What's In A Birthday?

June 4th.

This has always been a special day for me. Why wouldn't it be. It is my Birthday.
It has also turned out to be an interesting date as well.

When I was in college, my uncle died unexpectedly on that date. He was a great man, and is sorely missed by his wife and 5 kids.

Last year, on my Birthday, I was rushed to the hospital via ambulance after passing out at home in Ben's arms from a miscarriage (at 16 weeks) gone very wrong. I lost over 35% of my blood (and possibly more) in about 4 hours that day. I spent my Birthday in surgery, going back and forth in between consciousness, getting a CAT scan from passing out in the hospital and hitting my head, lying in a hospital bed, and mourning the loss of what could have been. It was a terrible day and is still hard for Ben and I to think about.

This year, yet again, June 4th will have great significance. For three reasons so far.

First of all, it is my Birthday, which means a good reason to celebrate...right.

Second...it is the due date for our little bundle in my belly. It was confirmed again at the last ultrasound a month ago. I do not believe in any way, shape, or form, that this is a coincidence. Even though the odds are slim that he will actually be born on my Birthday, it is still so wonderful to me. It gives me a reason to look forward to a date that had potential to bring back horrible memories. A date that I had decided to erase from my mind. Now, it will be full of fun anticipation, or maybe even, an infant in our home.

Third....it is the date we will close on our home in Utah!!!!!
That's right, we found a home this weekend that we absolutely love. We are already under contract. We are pretty excited about the tax credit. We didn't even really think about it or know about it when planning the trip. We didn't even realize the timing of it all, so it is a great perk. Another blessing.

We looked at 40 homes in two days. Yup, 40 homes! 25 the first day, and 15 the second day. By the end of the second day, my feet were so swollen that we literally couldn't see my ankles. Ben and I were exhausted, but so excited! We LOVE the house. It is perfect for us, and we knew it right when we got to it.

There are so many awesome things about it. It has the whole package. It is just the right size for our family. It has new carpet, new paint, and it looks just like new on the inside and outside. There is a nice, big yard. There is a park literally on the other side of the fence. (basically in our back yard) It is at the end of a very cute and well kept cul-de-sac. There is a path on the side of the house that goes forever. Perfect for the kids to ride their bikes away from the road. It is in the spot that we were really hoping to find a home in. We really like the area, ect. For our family, our taste and our phase of life, it is just right for us. We feel so blessed to be able to find a home in such a short amount of time. We didn't have a choice, because of the pregnancy being so far along. We did our best to prepare as much as possible before we left for Utah, and it paid off.
I am not going to write the area it is in, or the address, for safety reasons, but just ask if you want to know.

Our trip getting there was nuts. A random snow storm (in late April) slammed Colorado and Wyoming. We drove about 15mph in horrible weather, in the dark, for an hour or so before pulling off in Laramie. We ended up stuck in Laramie because of the freeway being closed. It didn't open until 2:00 the next afternoon. Luckily, our realtor and Ben's work were both very flexible, so it all worked out. We were pretty frustrated for a while there, but glad that we were safe.

My mom had the kids (who had so much fun they didn't even care to see us when we picked them up) and Ben and I stayed with some great friends. It was so nice to not worry about the kids and to spend time with good friends. We house hunted ALL day and then stayed up really late laughing our heads off and telling stories. Thank you Ben and Megan. We had a great time and we will miss you when you move.

We are absolutely exhausted today, but we are happy and so grateful for a successful weekend.

So, what's in a Birthday?

For me...a lot more than a Birthday.

Good Times

What a weekend. It was wonderful! It was full of good friends and good times.

It started off with a date to lunch with Mel.."the good neighbor." Her son Tyler and our little Mary are the best of friends. Mike and Mel and Ben and I are also extrememly close. Mel is in school full time and Mike works in Denver, so we haven't seen much of eachother lately. It was so fun to be with Mel and to watch Mary, Sam and Tyler play until they dropped. It was a great afternoon and I walked away with a huge lump in my throat at the thought of leaving this wonderful friendship behind. I am comforted though, in the fact that this is one of those friendships that distance will not break.

Friday night, we ate at one of our favorite restaurants, Texas Roadhouse. Thank you Cintas and Ben's hard work. We didn't pay a cent for the dinner. That is the best kind of dinner in my opinion. We went to the one in Monument. Good food. Good times.

When we got back, it was off to Mike and Mel's. They are our camping buddies, but since it is too early to camp, and they bought a fire pit, we decided to test it out.
We ended up staying until 11:30pm. The kids played and played and played. We laughed until I thought the baby would come out. We talked, we joked, we laughed more, we told stories, Mike (a past realtor) gave us tons of advice for buying a home, and we basked in the goodness of friends. Good memories. Good friends. Good times.

Saturday was the baby shower. It was a joint shower for Traci and I.


She is having a girl and I am having a boy. It was really fun to share in the partying and the company.
Good decorations.

Good food.

Cute stuff everywhere.

Good friends.

And this picture has now brought me to tears at least twice.
How will I ever leave these wonderful women in my life. Honestly! They are more than just friends to me. We have all been through so much together. The bad times and the good.
Thanks again Adri and Lori for doing the shower. It was wonderful!
And my little boy won't come home naked. He has some great outfits to choose from.
Good times.

Sunday evening, we decided to drive to Garden of the Gods and walk around. Ben was saying it was probably his 15th time there, and it was probably my 10th. We really like that place.
The lighting was absolutely perfect as we walked around and soaked in the fresh air. To top it off, there was a group of women singing some beautiful songs. As we walked, their musics echoed off those majestic rocks and we just basked in the beauty and wonder of being in such a beautiful place. Again, it left lumps in our throats and holes in our hearts at the thought of leaving, but oh what a wonderful time we have had here.
Good times.

I am grateful.

Leaving Zion for...Zion?

I just wrote a huge, long, and very detailed post explaining everything, but honestly, I don't know anyone besides me and some family members that would care to read the whole thing. And to those people, we have already told the story, so no use repeating it. So, I will save that post (for journaling purposes) and just give you the basics. I would encourage you not to skim this post. It may result in a lot of questions. This post is still long, but just grab a snack, slap on a diaper, and plow through. You won't regret it.


First off, let me just say that Ben and I LOVE Colorado Springs. I have labeled it my Zion, because I feel that everything about this place is perfect. I have never taken it for granted. I am so happy here, and it fits our family like a glove. Some days I just drive around with a grin on my face and I have to pinch myself to really believe that life could be this good here. We would gladly stay here forever, if it was our choice.

But, it isn't our choice, and that is the reason for this post. Due to some very special moments and strong revelation that occurred during a family reunion this summer, we have known that for quite some time now. We have known all along where the Lord wants us to end up, we just weren't sure about when. We didn't know when the revelation to leave our Zion would come.

Come it did. It came much ,much sooner than expected,and it came very fast and very unexpectedly. My mind is still reeling.

Short story:
Less than a month ago Ben and I were on a drive with the kids. We were talking about how wonderful Colorado Springs is and how happy we are here.

So, on this drive, Ben looked at me and said, "I feel like it is time that we talk about Utah. Yes, Utah is the place we have known would eventually be our home. I will not elaborate on why we haven't liked the idea at all, but lets just say that it has been a rough one to get used to. Thank goodness the Lord has given us lots of time to get over it and start finding the good in it. And we have found a lot of good. We are actually getting excited.

Ben and I talked and talked and talked, and then we prayed.
And we got an answer...it is time.
Then we wondered how we would get to Utah. So we prayed again.
The answer came.

The next day Ben called the Cintas manager in Salt Lake City,Utah. He just wanted to talk to him. What do you know....they had a position open and they were interviewing.

The next day, Ben talked to his manager here and was able to get time off to go to Utah...in record time.

The next week, our family drove to Utah for Ben's "business meetings." Also know as his job interview.

We figured that Ben would just talk to the manager and feel things out. These things always take time....lots of time, so I wasn't too worried.

Imagine the shock when I picked Ben up from the interview to learn that he had been offered the job and they wanted him to start June 1st. Three days before our baby is due. uummmm,yeah.

We spent the rest of the trip driving all over the place with the new eyes you get when you are looking at a place you will be living. Utah looks different when you are just visiting. We searched and searched for our "Colorado Springs in Utah." We found some great places and some not so great places, but it will take another trip in a few weeks before we really nail it down. We are currently talking with a realtor (spelling?) and house hunting like crazy. Thank goodness it is such an awesome buyers market right now. It makes things really nice.

From the time Ben told me in the car that we needed to talk about Utah, to the time Ben had a job and a start date, it was only 11 days! Yes my friends, all of this took place in just 11 days. Is there any doubt at all that the Lord has completely opened the doors and led the way. No, absolutely not.

My emotions were nothing short of a patient in a psyche ward the past few weeks, but they have been in control and much more calm this past few days. I have bawled my eyes out. I have been excited. I have been nervous. I have freaked out. I have felt like it is so right and so good. I have had peace. I have been exhausted. I have been excited. Oh man, not much time to adjust to it all, ya know.

Thankfully, Cintas is an awesome company, and they are willing to push Ben's start date back so we can have the baby here and get things in order. Hooray!

We will most likely be moving to Utah the first week in July. Ironically, the week our lease is up here in Colorado Springs. Interesting.
If not the first week in July, it will be the beginning of September. We should find out for sure later on today or tomorrow. I am pacing the floors, to say the least.

So there you have it.

We are moving to Utah, and we are moving soon. Very soon.

We have absolutely 100% no doubt that the Lord needs us in Utah, and we need to be there now. The Lord does care where we live. He does care when we live there, and he has had his hand in all of this. He has led us the entire way. We don't doubt it.
It is ripping our hearts out to think of leaving our beloved Colorado Springs, our wonderful friends, and our home, but I know we will be happy there. We would never, ever leave Colorado Springs, unless we were absolutely certain that it was the Lord's will. And we are certain. It is hard, but we know the Lord would not send us somewhere we cannot handle. We will find our new Zion.

We cannot deny the promptings or the revelation that have been so incredibly powerful. The timing has been unbelievable (not to mention VERY fast)! I credit nothing to coincidence.

Through faith, prayer and revelation, I have found my peace. We have found our peace. Through all of this, these two scriptures continue to roll through my mind over and over again.

1 Nephi 3:7
.."I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them to accomplish the things which he commandeth them."

Proverbs 3: 5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths."

So, off we go. We are going to be very busy from here on out. We need to find a house, pack, have a baby, cram in everything we love to do here, for one last time, and start prying our hearts away from Colorado and sticking them in Utah. I am pretty sure there are many tears to come, but at the same time, there will be so much joy in obeying the will of the Lord.

Here we go.

In One Word....Wow!

Ben is one tough guy.
The big huge bear he fought went down with a fight. It just came out of nowhere and attacked Ben. It was close, but Ben came out on top.

o.k., actually he was biking up pikes peak, but that is still amazing. If you have ever been up on that trail, it is not easy to hike, much less bike. Ben rocks!

What a man!

And here I sit whining about my poor little broken toe that looks like a giant blueberry.
Not any more.

Just when they couldn't get any more amazing.....

We thought that with the death of Oreo,our gerbil tales would be over.
Were we ever wrong!
The two remaining gerbils have made up for the loss of Oreo and they have become more active and fun to watch. Not to mention they have become professional escape artists, and I have become a professional gerbil catcher. It really is an art. These things are fast.

This is what Ben discovered today when coming to the computer to do some homework. (the gerbil cage is up here on the desk by the computer)

Yes, that is what you think it is, well maybe. Aside from the blurry picture and the bad lighting, you might be able to see what it is.
The black gerbil is INSIDE the water bottle!!!

The white gerbil is pretty fat and mellow, but she gave it a try. She got about 1/2 way in before giving up and taking a lunch break.

They chewed a small hole in the water bottle, drained the water and decided to play in it. This is not an easy task. The water bottle is above their heads, so they had to hang on it while chewing the small hole in the bottom. Amazing!



Seriously... I bet none of you have seen a gerbil do that! We should really start a circus. We love these little fuzzy friends!

Right when I finished the post, I looked over and saw this!

She did it. Our fat, white, furry friend made it into the water bottle as well.

Leaving Zion for...Zion?

I just wrote a huge, long, and very detailed post explaining everything, but honestly, I don't know anyone besides me and some family members that would care to read the whole thing. And to those people, we have already told the story, so no use repeating it. So, I will save that post (for journaling purposes) and just give you the basics. I would encourage you not to skim this post. It may result in a lot of questions. This post is still long, but just grab a snack, slap on a diaper, and plow through. You won't regret it.

First off, let me just say that Ben and I LOVE Colorado Springs. I have labeled it my Zion, because I feel that everything about this place is perfect. I have never taken it for granted. I am so happy here, and it fits our family like a glove. Some days I just drive around with a grin on my face and I have to pinch myself to really believe that life could be this good here. We would gladly stay here forever, if it was our choice.

But, it isn't our choice, and that is the reason for this post. Due to some very special moments and strong revelation that occurred during a family reunion this summer, we have known that for quite some time now. We have known all along where the Lord wants us to end up, we just weren't sure about when. We didn't know when the revelation to leave our Zion would come.

Come it did. It came much ,much sooner than expected,and it came very fast and very unexpectedly. My mind is still reeling.

Short story:
Less than a month ago Ben and I were on a drive with the kids. We were talking about how wonderful Colorado Springs is and how happy we are here.

So, on this drive, Ben looked at me and said, "I feel like it is time that we talk about Utah. Yes, Utah is the place we have known would eventually be our home. I will not elaborate on why we haven't liked the idea at all, but lets just say that it has been a rough one to get used to. Thank goodness the Lord has given us lots of time to get over it and start finding the good in it. And we have found a lot of good. We are actually getting excited.

Ben and I talked and talked and talked, and then we prayed.
And we got an answer...it is time.
Then we wondered how we would get to Utah. So we prayed again.
The answer came.

The next day Ben called the Cintas manager in Salt Lake City,Utah. He just wanted to talk to him. What do you know....they had a position open and they were interviewing.

The next day, Ben talked to his manager here and was able to get time off to go to Utah...in record time.

The next week, our family drove to Utah for Ben's "business meetings." Also know as his job interview.

We figured that Ben would just talk to the manager and feel things out. These things always take time....lots of time, so I wasn't too worried.

Imagine the shock when I picked Ben up from the interview to learn that he had been offered the job and they wanted him to start June 1st. Three days before our baby is due. uummmm,yeah.

We spent the rest of the trip driving all over the place with the new eyes you get when you are looking at a place you will be living. Utah looks different when you are just visiting. We searched and searched for our "Colorado Springs in Utah." We found some great places and some not so great places, but it will take another trip in a few weeks before we really nail it down. We are currently talking with a realtor (spelling?) and house hunting like crazy. Thank goodness it is such an awesome buyers market right now. It makes things really nice.

Basically we went from not even thinking about moving at all, to planning a new job and a move to Utah in the future in only 11 days! Yes my friends, all of this took place in just 11 days.

My emotions were nothing short of a patient in a psyche ward the past few weeks, but they have been in control and much more calm this past few days. I have bawled my eyes out. I have been excited. I have been nervous. I have freaked out. I have felt like it is so right and so good. I have had peace. I have been exhausted. I have been excited. Oh man, not much time to adjust to it all, ya know.

Thankfully, Cintas is an awesome company, and they are willing to push Ben's start date back so we can have the baby here and get things in order. Hooray!

We will most likely be moving to Utah the first week in July. Ironically, the week our lease is up here in Colorado Springs. Interesting.
If not the first week in July, it will be the beginning of September. We should find out for sure later on today or tomorrow. I am pacing the floors, to say the least.

So there you have it.

We are moving to Utah, and we are moving soon. Very soon.

We have absolutely 100% no doubt that the Lord needs us in Utah, and we need to be there now. The Lord does care where we live. He does care when we live there, and he has had his hand in all of this. He has led us the entire way. We don't doubt it.
It is ripping our hearts out to think of leaving our beloved Colorado Springs, but I know we will be happy there. We would never, ever leave Colorado Springs, unless we were absolutely certain that it was the Lord's will. And we are certain. It is hard, but we know the Lord would not send us somewhere we cannot handle. We will find our new Zion.

We cannot deny the promptings or the revelation that have been so incredibly powerful. The timing has been unbelievable (not to mention VERY fast)! I credit nothing to coincidence.

So, off we go. We are going to be very busy from here on out. We need to find a house, pack, have a baby, cram in everything we love to do here, for one last time, and start prying our hearts away from Colorado and sticking them in Utah.

Here we go.

When Toe Meets Chair

Gotta love it when you are 8 months pregnant and you can't see anything on the floor in front of you.


Of course, the pictures are blurry and don't show the dark shades of black, red and purple. And the majority of the color and swelling are under my toe and on the side, but you get the idea.

Never underestimate the power of the pinkie toe. When broken (and yes, I heard the bone snap), the pain can be unbelievable! Pain, lots of pain.

Short and Sweet

My mind is still buzzing from the trip, I am VERY tired, and there is a lot going on, but I thought I should hurry up and give a quick summary of our trip. It was short and sweet, but it was good.

The kids were AWESOME in the car! Seriously, it was such a blessing. Mary started to perk up a few days into the trip. She did so well considering how sick she was. She is a good sport. She is still weak, but basically back to her old self again.

We went to the Discovery Museum in Salt Lake City. It was pretty cool. The kids had a great time.

Ben did his Cintas thing and had his work meetings while the kids and I chilled with some friends.

We had our first In N'Out milkshakes since we moved from California. Heavenly!

We visited my family. It is always great to see family.

My sister was in the Jr. Miss pageant and did great! It was so fun to watch!
She was 2nd runner up out of 26 girls, and she won the fitness portion, which was so crazy hard it wasn't even funny.
GO KELSEY!!!! She looked gorgeous in her gown and she aced her interview. I have a very cool sister.

Easter was fun. The Easter bunny was pretty silly and hid the eggs all over the place. He even left some cool gifts for the kids. We all ate too much candy. We all enjoyed spending Easter morning with my family.

Conference was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to get the Ensign and read everything and soak it all in again.

My brother (who was supposed to ride with us from Utah to Pocatello) ended up being in a car with 3 other guys when the gun one of the guys was holding went off. The bullet blasted through the kids hand, went through the drivers arm and then shattered the window of the car on its way out. My brother and his buddy had to administer first aid until the ambulance got there. Both boys had surgery and are recovering well. We are glad that no one else was injured or killed. They made it into the Utah news and newspaper.

We got home very late last night and got to bed even later. The kids, yet again, were really good in the car.

That's about it. It's good to be home safe and sound.