-- Sent from my Palm Pixi
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Our first meeting
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
On our way to get you baby girl!
-- Sent from my Palm Pixi
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
It IS about love...
-- Sent from my Palm Pixi
Our baby GIRL
Yes you read it right. We got a call this evening from a friend Kristen in Sacramento that someone she knows had a baby girl this morning & has decided to place her for adoption. So she called US! We just talked to the birthmom Cindy (please pray for her and her family) on the phone & it went great. We are still awaiting many details of how long we will be there & how soon we need to leave but we may be in california tomorrow to get our daughter!!!! Crazy! And, incase you didn't notice, my brother had a daughter today too & our sons are only a month apart. :) soooOoOO excited. So UNprepared! Oh well, off to talk to the sacramento caseworker... Did I mention we are in shock? Ok, just checking. :)
-- Sent from my Palm Pixi
Juliet Ryan W.
My newest niece from my brother Bennett & wife Jennifer is here!
JULIET
born at 407am.(pst) She is 7 lbs, 15 oz; 21 inches long
Her middle name, Ryan, is after my sister in laws brother who recently passed away from cancer. It is a beautiful choice. :). I don't have the details of her birth yet but she looks great & I hope everyone is doing great. I know she was scheduled for a c- section tomorrow but i'm sure she's glad Juliet was ready, even a day early. :)
-- Sent from my Palm Pixi
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day
I proudly have many family members who have either served in the military in one way or another or are currently serving in the military. I also have many friends who serve our country. If I was ever called to serve our country I would do it as I love what it was founded on and I want to protect it's freedoms and ideas. There is an observed moment of silence all over the United States at 330pm anywhere you are. I hope you will join me in that moment to thank those fallen soldiers, their families and the current soldiers fighting to protect our freedoms and liberties. God bless everyone on this Memorial Day.television
i have a love, love, hate relationship with my television. to be more clear, with television watching. lol. I have always enjoyed t.v. because i've always enjoyed a vivid imagination, i quite enjoy the imagination of others. it all started with the cartoon, The Jetson's. I was excited to get off the bus after school ( i was THE very LAST stop! rrr. though helpful to my mom i'm sure to have less children to tend to for as long as possible. lol) and run up our VERY long driveway in hopes that I could catch the cartoon. It was soooo worth it. Next i was excited to watch soap operas. my very favorite was "Guiding Light" (may it r.i.p. he he) and then "As the World Turns" cause it had a character named "Lila". My mom used to call that one, 'As the Stomach Turns" even though she watched it too. ha ha ha. From there i moved on to different strokes, silver spoons, small wonder, punky bruster, 227, and a flurry of others. As an adult, I loved ER for the first 5 or so years then got disgusted by the story line. i liked friends a lot too. then reality t.v. started... ahh.. survivor! amazing race, biggest loser, big brother and then... my very favorite thing to waste my hours of life, HGTV! so, now the real issue. i need advice. no, i'm not asking if i need to watch less t.v. - i can figure that out on my own but i do have a dilemma. we have 2 dvrs, one in 'my' room (living room) and one in 'michael's room' (master BR), never the 2 shall meet until... we got an HD tv in the living room now, michael records soooo many shows on 'my' t.v.! how dare he! :) so now, of 16 shows: 0 are mine, 2 are evans and the rest are michael's. i like to keep my 'list' clear of shows so i dont pile them up but michael keeps these on forever, like a pack rat! granted there is still 70% of recording space available but i so do want my dvr back. my shows will soon start again. please leave a comment to plead in my behalf that michael leave my dvr alone. i keep coming to it thinking all the recordings are mine. only to see that i actually watched all mine and deleted them when i was done. again, i implore you, for my ocd, please leave a comment to tell michael to either watch and delete or no recordings. thank you. ;) xoxo
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Adoption Thoughts
As adoption progress moves forward to be 'Approved' to be in the running again (for lack of a better explanation), I've had a lot of feelings and even some experiences that are good and frustrating. I'm not in a 'rush' for another child at this exact moment but would love to hear of a potential situation before the year is out if I'm being honest.
Here I go with some deep thoughts. Good thing this is my opinions and thoughts blog. lol. :)
As with Evan's Adoption, we prayed about what we wanted out of our experience, including preferences for a child. We knew, we wanted to be parents. We came to terms that it was highly likely we would not be able to get pregnant. We made sure before we pursued adoption that we wouldn't 'sign up' before we exhausted our fertility resources so not to hinder a needier family's chances. Once we realized fertility wasn't working for us, we were excited and a little scared to move forward. After all, we now had to deal with the reality that we could really have a child after all this dreaming and praying. :) We talked about, prayed about and thought about what we really wanted to provide for our child so if our child's birth parents wanted to know, we could have a clear answer (biological parents don't necessarily have to think of 'reporting' everything they do and think to another human before procreating... you're really missing out. riiiight... lol). First of all whomever our child is, or what ever child we ever come in contact with, however casual, we want to treat them as a Child of God. We desire to teach our children that they have a loving father in heaven that created us all and that they have a divine worth an purpose on this earth. We want them to know we love them unconditionally so will encourage them in all their righteous desires. We want them to know that we love each other as husband and wife. We want to develop a close relationship with them with open communication. We want them to face adversity in it's many forms with confidence that they can they can overcome it with joy.
We also decided in this process that we do not prefer a boy or girl or any particular race because we know Heavenly Father knows who we need and who needs us. Birth parents don't get to choose the sex and with the subject of race, adoption offers many children needing a loving home. I don't want you to think I am a charity case adopter, I am a parent for selfish reasons, I wanted to be a Mom. I think if anything, Courtney chose us and saved US from misery. It is documented that the overwhelming majority of Adoptive parents are Caucasian, so if Caucasian family's adopted 'like' children only, what then of the rest of the races available in the U.S.? This may not be coming across right but the point is really, why wouldn't I let the birth mother choose if she thinks I'm worthy of her child. I can always tell Evan and any future children that (in our agency at least), his birth mother/parents had many choices but she chose us to be your parents cause she saw a light in us that resembled her own. That 'light' in each of us knows no color so I will have to fortify my thick skin for not only the innocent yet ignorant comments about my adopted child. ie: 'Where did you get him from'? But if in the future our children are from another race, we will have to prepare ourselves and our children for stares, questions, comments, reality and ignorance. I have questioned if it is worth it to be sure I can provide any and all of my children the first mentioned goals and the answer is yes, I will do my best to be the best mother I can be. I'm so excited for what is ahead for us. I can't wait to see and feel who is being sent to our family. Evan get to have siblings and learn to share his stuff. :)
FRIDAY FIVE
FRIDAY FIVE
Five Random Questions
1. Are you a MAC or a PC??? PC, I wouldn't know how to handle a MAC. :)
2. If you could go anywhere on vacation this summer where would you go???
I WOULD GO ON A CRUISE to the carribean!!! It would be even better if it was with a bunch of girlfriends or my sisters/sisters in law or nieces, that just want to walk around, snorkel and lay out in the sun... oh, and eat. Mike, you can go with me next time.
3. Which is your most cherished childhood memory? Just being with my parents and siblings: Heart to Heart talks with my Mom as often as I needed/need still (lol), cuddling with my dad while watching t.v., Playing house in the Avacado trees with the younger siblings and puppy, superman and 'pluto' or just jumping on the trampoline, beach trips and game or movie nights.
4. What were you doing the last time that you had a good laugh?
Putting Evan in time out for climbing YET AGAIN on his Lego table (dangerous) but when I sat him down (multiple times) he was making like 'flirt'/testing faces at me. Mike and I were really trying to keep our composture so not to mess up his punishment but were losing it quickly.
Putting Evan in time out for climbing YET AGAIN on his Lego table (dangerous) but when I sat him down (multiple times) he was making like 'flirt'/testing faces at me. Mike and I were really trying to keep our composture so not to mess up his punishment but were losing it quickly.
5. What is your favorite book or magazine? I really do love the Book of Mormon. I love it's history and adventure, lessons, rules and predictions. As for recreational reading, I like a good series. H.P. and Fablehaven are my most favorite recent series because of the refreshing imagination in them, but I also liked Twilight series. Magazines, I love Women's Day! It's cheap and gives great recipes, craft ideas and short articles. I also like real simple for similar reasons, though their quality and photography is superior.
Monday, May 24, 2010
torture
Two things torture me in life (that I can think of right now). Ads for IKEA 
http://www.ikea.com/
http://www.ikea.com/ (since the closest is 4+ hours away in another state!) AND ads for See's Candies.
And now, See's has done this to me:
And now, See's has done this to me:Can you believe it?! I want to make this recipe soo bad! It looks super easy and did I mention, the closest See's store.... about 2000 miles away. :( So for those of you close to a store and can buy some Scotchmallows, please make these and send me a picture so I can live vicariously. Thank you. ;) xoxo
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday School Lesson
My friend Meghan taught a great lesson in Relief Society today that was based off this recent talk:
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1207-23,00.html
I was very moved by many aspects of the talk and these parts in particular that I'd like to share with you:
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency
As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn.
A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.
Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”
and this:
Our Hands Can Serve
An old Jewish legend tells of two brothers, Abram and Zimri, who owned a field and worked it together. They agreed to divide both the labor and the harvest equally. One night as the harvest came to a close, Zimri could not sleep, for it didn’t seem right that Abram, who had a wife and seven sons to feed, should receive only half of the harvest, while he, with only himself to support, had so much.
So Zimri dressed and quietly went into the field, where he took a third of his harvest and put it in his brother’s pile. He then returned to his bed, satisfied that he had done the right thing.
Meanwhile, Abram could not sleep either. He thought of his poor brother, Zimri, who was all alone and had no sons to help him with the work. It did not seem right that Zimri, who worked so hard by himself, should get only half of the harvest. Surely this was not pleasing to God. And so Abram quietly went to the fields, where he took a third of his harvest and placed it in the pile of his beloved brother.
The next morning, the brothers went to the field and were both astonished that the piles still looked to be the same size. That night both brothers slipped out of their houses to repeat their efforts of the previous night. But this time they discovered each other, and when they did, they wept and embraced. Neither could speak, for their hearts were overcome with love and gratitude.8
This is the spirit of compassion: that we love others as ourselves,9 seek their happiness, and do unto them as we hope they would do unto us.10
This is a great lesson on compassion in it's entirety but I really liked these quoted stories. As you read these, or the entire article, and whether you have a christian belief or not, I really hope it touches you as it did me about the blessings of knowing and showing compassion. It is my constant inner battle, to be more loving, more compassionate. Wouldn't we all like to be able to serve all the time when you think about it? If you have ever served someone in anyway, the feeling of reward after is better than any good feeling I've ever had before. I am grateful for the blessing of it.
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1207-23,00.html
I was very moved by many aspects of the talk and these parts in particular that I'd like to share with you:
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency
As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn.
A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.
Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”
and this:
Our Hands Can Serve
An old Jewish legend tells of two brothers, Abram and Zimri, who owned a field and worked it together. They agreed to divide both the labor and the harvest equally. One night as the harvest came to a close, Zimri could not sleep, for it didn’t seem right that Abram, who had a wife and seven sons to feed, should receive only half of the harvest, while he, with only himself to support, had so much.
So Zimri dressed and quietly went into the field, where he took a third of his harvest and put it in his brother’s pile. He then returned to his bed, satisfied that he had done the right thing.
Meanwhile, Abram could not sleep either. He thought of his poor brother, Zimri, who was all alone and had no sons to help him with the work. It did not seem right that Zimri, who worked so hard by himself, should get only half of the harvest. Surely this was not pleasing to God. And so Abram quietly went to the fields, where he took a third of his harvest and placed it in the pile of his beloved brother.
The next morning, the brothers went to the field and were both astonished that the piles still looked to be the same size. That night both brothers slipped out of their houses to repeat their efforts of the previous night. But this time they discovered each other, and when they did, they wept and embraced. Neither could speak, for their hearts were overcome with love and gratitude.8
This is the spirit of compassion: that we love others as ourselves,9 seek their happiness, and do unto them as we hope they would do unto us.10
This is a great lesson on compassion in it's entirety but I really liked these quoted stories. As you read these, or the entire article, and whether you have a christian belief or not, I really hope it touches you as it did me about the blessings of knowing and showing compassion. It is my constant inner battle, to be more loving, more compassionate. Wouldn't we all like to be able to serve all the time when you think about it? If you have ever served someone in anyway, the feeling of reward after is better than any good feeling I've ever had before. I am grateful for the blessing of it.
Letting some things go
I just deleted my facebook account. I was not enjoying it for the most part. I love the time spent getting to know some friends better and making old friendships new but I felt like I was loosing a real relationship with my friends and although I only check it once a day or every other day, I could sometimes be on there for a couple hours (while watching t.v. or also blogging etc, but still) and realize I had gotten nothing else done. So to 'control' my time, I realized... what do I need it for? The answer was nothing. I am looking forward to a facebook free life but when I have more time, once I get my home in order, I may go back and sign up again. Until then, I look forward to blogging and getting some things done around the house. :)
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Lila's Senior Year
ok, so I've been on facebook for a year or so and really enjoyed it. the problem is, i don't love the time i want to spend on it. i have things piling up all over my house and something has to give. facebook it is. in an effort to delete it, i have deleted all pictures, notes, videos, info that i could find. as preparing such, i came across some silly posts in notes and decided to re-post one of them on here for everyone's entertainment....
I don't have a good memory and don't remember much about High School so here are my answers. Please don't be mad if I forgot something about you.
1. Did you date someone from your school? no, I was "the mormon" so I'm pretty sure that didn't happen. i did not feel attractive so the vibe wasn't there either.
2. Did you marry someone from high school? Nope, not even from my state! Tennessee.
3. Did you carpool? I brought my brother Bennett to school, blaring Depeche Mode with the top down at 7am. lol.
4. What kind of car did you drive? banana colored 73' Buick Centurion Convertible with a 455 engine ( i used to peel out a lot, shhh don't tell my dad) http://www.tedvernon.com/itemimages/73_Buick_Centurion-02.jpg (similar to this but brown interior)
5. What kind of car do you drive now? Honda CRV and proud of it! It could only be better if it was a mini van- my dream car.
6. It's Friday night...where were you then? school bball or football games maybe or just hanging with my family watching movies or just fooling around. never a dull moment there. ;)
7. It's Friday night...where are you now? TOTALLY at home. i am a home body and love it (it also saves on cash.)
8. What kind of job did you have in high school? Dominoes Pizza in T.O. & I worked full serve/cashier at my brothers Chevron Gas station.
9. What kind of job do you have now? mom, wife and salon owner (in that order).
10. Were you a party animal? yeah right. ah, no. I went to my ONLY party after graduation and was in WAYYYY over my head. I came and left.
11. Were you considered a flirt? not at school maybe at church.
12. Were you in band, orchestra or choir? no i thought was way to 'cool' for that plus... i had no talent for instruments. i have a new appreciation for band kids now.
13. Were you a nerd? no
14. Did you get suspended or expelled? no
15. Can you sing the fight song? of course! i was cheerleader. get me started with the tune and i'm sure i can finish it with pride! ;)
16. Who was your favorite teacher? i can't remember their names... OH, Mr. Collins because i had no clue in math but he made an effort with me anyway (he was a mail carrier before teaching, lol) and Mr McNary for English. he had his radio set to K-Hay the local country music station and threatened us if we turned it down or off there would be consequences. lol. he liked me cause i was mormon and he said he was "jack-mormon". that's someone who is mormon but doesn't go to church or follow all the rules but still believes in the teachings. to kiss up myself and another kid did an amazing oral report on gene autry. he was VERY impressed and for ONCE i was VERY proud of myself in school. wow, that was a LONG answer! lol
17. Where did you sit during lunch? usually by the teachers patio with lisa and anne powers, tanning our legs but sometimes in the cafeteria with misty and jen, arlene etc, also with my brother & friends (sophomores), the juniors, occasionally with the mormon picnic table outside or if i was feeling cool, the cinder block wall with the 'popular' kids lol. once in awhile i went to the stoner patio to say hi or to the surfers to chill with childhood friends. i was a nomad, i liked socializing and seeing everyone. well, except band geeks and class officers i didn't hang with them, too cool. lol.
18. What was your school's full name? ACHS (vague for internet purposes)
19. When did you graduate? 1992
20. What was your school mascot? Scorpion!
21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Well, I'd do it better but have no desire to go back. i am a HORRIBLE academic.
22. Did you have fun at Prom? it was ok. i asked a friend from another school (who had a girlfriend. he was sweet for coming with me). for the record i was never asked to any dance by anyone and the one person i asked from my school, said no. :(
23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? Sometimes, he's the best.
24. Are you planning to go to your next reunion? I would love to! 2012 will be fun!
25. Do you still talk to people from high school? only a few in any regular fashion. i am still besties with heather s. and i alllllllways keep in touch with my favorite guy, Eric S. even if a couple years go by, we just pick up where we left off. i did love facebook cause i reconnected with people i knew and loved. ;) (after i remember i was friends with them! i forget i was friends with some that i hung out with every day! isn't that insane!??)
I don't have a good memory and don't remember much about High School so here are my answers. Please don't be mad if I forgot something about you.
1. Did you date someone from your school? no, I was "the mormon" so I'm pretty sure that didn't happen. i did not feel attractive so the vibe wasn't there either.
2. Did you marry someone from high school? Nope, not even from my state! Tennessee.
3. Did you carpool? I brought my brother Bennett to school, blaring Depeche Mode with the top down at 7am. lol.
4. What kind of car did you drive? banana colored 73' Buick Centurion Convertible with a 455 engine ( i used to peel out a lot, shhh don't tell my dad) http://www.tedvernon.com/itemimages/73_Buick_Centurion-02.jpg (similar to this but brown interior)
5. What kind of car do you drive now? Honda CRV and proud of it! It could only be better if it was a mini van- my dream car.
6. It's Friday night...where were you then? school bball or football games maybe or just hanging with my family watching movies or just fooling around. never a dull moment there. ;)
7. It's Friday night...where are you now? TOTALLY at home. i am a home body and love it (it also saves on cash.)
8. What kind of job did you have in high school? Dominoes Pizza in T.O. & I worked full serve/cashier at my brothers Chevron Gas station.
9. What kind of job do you have now? mom, wife and salon owner (in that order).
10. Were you a party animal? yeah right. ah, no. I went to my ONLY party after graduation and was in WAYYYY over my head. I came and left.
11. Were you considered a flirt? not at school maybe at church.
12. Were you in band, orchestra or choir? no i thought was way to 'cool' for that plus... i had no talent for instruments. i have a new appreciation for band kids now.
13. Were you a nerd? no
14. Did you get suspended or expelled? no
15. Can you sing the fight song? of course! i was cheerleader. get me started with the tune and i'm sure i can finish it with pride! ;)
16. Who was your favorite teacher? i can't remember their names... OH, Mr. Collins because i had no clue in math but he made an effort with me anyway (he was a mail carrier before teaching, lol) and Mr McNary for English. he had his radio set to K-Hay the local country music station and threatened us if we turned it down or off there would be consequences. lol. he liked me cause i was mormon and he said he was "jack-mormon". that's someone who is mormon but doesn't go to church or follow all the rules but still believes in the teachings. to kiss up myself and another kid did an amazing oral report on gene autry. he was VERY impressed and for ONCE i was VERY proud of myself in school. wow, that was a LONG answer! lol
17. Where did you sit during lunch? usually by the teachers patio with lisa and anne powers, tanning our legs but sometimes in the cafeteria with misty and jen, arlene etc, also with my brother & friends (sophomores), the juniors, occasionally with the mormon picnic table outside or if i was feeling cool, the cinder block wall with the 'popular' kids lol. once in awhile i went to the stoner patio to say hi or to the surfers to chill with childhood friends. i was a nomad, i liked socializing and seeing everyone. well, except band geeks and class officers i didn't hang with them, too cool. lol.
18. What was your school's full name? ACHS (vague for internet purposes)
19. When did you graduate? 1992
20. What was your school mascot? Scorpion!
21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Well, I'd do it better but have no desire to go back. i am a HORRIBLE academic.
22. Did you have fun at Prom? it was ok. i asked a friend from another school (who had a girlfriend. he was sweet for coming with me). for the record i was never asked to any dance by anyone and the one person i asked from my school, said no. :(
23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? Sometimes, he's the best.
24. Are you planning to go to your next reunion? I would love to! 2012 will be fun!
25. Do you still talk to people from high school? only a few in any regular fashion. i am still besties with heather s. and i alllllllways keep in touch with my favorite guy, Eric S. even if a couple years go by, we just pick up where we left off. i did love facebook cause i reconnected with people i knew and loved. ;) (after i remember i was friends with them! i forget i was friends with some that i hung out with every day! isn't that insane!??)
Friday, May 21, 2010
Friday Fives
This week - Five things to change in your life to make you a tad healthier.
1 - Go to bed at a resonable hour and sleep for 8 hours
2 - Eat breakfast for goodness sakes!
3 - Exercise.
4 - Only eat food I bought at the store (meaning: DON'T EAT FAST FOOD!).
5 - Continue reading The Book of Mormon. It's been making me feel spiritually better already!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Swim Lessons
Lessons are hard work but fun also, we got to play after and as many of you know. The kid LOVES water!!! *a special thanks to desiree, our photographer.
Evan's Instructor, Brad was a good sport trying to document a photo with a very squirmy 19month old.
Yeah, eeeeeeeeeeven though he was a total pill today, he passed! (whatever that means. lol) Evan's first 'graduation', ha ha ha.
.
He gave some of his friends in the class with us, a good bye gift of these shark sink toys so they can practice at home or later at the pool. At first our class was all boys which made us mom's wonder if they did that on purpose but a cute little baby girl joined us last week and another joined us today. I think Evan tried to flirt but he won no points today with any of the ladies. :)
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