Adventures in Wonderland...

Christmas 2009…6 1/2 months pregnant

2010-02-14T17:14:00.001-08:00

Trevor and I traveled up to Boise, Idaho to be with his family over the Christmas holiday! We stayed with Jen, Trev’s sister, in their new, gorgeous home. It was so nice to be able to get away, enjoy some time with the family, and celebrate Christ’s birth. My favorite gift…being 6 1/2 months along! What a blessing!!!

The Story…

2009-09-20T20:00:00.001-07:00

Trev and I started trying to have a baby six months into our marriage. When things didn’t occur as planned we started seeking medical help. After 4 years of no success we decided to go the adoption route but the process of getting in all the paperwork to be approved took us a year and a half as I was flying back and forth for training in California every other month. Then, last summer we found out that we were pregnant. We were so surprised and excited that we told all our friends, sent care packages announcing the pregnancy to my family and planned to surprise Trev’s family at his upcoming family reunion. Unfortunately, two weeks after we found out, I miscarried. It was the most horrific thing I’ve ever had to go through. Trevor was absolutely amazing through the whole thing and was really the rock I needed. I never want to go through that again, but the silver lining was that we became closer and stronger as a couple than we ever were before. I am grateful for that. Over the next year I thought I was pregnant several times. My hopes would sore just to come crashing down when all the pregnancy tests came back negative. I learned to hold off on taking a test for a couple weeks when the symptoms came on and my period would usually come or the symptoms would just go away. Meanwhile we were feverishly trying to get our adoption papers finished so we could finally be approved. We felt really good about this route so we continued forth. In May we got word that our file was in order and that we were approved and on the waiting list! We were so excited. Then, the last week in July we got a call we’d been hoping for! Our case worker had a baby who was due in 5 days and wondered if we wanted him. There were some complications with the birth and the baby would probably have some problems due to the birth mother’s drug use and hereditary health problems. The baby was also coming from another agency so the fee was more than double what we were planning on and we’d have to come up with the money by the time he was induced. We would have done it all, though, if it was right. Trev came home from work early and we prayed like crazy and even consulted both of our sets of parents. But we couldn’t get a good feeling. We tried and tried but when it came down to it, this was not our baby. So we called up our case worker and had to tell her no. Thankfully we had complete peace about the decision we made. The thought that kept coming to my mind was how could I take someone else’s baby away from them because he did belong to another family who was waiting just like us. Well, a week after saying no, we found out we were pregnant. I’d had some symptoms but by this time I knew that it was probably just my period. I hadn’t had one since March so it was about time. Trev and I were preparing for a 3 day Youth Conference Trek/campout and as the time grew closer and the symptoms weren’t going away I figured I’d just take a test so I could go on the Trek without worrying. So two days before we were to leave I got up and took the test. I had no hopes whatsoever because I just new that test would come back negative, just like always. You can imagine my SHOCK when I looked at that stick and it clearly said PREGNANT. I couldn’t figure out how this could be true. I went and woke up Trevor. I couldn’t even talk. I just showed him the stick, turned it over and sat there stunned. We both were speechless. It still surprises me. Well, as you can imagine, I went to Youth Conference but didn’t go on the 6 mile hike. I had miscarried the year before after going on the Girls Camp hike so I took the safe road and stayed in camp. I’ve had several weeks of morning sickness which actually visits in the afternoon but am hopefully getting better (knock on wood). It’s longer between visits to the ceramic throne, at least. This last week we had a bit of a scare. I woke up and noticed blood. I was spotting. Luckily, I had my scheduled doctor’s appointment that afternoon so I took the morning off, stayed in bed until my appointment and then Trevor took me to the doctor. My doctor is really great and called in another doctor to do an ultra sound. The first one didn’t show a heart beat. At that point I was bracing myself for a miscarriage but when he went in another way he found the baby right away. I started crying from relief and awe that we could see the baby so well. The baby kept stretching and moving while we watched! It was absolutely the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. The doctor measured the baby again and moved my due date up 3 days which means I’m now 12 weeks along. He said that the miscarriage rate drops to 5% now that we’ve seen a strong heartbeat! Keep praying for us, though. We’ll need all the help we can get from above to get this baby here safe and sound.

A picture paints a thousand words…

2009-09-09T21:08:00.001-07:00

Summer Vacation…Washington, DC!

2009-09-09T20:40:00.001-07:00

This year, Teacher Leader Institute was in Arlington, Virginia. I wasn’t too thrilled about the location as last summer was in Florida and my colleague and I went out several days early to play at Disney World! We had a blast. I didn’t see how Washington, DC could compare. Boy, was I wrong! Trevor got to come with me this trip and we had the very best time, EVER. Just wish the conference could be in DC every year. Every possible second outside the conference was spent touring all the national monuments and sites and yet, we still only skimmed the surface.

My most favorite Smithsonian was the Museum of Natural History. Thanks to the Payne’s tip, we went on a Tuesday and the butterfly exhibit was free! I could have stayed in there for hours and hours. We learned all about different kinds of butterflies, how they long they live (some butterflies metamorphous without any mouth parts and only live as long as their energy lasts while others live two weeks or longer), and where most butterflies come from!

This one hitched a ride for quite some time!

Later that night we went to the movie “Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian” at the Smithsonian! It was so cool to have seen the places that were in the movie and be right there where the movie took place!

We took a bus tour that stops at each of the monuments. It was absolutely amazing to see these places and feel the patriotic feeling that engulfs you. We were awestruck!

Waiting for the tour bus.

What a handsome guy!

At Arlington Cemetary we got to watch the changing of the gaurds. Such a sobering experience to witness and see all those who have given their lives for our freedom.

My favorite monument…the Lincoln Memorial!

While we were on the bus tour we tried to get off to get tickets to the Printing and Engraving tour and thought we’d look around the Holocaust Museum while we waited for the next bus to come around. We raised our hand to get off at that particular stop but the bus guy didn’t see us and drove to the next stop. We were fine with that since we had tons to see. Later that day, we found out that had we gotten off the bus we may very well have been in the Holocaust Museum when a shooter entered the building shooting 3 people. We could have been one of those three people. But, fortunately were watched and protected in a major way.

There were magnolia trees all over DC. The flowers smelled so very good and the blooms were the size of my head! Huge and gloriously beautiful.

Graduation…FINALLY!!!

2009-09-09T18:49:00.001-07:00

For the past 2 years I’ve been working on my Master’s degree and it’s FINALLY finished! I actually walked in May but finished my courses this summer. My mom, dad, sister Megan, and of course my hubby drove down to Cedar City to watch the event. President Monson was the key note speaker. I was actually on the 2nd row…the closest I’ve ever been to the prophet! Very cool. I’m really just relieved to be finished! Phew!

The BIG 30!

2009-04-26T18:57:00.001-07:00

Yes, it’s true. I’m now three decades old! It’s been a crazy busy week with taking over my colleague’s training class because of her surgery, my training class, the Girls Camp Fundraiser on Friday as well as an all day training on Saturday and Stake Conference meetings this weekend that I figured this birthday would go by like the last few birthdays but Trev surprised me on Tuesday by coming home really early (I actually thought someone was trying to break into our house since he was home so early) and took me out to dinner, gave me a birthday card good for a new bed for our guest bedroom that I’ve wanted for quite some time, and even bought me a cake. On my real birthday he gave me the game Ticket To Ride which I’ve wanted ever since we played it at the Payne’s house a couple months ago! It’s been a week full of birthday celebrations! My brother and his girlfriend sent me the funniest card and a huge gift card to Borders (can’t wait to get more books!) and I got calls all day long from family and friends. Nikki brought be over a really pretty Lily and my Mother-in-law sent me a beautiful Hawaiian necklace that I just love!

Gosh, this makes me look ancient! No…the fire department didn’t show up.

And the celebrations will continue into next week. My parents are coming up for my Master’s degree graduation (I’m walking on May 2nd!) and we’ll celebrate the two together.

When It Rains…It Pours!

2009-04-26T18:33:00.001-07:00

I’ve heard it said that bad things happen in 3’s. I’m cringing for what may come next. First the car accident and now our basement flooded…what’s next? Three weeks ago I came home to a very eerie sound. It sounded like the white noise you hear when a channel isn’t working on TV. As I walked further into the house it sounded like someone was taking a shower in the walls around my stairs. It was then that I knew that something was terribly wrong. I ran downstairs to my basement and…splash-splash came the sound my feet made as I took the first step off the bottom stair. This is a just a small sampling of what I found…

We later found out that the pressure valve that maintains the water pressure from the city to our house went bad. Our water softener couldn’t take the pressure and blew the seal which sprayed water not only into our basement but up the walls which then seeped through to our front room. Our carpet is so light that you really couldn’t tell where the water came out so I didn’t include those pictures. After frantically calling Trevor to find out how to turn the dang water valves off and to come home quickly, we called our insurance company. They had us call in a clean-up crew who came in and tore all our carpet up, suctioned up as much water as possible and then infused our house with massive fans and de-humidifiers for the next week to dry the walls and remaining carpet. Luckily, since we’d caught it in time there wasn’t too much damage. We lost all of our 500 lbs of wheat since we hadn’t put it in buckets yet, our front room carpet had to be torn out since it wasn’t salvageable, and we lost a few other minor food storage items but that was it. After clean-up costs and the outrageous cost of fixing the water softener the insurance company’s check allowed us to break even minus new carpet. We’ll have to foot the bill on that one. They said that the basement carpet was “re-useable” and that it could be stretched and re-tacked. They’d only cover the cost of the front room. If we chose that option, though, we’d have 3 different kinds of carpet throughout the house and that just isn’t going to happen. Trev and I have wanted new carpet since we moved in so I guess this is just the push we needed to get it done. Now it’s just a matter of painting the whole house with the old carpet still in before we get the new. The basement living room is complete (I’ll upload pictures another day). Now we just have to find time to paint the rest! Wish us luck…lots of luck so a 3rd catastrophe won’t occur.

Blog is fixed!

2009-03-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! Several months ago I tried to change some things on my blog and must have taken off the comments option as several of you have mentioned that you haven't been able to post to the blog. I think it's fixed, now. Trev, my knight in shining armor when it comes to computer problems, took a look and figured it all out. Let me know if it's working for you. Loves...Addie

Our New Car...

2009-03-01T18:19:00.001-08:00

Well, after several days of online shopping and two days dealing with pushy salesman we decided to buy this cute, silver 2006 Limited Addition Hyundai Sonata. It was actually the very first car we test drove and Trev fell in love with it instantaneously. It's fully loaded with leather seats, "bun warmers" as my mother calls the seat warmers, sunroof, tinted windows, and lots of other bells and whistles. We found the car at Carmax and was pleasantly surprised with their non-pushy salesman and their no-haggle pricing. Trev gets between 30-40 miles per gallon on the freeway and has trouble speeding because of the car's get-up-and-go. We're loving the new car!

Reading Recovery Ohio Conference...

2009-02-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

This past week I got to go to Columbus, Ohio with two of my colleagues for the Reading Recover and K-6 National Literacy Conference. The classes were amazing...I learned so much and can't wait to share all of the Ah-ha's I had with my training class and those previously trained. We also got to eat out at some very different and delicious places. Ted's Montana Grill was quite unique...I had bison and actually loved it. Another favorite was Buca di Beppo's. When we came in our waiter gave us a tour of the kitchen on the way to our table! What an experience. When he started headed in that direction I wondered if we were really supposed to follow him. I was so surprised! The food was so to die for! Family style and full of flavors. My favorite was the salad with apple slices and cinnamon roasted walnuts. Sooooo good! *SIGH* While there I discovered the wonderfulness of earplugs! The hotel we stayed in supplied us with a sleep gift bag which contained several things including a set of ear plugs. I'm such a light sleeper that I thought I'd try them. Ahhhh...what bliss! I didn't hear anything. In fact, one night I slept through the alarm, my colleagues getting ready in the morning, and almost didn't make it to my first class on time! Nine hours of sleep was exactly what I needed. Even though I had a great time and learned so much I sure was glad to get back home. The plane ride home was a bit much. We didn't get home till late and I didn't get to bed until 3am with the time change. Ugh! I decided to stay home the next day to catch up on sleep, unpack, and do the laundry. Unfortunately, when I went to do the grocery shopping later that day things got pretty crunched up...

I was at a yellow light trying to turn left. On coming traffic had stopped and a double axel toe-like truck was just switching lanes and seemed to be slowing down. The light turned red and I thought I was safe to turn. I didn't see the truck barreling through until it was too late. I hit his front rear axel and he proceeded to roll right over me. I was stunned and disorientated. The ambulance took me to the hospital and luckily there weren't any major injuries except maybe to my pride. Yep, I got the ticket...failure to yield while turning left. Even if the light is red left turning vehicles still have to yield to oncoming traffic. It's made me much more weary of trying to sneak through on a yellow light. Scary situation that could have been a lot worse. I just have some sore muscles, scrapes, bruises, and am extremely tired. I've felt so much support from my friends and family. Nikki brought Trev and I the most delicious dinner, the Brother Smith came over late last night to give me a blessing and his family brought over a beautiful loaf of homemade bread, Trevor's company (OrangeSoda, Inc.) sent me roses and a get well card, I've had lots of calls from concerned family members and friends wondering what they can do to help. I'd never want to do this again, but it's nice to know and feel how loved I am. I was seriously protected and for that I'm ever so grateful. I've got to get some sleep, though, so I'll update this entry tomorrow when I'm feeling better.

Hitting the Slopes...

2009-02-12T19:16:00.000-08:00

Trevor and I used to ski in high school and college but after we got married money was tight and time was even tighter so it got pushed to the wayside. Well, on a wim we decided to get our thermals on and head to higher ground for some fresh air and fun! Trev got to try out his brand new Helly Hansen coat and taught me how to parallel ski. I'm definitely a beginner at it but am on my way to figuring it all out. I've "snow plowed" for so long that it's hard to break the habbit. Unfortunately, I forgot how many muscles you use and was quite jelly-like by the time we got home. Thank goodness for hot tubs!

We had so much fun that Trev got online and found a pair of skiis for me for $25! They need to be resurfaced but otherwise in great repair! Can't wait to go out again, soon.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

2008-12-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

Trevor, Me, Dad, Mom, Alissa (the little stinker...sticking out her tongue!), Sara, Kendra, Josh, and Megan. Christmas Day in front of my parents' home in Colorado!

We had a two new inches of snow during the night and since another 6-12 inches would be coming in the next few hours and 3 feet in the mountains, Josh, Kendra, Sara and Alissa decided to drive back to Denver before the storm hit. But before they could leave we took advantage of the new snow and had a good snowball fight!

Pistol Packin' Mamas

2008-12-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

According to tradition we (Trev, Dad, me and Meg) went out shooting together. I beat Trev 2 out of 3 rounds easily but Meg was a different story...it looks like I'm going to have to give up my "Pistol Packin' Mama" title to her. She whipped my buttooski! It was mighty cold but we had lots of fun and used plenty of shells.

Super Saturday Fun...

2008-10-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

Mom followed me back to Utah for my Fall Break the next week after Super Saturday. We canned tons of salsa, tomatoes, and food storage items I've had for several months. I reserved the dry pack canner for the weekend and we went to town.

Trying the old wives tale that if you hold matches in your mouth while cutting onions it won't sting your eyes...yeah, I think the contacts helped more than the matches. Thanks, Michelle, for the salsa recipe! Yum-yum!

We also surprised Megan. She had decided to come up for Fall Break but didn't know mom was coming up. I'd told her that we were going to paint my front room (my original plan before mom and Meg decided to come up) but ended up shopping instead! We tricked her by planting mom's cell phone in the kitchen. When Meg came in I told her mom had been calling wondering if Meg had gotten there yet and to call her as soon as she did. Well, when Meg called her cell, it started buzzing in the the kitchen at which point mom (who was upstairs) said, "Oh, is that my phone going off?" Meg was so surprised!! Hee-hee-hee!

My mom's Ward Super Saturday was last weekend so I got the double benefit of being able to pick up my Granny's piano (see below) as well as crafting with my mom! I decided to just work on one project in hopes of actually completing it. Well, after lots of chatting, good food and crafting you can see what my project will someday look like below...no, I didn't get it completed

(big surprise!).

This one was done by my very talented and beautiful mother-dearest! The pattern was taken from an Art to Heart pattern by Nancy Halverson.

Granny's Piano...

2008-10-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

11 years ago when my Granny passed away my mom got her piano. Several years later I told my mom that if she ever wanted to get rid of it I'd love to have it! She then told me that the reason why she'd kept it all these years was because I had been taking piano lesson in college when my Granny passed away. Since I was the only one who had taken much interest in piano she assumed I'd eventually want it. Now that we have our own place and space and after several threats to sell the dang thing if we didn't come and pick it up (hee-hee-hee), Trev and I rented a U-haul, got the missionaries next door to help my dad and hubby load it up, and safely transported it to our own home! Thanks to these good ol' guys as well as our home teachers and fantastic friends unloading it the following day we now have my Granny's beautiful piano full of wonderful memories. Trev seems to enjoy playing it just as much as I do...now only if we could actually play.

I've got to find a piano teacher!

Havesting Time...

2008-10-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

Before taking off for Colorado last weekend we decided that we had better do some harvesting in our garden. The weatherman predicted freezing temperatures and snowfall in our Happy Valley so up came the tomato plants, squash, green pepper plants, green beans and cucumbers. Yum-o!

Trev couldn't believe how big some of our squash got. We ended up feeding several of the largest to the Payne's chickens as well as some of our yucky tomatoes and cucumbers.

They loved all the treats!Trevor detangled the tomato plants and lugged them into the garage where he hung them in hopes of getting the green ones ripe in the next few weeks.

Trevor's Twinkle Toes

2008-10-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

When Trevor was playing on my laptop and wouldn't give it back I decided to entertain myself by painting his toe nails. I had to hold him down to actually get the job done and I think I ended up with more paint on his skin than on his nails but it was one of those times when I just had get him back! He'll kill me once he sees that I posted a picture of his twinkle toes but I just can't help it! That color sure does look good with his skin tone, don't you think? Hee-hee-hee!

The Albertson Family Excursion 2008...

2008-09-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

This summer has been extremely busy. Most of my summer was composed of taking 12 credits through SUU towards my Master's degree which was more work than I ever thought as it was crammed into such a short time. I also got to go to Girls Camp this year but as leader! I've wanted to get back into Young Women's ever since I turned 18 just because of Girls Camp. It was quite a bit different going as a leader.

There were ups and downs to the summer but one of the good times was our trip to Bear Lake for the Albertson Family Excursion. We went jet skiing, booth shopping at the Rasberry Days celebrations, and Trev even dutch oven cooked for the whole crew. My favorite part, though, was reading the fourth book in the Twilight series out on the beach! What a life!

Dreams Do Come True...

2008-09-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some of my sketches from Disney World...

Not perfect but pretty good if I do say so myself!

Yes, it's true! I went to Disney World this summer! As a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader I'm required to go to Teacher Leader Institute each summer as one of our professional developments. This year it was held in Jacksonville, Florida. So three of my colleagues and I went out about a week early to experience Disney World. Now, I have been to Disneyland twice but I wasn't prepared for how absolutely amazing Disney World really is. I've been obsessed with Disney ever since! I can't get enough and began planning my next visit even before I left for our conference! It couldn't have been a better trip. The only downfall was the heat and humidity, but even that was en experience in and of itself! The absolute best, though, is that I learned about a new talent that I had no idea that I had. I learned that I can actually draw. There in Disney World, and I guess in the new California Adventures in Disneyland, there is an animation section of the park. My friend, Samantha, took me to one of the classes where an animator actually teaches you to draw a Disney character. Something just clicked when I sat there drawing and I was amazed at the feeling of accomplishment each time I went back to draw a different character. I ended up buying several books on drawing as well as a beautiful sketch book. I plan on taking classes this next year to learn more technique! I can't wait! I'll try and scan some of my sketches and download them onto the blog.

Disney's Philharmagic was one of my favorites! 3D is the way to go!

Our most favorite ride was the new Toy Story ride. It was difficult to get into because of how amazing the ride is but we got in twice with fast passes. Wish we could have gone a few more times!
An incredible chick with the Incredibles!

*SIGH* Cinderella's Castle at dusk!
Yum-yum! You really must have one of these things if you ever get to Disney World!

After four days of Teacher Leader classes Brooke, Wendy, and I hit the beach! I was shocked at how warm the water was. We rode the waves, gathered sea shells, and so enjoyed relaxing in the sun! Wish I were there right now!

I love to see the temple...

2008-09-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

On our last day in San Francisco we went to the Oakland Temple where we took some great pictures, saw a first edition of the Book of Mormon, and enjoyed the peaceful feeling there. We also went to the Chabot Space and Science Center. It was really fun learning more about what astronauts go through while in space as well as learning more about the galaxy! Trevor couldn't get enough! We even got to see the a rare sun burst while looking through one of their amazingly gargantuous telescopes!

Of course, being a lover of chocolate, we hit Ghirardelli Square. Unfortunately, because of the hot weather San Francisco was having (it reached over 100 for three consecutive days while we were there!) the chocolate had been melted several times over and was really grainy. Not the best tasting stuff. We had to take it back and get different chocolate from the "cold room".

At Pier 39 the sea lions bask in the sun. I could watch them for hours! For one reason or another sea lions began started arriving in January 1990 shortly after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. At first there were only a handful, but because the bay has lots of their favorite meals (herring), available dock space and the marina’s protected environment, the population grew to more than 300 within a few months. Each winter, the population can increase up to 900 sea lions. During the summer , the sea lions migrate south to the Channel Islands for breeding season, but in recent years a small group stays year-round to our touristy delight!

Other fun things we did at Fisherman's Wharf...Trevor let me fish for a pearl in an oyster! The place we went to had a fun ceremony after I picked my oyster. My oyster held a beautiful white pearl which we set in a gorgeous pineapple plant necklace setting. It goes perfect with my pearl earrings Trev bought me as a wedding gift! I love it! We ate clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls, and walked around all the cute little shops out on the piers. *SIGH*

Alcatraz...

2008-06-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

If you ever get the chance to go to San Francisco you must must must go to Alcatraz Island. I had heard a lot about the prison and had even read a couple of books before going (Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko and Children of Alcatraz, Growing Up on the Rock by Claire Rudolf Murphy). Yet I had no idea how absolutely amazing that place could be. I can't even explain it. You just have to go and see it for yourself. We got some fantastic pictures, Trev got a very handsome jacket that he just looks so hot in, and I got a couple of books. The weather was another out-of-this-world experiences. Previously to getting on the boat the temperature was in the high 80's/low 90's. But as we walked up the hill towards the prison the fog rolled in and covered us in a thick cloud of coldness. It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before when it comes to weather. And boy was it cold. It had been so hot all week long that we hadn't brought jackets with us. I just about froze! All part of the experience, I guess!

The Cell Block...

"Break the rules and you go to prison. Break the prison rules and you go to Alcatraz"

Two love birds...just like Trevor and me!

Painting the Town Red...

2008-06-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

Trev came out to San Francisco for a three day weekend after my graduation to see the sites. The first stop we made was at the Winchester Mansion. Trev's sis recommended we go there and I must admit it was quite interesting. That lady was a little looney but she had some incredible artist pieces such as her daisy windows. The stories were amazing and I loved all of the original wood work. Compared to the real size of the Winchester Mansion this picture make it look quite small. The first tour we took we actually walked 1.5 miles through the house and we only saw parts of it! I can't imagine living there when it was at its peak. The grounds were gorgeous and my favorite part of the two tours we took. We also had fun with Trev's Orange Soda bottle. They're having a contest at work to see who can get some of the best pictures with their logo (Orange Soda, Inc. is a web advertising company Trev works for!).

Mrs. Winchester believed that she had to keep all of the ghosts who had been killed by her husband's guns at peace by continually building onto her house. There were stairways that went no where, doors that opened up to nothing but a steep drop off outside, and the number thirteen throughout the house! My favorite was the door in the floor...how crazy cool! Loved it!

Reading Recovery Teacher Leader Graduation...

2008-06-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

After the hardest year of my life I finally graduated from the Reading Recovery Teacher Leader Program at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California along with some of the greatest people I know...Marilyn, Wendy, (me), Susan, Pam, Brooke, Cori, Adria and Barbara (our trainers) and in front, Tonya and Allison. This year was tougher than I ever imagined yet what I learned has forever changed my life. I can't wait to start training teachers for my district next year. Another change...I'm moving to a new school. I've got mixed feelings about the move but for my own stress level I need to be at my training site as I'd be there more than at my school throughout the week. Wish me luck!

My Little Sis and her Little Girl...

2008-06-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

My little Sis is all grown up and graduated! In February Sara graduated as a Physical Therapist Assistant! We're so proud of her. And look at this picture...is it not the cutest photo of her and my precious niece! Trev and I flew out to Denver for a quick trip. Josh and Kendra let us stay in their beautiful home, we went shopping at Whole Foods (love that place!) and ate at some fantastic restaurants there in Denver!

Flat Baylee attends Utah State University...

2008-06-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

GO AGGIES!

On our way to Heather's wedding reception in Hyde Park we stopped by USU to show Flat Baylee around. We convinced her how fabulous campus is. She's decided to attend when she graduates from High School. She took back a T-shirt for Baylee to wear. Way cute!

Happy Birthday!

2008-06-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

Flat Baylee and I both celebrated birthdays while she was here. Chocolate Cake...my favorite! Baylee turned 8 while I turned the big Two - Nine. Eeek...I'll be 30 next year. Never thought I'd be saying that.

Flat Baylee at Thanksgiving Point's Tulip Festival...

2008-06-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the weather this spring was so cold that the tulips had a tough time poppin' up out of the ground. Luckily we did get a few photos in with

Flat Baylee.

Flat Baylee and the Search for Taffy...

2008-06-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

In March during one of my Reading Recovery Teacher Leader Trainings, we hit the beach in Santa Cruz. While there we came upon a cute little store with gobs and gobs of Salt Water Taffy. Thinking it was just like Bruce's Candy Kitchen in Cannon Beach, Oregon I loaded up on all the tons of flavors. After purchasing (and spending a bundle) I asked the cashier if they pulled the taffy on location. She smiled and replied that they ordered in all of their taffy from a company in SALT LAKE CITY! I just about died knowing that I could have bought this same product for much much cheaper. Thus, we went in search of the company that ships all over the USA but is a local shin dig! We found it in Taffy Town. There we learned that Salt Water Taffy was actually invented by mistake. A huge storm came up in Atlantic City and ruined the candy process in one of candy shops. But when the owner tasted it the candy was fantastic...thus the birth of Salt Water Taffy. We sent a big bag home with Flat Baylee for the class to share. Yum-Yum!

Flat Baylee Hits Cabela's...

2008-06-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

Watch Out, Trev!

That fish is about to bite your head off!

Flat Baylee Goes to Work...

2008-06-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

Flat Baylee took some time to go to work with both Trevor and I. She had some Orange Soda, played with Addie's students, and best of all...

learned a thing or two about programing!

Flat Baylee Goes Diving...

2008-05-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

Another adventure we took was to see the Living Aquarium. There are hundreds of different kinds of fish and animals from the ocean and even an entire section of aquatic animals that are native to our home State! We saw jellyfish and an octopus, seahorses and sharks, coral and clown fish, but our absolute favorite were the sting rays. Inside of a large open water tank shaped like a huge tidal pool swim tiger fish and about 6-8 stingrays. Kids can put their hands into the tank and actually touch one! It’s amazing! They’re so beautiful and feel smooth and slippery when you touch them. I actually swam with stingrays when I went to the Caymen Islands with my best friend, Melissa, and her family in high school and was amazed that their mouths are on the underside of their bodies and are like little vacuums that quickly suck food up! One even sucked the food I was holding all the way up to my wrist! Sooooo cool! In the gift shop we found a great stuffed animal stingray for Baylee. (This is one of my favorite parts about flat Baylee...we have an excuss to buy lots of fun things that we normally wouldn't get because we don't have kids of our own to give them to! I love being an aunt!)

Flat Baylee at Temple Square...

2008-04-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

Trev took some time off of work to go have some fun with Flat Baylee and me. We hit Temple Square right in the middle of a snow storm in April! It was quite beautiful but cold and windy. Crazy to see the flowers with snow all around.

Flat Baylee Arches National Park Adventure...

2008-04-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

When Trev and I received *Flat Baylee in the mail from Trev's niece we knew that Arches would have to be on the list of Adventures. Ever since I fell in love with Geology at Ricks College during Summer Semester 1999 I've wanted to check out these geological masterpieces but haven't found the time to do so. Fortunately, Spring Break arrived. We packed lots of snacks and water and made the long trip down! Oh, was it so worth it! We couldn't believe how majestic the scenery is. We're already planning out next trip! Here's some tips we learned this time around:

1. Go in early Spring or late Fall and drink plenty of water...it was already 80 degrees mid-April!

2. Go for the weekend...one day isn't enough to see the sites and we just about wore ourselves out trying to see everything before the park closed!

3. Bring extra socks and lots of duct tape to ward off blisters. Luckily I didn't get any bad blisters since I duct taped my heals and pinky toes where I usually get them but my socks were soaking wet by the day's end and full of sand.

4. Sun screen, sun glasses, sun hats, and sanitizer: There isn't much shade out there in the desert! The wind was pretty strong with 40 mph gusts in some places...and oh, the bathrooms are outhouses!

5. Bring your camera, film, and extra batteries! We loved having our digital camera...we took tons of pictures and could figure out if we did or didn't like what we took immediately! Technology is a beautiful thing!

It was noon before we got into the park so we stopped by the visitor's center where we watched a 15 minute video produced by Discovery Channel and then looked for things that we could put in our Flat Baylee packaged at the gift shop. We found a couple of small things plus two really cool children's books that we thought would be great for Baylee's classroom.

Then it was up to Balanced Rock! We found out that the rock weighs 2,500 tons and sits atop a pillar of sandstone that is slowly being eroded away...I'd hate to be the person standing underneath when that thing falls!

Turret Arch is probably my favorite arch. It had such charachter. It felt like an old friend. On our way up we even saw some of my previous students, Caitlyn and Carlee! What a small, small world!

We had a misfortunate thing happen at Pine Tree Arch. Somewhere between the 40 mph gust and trying to keep ahold of Flat Baylee as well as keeping the sand from giving us a microderm abrasion treatment (who needs to pay money for these proceedures when it's free at Arches) Flat Baylee's arm became severed from her body. Luckily we held onto both parts. She is scheduled for a doctor's appointment this coming Wednesday! Wish us luck!

Here's Flat Baylee without her arm. Luckily there was no blood involved and as you can see from the picture, she's still her smiling happy self! We loved this perfect little chair carved out of the rock by the wind. A perfect photo opp!

Check out the rest of our pictures on our slide show to the right! If you click on the slide show it should take you to the full album with comments on each pic. Keep coming back to read more about our Adventures with Flat Baylee!

* Flat Baylee is based on the children's book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. In the book, Stanley gets flattened, one night, by his bulleton board. He looks on the bright side, though, and sends himself around the world in an envelope on many fun and exciting adventures. After reading this cute book, 2nd graders around the world "flatten" themselves and send their flattened selves to relatives or friends around the world just like Stanley. Those lucky enough to receive a Flat Stanley, or Flat Baylee in this case, take him/her on adventures in their city/state gathering details through pictures and small momentos to share with the class. What a great way to learn more about the world around us. It's given us the perfect excuse to explore places we've lived near for so long but haven't taken advantage of!