So, here's what we've been up to...

Volleyball has pretty much taken over my life! I'm having so much fun with this group of girls, i'm going to be really sad to leave. It's hard for me to think about this being my last year coaching here, but we need to go to a place where Clifton can provide for our family. Where that is, we dont know yet, but being here and doing what i love with people i love is wonderful. Even if it means getting back at 2 in the morning and then leaving again 3 days later. We leave tomorrow for a tournament in Scottsdale and wont be back until Saturday (wed. - sat.). I'm soaking up as much as i can knowing this is my last season.

Clifton is loving this semester...so far. 4th block is about ICU, Emergency, O.R., all the stuff he's really interested in. He projects to do well this final semester. Although when Clifton graduates in December, we dont know where we will end up. We are saving up our dollars for family trips to places we might like to apply. I think while our family is still young i'd like to go somewhere different...just to try it for a few years, let Clifton get some experience at other places. And then in about 5 years settle down where we want our kids to grow up. That's just the thought though. Who knows what's in store for us.

The last couple of weeks we have really been working hard on potty training. Curtis is so READY! We just need to be on the ball with him. He's such a busy boy that he forgets! But we had a break-through yesterday...#2 on the potty. This has been a struggle because he doesn't really show signs that he's going or has to go. He just does it! But yesterday, Curtis was helping me make brownies when i heard him start grunting. i dropped everything picked him up and sprinted to the toilet. I think Curtis was a little freaked out by how fast i moved, but i'm tired of cleaning poopy underwears. I sat him down just in time and like he's been doing it all along, PLOP! The poopy was in the potty! Clifton and I made such a big deal about it that he wanted to go again...that very second. After he was done, he said "Look! Big Poop, just like Mommy!" Why no just like daddy? Nope, just like mommy.

Here is his potty chart. He gets one sticker, for tinkle and two for poop. So far only 4 of those are for poop. But when he fills up the pyramid he gets to go bowling! He's very excited about it.

This is just too funny not to share...This is one of our cats. Her name is Sweetie and she totally lives up to her name. Anyway, Curtis had asked me for some juice so on my way to the kitchen i thought that i would pick up some trash and through it away. As i lifted what i thought was empty McDonalds bag, i look inside and see Sweetie in their sleeping away.

Bath time at our house is eventful and normally results in more mess than when we started. Our Cats are very curious about water. Whenever i start the faucet they both are at my side in 2 seconds. Curtis loves to try and get them wet when he takes a bath which result in the water outside the tube. Here you can see Sweetie (left) and Harley (right) being tempted by the water. They should know by now that when you mess with Curtis, your gonna get wet.

This is what i would look like if i really wore glasses. These are just for fun, but i wore them to church last Sunday, and all the children in primary (oh, i've been the primary chorister for about 3 months now. i love it because i can make a fool of myself and the kids love it.) kept calling me teacher. We are getting ready for our primary program and so we've been reviewing all of our songs. I have to be on my toes because many of them are getting board of the same songs over and over again. Any games or ideas to keep them satisfied?

And this is what i would look like if i was 3 months pregnant...which i am!!! We've tryed to keep it hush-hush, but come on...look at me! It hurts to suck it in now! I cant sleep on my belly, i feel like i'm eating constantly to keep up with morning sickness, i need to buy a bigger bra (i have boobs popping out the side...i have side boob...yuck)...my list could go on and on. Now given my history (this is my 4th pregnancy) i'm not out of the woods yet. I do feel like my hormones are off the charts though. So when i wake up in the morning i'm excited to still feel sick. I have a Dr.'s appointment next monday and i'm hoping to get another ultrasound because of my history. And though i haven't thrown up once, i've still lost 8 lbs. I think it's a combination of eating more often, and eating more healthy...junk food just makes me gag. My due date is March 26. When i heard that date it sounded really familiar to me. Some of my closest friends birthdays are in March but not on the 26th. 2 days later it hit me...the 26th is my High School boyfriends birthday! HAHAHAHA! Oh the irony. Anyway, we are super stoked but like i said earlier, we're not out of the woods yet. 3 weeks ago, i played in a volleyball game and started to cramp. I sat out the rest of the game and was scared out of my mind that i had done too much. But waking up the next few days feeling morning sickness calmed my mind. And now that i'm showing, i hope the baby is growing healthy and strong.

Thats what we've been up to. If you made it through this with all my misspeled words (lol) congrats.

long overdue picture update

CURTIS ENJOYING FIREWORKS

GOTTA LOVE RUB ON TATOO'S


WOULDNT SMILE FOR A PICTURE AT THE PARADE

(after and during)

PROJECT WITH MY DAD

(these shelves used to be my great grandpa jesse udall's from his law office when he was Supreme Court Justice. they used to be an ugly green color, so my dad and i stripped the paint, sanded them down, and then stained them red mahogony. i told him when he dies that i get the shelves. i probably put 20 hours worth of work into them)

(pre sanding)

THESE LAST PICTURES ARE OF THE REMODEL BEING DONE. NEW FLOORS, AND GARAGE BEING ENCLOSED. ALSO, A WALK-IN CLOSET FOR MY MOM IS BEING BUILT.

thats what i have for now. volleyball officially started yesterday (august 1st) so i will be at the gym 12 hours a day doing practice and conditioning. i have a good feeling about this year! yeah!

keeping my mind off of my mind

i had no idea what day it was today until i called clifton, who was already at work, and asked. i woke this morning feeling disoriented as to what i was supposed to do today. but then again every day these days seems that way...and i don't like it. completely unmotivated. I have 3 jobs, and yet i haven't worked in almost a month. How does that work you ask? its simple...summer break...and i don't like it. don't get me wrong, school being out is fantastic and i love having Clifton being out of school and working (it makes me feel loved when he works), but i miss working too. a month and a half from now you might hear me singing a different song.

LaLaLa...dobedobedooo. (that's me singing my song)

i guess the main reason i wish i was working is so i can take my mind off of our current situation. to make a long story short, i haven't had that many tragedies in my life, but when they happen, the best way i know how to deal with them, is to get to work. when my Grandma Udall passed away last July, i was lucky to be able to work volleyball camp the next day...keeping my mind off of my mind. then when Grandpa Udall passed, i was driving the womens basketball team on an overnight trip when i got the call saying he died. again, working...keeping my mind off of my mind. this time, it's summer vacation. and i'm not working.

no more beating around the bush...i lost the baby last week. it all happened so fast that there was almost no time to contemplate what was actually happening. i went to see the dr. the morning it happened and he did an internal ultrasound and found nothing. but he said he could tell that i was pretty far along because of the size of the cavity (i was almost 12 weeks). and it didn't hit me until that moment...even though i knew everything had passed through, hearing it from a medical professional broke my heart. this past week has been full of drugs (to contract my uterus), laying down watching t.v. (to keep my mind off of my mind), and not much sleep (because i can't). I am grateful for the fact that this happened now, instead of 20 weeks from now. I also take comfort in knowing i can get pregnant, and that there was nothing i could have done to make this happen or to prevent it from happening. I'm glad 'someone' has a plan.

i've never been one to ask for help or pity. so the point of this post is to inform, not a pity party. i guess i jumped the gun on telling everyone. it's only fair to let the readers know. it's better than running into me at the grocery store and asking me how the baby is. (i've done it before too ;) and since you are the informed crowd, i should let you know what conversations i hate and am not looking forward to;

Them: How old is your son?

Me: He's two. He will be 3 in September.

Them: Wow. Isn't it about time to have another?

I HATE THIS!!!

A word of advise to the clueless...There is nothing worse than going to church and having a woman, who knows little about me and my family, judge me because i haven't had another child yet. but with a straight face, i grit my teeth, trying to control my rage, and nod...as if i agree with them. i know this happens often and i'm not the only one. i also know it will happen again. i really should start keeping stats on this. But, what gives them the right to tell me it's okay, that they are so sorry, and try to give me advise?

SIGH! Breath...all better.

I will tell you what has kept me sane and happy.

this adorable face!

He's my best bud.

even though he steals my oreo's.

i'm grateful for him everyday!

one of my favorite things

sitting here recovering from tonights basketball game, surfing the web with my two new kitties asleep on my belly while listening to a re-run of 'the office' and being able to fast forward through the commercials is one of my favorite things. how's that for a run-on sentence?

Who's is that?

I found a bra in my laundry...and it's not mine. hmm.

-{(**remember when I had a blog**)}-

So here are a few things that have been happening in the last couple of months with our family.



1. My car died close to valentines day, and i was so sad because i loved that little thing! I was traveling to Pheonix with Shari to go on a recruiting trip (we flew to Vegas) and while on the rezz my car just pooped out! We had to change the flight, and then wait for Shari's husband Kelly to get off work so he could tow us home. THEN, we got back in her car to drive to the airport and then on to Vegas...all of this happend within a 7 hour period. It was a long day, but really fun. Anyway, we got my car into a shop and they said it would cost $3000 to get it fixed. Now considering i only payed $1000 for it, it just didn't seem worth it. This leads me to point number two.



2. We got a new car! We shopped around for a while and figured what we could afford. We have never had a reliable car and after being married 5 years it's nice to have the freedom of a good car. At the used car lot here in town, we found a good sized family car that was owned by a family that lives just up the street from my parents. Anyway, 44K miles, a 2006 Mercury Montego, comparable to an Altima or Maxima in size, and they sold it to us a trade in value price! We felt so good about the car and have not had any buyers remorse! The picture below is from a website, the color of our car is a light greenish silver.




3. Like i said in the last section, we have been married for 5 years April 9th. woohoo.



4. Clifton turned 29 two weeks later (April 23rd). He's not happy about it. People would ask him how old he is and he says "Not 30!" True.

5. I went golfing for the first time last thursday. It was "The Annual EAC Athletic Department Golf Party". So much fun. We were put on teams of 4 or 5 and whomever had the best shot is where we all played from...as a team. There were times when my shot was the best. The coach that put the game on was actually impressed that it was my first time on a golf coarse. What can i say?

6. Clifton took his final last tuesday for block 3 nursing. Before going into his last test, he felt confident that he would pass...and he did! He got a 90% on his final. He still hasn't got his final grade yet, but we are positive we don't have anything to worry about. Yeah! Only one more semester to go!

7. I've been helping my parents paint and stuff so they can move next door into my grandma and grandpa's house. It makes sense for them to live there...it's a smaller house, it's one level, etc. They want to be moved over before Chris gets home from his mission (July 16th)...thats only a few short months away! I'd better hurry up and finish my projects so we can get them moved over!

8. Curtis has been showing an interest in the potty lately. Until we went away for a weekend. He did so good for 4 days, and hasn't returned to the pot since. I ask him if he would like to go, and he says no. But before we left on our weekend trip, he was telling me he had to go! And after only 4 days? I wish he would want to go again. Below is Curtis wearing daddy's shoes.

Fantastic Day

Ok. So i know i've been horrible at posting this last month, but if you knew my day to day life the last several weeks, you wouldn't be able to catch up on sleep either! And sorry for no pictures, I can't find my camera. Anyway, back to the title of this post:
My Great Grandma Carpenter passed away this last Tuesday morning. And the reason I say it is fantastic is because she was 100 years old! The night before she left us, a small group of family gathered around her because we thought that her time would come soon. We felt it would be a great thing to sing to her as she layed there and never before in my life have i felt the spirt so strong and so fast! It was an emotional thing knowing Grandma was so close to leaving us and the spirit was undeniable. After was sang a few hymns, Grandma SAT HERSELF UP and she tried to communicate to us. We asked her "do you need more pillows?" "a glass of water?" "what do you need Grandma?" and after we got no response, we asked "would you like us to sing some more" and with as much energy as she could she said "YES!" After having felt the spirit so much that evening, my testimony has been bursting out of me! Her funeral was this morning and it was, again, fantastic! It was such a blessing to be apart of it all and to know more about her. I come from Great People! I'm so blessed!

Sad Day

I think my Father said it best..."I feel like this is a tug-of-war, between us (children and grandchildren) and Grandma." Today we lost our dear Grandpa Udall after a short battle with pneumonia. I got a phone call from my mom saying he passed away, at 3 this afternonn. He went peacfully and without pain. I personally feel relieved that he isn't suffering anymore. Not only physically, but emotionaly. I feel he did the best he could without Grandma here, but he sure was different and was missing the spring in his step. He missed his sweetheart, and she was calling him home. I feel so blessed to have known him, and to have grown up next to him my entire life. He was the perfect example of husband, father, grandfather, priesthood holder, etc. I could go on and on, but I will miss him so much. He was a true servant of the Lord, and now gets to be with our dear Grandma. We will miss you Grandpa. I love you so much.
Services for Kenyon Udall will be this Saturday at 2 pm at the Thatcher Stake Center with a vewing at 1 as well as a vewing Friday night.

Moving on

The last few weeks have been really crazy around our house. Several things have happened that it seems like we just need to "move on"...not in the bad sense, mostly just pushing through, taking things day by day. Here is a list of things we are "moving on" from:
1. Our cat ran away. He was only about 7 months old, but he always had an itch to get outside. We had him fixed and de-clawed, which unfortunatly left him with no defense. Poor little guy escaped one day. Curtis hasn't been too affected by it, but the other day he asked "kitty, where are you?" and it broke my heart! Someday when we move into our own house, we can get a cat again.
2. My basketball season is over. It ended very disapointingly. Our last game was Tuesday against Benson, when the last time we played them we only lost by 1. I was hoping to end the season with a win, considering the girls have learned so much about the game. Our struggle all year long has been "showing up at game time". The girls would take it easy the first half and them come to play in the 2nd half. Well, our last game the girls came to play, and then let up after halftime. We were leading by 10 going into the half, and lost by 10 when the game was over. We only scored 6 points in the 2nd half. I was very angry, but still expressed how much i cared about them. I learned alot about my coaching expectations, and how to run my own team. I don't know if i will do it next year (we may not be here, clifton graduates in december) but i had a great time with my freshmen. They are a wonderful group of young ladies.
3. Driving this year seems to be very different from last year. With a years worth of experience under my belt (not to mention about 50,000 miles) driving the EAC bus is very relaxing and fun for me. And since I already have a connection with many of the students who returned to play sports their sophomore year, i'm not uncomfortable around them. So i guess i'm "moving on" with driving, as in "pedal to the metal". OH! I have a funny story though...Last spring, i got a chace to drive for the softball team. That group is fun! Coach Kate is also a bus driver, but likes to have a driver during her season. I was so nervous to drive for her the first time, because when Kate says GO that means 10 minuets ago, and you have to get to the destination quickly. Well, as we pulled in to the school after my first trip with the softball girls, Kate yells this, "Damn it, Janiel! I didn't have to swear at you once today!" I took it as a compliment.
4. Clifton is moving on with school. He loves his new teacher! she's so organized. Since school started a month ago, Clifton has been super busy every week. As of next weekend, clifton is halfway done with his clinicals. Kindof nice.
Things are good here! Curtis is happy is so much fun to play with. His new thing is to sing songs. The other day i caught him singing to a pretty melody "mommy tuted, daddy tuted, curtis tuted". 100% BOY!

^.*- day 3 -*.^.*- cold turkey -*.^

I think we may have a breakthrough...We are on our 3rd day of NO BINKI. Curtis started to develope a rash around his mouth because he would drool in his sleep with the binki in his mouth which would keep the moisture next to his skin. Anyway, when we found the rash we decided it was time to give up the binki! We didn't have a fancy "get rid of the binki" party, and we didn't really think about how we were going to go about getting rid of them, we just told him they were lost and we couldn't find them. He has only asked for the binki a few times and he's been okay with it! Clifton and I are so glad to be rid of them! Wahoo!

time for an update

MY BAD! life happens and there is just no time! NO TIME! I choose sleep over blogging. Days have been filled with practice, cleaning, traveling, working, more cleaning, laundry, more working, playing with Curtis, and the list goes on. Again, i choose sleep over blogging. So here I am, 3 weeks after Christmas giving an update (finally)!

Christmas this year was intended to be spent with Clifton's family (we switch off every year along with Thanksgiving), but Clifton's parents decided to spend it with his brother Bryant and his family in San Antonio. It worked out fine for us. It was great to not have to worry about traveling around the holiday. On Christmas Eve, Leah and Doug showed up at my parents house along with A, and O (the twins, oh yeah! there are two more on the way! hooray for boys!). Curtis loves having all of his cousins around. He has such a great time playing with them now that he's big enough. We slept at my parents house so we didn't have to drive over in the morning, and i'm glad we did that because seeing the kids faces on Christmas morning was priceless. A and O were pros at opening presents! They shredded the rapping paper off! It was classic. Curtis took some time with every gift, ripping a tiny piece at a time. A and O were willing to help though! Curtis scored with all of his gifts. Santa may have gone overboard.

The next week I planned on taking a trip to go visit one of my best friends from college, Lisl, in Utah. I had been planning and saving for a few months to make this trip, and i'm so glad that I went! Getting there and back was a battle though. My flight left from Tucson at 6:30 a.m. on New Years eve, so to avoid sleeping some then driving to make it on time for checkin, i drove late that night to the airport and spent the night there. I didn't get much sleep but it was the only way to do it. I was so sleepy that when I got to my connecting flight in Phoenix, I got on the airplane and fell asleep. I cannot remember the flight attendants going through their drill, I don't remember taking off, I was out! It was such a breath of fresh air to see her and her family ( i went to hight school with her husband, Stephen, and her baby Franklin was born on my birthday! cool huh?). Anyway, it wasn't quite like old times (we cant stay up until 4 a.m. anymore!) but i loved reconnecting with her. Franklin was the biggest FLIRT with me! He was such a doll! We called him my boyfriend because he just wanted to hang around me, do what I was doing, eat what I was eating, etc. What a Cutie!

They also have two cats who are part of the family. I had so much fun with them. On my first day there, I took a nap and was smothered by Osgood, or FATTY as he is known otherwise. And let me tell you! This cat was huge. 16.5 lbs. But he was so cuddly! Rizzo, the pretty cat (black top coat, white undercoat), was a ball of energy. He actually played fetch with me! He would bring the toy mouse back to me everytime I threw it!

On Saturday, we went shopping in West Jordan to this little place called Gardner Village. It's full of old historic houses that have been moved to this location and turned into shops (see picture above behind all the cars). We kept saying "if we had money, this place would be fantastic!" But we had a great time looking around at all of the crafts and old town things! It was such a cute little place to visit!

Lisl has a way of making me feel normal! Like my thoughts aren't crazy! She keeps me sain! I thought it was funny how she kept trying to give me reasons to move up there so we can live closer, but the only reason I need to move up there is to be near her! You know how some people change your life and you don't know where you would be without that person, and they made you who you are today? That person for me is Lisl!!! I love you so much Sweetie!

After Lisl dropped me off at the airport, I found a bench and cried for a moment. Not sobbing tears, but not being able to see her for a few months just broke my heart. After I regained my composure, I went through security only to find that my flight had been delayed 30 min. No big deal accept the snow was starting to come down in sheets! By the time we got on the plane I couldn't see the runway. Apparently it was good that we took off when we did because the airport was closed for the next day and a half! EEAK! When we landed in Phoenix, i looked at the clock and saw that my flight was taking off in 5 min. There was no way I was going to make it. They rebooked me for a later flight...much later. I had to wait 5 HOURS for a 22 min flight to Tucson! Lame! I was glad I had the laptop and the airport had free internet! It made the time fly! (no pun intended!) I landed in Tucson just before 9:30 p.m., found my car at 10 and was home in bed by midnight.

I'm so glad that I went! I'm so blessed to have great friends who will put up with me for a few days and let me take over their house! And I'm so lucky to have a husband who will let me leave to go visit a friend! Thanks Clifton. All in all, it was a nearly perfect trip that I wont soon forget!

guess what i'm doing?

waiting at the airport because i missed my connecting flight by 5 minutes. now i have 5 hours until my next flight leaves. bummer!

have a minute to waste?

PLAY THIS!
http://www.addictinggames.com/bushshoedodge.html
I got a kick out of it!

}-**-coordinated-**-{

the other night, i had a date night with my BFF Shari. it seems we get together every 3 or 4 weeks to go watch a movie...and it is ALWAYS the funniest movie ever (until we watch it again at home, and realize it was the experience and the company that made the movie so great). we dont always see comedies but when we do it feels like we are the only ones laughing in the entire theater...and we laugh HARD! and we a'int embarassed! the most recent encounter at the movies was particularly funny. We went to see 4 christmases (it was good. i wont buy it, but i laughed until my tummy hurt) and we purchased our usual jumbo bag of popcorn, then proceeded our seats. I asked her where she wanted to sit, and she told me to choose. I thought I picked a good row, perfect distance from the screen. i teased about which chair i was going to sit in moving side to side pretending to sit down, and then standing again, squat to sit, then slide over, etc. after i had made my final selection on the perfect chair, i sat down to find that the bottom of the chair was actually broken off from the back of the chair! while i was falling, i tried to save my pride and fall gracefully...but that went out the window. but what i did manage to save was our jumbo popcorn. not a single buttery piece was dropped! while the entire theater is laughing at me, a nice lady reaches OVER Shari (who is hunched over laughing her face off) and offers to help me up. For the first 5 minutes of the movie, i giggled and reacted to what had just happened. "did i really pick the only broken chair in the entire theater? after i teased about which chair i was going to sit in?" and i still a'int embarassed. i feel it was quite CLASSIC! it's always good to get a good laugh at yourself.

...by the way...

Clifton passed his nursing class this semster with an A!!! On to 3rd block! Yipee!

Chaperone?

I've got to admit...i'm slightly BAH HUMBUG this year! don't get me wrong, i LOVE Christmas, but my camera is dead, and i've been so busy that there really hasn't been much time for decorating, christmas shopping, blogging, etc. So let me give a quick update on what has been going on with me the last few weeks...

1. My Freshman girls won their first basketball game of the season today! I cannot tell you how much they have grown as basketball players and as a team. I told them before the game started that i know they can win and they believed me! They played with so much heart and won by 11! It's nice to see the things that i'm teaching them being used in games! They are all wonderful girls and I am looking forward to coaching them the rest of the season.

2. My camera is dead...sorry no pictures! We have been playing outside in the beautiful weather but don't have any pictures to prove it.

3. Sick boys...Clifton has been sick for about 2 weeks now, and Curtis is about 3 days behind him. I have been fortunate enough to feel just fine, and not get sick. But i have a feeling that it's gonna hit me and it's gonna be hard! I know it's coming...dun da duh!!!

4. Round Valley Tournament...Last week i went with the varsity girls to the Round Valley tournament and had a blast!!! i had 2 girls in my room with me which was way fun. we talked girl talk and i was reminded of how much i hated high school. We beat the home team which was unexpeted! Kindof nice being the underdog! Well, going along the the title of this post, i have a story for you!.......Having attended the tournament several years ago, i anticipated what the weekend would be like. For example, 3 games going on at once (in the dome), rival teams staying in the same hotel, 2 games a day, etc. One aspect that i put way back in my mind was the annual dance that goes hand in hand with the tournament. Coach asked me if i would "chaperone" the girls at the dance, and bring them home in one piece. To maximize our dance time, we got there early (i think we may have been the first team there) because we had the early game the next morning so we had to leave the dance early. With me so far? Good. I danced with my girls and enjoyed bonding with them outside of basketball, and then a slow song came on. Remember how high school dances work? everyone scatters and finds a chair on the wall! I kept a good eye and all of my girls making sure that they were being appropriate, but at the same time, I found myself feeling sorry for my high school self sitting during the slow song (weird how my mind went back to high school). Don't get me wrong...in no way was i there to dance with teenage boys! but i felt sad for myself because it was like i was in high school again. funny! anyway, the very next song, was a country song and out of the corner of my eye i see a boy walking towards me. "Do you wanna dance?" he askes. "Sure!" As i stand up to dance with this young man, i glance down the line of girls sitting in chairs against the wall, and shake my fist in the air like i just won first place in the "Make A Boy Feel Awkward Competition" !!! The conversation went like this:

Boy: So you from around here?
Me: No...
Boy: Oh so where are you from?
Me: Thatcher
Boy: Cool. So you play?
Me: Nope...
Boy: Oh, so...um, you're a coach?
Me: Yup!
Boy: Okay...
Me: What's your name?
Boy: James
Me: Cool! What grade are you in James?
James: I'm a senior.

Poor kid! He probably thought he as doing a good thing and asked the girl who sat by herself to dance! Anyway, we ended the dance with a high five, and i walked back to a crowd of giddy girls wanting to hear the story!
PAH!!! So fun!
The next day, i was approched by many of the other chaperones and they told me that i was quite the dancer, and when the girls and i took off the party died! Oh what fun!
Pictures to come soon (as soon as i get my camera fixed)!!! and sorry for the bad grammar and spelling...it's late and stuff!

Cliftons Thoughts

Well I know its womens business to do the blogging for these family sites but every once in a while I, Clifton, get the urge to share. Scary!

Well Curtis is exploring and learning and can not get enough of the park. We can spend two hours at a park and he will ask for more. I sometimes bribe him with treats to stop playing and go home. We will get home and get the treat and he'll say "Daddy, Park", as if this was just a pit stop for more park time. He makes me laugh. I get to spend alot of time with Curtis because of Janiels and my shedule. Janiel is gone on trips alot and so Curtis and I hang out during those times. We are pretty good buds. I am sure glad when Janiel gets home to help out. Curtis can run you silly.

Nursing School has gone good this semester. Right now I have a 87% going into the final. I still have over a 140 more points of papers for my teacher to grade still so hopefully my 87% sticks with those points. those points are worth 14% of my total grade and my final is worth 15% of my grade. And for those of you who dont know 80% is passing for nursing...thats right...a C is a failing grade. I also juggle two jobs and that is going suprizingly well. I work for Gentle Care and am very gratefull for my employer who works with my schedule with school. My other job is usually one or two evenings a week. So its been a great blessing to have jobs that mostly don't interfere with school.

Janiel has been enjoying her new coaching job of freshman girls thatcher highschool B-ball. I havent seen a game yet but want to. Janiel gets alot of enjoyment from coaching. She also has been working out a bit more than usual and has gotten P-90X to kick it up a noch. I think she wants to be able to dunk a volleyball once again. Go babe!

The end.

game 1

so today we had our first basketball game. (freshmen girls at Thatcher) and to be honest, i was very pleased! we played against silver city who has a reputation for being very physical, and high scoring. now, last year we lost to this same team by 30! today, we only lost by 2! a loss, is a loss...but it wasn't a blowout! im like a proud mother hen! there is still a ton to work on, but i believe we have come so far in just 3 weeks of practice. seriously, i'm beaming!

P.S.

I was talking about you EMILY!

Dear Cousin,

I like you. We could have been great friends, but you moved away to go to school or something. I guess we can remain good friends. I've had to settle for your weekend visits where most of your time is spent at home! (pfffft!) But next time you come home (it's a long weekend) you better believe it will be filled with volleyball, Guitar Hero, The Office, and TURKEY! That's like 4 of my top 5 favorite things! Cant go wrong with that! So here's the deal...you get back into town, we eat, we play, and we eat some more. Maybe watch a musical? Got it?