Change

**Warning**: This blog is my way of journaling our happenings as a family. So, as a part of this journaling, I have to add in things that aren't always fun, silly and exciting. If I've lost you, please feel free to exit now.

Change....isn't that something we've heard alot about in the recent months?? Well, today, we've experienced a little change ourselves.

On September 11, 2001 (Yes, that's THE September 11), Kim began working at Phone Directories Company. He was brand new to the world of advertising and sales. I am proud to admit that he was great at it from the very start. He's got the ease and confidence needed to make people feel comfortable and he knows his advertising stuff. He was made 'salesman of the week', 'salesman of the month', and brought home several national awards those first few years. Our income flourished, we felt comfortable. We've bought 2 homes, a couple new cars, and put our first kid through braces. A few years ago, the company was bought out by some bigwigs from Canada. Policies changed, management changed, and Kim's work experience was made to be a little more difficult. The company changed names several times, but through all of this 'change', Kim had great clients who trusted him. All of this brings us up to this last year.

More 'change'. Let's face it...the economy sucks. Being 100% sales commission has been rough on us. We've taken a huge pay cut this last year. Still, we've felt blessed in many ways. At least we've HAD a job, right?? At the beginning of this year, due to change in management (again), and due to all the hoops and shenanigans that Kim had to go through to collect on commissions, he decided to hire himself out as an independent contractor (meaning SELF-EMPLOYED) and went to work as an ad rep with Valpak. Since January, he's been working 2 jobs. He's felt strained and pulled as he's tried and tried to collect commissions from the old job - money that he's already earned, but that has been tied up in paperwork and collections for MONTHS. But, most of all, he's held onto that old job because they paid our benefits. Full medical, dental, eye.

Today, more 'change'. We're down to one job. They've known that Kim was trying to work both sales jobs, but seemed uncaring about how hard he's had to work in order to collect any money from their clients. They told him this morning to quit the other job, or take a hike.

We're hiking....

Today, I've spent the better part of the day worrying, crying, and worrying some more. Don't get me wrong...we knew this was coming. It was inevitable. But now, our family is faced with 'change'...the kind I don't like. The hard kind.

How in the world are we going to afford to add health insurance into our already tight budget?? Why am I going to have to worry about paying for doctors visits, prescriptions, dentist appointments? Am I going to have to quit my job as a stay-at-home mom and go out into the workforce AND manage my family AND try and serve in my church calling? How is all of this going to work??

And then, I came upon this. (If you're not too computer savvy, click on the word 'this' and you will be able to see my link)

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland reminds me: "Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon. Some blessings come late. And, some don't come until heaven. But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be alright in the end. Trust in God and believe in good things to come."

We have to trust in this message. We have to trust in our beliefs, our faith, and our knowledge of the truth. We have to trust that as we do our best to live a good and righteous life that there are many, many good things to come.

Hint, Hint

My Dearest Husband, (originally sent via email...)

I'm dropping you a 'not-so-subtle' hint for my birthday this year. It's 12 days away....start thinking about it RIGHT NOW! I realize you're busy, and that after 14+ years of knowing me, you still have a hard time shopping for me. So, I've decided to give you a list...that way, you're happy that you don't have to think of things on your own, and also, I'm happy...you thoughtfully are giving me exactly what I will love.

Requests for my B-day:
#1 - Dinner and a movie - no kids. Friends can be included, but NOT invited to OUR house for cake. I don't want to worry about cleaning my house for company. This should be a standard rule for my b-days. If going to a dinner and movie is NOT possible all in the same night, then I will take a raincheck for the movie and we can attend another night without friends. (I'm stating this because we have friends who might possibly NOT splurge on a 'real' movie)
#2 - A cheesecake from Costco. If they have it, I would LOVE a key lime cheesecake. If not, I will gladly devour a cherry or strawberry.
#3 - Two matching chairs for the dining room table. We've already discussed this one and I think we're in agreeance. I would like to pick them out, however, and will gladly use my b-day $ from parents/grandparents to contribute towards the purchase. We can start looking as early as tonight, if you wish. I'm hoping to find something at RC Willey Clearance, but if that fails, I did see some really cute ones at TJ Maxx that I'd check out again.
#4 - The DVD version of 'Little Women' - the one with Winona Ryder and Claire Danes in it. You may have to ask Brenna about where to purchase it....I know I've seen it at Target and possibly Walmart, but it may require looking at the FYE store or Best Buy.
#5 - A card from YOU. Hopefully, professing your un-dying love for me. Maybe even including what a great mom I am and how you just couldn't get through life without me and my beautiful smile. I know that you may not possibly REALLY think these things, but it IS my birthday after all and you could just FAKE it, if you have to. I am in need of some ego-boosting, so carry on as much as you wish to.

I love you. Hopefully, my requests will not be too much to handle and hopefully, you will see the wisdom in me sending you this list. Or, you could just think I'm a brat...not sure which way it will go.

Toodles.
Me

Response: sent via email:

Dearest Wife,

I loved seeing you smile this morning when I asked you to to kiss my bruised lip. When I'm silly like that its just to see you smile. I love you. Thanks for the b-day hints. And thank you for realizing that I really do need them to be able to make my gifts more meaningful and practical. Love your bum and your cute smile.

Love, Husband

My Cup Runneth Over...

It seems that at the beginning of each summer, I look at our calendar and the DREAD begins....what in the world will I do with the kids to keep us busy all summer long?? At first glance, that calendar looks empty. But, as the days and weeks go by, the calendar FILLS up and we have no spare time to even relax! It's the beginning of August already and we've been so busy that I've had no time to blog our adventures. So, here's another really long post with a ton of pictures to document what's been keeping my cup running over....

#1: Baseball - it's occupied most of our summer - Jake played for FOUR different teams throughout the summer. He played for his regular team, the Titans, a city league team - the Rays, an All-star team - Orem All-Stars, and then filled in with another team for a tournament - Ultimate Sports. He's had a blast, Kim's had a blast coaching, and it really has kept Jake from being too bored this summer. And, best of all...it's over now!
#2: Smore's: While we were at Gma and Gpa Lueck's house this summer, smore's were our nightly treat. Sometimes we had dessert, then a couple of hours later we'd get someone to start a fire and we'd have the smores. So, when we got home, we had to break out the firepit and do it smore (some-more, get it?). We've had friends over, neighbors over, and any excuse of a holiday...Here are the kids with our friends that live across the street.

#3: Swimming lessons - Em and Nat took lessons again this past July. It was every morning for two weeks. They couldn't get enough of it and both of them advanced to the next level. Emily learned to dive and even did it off the diving board a few times. After lessons were over, we had to go and get Em's long locks trimmed. I say "trimmed", but really we cut 6 inches off the bottom because they were so fried from all the chlorine!

#4: Baseball - Did I already say that?? Well, I'm certain that I did, but just to emphasize it some more...Jake played ALOT of baseball this summer. Here he is with Kim posing in their baseball uniforms and Jake's 2nd place trophy. His All-Star team took 2nd in the District tournament this year. Aren't my boys handsome in those uniforms???

#5: Swimming - ALOT of swimming. We've been to the Scera Pool, the Lindon City pool, Cowabunga Bay, back to the city pool and many many hours in the sprinklers. It's pretty typical for me to have a 'farmers tan' - you know, when you lift your sleeves and you are stark white where your t-shirts have been?? I usually have a pretty good one going on - all those hours of watching baseball in the sun. Well, this year, I am proud to say that we've been in the pool so much, that I've NOT got one! We're all as brown as a nut around here and we've still got all of August to be out in the water. This picture is of a water park we went to with the kids a few weeks ago...Cowabunga Bay. We went with cousins and had a blast! The best part is that ALL the kids were old enough to just let loose (Nat armed in a life jacket, of course!)....while the moms sat back and read a book! Loved it!

#6: The Garden - We've had a plentiful harvest of beans already this year...we've eaten them multiple times a week for a few weeks now. The tomatoes are coming on quickly and we've harvested a few of them already along with some peppers. It's a full time job staying on top of all the weeds and we have a tiny garden!

#7 - Quilts - My peeps and I haven't seen each other almost all summer long (come on girls, lets get together!) but I've finally finished this quilt with matching runner. I actually finished the sewing in late May, but it sat and sat waiting for it's binding. A few weeks ago, I pulled it out and in a matter of a couple of hours had it done. Love it. I've got the material for a couple more and can't wait for a few spare hours (days, weeks) to get it started. I've found a new addiction and it's slowly taking over my office/scrapbooking space.

I think I've caught up now....

We've been busy, had lots of fun, and now I'm counting down the days until I can have some peace and quiet around here. I know the next few weeks will fly by - I am plotting out our calendar for school shopping and getting anxious for some structure with our days. 24 days and counting!!!

Cheap Entertainment, By Natalie Brooksby

Yes, we're cheap around here...but not THAT cheap!! We have been to the swimming pool 4 times in the last week as a family and EVERYDAY for 2 weeks for swimming lessons. She's getting plenty of time in the water. But, today, she had to try out her new goggles. And, since her mother couldn't spend ANOTHER day at the pool accomplishing nothing but a darker tan, she had to improvise. And to top it all off, she came out with clean hair!

Happy Summer, All!

Welcome to No Dak

I'm finally getting around to uploading all the pictures we took in North Dakota. I'm sure that you've all been anxiously waiting for them....and, I'm sorry to disappoint, but they're not all that great. I had all these intentions of spending a day just snapping pictures to share when I got home, but didn't get around to it. So, here are a few of my favorites that I did take. Enjoy the tour....As we crossed the border into North Dakota, the kids were patient enough to stop (one more time) and take a picture....after about 12-13 hours on the road, it was a welcome site. The kids were a little disappointed when I told them we still had 6-7 hours to Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Yes, I took this one while driving....I thought it kind of funny that as we crossed into ND this was my GPS picture the ENTIRE time we drove across the state. Occasionally, it would show a small body of water off to the side, but mostly, just the purple STRAIGHT line.

This is how we know we're close to Grandma's house....the OREO cows!! Their true name is a Belted Galloway cow, but around these parts, they're known as the Oreo cows. There is a pasture just a mile or two from town and they are peacefully grazing there, just minding their own business. The kids think they're pretty cool and almost positive that these cows are solely responsible for the cream in the Oreo cookie. I won't tell them, if you won't....

These are a staple on every farm - grain bins. They are everywhere. And, so are the GREEN, GREEN fields and the trees that line the acres and acres of open land. The trees are specifically planted to line the roads and are called shelterbelts. They are used to keep the soil from eroding away and keep the ice and snow to a minimum along the roadways.

Hay bales line the fields. I remember on my grandpa's farm, as a child, we used to jump across these. They still make me sneeze like crazy, but way back in those days, I didn't care if my eyes swelled shut - we jumped on them anyway!

Okay, now the truth comes out. Even though I grew up here in these miles and miles of green lush earth, I did NOT grow up on a farm. We lived in town - I walked to school (in mile high snow, barefoot, both ways...at least that's what I'm telling my kids) and though many of my friends lived on farms, I really don't know the first thing about farming. But, I do know that these fields of yellow-blooming something-or-other are BEAUTIFUL. If I had to make an educated guess, I would say that it's an alfalfa field....but, seeing I am/was a city girl, don't take my word on it. Whatever it is, I thought it was a pretty site.

We had a fabulous time....I'm sure that Grandma was not sorry to see us go, however. We disturbed her peace and quiet and destroyed her house. The kids played in the orchard, swam everyday, and blew over $120 at the local Dairy Queen. I enjoyed seeing my family, visiting with friends, and attending the All Class Reunion. Most of all, I enjoyed giving my kids a little piece of what I grew up with....a couple of weeks of slower life, good people, and good old fresh air. We miss it already....

I've updated our slide show at the top of the blog with pictures from our trip....please, stop by and have a look.

Top Ten's for ND

Top Ten Ways You Know You're in North Dakota

10. You've been driving for no less than 12 hours and you cross the state line (after you stop to take a picture of the "Welcome to North Dakota sign) and your GPS shows nothing but a STRAIGHT line for the next six hours. If you're lucky, you may see a little standing water off to the side of the road.

9. After driving approximately 3 more hours, you see the largest cow ever made off to the side of the road. Welcome to New Salem, North Dakota. You know you've been here a few times when your children no longer have any kind of reaction to the giant cow. And, if you don't have a clue about the giant cow, you have no business being here.

8. After the sun sets gently in the west, you now have to keep your eyes peeled in the distance for those dumb deer that think they own the highways around here.

7. You pull into a gas station at 11 pm and literally cannot see through the windshield becuase of all thebug guts. You have to spend an extra 15 minutes just cleaning your windshield.

6. After several days of being in North Dakota and being with your sisters all day, everyday, they are already showing signs that your children are driving them nuts. Admit it, Brenna. I know you're annoyed.

5. After several days of being in North Dakota, you don't care that your sisters are annoyed with your children and you leave them with your sisters anyway to adventure into the closest city with a Wal-mart. Walmart has never looked so good.....did I mention that we had to drive at least 45 min to get to that Walmart? Okay, it really was like 1 1/2 hours because my mom drives like an old lady...seriously, mom....you CAN drive the speed limit. It's allowed!

4. On the third consecutive day of being a return "North Dakotan" you catch yourself mid sentence saying "Yah, you betcha!" or "Don-cha know?" Tonight, I caught myself saying the "correct" pronunciation of "tacos"......"taaaahhhh-cos". It's all coming back to me now. Next thing you know, I'll be asking for a "bay-g" (bag) or a "soooo-da" (as in soda pop for you non-North Dakotans).

3. After a few days of being in ND, you think you've seen it all and then Mother Nature shows you what it's like to REALLY have a storm. Lightening, thunder, and hail the size of softballs. Maybe, if you're really lucky, you'll get a tornado warning!! (Seriously, the last few trips we've had here, we've had some rockin' storms!)

2. On your way over to the next largest town (Lisbon, where I grew up), you see white caps on the slough. You then have to explain the term "slough" to your sheltered brother-in-law who has no clue what a "slough" is. And, if you don't know what a "slough" is, you probably don't belong here....

1. And, the #1 way to know you're in North Dakota is.....drumroll, please..... you have a mosquito bite on every square inch of your body!!

**I have plans for a "Tour of North Dakota" for the month of July....please stay tuned for a photo post of all the lovely things that I do LOVE about being here. It's home....always has been, always will be. And, although I jest in fun, I do LOVE it here. There are going to be a bazillion things to show you, but, I can only get dressed and leave the house a few times while I am here. So, stay tuned. I'm sure you're just itchin' to see all there is to see about the great state of North Dakota.**

P.S. I am not being paid as a tourism guide from the state of North Dakota. However, I will entertain offers....

WWJD?

It's day ONE. Summer vacation.....oh, the dread that consumes my soul.... I honestly have anxiety just thinking about the LONG summer ahead. I know I am probably the ONLY soul who feels this way - any old June Cleaver would relish in the fact that her children were at her side - constantly, asking for snacks, food, rides, money for the stupid ice cream man, money for the pool, movies and trips to Maceys - All the while they are avoiding chores like the plauge. In fact, any old Mrs. June Cleaver would probably do their chores for them, while they enjoyed several hours of extra sleep, TV time and relaxation. And, she'd do it in a starched white apron with a smile. So, as we begin these few months of mother/children time, I find myself asking this question: What Would June Do??My guess is that behind the starched, white apron and the painted on smile, June Cleaver herself was a summer-hater. She probably was driven crazy by the Beaver and Wally and had a few not-so-nice words about cooking dinner in the roasting hot house. She probably ached for the quiet house that September brings and quietly anticipated those hours she could sit and watch soap operas and eat Bon Bons. So, as I ask myself WWJD, I know the answer....

If she were not a fictional character in TV land, she would let the house fall apart, make dinner in the crockpot or on the grill, give her kids a chore list EVERYDAY! She'd spend time at the pool, read a few books, take a vacation, ride her cruiser bike, sleep in a little, and for heaven's sake....DITCH the starched white apron. Flip flops and ponytails ROCK, Mrs. Cleaver!!

Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls: I will try, try, try to enjoy the summer with my kids. I will try not to lose my patience more than once a day (or twice, if they really deserve it!). I will try to enjoy the squeals from the backyard as they jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler under it. I will try to ignore the sticky mess that the lemonade stands make in the driveway and the ants that come along with it. I will clean up hundreds of Otter Pop wrappers and listen to Kim yell at the kids for dripping them everywhere. I will try to have patience as I play taxi driver, entertainer, and referee. And, I do assure you that I will be counting the days until school starts again. 85 and counting....