members that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, they can be reunited with the loved ones they have lost. "

"The stake president, Sonny Purcell, was driving his car when he saw the enormous wave coming far out at sea. He honked his horn and stopped children on the road walking to school and warned them to run for higher ground and safety as fast as they could. The children followed his instruction. He frantically drove, reached his four-year-old daughter, put her in the car, and then tried to get to his mother. Before he could reach his mother, the wall of water picked up his car and swept it over 100 yards (91 m), where it lodged in a tree. He scrambled to secure his daughter on top of the car and then swam to rescue his mother, who was clinging to a branch of another tree near their house. With great effort he swam with her to the car and safety. Many were not as fortunate. They did not have time to get to higher ground and safety. Many lost their lives, particularly the young and the elderly."

"...As we met with the families in Samoa, the significance of spiritually going to the higher ground, living a better life, and clinging to saving ordinances was abundantly clear. The Savior’s example and life teach us to spiritually avoid the low pathway, where the things of this world dominate. As I shook hands with the members after our meeting, one sister told me her family had not been to the temple and they had lost a daughter. She tearfully said their goal now was to prepare themselves for the sacred ordinances of the temple so they can be together eternally."

After reading this article, these are the questions that I asked myself:

Where do I reside? Am I seeking higher ground? For me personally, what is my lower pathway and what can I do (specifically) starting today to live a better life?

You can find this article here

SASSY AND 6

2010-10-08T13:30:00.002-04:00

AUD AND SAM HAD A BABY

2010-10-07T22:34:00.001-04:00

RIGHT BEFORE THE BIG PUSH

SWEET BABY CHLOE

DADDY DAUGHTER CAMP OUT 2010

2010-10-07T22:24:00.002-04:00

Clare in Illinois

2010-07-18T22:19:00.003-04:00

2010-07-16T10:37:00.001-04:00

We are having a girl.

2010-05-31T00:31:00.002-04:00

2010-03-01T21:52:00.000-05:00

LAST FM

2010-02-18T12:31:00.001-05:00

PAUL-LIL WAYNE???? COME ON! Enrique...I guess that's "reasonable," because he can kiss away the pain but, how did Lil' Wayne hit the top on your most played list? Who are you?

ON THE HUNT and rambling...Edited

2010-02-18T10:45:00.008-05:00

(I deleted a few details. It was a very personal, journal-type post. I am not usually so willy, nilly share all of my crizap with the world, I just felt like poo and didn't want to sugar coat it. So sorry for the boo-hoos of earlier).

I think it is easy to feel less when you define yourself the way the world does. I struggle with this sometimes, mostly just once an hour. This morning I did an inventory of my life. I have been so wrapped up in Paul's experience with law school, his busyness,Addie's class, Addie's play dates/social life, and Clare's adventurous spirit/destruction. I have forgotten to have my own interests and passions besides being a mother and wife(both of which I almost always love being). It has been hard to find my footing as this new chapter of my life has been unfolding.

I just need to redirect. It is actually an opportunity to jump into something. I don't know what. I am crazy busy with Clare, Addie and volunteering at Addie's school, cleaning, procrastinating, cooking sometimes, painting the house, watering the yard, more procrastinating, working from home a bit, my church calling, and watching the best TV shows ever but something is missing and no, I am not baby hungry yet. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mother. I love knowing that I am there for my girls and that I am the one who gets to comfort them when they are sad or I am the one who gets to hear their funny stories or see their firsts and I don't intend to change this. But for my families sake, I need something to keep me sane. I am open to suggestions.

At the Anasazi Foundation, we had an inservice meeting every Tuesday. We would read an article or a chapter from a C. S. Lewis, Terry Warner or Arbinger book and discuss its application to our personal and professional lives. For those of you Anasazi-ites or anyone else interested, I could really go for something like that again.

CLARE BEAR IS 2

2010-02-16T15:48:00.013-05:00

I love this age! Clare has been so fun the past few months especially.

Crazy Clare at 2:

She says,"I love oo!"

She loves to give kisses and tight hugs and wave and say "ba-I!"

She calls Paul,"Diddy, Diddy!"

She spontaneously started saying the prayer while Addie was saying the prayer a few months back. Now whenever we ask who wants to say the prayer, she says, "IIII DOOO! I weoww!" And then she prays like this,"Hebeny Fodder...Jush Chriesh..Amen." And now sometimes I can get her to repeat other things in the middle.

Clare loves the feel of food in her hair.

Clare loves to get dirty and make a huge mess, I thought she was mostly a tom girl but she got a super cute, ruffly dress for her birthday and was spinning around saying,"Petty, petty!" And I just found half of my make up dumped all over the bathroom and plastered onto her face, so she is very well rounded.

When she says her S's, they sound like sh's and when she says I it sounds like oh. A month ago she wanted to sit down on her own chair at church in the middle of the meeting. It was crowded, and she didn't have her own seat, so one of us took her out after she kept yelling and crying, "I sit, I sit, I sit," as loud as she possibly could yell. You do the translating.

I tell Clare things throughout the day. I talk to her like she understands me and is older than two. Lots of times when I am through speaking, she'll shrug her shoulders with her palms up and with a very serious look, I've been listening to you face, she'll say,"OOh REEAALLY?"

She sings"We weow, we weow, ssshock oo!" (while doing so she bobbles her head and sometimes bows)

She sings and says almost anything she hears on the radio, on tv or from our mouths.

She says sorry and hugs Addie after hitting her.

She gets after the neighbor kids and says,"SSSShut a door!" And then runs to the door and slams it. What?!

When she is really upset, she points at the person or thing that is distressing her and yells,"MEAN!"

She dances like she is some kind of buttrocker at a metallica concert, no matter what kind of music is playing.

Clare makes life fun. I love being her mother!

A LITTLE BOX OF LOVE

2010-02-12T22:45:00.006-05:00

Addie came home from school today and as she unpacked her backpack, she looked up at me with a very serious look on her face and said,"Mom BE CAREFUL! I have a little box in my backpack, it is full of love. If you open it up, all of the love will float away!"

Last year I told her stories about the painting that she had had above her bed. Prior to telling her these stories, I explained that this was just pretend. The stories were always about this far away land that could only be traveled to through the secret doorway in the painting that she couldn't know about because if I did tell her and she actually went through the painting, she would want to live there forever because it was so cool and I would miss her. Despite my explanation that it wasn't real, she would beg me to tell her how to get there.

Today when she told me about this special box, I remembered being 5 years old for a second. It was nice for a moment to see through her eyes to understand her drama and to remember that she trusts and believes. In her world there is magic and wonder, she isn't jaded or cynical and is confident that what she believes she will be, she will actually be. I remember believing everything that was told to me and believing that I could do anything. I remember the magic and wonder of make believe. I remember swinging in my backyard singing as loud as my lungs would let me believing that I was basically a rock star. I had no insecurities and hadn't limited myself yet. I owned this world! I want the confidence of youth to stay with my girls. I want to help them believe that they can do anything. I know that life happens and that you have to come to some point of reality. It is good to know that life is hard sometimes and that we learn in those moments. BUT, I love these moments of innocence and joy and can't help but wish that they would never end.

Old News: Dancing Queen

2010-01-28T14:12:00.005-05:00

Addie and her buddy Maryn were in a talent show in November. They danced to a Hannah Montana song called "Nobody's Perfect"or "Everybody Makes Mistakes." I am not sure what the name was. It was funny to watch them because Addie's sweet friend is a perfectionist and seemed to have packed 6 years of dancing lessons into her 5 yr old body and then there was little Addie who loves to dance but isn't serious about it. Addie likes to see her skirt twirl and loves to make little awkward movements with this little regal face like she is some kind of ballerina princess. So Maryn has every movement choreographed and Addie really tried and was adorable but I think Addie was mostly in it for the costumes that I made, that and she got to play barbies with Maryn before and after practices.

And Clare was Addie's number one fan. She yelled Aaaa-DEEEE, AAA-DEEEE! off and on throughout the entire show. They are great friends!

The Good Life

2009-10-28T03:37:00.005-04:00

So Addie woke up a few hours ago and was walking around the house in a daze. I got her a drink and felt her forehead because she had had a slight fever before she went to bed. She was very warm, so I got the thermometer and while I was taking her temperature (which was 102.3), she pointed to the other side of her bed and asked,"Will you take his temperature too?" I was confused because Paul was not in the room and neither was Clare who is definitely not a he. I asked her who she was talking about. She pointed again and said,"Him." I told her that no one was there. She looked over in the direction that she had been pointing and she said, "What the?!! Where did he go?" I grabbed her up and put her in the bathtub to lower her temperature. She started to seem less cloudy as her temperature went down. She told me that the boy was Jake from her class at school. I told her that he was never really there and told her to tell me if anyone else shows up tonight. I talked to the the physician on call just to ease my mind. Everything seems to be fine.

There is nothing like your child being sick to remind you how very much you love your kids. Paul is passed out between the two girls, I want to crash the party and cuddle my girls and psychotically check Addie's temp every 20 minutes. I should be sleeping but I am wide awake listening to Ingrid Michaelson and feeling so very grateful for my sweet little girls and for a husband who loves to be a dad and who helps with the kids in the night and lets me sleep in on Sunday mornings. Life is good.

WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!

2009-10-08T19:44:00.004-04:00

Last week the sale on our house in Idaho closed. Bittersweet. I am so glad to no longer feel the financial obligation but we sure had some great memories in that house. Our first back yard, all the neighborhood parties and playtime, we brought Clare home to that house, lots of fun with cousins and my family, we built our first playhouse from scratch, we owned a goat for 2 weeks, our super fun Sunday school class, my sweet beehives and some of the best friends that I will ever have.

Ketchup

2009-09-03T14:59:00.002-04:00

Addie's First Day of School

August 12 was Addie's first day of school. Ever since her first day, she has had a sweet little friend named Ada that has her back. Before school starts each day, the kids get to play on the playground for awhile, several times Addie has walked through the playground timidly waving at the other kids, hoping they will come play with her and every time it looks like Addie is looking especially lost in the crowd, this sweet little Ada grabs Addie's hand and walks her around the playground. Thank heavens for the Ada's in the world!

Clare on Addie's first day of school or one day that week

This is not a set up and not uncommon for her either. She is full of mischief and energy and some days I just can't keep up.

"PINKY PROMISES CAN'T BE BROKEN!!!"

2009-09-02T16:57:00.003-04:00

Today has been one of those funny days. I walked Addie to school today and as we approached the front of the school, I stepped in a big pile of doggy do on the sidewalk. Huge pile! Addie was yelling,"Waaaaatch ouuuuut!" as my shoe and poo became one. There was no avoiding it. I am so happy to report that nothing profane shot out of my mouth or into my head. I don't know what it was about the poo but I have had a fantastic day and a grin on my face ever since the "do
incident."

Addie is now in kindergarten. It blows my mind. I have really missed her each day until we get her from school. On our way home she tells funny stories or vents her frustrations.

Today she was very upset about friend titles. The other day she and some girls at school pinky promised to be best friends forever. Today it became clear to her that two of her friends liked each other maybe more than they liked her. In a most destraught voice Addie said,"But...pinky promises can't be broken." Tender moment, but it took great effort not to bust up laughing. I hate to see her sad, but she was over it almost as soon as she said it, so I feel fairly justified finding the humor in the situation.

The drama level is at an all-time high and the things that come out of her mouth are getting more and more hilarious. I need to keep writing them down.

2009-08-08T08:39:00.001-04:00

Back in AZ.

Texas and Honda's world famous reliability

2009-08-05T01:57:00.003-04:00

We are stuck in the Lone Star State with the worst excuse for a transmission.

While in Florida we decided to go ahead and throw way to much money/plastic at an old car (1999 Honda Odyssey)Getting the vehicle fixed is it's own story, but once it was fixed, it worked great, for like 2 days... then the check engine light came on, it began to shift funny again and was stinking to high heaven. So we took it back to the transmission shop, and they took it all back apart and did some stuff to make it work again. And that worked great until we were just West of San Antonio, TX where it once again started to shift funny and stink. No check engine light this time, but one look under the hood, and sure enough, there was automatic transmission fluid everywhere. So we are in a hotel for who knows how long (the shop is saying 5-6 days) waiting for the car to be fixed.

We are looking at this as a good thing though, rather than rush back to AZ, we now have the opportunity to have a little vacation.

Anyone know what to do in San Antonio?

Back to the Promised Land

2009-07-09T17:55:00.001-04:00

We were offered a lot more scholarship money at a law school in Phoenix, and my parents are going on a mission, so we will have 18 months really cheap rent. We are coming back to AZ, we should be there the first week of August, and for those of you who didn't know, I am going to law school starting this Fall.

So much for Flomerzida, but it was fun while it lasted.

Seatbelts

2009-06-30T11:50:00.003-04:00

I hate to have one of my only posts about Florida on Flomerzida be about something negative, but this is really lame. As of today, police officers can pull you over and ticket you solely for not using a seat belt.

It is import to know that I think everyone should wear a seat belt, and I wear a seat belt 95% of the time (the 5% is when I am driving away from a location). However, this dumb law is all about money, and not about safety. In fact, I would argue it has the potential to actually decrease safety. What a complete waste of time for police officers and highway patrol officers to pull someone over for not wearing a seat belt. There must be better, more safety-encouraging, crime preventing/intervening activities these peace officers could be participating in.

This new law will however provide revenue to a state that is in serious financial trouble. It strikes me that again, if finance was the concern, there are again other activities that may actually do more to fill the state coffers. For instance, the police could form some kind of partnership with the drug dealers, maybe providing protection for a nominal fee. If money is the driving force, do we really need to be bleeding the poor guy who forgot to put his seat belt on?

What a complete waste of time and resources.

And Another

2009-06-30T06:45:00.000-04:00

Clare Bear Talking It Up

2009-06-29T07:53:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, Clare had a word explosion. These are just some of the words that she is saying right now. The first word she said yesterday was rocket and she walked around the house all day saying rocket. We can only put 90 seconds up at a time.

DIRTY LENTILS

2009-06-05T21:04:00.006-04:00

Growing up I HATED lentils! Despised them. I choked them down quite often and didn't openly complain about them, but I wanted to. I thought they were the most loathesome and depressing foods ever placed before me. But they were cheap and got us by when we didn't have much. Times got better and they were gone. Then I went to work for the Anasazi Foundation, where a huge part of my daily diet consisted of nasty lentil eating, and still my aversion to lentils remained fairly consistent. It wasn't until 3 years after the trail that I gained a true love for those "dirty lentils," as the young walkers called them.

Raygon Postert Hymas, a fellow Anasazi-ite, shared this awesome recipe with us. It is SOOOO good!

Lentil Chili

1-1/4 cups dry lentils (half a pound)
4 cups tap water
2 tablespoons oil or bacon grease
1 to 2 tablespoons dry onions
3 beef bouillon cubes
15 oz can tomatoes
2 teaspoons chili powder
Dash hot pepper flakes or Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place the lentils and the water in a large pot. Put the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the lentils are simmering gently. Cook for 30 minutes. Do not add the other ingredients until after the lentils have cooked. If the lentils begin to get dry, or if their water boils away then add more water. You want the lentils to remain juicy while they cook. When your 30 minutes are up, add all of the remaining ingredients. Simmer the chili for 15 to 20 minutes and serve with crackers or cornbread or over rice. Makes 4 servings.

This is a very good chili recipe. If you have ground beef or turkey, or some cooked chicken, you can add these to the chili too. About 1/2 a pound of ground meat or about 1 cup of cooked meat will be plenty. This recipe doesn’t need meat to taste good though. It is excellent just the way it is.

Last Sunday we had a Sunday School lesson devoted to cooking with food storage and being prepared now that we have entered hurricane season. We are going to find some other good'ns to post throughout the summer. If anyone has any great recipes that they wouldn't mind parting with, I would love to try out some more recipes.

2009-06-03T18:00:00.000-04:00

We have been in Florida now for about a month, and it has been great. Jen and the girls have gone to the beach several times, and I have been able to go with them a couple.

Here are a couple of pics:

2009-04-21T00:42:00.000-04:00

We made it to Scott, Louisiana (just outside of Lafayette). Hopefully we will be in Orlando tomorrow.

2009-04-18T10:19:00.000-04:00

We are moving to Orlando, Florida today.

THE PEOPLE IN MY WORLD THAT I WISH EVERYONE KNEW

2009-04-14T03:10:00.000-04:00

WENDY KAMPSEN

Before I go into the sappy stuff, I first want to paint a picture of Wendy. One time we decided to go eat at Mongolian BBQ and once our food was cooked she realized that she wasn't hungry at all, but she had paid for her food. She asked for a to go box and they refused saying that it was a buffet, no to go boxes. So she emptied her new purse and poured her plate into her purse. I think I laughed so hard that I...

She has a five yr old and twin three yr old boys and is pregnant with shocker baby number 4. She had decorated her main floor so great with this big red sectional and accent walls and such things. As her boys got older and wanted to play, she decided to take out all of the furniture and carpet from the living and family rooms and tiled everything so that they could ride their bikes and scooters all over the house. My daughter Addie loves her boys, but she doesn't ask to go to their house, she asks to go to Wendy's house.

Wendy is kind of neurotic and crazy spontaneous and I love, love, love those things about her, but those are not the real reasons that I love to be around her. We met as trailwalkers working for the Anasazi Foundation in the Arizona desert. She was probably the best trailwalker I had ever witnessed. I think what it was was that she was honest with herself and with everyone else. The kids loved her because she was real, she wasn't trying to be cool, she just was. She doesn't claim to be perfect and I know that she is not, but Wendy is uniquely good. Her heart is so big and she wants good for everyone and will and does go to insane lengths to help people. While I sit back and witness the things that she does, for example watching 8 children at a time without any kind of compensation while also juggling 50 phone calls, just to help people out, I sometimes want to shake her and bar her from such activities but that is what Wendy does and that is part of who she is and why she can enjoy her life so much (not to say that she always does, we all have bad days). While I know this is not her motivation, I have to believe that she is or will be majorly blessed for the way that she is with people.

Sedona and Beaver Creek

2009-03-26T22:09:00.000-04:00

UPDATE

2009-03-26T19:19:00.000-04:00

I have started several posts since moving but just haven't had the umph to follow through. So here is kind of a dry run through of all that is happening:

So Paul has taken the LSAT, received his results, applied to 17 law schools and has heard back from 7 so far. 3 rejections and 4 acceptance letters. We have been feeling particularly drawn to Florida and are fairly sure that Florida it will be. He is taking the Kaplan LSAT course 3 nights a week, hoping to improve his score. It will be useful when and if he intends to transfer to another school for his 2nd year.

Paul really had a rough time finding work for the first 4 months, but we have some very dear friends that are realtors that have ended up needing lots of help. Honestly, until this came along, we were in trouble. Paul has been so happy doing what he has been doing with them and they have been so appreciative and extremely flexible. It is hard to express just how grateful I am for them and their awesomeness/kindness.

I have been employed by the Anasazi Foundation since the first week that we arrived. They had to do layoffs to continue to exist and I was let go a few weeks ago, but each week since they have asked me to stay an additional week. So tomorrow just might really be my last day. So as my Anasazi time ended, I was offered a job with the US Census. I started training to be a census worker this week and it has been quite the adventure and fun to be around many other adults in my same situation. I really like the people that I have been working with.

I was asked to work with the 8 and 9 year old girls in our ward doing achievement days every other week. I am excited to have a church calling. I have missed the kids in my old ward.

Addie has missed her friends ever so much. Paul and I have been really busy and she can feel it. She has been more emotional and clingy lately. My census job should only last until the end of May, early June, so hopefully life will calm down a ton. Addie wears her tutu's more than regular clothes and dances around the house for hours. Yesterday, she hung out at my friend Wendy's house and was able to play in their hot tub/pool(not crazy hot hot tub) all day. She is loving the weather. So am I.

Clare is up to 7 steps now and is getting more and more confident as a walker. She
stopped sleeping through the night when we moved here. She has been a HANDFUL. She is a blast and loves the crap out of Addie. Addie can get her laughing like no one else.

So life is good. I miss my Idaho buddies and miss my old neighborhood sooo much, but we are moving forward and I can't wait for this next step.

Teaching

2009-02-05T23:20:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: I have read about this idea before and do not claim it as my own, but I have had some experiences recently and so I want to comment.I have been substitute teaching the last couple of weeks. Most of what a teacher can spend his day doing is simply classroom management, forget about actually doing any teaching. So, classroom management says: Do not talk! Raise your hand if you want to say something! Sit quietly! Be respectful! Do not act out! Do not talk to your neighbor! Some of this can end up being helpful to a student in the long run... but most of these characteristics are not the characteristics of successful individuals later in life. Much of this teaching college professors try to eradicate during later schooling. If they don't, when you go into sales as a profession (almost every job in the private sector is a sales job in one way or another) almost none of these "qualities" are useful. As a salesman, you should be loud, outspoken, you want to be noticed, you want to be able to have a conversation with your neighbor, even when it may seem to be socially inappropriate.

I don't know what the solution is for teachers. They are in a tough position. They are not very well trained, they have too many students, they are underpaid. They spend so much time in classroom management trying to stop students from doing what is really effective in life, not just effective in the Ivory Tower.

To be fair, we do need to be respectful of others, and we do need to learn to read, write, blah, blah, blah, and this traditional school system is how most of us learned to do it, but in the long run, what are we teaching between the lines? What is being communicated to our children in deed that will help shape and determine what will be life goals and successes later in life?

The world does need some people who just go into an office and sit silently all day doing their work without being interrupted by those pesky distractions called humans, they are called accountants. Are we really trying to raise a generation of accountants?

"I'm the king of the world!"

2008-12-24T00:19:00.000-05:00

So I just noticed on "My Weekly Top Tracks" number 4 is "A New Day Has Come" by Céline Dion. This is embarrassing, but may just be a symptom of my depressed-jobless state. Nothing lifts my spirit like the voice of that Canadian serenader, so you may see more of her around as the recession continues. (And look me in the eyes and tell me you don't feel like you are on top of the world when you here this ballad.)

Some Christmas Cheese

2008-12-13T11:55:00.000-05:00

Our Home

2008-11-12T11:52:00.000-05:00

We are selling our house in Twin Falls. Here is a virtual tour for all who never had the opportunity to visit us (and it has a cool sound track to go along with it).

Today Is the Day

2008-11-01T10:15:00.000-04:00

John Denver wrote this little ditty that dramatically expresses my feelings this morning.

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin' it's early morn
The taxi's waitin' he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die

I'm leavin in a mini van, don't know when I'll be back again. Oh guys, I hate to goooo!

I really am excited to move to AZ, but I am so sad to leave my friends and for Addie to leave her friends. I have met some of the most incredible people here and made friendships like my mom has. Where 40 years have gone by and they still get together and giggle like school girls. I get kind of emotional when I think about all of the sweet things and kindnesses done for us as we are getting ready to go. Nicole Watson has been unreal. There is no way I could have been ready to go if it wasn't for her and all of the MANY things that she has done to help. I absolutely love you Nicole. Also thank you and I love you Kami, Karen, Annie Kolsen, Christina and the awesome Bartletts, Mae, Michelle, Dawnette, Erica and Jared, Emily, Sam, Pam, Dana, Melissa, Jenny, Shawn, Brian and Stephanie, Laura, Pilar, the Waters, the Neilsens, Amy and Amber and Richard who live in Utah. It is early and I probably forgot people.

We will miss you guys!!

Jen and fam

Audi 8 Paudi or so the legend goes

2008-10-22T17:00:00.000-04:00

This is Audi, one of my beautiful sisters. I came across this picture and loved it and it reminded me of lots of funny things like nicknames and bar rar rah bum di ay. Mostly this is for Audi's benefit, but you all need to know how cool this girl is. She has been looking up jobs and sending us info even though she has tons of other things on her plate.

Playhouse Update, Some cute Addie Do's, Addie and her buddies and Clare attempting to Toiletize herself

2008-10-20T16:41:00.000-04:00

Doesn't she just make you want to squeeze her?

Addie said that she will miss Morgan and Bailey the most. They have spent so much time together the past year, it makes me sad that they won't be around each other anymore. Morgan and Bailey have been so good with Addie and Clare. They are great girls.

PLAYHOUSE ALMOST TO COMPLETION-Wish we could actually use it, but the next one will be even better.

A friend directed me to some really cool little girl hairdo sites and I have been trying some out.

Addie's buddies. She is going to miss them so very much.

Addie and Grandma Newton are going to desperately miss each other. It has been so nice to live close enough for them to bond like crazy.

Three of my friends are trying this EC thing where you try to read your baby to know if they need to use the bathroom. At least two of them are to where they don't even need to change diapers. CRAZY!! Well, I have been kind of testing it out, but I haven't picked up on it yet. I love my friends and I love that they try this kind of crap. So far Clare has not done the 1 or the 2 on the john. I haven't put much effort yet. When the move is complete, I will put more energy into it.

I Have No Regrets

2008-10-14T10:19:00.000-04:00

My stomach has been in knots lately worrying about the state of our economy and fearing for success of my parents plumbing business and other family financial crisis's, and especially worrying about the company where Paul works. Up until a few weeks ago I was convinced that it was going to weather the storm. Truth is, I really believe and hope it will. BUT, it can't survive another month with Paul's salary pumping out of it. It will add a huge load of work for his coworkers when he leaves but at least it gives them some air. Paul suggested the idea and that makes me love him all the more. His boss is the coolest and was planning on looking for a job for himself so that Paul could continue working for his company. I have never met or heard of an employer with a heart as good as Nathan Olsen. Working for him and moving to Idaho was so extremely good for us. They took care of their employees and treated us like family.

I truly am heart broken to leave but more than that I am so extremely grateful for this opportunity. Paul and I are better for this experience. We are closer than ever. We were able to own an awesome home that I am so sad to leave and a bit uncertain about the future regarding our home. We learned how to build a playhouse that we will have to hustle to finish. We had Clare. We got very close with my family, Steve and Alexa and Jer and Danka especially. I wish I had more time to spend with my other siblings and their offspring. We made fantastic friendships that I hope will last forever. I love my friends here. I love my calling with the young women and I think that will be one of the hardest parts of leaving this town. I love those kids. Paul teaches the same age Sunday School class. We used to team teach, now he teaches and I learn in there with the kids. Such an awesome group of people! I have been mourning this the past few days. I love that I don't want to leave because that means that I actively was a part of this ward, of my neighborhood and of my life. I will forever be grateful for this experience and have no regrets about moving here. Well, maybe if I had it to do over, I would have rented instead of purchased but it was a fun experience.

Two weeks from now we will be venturing out into the unknown aka Paul's parents home for now. I have a huge fear that they will go nuts and possibly hate me. I have a plan for that though, I am going to make myself scarce and be a neat freak. Also, we are planning on it only being a very short duration while we find a home to rent. (Let us know if you know of any great deals in Mesa for rental properties). I didn't realize how much I actually love being here and how great we have/had it.

So we are going into the unknown as I said before. I am not fearful of the Paul's job hunt situation because I know that any company would be lucky to have him. I looked over his resume last night and if I had had any worries, they were totally quashed after looking it over. If any of you run across anything that sounds Paul-ish, let us know. We are willing to go just about anywhere.

For those of you that we know and love here in Twin Falls, Idaho, we will miss you. Thank you for everything. Word to your mutha. Arizona here we come!

Audi and Sam

2008-10-11T22:50:00.000-04:00

For those of you that know Audi, I just had to post this of her with her boyfriend Sam. They are so darn cute.

The Bum Drum Game

2008-10-11T21:00:00.000-04:00

Addie is all about games lately and this evening out of nowhere she made this one up.

Addie: Okay, so...you put your feet on your bum and when you move your feet...someone like plays your bum like a drum.

Snow Day from Hell

2008-10-11T19:51:00.001-04:00

Okay, its not so bad. But holy crap it is only Oct 11th! Last week was so darn cold, we played inside almost the entire time. BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! Addie doesn't seem to mind, she is all geared up for it. Except for the gloves that we have misplaced but she has spoons for hands so problem solved. (I am waiting to upload a picture of today)

PS Clare is still sleeping through the night. I think it takes awhile for the body to catch up or actually recognize the major change that has occurred. It will though and it will be awesome!

Day 2 of Sleeping

2008-10-09T13:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Clare woke up at 6am, today 730am. I felt so refreshed this morning. I hope that this continues.

WOOOH-HOOOH!!! Life is good.

2008-10-08T14:24:00.000-04:00

Clare slept through the night last night! This was the first time since she was born and it was AWESOME!!!

Oh and some other Care updates. She crawls like a champ now and has for several weeks. Learning to crawl has transformed this kid. She is happy almost all day long unless I am putting her down for a nap. She takes great naps during the day though. Days have been great.

She loves to eat. You know those pacifier-mesh type things that you put fruit in for babies? She loves them. She will suck on apples and peaches forever. She eats bananas like they are going out of style.

This kid loves to kiss and hug and cuddle more than any kid I have eve met. Addie and Clare have an awesome connection. They love each other so much. I am so grateful for that and hope it lasts. Life is good.

Collective Soul-Needs

2008-10-07T18:41:00.001-04:00

Paul introduced this song to me a few years ago on a roadtrip through Bryce Canyon with my sister Amy, neice Lilly and Addie. This song is the bomb diggy! Allisa Chadwhick would really appreciate that I wrote bomb diggy, maybe no one else does or would but I do and would. So the combination of the words and the music touches my very soul. Particularly the last verse/chorus. Seriously, it moves me. I just read over the song and realized that the lyrics have to be sung or they sound kind of depressing and maybe a little lame but with the music I promise, you'll be sold or you have no soul.

Addie is the coolest!

2008-10-05T01:45:00.000-04:00

I put Addie to bed tonight and we had the best time ever. She asked me about all of my favorite things. I asked her about hers. Among many other things, she said that she loves "aminals," and that she missed Porkchop the goat. I told her that someday when we have a bigger yard, Porkchop could come live with us again along with a cat or a dog. She said,"or a giraffe."
Then somehow the conversation drifted to the 'just say no' talk. I covered smoking, drinking, drugs and sex. She then asked about earrings and if she should get her ears pierced. I told her that someday it will be her choice but that I would hate to see her in pain just to look pretty.
She told me that she never wanted to grow up and that she wanted to stay with me forever. I told her that no matter how old she became that she would always be my baby and that I will always love her.
Our conversation was the best we've had in months. She ate it up and I could tell she was starved for it. We talked until she finally rolled over and started softly snoring. I wanted to wake her back up and just talk all night. I love little Addie. I hate that too often I am running all over stressed or trying to get Clare to sleep and then miss out on this awesome little spirit. I am fairly tired right now, so that is probably why I am bawling but man, I am so lucky to be the mom of these sweet girls and I am sad that tonight ended.

Idaho Anasazi Gathering 2008

2008-10-03T18:51:00.000-04:00

We were so glad that so many people were able to make it to the gathering. It was fantastic!

Much thanks to the Passmore's for hosting the event at their home outside of Idaho Falls, ID. And a huge thank you to the Long's and Amber Ross Braithwaite with her chillins for their pilgrimage from Utah and for their awesomeness. All were fantastic competitors in our Anasazi Olympics.

There were at least four Anasazi babies there.

Despite the occasional rain shower, we had such a blast!We had a very good showing of former trailwalkers and alumni.
And finished it off with the Handless Applesauce Eating Event. Our gold medalist of the day won this final event and earned himself the coveted "A" diamond encrusted waterbottle.

Paul's trip to Alaska

2008-09-24T12:15:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite pictures of all time. Click on it for a closer view of Paul's goofball smile. Love it! Love it! Love it!

Eye Eye Cap'n

Tonight is Jen-was-a-Ronch-and-She-is-Sorry-Fest

2008-09-23T18:13:00.000-04:00

So I was a major grump yesterday. Last night I didn't sleep well. I kept thinking about the crappy rays of jerkiness I shot out all over yesterday and I kept feeling like I was doomed to feel like that forever or at least for a long while. Along with the shame of being the jerk, I was also worried about the next time monster Jen would manifest itself and I really wanted to get control of myself.

So this morning I woke up and set out to make it right. The route that I took was inspired by a story told to me once by a wonderful person named Jacob Pope while I was working at the Anasazi Foundation. He spoke of a coworker who had really been blowing it out on the trail and he or whomever the story was about had it in his mind to give that person a good talking to. You know...really let the guy have it. He ran that by another individual whose heart was in a great place. That person, we will call him Chris Wallace because I think that was who it was, told Jacob or whoever to go to the store and find the best grapes he could find, then go find the best oranges he could find, and so on and give those to the crappy coworker. By the time Jacob had found those items to give crappy coworker, his heart had softened because he was serving this person who then became a person not a crappy coworker anymore.

My circumstances were completely different and my ronchiness was not justified, but nevertheless, this morning I set out to find a bunch of the favorite food items of those I had wronged and made a feast. While doing so my heart did soften. I wasn't just trying to stop others from hating me and/or gaining forgiveness, I was really trying to do something kind. It felt so much better than when the hatemonster that dwells within me awakens.

Happiness (without Porkchop)

2008-09-17T21:50:00.000-04:00

Before Jen poisons everyone with her negative speaking about this city, I want to point out that they are obviously a fan of my happiness. Just because I didn't freak out about that stinky goat, doesn't mean I was happy about it.

Jen was broken hearted and angry about the city's decision regarding Porkchop, and being the good husband I am, I consoled her and reassured her that everything would be OK... that was on the outside. On the inside, I knew Twin Falls loved happiness... my happiness.

Losing Porkchop will be sad for some, but for some others, it is a reason to rejoice.

And lest any of you think this is a horrible place, I wanted to show you some of the other things that bring happiness living here:

The Rise and Fall of Porkchop the Goat

2008-09-16T13:37:00.000-04:00

Paul and I agree on most things. Unfortunately pets are not one of those things. Also the HOA said it was great to have the little guy if the city was okay with it. So, knowing that this may be a short lived experience I set out to get us a pygmy goat while Paul was in Alaska. I promptly built the below goat house and drilled my hand in the process(minimal damage)to try to soften the goat sitch' for Paul. I was pleasantly surprised with Paul's reaction to Pork Chop and started to love Pork Chop all the more,knowing that the city most likely hates goats and happiness.

Addie, her buddies and cousins all have had a blast playing with him and he really is the ultimate pet. He is quiet, friendly, his poop is mini and hides in the grass. He is well mannered and seriously good for our soil.

So yesterday it was brought to my attention that yes, the city of Twin Falls does indeed hate happiness. I think in one of my future posts I will document how ugly and nasty most of this town is. And question some of the lame policies enforced and the truly necessary ones that are not enforced. I really am very sad. Regardless, our little buddy must find a new home. They don't know it yet but it will probably be my parents. They have a huge yard. And he can play with my parents dog.

Clare's Bath time and Addie helped

2008-09-15T22:13:00.000-04:00

Addie's First Day of Preschool Aug 28th

2008-09-15T19:07:00.000-04:00

Addie is so excited to be back in preschool again. This is our second year of a preschool co-op dealy. Last year it was just one day a week for an hour. This year we decided to do two days a week and to have the kids come to the same house for both days and also to hold it for an hour and a half instead. So far it has been great. It is nice to have two days focused on one subject for the review aspect. We have a great group and some awesome moms who really are invested in teaching these girls.

ANASAZI Foundation Western States Gathering

2008-09-13T00:07:00.000-04:00

Jen was asked by Katie Warner of ANASAZI Foundation to help put on a gathering (a kind of a reunion of alumni YoungWalkers and TrailWalkers). I am posting this hoping we can get as many people as possible out to this gathering. So for all of you who are reading this, for all of you who have ANASAZI blood coursing through your veins, come to the gathering, and get the word out.

ANASAZI was the most influential experience I have had in my life. With exception of the Gospel and my family, my time at ANASAZI informs my actions more than any other thing.

Part of the reason for ANASAZI being so close to my heart is the amazing people I met and got to know while there.

We have a unique opportunity to have a reunion and I want to see as many of this wonderful individuals as I can.

Please get the word out:

Date: September 20, 2008

Time: 11:00 a.m.---as late as you would like to stay…

What: ANASAZI’s Alumni Gathering in Idaho
Including a great lunch, service project, ANASAZI Olympics, Hot Dog Roast, and a Fire Circle

What to bring: Your wonderful selves, your families and loved ones and a delicious side
dish to share.

Where: Brenda and Brian Passmore’s Home/Ranch
4554 S. 35th West
Idaho Falls, ID 83402

Fore more information, please contact Jen Omerza (208) 595-4511 or Katie Warner (480) 390-6196

THIS IS NOT TRUE

2008-09-04T12:39:00.000-04:00

This is not true and I am not sure what it is all about, but Addie wanted me to write this: We are soon going to have a baby boy.
And she wants me to post it on our garage door. I say 'not for a very long time.'

Anniversary VI--More where that came from and why

2008-08-30T01:31:00.001-04:00

So, on many the occasion I have felt to write about Paul. I think it is extremely cheesy to write about this tonight, but opportunity knocked. Deal with it! It is our anniversary, Paul put Addie to bed so that we could partaaay down and is consequently sawing logs in our room with Addie snuggled up to him. Yes it is somewhat of a bumber that he is passed out but we had the best night. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing extravagant. We just talked and ate, and walked and then ate again(dessert). I had a blast. I married my very best friend. Not to say that there haven't been many low points and frustration/non-bliss and that there won't be many more such moments,days,and/or months. Regardless of that, I adore my husband and he is still my best friend. Paul is a fantastic person and here is why:

He is genuine.
He is super smart.
He puts a ton of thought into pretty much everything.
He loves people.
When he shaves, he does it in segments, with several days between each section. I will document this when he gets back from Alaska. I hate it and love it. I love that it is not permanent. I hate his creepy mustache.
He actively tries to become better and is appropriately humble about most of his strengths.
He makes me smile or laugh even when I want to physically harm him.
He listens to me, but will not indulge me(that sometimes is not a plus for him).
He calms the crazy in me.
He is aware when I am hormonal and instead of avoiding me, he hugs me or whatever it is that I really need at the moment
He brings a room to life almost as soon as he enters it.
He loves to spend time with our girls
He is not obsessed with sports. In fact, he doesn't really even like sports.
He forgives me quickly
He loves music and tells me about his recently discovered awesome song as soon as he hears it.
He looks up fun things to do with the girls and sends me links to that during the day.
He helped to build the playhouse even though it was my project and he didn't want to.
He says really surprisingly sweet things and then I realize he is reciting a song that fits the occasion. That one actually kind of ticks me off at times, but it really is pretty endearing.
He is patient with the girls and me.
He sings his heart out.
He dances with Addie and Clare at night.
He researches things to make to make all aspects of life better.
He really works hard to be close to my family members.
His heart is good.
He loves to eat/is not picky.
He loves trying new things (ie food, activities).
He mows the lawn.
He will take Clare in the middle of the night if I ask him too.
He makes me feel like I am the coolest girl ever.

Honestly, I really look up to him, not like a subservient wife, but like a friend who you really admire and want to be like. I love him and I love being around him and I still love to kiss him.

Fishing in Hagerman

2008-08-27T23:41:00.000-04:00

Paul, Addie, Clare, Morgan, Bailey and I all went fishing a few weeks ago. I caught two fish and Morgan caught the other. Paul is going to Alaska this Saturday and will be back in a week. Hopefully he will have better luck there.

Newton Family Campout

2008-08-27T23:10:00.000-04:00

Jen's Heart Song List

2008-08-21T01:32:00.000-04:00

Paul's post got me thinking about my heart songs. I hope that he ends up listing his. Here is a little rundown of mine in no particular order:

Blue Eyes- Cary Brothers
The Luckiest- Ben Folds---- the day I got married
Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana---Hanging out with the Hannah's and the Hepworth's
The Way I am- Ingrid Michaelson
I Grieve- Peter Gabriel----Wayne Grizmala and Alumni Services blues
Needs- Collective Soul---Bryce Canyon with Amy and Paul
Nothing Compares- Sinead O'Conner---Asparagus picking with Amanda and Christina Hannah
Dancing Lessons- Sinead O'Conner
My Eyes- Travis----Pregnant with Clare, Paul and I emotional parents. Paul got me so addicted to this song. We would listen and both get all weepy, then bust up watching the video.
Come Waste Your Time- Phish
In My Place, Scientist- Coldplay---Tyson Chadaz introduced this to me.Brings back a million memories of Anasazi and good friends
The Only Living Boy in New York- Simon and Garfunkel---Terrance Parson
Good night and Go- Imogen Heap
Gonna Get Through This- Daniel Bedingfield----Marriage
On My Mind- Kalai
In the Garage- Weezer--Amelia n Heber, Biance Steinke,
Somewhere Only We Know- Keane----Midnight cleaning
Feel To Believe- Beth Orton----buddy Beau, Sarah Olsen
Please Forgive Me- David Gray--Almost every song reminds me of my husband.
I Don't think I'll Ever Get Over You- Colin Hay---Scrubs and the joy it brings
In the Lord's Arms- Ben Harper
Forever Young- Aphaville---- Reading the book Tuck Everlasting and driving to Grandma Metcalfs
High and Dry- Radiohead---Tyson Chadaz at Anasazi
My Iron Lung- Radiohead
Could You Be Loved-Bob Marley---Polo cologne, my bro Steve, roadtrip with Richard.
On Your Side- Pete Yorn----Paul, Emily, my sis, and Dave House
It's Good To Be in Love- Frou Frou
Blue Savannah- Erasure--Trenna and CA coast roadtrip that Paul proposed
Stay- Shakespear Sister---My first CD, driving through Yellowstone with my family just as all of the adolescent hormones kicked in.
Let You Down- Dave Matthews---Anasazi and Magic Mountain with Richard
The Boxer- Simon and Garfunkel---Lesha, Tracey
Soul Meets Body- Death Cab for Cutie
Fade Into You- Mazzy Star---Angie England, Jer, Casper, WY roadtrip for Pearl Jam
You Move Me- Garth Brooks---San Diego roadtrip with Amy, Addie and Lilly
Both Hands- Ani Difranco---Drama in Missoula, MT and Paul, Allisa Chadwhick, living in Utah
Promise- Tracy Chapman----Heartbreaks, Em, Allisa, Maritza, Chris
One- U2---Yellowstone with the fam caravanning, audi n' the squirrell
Penitent- Suzanne Vega---T and Audi's mission
Just like heaven- The Cure--- St. Anthony posse
A Chicken with Its Head Cut Off- Magnetic Fields---Paul and Davey in the Anasazi parking lot
Time After Time- Cindy Lauper--Eddingtons,
Stand By Me- Ben E King---living in SLC as a kid, singing with my sisters
Let's Get it On- Marvin Gaye
One of THese Things First- Nick Drake
Turn you- Biz Markie----Eammon, Chris & Maritza Markov, Allisa, Jer and Firehole cliff jumping
Sometimes- James----Beau, Audi, Sarah, Travis
The Shining- Badly Drawn Boy----Beau's awesome compilation
On My Way-Rusted Root----Hawaii boy in MT, working with Ambular
Mabel- Goldfinger--Allisa Chadwhick
Jeremy- Pearl Jam--Wendy and Jordan Kampsen, San Diego, First Responder
Ordinary World - Duran Duran--Archibalds,
Don't Turn Around- Ace of Base---Hiedi Grover sleepovers
When I come Around- Green Day----Lesha Judd, Amelia Hepworth, Steven Samuelson
Come on Feel the Noise- Quiet Riot---Alisa Chadwhick, Brittany Bird, big wigs and 80's garb
Wind of Change- Scorpions
Killing Me Softly- Fugees--Buck, Allisa,
Return to Innocence- Enigma---Charity Johnson, Lesha Judd, Rabbitstick
Wave of Mutilation- Pixies---Angie, Jer, Mark, Amelia and Audi
Ring of Fire- Johnny Cash---boxing with Trisha
Photographs and Memories- Jim Croce---Chris Markov
Prettiest Eyes- Beautiful South---Kyle
New Slang- Shins
Morning Has Broken- Cat Stevens---Bishop Foote
THe Wind- Cat Stevens-The Wind Legend at Anasazi
Least complicated-Indigo Girls----Jackson Hole, singing with my sisters, Jer's favorite closet song
Galileo-Indigo Girls--
Grey Street-Dave Matthews---Driving along the river outside of Portland with Paul
Amazed-Poe---wanting to kiss Paul
Hold on- Sarah McLachlan
Angel-Dave Matthews
Anniemal-Annie--Moving to Idaho
Night Swimming- REM---Mark Gough, Scott Wodskow, Missy Kettle, Trisha Merrill,
Blackbird-Beatles---Mark Parson and Sophomore summer
Should've Been In Love-Wilco
Two Step-Dave Matthews---Anasazi and the crazy twin dwelling
Here Comes Your Man-Pixies---Angie England
Where is My Mind-Pixies---Beau, Paul Parker

Heart Songs

2008-08-20T23:41:00.000-04:00

I just came across a song today by Weezer called Heart Songs. I am not a big fan of Weezer, but this song is pretty cool. He basically talks about some songs that were influential in his life. He sings about it in typical tongue in cheek fashion, but the song actually makes me kind of emotional. Part of the chorus says, "These are my heart songs, They never feel wrong... These are the songs, I keep singin'."

In any case, I listen to music on my iPod at work in between calls. I have been trying to go through all my music, listening to every song, and in the midst of listening to my existing music library, I will add new albums of music (like Weezer's new album). As I come across music that is crappy, I remove it from my iPod. When I come across songs I really like, I rate them with five stars. I have a smart playlist in iTunes that just automatically pulls all songs with five stars. These are my Heart Songs (kind of, not necessarily influential music from my past only, but any music that, "never feel[s] wrong." Most of you deep thinking individuals would laugh at my list, but I don't care and you can all go to hell.

What I have also discovered recently is last.fm. It basically just looks at the music you listen to with iTunes (or other music players) and organizes the data. You can see how often you listen certain songs or artists, how much other people are listening to the same music as you, suggestions for other music you might like based on what you listen to, and which artists are coming to town in your area.

So while I am not going to bare my soul to you who are reading by listing my heart songs, I am going to post this little widget (at least for now) you see on the right that tells you what my most popular songs have been for the last seven days.

Some of those songs may be my heart songs, and some may not, I will leave that to you to guess (assuming anyone even cares). By the way, Heart Songs by Weezer has made it onto my five star playlist.

posted by paul

Getting there

2008-07-27T13:13:00.000-04:00

4th of July Festivities

2008-07-08T15:19:00.000-04:00

This years 4th we stayed home and had some good friends over. The Watsons, the Michels, and the Garlings. Between the four families there were 9 kids, all fairly young.

Clare.

Jake and Melissa Garling.

Britany, Addie and Summer.

Me, Nicole, Kami and Clare.

Addie, Brinlee, and Summer.

Addie.

Once the fireworks were about over, we set up our projector outside in the backyard, nailed a screen to the playhouse and watched a movie. It was crazy late, lots of crying children. The little guy on the picture below was so tired and worn out that he tossed his cookies all over the backyard. It was a fantastic fourth of July.

Nicole, Jeromy and Zaden

Danny, Kami, Danielle, Quinn, and Kailee.

Us.

Playhouse Update

2008-07-07T22:02:00.000-04:00

Thank you Jenny Scott, Dad, Steve, and Paul for all of your help on Saturday. And a special thanks to Melissa Garling for all of the attendance to all o' the neighbor children.

Sisters

2008-07-07T18:21:00.000-04:00

Clare's first supper.

Addie loves to be Clare's big sister. And Clare beams when Addie gives her loves.

It has been so sweet to see the way they look at each other. Addie has definitely shown signs of feeling lower on the totem pole now. I have been trying to find ways to let her know that I love her just as much as I ever did. My patience is a little lacking these days, but honestly, I love Addie and Clare so much that I want to cry like on Raising Arizona. If you haven't seen it, you should.

Our First Garden

2008-07-07T11:16:00.000-04:00

We have harvested lettuce, spinach and broccoli as of today.

Stefani (Omerza) and Jarrett Garcia's litter of children

2008-06-25T19:23:00.000-04:00

For those of you who know Paul's sister, Stef and Jarrett are now the proud parents of identical twin boys: Jarrett, Joseph and one chikita Isabel.

Audi broke her birdie

2008-06-25T13:15:00.000-04:00

This is my little sister Audi Newton. We are 13 months apart and despite our warring, my big mouth, her crazy edginess, we are very close. Since she came home from her mission, she became an honorary Omerza. When she wasn't in school, she was usually working for Anasazi and living with us. I did kick her out several times, then I would beg her not to leave so that I could prove to myself that I wasn't a hormonal psychopath and that I could get over the little things that drove me nuts and the truth is I didn't want her to leave. Now that Paul and I live in Idaho, there is really no chance that she will ever live with us again and I am kind of sad about that. She just graduated from BYU-Hawaii and is moving to Washington DC in July.

She is in Arizona doing her final stint at Anasazi this week. A day and half ago she grabbed a loose boulder that beat the tar out of her finger. She is in surgery right now getting it all put back together. She has an open compound fracture on her right middle finger.

Addie rode an ELEPHANT!

2008-06-25T12:18:00.000-04:00

We went to the Shriners Circus 2 weeks ago with Addie's cousins and some of her buddies. And she rode an elephant. I am just a little bit jealous of the elephant ride, but so glad she got to do it.

Addie and cousin Morgan showing Dumbo who's boss.

Clare slept through most of the evening.

Addie, Tinley Giles and Maya Davidson.

Morgan, Bailey and Addie cheesing it up.

The Playhouse Under Construction

2008-06-20T20:59:00.000-04:00

So this project began in April. It has been dragging and the suspense is kind of killing me.

The walls went up in late May/early June. Mostly in the dark because I was too itchy to wait for the morning and was dying to see some progress.

The loft is pretty much the coolest part. Paul and I have now figured out the roof, so we are planning to have at least the framing done this week. Hopefully lots more. It is quite the undertaking. I have been so obsessed with buying building supplies off of Craigslist and wherever else. I drove to Boise and bought a window from someone for $25 (which is crazy cheap). I bought two other windows in Idaho Falls from a guy for $25 each as well. They are awesome windows. I got some free carpet from my friends remodel and bought $5 worth of lenoleum for the "kitchen" area. And I got some free sheetrock from a drywall dude. I think when it is complete, I will start a club and hold club meeting in our little fort.

2008-05-09T14:28:00.000-04:00

Clare received a gift in the mail the other day, and she just wanted to say thanks.

Cooing Clare

2008-05-08T20:37:00.000-04:00

and some great camera work by her dad

2008-05-01T16:24:00.000-04:00

I found this photo the other day, and thought it was relevant to this post. And here is the article I found the picture on.

The Law

2008-04-30T10:37:00.000-04:00

My boss Nathan came back from a new years party where he was given a pamphlet called The Law by Frederick Bastiat. He read a small part of it, and shared some of the ideas he picked up from it with me. I couldn't get the discussion we had out of my head. Before he had a chance to finish reading it, I asked if I could borrow it. I read it, and it blew my mind. Bastiat lived in France just before the French Revolution. He was opposed to Socialism and his pamphlet The Law is his justification for opposition. Many of the ideas he puts forth are things I have believed all my life, but I didn't know the reasons for my belief, they just felt right. Suddenly he had put the words to all my long held beliefs.

The take away points for me are these

Law exists to protect individual rights "his person, his liberty, and his property"
The ruling group consistently overstep the power granted them by the law.
One of the ways the ruling group does this is to plunder from individuals.
Socialism is simply a system of the ruling group systematically performing legal plunder.

Some things he didn't go into, but suddenly became so clear to me:
Charity is inseparably connected to agency.

In the name of charity, I feel guilt when I don't support socialist policies.
That guilt is based on a distorted view of charity.
When I am forced to be charitable, I am not being charitable.
Charity is inseparably connected to agency.
True charity can only be expressed completely void of compulsion.

Now, it could be said, I could elect (with a vote) to support legal plunder, and therefore, it is now consistent with the concept of charity, and therefore true charity. That is fine for me, but the problem with the ruling group deciding on legal plunder is it is forced upon all, not just those that elect to support it.

Most churches have some sort of donation program in place. My church asks for a sizable amount of money, but I am not forced to give. This then is one method of possible true charity.

There are ways to avoid a socialist form of false charity, it is with genuine charity.

Cookin with the Girls

2008-04-22T17:15:00.000-04:00

So we made some tasty cookies the other day. Addie hammed it up, so it turned into a photo shoot. It was such a fun time just us ladies. Addie can turn any mundane task into a raging good time.

How I Really Feel

2008-04-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed the idea of blogging (even if we seldom update ours). We have several friends who are in similar circumstances as us; we all left the great state of Arizona for other parts of the country, we all have a ~~kid~~ child [that's for Zeke] or two and are missing the associations we had with each other in Arizona (I assume they are missing me too). So with these blogs, I have felt like I am still connected to these people. While I have enjoyed reading about their kids, I have also really enjoyed reading the interesting thoughts and ideas they have. These posts about thoughts and ideas are what I have felt like I have been missing with my associations here, but I am able to get that from my friends that have posted.

This then brings me to the point of this post. The Jensen Family made a post about the purpose of their blog, and I would like to have a similar discussion here. I have had most of the same mixed feelings as described in the Jensen's post, but there was an issue they didn't address that I would like to here. Do I really want to share how I really feel with the world (this blog can viewed by anyone, it is not by invitation)? And for that matter, the things I write here may not even reflect how I really feel. I think when I share an idea with someone, I have one belief setting; every fiber of my being. Seldom do I really feel that strongly about anything, and I have been known to change my opinion about things on a regular basis, but that kind of flexibility never seems to come across when I share my ideas. Now, if someone is having a face to face conversation with me, I know I can clarify my position, tone things down, or listen to feed back and change my stance, but when some bit of information is posted to the world wide web, it can never be taken back. It will always be there (I have had the same trepidation about posting personal family pictures for similar reasons).

So for all of the Jensen reasons (is this what this blog is really for?) and for the written-in-stone sort of medium this is, I am not sure I want to tell you how I really feel, but I just might anyway.

Easter Egg Hunt with Addie and Kaya Long

2008-04-01T19:23:00.001-04:00

This year's Easter festivities were spent with the Long posse in Sandy, Utah.
think this is Addie's dad being Mr. Cheatie pants.

Here is Addie prancing like a princess, just as she did all weekend long.

This is Kaya realizing that she has been majorly ripped off with this nutritious hard boiled egg.

Kaya chowing down on the non hard boiled eggs.

Easter 2008

2008-03-25T20:25:00.001-04:00

We spent this Easter in Utah with our friends Richard, Amber and their daughters Kaya and Sadie. We had a lot of fun, but we did miss our ward. When we came back, we found out our ward is going to be split. Both Jen and I are broken hearted because we may lose our callings over this (Jen is a beehive adviser and I teach the 12-14 year-olds in Sunday school). So we find out next week what will happen to our ward, and I'm sure no one really cares about any of this, but the point is next week's sacrament meeting has changed locations, so I wanted to let everyone know who is planning on coming to the blessing there is a new location (and I'm sure we are going to have a huge turnout from those that read this blog...).

The blessing will be at 667 Harrison St., Twin Fall, ID 83301 at 9:30AM (we think).

And here are some pics from Easter
Jen bought the girls some bling in the Easter spirit, so here is a pic of our little gangsta'.

Blessing

2008-03-15T15:19:00.001-04:00

This kid will be blessed ~~6 April~~ 30 March 2008 at ~~10:50 AM.~~ 9:30 A.M. The address of the chapel is ~~229 Park Ave.,~~ 667 Harrison St., Twin Falls, ID 83301

2008-03-08T00:19:00.000-05:00

Clare HATES sleeping!!!

(Unless I am awake).

2008-03-07T13:27:00.000-05:00

Jen has committed to posting more often. In the meantime hopefully this will tide you over.

Biliblanket

2008-02-14T22:31:00.000-05:00

So this is a biliblanket:It is basically just a projector, the kind you would see a Powerpoint presentation done with, but instead of an image coming out, there is a fiber optic cable which connects to a pad, which then connects to Clare's back, and she ends up looking like this:
This is an explanation of why she needs a Biliblanket:
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/umphototherapy.htm

And these are just some cute pics of the kid:

Clare and Kate, can you tell?

2008-02-12T20:21:00.001-05:00

Can you tell which is which?

Emma Clare Omerza

2008-02-11T10:37:00.001-05:00

So she came at 3:30am Monday February 11, 2008. She was 23 inches long (does that actually mean anything to anyone else?) and weighed 9 Lbs 4 ounces (that does mean something to me... HUGE). I will let Jen describe all the details (if she wants to) but just wanted to get the info (and the pics) out.

One thing that did happen, Jen was so far along they weren't able to give an epidural but did give a [I just looked for 10 minutes on Google to get the name but couldn't find it, but is is the alternative to an epidural if it is late in the birthing process. It is a one time shot]. As they had Jen sitting up waiting for the anesthesiologist to put the needle in her back (and know she is in what I would guess is probably the worst pain she has ever felt in her life, much worse than with Kate) she looks at the nurse who is helping her and, in typical Jen fashion, asks her how her night has been. I love my wife, and this little kid

False Alarm

2008-02-10T17:37:00.001-05:00

We are now back from the hospital, and we don't have a baby with us yet. They sent us home. So no child yet, but updates will be forthcoming as we get them.This is a shot of how Jen felt when she found out her water had not really broken.