As we are fortunate to be safely home with our loved ones, enjoying peace and safety and freedoms that we most certainly take for granted, I think it is little to ask of us to send just one little note of thanks. And for free!
Thank you to my MIL who sent me this link: Let's Say Thanks.
Please take just one minute today to click that link, select a card designed by a child, and select an appropriate message (or write your own) and that card will be delivered to a soldier overseas. It costs you nothing. You don't even give out your personal information, just your name and hometown.
There is a section on that website where there are messages from some of the soldiers who have received these cards. Even this small act of kindness means a great deal to them and offers them hope and encouragement. It helps to lift their spirits as they endure challenges most of us could not begin to imagine.
In just a week we will be celebrating Christmas with our loved ones. We will not be afraid to gather, to celebrate, to worship how we please. We will eat too much of our favorite foods, unwrap unnecessary gifts, play games, watch movies, and relax with our favorite people. Before we do all that, thank one of the many who are far from family and home, in harms way, working and sacrificing, risking their life for us. Christmas will be just another day of work for them. Let's Say Thanks.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Part One: Getting There
This part of our weekend ended up being far more eventful than we planned.
Not quite half way to our destination, our transmission died. We were heading up a mountain, so after Ryan pulled over to the shoulder, he let the car roll down the freeway and backed it into a rest stop we had just passed. We called AAA and was very surprised at how quickly the tow truck got there. As our car was being loaded onto the back of the truck, snow flakes began swirling. This was going to be a long day.
(Also as we climbed into the truck, the thought crossed my mind that I should have grabbed my camera to document this part of our weekend, too. But at the time, I was just a "wee" bit stressed and quite frankly did not care. However, as we were let out of the truck at the car shop, I did pull out my camera to grab the above photo.)
We were towed back a few miles to La Grande, OR and after an hour or so, we learned that it was indeed our transmission and it would take about $3000 and a week to fix. We weighed our options and decided to have them fix it there (as opposed to having it towed to Vancouver for $700+ and then still having to pay for a transmission replacement) and took our friend's offer to let him come pick us up so we could still spend the weekend with them.
As I mentioned, the snow had begun falling as we were being towed. As we sat in the mechanic's shop for a couple more hours, we listened to their radios and heard about accident after accident. Even with all the rotten luck and stress I was feeling, we couldn't help but feel grateful that at least we were safe and at least our breakdown happened before the city had run out of tow trucks. (At one point, they were out of ambulances because of all the accidents. We really were very fortunate.) Due to the storms, it took Steve several hours to reach us. Even without the storms, it would have taken him at least four hours.
After awhile, I took the girls to our car sitting infront of the shop so they could watch movies on our dvd player. We would start the car just long enough to warm up and charge the battery, then turn it off to watch a movie. They watched four movies while we waited. We were bundled up in scarves, gloves, coats, and blankets and munched on our traveling snack food and sandwiches. Finally, around 9pm, Steve arrived. We moved the essentials to his car, leaving extras in ours since we weren't sure the size of vehicle we would be renting to get home and didn't know if everything would fit if we took it all. After gassing up, grabbing some real food, and buying me some dramamine, we headed out into the storm to finish our journey.
Thanks to that Dramamine, I slept most of the way. And thanks to being asleep, I missed the slipping and sliding that took place. Apparently, we had a couple pretty close calls, but fortunately, we managed to arrive safely in Twin Falls around 4am. We quickly unloaded and crashed... into beds and onto floors, just grateful to be somewhere warm and safe.
***Kudos galore to our friend Steve for driving all that way to get us and then back again through the night to get us safely to his home!
Not quite half way to our destination, our transmission died. We were heading up a mountain, so after Ryan pulled over to the shoulder, he let the car roll down the freeway and backed it into a rest stop we had just passed. We called AAA and was very surprised at how quickly the tow truck got there. As our car was being loaded onto the back of the truck, snow flakes began swirling. This was going to be a long day.
(Also as we climbed into the truck, the thought crossed my mind that I should have grabbed my camera to document this part of our weekend, too. But at the time, I was just a "wee" bit stressed and quite frankly did not care. However, as we were let out of the truck at the car shop, I did pull out my camera to grab the above photo.)
We were towed back a few miles to La Grande, OR and after an hour or so, we learned that it was indeed our transmission and it would take about $3000 and a week to fix. We weighed our options and decided to have them fix it there (as opposed to having it towed to Vancouver for $700+ and then still having to pay for a transmission replacement) and took our friend's offer to let him come pick us up so we could still spend the weekend with them.
As I mentioned, the snow had begun falling as we were being towed. As we sat in the mechanic's shop for a couple more hours, we listened to their radios and heard about accident after accident. Even with all the rotten luck and stress I was feeling, we couldn't help but feel grateful that at least we were safe and at least our breakdown happened before the city had run out of tow trucks. (At one point, they were out of ambulances because of all the accidents. We really were very fortunate.) Due to the storms, it took Steve several hours to reach us. Even without the storms, it would have taken him at least four hours.
After awhile, I took the girls to our car sitting infront of the shop so they could watch movies on our dvd player. We would start the car just long enough to warm up and charge the battery, then turn it off to watch a movie. They watched four movies while we waited. We were bundled up in scarves, gloves, coats, and blankets and munched on our traveling snack food and sandwiches. Finally, around 9pm, Steve arrived. We moved the essentials to his car, leaving extras in ours since we weren't sure the size of vehicle we would be renting to get home and didn't know if everything would fit if we took it all. After gassing up, grabbing some real food, and buying me some dramamine, we headed out into the storm to finish our journey.
Thanks to that Dramamine, I slept most of the way. And thanks to being asleep, I missed the slipping and sliding that took place. Apparently, we had a couple pretty close calls, but fortunately, we managed to arrive safely in Twin Falls around 4am. We quickly unloaded and crashed... into beds and onto floors, just grateful to be somewhere warm and safe.
***Kudos galore to our friend Steve for driving all that way to get us and then back again through the night to get us safely to his home!
I'm a Winner!
My siblings and I have been using Elfster.com to organize our gift exchange this year. About a week ago, Elfster started their "12 days of Christmas" giveaway. You go on everyday and can select up to 3 things that you would like to win from a list of items that they post. Then, they select random people to win. The winners are announced the next day. You don't know what you've won yet, just that it's one of the items you selected. You only find out when it arrives at your door and you unwrap it. Cool, huh?
So, I don't ever expect to win these things but it's still fun to play, right? Last night when we got home, I took a second to hop on to enter that day's choices. (And I looked at what the previous choices had been and gladly felt like I hadn't missed out on much. lol) This morning, as they e-mailed the list of winners... MY NAME WAS ONE OF THEM! I have no idea what I've won yet... it's either:
Auntie Anne's Make Your Own Pretzel Kit
Seagate Freeagent Portable 320 gb Disk Drive
As you can see, they have a variety of items on their list each day. It'll be fun to see what arrives in our mailbox this month!
So, I don't ever expect to win these things but it's still fun to play, right? Last night when we got home, I took a second to hop on to enter that day's choices. (And I looked at what the previous choices had been and gladly felt like I hadn't missed out on much. lol) This morning, as they e-mailed the list of winners... MY NAME WAS ONE OF THEM! I have no idea what I've won yet... it's either:
Auntie Anne's Make Your Own Pretzel Kit
Worth $12.95
Who wouldn't enjoy a warm and delicious hand-rolled soft pretzel straight from the oven? And, to top it off, you don't even have to leave the comfort of your own home! The kit includes all of the dry ingredients to mix, twist, and bake 10 Original or Cinnamon Sugar pretzels. Just add butter, vegetable oil, and non-stick spray. It's a fun holiday gift because the Make-Your-Own Pretzel Kit is a simple and fun activity (for adults or children) with an aromatic and delicious ending!
Or...
Jockey Being Family Bear that Gives Back
Worth $8.50
This cuddly-soft, adorable bear makes a heartwarming gift. And for each Being Family™ Bear sold, Jockey® will donate $3 to adoption charities such as the North American Council on Adoptable Children and the Dave Thomas Foundation, helping to strengthen adoptive families for successful futures. Additionally, Jockey Being Family also supports families after they have been adopted through Jockey employee volunteerism activities, financial support to nonprofit partners and Home Adaptations.
OR...Seagate Freeagent Portable 320 gb Disk Drive
Worth $129.99
Everybody's personal "stuff" is going digital - from music to family photos, video and work files – which means they have meaningful content they need to protect. Enter Seagate Technology's newest external hard drives, the Seagate FreeAgent Go and the Seagate FreeAgent XTreme which have already received CNET's Editors Choice awards. They are the practical but unique gift people will be happy to get because they not only protect all the content they already have will create, but they now be offered in 10 great colors for a limited time.
As you can see, they have a variety of items on their list each day. It'll be fun to see what arrives in our mailbox this month!
Our Weekend in Numbers
4: days we would be gone.
8 or 9: hours it usually takes to get there.
20: hours it took us to get there this time.
3,000: dollars it will cost to fix the transmission that went out on our way there.
7: days before we would have our car back.
264: miles we were from home.
300: miles Steve drove from Twin Falls (through a snowstorm) to rescue us so we could still go to our annual party.
40: minutes Rori was able to nap on Ryan's lap in the Mechanic's waiting room.
3: how many times the girls watched Meet the Robinsons while we waited for Steve to get to us.
1: times they watched Shrek the Third after Meet the Robinsons.
16: rows I crocheted (of a baby blanket) while waiting.
20: minutes I napped while waiting.
3: times we "fishtailed" on our way to Twin Falls in the storm.
4: o'clock in the morning... the time we finally arrived at our friends' house.
17: people staying in one house over the weekend.
2: more inches of snow that fell while we were there.
Way too much: delicious food consumed.
3: times Rori called Santa "Ho ho ho".
2: games of speed Uno (each game lasts a couple of hours).
2.5: hours of sleep the guys got after staying up until after 4am playing xbox.
0: hours of napping Ryan got the next day.
45: minutes a "10 minute" walk took after dinner.
239: pictures we took on our camera.
3: new stories to add to our "remember when" sessions. (at least)
10: years we've been having our annual party.
4: times we've missed - 3 due to living in Massachusetts and 1 due to I-84 being closed because of an ice storm.
180+: dollars it costs to rent a car one way from Twin Falls to Portland.
105: dollars for snow chains on a car you don't own.
4: months we have to wait to return snow chains which we thankfully didn't need to use.
11: hours it took to drive home.
10: hours it would have taken.
2: lanes a semi truck was blocking of the bridge we usually take to get into Vancouver. We finally gave up, and drove around the other side of town to get home.
2: hours later, when Ryan went to return the car rental, that truck was still there blocking traffic!
1: hour early Ryan woke up this morning because his pager was still set to Idaho time. lol
Spending the weekend with some of our best friends, laughing, visiting, and celebrating the season together: Totally Worth It!
8 or 9: hours it usually takes to get there.
20: hours it took us to get there this time.
3,000: dollars it will cost to fix the transmission that went out on our way there.
7: days before we would have our car back.
264: miles we were from home.
300: miles Steve drove from Twin Falls (through a snowstorm) to rescue us so we could still go to our annual party.
40: minutes Rori was able to nap on Ryan's lap in the Mechanic's waiting room.
3: how many times the girls watched Meet the Robinsons while we waited for Steve to get to us.
1: times they watched Shrek the Third after Meet the Robinsons.
16: rows I crocheted (of a baby blanket) while waiting.
20: minutes I napped while waiting.
3: times we "fishtailed" on our way to Twin Falls in the storm.
4: o'clock in the morning... the time we finally arrived at our friends' house.
17: people staying in one house over the weekend.
2: more inches of snow that fell while we were there.
Way too much: delicious food consumed.
3: times Rori called Santa "Ho ho ho".
2: games of speed Uno (each game lasts a couple of hours).
2.5: hours of sleep the guys got after staying up until after 4am playing xbox.
0: hours of napping Ryan got the next day.
45: minutes a "10 minute" walk took after dinner.
239: pictures we took on our camera.
3: new stories to add to our "remember when" sessions. (at least)
10: years we've been having our annual party.
4: times we've missed - 3 due to living in Massachusetts and 1 due to I-84 being closed because of an ice storm.
180+: dollars it costs to rent a car one way from Twin Falls to Portland.
105: dollars for snow chains on a car you don't own.
4: months we have to wait to return snow chains which we thankfully didn't need to use.
11: hours it took to drive home.
10: hours it would have taken.
2: lanes a semi truck was blocking of the bridge we usually take to get into Vancouver. We finally gave up, and drove around the other side of town to get home.
2: hours later, when Ryan went to return the car rental, that truck was still there blocking traffic!
1: hour early Ryan woke up this morning because his pager was still set to Idaho time. lol
Spending the weekend with some of our best friends, laughing, visiting, and celebrating the season together: Totally Worth It!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Over the river and thru the woods.
Not to mention over mountains and across states...
This weekend we're taking off again! This time, it's to see our good friends in Idaho. We've been sharing Christmas together since we were all newlyweds living in Pocatello. Most of us didn't have family real close at the time, so we would spend the holiday together. We obviously don't live in Idaho anymore, but we still get together at some point in the season to renew our friendships and carry on our tradition(s).
One of those traditions is a gift exchange. Steve always writes a story about "Riley Right" (Riley is the first of the kids in our group) and we rotate our gifts right or left (and sometimes across) as the story is told. Whatever you end up with at the end is yours! The best part is the crazy stories Steve comes up with!
Now that we have gaggles of kids, we make them dress up and do a little nativity story. lol It's most fun when at least one of the kids has just been in trouble and is crying/pouting through the whole thing. ;) We also like to have a certain "jolly" man come make a surprise visit to the kids on Saturday.
We usually like to remininsce about our "younger days". Inevitably, the story about Ryan resting a car transmission on his forehead will come up. As well as crazy camping stories and the pranks Tom has played on us. We remember staying up til 2am eating Laura's amazing chocolate chip cookies and watching movies while the boys worked on a car.
We always stuff our faces with Steve's awesome cooking. And we simply MUST play a game of Speed Uno. But most of all, we just hang out and remember just how good our friendships are. We laugh, we cry... we laugh until we cry. lol And it's one of our favorite parts of Christmas. :)
And so, today I'm packing for another long drive to see loved ones. My back is still very sore but I've got a back brace on and I've taken a lot of drugs, and just the thought of what awaits when we arrive there tomorrow night is helping me to push through the pain and get us all ready to leave. I'm sure I'll pay for it when I attempt to sleep tonight, but I still think it will be worth it. In fact, I know it will be. :)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
How can one little girl be so naughty and yet so nice?
I swear that Aurora gets into more trouble in one day than Acadia did in all her toddler/preschool years combined. For reals!
Today she emptied a container of baby wipes, kept piling up wrapped Christmas presents and then climbing and sitting on them, colored with a dry erase marker, undressed herself - including diaper... TWICE, kept trying to climb over the baby gate, snuck candy, and to top it off, tonight she got into a bottle of nail polish remover. I was not near her at the time; she was in the playroom. What a bottle of nail polish remover was doing in there is beyond me. When she came out of the room, Cadi called to me (I was playing the piano) and said that Rori "smelled funny". As soon as I got near her, I could smell it. I went with her back into the playroom to confirm it and sure enough, there was an empty bottle of nail polish remover. It had been spilt all over, it was on her pajamas, and ON HER BREATH. I read the bottle, had Cadi get her a big glass of juice to drink, and then called poison control. We don't think she actually drank any of it because that would have hurt and she didn't cry or fuss at all during this time. She isn't acting funny or anything either. They asked me to keep her up for another hour though, and call them before putting her to bed.
Some days...
And yet. Today she also kept licking Cadi and I (affectionately, like a cat or puppy), pretended a storage tub was a toilet and sat on it (fully clothed, thankfully) telling me she was in the bathroom (Could potty training be in our near future? I hope!), was so happy when Cadi got home from school and played nicely with her this afternoon, helped me to sing "I am a Child of God" to Cadi tonight when we put her to bed, and has been giving me hugs and kisses a lot today.
Just when I think this girl is destined to get coal in her stocking every year until she's 80, she flips her switch and is as sweet as can be.
Today she emptied a container of baby wipes, kept piling up wrapped Christmas presents and then climbing and sitting on them, colored with a dry erase marker, undressed herself - including diaper... TWICE, kept trying to climb over the baby gate, snuck candy, and to top it off, tonight she got into a bottle of nail polish remover. I was not near her at the time; she was in the playroom. What a bottle of nail polish remover was doing in there is beyond me. When she came out of the room, Cadi called to me (I was playing the piano) and said that Rori "smelled funny". As soon as I got near her, I could smell it. I went with her back into the playroom to confirm it and sure enough, there was an empty bottle of nail polish remover. It had been spilt all over, it was on her pajamas, and ON HER BREATH. I read the bottle, had Cadi get her a big glass of juice to drink, and then called poison control. We don't think she actually drank any of it because that would have hurt and she didn't cry or fuss at all during this time. She isn't acting funny or anything either. They asked me to keep her up for another hour though, and call them before putting her to bed.
Some days...
And yet. Today she also kept licking Cadi and I (affectionately, like a cat or puppy), pretended a storage tub was a toilet and sat on it (fully clothed, thankfully) telling me she was in the bathroom (Could potty training be in our near future? I hope!), was so happy when Cadi got home from school and played nicely with her this afternoon, helped me to sing "I am a Child of God" to Cadi tonight when we put her to bed, and has been giving me hugs and kisses a lot today.
Just when I think this girl is destined to get coal in her stocking every year until she's 80, she flips her switch and is as sweet as can be.
But wait... there's more!
We came home on the Monday after Thanksgiving and then had four days to get ready for my mom and three of my brothers to come up to see us. We invited them up to see the Festival of Nativities that our stake hosts every year. They arrived on Friday night and we had a really nice visit during the weekend.
I had purchased a gingerbread house for Cadi to decorate with her grandma and they had a fun time doing it! They got creative and made a Rudolf to mount above the front door. lol
Of course, while they were here, we went to the Festival of the Nativities. I didn't take any pictures of the nativities, but I did get pictures of the girls dressed up and in the manger scene.
My brothers are all so patient with the girls! This is my brother, Andrew. Since he'll be leaving on a 2 year mission for our church soon, it was nice to have an extra weekend to visit with him.
They left yesterday morning. Now we have just a few days before we leave to visit our friends in Idaho for our annual Christmas get together. Busy times! I'm so glad I was able to get everything ready for Christmas before we left for Thanksgiving! *whew*
I had purchased a gingerbread house for Cadi to decorate with her grandma and they had a fun time doing it! They got creative and made a Rudolf to mount above the front door. lol
Of course, while they were here, we went to the Festival of the Nativities. I didn't take any pictures of the nativities, but I did get pictures of the girls dressed up and in the manger scene.
My brothers are all so patient with the girls! This is my brother, Andrew. Since he'll be leaving on a 2 year mission for our church soon, it was nice to have an extra weekend to visit with him.
They left yesterday morning. Now we have just a few days before we leave to visit our friends in Idaho for our annual Christmas get together. Busy times! I'm so glad I was able to get everything ready for Christmas before we left for Thanksgiving! *whew*
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