After lunch today, Jeff and I came home, switched the carseats out of the Saturn and into the Mazda so I could practice driving. Our first stop was to the library. Considering we're about two blocks away, it wasn't a big deal. I had to straighten out and park again, but other than that it was smooth. Ruthie kept pulling books off the shelf, but otherwise it was an uneventful trip. As we were leaving, I realized that the fuel light was on, so we went and got gas. That was interesting to say the least!
At first, I had pulled too closely to the pump station, so I had to back out and straighten out a bit. Then, after debating with Jeff, we decided that I need to learn how to put gas in the car. So, I got out, inserted my debit card to pay, and that went smoothly. Then, I got out to put the nozzle in the car and squooze it, but nothing was coming out. After trying a few times, Jeff finally got out of the car to see what was going on, right around the time the nice lady on the other side of the pump came around to help out. Apparently, I forgot to select the fuel I wanted! Kind of embarrassing. Anyway, after picking the fuel and everything, I then had learned about the awesome clip that holds it in for you! So I was watching the fuel and the total for the gas was $20.02! We only put in $20 at a time.. and that honestly doesn't really get us alot of gas, I felt impressed with myself that I got it just two cents over!
I'm improving with my driving too... learning how to start turning before I'm ready to turn so I'm not having to do 90 degree turns and cranking the wheel too quickly. We didn't drive for very long today because Jeff wanted to come home and take a nap; since he went in and worked a bit of overtime so he could catch up.. when there's only 4 people on his team and there's supposed to be triple that.. there's a tendency to fall behind! I'm proud of Jeff and his team, they seem to be doing a decent job keeping their heads above water.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Happy Halloween 2009! (Part One)
Well, here's a quick picture of the girls and Jeff at Trunk or Treat. I'll definately take more tomorrow! I think the girls are so cute in their costumes, and Jeff's not dressed up but.. let's just say I'm SOOO glad he's my husband and not someone elses... heheehee.
Monday, October 19, 2009
I'm Turnin' the Wheel!
The steering wheel that is. After putting it off for who knows how long, I've finally got my learner's permit! It's part scary, part liberating and part scary. I mentioned that already didn't I?
I better back up a bit. About 2 weeks ago, we purchased plane tickets to fly my mom and brother Tommy out for Thanksgiving. At that point we kind of realized us + my mom + my brother + the Saturn = Clown car and Bad Idea. We started looking for a larger vehicle.. that is to say a mini-van. We were wanting something that could sit at least 7 people, something that has a sports rack, and a bonus would be a hitch. And we were looking the free to $2,000 range. Yeah.. long shot but whatever. Anyway, last Tuesday, Jeff was presumably bored at work so he was apparently surfing the local classifieds and came across a vehicle. If I recall correctly he said it was PERFECT for us and that he wanted me to see if it's still available. I clicked on the link and the first thing I thought was, "It's $2,800!" In other words, about $800 out of our price range. So, I ended up calling the guy and asking if it was still avaliable, and it was. Then I asked him about the history and he gave me a very detailed history, and I asked about the mechanical work, and he rattled that off. Then I typed out to Jeff and condensed everything for him and he said "Ask if he'll go down to $2,500." which I did, and the guy said he'd take $2,600. At that point, I told him we were very interested; however we want to make sure that it would be a good investment and that I'd call him back. And we researched, and found out it's a FANTASTIC vehicle. So, then Jeff had me check our financial spread sheet, and we discovered that we'll be able to afford it, which is GREAT. We had the money to pay for it full in cash, and still get by until this Thursday when Jeff gets paid. Thank goodness he got an extra paycheck this month. So, I called him back and made arrangements to go and look at it.
Anyway, long story short we have a second car. It's a Madza MPV, and while it's technically considered to be a mini-van it honestly looks more like an SUV, which for me is a plus. In addition to a sports rack, it also has a hitch and even a sunroof. That was Tuesday. On Wednesday, we insured the car, and because we changed the coverage, our premium or whatever it's called only went up $12 a month. Which is fine, our insurance will probably be about $70 a month if that. Then on Thursday we went to the DMV to register it in our name, and earlier that day on impulse I told Jeff "Well, we're going to the DMV might as well as take the test to get my permit." So I studied the manual and quit 2/3 the way through from boredom. So we went and I PASSED!!! got 40 out of 50 questions right, which was the minimum requirement. Then afterward, we went to the library. However, when we came out we realized someone did a Hit and Run on us!!! When we parked at the DMV, we were parked next to this HUGE white truck, who decided our vehicle wasn't worthy enough for them to be careful. The rear passenger side door is all dented in, and their mirror scratched the last passenger side mirror. So, driver of big white truck, I HOPE KARMA TAKES A DUMP ON YOUR LIFE.
We went driving on Saturday and Sunday, which is a start. I'm kind of a crappy driver; however it is something I'm going to have to get adjusted to and hopefully once it finally "clicks" it's smooth driving from there. The Madza handles VERY well, so I'm glad I only have to be light on it rather than a lead foot. And of course, I'm learning to drive defensively.. no crazy nut here!
I better back up a bit. About 2 weeks ago, we purchased plane tickets to fly my mom and brother Tommy out for Thanksgiving. At that point we kind of realized us + my mom + my brother + the Saturn = Clown car and Bad Idea. We started looking for a larger vehicle.. that is to say a mini-van. We were wanting something that could sit at least 7 people, something that has a sports rack, and a bonus would be a hitch. And we were looking the free to $2,000 range. Yeah.. long shot but whatever. Anyway, last Tuesday, Jeff was presumably bored at work so he was apparently surfing the local classifieds and came across a vehicle. If I recall correctly he said it was PERFECT for us and that he wanted me to see if it's still available. I clicked on the link and the first thing I thought was, "It's $2,800!" In other words, about $800 out of our price range. So, I ended up calling the guy and asking if it was still avaliable, and it was. Then I asked him about the history and he gave me a very detailed history, and I asked about the mechanical work, and he rattled that off. Then I typed out to Jeff and condensed everything for him and he said "Ask if he'll go down to $2,500." which I did, and the guy said he'd take $2,600. At that point, I told him we were very interested; however we want to make sure that it would be a good investment and that I'd call him back. And we researched, and found out it's a FANTASTIC vehicle. So, then Jeff had me check our financial spread sheet, and we discovered that we'll be able to afford it, which is GREAT. We had the money to pay for it full in cash, and still get by until this Thursday when Jeff gets paid. Thank goodness he got an extra paycheck this month. So, I called him back and made arrangements to go and look at it.
Anyway, long story short we have a second car. It's a Madza MPV, and while it's technically considered to be a mini-van it honestly looks more like an SUV, which for me is a plus. In addition to a sports rack, it also has a hitch and even a sunroof. That was Tuesday. On Wednesday, we insured the car, and because we changed the coverage, our premium or whatever it's called only went up $12 a month. Which is fine, our insurance will probably be about $70 a month if that. Then on Thursday we went to the DMV to register it in our name, and earlier that day on impulse I told Jeff "Well, we're going to the DMV might as well as take the test to get my permit." So I studied the manual and quit 2/3 the way through from boredom. So we went and I PASSED!!! got 40 out of 50 questions right, which was the minimum requirement. Then afterward, we went to the library. However, when we came out we realized someone did a Hit and Run on us!!! When we parked at the DMV, we were parked next to this HUGE white truck, who decided our vehicle wasn't worthy enough for them to be careful. The rear passenger side door is all dented in, and their mirror scratched the last passenger side mirror. So, driver of big white truck, I HOPE KARMA TAKES A DUMP ON YOUR LIFE.
We went driving on Saturday and Sunday, which is a start. I'm kind of a crappy driver; however it is something I'm going to have to get adjusted to and hopefully once it finally "clicks" it's smooth driving from there. The Madza handles VERY well, so I'm glad I only have to be light on it rather than a lead foot. And of course, I'm learning to drive defensively.. no crazy nut here!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Just An Update
I haven't blogged about anything significant in a while, so I figured now would be a good time to sit down and do so!
Last month, around the 12th or so, we noticed we had some leakage in our laundry room. Not knowing what it was, we tried to figure out the source of the leaking and after a week discovered it was the water heater. What shocked us was that the water heater was only 7 years old, and when I went poking around to find the source of the leak, I discovered that there was a patch job where it had previously leaked. At that point we knew that it was going to get replaced. So we called a company in and for $1,000 we got a brand new water heater, an anodized rod put in the water heater to reduce mineral buildup and we also paid to extend our warranty to 11 years instead of the usual 5 or 6. We also had to pay for the plumber to redo the duct work because it was done very improperly and was a major code violation! So at least we've got a brand new water heater that's up to code.
Then after months of waiting and having to refile our amended return, we received our First Time Home Buyer tax credit on the 8th of this month! After going out to dinner to celebrate, we tackled the major expense that we knew about when we bought our house; replacing our furnace. After calling around and researching and having estimates done, we finally picked a company to replace the furnace AND they also insulated the attic, which is great! Unfortunately, due to unforeseen situations, we were not able to get our furnace last Monday as scheduled, but we'll be getting it installed tomorrow.. I hope! We're very excited and happy to know that we'll finally be getting our clunker furnace replaced and taken out and having an energy efficient one put in. And based on the gentleman that came and did the bid, he said because our current furnace is so old, and because of all the energy rebates we'll be receiving from not only the federal government, but our gas company, we'll be seeing a return in the next 5 years.. and that's something I like to hear! Of course, with a new furnace we'll need a duct cleaning, which won't be done until after we get the furnace installed and when we get a referral from the HVAC company. I'm very excited about the furnace because I know we won't freeze AND go broke this winter, and because the biggest expense will be out of the way and we'll most likely never have to replace the furnace as long as we own the house; and we plan on being here for a VERY long time.
Everyone's been doing great too! Jeff's been working and doing his thing at work, and has recently made a ton of breakthroughs with work, and has recently made strides that have resulted in making his job much easier. I just had my 24th birthday on Friday, and we celebrated by going to Lonestar Steakhouse for dinner.. nothing says grownup date like eating at a place that you don't get a toy with your meal! And then today -well yesterday seeing how it's after midnight now- marked mine and Jeff's 6 year anniversary as a couple.. and what a crazy, but fantastic 6 years it's been! I am constantly amazed and have felt blessed many times over because of him. If I have to name his one redeeming quality, it would have to be his capacity of forgiveness and understanding.. I guess I just named two! He's helped me through so much, and I KNOW I would not be the person that I am today without him.
Speaking of Jeff and I, I can't go without mentioning our two daughters! Without US, THEY wouldn't be here! Zoe's going through a stage right now that testing our patience and and nerves! Last month, she decided that everytime she made a trip to the toilet, she would bomb the toilet with tons of TP, sometimes using the entire roll. It was driving us up the wall, and we finally came up with a solution; we got a cheap wooden spoon, and triple bagged some grocery bags, and had her scoop the TP out of the toilet using the spoon. She did NOT like that at all, and has not done it since then, which is a great thing. And just for the record, we were tolerating it, but the final straw was when she did it in our downstairs bathroom and it resulted in a main sewer line clog and we had flooding all over the bathroom floor and all over the hallway carpet. I think it was an unorthodox method, but at the same time, she needs to realize that in life there's consequences for every action, and that there will be repercussions for those actions and sometimes it's gross and not very fun. However, she stepped out of this habit and has now started regressing with her potty training, something she's done so well for the last 6 months. However, I know this is normal, and eventually she'll get through it, we just have to be patient and work through it! One of her recent hobbies.. well it's been a hoby of hers for a while, but has recently started taking off is photography! She loves to set up these little scenarios and take pictures; her favorite place is her closet.
Zoe's also been growing VERY well, she's about 40-41 inches tall, and weighs in around the same in pounds, and she's actually about to hit another growth spurt we think, since she's starting to chub up a little, which usually happens before she starts growing again. It's a bit unnerving to realize my almost 4 year old is only EIGHTEEN inches shorter than me! She's also been slowly learning how to write her letters, but it's something that we need to work on more. She knows how to write A, C, D, E, M, O, R, T, Y and Z, so we need to work on the other 17 letters of the alphabet. And of course, here are some recent pictures of her.
And of course, we can't forget little Ruthie! Don't get me wrong when I say this, but I feel exceptionally blessed with her as our daughter. She's always been behind in terms of her milestones being met, and her size, but she just has such a wonderful demeanor and she's got a zest for live that Zoe never really had. She doesn't talk much, but she still is able to communicate her point across and is able to tell us her wants and needs. And of course she's just so patient and rolls with whatever is tossed her way, because let's face it; Zoe kind of bosses her around like the bigger sister she is! And for the most part, Ruthie just takes it as it comes; however she's got a streak in her where she will get spunky right back. She's also got an amazing sense of humor and finds simple joys in doing silly things like running around us in circles and saying hi every time she gets to our left or right side, or she likes to pull up our shirts and stick her finger in our belly buttons and runs off laughing. One of the first words she started saying coherently after the monosyllabic stuff was 'tickle'! She'll come up to us and start saying 'tickle-tickle' with a big grin on her face and start tickling herself, so you'll know she's ready for some tickles! She's learning fast now though, and is in the early stages of her vocabulary explosion that kids tend to get when they are around 18-20 months. She does know some sentences, like "I all done!", "I a good." and "I don't know." and "I want ..." which usually ends in a mumble because she's still learning how to talk. She did learn milk which is good! She's kind of a picky eater, but we've discovered she LOVES anything with rice and a sauce; which is usually coconut milk and curry since we love Eastern Indian curry in this family! She also likes noodles of any kind, and her favorite fruits to eat are bananas and tomatoes. You read that right, she LOVES tomatoes! We've been getting tomatoes finally in our garden, and she loves to polish off the smaller ones we've been getting. We're still trying to introduce her to other things, and her palate has been expanding to eat other things; however she's NOWHERE near where Zoe is with her palate. And of course, I need to add some pictures of Ruthie as well!
Last month, around the 12th or so, we noticed we had some leakage in our laundry room. Not knowing what it was, we tried to figure out the source of the leaking and after a week discovered it was the water heater. What shocked us was that the water heater was only 7 years old, and when I went poking around to find the source of the leak, I discovered that there was a patch job where it had previously leaked. At that point we knew that it was going to get replaced. So we called a company in and for $1,000 we got a brand new water heater, an anodized rod put in the water heater to reduce mineral buildup and we also paid to extend our warranty to 11 years instead of the usual 5 or 6. We also had to pay for the plumber to redo the duct work because it was done very improperly and was a major code violation! So at least we've got a brand new water heater that's up to code.
Then after months of waiting and having to refile our amended return, we received our First Time Home Buyer tax credit on the 8th of this month! After going out to dinner to celebrate, we tackled the major expense that we knew about when we bought our house; replacing our furnace. After calling around and researching and having estimates done, we finally picked a company to replace the furnace AND they also insulated the attic, which is great! Unfortunately, due to unforeseen situations, we were not able to get our furnace last Monday as scheduled, but we'll be getting it installed tomorrow.. I hope! We're very excited and happy to know that we'll finally be getting our clunker furnace replaced and taken out and having an energy efficient one put in. And based on the gentleman that came and did the bid, he said because our current furnace is so old, and because of all the energy rebates we'll be receiving from not only the federal government, but our gas company, we'll be seeing a return in the next 5 years.. and that's something I like to hear! Of course, with a new furnace we'll need a duct cleaning, which won't be done until after we get the furnace installed and when we get a referral from the HVAC company. I'm very excited about the furnace because I know we won't freeze AND go broke this winter, and because the biggest expense will be out of the way and we'll most likely never have to replace the furnace as long as we own the house; and we plan on being here for a VERY long time.
Everyone's been doing great too! Jeff's been working and doing his thing at work, and has recently made a ton of breakthroughs with work, and has recently made strides that have resulted in making his job much easier. I just had my 24th birthday on Friday, and we celebrated by going to Lonestar Steakhouse for dinner.. nothing says grownup date like eating at a place that you don't get a toy with your meal! And then today -well yesterday seeing how it's after midnight now- marked mine and Jeff's 6 year anniversary as a couple.. and what a crazy, but fantastic 6 years it's been! I am constantly amazed and have felt blessed many times over because of him. If I have to name his one redeeming quality, it would have to be his capacity of forgiveness and understanding.. I guess I just named two! He's helped me through so much, and I KNOW I would not be the person that I am today without him.
Speaking of Jeff and I, I can't go without mentioning our two daughters! Without US, THEY wouldn't be here! Zoe's going through a stage right now that testing our patience and and nerves! Last month, she decided that everytime she made a trip to the toilet, she would bomb the toilet with tons of TP, sometimes using the entire roll. It was driving us up the wall, and we finally came up with a solution; we got a cheap wooden spoon, and triple bagged some grocery bags, and had her scoop the TP out of the toilet using the spoon. She did NOT like that at all, and has not done it since then, which is a great thing. And just for the record, we were tolerating it, but the final straw was when she did it in our downstairs bathroom and it resulted in a main sewer line clog and we had flooding all over the bathroom floor and all over the hallway carpet. I think it was an unorthodox method, but at the same time, she needs to realize that in life there's consequences for every action, and that there will be repercussions for those actions and sometimes it's gross and not very fun. However, she stepped out of this habit and has now started regressing with her potty training, something she's done so well for the last 6 months. However, I know this is normal, and eventually she'll get through it, we just have to be patient and work through it! One of her recent hobbies.. well it's been a hoby of hers for a while, but has recently started taking off is photography! She loves to set up these little scenarios and take pictures; her favorite place is her closet.
These are some of the pictures she's taken.
Zoe's also been growing VERY well, she's about 40-41 inches tall, and weighs in around the same in pounds, and she's actually about to hit another growth spurt we think, since she's starting to chub up a little, which usually happens before she starts growing again. It's a bit unnerving to realize my almost 4 year old is only EIGHTEEN inches shorter than me! She's also been slowly learning how to write her letters, but it's something that we need to work on more. She knows how to write A, C, D, E, M, O, R, T, Y and Z, so we need to work on the other 17 letters of the alphabet. And of course, here are some recent pictures of her.
These are some of her self portraits she's done! I think they showcase her personality perfectly.
And of course, we can't forget little Ruthie! Don't get me wrong when I say this, but I feel exceptionally blessed with her as our daughter. She's always been behind in terms of her milestones being met, and her size, but she just has such a wonderful demeanor and she's got a zest for live that Zoe never really had. She doesn't talk much, but she still is able to communicate her point across and is able to tell us her wants and needs. And of course she's just so patient and rolls with whatever is tossed her way, because let's face it; Zoe kind of bosses her around like the bigger sister she is! And for the most part, Ruthie just takes it as it comes; however she's got a streak in her where she will get spunky right back. She's also got an amazing sense of humor and finds simple joys in doing silly things like running around us in circles and saying hi every time she gets to our left or right side, or she likes to pull up our shirts and stick her finger in our belly buttons and runs off laughing. One of the first words she started saying coherently after the monosyllabic stuff was 'tickle'! She'll come up to us and start saying 'tickle-tickle' with a big grin on her face and start tickling herself, so you'll know she's ready for some tickles! She's learning fast now though, and is in the early stages of her vocabulary explosion that kids tend to get when they are around 18-20 months. She does know some sentences, like "I all done!", "I a good." and "I don't know." and "I want ..." which usually ends in a mumble because she's still learning how to talk. She did learn milk which is good! She's kind of a picky eater, but we've discovered she LOVES anything with rice and a sauce; which is usually coconut milk and curry since we love Eastern Indian curry in this family! She also likes noodles of any kind, and her favorite fruits to eat are bananas and tomatoes. You read that right, she LOVES tomatoes! We've been getting tomatoes finally in our garden, and she loves to polish off the smaller ones we've been getting. We're still trying to introduce her to other things, and her palate has been expanding to eat other things; however she's NOWHERE near where Zoe is with her palate. And of course, I need to add some pictures of Ruthie as well!
These I think show how she's so inquisitive and yet she's got a certain sassy spunk about her. Zoe took the first one, and I took the second one.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the update.. and thanks for reading through all of it, it's a LONG one!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Marriage Tag
I got this from my cousin Linda's blog, and thought it was cute so I decided to copy and post and participate. I guess this is a tag of sorts for those who are married or engaged. However, I'm changing the order a bit because it's kind of out of order and bugs me a bit.
1. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time?
We met in person for the first time on September 27th, 2003.
2. How long have you known your spouse?
We met online around November 8th, 2002 on LDS chat and that night we were chatting for a VERY long time; I believe I started chatting with him around 7 or 8 pm, EST and by the time we got offline, the sun was coming up the next morning, and since it was in early winter/late fall, it had to be around 6:30 in the morning when the sun was coming up
3. How long did you date/court before you were engaged?
We started officially dating on September 27th, 2003, so we were dating for 11 months, & 8 days. But we knew we were going to end up married about 2 weeks into our relationship.
4. When was your engagement anniversary?
Jeff proposed to me on September 4th, 2004. I went with him to pick up the ring, but I wasn't allowed to see it until he proposed to me. Since I picked it out, I had an idea of what it was going to look like, but since it was custom made to fit a round cut diamond -the original setting was for a princess cut- it was still a bit of a happy surprise to see what the final product looked like! He proposed to me at Tres Hombres Restaurant in Salt Lake City.
5. When is your marriage anniversary? We were married on July 16th, 2005, in Virginia Beach, Va. The day started out sunny and hot, but it was a dark and stormy night during our wedding ceremony... some of our guests arrived a bit rained on!
6. What is your spouse's full name?
Jeffrey Scott Hayford.
7. Do you have any children?
Yes.
8. How many?
Two. Zoe was born on November 24th, 2005 and Ruthie was born on February 9th, 2008.
9. Do you have any housepets?
Not at the moment we don't. But Zoe keeps telling us she wants a dog, and Ruthie walks around meowing all day.
10. Do you own a house or rent?
We own a home.
11. Do you live in the country or town/city?
We live in the suburbs!
12. What is one of your favorite activities to do together?
We enjoy playing World of Warcraft.
13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot?
We have yet to take a "real" vacation anywhere. The two we have taken were in Virginia Beach, VA!
14. How many siblings?
He has five siblings, and I have two; and we've got a combination of three siblings in law.
15. What church do you attend?
We don't go to church anymore, but we're members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And I use that term loosely at the moment.
16. Is this the church you were married in?
We were married in one of the many wardhouses of the LDS church so yes.
17. What town is your current address in?
Sandy, Utah.
18. Do you work or stay at home?
I am a stay at home mom, but twice a week I watch our friends' baby. But it's not really because we need the money, but it's more to help them out. I really don't count it as a 'job'.
19. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We didn't have an official honeymoon.
20. Leave a piece of advice for other couples.
Talk things out, leave the lines of communication open, be HONEST with each other, and when all else fails, go have some 'couple' time in the bedroom! Don't think 'deprivation' is going to solve anything because you're only punishing yourself.
1. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time?
We met in person for the first time on September 27th, 2003.
2. How long have you known your spouse?
We met online around November 8th, 2002 on LDS chat and that night we were chatting for a VERY long time; I believe I started chatting with him around 7 or 8 pm, EST and by the time we got offline, the sun was coming up the next morning, and since it was in early winter/late fall, it had to be around 6:30 in the morning when the sun was coming up
3. How long did you date/court before you were engaged?
We started officially dating on September 27th, 2003, so we were dating for 11 months, & 8 days. But we knew we were going to end up married about 2 weeks into our relationship.
4. When was your engagement anniversary?
Jeff proposed to me on September 4th, 2004. I went with him to pick up the ring, but I wasn't allowed to see it until he proposed to me. Since I picked it out, I had an idea of what it was going to look like, but since it was custom made to fit a round cut diamond -the original setting was for a princess cut- it was still a bit of a happy surprise to see what the final product looked like! He proposed to me at Tres Hombres Restaurant in Salt Lake City.
5. When is your marriage anniversary? We were married on July 16th, 2005, in Virginia Beach, Va. The day started out sunny and hot, but it was a dark and stormy night during our wedding ceremony... some of our guests arrived a bit rained on!
6. What is your spouse's full name?
Jeffrey Scott Hayford.
7. Do you have any children?
Yes.
8. How many?
Two. Zoe was born on November 24th, 2005 and Ruthie was born on February 9th, 2008.
9. Do you have any housepets?
Not at the moment we don't. But Zoe keeps telling us she wants a dog, and Ruthie walks around meowing all day.
10. Do you own a house or rent?
We own a home.
11. Do you live in the country or town/city?
We live in the suburbs!
12. What is one of your favorite activities to do together?
We enjoy playing World of Warcraft.
13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot?
We have yet to take a "real" vacation anywhere. The two we have taken were in Virginia Beach, VA!
14. How many siblings?
He has five siblings, and I have two; and we've got a combination of three siblings in law.
15. What church do you attend?
We don't go to church anymore, but we're members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And I use that term loosely at the moment.
16. Is this the church you were married in?
We were married in one of the many wardhouses of the LDS church so yes.
17. What town is your current address in?
Sandy, Utah.
18. Do you work or stay at home?
I am a stay at home mom, but twice a week I watch our friends' baby. But it's not really because we need the money, but it's more to help them out. I really don't count it as a 'job'.
19. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We didn't have an official honeymoon.
20. Leave a piece of advice for other couples.
Talk things out, leave the lines of communication open, be HONEST with each other, and when all else fails, go have some 'couple' time in the bedroom! Don't think 'deprivation' is going to solve anything because you're only punishing yourself.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Lagoon Day!
This past Saturday was eBay's company family party at Lagoon, and of course we went, and we also went with our friends Cooper, Ngaire and Azrael L. Cooper is one of Jeff's best friends, and of course Ngaire and I have become very close friends as well. Azrael is their (almost) 10 month old daughter, and I watch her twice a week. Most of the pictures are of Zoe mostly because it was her first time ever going to Lagoon and I wanted to capture her expression and experience there.
This ride is called Bulgy the Whale, and it was the first ride she went on. And as you can tell by the picture, she HAD NO CLUE how to react. After getting off we asked her "Did you have fun?" to which she promptly responded with "I want to slide."
This ride is called Red Baron.. I think. Anyway, she was starting to loosen up on this ride, however she spazzed out when the attendant unbuckled her and she lost sight of where I was at. We explained to her that it's their jobs to help kids in and out of the rides, and she was okay after that.
This ride is called the Dragonfly. Zoe REALLY liked this one. This was taken right before the ride started, and I guess she was looking down to figure out what was going on.
This next ride is called Helicopters. Zoe really started getting into the whole ride thing at this point, especially when Jeff told her about how the bar works to make it go up and down.
Here's Zoe in the little boat ride called... Baby Boats. Every time Zoe went past us, we'd all say "Hi Zoe!" but of course she only said hi to Ngaire. Go figure!
We decided to take a soothing -and shaded- ride on the train. Here's the four of us together. It's a shame Jeff's head got cut off, but that's what happens when you're tall!
And here's Cooper, Ngaire and Azrael. What a fun bunch of people.
And here's Jeff and Zoe on the Space Scrambler. She LOVED it! At first she was a bit nervous, but eventually she let her inhibitions fly and she was putting her arms up and going "Wheee!!". Jeff made the comment that he must be getting old because he was actually nauseous from it. Well with a name like "Scrambler", what else do you expect?
You'll notice that Ruthie's not in many pictures, since we thought she was too young to enjoy the experience... but definitely next year! We'll also be hitting Lagoona Beach too, it was SO HOT.
This ride is called Bulgy the Whale, and it was the first ride she went on. And as you can tell by the picture, she HAD NO CLUE how to react. After getting off we asked her "Did you have fun?" to which she promptly responded with "I want to slide."
This ride is called Red Baron.. I think. Anyway, she was starting to loosen up on this ride, however she spazzed out when the attendant unbuckled her and she lost sight of where I was at. We explained to her that it's their jobs to help kids in and out of the rides, and she was okay after that.
This ride is called the Dragonfly. Zoe REALLY liked this one. This was taken right before the ride started, and I guess she was looking down to figure out what was going on.
This next ride is called Helicopters. Zoe really started getting into the whole ride thing at this point, especially when Jeff told her about how the bar works to make it go up and down.
Here's Zoe in the little boat ride called... Baby Boats. Every time Zoe went past us, we'd all say "Hi Zoe!" but of course she only said hi to Ngaire. Go figure!
We decided to take a soothing -and shaded- ride on the train. Here's the four of us together. It's a shame Jeff's head got cut off, but that's what happens when you're tall!
And here's Cooper, Ngaire and Azrael. What a fun bunch of people.
And here's Jeff and Zoe on the Space Scrambler. She LOVED it! At first she was a bit nervous, but eventually she let her inhibitions fly and she was putting her arms up and going "Wheee!!". Jeff made the comment that he must be getting old because he was actually nauseous from it. Well with a name like "Scrambler", what else do you expect?
You'll notice that Ruthie's not in many pictures, since we thought she was too young to enjoy the experience... but definitely next year! We'll also be hitting Lagoona Beach too, it was SO HOT.
Monday, August 10, 2009
It Could Have Ended Badly....
So, tonight for dinner we had a beans and rice with tomatoes and sausage dish.. it's great because you can cook it in one pot.. although I use my rice cooker to make sure the rice cooks without scorching the beans. Anyway, the best way to cook the sausage we decided was to grill it; we've done the dish a few times before and we do it with the grill everytime.. works GREAT! It really brings out the smoky flavor in the sausage.
Anyways, Jeff doesn't like cleaning the grill, and I guess there was a bit of grease on it. So after he finished cooking the sausage, he decided to 'burn the grease off' and just left the grill on while he came inside to cut up the sausage. BTW, our grill is propane fueled, but we buy the little canisters since they are cheaper than the huge ones. Our friend Cooper shows up -his wife Ngaire and daughter Azzie were already here since I watch Azzie on Mondays and Fridays and Jeff brings Ngaire home with him from work since they both work at eBay- and walks in and says in a converstational tone "You know your grill is on fire right?"
Jeff responded with, "Yeah, I know, I left it on." And Cooper said "It's actually on fire." So we go outside to see what he's talking about.. and lo and behold.. the whole right side was engulfed in flames. Jeff thought turning it off would solve the problem.. but it didn't.
Instead, the flames got larger. So then I started getting a bit worried and said, "Jeff go get the fire extiguisher." He responded with "No, it'll go down on it's own eventually." And I said, "No, Jeff go get the fire extinguisher, it's not going down." So then he says "Fine!" in this.. tone of his so we go inside to get the fire extinguisher and while I cleaned up the mess I made in pulling the tab off -it went flying and hit the food and almost knocked all of our sausage on the floor- Jeff was able to quickly put it out.
Alas, we had a casualty. The part where you cook the food on MELTED. I guess it's made out of aluminum or something because under normal circumstances, it should not have done that.
Jeff's famous last words? "Well, we know now that trying to burn off grease doesn't work."
I swear, Jeff's got more redneck in him than I do!
Anyways, Jeff doesn't like cleaning the grill, and I guess there was a bit of grease on it. So after he finished cooking the sausage, he decided to 'burn the grease off' and just left the grill on while he came inside to cut up the sausage. BTW, our grill is propane fueled, but we buy the little canisters since they are cheaper than the huge ones. Our friend Cooper shows up -his wife Ngaire and daughter Azzie were already here since I watch Azzie on Mondays and Fridays and Jeff brings Ngaire home with him from work since they both work at eBay- and walks in and says in a converstational tone "You know your grill is on fire right?"
Jeff responded with, "Yeah, I know, I left it on." And Cooper said "It's actually on fire." So we go outside to see what he's talking about.. and lo and behold.. the whole right side was engulfed in flames. Jeff thought turning it off would solve the problem.. but it didn't.
Instead, the flames got larger. So then I started getting a bit worried and said, "Jeff go get the fire extiguisher." He responded with "No, it'll go down on it's own eventually." And I said, "No, Jeff go get the fire extinguisher, it's not going down." So then he says "Fine!" in this.. tone of his so we go inside to get the fire extinguisher and while I cleaned up the mess I made in pulling the tab off -it went flying and hit the food and almost knocked all of our sausage on the floor- Jeff was able to quickly put it out.
Alas, we had a casualty. The part where you cook the food on MELTED. I guess it's made out of aluminum or something because under normal circumstances, it should not have done that.
Jeff's famous last words? "Well, we know now that trying to burn off grease doesn't work."
I swear, Jeff's got more redneck in him than I do!
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