Well....its been a bit

I had surgery on my hip in December....it hasn't been fun to find out that there was a problem with it and go through several rounds of physical therapy and imaging and that whole thing. I am on the mend now....but there is still some stuff going on that I need to figure out, so that is slightly frustrating on top of that I have gained a considerable amount of weight back so I am nearly at where I began when I started to lose weight in 2013. Motivation is lacking, but I do not intend to lay down, I'll come back from this, it hasn't been a year yet. :) I wanted to update a bit, and one of the things that is fresh in my mind is that I bought a used vacuum. It is a Dyson DC 14, an older model to one I have (DC 41) and use a lot, so I thought this will be great! Well, the guy was asking $89 I offered him $40 he came back at $50 and I went and picked it up. I did have him meet me at a place that has an outlet to plug it in and make sure it works. He plugged it in, he even put the head down and moved it around like he was going to vacuum. I did notice a high pitch sound but thought nothing of it because I have heard sounds come from mine that sounded similar. He loaded it up, I gave him my $50, and went on my way.....but not before he took the opportunity on say "if you have any problems, please let me know" so of course that reassured me that my purchase was a good one. I got it home, brought it inside, and I realized then what I had done....the odor coming from the machine was awful, it was horrifically dirty (but that is an easy fix), and I immediately plugged it in and turned it on and realized there were a lot more issues with this machine than I had originally perceived. The sound it made was constant, the sound was so loud I had to test stuff quickly because my ears would have bled. I put the head down to try and vacuum the floor, and I realized it was on bare floor so I put it on "carpet" and.........nothing, the brushes were not spinning. Broken belt? Oh geez!!! I haven't the foggiest about how to maintain these machines, I had always had good experiences with Dyson customer service, so called them up and the guy wasn't able to help me because of how old the machine was so he gave me the number to a repair shop, but basically I was on my own! I was extremely frustrated and so angry I just sat there looking at the machine for a while, and then I took it outside (the odor was horrendous) and started to dismantle it....I found that the older models of DYSON vacuums weren't as complicated as the newer, and it had many places where they had built in easy tabs to take the machine apart to check for clogs etcetera. I was on on a mission.....and I was going to attempt to figure out the problem myself! As I took the pieces off that were made to be removed without a screwdriver or any other tool, it became clear I would need to clean this out, it appeared that the previous owner didn't have have A CLUE of what you can and can not use this type of machine on, it looked as though they had vacuumed up liquid or something to that effect....just stupid! I found where one of the filters for the machine was, and released the tabs and pulled it out, and there was a tear in the seal....so I turned the machine on without the filter in, and the sound was gone! It was like magic had just happened....I was now determined to fix this thing! I called DYSON again and had some help from a representative that took the time to tell me how to clean and take apart stuff I hadn't figured out yet, and he ordered a new filter $29.99 with shipping free. The filter would be a fix for the noise the machine was making, but there was still the issue of the brushes not rotating so I saw the belt was intact.....however with the help of YouTube videos, I was able to take the "clutch assembly" out of the machine (with a bit of trouble and frustration) and in there I found the clutch belt was broken....there are 2 belts in this model. So I then ordered a replacement belt off eBay for roughly $5, and left everything apart awaiting the arrival of the parts. Yay!!!! I was excited I had gotten that far and was so impressed with myself...lol The day came the parts arrived at the same time, and I was so excited I immediately went out to the garage (where I had been watching videos and dismantling the machine) and proceeded to first put in the filter and then I plugged the machine in and turned it on and there was no noise.....YES!!! So unplugged the machine and I put the clutch belt on the assembly and replaced that, and put the machine all back together and Bryen plugged it in. I remember thinking to myself "please let this be it".........I turned it on and it sounded great, the true test was to put the head down and see if the brushes turned. I told Bryen to slowly push the head to the floor and there came a loud sound from the machine like buzzer saying "ERRRRR NO!" Bryen stood it back up really fast, and I quickly turned it off....I then said a few choice words (swung my arms and shit) and went back to work. The sound was like that you hear when you vacuum up the corner of a rug and the brushes get seized up, so, naturally, I thought the brushes needed to be cleaned up. Well whatever the dude vacuumed up really messed the brushes up too because that brush bar was NOT moving so I ordered a new one of those.....got it off eBay for $10. So......at this point I'm roughly $95 in to this machine and I said to my friend "if this doesn't fix it I'm washing my hands of it." So, I waited, I was anxious and hopeful and the new brushes showed up quickly, which was fantastic!<----(speaking of I need to leave feedback for that) I took the brushes saw how nicely they spun in comparison to the one that was on it, and (along with Bryen) went to put it on the machine. After a bit of trouble getting the new brushes on, I told Bruen to plug the machine in and turn it on....he did and as I pushed the head down again he covered his ears, I scrunched my face and closed my eyes and pushed it to the floor and....ahhhhh. OMG!!!! High fives to Bryen we were both hooping and hollaring , I couldn't believe I fixed this piece of shit I bought from this dude for $50 that was broken and I did it by myself! Oh ya, I definitely had to try it, I unplugged it and took it in the house, and watched it beatifully vacuum a portion of my rug! HOT DAMN I FEEL GOOD ABOUT THAT!!!!

Funny Thing

My mom is in here upper 70's and she uses an Iphone and and Ipad and she texts and she facetimes and she is all technical with her new apple products....unless she loses them or drops them in the toilet....LOL!!!! Anyways, the other day I was messaging mom and she mentioned that she had lost her phone and that she was hoping to find it soon and I told her that I would try to call her the next day. When I went to call her, I thought perhaps if she had not found her phone yet she would be able to get a facetime on her Ipad since she was able to text....so I placed a facetime call to her..........ringing.....ringing....I started to think that it wasn't going to work over her Ipad but I thought for sure it would.....and then someone picked up......and they said "This is so and so from the Family History Center in Vernal, Utah, the owner of this phone left it here." I couldn't see a picture and it looked as though the person was covering the camera on purpose to hide their identity to me....and I started to almost get suspicious but I knew that the history center was a place that mom went so....I told them her name, and she kept talking...all along with the camera covered and I just thought that was interesting, just must not want me to see her face...and then...I told her I would text my mom and tell her that they have her phone, the lady said "well if you text her it won't get to her because I have her phone" so I realized then this is someone that doesn't really understand how these tricky apple things work and I told her she has her Ipad where she has been receiving texts, so she was like "OH okay" and then we said goodbye and as I went to hang up I saw her face and realized that she had pulled the phone away from her ear because she had it to her face the entire time I was talking to her! LOL So funny! I was looking at this woman's ear and the side of her face the entire call! My 70 something mother can use these things and yet this 50 something woman doesn't....so so funny!!!!!! Have a good day!

Colorado to Mississippi

It's been quite a while since I last blogged, but I will try to sum it all up. I find myself spending more time on Facebook than I do putting things down in a better place where they will be kept and remembered better. I remember my mom taking time out and writing a little at the end of each day so that there will be a record of things, she spends her time now going through pictures that we had on slides (some are damaged) trying to put them in digital form so that we will have them. So many changes make it difficult to keep and have the things you once used everyday, and now they are all but obsolete, it's sad to me when there are things we have on VHS that I fear we won't ever be able to see again because we don't have a VHS player. There is a lot that has happened since I was on here and I don't think that I will be able to get it all in. Colorado was wonderful, it was one of the BEST duty stations we were able to spend time at. We should still be there now, except the command that RJ was attached to there was decommissioned and so we were forced to move on...it was California....or to Gulfport, Mississippi. We swore we would never move to Mississippi, but when the opportunity arose for it against going back to California...we jumped on it! California is beautiful and a lovely place to live when you're not trying to be sure that your child is well educated...I just could not go back there. It has been interesting, there are things that happened in the move that we have never had happen before like stuff getting damaged and broken so we had to deal with that after getting here, but it all got worked out. Since moving here I have re connected with a dear friend Jessica Nash whom we spent a lot of time with when we were stationed in Missouri several years ago. It has been really wonderful to have a close friend so nearby, it's harder and harder for me to make friends because I know the inevitable time will come where we have to move on to another place and leave them or vise versa and it is heart breaking every time. Some of our friends from NMCB 5 in California are here, and it has been nice to spend a little time with them, and the people we knew in Colorado, a few of them came here as well. RJ was responsible for finding people orders and he really worked hard and did his best to get the people to the places that they wanted to go....it wasn't all on his shoulders to do this, but he really wanted to be sure that he helped out the younger troops. He was 1 of 2 chiefs that were there in CO and it is good that he was stationed there for all of the work that needed to be done.

Since moving here (it's been about a year now) The kids have done a school year and a summer, and Marcus actually started kindergarten this year (BLOW MY MIND) I now spend my days trying to think of something to do outside of house work. I have an interview at a dentist office tomorrow, I only dropped my resume off on Monday and that very same time she asked me to come for an interview on Wednesday. I feel all crazy about it, I want a job, but I also want it to be the hours that I want and to be able to get the time off that I want because of doctors appointments and the fact that I have kids and that they are in school with homework....GAH...it just is a bit overwhelming to me. I can't believe that Marcus is in Kindergarten, it is hard for me to process I think that this is not a temporary thing...my baby is in school and I can't turn back the clock and make it start over....those years flew by and I can never get them back...I feel like I am just watching my kids grow up and soon before I know it they won't live with me anymore...that just brings tears. RJ asked me the other day what I'm going to do with myself when we are retired and he has to work all the time and the kids are all grown...and it made me really think about that...Marcus starting school has made me think about it....and I'm just trying to figure it out. The thought did cross my mind that I don't know who I am without my kids and my husband, I have made them my life and the problem with life is it always changes and it won't stop or wait for you to decide what you're going to do, time is going to pass no matter what you do. Since moving here we have gone on a couple of pretty fun kayaking trips with Jessica and Brice and their girls, and also we have been able to go with Jen and Steve! They were sent to Georgia after out time there in California and we went to CO, but since the command decommissioned we were close enough to them that when the time came for them to get orders we hoped they would be here...but no...all they had for Steve was back to California, so on their way back, they came this way and we got to spend a week with them. It was amazing to see them and it isn't always that you find friends you get along with so well as we do with them. We adore the Maldonado's they are in a very small circle of that we call friends. Rebecca and Phil are a couple that were stationed with us in CO and they went with us on the trip we did with Steve and Jen.

While the Maldonado's were here Jen and I decided to get matching tattoos, we had the hardest time trying to figure out what we were going to do, after all, it is permanently on your body. We thought about it for days, and then I mentioned maybe something about Iceland since that is where we met, and then Jen looked up some things and she found the Icelandic compass and we decided that since we will always find our way back to one another and that we will always be friends, that the compass was the perfect choice....it's a tie we will always have with one another!

We got to see Lee and Audra at new years, we had not seen them since Missouri and it was so good to see them and have the spend some time! They live in South Carolina where Lee's family is and he found a really awesome job after he retired!

It was great to see them! We also got to see our friends Mario and Linda and their boys because they are stationed in Fort Leonard Wood and are discussing possibly coming here after they are done there.

Well....here we are RJ is working so hard trying to prepare for retirement that is coming up on us so fast. Kyle is a freshman in high school, Bryen is in 5th grade chugging along, and Marcus is in Kindergarten. RJ started to volunteer as a reserve police officer for Gulfport PD and he seems to really enjoy it...I don't really enjoy it, but this is what he wants to do when we retires from the military and it would seem that this is the way to go to get his foot in the door for one of departments in Montana. Looks like that is the place we will be retiring, it will be nice to be back in the mountains after spending all of this time here away from our home in the Rockies. RJ starts the academy for the police department in about 2 weeks and after that he will continue to go out and patrol with the guys, he seems to fit right in with those guys, he is made for this kind of thing.

Okay, so the main reason I got on today was because I told Jessica a funny story about my mom losing her phone and so I will share that in another post now that I have mostly caught you up with what has happened since my last one. Mississippi isn't so bad, it's not my favorite but it really is a lot better than what we ever received for schooling for the kids...so for that, I am grateful. I think about another reason I loved Colorado so much was because it was so close to my hometown PLUS it was in the mountains which we have never had since we got married so it was amazing to get those 11 months we got.

A Couple Of Things

I went to a parent teacher conference here at the schools the boys are attending in Colorado Springs (Fort Carson) The Special Education teacher is WONDERFUL, and she wanted to share a story with me about something Bryen had said in class....it's funny. She said they were discussing synonyms of "SHOPPER" a couple of kids had said "buyer" and "spender" and it came to Bryen and he said "Ender" they all were interested to see how he came up with this word, and why he was thinking "ender" and he said "cuz, when you go shopping, and you spend all your money, that the "ender" your money" haha..that was quite entertaining. The other day, Marcus was kicking a plastic bag around, and he was saying something as he kicked each time, when I started listening more closely, I realized he was counting in spanish...YES...he was counting in SPANISH....and NO I do not teach my children to speak anything but English and maybe a few choice words that they shouldn't learn...however...spanish is not in the list....SO...I can only assume he has caught on from "Dora the Explorer" regardless it is really fun to hear that, and he is ONE SMART KID! ♥

List

I'm gonna make a list of things that have happened since the last time I posted on here and fill in...gotta go through stuff first. Also...I copied all of the posts I have on here and put them in a Word document so that I can print them off and have a physical copy to put in my journal...where I hope to keep up in better. I don't know that my life is all that interesting, but I would definitely like to have something for the boys and their kids etc to look back on. Stupid technology taking over and making the important things less important and the not so important things in the forefront of everything else. I'm really gonna try to do better at this. :)

I'm WAY Behind

Oh Boy! I do not even know when the last time I posted on here was, I do know it was a while back but not nearly as long as from the last time I wrote in my journal. I think having that physical book that someone can pick up and read about my life, is much better than this...specially with all of the passwords and all that, we have here....I am frustrated about that because I just haven't done it in so long. Myspace, Facebook, Blogspot...I have been putting all of my attentions into these and not actually writing anything down....there is so much to catch up on in my journal, I am sure I could fill that sucker up. I was talking with mom the other day and she told me to just start where you're at and then as things come back to you write them down....I am a little to much of a freak to be able to do that...so I am trying to get as much information as I can that I put down here or there and print it up that way I can fill in the holes and just catch it up to date. I can't believe that the last time I wrote in that Journal was before we went to Iceland....that was 2003!!!! I mean HOLY COW, it's 2014....it's been over 10 years! Anyways, I just wanted to say this really quick on here and let you all know that and that I am going to try and post on here as well as write in my journal WAY more often than I have in the past years! ♥

Five Finger Shoes

I got myself a pair of Vibram Five Finger Shoes....and I do enjoy wearing them for running, yesterday was the farthest that I have "jogged" in them, it was 1.43 miles, took me a little bit, of course because I'm still new to running...but, my Achilles Tendon is quite sore...I haven't run more than 8 minutes or so in them before and so this was a good test for the shoes to see if I can handle it, you have to break into the shoes slowly...and they are AWESOME...I wish that I had been able to start this program with these shoes...however, I will continue wearing them, because a slight amount of soreness is expected when I haven't used these muscles and tendons as much in the past....the next run I have will be tomorrow, my first 5k, I don't intend on running the entire thing, but it will be a good practice for the "color run" I signed up for in May on my birthday! :)

Hysterectomy

November 28th 2012, I had surgery to remove my uterus. I was having issues with pain and all of that business for an extremely LONG time...I went and got an IUD in Feb 2013, before RJ returned from deployment in Africa...and I thought everything was fine, until roughly a month after I got the thing...lots of pain...etc. I went to a doctor here in Cali after we moved in May and she ordered an ultra sound and an MRI. The Ultra Sound showed nothing, and the MRI showed that the IUD had shifted....her determination was to remove the IUD and perform a procedure called NovaSure, which is basically ablation of the uterus. I went in, took the meds, was ready to go, she removed the IUD with not a lot of trouble...but then proceeded to attempt the ablation....she perforated my uterus. The reason she did that was because there was some sort of blockage....something was in the way of the path of the tool, and that was her reasoning...so I needed to heal...and she recommended we try again. After 2 weeks, I went back in to try the NovaSure again...and...NO DICE...AGAIN, I had taken the drugs, she had numbed everything, but this time she went in with a camera first and realized that it was an absolute MESS in there. We ultimately decided that the issue was something other than fibroids (which is what she had previously thought) and so she referred me to a gynecological surgeon. He...IS...and incredible doctor, we discussed the issues I had, the reason for requesting a hysterectomy and then he ordered another ultra sound and when I came back after getting the ultra sound, he told me he believed my problem to be something called "adenomyosis" I had NEVER heard of this before, and so I was intrigued and the next step was to schedule surgery and just go for it. There was no way to PROVE that his belief was for sure until the pathology report came back after surgery so....he was hoping that he wasn't taking out my uterus for no reason. LET ME TELL YOU! When a doctor just KNOWS that is one hell of a doctor. I went back after my recovery of 6 weeks, and he told me that he was very happy to report that we didn't take out my uterus for not because the pathology report did in fact show that I had adenomyosis....I am just so very pleased at that...but not only that....the way I feel! I FEEL so much better than I have in YEARS...this is the BEST thing I have ever had done for me, and I really appreciate Doctor Terry Cole!!!! Anyways, That is a little part of information that was important that I forgot to add in the last blog. :)

Weight Loss

Lost 4 lbs since last Wednesday! So excited about that, I'm looking to see what will happen with exercise included along with weight watchers! :)

RUNNING

November 28th 2012, I had surgery for adenomyosis and I had my uterus removed. I can't tell you how BIG a difference it has made in my life....I feel so much better...I am not in pain all the time...I actually am able to enjoy things in life that I really just didn't feel up to before...it is WONDERFUL! RJ deployed on Jan 1, 2013 to Japan. I had to wait until Jan 10th to be cleared for any physical activity, lifting things etc...but once I got that, I intended to gear up and start a program I had watched a friend of mine have fantastic success on. Couch to 5k...it gets you up off the couch...and jogging, after 9 weeks...I should be able to run a 5k....hopefully! I am currently on week 3 and I feel great (minus the shin splints) I have also been doing Jillian Michaels workout video "30 Day Shred" and last week and today a "Zumba" class on base. I am doing Weight Watchers as well to see how far I can get by the time RJ comes home. I am pretty excited....I'll try to keep updated! :)

The Past Year

I haven't been back for a very long time.....seems there is quite a bit I need to catch up on. The kids really enjoyed going to see Rick and Angelia in Logan, it was always a really enjoyable visit for them even though they were never for very long. We were able to get up to Montana a couple of times while RJ was away on the Kenya deployment as well, it is good for the kids to see their family up there! We went to Logan for a visit for a few days, and Angelia and I were able to go Christmas shopping and knock it all out in pretty much one day...it was really a great day for she and I to spend some time together and Rick had some fun hanging with the boys too. Rang in 2012 and looked forward to February when RJ was going to come home! RJ came home in February, the kids and I had to stay in Utah to finish the school year so it meant that we were separated for 3 months beyond the deployments end, and RJ had to stay in barracks here in Cali (he hated that) When he came home, he came straight to Utah. The kids and I went up to SLC got a hotel room and got ready to pick up daddy at the airport...it was really cool to wait at the bottom or the escalator for him to come down...FINALLY after so many months we were all reunited...it was AWESOME!

I haven't really sat down and thought about this part for a very long time....this is hard right now...I am actually crying...repressing things I suppose. When RJ came home in February, we went straight up to Montana to see his family...and after a nice visit there...we were heading back to Vernal. My mom called and told me that my dad was in a home there in Roosevelt because of a bout with pneumonia, he had been on again off again with pneumonia...he would aspirate when he was eating, because of how his brain wasn't processing things right he could remember how to swallow correctly anymore so he would choke and aspirate constantly. RJ and I stopped so I could go in and see dad before we went on to Vernal. He looked exhausted and oh so thin, it was hard on top of that because as soon as I walked in the door...the nurse acted as though they saw no one from my family...when I know my mom was in there every day to see him. Anyhow, the nurse made me feel VERY uneasy about my father, she made it seem that he was not going to last long and that it was impossible for anyone to care for him...I know that my mom can do anything because she had already been caring for him so well up to this point. It was very upsetting to me...what kind of a nurse bombards a family member that is coming to visit their loved one with information like this. I felt like they didn't really care about him, like he was just another patient and that he was such a problem for them. I was very upset by it. Dad did get better and was able to come home...I am glad for that because I don't believe he liked to be at the home anyhow. They gave us ideas on what to do to help him eat a bit easier, mom was very diligent in trying to care for dad's needs, there was so much that we needed and so much that we didn't have, but we were making it work to the best of our ability...and I know that mom was always so glad to just have him there with her. We would use thickener in his liquids, mom would finely chop up his food, and she would spoon feed him sit next to him every meal to nurse him as best she could.

The last week of April, dad got pneumonia again. Mom got really concerned about lethargy and how dad was behaving...so I told her to take him to the E.R. Naturally the doctors in the E.R. were a bit more competent about medical conditions than those who were in the home....and I waited at home with my kids as mom and David went to the E.R. with dad...all I had was phone calls and text messages for information. I was quite interested in what was happening and I was concerned.

The entire time I was there with mom and dad, I was trying to find a way to get VA benefits going for mom to have an easier time once I left. I knew that she would need assistance, or she would need to put dad into a home...so I was trying to hard to see what could be done. I didn't realize how difficult it can be to get things accomplished through the VA. It was helpful in small ways such as nursemaids coming in to bathe him and help mom with that part of things...but that was only once a week, and all of the other days fell on mom to do...dad was really difficult for her to deal with at times, and she would get extremely frustrated, she always felt so bad for that...it was the way things were supposed to be I think though...because of how everything played out.

Mom was constantly frustrated with how difficult things were (I think mostly because she knew that there was supposed to be more done to help her...and there wasn't) After taking dad to the E.R. the doctor told her that dad had what is called "Aspirated Pneumonia" the doctor also explained to her that he could give dad medicine, and get him better again....and in the near future the same thing would happen again....and when that happened he would not administer medicines and all of that to bring dad back from that again because it was just torture to do so. Essentially, the doctor told mom, that while he could treat dad now...it was inevitably going to happen again later...and the choice was to either treat for more misery for my poor father....or let it run it's course....she chose the latter. After all of this work, the whole time I was there with them trying to get help, led up to this, and once mom had made the decision to bring dad home again....the doctor was immediately on the phone getting hospice care for dad at our home...once that was put into place...everything that happened from then on, was no longer a cost concern for mom...everything was covered and paid for to treat dad the best we could at home...to make him as comfortable as possible...so that he could be at home with those he loved. This was a very difficult time for us all........of course.......we were not as prepared as we thought we were. The hospice people were very very kind, they were extremely good at their jobs, and it was INCREDIBLE to have such great things happening for what we were preparing as a family to have happen. I proceeded to let everyone know what was happening with dad the best way that I could...all of my siblings were notified of what was happening. My sister Carey, had been planning a surprise visit for mom for Mother's Day...she was coming down in the Month of May for a visit anyhow so it was amazing...Carey constantly said "my angels" I think it's the gift that all us girls have, passed from grandma or something...when needed kicks into high gear and we just know things. Hospice care, is also known as "end of life care" There was a lot of information that these people gave to us, they talked with us...they helped us....I can't express how much this means to have this type of thing available..it's a WONDERFUL gift to have when this type of thing is happening.

May 6, 2012 Dad passed away. Myself, my brothers (David, and Boyd), and my mother were in the room with him. I stood at the foot of the bed...my brothers were to my right...and my mother was holding my dad's hand to my left. We had been pulling watches throughout the night because we knew that the time was nigh. I simply couldn't sleep.....Dad had been moving his mouth as if he were having a conversation with someone and sometimes it would seem rigorous even. It was a very emotional, surreal, exceptional, peaceful, and heartbreaking all at the same time, the moment when we knew that dad had passed on. His mouth stopped moving...we all stood up, and were watching very closely...as dad took a breath and seemed to almost smile as he exhaled and his spirit slipped away. I will never forget that moment as long as I live...and I will always feel blessed to have been able to have been there for the months preceding that moment.

I will never forget the night before dad passed when my big brother John came and shaved dad...it was....inexplicable. ♥

There was a lot of time that I thought WHY did we pack our stuff up and do this move...why did they have to shorten the deployment and we were going to have to spend time apart? Things happen the way they do for a reason...I don't know why the deployment had to be shortened...perhaps to test our resolve as parents for what is best for our children...whatever it is...the reason for us packing up, and my going to Utah...was in part because of a suggestion from my friend Jennifer, and also in part because of my emotional hiatus from what happened after Marcus was born. Being there with my family was one of the GREATEST blessings I could have ever asked for...had I been in California for all of this, things would have been so very difficult for mom, and me! I know that we both were there for each other for very much the same reasons...it's something that I am never going to regret...I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to be there, and enjoy the months that were the last months of my father's life. There is an ironic twist to this story...RJ was in California, he was living in the barracks, and he was hating every moment of it...but he was doing it so we could move back after the kids got out of school at the end of May. RJ's grandmother got very ill...she and dad were seemingly in the exact same spot at the exact same time.....RJ was on his way to Montana the night before his grandmother and my father passed away. He got to see his grandmother hours before she passed....and he proceeded to come to Utah when I called him on the phone to inform him about Dad. He told me "I'm on my way baby" I know that things happened like this because it was incredible to have my husband there for support so soon after.

We buried dad on May 11, 2012 (My 34th birthday) It was the only choice we had for RJ to be able to get back up to Montana for his grandmother's funeral and to be able to stay for Dad's as well. It was difficult, on the bright side...I will never forget that day...I will always know the day we laid dad to rest.

Steve, Carey, Cheryl, David, John, Sharon, Boyd, Heather, Bethy, Richard, and Nathan. All of us were together for the first time in many...MANY years. It was incredible, Steve, Lynne, and Carey all said that it was the happiest funeral they had ever attended. We were so very happy to be able to have everyone together...not only that...we were also happy that dad was no longer suffering...and that he could watch over us with his other family members that he had not seen in so long. It truly was a good day.

RJ came back to Utah a week after his grandma's funeral and we packed our stuff up and left a few days later to move back to Cali. It was hard to do that...at the same time...I knew things were going to be alright....and that we had to get on with things because we had to get back to Cali for RJ to go back to work. Here we are several months later...it's January now...RJ left on the 1st to Japan for another deployment. Roughly 8 months this time...hopefully this our last....EVER! A girl can dream. Anyhow...I know I skipped stuff but I got the most important things in there.

Logan

I didn't mention that I have gone up to Logan a couple of times to see Rick and Angelia! I LOVE LOGAN! I think Logan is a really nice city...I can tell you right now, that I definitely prefer Logan over Provo ANY DAY! Rick and Ang are doing well, bought a town house...I don't know if Ang keeps a blog...but she should post some pics...it's a gorgeous little place and I know they will be so much happier there because at their apartments their down door neighbor was AWFUL! I just wanted to share that little tidbit too...I think maybe now I can continue with the day to day :)

New Tires and Wheels

Went to Provo today to get some new tires and wheels on my car, they had to order the ones that I wanted because they don't keep them in stock. When I got there everything seemed fine, they opened a box and showed me one of them, I got excited and was pleased with it...wanted to see what it looked like on my car etc...etc. It was approx. 1:50 when they took the car in and around 3 they came to me and told me that they were very sorry but it seemed that one of the new wheels that I wanted put on my car was damaged in shipping and had a good sized crack in it....so they wouldn't be able to put it on today. I was in shock, I have heard of this happening to people but I have never had it happen to me. I just asked him "ok...so what do we do"...LOL. I ended up leaving the place with 3 new wheels on my car and 4 new tires...they put one of the old wheels on the drivers side rear......so I didn't take a picture of that side.

Anyhow, we came straight back after. I came in straight away and emailed the customer service of Discount Tire, and called the district office and left a message...we'll see what happens. Tonight Bryen was helping grandma and he took the basket of dirty clothes downstairs for her and was going to even start them for her, so he took the bottle of fabric softener and dumped the ENTIRE thing into the washer, the house really does smell great! Marcus is teething and I don't know if he is coughing a lot because of the post nasal drip from the runny nose he has because of the teething....or....if he is coughing because he is asthmatic and he has allergies which are flaring for one reason or another...I really don't like being so unable to tell! I have been giving him breathing treatments every day for the last 3 days, only once, but today I think has been the worst day for his coughing. I really need to get myself in to bed...but I just wanted to share a little bit of today...try to keep up a bit more on this blog :)

CATCH UP

It has been pretty rough since RJ left for deployment. I have been so busy doing a lot of things here helping with dad when mom needs helping with laundry taking care of my own kids...and also dealing with other people who really shouldn't be here...yet are. I am trying to deal with all of what I know now...and all that I know is yet to come, with not just my own little family unit but my parents and the rest of my family as well. After Marcus' birthday party at our friends house in August, RJ had to leave on deployment. It was rough having him go, but I didn't cry as much this time as I did last time because I had to focus on what was needing to be accomplished. I am trying to focus on the goals we have, getting to the end of this battalion time without to much damage and finishing our career in the Navy hopefully without having to do this deployment crap again! Not long before RJ was deploy we had made the decision that we were going to pack all of our things into a storage unit and myself and the kids would go to Utah to stay with family until his return. We are going to deal with the separation even after he comes back as best we can, gotta make do with what we have been given...he was supposed to be home a year after this deployment but now they have shortened that by a month, so technically we are going to be able to be together for only 8 months...it's disappointing but I guess I'm used to it, I get flustered and frustrated and then I deal with it cuz there isn't anything I can do anyway...I hate that we have to be apart at all! Anyways...I got off track, I was trying to catch you up..... We stayed at our friends Jennifer and Steve Maldonado's until RJ had to leave...it was nice to be able to spend time with good friends just before RJ had to go too....it is a lot easier having support of friends to go back to also after he left...I think back on that and want to break down into tears...I can't tell how much it means to me that they were there for us and so strong...staying with people for over a month whom didn't have to open their home to us, but they did...I am forever grateful to them for that! A couple of days after RJ left, I packed up what little belongings the kids and I had with us at our friends house and drove back to Utah...my niece Nicole came to help with the kids...it was a fun trip, and we made it back in one piece. From the time we go there til now, it has been such a whirlwind of things happening....mom had surgery on her toe it was much needed...when she had that done I got the full brunt of what she has to do day to day for my father..it is no easy task, and to be perfectly honest, she is incredible to be doing what she does with how little her body wants to cooperate with her. It seemed like the healing process for mom and her toe took quite a bit longer than anticipate, in fact, she was kind of a tough case, the doctor seemed somewhat dumbfounded after a while...but we have it all figured out now...it's just mom's body being FREAKY...LOL. We have been able to get Marcus on a pretty good schedule here, the boys are doing fantastic in school..yes...yes...even Bryen is doing wonderfully....I always had the thought that perhaps this move to Utah might be a good one...and it has turned out that it has really led to some great things put in place for Bryen. My prayer is that we don't go back to California and have them start trying to tell us the same things they were before...the school here had debunked EVERYTHING the schools in Cali said...so I am prepared to fight for my son! I can't tell you how much that means to me to have had this opportunity to have Bryen in such a an awesome school, I believe it will make all the difference! Keeping in touch with RJ...has been far better than the last deployment when I was pregnant with Marcus. Skype works wonderfully and it is incredible to be able to keep in touch with him via Skype and video chat sometimes more than once a day. I am ready to have my own home again, nothing against my parents...but things are just FAR FAR to complicated around here for my liking...and I will be happy to have my own home with my own little family unit once again. I do miss my friends terribly as well....friends are so important...I do have friends here, girls I went to school with, and my siblings....(when I see them)but those military friends are irreplaceable and they understand far better than anyone else what you need and what you're going through :) We have been able to go see RJ's family twice since we came here to Utah. That is a HUGE blessing...listen to me...saying it's a blessing to see the in laws...I can not tell you how good it is for the boys to be able to spend time with both sets of their grandparents...that precious time is irreplaceable and it is something that I know they will remember forever! I am happy for this as well, if we weren't here in Utah, that would not have been possible either...so many good points. There are so many GOOD points to coming here to Utah...there are also a few bad ones. I won't get into those. Anyhow, life is good, we are taking care of some debt...at the same time as getting an opportunity to say that we have lived in Utah...I feel like my spirits are FAR more lifted than they were a year ago at this time. Marcus is doing impeccably well...Bryen is doing well...Kyle is doing well...(just starting to get some attitude) and RJ is doing fine on deployment and since we will be re united soon...everything is going to be great! I am excited for February....I do want to say Happy New Year...2012 will prove interesting I am sure. I know it will be better than 2011 for sure! Love To You All

Africa Deployment

RJ is currently deployed to Kenya, Africa. He left August 7th 2011, and originally was supposed to be gone for 9 months. Just before he was supposed to head out they changed the deployment from 9 to 6 months which is great...except that we had already made plans and packed up our things and decided to do this move to Utah at that point. It means that when he returns, he will have to stay in the bachelor quarters there at Point Mugu until the kids finish the school year here in May...from Feb to May...that is a little while to be back in the states but still have to be separated from your family...it's a really bummer deal! It is very soon that we will be re united only to be apart for a while again shortly afterward...it will be a short and sweet reunion...we will enjoy it to it's fullest!

Marcus' 1st Birthday

We had a really great birthday party for Marcus in August before RJ had to leave on deployment. Our dear friends Sarah and Gabe threw it for us and held it at their house. It was so nice of them to do since we were in limbo on our way out of Hueneme to stay in Utah while RJ was in Africa for 9 months.

Disneyland

In March of 2011 we had RJ's bro, sis in law, their 2 kids, and dad come and visit. We all went to Disneyland and had a good time, it was really so great! Larry (RJ's Brother) really had a hard time with how many people there were and how fast paced everything was. We did more than just Disneyland that trip too...we went to Santa Barbara to the zoo..we went to Santa Clarita Beach, we had a lot of fun going whale watching......

When the trip was over and it was time for family to leave and go back to Montana, it was really hard to see them leave, taking them to the airport and watching them go up the escalators to security check was so hard on us all...RJ had a rough time for quite a few days after that. Normally what happens is we go and see people and then we leave, it's so much harder having them come and then having them have to go. I am so glad that we got the chance to show them around in California though, it was so much fun, and we would do it again in a minute too! :)

 

Marcus had his first ever photo shoot yesterday...we have more pictures than this done, but this is the one that we chose to touch up right now so that I can show people...this is his birth announcement....a little belated, but...this is to precious to me not to share! :o)

Bringing Home Baby

We still don't know the exact discharge date, wether it will happen before Thanksgiving this month or not, but we do know that the nurse this morning was the same nurse that had Marcus yesterday and he told us that while he was talking to the doctor yesterday the doctor said that they are trying to see about getting Marcus discharged before Thanksgiving. We are hopeful that it will be just as what that nurse said...we're definately still skeptical. I wanted to do a little fill in post...things are good around here otherwise. Keeping pretty busy, getting ready for Thanksgiving on Thursday. I hope you're all well :o)

Tuesday.....Today

I went in to see Marcus this morning at 9am like I have everyday since the kids started school here. This morning he was without his nasal canula...which I thought was kind of wierd, I didn't process what that meant until the nurse said "he's off oxygen" I can't tell you how excited that made me and how happy that made me too. Marcus is getting closer to coming home just have to get down the feedings, sometimes he is awfully tired and so they gavage it (Introduction of nutritive material into the stomach by means of a tube.) We have to get to the point where he doesn't need a feeding gavaged to where he can sustain himself to be awake enough to eat his food to where they can take the gavage tube out and he continue to gain weight. We are still on standby...waiting...It'll be great to have him home finally when it does happen, but it will also be that much sweeter having him completely ready to come home! I wanted to fill you all in on what is happening with him, it is such a great great distance he has come in such a short time. He weighs 7lbs. 9oz. that is what Kyle weighed when he was born...Marcus is such a little trooper, he achieves every goal that is set before him...ALREADY and he isn't even technically a month old, he will do great things in this life, of that I am certain.



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