"Sick" Day

This is Dan. Aranne has said that I don't add to the blog enough so this is a topic I can input on. So the back story is the for the past week or so the Las Vegas area(including the nearby mountains) have been getting quite a bit of rain/snow. The snow reports have said in the past 7 days the mountain has received over 30" of new snow. That's right 30". So Aranne and I were trying really hard to find some time to break away long enough to experience all this wonderful bounty. We knew that if we waited till the weekend the pure, untapped goodness would be ruined. So we were practically forced to take a day off today. We had no other choice than to feel a little under the weather this morning. I have to say it was well worth it.

Today we were able to experience some of the new toys and equipment we have been waiting to use. First off, the 4Runner. It was required to have either 4 wheel drive or chains. 4 wheel drive is so much easier than chains. It was also nice to pull up to the resort looking like we belong. Instead of our little black Honda hatchback. Second, the snowboard roof rack clamps I bought Aranne for her birthday. They are so easy to open and slide in your boards. Much easier then sliding into the back of the aforementioned Honda.

To wrap the day up, it was amazing. Perfect powder throughout the park. Additionally there was not that many people there on a Tuesday. (Some of us have to work) We are looking forward to the next time we can get up there to do it all over again.

Getting Prepared

Our goal for this month was to update and add to our 72 hour kits. We have a good start, thanks to Mike & Holly and a fabulous Enrichment that I helped organize, but there are always things you can add and things you need to update.

We added things like a pair of long pants and a jacket that would fit into our backpacks. We also added two pairs of socks for each of us. We also finally made the copies of our important paperwork and got them into our backpacks. We didn't have to change out to much since the 3 days worth of food that I made at Enrichment is good until 2012 (but that will be here sooner than we know it). Now we only have to go back and check on our supplies every six months just to do an update.

Since I was in the "emergency preparedness" mode this month I spent some time searching around and actually found some sites that had a lot of helpful information on them. Besides the church website there is a really helpful site that the city of San Francisco has set up. It can be used for any city and has a lot of helpful info on it. Hopefully we will never need to use any of our supplies but we all need to be prepared and have the supplied on hand and be ready for any situation, JUST IN CASE!

President Hinckley

So we just heard the news of the passing of President Hinckley and really don't know what to think yet. We are glad to hear that it was just due to old age, 97, and that he was there with family members in his home. That is always comforting.

I joined the church in 1997 and he has been the only prophet that I have known. Dan grew up with President Kimbell and then President Hinckley. President Hinckley has done so much for the growth of the church and for public relations regarding the church. To look at the growth of the church and the number of temples that have been built during his presidency is amazing; and then there are the numerous other programs that he put into effect during his time as prophet. He has made such a big impact on so many peoples lives and will be missed dearly.

CALLING all scouts

Dan got a new calling at church today. He is now the assistant scout master with the 11-year-old boys who are in the Blazers. He has actually had this calling before and really enjoyed it but now he is going to be working with another guy in the ward and has some kids that are active in the ward also. This time around it should be a lot of fun for him, and maybe even a little more work.

He is excited about it and looking forward to getting out and doing some fun stuff with the boys and teaching them what he knows about scouting. Especially at this age they are still young enough to listen to you and want to learn. They are great kids and will love Dan for sure.

Glimpse into the future

Today was such a great day. We had the opportunity to go and see the sealing of a new baby into the family of some friends in FSA, the Waldron family. It was absolutely amazing. It reminded us of how important families are and how amazing adoption is and how wonderful the process is. We were so glad that they invited us to be a part of this special day and that we were able to be there at the temple with them and also have a glimpse into what will one day be us with our baby. It was so precious.

Again we are just so grateful to be on this path of adoption and to know that we are doing what we are suppose to be doing and that ONE DAY the Lord will bring the right child into our homes and that we will be able to be a family forever. It is so comforting to know that. It is a blessing in our lives to be able to know that and know that we just have to be patient and our time will come.

You gotta see this

(Pause my music on the sidebar so you can hear the music that goes with the clips)

I just watched an "Ellen" episode where this guy, Dan Dunn, was on and it was AMAZING! You gotta watch this guy. I could not believe my eyes. He is absolutely crazy. It is so cool. I was like... what the heck and then I was like... OH I get it. I wish I had half the talent this guy has.

Here is another one just for kicks.

Cutting like Crazy

I totally feel like I have two jobs; typing and card making/scrapbooking. Now don't get me wrong I love making cards and scrapbooking but it takes A LOT of time. My mom has a craft show this whole weekend (Friday afternoon - Sunday) which means that I get to hold Friday Card Class for her. Did you read that right? GET TO! So since she is busy getting stuff ready for the weekend I spent some time today cutting, cutting and more cutting. I had to get the cards ready for class on Friday. Oh and did I mention that I GET TO do this again next week because mom will be gone to Regional Convention in Anaheim for Stampin' Up. Oh yeah... two weeks in a row! Like I said, it is a good thing that I like to make cards and enjoy spending time with the ladies who come to class.

The End

All done. I got the first book for Christmas and then bought the other two and I finished reading the third book in the series today. I was definitely hooked on the series by Stephanie Meyer. Now my only dilemma is going to be what book to start on next.

Nevada Caucus

I am not a very political kinda of girl but my friend Kirsten definitely is and has kept me updated on everything ROMNEY! I did know enough to know that Saturday was the Nevada Caucus and that it was a big deal for Mitt Romney. I also know that he won by a pretty big margin.

Thanks to Kirsten and the fact that there has been so much media involvement with Mitt Romney and the church I have been paying a lot more attention to this election and the issues than EVER before. I have read a lot more about some of the issues and read some about the candidates (all of them) and I think this is a good thing not only for me but hopefully other people have done the same thing. It is only in our benefit to find out about these people who will lead our country and our future and make the best decision for ourselves. I am embarrassed to say that I did not do that in the past but also proud to say that I am currently trying much harder to do that and finding out a little bit more everyday and learning more about it as I go. I will never be one who loves politics but at least I can follow along in the conversation and know what is going on and what some of the issues are (and I could NOT do that before).

FSA ROCKS!

Okay, so for everyone who doesn't know (which is probably most of you) FSA is Families Supporting Adoption and it is a very exclusive club!!! Just kidding. It is the group of people that you immediately get to be involved with once you start the whole process of adoption through LDS Family Services - and it is actually a really neat thing. When we first started attending some of the meetings that were required they mentioned being involved and making sure that we attended some functions they were trying to put together and we were like "yeah sure, whatever"... But we have actually had a chance to get to know some of the other couples and have been involved with the planning of our previous event, the National Adoption Month (November by the way) Pancake Breakfast, and we are currently planning an 80's style Valentine's dinner/dance. It has been a good thing for us and we are glad to be on the planning committee and to be getting to know people who are in our same situation.

We look forward to some of the events that we are going to be able to be a part with planning and participating in as well. We were talking about Temple trips once a month, with a bigger one quarterly to include dinners, a BBQ done family reunion style in May with games, and fun stuff like that, and even doing FHE at people's homes once a month too. It is great to finally feel a part of something and feel like we FIT IN somewhere. It has been a long time since that has been the case for us.

Your Going To Hollywood

Okay so the words that every one of the contestants wants to hear are "You are going to Hollywood" but lets face it not every one deserves to hear them. BUT.... it is so sad to watch the auditions. Every year it breaks my heart to watch some of these kids get up there in front of Randy, Paula and Simon and pour their hearts out and then to be laughed at and sent away in tears. The ones who really try and aren't just trying out to get on TV or doing it as a joke but the ones who really think they are going to be the Next American Idol. Those are the ones who break my heart as I watch the show. And I hate it when Randy and Paula start laughing and turning around in their chairs, and then they pan over to Simon and he is just sitting there with a pen in his mouth straight-faced... how does he do that? How can he keep a straight face when the two of them are laughing and the kid in front of him is singing horribly? That really does amaze me. Okay I will admit that I am sitting at home laughing right along with Paula and Randy, but that is just it... I am at home, not right in front of the kid making them feel worse. Oh well... we have one more night of this and then we get into "Hollywood Week" which I can handle. I just can't handle the disappointment on the kids faces when they are sent home and their dreams are shattered. I just feel so bad for them. I am just a softy I guess.

Swap Time

Thanks to my friend Kirsten I am participating in my first Blogger swap. I am actually really excited about it. It sounds like fun and she did the last one that this lady, Kelly, hosted so I thought I would go for it. Take a look here and you can see what all of the fun is about. Wish me luck and I will let you know how it turns out!

My Handy Man

Finally I don't have to be embarrassed that the whole neighborhood can hear me when I open my garage door because Dan has installed a new opener for me. Honestly, the old one was older then both of us combined and was SO loud that it could wake the dead and was very temperamental too. Now thanks to my handsome handy man we have a snazzy new, much quieter model and I could not be more excited about this. I can now open my own garage without embarrassment. The simple things in life I guess! Thanks again Dan for making me SMILE!

I thought Chicago was the Windy City

I really thought that Chicago was the Windy City but I am really starting to wonder now. It is SO windy here and I am really not a fan of the wind. It does do a few good things for us, don't get me wrong. It keeps the smog out of our valley which is nice. When we don't have wind for a few days consecutively (which is very rare) you can see this brown hue hovering over downtown which is disgusting. We also have very few mosquitoes which is nice since they always seem to bite just me. My list of positives ends right about there.

In the summer you would think that a nice breeze would be nice when the weather is 110-115 but NO... all it does is feel like someone turned on a blow dryer and has it blowing right in your face. And in the winter when it is like 40 outside and the wind is blowing it then makes it feel like it is 10 degrees and the wind is piercing your face and hurts so bad. Either way you look at it, it is not very pleasant.

And then you have the concept that always crosses my mind when I am inside my house and I hear the wind just blowing and blowing. I picture myself as one of the three little pigs (which that in itself is not a pleasant picture) and the BIG BAD WOLF is outside huffing and puffing and blowing so hard and sometimes I think he really is going to blow my house down because the wind is blowing so hard.

Vegas/Henderson is great and I like living here but I wish that there was a way to make the wind stop sometimes. It has been blowing all night and all day and this has just been getting to me.

My very own Knight

So yesterday Dan definitely proved his L-O-V-E for me (not that he really had to). So I had finished my book "Twilight" and was ready to start on the sequel "New Moon". We had been out running errands all day in the freezing wind and cold. Our last stop was the grocery store where we figured we would find the book. To our bad luck it was not there. "Eclipse" was there, the third book, but no "New Moon". We came home with the groceries and Dan SO WILLINGLY said that he would run to Wal-Mart and pick up the book. Well... about 30 minutes later I get a call and he proceeds to tell me that Henderson must not carry the book. He had been to Wal-Mart, Rite-Aid, and Albertsons with no luck at all. I told him to forget it and that we would either go out again later that night and try the church bookstore (because I know they have it) or I would look somewhere else on Monday. He said it was okay and that he would go to Barnes and Noble and get it for me. About 30 more minutes later my knight in shinning armor returned home with not only "New Moon" but also "Eclipse" stating that he did not want to see me without the third book when I finished the second one, so he picked them both up! Now we all know it is just because he didn't want to have to go out and look for a book for me EVER again, but it was the thought that counts and a very nice thought it was. What a sweet, sweet husband I have!

Game Over

Well tonight marked the end of the Steelers 10-7 season. They lost their Wildcard Playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a rough game to watch actually. They were down by 18 points, came up 19 (putting them ahead by just 1), and lost the game by 2 when Big Ben got sacked and fumbled the ball. What a game. Football is so stressful to watch.

It was an exciting season and now all I have to do is find something to do with my time and put my #7 jersey away until next August when pre-season games start up again.

I Confess!

So last night I finished reading "Twilight" and it was too late to go to the bookstore so I looked around the house for a different book to start reading. I found another book that my mother-in-law had given me for Christmas. "Confessions of an Unbalanced Woman" and re-thought was the really thinks of me (but quickly remembered that she give it to all three daughter-in-laws and her own daughter) but decided to start reading it anyway. I sat down and started reading and so enough had finished the book. Once again I am glad to have such a wonderful mother-in-law with such great insight.

So, what is this book about and why am I glad that I am unbalanced? Well....I learned that I am okay and that even though I am not perfect (and I am sure there are many people agreeing to this) and that things don't always go as I have planned them out in my mind - that is all okay. This is a BIG deal for me because I sometimes freak out about the little stuff. I learned that there are three points that I need to be concentrating on; Searching diligently, Praying always, and Being believing.... I will search for evidence of God's love in my life; It is everywhere. I must pray always. I don't have to set aside the "quiet time" to pray, I just need to have a prayer in my heart and pray to be able to see God's love for me in my life. And last I must be believing. I must believe that God does love me and shows His love for me in my life. I must believe that even though I am not perfect He still loves me.

So I will also be working on this throughout the year. To stay unbalanced and work with it. This is a great book and I thank Holly for giving it to me and giving me that chance to read it and grow within myself.

Welcome 2008!

Okay so we were not party ANIMALS but we did go out last night and ring in the New Year. We went out and watch a movie (Juno) and then we sat in our warm car (instead of dealing with the crowds and cold of the strip) and watched the fireworks. I said we were not party animals but we were up and welcomed the New Year with open arms.

With that being said we do welcome the New Year and hope that it brings with it new experiences and new joys into our lives. We look forward to what it has to offer and hope that it will be a year of fun and excitement for us as well as our extended family.

We both are not usually really big on resolutions and such but this year I feel the need to set some goals and really try to stick with them. I think we feel the need to try to just DO BETTER as a whole but as far as individuals....

Aranne's goals:
Stay up to date on the reading schedule with the church lessons.
Learn to cook more meals / Cook better.
Make better use of spare time during the day.
Do better with my recycling efforts / Go Green.

Dan's goals:
Be more active / physically fit.
Help out around the house more.
Do more of what I am suppose to do.

Wish us luck as we begin the year... Change is hard but also good.