Spring update 2008

Hey Guys,

We took a walk last Sunday and took some pictures. I thought I'd post a couple :) This is our Alex, Lalee and Becca. It's hard to believe that they are growing up so fast. Lalee will be 8 this June and says that she wants to get baptized. We'll let you all know the date, time and place when it gets closer so you can join us if you'd like. Alex will be 6 in June and Becca will be 4 in August.

Yesturday Peter was sharing a candybar with Becca and Becca said, "Daddy, look behind you." Pete, thinking she was trying to show him something, looked back while BEcca proceeded to grab candy while he wasn't looking! It's kind of funny how quickly they pick up on devious things!

We are starting to think about getting ready to move. I have been procrastinating it as moving means de-junking and going through boxes and stuff that you usually don't mess with. If I were smart I'd just toss all of it out! School's going okay although I am really excited that the semester is almost over. We would love to hear about graduation plans for those of you who will be done this year. Hope you all are doing great. Love, Nae and Pete

Music

Hey all, Thought it would be kind of cool to see what kind of music everyone listens to now a days... but of course it can't be as simple as listing songs. Nope. Here's how it goes. I'll start by listing a song and the next person replies with a song that they like that starts with the last letter of the song. So I'll start with the one that is on right now:

"Crazy Bitch"

~Buck Cherry~

So someone will share a song that they like that starts with 'h' and the next will respond with a song that they like which starts with the first letter of the last song listed. Hopefully you get it! I think it'll be an interesting way to see what kind of music everyone has been listenin' to lately :)

Survey

That is a funny survey question. i think i would find a corner

new layout

I kinda like the new layout. Kudos to whomever is in charge. Brandi is that you again?

Question (this is for everybody here)

If you had a choice of falling into a bottomless pit with one person and falling for eternity or having to soak alone for eternity in a huge pool of Pepsi that never looses its carbonation where you have to watch TV or movies nonstop, which would you choose and why?

ok, never mind. It is apparently working today...

I'm not sure why, but this program thing is not letting me comment on people's posts. It says that I am not a member or something?? Any ideas?

Kirkland New Mexico

We're Moving....

Pete got orders to Kirkland New Mexico. We'll be PCSing in June. We'd love to catch up with any of you who are in the area before we leave...

My life... In five year increments.

9 YEARS AGO… (1999)

1. How old were you? 18
2. Where did you go to school? Box Elder High School
3. Where did you work? Burger King
4. Where did you hang out? Anywhere I could
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? None
6. What car did you drive? Mostly a Buick Century or the Dodge Ram Van
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Single
8. Biggest purchase you had made (not with your parents money)? Reciever, CD Player, Speakers (about $700 total)
9. Craziest thing you had done? Be friends with all you guys!
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? Nope
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? Not sure… I didn’t really have a hard life.
12. Who did you date? No one really
13. What was your biggest fear? Girls
14. Farthest place that you had ever traveled? California



4 YEARS AGO… (2004)

1. How old were you? 23
2. Where did you go to school? Utah State
3. Where did you work? Inovar
4. Where did you hang out? My apartment mostly
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? None
6. What car did you drive? 1992 Honda Accord
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Single
8. Biggest purchase you had made? The car
9. Craziest thing you had done? Stayed friends with you guys
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? No
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? School, maybe?
12. Who did you date? No one
13. What was your biggest fear? Girls
14. The Farthest place that you had ever traveled? Anchorage, Alaska



Today…

1. How old are you? 27
2. Where do you go to school? Utah State…. Still : (
3. Where do you work? Inovar… Still
4. Where do you hang out? Mostly my room… Still
5. How many piercing/ tattoos do you have? Nada
6. What car do you drive? 1997 GMC Sierra
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Single
8. Biggest purchase you have made? The truck
9. Craziest thing you have done? Lol.. I accidently walked in on the Life Drawings (I.E. nude models) class. That was a little awkward!
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? Still nope… Thankfully
11. Hardest thing you have ever done? I don’t know. School?
12. Who do you date? No one…. Still
13. What is your biggest fear? Yup, you guessed it. Girls.
14. The Farthest place that you have ever traveled? Europe (Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Holland, and London)



Wow, my life really hasn't changed much in four years. Same job, same school, same apartment, still single. That's kinda sad.

Redneck Mansion

So, I went out on the town last night.....

Hey, I was in San Fran last night with a new friend. I saw this, and thought you all might appreciate it. Brandi is not in Utah, anymore.

Being that my new friend likes also to spoil his dog, I learned that dogs are welcome on San Fran's public transportation on a leash, roughly 80% of San Fran's non-food establishments welcome canine customers, and San Fran has quite a few dog parks or dog-friendly parks.

Oh, and there is a couple of pug clubs that my dogs and I are members of. I went to one gathering, and there were around 30 other pugs. It was pretty amusing to watch. Jezebel, who is generally not friendly to other dogs, even made a couple friends and managed to avoid getting into any squalls.

Fun times in the Bay Area...

More about Cherry

9 YEARS AGO…(1999)

1. How old were you? 17 before July but 18 after J
2. Where did you go to school? Chugiak High School
3. Where did you work? Office Depot in the Fall
4. Where did you hang out? Hmm, can’t remember. Home?
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? Ear piercings—1 set.
6. What car did you drive? Ford Festiva
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Single for the most part
8. Biggest purchase you had made (not with your parents money)? My laptop?
9. Craziest thing you had done? Not much. I was pretty tame in 99.
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? Not back then.
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? Move to Alaska away from all my friends
12. Who did you date? Guys from school
13. What was your biggest fear? Being on my own
14. Farthest place that you had ever traveled? Alaska.

4 YEARS AGO… (2004)

1. How old were you? 22 before July but 23 after
2. Where did you go to school? University of Alaska, Anchorage
3. Where did you work? BP Facilities Management
4. Where did you hang out? At my place with my new husband
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? Same ear piercings
6. What car did you drive? Kia Sportage
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Taken before April, Married after
8. Biggest purchase you had made? My own car
9. Craziest thing you had done? In 2004, going out with friends (still not very crazy)
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? Not the night.
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? Changed my whole belief system
12. Who did you date? My fiancé then husband
13. What was your biggest fear? Disappointing Ross
14. The Farthest place that you had ever traveled North Pole Alaska

Today…

1. How old are you? 26 ½
2. Where do you go to school? I don’t. Woo hoo!
3. Where do you work? Running Y Ranch (resort community)
4. Where do you hang out? Our house with friends or the rock gym
5. How many piercing/ tattoos do you have? Same piercings but now a tattoo
6. What car do you drive? Same Kia Sportage
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Married!!!
8. Biggest purchase you have made? A home—holy cow that’s hard
9. Craziest thing you have done? Moved to Klamath Falls
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? Not the night thankfully
11. Hardest thing you have ever done? Moved away from all my family
12. Who do you date? My hubby and some girl friends. J/K.
13. What is your biggest fear? Losing Ross
14. The Farthest place that you have ever traveled? New York, New York

Big News

Check out our blog... we finaly have big news! We're having another baby!

Oh, dear sweet mug,

As I put you to my mouth and taste the brown good-ness I stop to think
I think of all the other mugs before you and how none others can compare
While the coffee may not always be perfect; my shiny coffee mug, you always are

You have been there for me every morning waiting for the sweet brown brew
Even though you may chuckle lightly at me using large amounts of creamer,
You always understand and never make fun

Thank you for being there for me on the long nights when I need you most.
Thank you for understanding when I need my space with a Pepsi or Dew

My sweet mug, you have boosted my mornings and warmed my heart and for that, I thank you.

Granola?

Here are some pics of my puppies, i will post a few more pics later and maybe i will think of something profound to write too.

Great idea!

9 YEARS AGO…(1999)

1. How old were you? 18 years old

2. Where did you go to school? Box Elder High School

3. Where did you work? Dixie Grill Bar-B-Que

4. Where did you hang out? Friends’ parents’ houses, work, school, cars, grocery stores, recycling bins, parks, deserted dirt roads, etc…

5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? 2 holes in one ear, 3 in the other

6. What car did you drive? ’74 Dodge Dart

7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Kind of dating

8. Biggest purchase you had made (not with your parents money)? Replaced the axle on my car that Pete broke (luv ya, Pete)

9. Craziest thing you had done? Everything I did was crazy- um….that’s a toughie. I’ll come back to it.

10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? When I was an infant, I had pnemonia

11. Hardest thing you had ever done? That’s a loaded question- survived my childhood.

12. Who did you date? I went on dates with a lot of people. I dated Brad Timothy, but we both know it wouldn’t last.

13. What was your biggest fear? I didn’t know enough to be afraid

14. Farthest place that you had ever traveled? Mexico

4 YEARS AGO… (2004)

1. How old were you? 24
2. Where did you go to school? Utah State University
3. Where did you work? Praxis Youth Quest and Navy Reserves
4. Where did you hang out? Library, Mike and Denver’s place, with my bro and sis, my Baptist buddies
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? Two piercing in each ear, one piercing in bellybutton, one tattoo on my ankle
6. What car did you drive? ’98 Ford Taurus
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? single
8. Biggest purchase you had made? My car
9. Craziest thing you had done? Such a tough question!
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? Only as an infant
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? Another loaded question- survived a trauma and still completed my enlistment contract (as the first female ever in my work center).
12. Who did you date? A variety of people, nobody exclusively
13. What was your biggest fear? Running out of things to keep me busy
14. The Farthest place that you had ever traveled? I had been all over the Pacific when I was on active duty

Today…

1. How old are you? 27
2. Where do you go to school? Capella University- MBA w/ emphasis on Human Resources
3. Where do you work? In the process of job-hunting in CA’s Bay Area- Wish me luck!
4. Where do you hang out? Have only lived here for two weeks- I’ll get back to you on that. Hopefully, I get a lot of chances to explore San Fran. Been up the a few times.
5. How many piercing/ tattoos do you have? two holes in each ear, one in the belly, one in the nose, a tat on the ankle and one on the thigh
6. What car do you drive? ’98 Jeep Cherokee
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? single
8. Biggest purchase you have made? Owe $7500 for my BS
9. Craziest thing you have done? I hate this question
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? Just spent 7 weeks in a VA hospital in Temple, TX
11. Hardest thing you have ever done? Participated in the treatment program in Temple, TX
12. Who do you date? A variety of people
13. What is your biggest fear? I don’t know. My attitude and perspective have changed so much (thank you TX). I am less cynical, so I feel safer. But I no longer think I know what to expect from people, so I feel more vulnerable.
14. The Farthest place that you have ever traveled? Haven’t gone any farther than my travels around the Pacific

Then and Now...

9 YEARS AGO…(1999)
1. How old were you? P. 18 , J. 17
2. Where did you go to school? Box Elder High School
3. Where did you work? P. SB Transcription, J. Dixie Grill
4. Where did you hang out? At Dixie Grill, Christina’s school, Brandi’, Denver or anywhere else we all gathered
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? P. None, J. Ears pierced
6. What car did you drive? P. The ‘Schplanky’ Mobile (Suburban), J. Whatever was available- either one old clunker or another
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Taken
8. Biggest purchase you had made (not with your parents money)? P. receiver ($400), J. Stereo ($250)
9. Craziest thing you had done? Bowling ball hunting, Pop-corning Quails yard, Both: Getting caught making out by the same cop twice in an hour
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? ,P. Nope, J. Yes- Hernia operation at 6 years
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? P. Deciding what to write on a survey J. Moved 20+ times. 12. Who did you date? P. JaNae. J. This weird trombone player who always shot spit wads out of his trombone at Amber and I
13. What was your biggest fear? P. Getting arrested J. Snakes and Needles
14. Farthest place that you had ever traveled? P. I was born in Indiana, San Diego with Band
4 YEARS AGO… (2004)
1. How old were you? P. 23, 22
2. Where did you go to school? P. USU, J. USU
3. Where did you work? P. USAF- Hill AFB, J. USU
4. Where did you hang out? P&J: At home, parents house and neighbors houses
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? P&J: Hasn’t changed
6. What car did you drive? P. Went through 3 in 2004: A 1980- something Corsica, a 1993 Geo Tracker and a 2000 Jetta, J. Caravan
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? P&J: Definitely married, for better or worse!
8. Biggest purchase you had made? P&J: house
9. Craziest thing you had done? P. Ate Dog while stationed in Korea for a year J. Driven across country (to the east coast) several times with an 18 month old.
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? P. Nope, J. Yes: 4 times: Lalee, Alex and Becca and as a kid
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? P. Joined the military: Basic Training and the change going from civilian to military. J. hhhmmmm… Either telling my parents I was pregnant and still in high school or when I had to send Pete to Korea for a year while I stayed in Utah pregnant with our second child
12. Who did you date? P. JaNae. J. This sexy man in a uniform
13. What was your biggest fear? P. It was 2004, I didn’t really have one. J. Alex would die within a couple hours of being born (I was told that he would because of his kidney problems)
14. The Farthest place that you had ever traveled. P. Korea, Japan, J. 44 of the states and Canada
Today…
1. How old are you? P. 27, J. 26
2. Where do you go to school? P. Park University, J. University of Massachusetts and Capella University
3. Where do you work? P. US Air Force, J. At home, Internships for school counseling at Box Elder High
4. Where do you hang out? P&J. At home, neighbors,
5. How many piercing/ tattoos do you have? Same as Before
6. What car do you drive? P. Saturn; J. Town and County
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Still going strong
8. Biggest purchase you have made? House
9. Craziest thing you have done? P: Some of the stuff we did in Iraq J: Crashed someone’s honeymoon- Not just Pete and I but our kids too!
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? P: Yes- back surgery, J: Same as before
11. Hardest thing you have ever done? P: Left for Iraq J: Waving goodbye to Pete as he got on the Plane for Iraq
12. Who do you date? P: JaNae. J: Does sex count as a date?
13. What is your biggest fear? P: Having someone in my immediate family (Nae or kids) die. J: Losing one of my kids or Pete
14. The Farthest place that you have ever traveled? P: Iraq, Ireland, etc. J: Nassau (Bahamas)

News from the Maynes

I guess I should mention that I am going to be an auntie (as they say here)! My sister Deanna is having a baby around September 1!

Survey

This is a great idea, JaNae!

9 YEARS AGO…(1999)

1. How old were you? 18
2. Where did you go to school? Box Elder
3. Where did you work? Dixie Grill, Lagoon
4. Where did you hang out? Mostly at friends’ houses
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? Two in each ear
6. What car did you drive? Whatever my parents were willing to loan me!
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? single
8. Biggest purchase you had made (not with your parents money)? Drumset
9. Craziest thing you had done? Played in the recycling bin
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? Not since birth
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? Babysit siblings and other kids
12. Who did you date? No steady boyfriend
13. What was your biggest fear? embarassment
14. Farthest place that you had ever traveled? San Diego

4 YEARS AGO… (2004)

1. How old were you? 23

2. Where did you go to school? Took classes online

3. Where did you work? Navy
4. Where did you hang out? Stuff with husband, usually movies, mall, etc.
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? One of each
6. What car did you drive? Ford Focus
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Married
8. Biggest purchase you had made? A wedding (Doug paid for the car)
9. Craziest thing you had done? We went to Las Vegas for Doug’s 21^st birthday and had a cab driver (I swear it) that was in the Russian Mafia
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? Still no
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? Tried to learn Korean
12. Who did you date? I was married to Doug Tice
13. What was your biggest fear? Money problems
14. The Farthest place that you had ever traveled? Hawaii

Today…

1. How old are you? 27

2. Where do you go to school? University of Hawaii

3. Where do you work? Women’s gym
4. Where do you hang out? Not too sociable, but I am learning kickboxing
5. How many piercing/ tattoos do you have? One of each (I gave up on earrings)
6. What car do you drive? Toyota Corolla
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Still happily married
8. Biggest purchase you have made? Well, Doug paid for this car too…
9. Craziest thing you have done? Rode on the back of a motorcycle during a lightning/rain storm (at least we were on the way home)
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? Still no
11. Hardest thing you have ever done? Been away from Doug
12. Who do you date? Still married
13. What is your biggest fear? Gigantic moths (yes, there is a story with this one)
14. The Farthest place that you have ever traveled? Hawaii

question thing from janae (i hope this works)

9 YEARS AGO…(1999)

1. How old were you? - 15
2. Where did you go to school? - BEHS
3. Where did you work? - Dixie grill
4. Where did you hang out? - i did alot of bike riding all around town
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? - none
6. What car did you drive? - Huffy p.o.s.
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? girls? did they exist at that time? I had a pretty big crush on Jennifer Love Hewitt but that is about it
8. Biggest purchase you had made (not with your parents money)? junk food
9. Craziest thing you had done? - i was not much of a crazy back then
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? - no
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? - english class
12. Who did you date? - again, my bike
13. What was your biggest fear? - heights
14. Farthest place that you had ever traveled? - mexico on a family trip and again with our church

4 YEARS AGO… (2004)

1. How old were you? 20
2. Where did you go to school? BATC
3. Where did you work? - walmart
4. Where did you hang out? - in bed when i had time
5. How many piercing/ tattoos did you have? - none
6. What car did you drive? 78 Firebird and 97 fire (which by the way was by far my worst car ever
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Taken
8. Biggest purchase you had made? again the POS car
9. Craziest thing you had done? went to iraq
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? no
11. Hardest thing you had ever done? iraq
12. Who did you date? Lindsay
13. What was your biggest fear? still heights
14. The Farthest place that you had ever traveled. sorry to be redundant but iraq

Today…

1. How old are you?24 & 10/12
2. Where do you go to school? i go to classes for the army but not actual school. those are all over the place.
3. Where do you work? in ogden at my reserve unit as a civilian
4. Where do you hang out? home or ashtons
5. How many piercing/ tattoos do you have? none
6. What car do you drive? 2002 Sebring
7. Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? married, hapily
8. Biggest purchase you have made? my sebring and my wifes car at the same time (2 cars at a time is not recommended)
9. Craziest thing you have done? Does getting married count ;)? again probably iraq and i am about to re-enlist so that will be one of the top 3
10. Ever stayed the night (as a patient) in a hospital? still no
11. Hardest thing you have ever done? still iraq
12. Who do you date? my wife
13. What is your biggest fear? heights
14. The Farthest place that you have ever traveled? iraq

Man, after doing this i have noticed that not much has changed for me in the last few years. i need to get a tattoo or something so the next one will be a little different. since i can not get on the blog much i will write a quickie for you guys.

Things are going pretty well for me most of the time, i am working as a Unit Administrator (paper pusher) for my reserve unit in ogden and i am still a drilling reserveist one weekend a month. I live in brigham city still and i have decided that even though it is kind of a bubble i still like it. i have two dogs, a boston terrier and a beagle. both are pretty good, we rescued the beagle and she has SEVERE seperation anxiaty so we are trying to find a good home for her with someone who does not leave their house (if you guys know anybody let me know). I will be going to Honduras with the army for my Annual Training this year so that is a little exiting. I have not been there yet. our last AT was in the desert in Cali so this one should make up for it. My wife Lindsay is a nail tech at hair razers on main street in BC. from what i hear she does a really good job. she likes what she does.

anyway not much else happening so i will keep trying to get on the blog but dont hold your breath. they have restrictions on everything at my work.
Blen

Burgers and the small fries

Hey all,

YEAH FOR SPRING!!!!!! Okay, we are a little bit too happy to see that it is getting warm enough for the kids to go outside and play and the flowers to start blooming. I'm sure this posting will be interesting as Pete and I are taking turns writing this while we play Guitar Hero. JaNae's the purplish-pink color. Pete's the black.

F#*king Tenacious D!!! I hate that blamed song!!! Stupid "The Metal" song!!! Anyway, on a more positive note, life is pretty good. I tested for Technical Sergeant for the second time this year. I don't think I'll get the promotion but I can always hope. As you can probably tell by our profile picture, I recently returned from Iraq. I was stationed at Ali Air Base in the southern portion of the country, a few miles from An Nasiriyah. For the most part, my four months there was relatively quiet. There was one experience, however, that was pretty nerve wracking. About a week after arriving in country, I was asleep on my bed when I heard a distant "thump". My eyelids instantly opened as adrenaline coursed through my veins. A second "THUMP", this one louder and infinitely closer, shook building and every alarm in my body told me to get moving. Fortunately, seven years of combat training kicked in and trumped my natural instincts to get the hell out of there. I should have listened to my instincts. Several seconds later, a third explosion BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!! erupted in my ears. The entire building shook as if it were going to fall down around me. The explosion seemed right on top of me. Once again, my adrenaline levels shot through the roof. After the dust settled and everything was once again quiet, a couple Airmen were dispatched to assess the damage. When all was said and done, we learned we had sustained a direct hit on our building. Fortunately, Saddam Hussein knew how to build a concrete structure and there was only minimal damage.

Yeah- we're glad that Pete isn't leaving with this next rotation of guys that are heading out in a couple of weeks. Let's see. I guess perhaps an update with what we're doing with our life. We sold our house that we had in Brigham last year assuming we'd be getting orders soon as we've been stationed at Hill for 6 years- hasn't happened yet and we stopped holding our breath for it to happen a while ago :) I am actively working on a Masters in School counseling and passively working on a Masters in Mental health counseling (only 2 classes a semester instead of four). Pete has about 9 months (hopefully) before he recieves his bachelors degree in business management. The big adventure of the day was when Becca (our youngest who is three and is being potty-trained) took off her panties that she had just pooped in and throw them at Alex (he's five). The panties hit his nose and slid down his mouth, chin and hit his shirt before landing on the floor- leaving a thick dark brown trail behind it. SOOOO GROSS! The wonderful joys of parenting! The worst part is that Lalee (our oldest who is 7) sat there and tried to convince Alex to taste it..... I shudder at the thought!

When we aren't taking care of incidents similar to the afore mentioned moment of joy we are typically studying, roller-blading with the kids or playing with them outside, on the computer, playing around with some photography, gardening, reading comics (Pete anyway), always listening to some kind of music..... Really our lives aren't dull- it's usually lively and full it just sounds dull on paper (or blog:).

we do have a myspace page that has a lot of pictures on it if ya'll are interested: myspace.com/peteandnae

Anyway, going to get my oldest baby (Pete) to bed. Love ya all and hope that life is treating you well. We'd love to hear from any of you or meet up with you... name the time and place and we'll be there (kids willing of course!)

Merry merry merry . . .

Merry Christmas.
May you have what you need, get what you want and remember the true reason for the season.

Love,
Cherry and Ross

Burgers

So where are Pete and JaNae??? How come we never hear for you people?

What's up?

Ok, I'm glad that I am not the only one that has been slacking about posting. So, is everyone ready for the holidays? I am going to be in Utah from Dec16 - Jan1, so if anyone is in the area, we should get together and "kick it" (remember when we used to say that?). Unfortunately, Doug is stuck in the middle of the ocean for Christmas. :( Anyway, hope you are all doing well.

News from BRITTANY ROSS

I am sure you guys remember Brittany saying she is going on a mission to Poland. At this time, she is in the MTC. This is an email she sent to her family, who forwarded it to me and gave me permission to post it on the blog. Oh, and here is a website that lets you send free messages to Brittany while she is in the MTC.

http://ldsmissionresources.org/?do=freeMtcMail

and this is her mailing address.

Sister Brittany Ross
MTC Mailbox #121
POL-WAR 1226
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604-1793

The free message website asks when her departure date is, and I am sorry to tell you I don't know. I just made one up, and asked Brittany when she does leave. I'll let you know what she tells me.

And here is Brittany's letter:


Dzien dobre!

Jak sie macie? In our district, "jak sie masz" or "how are you?" is more
of an exclamation. We took pictures at the temple on our first Sunday
and one of the starsi blew a picture up and wrote "Jak sie masz!" at
the top. It's a cute picture and it's hanging in our classroom. I
really do have a great district. I am by far the oldest one, I'm even
older than all three of our teachers! But we all get along great, and I
have a feeling we can do some wonderful things for Poland. I'm trying
to take more pictures so I can send some home.

I need to write down everything that happens cuz I don't remember in the
heat of the moment when my time is ticking on the computer! On Sunday,
we had Sis. Matsumori of the General Primary Presidency speak to us in
Relief Society, and we went to meet her afterward. I also forgot to
mention that Elder Bednar came our first Tuesday devotional. It's so
amazing! And I hear Christmas is wonderful here. It's hard to believe
that the holidays are upon us. Time stands still here. I feel like
it's still September. The 3 week people who came with us are leaving
today! That means we are a third the way done. It's incredible!

Polish is coming along. There's a lot of memorizing to be done, but
things are starting to make sense, and we can have simple conversations
(very simple!). I love it!

One of my favorite experiences of this week was when we went to the
Referral Center. We were making follow-up outbound calls to people who
had requested items from the Church. I only reached one person home,
but she was the cutest Southern lady (black, judging from her voice) and
she told me all about her life (pretty difficult family situation), but
mostly, she shared her testimony about Christ with me. She had seen the
missionaries once or twice, but her husband was not kind to them at all,
so she didn't want them to come while her husband was there. I bore my
testimony and tried to encourage her to keep trying to get with the
missionaries because they had a message that could change her life. She
said she admired them because they were always being chased by dogs and
yelled at, but they kept coming back. She said they must have a very
special message to be so devoted. It didn't turn into a referral, but I
felt like we connected, and I hope it made a little difference in her
life.

I feel like I am learning a little better what it means to rely on the
Lord. I want to be able to have the spirit with me all of the time, and
to know that it is guiding me. I'm not perfect in anything yet, and
it's hard to describe, but I know that the Lord answers our prayers, and
I know that we can place full confidence in Him and give Him our
burdens. On our missions, I'm learning that we cannot do anything of
ourselves. I cannot rely on myself alone, but if I rely on the Lord, I
can accomplish miracles. I have felt my testimony grow so much, and I
feel like I can declare without equivocation. I am still so weak and
infirm, but the Lord has said that the gospel will be declared by the
weak and the simple. I know this gospel is true, and I know why I am
here and it's not for me-- it's for those people in Poland whom I can
touch. Thank you so much for your prayers! Everytime I feel
discouraged, I remember that my family loves me. I love you, too!
Bardzo, bardzo!

This is Lauren... James seems to think that it is important for me to specify that it is me and not him... maybe he is afraid i will say something embarasing. Anyway. We have a blog here too...
ifyouwannasnoopus.blogspot.com
I will let him continue so that i do not embarass him further... :)
This is James, Laurens not embarassing, I just didn't know we had a blog. How do you like our family costume? I married an angel and we had a anvil.

This blog post thing doesn't look anything like brandis blog site. The hell is going on? I feel so lost. Anyway, if this is the correct place then I'll get started. My name is James and I'm an alcoholic. Wait no I'm not, I'm a father and husband. I love to shoot elk and eat walleye. For those of you who don't know, walleye is my favorite fish. You can't buy it at a store so if you want to get me a christmas present you'll have to buy me a gun. I digress, I'm a proud father of one little boy. He never runs out of energy, he runs into walls. He probably sees them, but doesn't understand that they don't move. My wife is a wonderful person. She watches my son all day. I think that would be an easy job, she disagrees. I have a good job, my title is 'Quality Assurance Team Leader.' The functions I perform are those of a secretary. I just get paid better. This year I shot a small 5x5 elk. It's the first one in 10 years. I love elk steak, whoever reads this, do you know of any good recipies? I know of a couple. I have a degree in Food Science... and am famous for ruining macaroni and cheese. Now it's time to see if this blog went to where it was suppossed to go. I'll post more later.

I tried to post some photos before, but it kept giving me grief. Here goes another try.

Fine...I'll Post Something

Well, here's a bit on what's been going on with us.

Emma is about 14 weeks pregnant now. We were down in Salt Lake Saturday visiting her parents when her aunt, who is a nurse in an OB clinic that's closed on the weekend, called and asked if she wanted an ultrasound "just for fun." The baby is still pretty small, but you could see all the fingers and toes and how much it was moving. Her aunt said if she had to guess, she would guess it was a boy, but it's definitely not a certainty yet. We were just happy to see that it looked healthy and in one piece, and that there was no alien head, four legs, or a tail.

In September, just after the second week of the fall semester, I had an artery break open inside my small intestine and I lost half my blood volume over the next few hours. I was hospitalized for 4 days, had all kinds of horrible things done to me to find out what was wrong, and somewhere along the way I pulled a muscle in my leg in a fall from passing out from low blood pressure. Two months later, I still can't do too much. Where I was running 3 miles and trying to go on hiking trips as often as possible and bike across Logan to work, I am barely able to walk a few blocks. I suppose it'll take months before I'm back to normal. I'm just worried about getting fat before then! ;o)

I had to drop all my senior-level biochemistry classes, so now I'm stuck with a couple 1010 classes and online medical terminology. Talk about easy. I don't even feel like I'm in school anymore. I just drive up to campus every couple weeks and take a test. I'm still hoping to graduate next December, but now I won't be able to attend pharmacy school until Fall 2009. That means the youngest I will be when I finish school will be 32!!! That's horrible! But from what I hear about the job market for pharmacy and the 6-figure starting wages, I guess it'll be worth the wait.

Enough about my exciting life! Here's what I know about everyone else:

Kim, my sister, was evacuated for a few days because of the fires in southern California. Apparently, stuff was burned in her town, but her house and business were okay. She was worried about losing business, but she said when she opened the next day she was swamped with customers!

James Bond is living near Twin Falls, ID, and I know he's tried to get on here, but he can't figure it out (insert idiot comment here). He's a manager at a food plant there, they have a house and their son, Kaden, is about 3 years old.

Brad and Jenni Bond moved to Pennsylvania this summer. He's doing a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture at Penn State, and his knees are hurting him because of the low altitude (insert pathetic old man comment here).

My other sister, Melissa, had her baby, Aidan, in August. He's not even three months old but already talking lots of gibberish and wanting to play.

HELLO!! Anybody out there?

Hey guys,

We are so bad at posting on this thing!

I am currently living out in the country in Florida (or what people on the east coast refer to as country, anyway). The family who adopted my dogs have now adopted me, too. It is very warm here in Florida, and it doesn't feel like it is going to be getting cold anytime soon. I am not used to wearing shorts and t-shirts in November, but I am excited that I won't be getting stuck in a snowy driveway this winter. It's a nice change.

So, I am currently living with a couple, their son and his wife, and their 5-year-old daughter, 2 pugs, and a schnauzer. Oh, and there used to be a bull in the backyard, but he kept escaping to go to the field to visit a cow that was in heat. And I thought trying to round up Goliath (one of the pugs) was difficult! We had to chase this bull with a car (one time a car and two trucks) until we could bully him back into his own fence. I don't know how people once kept thousands of those animals. They are SO BIG! And they get so angry. I think they have such a temper because they kick themselves in the nuts every time they walk or run. Have you seen how low those big, ol' things hang?!? And when they start bucking, you would think they would knock themselves impotent! (okay, give me a break. Military training is not exactly comparable to that of a finishing school.)

I am flying to Utah for about a week (leaving FL tomorrow, actually) and then I am kidnapping my sister and bringing her back here for a week. The pugs really need their claws clipped. I don't think it's been done since the last time Geneva (who is a dog groomer) did it. Well, and I guess it will be nice to visit her too (obviously, since the flights cost more than paying a groomer here to clip the claws).

Right now, I am involved in a whole bunch of nothing. Ok, not really nothing. I am trying to navigate the VA system- not such an easy task. But there are a lot of good people working for the system who are a lot of help. I would like to know what the VA is going to do for me and expect from me, so I can get some kind of job around here and take some more belly dancing classes (I can't resist the shiny costumes). I am thinking about getting a job working for one of the many horse farms around here. The city I live in is the thorough-bred horse capital of America or something like that. I am so excited to muck stalls and clean horse manure out of horse-shoes!

It would be great to hear how the rest of you are doing. Any news? No? How about fun hobbies? Do your spouse/in-laws/children/roommates drive you crazy or make you laugh? What did you have for dinner last night? What are your favorite TV shows/movies/books?

Oh, and do you know anyone else's email addresses? It would be fun to add more members to the blog. Specifically, I am wondering about Jacqueline Miles, Jenni Burger (keep forgetting her new last name), Amber Hall, Danette Peterson (last name?), Brad Bond, Nancy, or anybody else's addresses? It sure would be fun to hear from the rest of them. If you have an email address, feel free to email me, JaNae, or Mike, and we can send them an invite. Thanks!