The Jeffery's in Washington

Pictures are Coming!!!!

2010-10-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

I have some new pictures I am trying to get posted and will try to have them done by the end of the weekend!! :(

Boyer Park for Labor Day

2010-09-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Boyer Park for Family Day was GREAT!!! There was great food, great friends, great weather, and great fun!!! I think this will become a new traditon on Labor Day!! :)

2010-09-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!! I am sorry that I have failed you at keeping these sites updated!! Things got a little crazy and then it was a spiral of unsuccess at updating all through the summer, now here we are the begining of September and I have decided that we are going to start updating the websites once a week to keep everyone posted!!! Here is to a better run at keeping things updated!!!

Bad Tuesday

2010-01-12T20:21:00.000-08:00

How many ways can a Tuesday feel like the worst day ever? First I took the car in today to have some routine maintenance done on it and found out that there is alot more that needs to be done and all very expensive things. So I now have to save up for a few things that HAVE to be done before we do any more major trips on the car...so basically I have until May.

Then I thought my day was going to take a turn for the better, the girls seemed to be having an ok day, the total cost of the repairs we did do was less than I had budgeted for, which meant I could put some extra money into savings, yeah...

and then it happened...

I pulled my camera out to take a very cute picture of Faith playing with Brooke while Brooke sat happily in her Bumbo and my camera would not work...I changed the batteries...I tried cleaning it...I tried everything possible...NOTHING...Lovely...now I have to buy a new camera...so much for that left over money going into savings.

Ok fine...I can get over the camera thing, I kinda knew that was coming. It has been starting to act up in the last few weeks. Then after taking an hour to eat dinner and getting 2 time outs for hitting Mommy...my 2 year old has a massive temper tantrum melt down... and off to bed we go before Daddy gets home from work...

So that was my Tuesday...How was yours????

Address Change

2009-11-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

So we found out that the University has officially ended the dispute as to what our address is. There has been some confussion about the exact address. This is no longer the case. The University has officially changed our address and it is now permanently...not the one we have had for the last year and a half. Our new address is:

675 SE Forrest Apt 606
Pullman, WA 99163

Sorry about all the confussion!!!

SORRY THIS IS A DAY LATE!!!! HAPPY 234th Birthday Marine Corps

2009-11-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

TODAY IS THE MARINE CORPS 234TH BIRTHDAY!!!!! YEAH!!!!

THE MARINE CORPS HYMN!

From the Halls of Montezuma To the Shores of Tripoli; We fight our country's battles In the air, on land and sea; First to fight for right and freedom And to keep our honor clean; We are proud to claim the title of United States Marine. Our flag's unfurled to every breeze From dawn to setting sun; We have fought in ev'ry clime and place Where we could take a gun; In the snow of far-off Northern lands And in sunny tropic scenes; You will find us always on the job-- The United States Marines. Here's health to you and to our Corpsa> Which we are proud to serve In many a strife we've fought for life And never lost our nerve; If the Army and the Navy Ever look on Heaven's scenes; They will find the streets are guarded

MARINE CORPS QUOTES!!!
"Once a Marine, always a Marine!" (MSgt Paul Woyshner, a 40-year Marine, is credited with originating this expression during a taproom argument with a discharged Marine.)

"I can never again see a UNITED STATES MARINE without experiencing a feeling of reverence." GEN. JOHNSON, U.S. ARMY

"Do not attack the First Marine Division. Leave the yellowlegs alone. Strike the American Army" ~ Orders given to Communist troops in the Korean War; shortly afterward, the Marines were ordered to not wear their khaki leggings to keep the enemy from immediately fleeing

"To observe a Marine is inspirational, to be a Marine is exceptional." ~ Unknown

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem. Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985

You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth- and the amusing thing about it is that they are. Father Kevin Keaney 1st Marine Division Chaplain Korean War

I am convinced that there is no smarter, handier, or more adaptable body of troops in the world. Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Winston Churchhill

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINE CORPS!!!!

SEMPER FI!!!!!

(SORRY THERE ARE NO PICS OF FAITH or BROOKE IN MARINE ATTIRE, THEY DON'T HAVE ANY!!! I CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHY!!!)

FYI

2009-11-04T10:39:00.001-08:00

Due to lack of funds our Cell Phones are being shut off. If you need to contact us call the house line. If you do not have that number please let me know so that I can get it to you!!!

Lots of Love~~
THE WASHINGTON JEFFERY'S

Alas Autumn Arrives

2009-10-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

No more BBQ's...No more swimming...Rain...color changing leaves...clouds...cool days and Football season in Full swing. What does all this mean? It is Autumn or Fall or Harvest whatever you want to call it. OCtober 1st marked a change for the great. The weather changed and the leaves are beautiful and colorful and it Rained today. October 1st also marked a change in the house. That's right Fall Decorations. Then last night Garratt and I had warm tea for the first time of the season...YEAH!!! I love this time of year. Life is good...sorta!

A Very Adult Birthday

2009-09-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

My Birthday was Thursday for those of you who forgot. Ha Ha Just kidding!! It was a very nice day. My husband got up early and went out and got me flowers and a cake. It was a very sweet surprise, and the roses were beautiful. Then I got phone calls from people like my mother in law, grandparents, and sister. I then got to go out to lunch with a friends without kids, Garratt kept the girls at home for me. After lunch I went home to relax. When I got home there was another set of flowers on the table, these ones were from my Grandparents. They were beautiful too, it was a rose and carnation combo. They are both now on my entertainment center and I love them. After hanging out with the kids for a little while I made dinner. Faith and Brooke played while Mommy sat on the couch after dinner. We put Faith to bed and then played a game while Brooke just kinda "hung out." Then we went to bed, (Garratt had school on Friday). Then yesterday Garratt took me out! We went bowling and then out for dinner. We also went shopping for a couple of things we forgot. Oh well! That was my birthday. I also recieved a few birthday cards that were all very sweet and very considerate. I appriciated everyone of them.

Great American Dine Out

2009-09-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

This week is the Annual Great American Dine Out (20-26th). The purpose of this event is to help with ending Childhood hunger. Here is the scoop:

THOUSANDS OF RESTAURANTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE HELPING TO MAKE SURE NO KID IN AMERICA GROWS UP HUNGRY.
The first annual Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out rallied nearly 4,000 restaurants across the nation—from coffee shops to fine dining restaurants—and millions of consumers. These restaurants participated in a variety of ways— donated a percentage of sales, promoted select menu items, collected money from suppliers and guests and much more. The funds raised from this campaign will support:
Increasing participation in school food and nutrition programs
Increasing the number of community gardens
Food banks and food pantries
Increasing access to fresh produce
Increasing utilization of federal child food and nutrition programs, e.g. food stamps, school breakfast, etc.
Advocacy around Child food and nutrition-related programs

So do your part...go eat out this week. For a list of participating resturants in your area go to
http://join.strength.org/site/PageServer?pagename=GADO_homepage

From here you can input your zip code and it will give you a list of resturants that are participating. You have to eat so why not eat and make a difference.

When will it end??

2009-09-22T17:28:00.001-07:00

Ok..so some of you know that we had problems with our car finance bank like a month ago. I took care of the everything and paid off the car or so I was to understand from them. There was the possibility that there might be a "SMALL" balance but the girl reassured me that it would be minimal if any and that I would get a statement telling me my balance. So today I get a phone call from the bank telling me that my monthly payment is LATE. How the heck is that even possible. I paid it off according to the girl I talked to on 9/2/09. Well apparently that girl was slightly new and misinformed me...story of their life around there...and so now there is a "LATE" payment. So I asked why I had not recieved a statement telling me that I have a balance anf that it is going to be due on X date? Her reply made me want to hit the roof...she told me that the way there system is that the issue we had cause the system to "mark" our account and that "marked" accounts do not recieve statements. WHAT??? That is just the way it is, was her statement after that. Ok so now I was pissed and she could tell so she went and talked to her manager and her manager is offering us a "settlement" on the account. She is willing to discount the $400 we owe down to $275 if we can pay it by the end of the month. CRAP. That is a fairly decent deal, but no I do not have a job. Basically the girl said that we have the option to take the "late" fee and make our monthly payments until we pay it off or we take the settlement but we have until the end of the month to do it. I am so frustrated right now because neither option is very doable at this moment in time with me not working. Just when I had things figured out so that we could "float" by until I find a job. There is always something. I am really starting to wonder when it is all going to end. If it is not one thing it is another. This whole process of deciding what to do about this and that and everything in between is really getting more and more trying. All I want to do is get my Career Certification in Event/Wedding planning and start my own business so that I can make a living and support my family and be able to make my own schedule so that I can be home when I need to be and be able to make enough money to pay our bills, put a little in savings and be able to go out on a "date night" with my husband once a month. Is that asking too much? Apparently so because it is not happening. Oh well here is hoping that something comes up in the Palouse Job Market soon because right now the only jobs are ones that require extensive degrees or are aimed at College students who are willing to work "ANY" hours. GRRRRR to life!

Loss of Job= Lots of Problems...GRRRR

2009-09-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

Besides the obvious fact that a loss of job = the loss of income there is another very important factor that we have to deal with now. What is that?

LOSS OF JOB=LOSS OF MEDICAL INSURANCE
LOSS OF MEDICAL INSURANCE= VERY BIG DR BILLS FOR 2 GIRLS THAT NEED IMMUNIZATION SHOTS & 1 MOMMY THAT NEEDS BIRTH CONTROL PILLS

Yes ladies and gentlemen, when I lost my job and we lost our medical insurance I realized that this is right at the wrong time. Faith is scheduled for her 2 year check up and lots of immunizations (she has 2 to make up from when I was pregnant.) and In 2 more weeks we have Brroke's 2 month follow up which includes her immunizations too. Lovely. Plus, when I went to the OB last week He gave me my prescrption for my BCP and told me that because of the infant in our home that the other 3 of us all need to have both flu shots this year. GREAT! Now I am in a hard spot. I really need to find a job or come into some money and quickly.

All Smiles

2009-09-17T10:01:00.001-07:00

Now What?

2009-09-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

So I found out last week that somewhere along the line I lost my job. This was completly a shock to me. So at the beginning of the month a friend of mine who is a professor in the department I worked for called me and asked me if I had heard that the girl who was "filling" in for me while I was gone had gotten a permanent position in a different department. I said no and decided to email my department director and find out what that meant for my job. 3 days later I got a reply from him saying that they had already "posted" the job online to be filled and that I was more than welcome to apply for it. I emailed him back and asked him why it was posted when I was under the impression this whole summer that I would have a job to come back to after my maternity leave, as long as the money was in the budget for it. A few days later I got a response from him telling me that He was sorry but they had to act fast and they had already hired someone. He also told me that he did not realize in all our corespondances that I was "definatly" returning and that he assumed I was not. Then he proceeded to apologize for any inconvienience and said that he would be more than willing to write me an excellent reference letter if I ever needed it.
Needless to say I was rather pissed off and fumed over it for awhile and then I realized that obviously there is a reason that I "lost" this job. I know that God has something for me since he allowed for this to happen, I just wish I could figure out what. There really are no jobs here for a person like me with no degree and while I have the "financial aid" to go back to school I do not have the "financial" means to not work. I would love to keep the girls home and go backl to school. I could take some online classes for now and then eventually take some traditional classes later. I am still not sure what I want to do. There are 4 different things that I am really interested in and I do not know which way to go. 2 of the options would be "traditional" schooling the 3rd would be an online certification program, and the last would be an inbetween. The first two would involve traditional financial aid to pay for and the 3rd would be a monthly payment plan of $40-60 per month and the last I am still figuringout but I think it would invilve some sort of loan or payment plan, but it would be more exprensive. What are the options? 1) Nurse, I have always loved the field of medicine and the thought of helping people. 2) Teaching, I love working with kids and I think this would a great field to work in. 3) WEdding and Event Planning, this has been a passion of mine for a long time. I started the schooling for this back like 6 years ago and never finished it. Now I feel like I could get back into this, there is a real need in this are for that type of person and I could work from home and be able to set my schedule around Garratts. 4) Cosmotologist....I have thougth about this one for a long time. I wanted to fo this originally when I got out of High School but was told by a specific family member that it was a dead end and that I could not do it. So I guess at that point I gave up. This is also a carreer with a need and I think again I would be good at it and I again could work my schedule around Garratt's as needed. So now what? I do not know. I guess I put all this on hold and focus on tring to find a minimum wage job that will help us "float" by as much as possible and then maybe in 3 -4 years when Garratt is done with school and his internship and he has a good job then I can consider these options again. I guess that is what I have to do, be a supportive wife and mother and place everything else on the back burner.

And that's another...COUGAR FIRST DOWN!

2009-09-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

So we may not have won but we sure had a great time.

Faith was all ready to go, she loves her jersy and her hair pom pom. We had to wait for Daddy to get home from work so Faith hung out by the door, opening it occassionally to see if Daddy was coming down the hill.

Brooke was all ready too in her Cougar colors, although you can't really tell in this picture.

Faith was facinated watching the players warm up, then she spent most of the game in this spot because she could watch the players run and she could watch the Marching band play, she was very excited about the band.

Speaking of the band here they are at the beginning of the game, approx. 5 mins prior to kick off. There are approx. 240 people in the WSU 2009/10 Marching Band.

Butch making his rounds at the game, making sure that everyone is cheering on the Cougars!!

Here is a picture of football players running...every together now..."ohhhhhh" "awwwww"

Garratt and Faith pause during 1/2 time to take a picture. We all had a great time. The Cougars lost to the Cardinals 13-39. This is the same amount that we lost by last year, although this year our team is showing SIGNIFICANT improvement. We are in our rebuilding years and we are hoping to have a better season this year than last year. Last year we won 1 game, the Apple Cup. We will keep you all posted on future games!! GO COUGS!!!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!!

2009-09-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I have ssen it all. I have seen Horrible things happen to us, I have seen Bad things happen to us, I have seen Great things happen with my mom and her health condition, and I have see good things happen to other members of our family and I have seen the ugly part of members of our family, oh and REALLY EXCITING THINGS HAPPEN TO MY FAMILY. I cannot go into detail about it all but I can describle some of it.

Let me start with the REALLY EXCITING...

As of Yesterday, September 1st, 2009, My sister Sarah and her husband Joah are the "official" parents of my nephew Micah.(see picture above) The paperwork is all signed and the adoption is complete, the last step is to go before the judge and have all of the old records sealed and his new name legalized with a new issuance of a birth certificate and a social security card, but as far as the state of California is concerned he is legally and officially a permanent member of my Sister's family (meaning MY FAMILY!!!) YEAH!!

OK Now the good news with my Mom's health. They finally may have solved the year long "mystery" of what is wrong with my mom. The diagnosis is...peristalsis...what is this? Basically it causes a decrease in the digestive systems working ability. You see it takes the average person 55 minutes to digest a meal, through a special gastric test they determined it taked my Mom 11 hours to digest a meal, hence the pain and the lack of desire to want to eat. How would you feel if food sat in your stomache for 11 hours? The good news is that there are ways to help this. There are 2 different medications. 1 she has already been on and it did not work. The other can only be gotten from Canada, thank you Canadians!! SO she has to ship it in from Canada. If this second medication does not work there are a couple of more drastic options to consider. I am praying that the medication works.

The last item I will discuss is my anger with the Financial Aid system that our government has set up. One I think that they do everything in their power to screw the little people. Second, I think that thet purposefully decieve the people who are trying to get assistance for school. THat is basically what has happened to us. We recieved half of the money needed for Garratt's schooling for the 09-10 year and we had to take out a loan for the 2nd half of it. The problem is we were mis-lead into thinking that we would recieve the entire amount of the Private loan, instead they put it through the school to certify and then the governement got their fingers involved and it became a split loan do we only got 1/2 the money, and we will get the rest in January, which is great for January but sucks for December. Oh, well...there goes our Christmas!

OUR MASCOT

2009-09-01T11:53:00.001-07:00

The Washington State University Mascot, Butch T. Cougar was choosen to be part of the Capital One 2009 Mascot Challenge. This is very exciting. Butch was also choosen in 2005 and 2006, He actually won in 2006. Please feel free to go to the website and vote to help Butch win. You can vote EVERYDAY, and each week he will be up against a different mascot, there are 12 of them on the team. Then in November they will compete in a "play-off" based on the standings from the combined 12 weeks. The winner will be "crowned" in December!!!

GO BUTCH!!!!!!

The link to vote... http://www.capitalonebowl.com/

Family Night Out

2009-08-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Last night I needed to get out of the house. I was feeling a little cooped up. Garratt and I decided we would head up to the CUB (Student Union Bldg) and get dinner at Panda Express. We then took a little walk around just because it was a really nice evening out and we wanted to enjoy it. Then we decided to take the girls to their first sporting event. We took them to the Girls Volleyball game. We were playing against UC Davis (irony). It was a lot of fun. We only stayed for about half of it because it was bedtime for Faith and I was not FULLY prepared to be out as long as we were, we did not bring blankie with us. Brooke slept the whole time we were there, well at least in between being startled by loud and happy college student cheering on their team. Faith LOVED it! We sat on the second stoy right behind the pep band and she watched for them to stand up because she know that was music time. She also loved watching the cheerleaders dance and cheering with Daddy everytime our team scored. After such a great time out we decided that we are going to do this MORE OFTEN. We have a great opportunity living on a college campus to do stuff and give the girls (ok Faith more than Brooke) the opportunity to see and experience some pretty neat stuff.

Happy Birthday Jon!!!

2009-08-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Today is My Brother In Law Jon's birthday. I will be nice and not tell you his age, only that he is OLDER than me...HA HA!! There is a lot that I can say about Jon. He has a heart of gold that is willing to give anything to help anyone. He has an amazing talent for percussion and a love for music (that runs in the Jeffery family). Jon is an great Dad and Husband (from my standards). He is always ready to hang out and have a good time. He is a fun loving guy with a great sense of humor and an ability to laugh at just about anything. Jon is very laid back and that makes him extremly easy to get along with. All in all he really is just a great person. He is a blessing to our family. Jon brings a balance to our family that no one else could bring. Thanks Jon for being YOU!!! Hope that you have an incredible birthday and that the rest of the year is filled with LOVE, LAUGHTER, FRIENDS, FAMILY and MANY MANY GREAT MEMORIES!!!

WE LOVE YOU AND WISH YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

The Mommy Feeling

2009-08-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

As a Mom I have realized that there are many things that you have to put your children through that they so not like. As I have had to do thins more with Brooke than I ever did with Faith I am also realizing that as Mommy I hate having to put her through it more than she hates going through it. So far in the first 10 days of life Brooke has been poked 9 days out of 10 for blood work of various kinds, mainly her Billi Ruben, she has had to wear a yucky eye mask and be placed under ultra violet phototherapy lights (billi lights) (which she screams at the whole time she is under there) and now today I found out that the Dr wants to run another test on her, but this test requires an intra-vein draw, yes that means through her vein, do you know how diffuclt and horrible that is for an infant? I am so not looking forward to this. I know that it is my duty as her mother and the fact that I love her is the reason I put her through this, but still does not mean that I like it. Actually I HATE IT!!! I do not want to put my baby through anything that is going to hurt her. SO, as we head to the lab to have this work done, pray for me so that I do not cry. Lucky for me Garratt should be home from his first shift of the day at work and have enough time to go with me before he has to be back at work for his 2nd shift for the day ( yeah he is committed, or is it I should have him committed? LOL).

One More thing

2009-08-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

We discovered that there were a couple of other things that I left off the list of things we could use for Brooke...

A Baby Bouncer: Boppy Cradle in Comfort Bouncer
Baby Pacifiers: Playtex Latex Ortho Pro Pacifiers (Newborn)

Also, because of how little Brooke is in comparisson to Faith, Brooke needs a few more clothes in Newborn size and 0-3 months. This will be more important come September when she is out to daycare on a regular basis...for now we are just deling with really big clothes.

Also, like we have said before...gift cards for Walmart and Babies R Us are great too!! (Especially since we found out we need NEWBORN size diapers for an 8 lb baby!!!)

Welcome to the World...

2009-08-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce the birth of Brooke Elizabeth Jeffery. She was born on Saturday August 8, 2009 at 2:59 pm. She was 7 lbs 15.9 oz. and 20.75 inches long. Mommy and baby are doing good. We got to go home on Sunday evening and that was very nice.

An Day of Adventure

2009-08-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was REALLY hot here in Washington...Pullman hit 99...which for us is hot becuase we do not have air conditioning in our complex....that was stupid of the University...we are one of the ONLY complexs that does not have air conditioning...GRRRR! Oh well, so we decided that it would be better not to sit in the heat of the house and boil so we decided to drive the 45 minutes to the nearest lake, that was a great idea until we got there. It was just around 1 and we had not eaten so we sat down to eat the picnic lunch I packed. Then the problem hit, there were tons of BEES ( for those of you that are thinking no big deal, WRONG!!! MEL is HIGHLY allergic to bees, so much so that I become anaphylactic if stung....). So Garratt and I decided it would be better to leave than risk me getting stung and causing bigger issues with baby (although if I had gotten stung I do have Epi Pens on hand, but medical people are not sure what the "official" affects are on babies in the womb of a woman who has to use an epi pen so they say it is better not to have to use one). We loaded back into the car with a very devidtated little girl who was all ready to play in the WATER!!!! We decided to take a drive and enjoy the air conditioned car, so Garratt drove back towards home and then we cut down into the Lewiston & Clarkston Valley which is about 45 mins south of Pullman. Once there we got out a little and looked at some stores, then we realized it was 5pm and Faith was getting hungry so we decided to grab a little dinner and then head home. When we got home the termastat at the house said it was 90 degrees in the house and it was 830pm by that point (we had to stop at the grocery store on our way into town). All in all it was a great day and we stayed cool and had no problems, Faith had fun and laughed alot, Mel enjoyed the AIR CONDITIONING IN THE CAR....and Garratt was just happy he got to just DRIVE!!!

Update on What we need for Brooke

2009-07-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who still want to know....here is an updated list of the things we need for Brooke. Most of it is the same but there are a few changes, I have also added a couple of links for some of the items so that you can see them.

WE NEED:

Burp Clothes- The Pre Fold Style
Bibs- Can you ever have enough?
Crib Mattress- Simmons Slumber Crib & Toddler Bed Mattress
White Crib Sheets
Crib Set- Disney's Delightful Day (At Babies R Us)
Ideally a new Rocking Chair and Ottoman Set
Microwave Sanitizer- Steam Guard Microwave Sterilizer By Munchkin
Monitor- Either of these two:
Fisher Price Remote Control Dual Musical Audio Monitor
Fisher Price Dual Private Connection Monitor

We DO NOT need clothes for Brooke She has plenty thanks to her Sister. If this changes I will let everyone know!!!

Gift Cards for Babies R Us and Wal Mart are always good too!!!

We are registered at Babies R Us if anyone wants to go that route too!!! Registry # 91257363

More Pregnancy Updates

2009-07-23T11:33:00.001-07:00

So on Sunday we ended up back at the hospital. Saturday night I started feeling very sick, I developed a really bad headache and Brooke was just not moving like they said she should. We spent 4 hours in the hospital, they monitored me closely and they were going to let me go but my blood pressure was just not what they wanted to see. So, they went ahead and ran another round of Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH) blood tests. They came back ok so the Dr. let me go home, still on bed rest. Monday we went back to the Dr. for the Appt. I had scheduled, this Appt. was with the other OB in the office. We discussed the background so far on this pregnancy as well as some of the stuff from Faith's pregnancy and then we discussed the option of inducing me early with all the issues I have been having with Pain and pressure and just plain crumminess. The Dr. was great he was very honest and very encouraging. He said that because of the size of Brooke and the issues with PIH that he though maybe a 38 week induction is not a bad idea. His biggest concern is that we do not push her to soon becuase she is not quite full term and her lungs may or may not be fully developed. He told me to continue the NST's 2x per week and to start coming into the office for weekly visits. He also had me set up another growth Ultrasound for 37 weeks (first week is August) to see just how big she is now. He told us that the average baby at 35 weeks (where I am now) is 4 lbs 8 ounces ( Brooke was 6 2 weeks ago). He also said that the average baby born at 39 weeks (when Faith was born) is 7 lbs. 6 ounces (Faith was 9 lbs 6 ounces). So there is a risk with the already larger size of Brooke. The concern is that if Brooke gets too much bigger that I will have more complications during delivery. So for now we wait. Although, he did take me off of FULL bedrest. He said that if my situation needed me to be on FULL bedrest that they might as well stick me in the hospital because it is redicoulous to be on FULL bedrest at home. HE did however tell me that I need to stay off my feet as much as I can, minimize my activity and no lifting or strenous activity. The better I am about these items the lower my blood pressure is going to be and the long we will be able to keep Brooke in the womb. I will keep everyone posted as things progress!

Ethan Michael

2009-07-21T19:30:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of the new nephew Ethan. Thanks Allie for sending this picture to me!!!

Welcome to the World....

2009-07-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce the birth of Our nephew....Ethan Michael Jeffery. He was born to Eric and Jenette on Monday July 20, 2009 at 7:45pm...He weighed 9 lbs 15.2 ounces and was 22 inches long...what a baby. My sister-in-law was induced in the morning, he water broke around 7:30 and with 2 pushes he was out...GO JENETTE!!!! I only hope my delivery is that easy, but probably not, LOL!!!! I will post pictures as soon as I have some.

Updates

2009-07-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Just so no one feels entirely left out... I am going to give an update.

I started a Non-stress test regimine...that happens 2x per week, this past week. I did not think much of it these are pretty routine in the third trimester, we went through this with Faith too. So, we were looking to make sure that Brooke was a happy and active little baby. So Monday went well...they said everything was normal, Brooke's heartrate dropped at one point but it came right back up so they were not concerned. Then Thursday's NST started out ok, but my blood pressure was really high and that was a concern. They also noticed some contractions on the monitor so the DR. order some blood work, the blood work came back ok, but there was still some concern so the Dr decided to order a 24 hour Urine collection and then they decided they were going to admit me into the hospital overnight for observation and to run some more tests. So, I spent Thursday and Friday in the hospital. On Friday mornig my DR came through to see me, he was concerned with my blood pressure and the swelling I was having in the legs, which by the point was much better. He decided to keep me until the results came back from my Urine Collection Tests. In the end he decided that my protien levels were not high enough to cause imediate concern so he sent me home on FULL BEDREST with very STRICT instructions. He said I should be feeling baby very frequently and if I wasn't to come straight back in. He also gave me some other sympthoms to watch for and siad if those started or increased to come straight back to the hospital. Basically I am to do ABSOLUTLY NOTHING...which is hard to do when you have a toddler at home and a Husband who has to work, (as it was Faith had to go to daycare on Friday because Garratt had to work from 9-2). So, now I am doing absolutly nothing and bored out of my mind...there is nothing on TV, I have to have my legs elevated so that limits what my options are aropund the house, the only way I am on the Computer is that We have a wireless keyboard and my legs are up on another chair so they are elevated. I have a Dr appt. and another NST with more blood work and blood pressure test on Monday morning so we will see what they say.

So there is the update!!!

New Update On Brooke

2009-07-13T11:07:00.001-07:00

Well, last week we saw the DR again and we had a groth sonogram done. The results...

1) Brroke's measurements was showing her at 36 weeks even though I was only 33 weeks along.
(I am now 34 weeks)
2) At 33 weeks she is already 6 lbs. and has a VERY big head.
3) Brooke is already head down...hello pressure!!!
4) A mature placenta

The Concerns
1) Is my due date off?
2) How much more is she going to grow?
3) Is the placenta maturing this early a concern?

The DR's Desicion
1) To take it one day at a time...
2) Non-Stress Tests 2x per week (starting today)
3) Another Growth sonogram at 35-36 weeks
4) Weekly visists starting at 35 weeks.

What the Dr is watching for
1) Movement...does the placenta maturity cause Brooke to not be as active?
2) Growth...does the maturing placenta cause a stop in Brooke;s growth?
3) Size...does Brooke start to get too big?
4) Mommy's Blood Pressure...although it has been better the last 2 visits I am not in the clear because I have a history of hypertension...

If any of the above become an issue then we are talking inducement... I will keep everyone posted.

What we need

2009-06-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

I have recieved a few emails from people asking what we still need for the arrival of Brooke so here is what we need:

Burp Cloths
Bibs
Bassinet Sheets
Crib Sheets
A Crib Mattress
Brooke's Crib Set (If anyone can find it...It is being discontinued) It is called Patchwork Pooh and is located at Babies R US.
Ideally a new rocker
An ottoman

Gift Cards for Babies R US or Wal MArt are also great.

That's about it...right now she has a lot of clothes that I have to finish sorting through so for now no clothes...I will update this post later if this changes and let you know what clothes she needs.

The Brooke Update

2009-06-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

On Friday I went to see the OB for my 2 week routine check up. We were a little anxious about this visit because on the previous visit my blood pressure was up and if it continued to stay up there were only 2 options BED REST (yeah right me sit all day with my feet up...hahahaha) or medication (NO WAY...I am not taking pills!!!). Lucky for me it was down enough that my DR. was not too concerned for the mean time, but said he would watch it because of my history of Hypertension in the 3rd trimester of my pregnancy. The other concern we had was the contratctions and pelvic pressure I have been having. Again DR. was not super concerned because they are not quite frequent enough at this point, again he said just to watch them and if I am getting more frequent or significantly more painful then to call him. What we did get from him is that we are probably not going to make it to our due date. There are pros and cons with this. Our due date is 8 weeks away. The concern right now is first to make it to next week because then the fetal lung development is complete, the next step is to make it to 35 weeks, here is why...Pullman Regional Hospital does not have a neonatal unit, so if you go into labor prior to 35 weeks then you are medi flighted to Spokane, I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO DO THIS!!!!
So right now we have 3 prayers...1) That I make it to next week without going into labor....2) That I make it to 35-36 weeks (or the end of July) without going into labor and 3) that I have everything ready for Brooke by the time I do go into labor, right now I do not feel very ready for Brooke!!!

A Dead End....

2009-06-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

So, back in May Garratt and I decided we needed to obtain funds to help us pay a few things off and get through the summer since I am not working....THANK YOU STATE OF WASHINGTON!!! We got the loan...or so we were to understand...well we were sort of wrong. The loan was a student loan similar to the one we got last year...the problem is this time it is being dispursed to the school not to us...that is not good on so many levels...

Now I am tring to figure out exactly what the next step needs to be...the money we were waiting for is not actually going to make it to us until the end of August...but that only works if we pay off what we owe the school currently... except that we were suppose to do that with the loan...which we will not be recieving now...

So, as I monitor my blood pressure...monitor the pre term contractions...ward off collection calls...and keep a toddler happy all while tring to figure out how to get through the next 2 months...please keep us in your prayers....

Running out the Resources

2009-06-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

When do you know that your resources are just about used up? Easy when you are looking in the panrty to decide dinner and you are thinking...what can I make using cornbread mix...or cereal...or how about egg noodles with no sauce? Yeah...that is a sure sign that your resources are used up...you are hanging on to every ounce of milk and every gallon of gas... praying that you will make it until the money you are expecting, that is taking A LOT longer to process and recieve, will make it to you in time. Oh well...I guess this is where life gets intresting and you just have to wait out each day patiently. Here's to getting through.

Happy Father's Day Garratt!!!

2009-06-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to the Best Father for My Children!!!!

I tell My Husband all the time that He is the Best Father a Mother could ask for, for her children!!! He plays with Faith and loves her. THey make eachother smile and they have there Momments of pain and anger too...but all in all they are "Best Friends"!!! The sight of my husband coming home after work and getting on the ground to "attack" Faith with kisses while she giggles or Faith yelling "DADDDDDDYYYYY" when she wants to get his attention. I love you Garratt, Happy Father's Day!!!!!

Glucose Test...ewwwwww

2009-06-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

OK so last week when we got home from Cali I went in to have my standard pregnancy glucose test done. I drank the syrup waited 30 minutes, went to the hospital had my blood drawn and I was done!! No problem. I got a phone call the next day from the Dr. He said that I had failed my glucose test. Apparently the cut off is 140 and my score came back at 145. I failed by 5 points...really? Yes!!! So because that means I am on the boarder line with that score they made me do the full 3 hour panel. The only thing was that it actually took 4 hours. So Wednesday night I stopped eating at 8:30 and fasted...Garratt had to work the opening 5:30-9 shift yesterday so by the time I got to the hospital for my test it was like 9:30 ( so I am already at 13 hours of fasting and I am pregnant). I get in and the girl tells me that it will take like 4 hours not 3 because they have to test my fasing blood draw first to make sure I am under the 110 mark because if I am not then I cannot even do the test. So they draw my blood and I wait for the results. lucky for me it only took like 20 mins for them to run my blood and find out I was plenty under, then I got the yucky drink. I then got a timer and was told that when the timer got to 5 mins to ring the door bell and ket them know...1 hour later I went in for my blood draw...they handed me back my time and I waited another hour...draw again...and wait another hour. Now I kept myself occupied with suduko puzzles and Garratt's IPod, but the problem was this the Hospital cafeteria is right next to the lab, and I had to sit there and smell them cooking lunch while I waited and waited and waited. My final blood draw was at 1:30 and then I was done. I ran to the post office to pick up something and then ran home to eat I was SOOO hungry. I had been fasting for 18 hours by the time I finally ate at 2:30 pm. OH MY GOSH THAT SUCKED!!!!
The good news is the Dr had put a STAT on the results and so I got a phone call from the nurse yesterday around 4 telling me that my test came back negative for Diabeties. I passed!!! Yeah ME!!!!

Happy Birthday Mom

2009-06-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Today is My Mother-In-Laws birthday and I cannot even describe in words how I feel about her. She is more than a Mother in Law to me, she is my second Mother. She is strong, beautiful, patient, understanding, loving, and a prayer warrior. Garratt and I could not have made it through the last year without her support, prayers and love. We love you Mom!!! Have a great Birthday!!! Below is a little poem to try and show how we feel!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are times when only a Mother's love

Can understand our tears,

And soothe our disappointments

And calm away our fears.

There are times when only a Mother's love

Can share the joy we feel

When something we have dreamed aboutSuddenly is real.

There are times when only a Mother's love

Can help us on life's way

And inspire in us, the confidence We need from day to day.

Mother, thank you for your heart, faith and hope

And all your steadfast loveYou were fashioned by the Angels

And sent from God above...
Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday Papa

2009-06-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

So, I know that this is a day late (I did call him and talk to him yesturday!!) but HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!!! I am so blessed to have such an amazing Grandfather!!! He has always been supportive and encouraging and generous. He has always been My PAPA and he always will be, and now he is also Faith's PAPA!! She calls him and talks to him and loves being around him, this was proven ever so more during our trip to California in May! Every Morning she woke up and crawled out to the Family Room and sat on Papa's lap with Blankie, and Bannana Nut Cherrios, Milk and PLayhouse Disney on the TV!! She was in 7th heaven!! So here is hoping and praying that you had a super birthday and have a terrific year. Happy Birthday Papa!! We all Love You!!!

Baby Brooke Update

2009-06-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was my OB appointment. That went well. My amniotic fluid is completly back to normal...YEAH!!! They checked my cervix as a result of the many and painful contractions I have been having and everything looks ok for now. The OB wants me to go into the hospital for a Non-Stress Test the next time I have a contraction "episode" just to see what we are dealing with. We are also off and running with the 3rd trimester. As with Faith my blood pressure is up. So I am suppose to see the OB again in 2 weeks, yeah me!! If we do not get the blood pressure under control they may put me on medication...yuck!! They do not want me to deliver prematurly, so they are being very cautious and thourough, for this I am thankful!!!

We are Back

2009-06-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

We are back home in Washington! We will miss everyone in Cali but it is good to be home. I also prefer my 60-70 degree weather over the 90-100 degree weather down there. We took 2 days to get home and decided to drive 95 home and that took us through Oregon. We spent the night in Bend, OR that was nice. The second day was a shorter driving distance but being 29 weeks pregnant it seemed MUCH longer and the 2nd day was harder for me. We got home on Monday afternoon and then needed to recover. Now we seem to be getting back into routine! Yeah for Routines!! I will post some pictures here and on Faith's sight over the next few days from our trip to Cali.

Ok...the phone works both ways!!!

2009-06-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have always been very open and honest,about what is going on in our lives and how I am feeling,on this blog, so I am going to continue that trend because I do not feel like I am going to offend anyone becuase of my honesty and because I just could care less anymore if someone gets mad at me because of my opinion or my feelings.

So we arrived in California 4 weeks ago. Most of our immediate family knew that we were here almost instantly and most everyone else know within a week because either they read my blog where I posted that we were in California and willing to get together with people if they contacted us, or becuase they had talked to other people and found out the same information. I said in my blog that we are available, I do not know what anyones schedules are so I would like them tocontact us to work around their schedules. So why is it that when it comes down to the last 8-10 days we are getting phone calls asking us why we have not contacted them to get together. THE PHONE WORKS TWO WAYS PEOPLE!!!!

I am not the type of personality that just stops by someones house randomly (except like 3 households, My Parents, My Mother-in-Laws, and My Nana and Papa's). I also do not invite myself over. If you want to get together I will make time as best as I can but I am not going to ASSUME you want to see us. I am of the personality and mind frame that you get together with people because they want to see you so they have contacted you to come see them or meet somewhere.

So, we leave in 4 days and we have not seen everyone. There are people we probably will not see because there will not be anytime left. I have some time slots still open so if you want to see us give me a call or leave me a comment on here and I will contact you but I am not going to assume that you wnat to see us nor am I going to just "STOP BY." That is not me. Sorry!!!

Hello California

2009-05-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

So for those of you that have not heard. We are here. We arrived last weekend and had a very packed week that included very little time to blog or call people to tell them we were in California. I needed lots of time to acclimate to the "HOT" weather down here again. I tell you once your body get used to something it is hard to put it through such a drastic change. You see when we left Washington to come down our highs were in the high 50's to low 60's...ohhh it was nice, we were enjoying it. Then we get down here and OH MY...here we go in the 90's -100's...yucky!!! I have decided that it is a much smarter idea to be pregnant during the winter. Much easier to stay cool and comfortable. So if you would like to see us shoot me an email, leave me a comment here, text me, or call (if I do not answer then leave me a message and I will get back to you). We would love to see everyone at least once. We do have a couple of things already planned so hopefully we can work around all that!!! Talk to you soon!!!!

REaching A Breaking Point

2009-04-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

There are some days when I think that making ends meet is just a part of life and we will get through with no problem. Then there are days when I cry because I realize that the truth is we are in a downward spiral to never ending doomedness. We are suppose to be coming to California in May and that is looking very dreary, I only have 4 ish weeks of pt work left then I have just enough hours for June and July to keep our medical benefits in tack with the exception of having to come up with the balance for the premium every month and then there is the dreaded "summer hours" for Garratt on top of his O-Chem Class he wants to take, although I have to pay off a student account balance first so that he can register...plus the normal bills and groceries and gas money. Then on top of all that we have to take Faith to Spokane ASAP to see an Allergy Specialist and have a consultation and a bunch of specialized tests done. OMG!!!!!!!! When will it all end?????????? AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

: (

CRAZY AND CONFUSSING

2009-04-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. It has been awhile since I gave you any updates. A few weeks ago I mentioned that the Budget was very gloomy here at WSU well, not it is not just gloomy it is downright depressing, not to be confussed with the overwhelming anxiety that CA is dealing with, but yet still just as dreary.

The WA state Senate and House released their projected budgets which will be finalized May 1st, to the shock of everyone. We were anticipating a 12-18% budget cut what we saw was a 20% budget cut from the Senate and a 29% budget cut from the House....AWWWW!!! This is now the situation we have all been dreading, this is going to hurt and bad!!!

My job is basically done the 2nd week of May. I will have 8 hours in June and 8 hours in July for now to hang on to my medical benefits as long as possible. August is currently up in the air. So please pray for us financially.

As for the situation with Garratt, well here you go. We found out when Garratt went to do his advising that there was a class that he was required to take that was not going to be offered anymore. This ment that he would be short on credits and a pre-req for his major classes. His advisor said she would talk to the department chair and instructor and see about an exception, but she was not very optimisic, she was wrong, they decieded to grant his the exception and allow him to take the class as an independent study course. Ok, one obsicle down. Then Garratt got a department email informing all the Nutritional Science students that the Dean of their department was stepping down as of May. Then a few days later Garratt got an email from his advisor informing him that she was leaving in May and refereing him to a Faculty Advisor. WHAT?? What is happening? Well, the jist of it is simple. The dietetic program is low on the WSU agenda as far as priority goes. It is one of quite a few programs being cut, although like many others the students have been told that they have a certain amount of time to finish up. This is partially true, meaning that as long as the budget holds out then they will allow the students to finish up, the more the budget goes down for cuts, the more likly that situation is to change.

All of this is happening while I am reevaluating the whole situation and realizing that there are no jobs here that fit my qualifications. I realized that I should have just stuck school out a long time ago. For awhile I have talked about going back to school and I just kept putting it off, why? Why is a good question, I had no answer either. I always said well now is not a good time ( I also said this about having kids, now we are going on baby #2) but the truth is as my wonderful husband has reminded me everytime I talk about going back to school, is there every a good time? There is always something that is going to stop you. So Garratt and I decided that we are going to look into possibly transfering to a school that is not considering Nutritional Science/Dietetics a low priority degree and we are going to take a leap of faith and see where God leads. Garratt is going to appy to some schools. At the same time that he is applying I am going to apply. I will be entering as a Freshman in the BSN program (Nursing).

All in all we have very mixed emotions about it. We know that God has the ultimate plan for us and He knows where we are suppose to be, yet the Human in us is scared for our family financially and emotionally as well as futuristically (is that a word). We are also excited to see what God does. So our request right now is for LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of PRAYER!!!! The big things are 1) Finances to get through the summer and a little into the fall until I can work again. 2) Finances for Application fees...those darn things are expensive. 3) Finances for visisting CA in May...we do not want to cancel this trip. My sister is graduating High School, Catie ( a special member of our family) is graduating from High School, my Mom is having surgery on her hand, my brother is turning 10, and this is the only time we can come down this summer because Garratt is planning on taking O-Chem this summer and it runs through the end of July. 4) Finances for a possible move 5) Peace as we have to make decisions wheather to move or not and when!

So there you have it the chaos of our lives!!! We love everyone very much and are thinking of you all.

AND THE WINNER IS...

2009-04-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce that we are having a baby Brooke (girl). We are sure, as you will see below in the pictures, she was not shy about showing us she is a GIRL. We are very excited. She is very healthy and active and size wise is measuring "average" and right on target, unlike her big sister who was always big, thankfully Brooke is not. Here are some ultrasound pictures for your enjoyment.

This is a profile picture. You can see her head (looks a little big to me) and her cute nose and mouth.

This is her showing us that she really is a little girl... hello world. The arrow is showing us too..HAHA Those are some long legs...must be those Jeffery genes!! : )

This is Brooke's foot. The arrow is pointing to the foot and the little smudge under that foot is her other foot, just like her Daddy she had her feet crossed at the ankle.

It's almost here...

2009-03-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ok So the big day is approaching. The day we find out if we are having a baby girl or a baby boy. That day is Tuesday April 7th...So here is the chance to place your vote, leave me a comment and let me know if you think we are having baby Brayden (boy) or baby Brooke (girl). I am curious to see what everyone thinks!!! I will anounce the resuts on the 7th.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENN!!!

2009-03-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

Today is my little sister Jenn's 17th Birthday...oh how quickly they grow up...she is getting to be so mature and responsible (well except for her room...typical teenager...ha ha). She is doing well in school and she is maintaining a job that she really likes. I just want to tell her how much WE LOVE HER AND WISH HER A SUPER WONDERFUL AND VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY...Oh and P.S. your present is on its way I promise!!!

Updates

2009-03-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!! Just a few updates for you.

1) My Mom is doing ok! She goes to Stanford on Wednesday for another EEG and hopefully some answers.

2) I found out last week that my position at WSU has been cut. The department has the funding to keep me on staff until the end of June. After that they currently have funding to have a PT "office aid" for the next 2 years. THe problem is there is no guarantee that when the State Legislature Votes on the Budget that they will allow the department to keep that funding. We wont have answers on this until May or June.

3) Faith is still growing by leaps and bounds. She is soooo close to walking. Today we even through a temper tantrum while standing up. Faith's Daycare Director Cassi and I are betting that by Easter she will be walking. That is one month from Thursday!!!

4) My Sister Sarah and her Family got baby Micah and he is sooooo cute. I am so jealous that my family has all gotten to spend time with him. I want to see him in person sooooo bad. Oh well I guess I will have to wait until the end of May.

5) We are still planning at this time to come down at the end of May and visit. We are planning on being there for 2 weeks, as we usually try to do so that we can see as many of you as possible. I will again be setting up a "schedule to see us so let me know if you want to see us whiler we are there. The main reasons for our visit is that My sister Stephanie is graduating from Turlock High School and Catie (a special extension on our family) is graduating from Pitman. We are very proun of both of them.

6) Pregnancy Update- I am doing pretty good. They finally found out what is causing all of my pain. It is not just the pregnancy as We had originally assumed. It is a Fibroid Tumor on my uterus. Right now it is nothing to worry about. As far as they can tell, based on blood work and visuals it is binine (i know that is probably misspelled). It is about 4cm and will continue to grow. It causes me a lot of discomfort but is completly manageable and for the most part I can function, but there are some days were the pain is almost unbearable and I cannot stand to do anything. These days are few but they happen. The Dr. says this is perfectly normal. There is not any harm to baby right now, as it grows we will have to watch it because they can have a tendensy to slow or completly stop the blood flow to the uterus. At that point we might have to do something about it, until then they will not do anything while I am pregnant because there are too many risks at putting me into premature labor and delivery and harming baby. The Dr says that there is a high chance that I will have to get it removed within a year of delievering the baby. Other than that everything seems right on. Baby is very active and very healthy according to the tests and ulrasounds. We will find out what we are having sometime at the beginning to middle of April. Trust me everyone will know when we know!!!

6) The last thing is that this last week we got word that the Diatetic Internship that is linked to Garratt's degree is being cut immediatly. This means that all the students currently on the "track" to completle their degree at WSU prior to the 2012 cutting of the entire Diatetic program will all have to find another form of internship on their own. This may not seem like a big deal except that the Internship is required to finish their degree. It is also required for the RD licencing procedures. So be praying for us as we look into ALL the options for pursuing Garratt's degree. Our main focus continues to be that Garratt finishes school with the DEGREES HE WANTS not a different degree.

Well, That is it for now!! I pray that everyone else is doing good and that life is treating you all well!!! We will enjoy the pummuling of snow that we are getting and think of all of you!!

More Updates

2009-02-25T08:45:00.001-08:00

So here is one good news and one bad news.

The Bad news first, after thinking that we were making progress and possibly had some leads on what to do, my Mom landed herself back in the hospital again. This time I am not sure what they are going to do. She was suppose to be going to Stanford tommorow for some extensive testing, but now I am not sure what the plan of attack will be. I have, so far, been, what I would consider, very strong with all this but I think I am reaching my breaking point. I am really worried about my mother and there is nothing that I can do. She told me Tuesday that she really wished I was there and I felt horrible, although I know without a doubt that she was not intentionally trying to make me feel bad. I really wish that there was someway for me to go down and see her but that is just not possible financially. Oh,well for now I PRAY from afar. Hopefully I will have another update on this situation for you tomorrow.

Now the good news. Most of you know that my sister, Sarah and Her Husband Josh have been in the "ADOPTION PROCESS" for just over a year. They found out at Christmas that they were finally in "Child Ready" stage. This means that they could get a baby at anytime. So they have been going to the screening meetings were they get to look through profiles of children that need a home. They were looking to adopt a Boy between the ages of newborn-3ish. The problem is this is a VERY popular age group so you have to act fast otherwise the child will have been taken already. Any ways they placed the situation in God's hands. They had one child a few weeks ago that they went for, the difference was that this child was a girl and she was from a line of siblings who had been placed in the foster care/adoption pool. There were some concerns that there might be problems or complications medically down the road. So my sister prayed about it. As of last week they had heard nothing. Then last Thursday, my sister got a phone call from Her social worker, there was a little boy, who was about 3 months old and needed to be placed as soon as possible. The little boys social worker was looking for a family who was ready and willing to take on this little boy. My sister immediatly said yes. They were thinking that the normal process for placement is 2-3 weeks. So, Tuesday they went to the "disclosure" meeting and got all the information. Then once they had said yes they want Him, the Social worker took them to the Foster Families home to meet the little boy. Usually you have to set this all up at a 2nd meeting a week later. The social worker also told them that this was a very quick case and that they wanted to place Him with my sister on Thursday if that was ok with them. My sister was thrilled. They spent a few minutes with the baby then had to go. Then today they are took my nephew to the foster families home to meet the baby for the first time. They thought this would help him to understand what they were doing. Then Tomorrow (Thursday) they will go pick the baby up in the afternoon. They are so excited. The court date is set for April and the adoption agency and the social workers are all very confindent that the judge will terminate all parental rights at that time and then my sister and brother-in-law will be able to file adoption paper work at the end of July for legal custody. So that is the story for now. I will post baby pictures as soon as I have them. I cannot wait. I got a text picture Tuesday that was from when He was 14 days old. He is so cute.

Updates

2009-02-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

I am very sorry that I have not done any updates lately. Things have been a little hectic. Oh well here are some of the updates.

1) We finally got benefits. I am in the process of doing the paperwork and getting them all set up.

2) With our benefits, we went with Aetna, because of the "NATIONWIDE" coverage, then found out that there is no OB/GYN on the Aetna network within 35 miles of my house. This sucks. Although, I did find out that I can do a special form that allows us to see an OB/GYN here in town. I just have to get it approved. Not too hard, but it takes a little longer to get seen. It kinda sucks. Oh, well!!

3) I am going to be "VOLUNTEERING" at Faith's daycare from 12:30-3:30 everyday to help pay for her daycare. They needed the help and so did we. It is a win win situation.

4) There is NO sign of a let up of the hiring freeze at WSU. The Gov. of Washington released the hiring freeze on the state back in December, but Pres. Floyd is not even considering lifting it anythime soon, so as of right now, my job is looking pretty dim. So I am going to be looking for another job and seeing what happens.

5) The economic situation has taken it's toll on EVERYONE and we are no exception to that!!

6) Garratt is looking into taking 3 classes over the summer.

7) We are planning our trip to California in May/June. We will have to be back by Sunday, June 7th, because Garratt's classes would start on June 8th. So we are planning on Driving down Wed. May 24th and Thurs. May 25th and leaving on Saturday June 6th. This is the plan at this point. We hope to spend time with as many people as possible, we shall see.

That is about it for now. I will try to be better about posting updates more often and posting pictures more often, especially on Faith's sight.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU!!!

2009-02-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

A Must See- Fireproof!

2009-02-12T09:02:00.001-08:00

Last night Garratt and I got a babysitter for Faith, went out for dinner alone (what a concept) and then went to a movie night at our church.

The movie: FIREPROOF.

The movie was done by: The producers and creators of the movie "Facing the Giants"

The Background of the movie: At work, inside burning buildings, Capt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighters adage: Never leave your partner behind. At home, in the cooling embers of his marriage, he lives by his own rules.
Growing up, Catherine Holt always dreamed of marrying a loving, brave firefighter...just like her daddy. Now, after seven years of marriage, Catherine wonders when she stopped being "good enough" for her husband.
Regular arguments over jobs, finances, housework, and outside interests have readied them both to move on to something with more sparks.
As the couple prepares to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's father challenges his son to commit to a 40-day experiment: "The Love Dare." Wondering if it's even worth the effort, Caleb agrees-for his father's sake more than for his marriage. When Caleb discovers the book's daily challenges are tied into his parents' new found faith, his already limited interest is further dampened.
While trying to stay true to his promise, Caleb becomes frustrated time and again. He finally asks his father, "How am I supposed to show love to somebody who constantly rejects me?"
When his father explains that this is the love Christ shows to us, Caleb makes a life-changing commitment to love God. And with God's help he begins to understand what it means to truly love his wife.
But is it too late to fireproof his marriage? His job is to rescue others. Now Caleb Holt is ready to face his toughest job ever...rescuing his wife's heart.

My Review: A great movie. Garratt and I both loved it. It is really a movie for all but I would ENCOURAGE ANY COUPLES to watch it. It really gives you an understanding as to what True Love should be and how to respect and love your spouse. Garratt and I already decided that this is a movie we want to own. We also want to read the "LOVE DARE" (watch the movie for more information on that) and I want to read the book about the movie, I just like reading books that have movies with them it sometimes gives you another perspective. This is a great movie for couples who are struggling in their marriage, who are going through a tough time or even those who have fallen into the "routine" of life and have let their marriage fall to the back burner. Garratt and I have been through and continue to go through a lot lately and the one thing that we have is communication, but I think that this movie was still an inspiration to us not to forget to remind the other half how we feel about them and do something nice for them, no matter how small. I will say this again...I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!! It is very real and very well done.

Happy Birthday Garratt

2009-02-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

Today is my wonderful husbands birthday. I will be nice and not tell you how old He is, lets just say He is 8 years older than me...HA HA HA! So today Garratt got to stay home with a sick child while I went to work, then He got to relax and have lunch, followed by getting ready for and going to work. Oh the life of a responsible adult. He told me the other night that He can hardly remember what a "ChildLike" birthday is anymore, I guess I will have to change that one of these birthdays. For now I will remind Him that He is a MAJOR part of our lived. He takes great care of Me. He is loving, caring, patient and understanding. He does the laundry the dishes and takes out the trash and recycles. In those little things He is my HERO. He is also great Father. He is a Daddy Jungle Gym, a human trampoline, and a cuddler when needed. He is Faith's Hero time and time again because He just takes the time to play with her, watch TV with her, dance to music with her and tuck her into bed at night. He is the first thing she looks for and calls to when we get home from daycare everyday and He is the last one she wants to see before bed. So on this special day, His Birthday we want to remind Him and tell everyone else how wonderful He is and how much WE LOVE Him and wish Him a SUPER WONDERFUL FANTASTICAL BIRTHDAY!!!

With Lots of Love from His Wife, Daughter and Baby!!!

Baby Jeffery

2009-01-31T11:10:00.001-08:00

Concern from Far Away

2009-01-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

For those of you that follow my blog and or know me well, you are aware that my mom is very sick. Back in August was when it all got serious. She started to loose weight rapidly, she lost her appetite and could barely keep anything down. They did test after test trying to figure out what was wrong. Then in October, things got really bad. Mom landed herself in the hospital for the first time. They conducted exploritory surgery and found NOTHING. THey ran some other tests and they did some other procedures and still nothing. Over the course of the next 2 months Mom spent time back and forth in the hospital and home on bed rest. Her last stint in the hospital was just before Thanksgiving. We thought maybe things were going to start to get better, although we still had no answers to what was cauing all the problems in the first place. Then, early this month they conducted an LP test on her and she took a turn downwards. She was eating less and less until finally she was not eating at all, because she could not keep anything down. As a result last night the doctor put her back into the hospital. He was going to evaluate her and decide what to do. They decided that they would use a feeding tube to get nutrition into her. The rest of the story I am a not sure of other than the text message I got from her which basically said that at some point today she had collapsed, while still in the hospital, and so her doctor had order her to bed confinment with medication and tubes in her nose. As a daughter who has always been very very close to her mother this whole situation is very scary. I think that it is even more scary right now because I am so far away and I cannot go see her and make sure that she is as comfortable as possible. It has always been my job to make sure that Mommy was taken care of, since she took care of everyone else. Granted Dad helped but still I always thought that I had to take care of Mom and now I cannot. I know that I have to take care of my wonderful, caring, super considerate and wonderful at taking care of me Husband, my dauster who I love always despite her toddler temper and her desire to be super independent and the new baby that is growing inside of me, but I cannot help but still want to take care of Mom.

My biggest request are that everyone keep my Mom in your thoughts and prayers that the Doctors may finally be able to solve the mystery and that she will begin to feel better.

Second, pray for me. I do not know if it is because of how long this has gone on or if it is the distance and the fact that I cannot be closer to Her or if it is the hormones from my pregnancy but I am having a REALLY hard time with this situation this time. All the other times she was back and forth in the hospital I was ok. I was worried and of course wished I could be there to help but I was ok with it and I knew that everyone was there for her and they kept me informed about everything. This time I am really struggling withit. I am emotional and scared and just plain upset about the whole thing. The hardest part of course is trying to keep my cool and stay calm so I do not cause any stress on the baby.

Last, pray for my poor husband. He has to put up withthis emotional pregnant walkign disaster.

I will keep you all updated as much as I can. Thank You for your thoughts, prayers and support!!!

XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO

Negative What?

2009-01-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

Ok...so the past 2 1/2 weeks since we got back to Washington after our trip to California for Christmas, we expected lots of snow, that is not what we got. We got fog, chilly temps, ice, and a little sunshine. No SNOW!!!! It has been kind of nice because the town and University were able to clear many snow drifts that were large and blocking other things, everything was able to melt down and looked a lot like it did in the fall. Then this last weekend we got hit with some snow. Very Little, but snow none the less. It didn't really bother anyone and the maintenance people were very good about being on top of the roads. They were plowing and graveling right away so there were never any issues with roads or parking lots. It was great. It has been in the low 20's most of the weekend. Nt varing too much. Then this morning, Garratt went out to brush off the car and start warming it up so we could take Faith to daycare and me to work. He left me inside with Faith finishing getting ready and he came in and announced that is was"REALLY CHILY." Now, you have to know my husband well to understand that it has to be PRETTY COLD for him to say it's cold. So we got all bundled up, loaded into the car and headed for daycare. I assumed that it was in the low teens maybe into single digits, because it was pretty chilly but didn't seem too bad to me and that is saying something, but I think that my hormones have my whole body temperature off anywho. So, on the way to daycare we pass the Bank of Whitman, which has a large sign that rotates different announcements and includes the time and temperature, as we passed it this morning it read... -9 ... yes people you read that right...negative 9 degrees...that is the coldest we have gotten, so far...OMG...that is COLD. Oddly though it is REALLY COLD...it doesn't seem like it is THAT cold. WHY?? I have no Freakin' clue. I wish I had an answer, I swear I should be a popsicle...but I am not. I guess that as it has gotten colder over time I have adjusted to it rather well, and that my blood is thickening as a result. I guess you just become acclimatted when you have to.

Baby Update

2009-01-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

So today Garratt and I went and had our first baby exam and ultra sound. It was really exciting. We got to see our little grain of rice. The heart rate was 150...yeah....and we could see the baby a bit. We determinded that I am 7 weeks along and doing very well. I will post the pictures from the ultra sound as soon as I get them scanned.

There you have it a new baby on the way and fully verified!!!

No More Lemonade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

There is this old saying "When Life throws you lemons, make lemonade." Well, I have just one thing to say to that...I AM SICK OF LEMONADE!!! I am done!! NO MORE!!! I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE!!!

This all because of some stuff that happened at work today that puts us in a VERY difficult situation.

I will explain another time...for now PLEASE PRAY for our Family.

For those who do not know!

2009-01-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

For those of you we didn't get to see while we were in California I am sorry. It was a busy and chaotic, but fun visit. We tried to see as many people as we could but I just couldn't get to everyone. Again, I am sorry.

So, for those of you that We didn't see...if you have not heard form others....I am PREGNANT!! I am, just over 6 weeks along and in the yucky morning sickness stage. We will be finding out what the baby is...sometime around April. My due date at this point is August 29th. We have not yet had this officially confirmed, we will be doing an ultra sound soon to confirm the due date. So, we will be adding a new bundle of fun to our family at the end of the summer.

A Snowy Return

2009-01-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! Well we have made it back to Washington safe and sound...barely!! We got hit with a yucky storm just after we got home yesterday, We got into Pullman, unloaded, headed to the grocery store and made it back before the storm hit. It was like a "rian downpour" only instead of rain it was snow. YUCKY!!! They decided to have the University on "normal" operation which was a pain because it was so snowy and almost unsafe. Oh, well, our parking lot was REALLY bad again so Garratt decided to keep Faith home with him and I got bundled up and made the snowy treck into work on foot. I could not get the car out if I wanted to...there was like 11/2 feet of snow...I was wet and cold by the time I got to work but I made it. I will be staying here for lunch...I am not going to try and walk back home and then walk back to work. Then I will carefully make my way back home after work. Carefully being the key.

THANK YOU GARRATT

2008-12-18T14:40:00.000-08:00

As most of you have heard the weather here is well...frightful!!! Pun intended!! So yesterday My Wonderful Amazing Thougthful Husband decided to put the snow chains on the car so that I could get around town more safely in the snow. That turned out to be the best decision ever. Yesterday it snowed and snowed and snowed and it is continuing to snow today. Yesterday however I did have to drive and get Faith and get her dinner and then get her back to dayvare for the Christmas Program which I am sooo glad we decided to let her be involved in. SHE WAS SO CUTE!!! (yes I am a bias mother) This of course ment that I was driving around as it was snowing and I was having to drive in areas that were not yet, or had not been in while, plowed and the chains were a life and safety saving grace. I ama little panicky about driving in the snow and ice. SORRY!! Oh, well we made it with no issues and got home just in time before the wind got REALLY bad and we got more snow. This morning it was evident that Faith's cough was worse then it had been so I decided to kwwp her home. Garratt was ome today and only had a little studing to do, so I stayed home this morning since he was at work and then he is home with her this afternoon. This turned out to be a good decision because it would have been a royal pain to try an dget out of our parking lot today. As a result I WALKED to work...yes folks...ME in the snow and cold I walked my hinny to work. Then I will walk home after work...whoo hoo. I will feed my family and then Garratt will be off to his Final. He has one tonight and one first thing in the morning so I am going to keep Faith home again tomorrow to try and get her better before we go to California next week, So I again will stay home until daddy gets home and then I will go to work. yeah!! I will post pictures from her Christmas Program tonight!!

Christmas Program

2008-12-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

So...tonight is the PCCC ( Daycare) and the PCS (Pullman Christian School) annual Christmas Program. They include all the kids and it is fun. Garratt and I had decided not to have Faith be in the program and instead I thought her and I might go and watch (weather permitting). Well, that all changed. This morning when we dropped Faith off at Daycare I found out that Faith got upset yesterday. WHY?? Let me tell you the story.
Yesterday everyone went to the "Family Center Chapel" (which is located in the same building as the Daycare and the School, just upstairs) to practice for the Christmas Program. Since I had marked on the Program sheet that I didn't think that Faith was ready to be involoved Faith sat next to Sherri and watched. Well once the kids started clapping and singing Faith wanted to join. She sat in her sopt and sang and clapped and wanted to joint the kids. So, this morning her teacher asked me if there was anyway that I would reconsider, when I asked her why she told me this story. I laughed. Faith loves music and loves singing this I know, I just thought that because she wasn't standing on her own and she wasn't walking yet that she might be a little difficult. Well I was wrong. They all wanted her to be involed so Garratt and I agreed that as long as she did good during the practice today that she could be involved. So when Daddy got home he plugged in the video camera, made sure I had a tape and made sure I had the digital camera with extra batteries. Garratt has to work tonight so he is going to miss it but I am going to video tape it and try to get one of my firends to take a few pictures with the digital camera so I can post them here. So, afterwork I have to de-snow and warm up my car, go pick up Sissy, run and grab something for dinner, get back to daycare and change Sissy into her clothes for the Christmas Program and get a good seat for the show (somewhere close to the stage just incase we have a melt down or something) and then enjoy. The program doesn't start until 7 pm and is suppose to be like 1hour or something so by the time we finish and get the car de-snowed and get loaded and warm up the car and drive home, Daddy will be home from work to help Mommy get sissy to bed (hopefully before 9pm). I will post about the Christmas Program and hopefully have pictures to go with it tomorrow night!

One Word Survey

2008-12-17T13:03:00.000-08:00

I got this from Courtney's blog...Thanks Courtney!!!

TYPE ONLY 1 WORD. IT'S HARDER THAN YOU THINK ! ! !

Where is your cell phone? purse
Your significant other? goofy
Your hair? fuzzy
Your Mother? beautiful
Your father? different
Your favorite thing? FAITH
Your dream last night? none
Your favorite drink? grape
Your dream/goal? kids
The room you're in? work
Your fear?widowed
Where do you want to be in 6 years? content
Where were you last night? home
What you're not? wealthy
Muffins? yummy!
One of your wish items? skillet
Where you grew up? California
The last thing you did? lunch
What are you wearing? sweater
Your tv? works
Your pet? none
Your computer? functions
Your life? stressful
Your mood? calm
Missing someone? family
Your car? works
Something you're not wearing? jammies
Favorite store? MICHAELS
Your summer? flew
Your favorite color? taupe
When is the last time you laughed? morning
Last time you cried? Monday
Your sign? Libra
Three places I go over and over? Daycare, Work, Home
Three of my favorite foods? Mexican, Chinese, Junk
Three places I would rather be right now? Home, California, Disneyworld

Feel free to answer if you'd like. Just copy and paste into your own blog.

YES TO SNOW TIRES!!!!!!

2008-12-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

As soon as we get back from California I am going to have a hard look at the budget and find the $500 to get snow tires. Why you ask? Well simple, I had a bad experience with the snow last night when I picked Faith up from Daycare. So I am mad at the snow and I am getting a pair of studded snow tires to seek safety and freedom from being overly parinoid. You see I picked Faith up from Daycare and was headed back up the little hill, really it's not that bad of a hill, to get out of the parking lot of daycare and I began to slide, backwards. I was very proud f my panicky self because I remaind relativly calm. I was able to get the car to stop, turn it around and go out the other way, the other way taked me down a little hill and around to where I can enter the church parking lot and go through there which sets me out on a main road, and I only cried for like a minute. Still that was enough for me to realize that we need safer tires for this weather. Son SNOW TIRES it is.

SNOW TIRES!?!?!?

2008-12-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

With the beautiful snow came the realization that we cannot drive around much unless we get snow tres. I know what you are thinking...what about chains...well chains are great if I do not need to drive into Moscow. As many of you probably know...chains are not suppose to be driven over 30 mph and the speed limit driving into Moscow is 55 mph. So that doesn't work. For right now my tires seem to be doing ok but they scare me because they do not always grip well and I worry about something happening because of all the hills we live on. The only problem come where it always comes and that is the cost of snow tires. I am looking at aroung $400-$500 for a whole set...then comes the question...where do we store them??? WOW!!! I really do not know what to do here. Well, I guess we shall wait and see.

Family Snow Time

2008-12-14T10:21:00.001-08:00

It's beginning to look and feel like Christmas

2008-12-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

Well, yesterday we got hit with our first Artic storm. The day started out like a normal winter day...very cold. THen it became windy and rainy, by about 2pm it was snowing, now it has snowed one other time since the "winter" season began but it was too warm for it to stick and it was melting off as it hit the ground, not this time. This time it stuck. It snowed for about 2 hours then it warmed up a bit and turned back into rain, which resulted in slush. By 5pm the rain had stopped for a little while. This ment we were able to go to the Drive Thru Nativity at our church, which was really cool and I will post a blog on that, go to the grocery store for 3 items, go by my frind Katie's to check in on her cat and pick up a rolling pin to borrow, Katie is in San Francisco for AGU ( American Geological Union) Fall Conference, then home. When we got home all of a sudden the wind and rain picked up again. When we went to bed it was rainy and windy but most of the snow had been melted by the rain and turned to mushy slop. This morning we woke to a LOT of snow. It continues to come down. We have already gotten about 3" of snow. We are suppose to continue to get snow through the weekend. It is not expected to start to die down until late Sunday and even then, it only get REALLY cold. By Wednesday we are suppose to be at -13 degrees. I'll admit that is a little cold. I guess I have gotten used to the weather becuase 25 degree weather doesn't even bother me anymore, but those single digets I think might get to me a bit...HA HA HA ! Here are some pictures from this morning. I will post more as the snow piles, and this afternoon when Garratt gets home we are gonig to bunddle Faith up and take her out to play in it and see how she does so I will post those later too!!

This is a bush outside of our back porch area.

This is our apartment. You can see the snow coming down as the pic was taken.

This is looking off our balcony. The haze area is where we can usually see part of Pullman. Not today!!

Here is Garratt sweeping the snow off our Balcony before it gets piled too high that we can't get out there to do it.

This is what the snow on the balcony looked like when we opened the door this morning. There was already almost 2" of snow. The green blob is our Outdoor Foreman Grill that we put a tarp around to protect it from the weather, I guess the snow got to heavy and knocked it down, so Garratt had to shake the tarp out, wipe off the grill and then we decided to lay it on it's side and wrap it up in the tarp that way, smart thinking I know!!!

CONGRATS CASSI

2008-12-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

For those of you who read Faith's blog you probably already saw this ...for the rest of you. I mentioned a few weeks ago that Faith's daycare director was having a baby. Well, they found out yesterday that it is a GIRL!! YEAH!! It was really cute though, because they had a contest at daycare yesterday and all the kids, staff and parents got to dress up in blue and pink, and pick sides. At first everyone thought that it would be a PINK TEAM and BLUE TEAM...nope...it beacme TEAM CASSI (those who thought it was a girl) and TEAM DAN (all who thought it was a boy), for those who didn't catch on, Dan is Cassi's husband. Then today they were giving away little prizes to all those who guess right. It was very cute. Faith was all "PINKED" out because Mommy knew that it was a girl. (Mommy wore pink yesterday too!!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNICEF

2008-12-11T08:21:00.001-08:00

Today is the UNICEP birthday, for those of you who do not know much about UNICEF I am pasting in a blurb from their website. Also here is the link for the website if you want more information or if you want to know how to support them.

ABOUT UNICEF

UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. We have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. That makes us unique among world organizations, and unique among those working with the young.

We believe that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress. UNICEF was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We believe that we can, together, advance the cause of humanity.

We advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future.

We promote girls’ education – ensuring that they complete primary education as a minimum – because it benefits all children, both girls and boys. Girls who are educated grow up to become better thinkers, better citizens, and better parents to their own children.

We act so that all children are immunized against common childhood diseases, and are well nourished, because it is wrong for a child to suffer or die from a preventable illness.

We work to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people because it is right to keep them from harm and enable them to protect others. We help children and families affected by HIV/AIDS to live their lives with dignity.

We involve everyone in creating protective environments for children. We are present to relieve suffering during emergencies, and wherever children are threatened, because no child should be exposed to violence, abuse or exploitation.

UNICEF upholds the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We work to assure equality for those who are discriminated against, girls and women in particular. We work for the Millennium Development Goals and for the progress promised in the United Nations Charter. We strive for peace and security. We work to hold everyone accountable to the promises made for children.

We are part of the Global Movement for Children – a broad coalition dedicated to improving the life of every child. Through this movement, and events such as the United Nations Special Session on Children, we encourage young people to speak out and participate in the decisions that affect their lives.

We work in 190 countries through country programmes and National Committees. We are UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.

2008-12-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

The small town that we live in is a little bit BORING...compared to Turlock at the Holidays. You see all the years we lived in Turlock, we went to the Tree lighting festivities on Friday after Thanksgiving and then we did the Christmas Parade Festivities the first weekend in December. We also had different other events at the Church, (i.e. the Choir Performance, the Childrens Musical, the Women's Christmas Dessert) and then there were other events (i.e. EMC Fesival of Trees the Garratt worked every year for the past 7-8 years). These are all things I miss. These were events that helped you get into the Christmas Mood...it helped you find that burried Christmas Spirit that you hide away all year until December and love to let out. We miss all of this. What we found here in Pullman is some fun decor and a Christmas Tree Lighting that was ok!! It was fun but not what we are use to. That's basically it. This little ceremony that lasts 30 minutes and then a bon fire at one of the resturants. Granted there were very beautiful decorations in the windows of all the shops, but still sort of a let down. The only other event that I am looking forward to is our church does a drive-thru nativity that is running next weeked and looks like a LOT of FUN!!! I will post about that next weekend. So here are some pictrures!!

ME & GARRATT!!!

Faith waiting for Santa (who she really doesn't like) and waiting for the lights!

The TREE!!! Well Sorta...you can use your imagination!

( I will try and get a pic during the day so you can see it better)

Faith loved the Tree and the lights.

The bon fire at the OLD POST OFFICE RESTURANT!!

Christmas Lists

2008-11-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

Faith's Christmas list has been up on her blog for like amonth so I decided I better get my list and Garratt's lists up for everyone before the rush of shopping, budgeting and wrapping begins.

MEL'S List:

Jon & Kate Plus 8- Seasons 1, 2, & 3
Friends- Seasons 4, 5, 6, 8, & 10
Home Improvement- Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, ~~& 8~~
Family Friendly Board Games
A GOOD Rolling Pin---PLEASE!!!
5-qt. Kitchen Maid Stand Mixer-- HA HA HA Just Kidding
Large Skillet Pan with Lid---A decent one!!
Gift Cards: Michaels, WalMart, Fashion Bug, Payless or VISA!

GARRATT'S List:

Sport's Night on DVD
West Wing (ALL SEASON'S...prefers to start with S.1)
~~Burn Notice- Season 1~~
The Indian Jones 4 pack (WIDESCREEN)
Planet Earth Series on DVD (DISCOVERY CHANNEL.com)
The President's Series on DVD (History Channel.com)
The State's Series on DVD (History Channel.com)
Unique Goofy memorabillia!
Gift Cards: WalMart, Barnes & Nobles, ITunes, Famous Footwear & VISA!

Any questions on the lists please feel free to ask...either leave me a comment, email me, text me or call me!!!

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!!

2008-11-23T15:41:00.000-08:00

Courtney had this post on her blog and I thought it was fun!! So, here are my answers to the questions.

Wrapping paper or gift bags? WRAPPING PAPER

Real tree or Artificial? REAL

When do you put up a tree? USUALLY THE WEEKEND AFTER THANKSGIVING

When do you take it down? EITHER WHEN IT DIES OR NEW YEARS DAY

Do you like eggnog? YES, BUT I HAVE TO BE IN THE MOOD FOR IT!

Favorite gift received as a child? IDK

Hardest person to buy for? SISTERS

Easiest person to buy for? NIECES AND NEPHEWS (USUALLY)

Do you have a nativity scene? NO, I AM PLANNING ON GETTING ONE THIS YEAR

Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail Christmas cards.

Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A SANTA CLAUS CANDLE!1 (WORK GIFT EXCHANGE)

Favorite Christmas Movie? THE SANTA CLAUS TRILOGY!!

When do you start shopping for Christmas? I USUALLY START TO MAKE MY LIST AND DECIDE ON A BUDGET AND START LOOKING FOR GOOD DEALS IN THE SUMMER, BUT MOST OF IT HAPPENS ON BLACK FRIDAY!!!

Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? YES!

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? COOKIES, COOKIES, COOKIES AND FUDGE!!

Lights on the tree? DUH

Favorite Christmas song? WHERE ARE YOU CHRISTMAS AND GROWN UP CHRISTMAS LIST

Travel at Christmas or stay home? IT DEPENDS ON THE YEAR IT CHANGES...THIS YEAR WE TRAVEL!!

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? YES I CAN AND I AM PROUD OF THAT!!

Angel on the tree top or a star? STAR

Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? THIS DEPENDS...IT ALSO CHANGES EACH YEAR!

Most annoying thing about this time of the year? PUSHY SALES PEOPLE!!

Favorite Ornament theme or color? SNOW AND SNOWFLAKES!

Favorite for Christmas dinner? HAM AND WHATEVER SIDE DISHES ARE MADE!!

What do you want for Christmas this year.? NOT ALOT JUST A FEW TV SHOWS ON DVD AND GIFT CARDS FOR CLOTHES AND SCRPABOOK STUFF!!!

*iF YOU LIKED THIS FEEL FREE TO COPY IT AND PASTE IT IN A POST ON YOUR OWN BLOG!!!

31 SHOPPING DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!

HAPPY 233rd BIRTHDAY MARINE CORP!!!!

2008-11-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

TODAY IS THE MARINE CORPS 233RD BIRTHDAY!!!!! YEAH!!!! SO IN HONOR OF THE MARINES I AM POSTING HERE A LITTLE TRIBUTE!!!

THE MARINE CORPS HYMN!

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in ev'ry clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job--
The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corpsa>
Which we are proud to serve
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded

MARINE CORPS QUOTES!!!

"Once a Marine, always a Marine!"
(MSgt Paul Woyshner, a 40-year Marine, is credited with originating this expression during a taproom argument with a discharged Marine.)

"I can never again see a UNITED STATES MARINE without experiencing a feeling of reverence."
GEN. JOHNSON, U.S. ARMY

"Do not attack the First Marine Division. Leave the yellowlegs alone. Strike the American Army"
~ Orders given to Communist troops in the Korean War; shortly afterward, the Marines were ordered to not wear their khaki leggings to keep the enemy from immediately fleeing

"To observe a Marine is inspirational, to be a Marine is exceptional."
~ Unknown

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.
Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985

You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance, that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth- and the amusing thing about it is that they are.
Father Kevin Keaney
1st Marine Division Chaplain
Korean War

I am convinced that there is no smarter, handier, or more adaptable body of troops in the world.
Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Winston Churchhill

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINE CORPS!!!! SEMPER FI!!!!!

(SORRY THERE ARE NO PICS OF FAITH IN MARINE ATTIRE, SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY!!! I CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHY!!!)

FALL AROUND WSU

2008-11-01T11:07:00.001-07:00

Holiday Memory

2008-10-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

So my sister in law at curvatude.blogspot.com is having another countdown to the holidays giveaway. This time it is in conjunction with bloggygiveaways.com and their Givieawy Carvinval.

The giveaway theme is FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITIONS!!!

My favorite holiday traditons were always...baking day!! I love the smell of cookies and other holiday treats baking and the aroma filling the house. I love to be in the kitchen making a large mess that results in many YUMMY treats to share with friends and family. I am very excited that it is that time of year again.

I am alos looking forward to the MANY MANY MANY WONDERFUL MEMORIES that we will make with Faith. She is going to be so fun this year.

So if you are intrestd in winning some fun prizes. This contest ends today and all the info is on Allies blog. http://curvatude.blogspot.com/2008/10/giveaway-8-weeks-till-christmas.html

It's all Set

2008-10-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

We are coming to California for Christmas. We have set the plans in motion and I have already put in for the time off. We will be down for a week. We are drving down this time (its a little cheaper for the holidays). We haven't decieded exactly when we will leave. We are leaning towards leaving on Christmas Day in the afternoon. That would get us into Turlock REALLY REALLY FREAKING EARLY on the 26th. SO I am taking requests for time spent with us while we are there. If you want us to stop by and visit while we are down just let me know either leave me a comment on here or email me @ mjeffery06@yahoo.com. We are looking forward to coming down but are also anticipating a very busy schedule so I am going to have to plan everything out on a schedule. SO liek I said email me or leave a comment and let me know if you would like us to visit you while we are in Cali and what you have in mind...lunch, dinner, dessert, or just a visit...whatever it is we would be happy to do it.

Lots of Love and we miss everyone!!!!

Being Sick SUCKS

2008-10-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I woke up feeling horrible. At first I thought I was just having a "down" day because of a lot of stuff happening around here and that I would get over it. Then it continued to get worse. It is now day 4 and I dont feel any better. I feel CRAPPY!!! Down RIght Horrible!!! I am quessy and until today I could barly keep anything down...yuck. I am all achy and BLAH!!! I just want it to go away.

The whole situation around here is currently more than I feel like I can handle at times. I know that God has a plan for us but I really need some sort of direction. I need some sort of sign as to what direction We are suppose to go in next!!!

Take Two

2008-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, I went back and looked at the giveaway quetion again and she really wanted to know what "your" favorite decoration piece is...well currently I do not have one, but I have a set that I would love to have. It is the new Precious Moments Nativity Set.

I would like the matching Cattle to go with it too...

That would be fun to have on top of the entertainment center...or even on the hutch. Oh well...not happening anytime soon. The nativity set is $230.00, and each of the additional animals are $32.50...so that is $327.50. Whoo..hoo I can do math. It is still cute though!!

So there...that is piece that I would love to have eventually.

Christmas Decorations

2008-10-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

My sister in law, Allie, over at curvatude.blogspot.com is hosting a weekly givaway. I never got to her one last week but I am getting to it this week, mainly because it is something I love. CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. Basically she wants to know what people use for dcecoration, how they decorate, etc. for Christmas. WHOO HOO CHRISTMAS!! Yes, I know it isn't even Halloween yet, but as Allie pointed out in her blog...9 weeks until Christams...that is not a lot of time. So, decorations...hmmmmm. I decorate with los of snowmen, snowflakes, blight crystal blues, whites and silvers. I like the red and green traditional look for a dinning room so I am going to try that this year since I have my own dining area. So there you have it folks...lots of snow and light wintery colors.

AWWW...

FYI

2008-10-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

Just in case you were wondering...IT IS FREAKIN' COLD IN PULLMAN!!!! Currently it is 47 degrees but it feels like 39 degrees bcause of the wind (according to the Weather Channel.com website). HOLY COW THAT'S COLD...and before anyone says that this is only the begining or that we knew what we were getting into...I KNOW!! But this California Girl has to get used to this weather, you know? I am not instantly ok with this weather, I will eventually (with a new warm jacket and some time) get used to the weather, but for now...it is COLD!!!! Just thought I would share that with you.

More Baby Updates

2008-10-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Update on baby RJ. I mentioned about a week ago for all to be praying for our frineds Trent and Sherri and their new bundle of joy Reed "RJ" Jeffrey and his complications. Well here is the latest update, we got to meet RJ yesterday at church and he is doing great. He has a pin sized hole in his heart that is very common with down syndrom babies that they expect to heal completly in 6 months. The respitory problems that he was having have cleared up. When He was sent to Spokane for care with Trent and Sherri to follow they were told he would be there from 1-2 weeks at least, he improved so well so quickly he was released before day 5...woo hoo. He is absolutly adorable and I will post a picture as soon as I get one I promise.

Then yesterday we also found out that Faiths' Day Care director is Pregnant!!!!! YEAH CASSI. Her and her husband Dan are expecting the arrival of the newest (of many) Baby Fitzgerald on May 4th...YEAH!!! (Cassi will be such a great Mom....she is so great with all the kids at PCCC and Faith adores her...it is cute!!! )

So there you have it...lots of Praises!!!!

The Battle with the Alarm Clock

2008-10-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

There are just some mornings that you know you don't want to start and that you really wish you could turn back the clock and sleep more, this was one of those mornings for me. I was lying in bed fighting with the alarm clock, I could tell that it was going to be a cold and overcast day based on the lack of light in my bedroom. I was tring to reason with myself as to why it was good to stay in bed, then my daughter called from her bedroom...daaaddddyyyyyy...oh that's right I have to get her ready too...Garratt is at work. Some mornings I can fight the alarm clock and lay there an extra 10 mins because Garratt is home and he helps me with Faith, but 2 mornings a week the girls are on their own because Garratt works the early shift. This is one of those morning. So I climb out of bed and go into Faith's romm and she pops up and smiles with a bright and cheerful..."HIII" I get her up and she gives me a hug as we walk to the changing table to get ready. Once she is dressed, we head to the bathroom to do her hair (which has gotten way more curly in the last wekk....)and then she goes and plays, back and forth all over the upstairs while I get ready. I usually try to shower before she wakes up but this morning I had to shower while she played where I could hear her. Then I threw myself together, and we headed downstairs. I gave her a few cherrios and made her lunch. We headed out the door for daycare and work only 5 mins late...WHOOO HOOOO!!! I got to work and had a hard time finding a parking spot so by the time I got up to my office is was almost 10 after, (usually I am in my office by at least 5 til.) Then I saw the stack of stuff on my desk that was not there when I left last night. Sigh...and the day begins. I guess I could consider that job security since latly things have been so up in the air with the economy the way it is. SO now I am taking a quick break after I have prioritized my tasks and looked at what my day holds, just to vent how my day started...because I currenty wish I could climb back in bed and skip over this day...why?? Because tomorrow holds...a day off...not just for me but for Garratt, He has no classes tomorrow. YEAH!!! So I took the day off and we are going to spend the day together. Although we are going to spend most of the day going around the house and figuring out what needs to be done and then figuring out what we need to do each job and then deciding what we are going to try to accomplish that day and then prioritize the rest. Then we will go get the supplies we need and grab some lunch and then back to the house to putz. All in all a rather dull day but to be able to spend the whole day with my Hubby is a great thing. We don't get a lot of time together (escpecially without Faith, she will stll go to daycare). So here is to getting through this day and to a great day tomorrow!!!!!

The Great ASHAKENING

2008-10-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

Yes folks that is spelled correct. Yesturday our Senior Pastor talked about the current issues in America. He said that he felt that God was shaking the World up in order to rid us of the dirt. The one analogy that he used that really helped me put it into perspective was, when you take the rug that sits under your kitchen sink and you go outside and you shake it out, what happens, a cloud of dust comes out of it...we continue to shake the rug until we get no more dust and dirt coming from the rug right, well God does the same hing with the world, he just gives it a little shake and removes what ever dirt and debreee there is. Pastor Phil also talked about how if we are an object that is grounded so firmly in the rock that we cannot be shaken then we will remain, every time that GOD shakes out the weak shakable items. This morning I was thinking about this and I got a song in my head that I ironically couldn't shake...but it went well with what was being said yesturday...so here it is...

Natalie Grant~~ I Will Not Be Moved

I have been a wayward child,
I have acted out,
I have questioned sovereignty,
and had my share of doubts,

And though sometimes,
my prayers feel like their bouncing off the sky,
the hand that holds won't let me go,
and is the reason why

I will stumble, I will fall down
But I will not be moved
I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
But I will not be moved

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

Bitterness has plagued my heart,
many times before,
My life has been a broken glass,
and I have kept the score,
of all my shattered dreams,
and though it seemed,
that I was far too gone,
my brokenness helped me to see,
it's grace I'm standing on.

I will stumble, I will fall down
But I will not be moved
I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
But I will not be moved

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

And chaos in my life,
has been a badge I've worn,
and though I have been torn,
I will not be moved

I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
But i will not be moved

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

If you want to hear the actual song you can copy the following link into your browser. ENJOY!!

http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/NatalieGrant/I-Will-Not-Be-Moved--157758576

Ohhh...it's sooo sad!!

2008-10-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever enjoyed a

*Taffy Cookies
*Mothers Iced Oatmeal
*Mothers Chocolate Chip Cookie
*Oatmeal
*Circus Animal Cookies
*Coconut Cocadas
*Cookie Parade
*Mothers Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
*Holiday Gingerbread Man
*Butter Cookies
*Stiped Shortbread
*Coconut Fudge Creme
*Peanut Butter Gauchos
*Sugar-free Lemon Creme
*Iced Lemonade
*Iced Raisin
*Chocolate Chip Angel
*Macaroons
*Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
*Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Then I hpe that you enjoyed it recently becaue Mother's Cookies is no more...I cannot bare to tell the story so I have copied it into the blog from another source...it is so sad...

Mother's cookie company closes amid bankruptcy

Posted Oct. 10, 2008
7:12 AM

Oakland, Calif. (AP) -- Mother's Cookies has closed its doors for good.

Its Connecticut-based parent company filed for bankruptcy protection this week. Workers at its baking and distribution plants in Ohio and Canada were informed that operations would cease immediately.

Mother's operated in Oakland for 92 years, but left the city in 2006 after it came under new ownership. Since then, cookies bearing the Mother's brand were baked by Archway & Mother's Cake and Cookie Co. of Battle Creek, Mich.

Its parent company -- the private equity firm Catterton Partners of Greenwich -- says rising fuel and ingredient prices contributed to the bankruptcy.

Do you see...the horror...now my children will never experience the joy of a frosted animal circus cookie. :(

Prayers for RJ!!!!

2008-10-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

Today I found out that our small group leaders Trent and Sherri had their baby on Friday morning, around 5:00 am, this should be good news right, well it is and it isn't. You see Reed Jeffrey (RJ) was the 4th child for Trent and Sherri, and her was the first boy, his sisters, Abby, Annie and Alyssa were so excited for the arrival of RJ. Sherri delivered 2 weeks early and RJ was immediatly diagnosied with Down Syndrom and some other complications, he was medi-flighted to Spokane and Trent and Sherri were in a car drivnig the 1-1/2 to Spokane just 5 hours after Sherri delieved. As of this point that is all I know, we are praying for the whole family. So, please be praying with us. The arrival of a new baby is suppose to be such great news but when you find out that there is something wrong withyour child you immediatly get scared and it is hard to deal with. I know that Trent and Sherri have put all their Faith is the Lord, they are strong Christians and I know that they believe in their hearts that RJ is in Gods hands and he knows why this little boy is going through all this. ANyways, if you could just say a little prayer for them.

It's Here

2008-10-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Yes folks that's right...it is officially fall (autumn for all you PC people) in Washington. The air is cool...the wind blows...it drops to the 30's and below at night...with frost on the windows and it rains at will!!! The leaves have begun to change color and fall off the trees. OHHH the beauty. I offically have to wear long sleeves and socks around the house and hot chocolate and tea sound soooooo good. It is the time of year to make chilli, soup, grilled cheese sandwiches and curl up on the couch in a fuzzy blanket. YEAH FALL!!! This is one of my favorite times of the year. Plus, it is in the forcast that we might get snow showers starting this weekend. (as early as Friday.) WOOO HOOO!!! I will post pictures of the changing scenery on campus soon!!

The Quote that Changed My Thinking...

2008-09-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

TOday while at church our Senior Pastor Phil Vance made a statement that really made sense to me. Phil said..."We are going to worship the Lord now, and we are going to be excited and have fun...do you know why?...because the Lord is not dull and boring...the Lord is exciting and fun." Isn't it true. There is a stereotipical image that is placed in the minds of people. That image is that God is boring and he doesn't allow any form of fun in life and he is against everything and full of rules. Yes, God does have rules...yes he does have limits for His people, but he is by no means...BORING!!! He is anything but...well at least that is my opinion. Everyone needs to form their own opinion. What's your opinion of God? Do you think He is boring?

The Last Year?!?!

2008-09-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance this is going to be a long post!! :) :) :)

Wow, ok so first HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! It's really weird for me to look back at the last year it has been such a roller coaster of events. This time last year I had a 1 month old little girl that we were having a few tummy issues with, I was still on maternity leave and just loving being a Mommy. I has also started to help Garratt make final decisions in regards to which schools we were applying to. With scholorship deadlines, visit weekends, and application deadlines right around the corner we had to be right on the ball. My nephew Collin had just been born, my niece Layla was almost here and my niece Addison would be born tomorrow. Adien(my other nephew) had already turned 1 and Nevaeh (my other niece) was about to turn 1. How Fun!! So many cousins and all so close.

In October Garratt and I visited 2 schools. UC Davis and USC Pamona (sorry if that is misspelled). We eliminated Pamona, it just wasn't for us and that was obvious. UC Davis was still a possibility at this point.

In November Garratt decided that the Lord was really leading us out of California. We really didn't know where to but we knew that all Cali schools had to be eliminated. So back to the list we went. We eliminated the 2 school left from Cali and we were left with 3 schools to apply to...University of Missouri in Columbia, MO...University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill...and Washington State University in Pullman, WA. We decided to take it one application at a time.

December brought a lot of fun times, the babies (Collin, Layla, and Faith's) First's in the Christmas traditions. This included the Turlock Tree Lighting (actually in November), CHristmas Tree Lane, the Christmas Parade, Santa and Family Christmas time!!!

January brought the beginning of Garratt's final semester at MJC and the first application deadline, WSU. Garratt completed that and we were on our way.

February brought the fun of Garratt's birthday. We got our Family (whoever could go) to go play in the snow in Yosemite. That was great fun.

March was fairly slow.

April was exciting. Garratt recieved his acceptance letter for WSU.THe other applications were not due until May and July. At the end of April Garratt and I made the first trip 16 hours to Pullman, WA. It was Transfer Weekend and it was a lot of fun. The whole weekend was based around "Transfer Students." While here I was able to talk to some people and get some questions answered in regards to our particular situation, since we fall under the "NON-TRADITIONAL" Student category. After seeing the campus, talking to people and then getting to walk around by ourselves and see things we really just instantly fell in love with it. When we left Pullman, I told Garratt that I really felt like this was the place for us. We both agreed, but we also knew that if it was going to happen that is was going to be a GOD thing. When we got home we were shocked, although we shouldn't have been, at how quickly God began to work all the details into place so perfectly. A week later we were in full moving mode.

May brought a world wind of events. We moved our move date to the end of May (from the original beginning of July) Garratt worked his last day at Emanuel Medical Center on May 2, after working there for just over 11 years. We went to Tahoe for our anniversary. We worked out the financial situation for the move and school. Then I went into full stress out mode, I had just about 2 weeks to pack up everything, set up all the arangements for the move, and plan our Good-Bye party. As stressful as it all was it was fun at times too. We left Turlock on May 19 and arrived in Pullman on the 20th. My Mom, Garratt's Mom, My Sister (in-law) Manndi, My Niece Nevaeh and My Sister Steph all helped us move. We really could not have done it without them. Then on May 24th they left and headed home and left us by ourselves. For the first time ever in either of our lives we were completly by ourselves with no family and no friends near by. Where we ready? Well...that was to be determined.

The begining of June brought a road trip back to California. We drove down to be with my Brother for his birthday. It was really great. 3 days after getting home Faith and I drove Garratt to Spokane so he could catch a plane back to California. We did not realize at the time we reserved our moving van just how much stuff we had, so Garratt was going back to make a second trip with the rest of our stuff. At the end of June Garratt took off again to meet my parents in Reno and pick up my Sister Jenn. Jenn was coming up to spend a little time with us, I was really excited.

July 8th Garratt, Faith, My Sister Jenn and I headed to Spokane. We spent the night there and caught a plane on the 9th to head to California. This time for 2 weeks...YEAH!! This was also Faith's first time on a Plane and she did great!! I was so proud of her, We didn't have any problems with the plane. We had a great time too. SHe was a little anxious towards the end but other than that she did great. While in Cali we tried to do A LOT. We spent time with both families, spent time with some friends (love you Jennie, Dave and Timmy), made a trip to Yosemite(of course), threw Faith a birthday party and attended Garratt's Dad's Wedding. All of which was a lot of fun. Just like so many things the fun eventually had to end and we headed back to WA on the 22nd of July. On the 28th we started Faith in day care, for the first time, at Pullman Christian Childcare Center. This place is so great.

On August 4th I went for an interview at WSU and got the job. I started the next day!! WHOOO HOOO!!! Finally, please note that I began looking in May as soon as we decided that we were definatly moving. 3 months....UGGGG!! On the 22nd we celebrated Faith's 1st Birthday, had the Unoversity Convocation, and the University All Campus Picnic. On the 25th Garratt began the first semester at WSU.

This month so far has been fun. The 4th was a Welcome Picnic for our Apartment Complex. The 7th we started attending church at Living Faith Fellowship, which we love!! The 12th was my Department Fall Picnic out at our Associate Directors house in Palouse. The 14th was the first meeting of the Small Group that we have connected with. It is a small group and they are all fun families with children. We meet everyother week right after the church service. We have a potluck followed by children going into a play room and Adult Bible Study time. It is really great. I have connected with the wife, Sherri. SHe has been so great and her and I have really hit it off. This week we have a book fair at PCCC and a potluck on Thursday at PCCC. That should be fun. Then Faith moves into the Toddler room on Monday!!!

Wow...what a year right. We have had some downs in there too...mostly financially and little bit emotionally too but that is to be expected with all that has happened. All in all I have to say that this has been a great year. I am so blessed to have such a support group of friends and family that I can always count on. I am also so happy that God has done so much in our lives. I can honestly say that God has placed us here for a reason and I cannot wait to see what he has planned for us. I am thankful for what he has already done for us and I thank him for how much Garratt and I have grown closer to eachother. Well...this year has ended(at least sorta) and a new one is beginning and I cannot wait to see what lies ahead.

Woo hoo and What the heck...

2008-09-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today started out as a perfectly normal day. I got up showered, got Faith up and ready, made Faith's Lunch and headed out the door. I dropped Faith off at daycare and headed to work. I got to work and everything seemef fairly normal. That was until about 10 am when my boss recieved an email from the Dean of our department. This email was a forwarded message from the PROVOST of the University. It was informing us that the Provost was taking PERSONAL LEAVE effective immediatly. Now you may be thinking that this is fairly normal right? Well, in most cases taking personal leave is fairly normal but when you have only been on assignment as the PROVOST for 1 1/2 months it seems a little weird. About 30 mins later we got an email that the President of the University was on campus, he was not due to be here until tomorrow which is FERDINAN's (the campus owed and run creamery. MMMM) 60th Birthday...(on my birthday how cool...HA HA :) :)... Any who...turns out he was here to talk the Dean of Veterinary Medicine into taking over as Acting Provost while the current provost is gone. There is no anticipated time of return for our provost. The Deans office called my boss around 11 and told her that it seemed really fisshy and that there was talk that he went on leave because he was forced by "higher" powers. We all have our speculations both good and bad, but they are strictly speculation, WE KNOW NOTHING!! So that was the WHAT THE HECK news only because for the last month things have just been VERY VERY VERY weird around campus.

Now the WOO HOO...this is UNOFFICIAL NEWS...BUT...

What you really want to know?? OK OK

The person that I have been filling in for put in her OFFICIAL resignation, effective TODAY!!! Now as far as my department, my boss, my director adn the Deans office are concerned the job is mine, but we still have to go through all the technicalities. Since we are in a hiring freeze We have to get approval from the "Provost" office to open the position for hiring. (WSU doesn't allow Direct Hiring into a position from a Temp position) Once we have the approval they will post the position on the Employmetn sight. I must at that point submitt an official application for the position. Then my boss has to do an official search. She then can inputr me based on the grounds that I am currently in the position and have already been trained. Once that is done I finish paper work and I am official, which means...BENEFITS, SICK LEAVE, and ANNUAL LEAVE. This process could take anywhere from 2 weeks- 1 month it all depends on how quickly the "provost" office responds and how quickly they get things posted...etc. I will let everyone know when it is official. I am very excited, This job has been so greaat for me and my boss is great and they have done a lot to help us. I am so thankful to GOD that he placed me in this position.

So, there you have it a fully balanced day. A little of the "WHAT THE HECK??" and a little "WOOHOO"

DOUBT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

2008-09-17T19:31:00.001-07:00

What is doubt?
–verb (used with object) 1. to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe.
2. to distrust.
3. Archaic. to fear; be apprehensive about.
–verb (used without object) 4. to be uncertain about something; be undecided in opinion or belief.
–noun 5. a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something.
6. distrust.
7. a state of affairs such as to occasion uncertainty.
8. Obsolete. fear; dread.

That is the dictionary version of doubt?

Matthew 14:31 (Whole Chapter)
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Matthew 21:21 (Whole Chapter)
Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen

This is what the bible says about doubt.

After reading the definition and 2 verses that I really like, I sit here and ponder why it is that I EVER DOUBT GOD'S Pover? Why do I ever doubt that he is going to take care of us? Everytime I even start to doubt HE does the one thing that HE should never have to do...HE PROVES HIMSELF YET AGAIN. As a human I find myself so easily falling into the same old routines of stressing out over the things that I cannot control, worring about the things that I cannot fix and doubting the ONE who can do it ALL!! Why is that? Why is it that nomatter how many times I read Matthew 14:31 I still DOUBT the POWER that MY GOD has? Why is that even though ever time ANY ONE IN MY FAMILY (which includes my friends, bcause all of my friends are my family too!!) IS IN NEED OR TROUBLE THAT GOD IS THERE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM YET THE SECOND THAT TROUBLE OR HEARTACHE HITS WE ALL FREAK OUT BEFORE WE TRUST. Don't misunderstand me, I know that a majority of my FAMILY, does eventually trust that GOD will take care of it all, but that initial momment of impact we forget to TRUSTR and we forget NOT TO DOUBT and that GOD has it all under control adn he is going to make sure that everything is ok? I guess there is only one answer to all of this...HUMAN NATURE, it's our own STUPID HUMAN SELF. Darn myself!!!!

The Birthday Question?

2008-09-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

I am posting this blog only because I have been asked at least 4 times...WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY??? That is usually a very difficult question for me becaue I never know what I really want. This year it is easier. I know what I want. Gift Cards for Michaels is great, gift cards for Wal Mart are good and Money for work clothes would be great also. Those are the things that I really want. Anything of course would be greatly appriciated so don't think that my list is strict, it's not! Just remember...as much as I love Target, the closest one for me is in Spokane (1 1/2 hours away) and to use Target gift cards means ordering stuff online because we don't go to Spokane very often. Well, there you have it. My birthday list...and I am proud of myself it is out here in the open a week before my birthday...YEAH ME!

SIDE NOTE: I DO NOT EXPECT ANYTHING FROM ANYONE...(EXCEPT MAYBE MY HUSBAND :) :)

Mommy Moments

2008-09-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

I can tell you from FACT that I LOVE MOMMY MOMENTS. You know those moments when you absolutly love being a Mom. When your child is sweet and loveable. Well, I had a Mommy moment last night. After Garratt got home from work at 9:00, he had some studing to do and he decided that it would be better for him to walk up to the Library, because then he wouldn't be distracted or easily tell himself he can go to bed. So off to the library he went. I headed to bed and just as I got comfortable and started to drift off I heard my daughter start to cry. I went in and picked her up and checked to make sure she was ok. She smiled at me and I knew that she was AWAKE! Not exactly what I had in mind for the night but ok...so down stairs we went. I got her some toys and a sippy cu with milk, and she played and played and played for about an hour then she grabbed her sippy cup and attempted to climb into Mommy's lap, so I picked her up and she laid in my arms drinking her sippy cup watching TV and talking and talking and talking. Finally just before 12 she began to get the glassed over look in her eyes that tells me she is ready to go back to bed so Mommy picks her up from her spot next to me on the couch, turned off the lights put her 1/2 full sippy cup in the fridge and headed back to bed. Faith was out withn seconds of me putting her in bed and I was not far behind. Having Faith at the stage where she just likes to sit with you and talk to you and do whatever you are doing is fun. I love when she looks at me and says.."Mommy...." and then proceeds to fill me in on all the details (most of which I never understand, but I listen anyways. :) :) There is nothing more special to me then these little moments in my daughters life.

BEING SICK BITES

2008-09-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

I am not a person who handles being sick. I don't mind colds they are ok because I can still function and work and take care of Faith. WHat I don't like is what I have today...the nauseous, feel like I am going to throw up, head hurts, and achy body. THE FEELING THAT YUOU HAVE BEEN HIT BY A MAC TRUCK. That is what I DO NOT like. But inevitably that is what I have. I calle din Sick to work today and Garratt stayed home from class to take care of me and Faith (we decided to keep her home so that I didn't have to worry about going out to pick her up later.) Garratt is still planning on going to his research class (12-1) because he has a huge assignment due and then he is planning on going to work tonight (4-8ish) so hioefully Faith and I will be ok. We will make it work...cause we are good like that, sick or not. Iam done on the computer I am going back to the couch to lay down and watch TV and probably take a nap.

WHY NOT???

2008-09-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

As most of you remember about a month aga I was faced with the decision of picking between two different jobs. I decided to stay at WSU for various reasons. Well, last night I got a phone call from the job that I turned down. They had sired the alternate girl and she did not work out at all. They fired her yesturday. They apparently decided that I was the one they wanted (again) and called to see if I am available. By now most of you have had the answer NO go through your head...well I didnt instead my head went straight into...ok GOD what is this? I told the girl that I was a temp currently (which I am) and that I would have to talk to my husband and my boss and find out where this situation stands. All night I worried about weather or not this was a God thing not. I know that I Love my job at WSU, I also know that the pay is right at the bottom end of where I need it, I know that the hours are great for being able to take care of my daughter and work around Garratts schedule, and I know that there is no idea as too what is going to happen with my position, and I know that if I were made permanent that I would be very happy staying here as long as I needed to. I also know that the other job pays a lot less (which aparently is now NEGOTIABLE), I know the hours are not as flexible and that I would barly if at all make it to pick up my daughter on time from daycare 3-4 nights a week, I know that it is furthur away (in Moscow), I know that it would be permanent and that unless it just did not work out that I would probably stay there. So, what do I do. Well, first I told Garratt about it then I asked God what to do...then I went to work this morning and told my boss what was going on. Once I did that she decided to do a little digging to find out what was going on...turns out that the paperwork for the person I am filling in for is due back by the 16th of September. This will tell us what her situation is. So by the end of next week we should have a better idea of what is going on. Also, if she doesn't get her paperwork turned in by Tuesday then that is considered uncooperative and would result in termination which then opens the job for ME! Either way I should have a clearer idea of what is going to become of this poition by the end of next week, possibly sooner depending on how quickly HRS gets back to my boss. So, for now I will wait. If the other people call again I will tell them that I will know by the end of next week if they can wait, because I feel I have an obligation to my department and my boss to stay at least until the other girl returns, If she returns, and I will tell the other company that if they cannot wait that I understand but I cannot leave my current job just yet. That is the only thing that seems to work and I know that my not be the most diplomatic approach but its my approach at this point. What else can I do?

One Hurdle...Church

2008-09-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

So, Garratt and I all too easily fell into the "WE'LL GO NEXT WEEK" mode. We said we would go to church. I would lookinto diferent churches then we would let minor little things stop us from going. It started with Mel won't go by herself...yes Miss Indenpendent refusses to do much without her husband by her side. Then it was well, we need to get things done so that everything is unpacked before we go to CALI. Then we got back from CA and it was wel we need to recoup. Then it was what I would consider a somewhat ligit to a point excuse and that was Faith got sick and wasn't getting over it and I thought that it was because she was at daycare 5 days a week and I didn't want to put her in a Nursery with other kids and more germs plus her germs and blah blah everyone knows how that excuse goes. Then it happened there was nothing stopping us. Faith was still not completly better but she was ok enough to go into a nursery. So, yesturday we went. We visited the church that has caught our attention most of the time that we have been here. Living Faith Fellowship. This church is structually big but congregationally fairly small from what we can tell. But WE fell in love with it almost instantly. The people were very friendly and open. They greeted us multiple times and helped us find things. We also happened to visit on the day of SMALL GROUP RALLY SUNDAY. Basically it is there way of introducing all the Small groups that are available for the year. It was great. We found out that yes they have a Sunday School hour, but that is not were they put their focus. They are all about getting connected with a Small Group. So, after looking around and having met one of the Young Married Small Group leaders earlier in the morning we signed up to try his and his wifes Small Group. We are very excited. They meet every other week right after church. They do ao potluck at their house and everyone eats (kids are welcome)for about an hour then the kids go play in the playroom or if they are smaller they can play right there in the room with the adults, and they do an hour + long bible study. We are very excited to see what it is like. It starts next week so I will be sure to fill you in. As for the service itself...WOW!!! I don't think I have been so overwhelmed by worship like I was at this service. They are very open...they have the kids in with the parents during worship time. The kids are allowed to dance around, people all over were dancing and singing no one was shy because they couldn't sing. It was great. They did some modern music and a little old hymns stuff. It was done very well. Garratt and I both walked away wwith a great feeling about the worship. Then there was the sermon. WOW!!! I cannot remember the last sermon that I really enjoyed throughout the whole thing. This Senior Pastor is very interactive with the congregation. He knows when he can be loud and passionate and he also knows when to tone down and be serious. None of his jokes were forced or scripted they just came out along the way. Garratt and I both felt like we walked away with something from the sermon and that has not happened in a long time. We are going to stay at LFF for awhile and see how it goes. We both just really felt comfortable and very acceppted by everyone and Faith had a great time singing and dancing with us during the worship time and then playing and having a snack in the nursery during the sermon time. Plus, the nursery staff was very sweet and I just felt completly comfortable leaving her up there. The church structure is very different. I will try to explain hopefully it makes sense. Most churches you walk into the hallways are open and go off into different directions and the Sanctuary is closed off with a "LOBBY" area out in front. Not at LFF. LFF has an OPEN sanctuary. You walk into the building to an information desk lobby area, then you walk into the main lobby which is completly open and connected to the sanctuary. Everything else is behind hallways off of the sanctuary. It is really kinda cool. It sounds like it would be distracting behind you to have an open lobby but it wasn't at all. It was wonderful. So that was the WE SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS SOONER experience and now we have a church and we are eally happy about it. We cannot wait to get fully connected and start making friends. I am really missing having friends!!!!! I NEED SOMEONE OTHER THAN GARRATT TO HANG OUT WITH! (No offense my love!!) Well, if you have any questions in regards to our new church just leave a comment and I will answer any questions yoou have!!! Talk to all soon!!!

HMMM>>>PONDER

2008-09-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

One of the professors in the department that I work for at WSU sent me an e-mail regarding yet another change for a seminar I am tring to get set-up for later in the semester, he included a 1-liner at the beginning of the e-mail that said it all...

NOTHING IS AS CONSISTENT AS CHANGE!!!

I will leave it at that becaue I really think that says it all!!

Yakama Picnic

2008-09-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

On Thursday our Apartment complex had a welcome picnic. It was kinda fun. We got to see people from the OTHER side of the complex. Also, they had the Pullman Firedepartment there for the kids. The kids got to climb around push some buttons and ask the firefighters ALL the questions they wanted. We left kinda early bcause we were just sitting there and Faith was a little grump she had refused to nap at daycare that day. All in all though it was pretty fun. Enjoy the pictures. By the way the gold plated cougar that is in one of the pictures is actually imprinted on the Pullman Firedepartment Trucks.

One car down one to go

2008-09-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

We went last week and got the plates changed for the Buick. YEAH...one car is officially registered in WA. Next is the Dodge. We will get that one done next week. It is so weird. THey actually handed us our plated right there at the Department of Licensing, no waiting. SO Garratt finally had a chance to put them on the car the other night...wooo hooo!! Notice the cool...COUGARS plate cover on the back plates!!!

HELP... I am surrounded with no where to go!!

2008-08-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

School offically started on Monday, all the students are moved in, Mommy's and Daddy's have all gone home. and teachers have handed out the first round of homework assignments. How come on a campus of approx. 18,000 people I can't get a good set of neightbors to save my life? They let their kids run amuck all over, they are up at all hours of the night, banging on the wall, parking their toys in front of our door, looking into our house and our cars, standing behind us while we are trying to put Faith in or take Faith out of the car. As if that doesn't drive me crazy enough...they all talk to eachother and glare at me. What did I do? I have always been nice, said hi to them and smile at them, even when I don't feel like it. So, why is it that we are the minority and looked down at? Why can't I make friends? I am hoping that this will change once we get plugged into a church (yes we are still working on that). So far my boss and professors at work, Faith's daycare teachers, Faith's daycare director, the check out people at the store and Garratt are the only people I get to talk to. I am so over it. I am starting to feel a lot of depression starting to surface and I am getting very HOME SICK. Oh, well I will get over it. Any who...hopefully next week when we go to the Yakima Apartment BBQ social I will find some sort of connection to someone in the complex somewhere. Well, until next time...

P.S. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON!!!!!! (that's my brother-in-law...today is his birthday!!!)

Birthday Girl

2008-08-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY GIRL!!
Mommy cannot believe that you are 1 years old already!!

Yes, I know that my daughters Birthday was yesturday I just didn't get a chance to post on my blog yesterday. I barly got her post on her blog up. SO yes this is being posted a day late but who really cares??

The First Night of the Lentil Festival

2008-08-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know, Pullman is the Lentil Capital of the World. So, this whole Lentil Festival thing is a big deal. So, we decided to go out last night and check out the downtown street fair that is the kick off of the festival. It was very cool. There was a kids area that had a bounce house, giant inflated slide and some other inflated play thing, there were clowns and of course the WSU Athletcis group with BUTCH!! This is when we found out that faith is not a fan of Butch like we thought, She SCREAMED!!! It was interesting. She is not very fond of dogs either. Faith's daycare is also hosting a lentil bean play area in the Kids Zone so Faith got to see her director Miss Cassi who she absolutly adores. There were a lot of food booths, live music, a beer garden, and different vendors. Then there was highlight of the night, a 200lb vat of Lentil Chili. Sadly we didn't get to taste it because by the time we got back around to it, all the chili was GONE!! Yes people 1 1/2 hours into the event and 200 lbs of chili was gone!!! It was funny!!

200 lbs of LENTIL CHILI