Josh and Carri

Happy Birthday Lil' Sis!

2011-01-19T12:29:00.001-08:00

Happy 25th Birthday to my little sister Courtney! Where has the time gone?!

State Bound

2010-11-09T19:08:00.001-08:00

Heading to state with team tomorrow... four years in a row...taking on the #1 ranked team in the state first...it's going to be quite the game! We are however, the only team ever this season to take a game off of them in a tournament last month. Hoping our 6'2'' middle hitter will be healthy enough to play since she sprained her foot last thursday and has strep throat. We have had a few battles and tough circumstances to get through, but we are ready to give everything we've got over the next few days. I hope the girls can get out there and play well and bring home some hardware (top 8). Go Storm!!

Surgery was a success!

2010-10-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who were praying for me! The surgery couldn't have gone any better! Good news...I had stage 3 endometriosis and the doctor was able to get rid of it all! He even sent me home with the video of the surgery so I could see everything he did. I saw my uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, liver, gallbladder and my heart beating through a wall. It is a pretty cool DVD. Now the doctor thinks we can get pregnant naturally!! I am so relieved and excited and have a renewed hope! Right now I am doing pretty good. Very sore in my abdomen but getting a little better each day, which is good since I need to go back to work tomorrow. More exciting news...my volleyball team won their game last thursday to solidify 1st place in league. I am so proud of them and have had such a great group of girls! Only two games left and the season will be over for my team. Then off to help with the varsity. In other news, keep praying for me as I am learning to teach a class of high schoolers who are very unmotivated and rude. Pray that I can get a hold of them and entice them in some way to take class seriously. And for my sanity as well! Thanks so much!!!

Lot's going on!

2010-10-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, my first day for teaching is on wednesday and my surgery has been moved up to friday! So many big things happening right now!! Please pray for me this week as I take on some big adventures :)

Job Interview

2010-10-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

I have an interview tomorrow with a local high school for a part-time teaching job! Please keep me in your prayers!! Very excited and very nervous! Thanks!!

Fertility update

2010-10-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Good news. My endometriosis surgery has been scheduled for October 29th! It will be an outpatient laparoscopy surgery, which should be a piece of cake! I am really looking forward to getting this done and finding out whether endometriosis has been the reason for our infertility. So please pray that it all goes well and that I have endometriosis since it is an easy fix these days...yes I said to please pray that I HAVE endometriosis. Did you ever think you would hear someone praying for that?! Thank you all for your support!

Volleyball update

2010-10-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

We are a little more than half way through our season already. And so far it has been a very successful season for the Storm. My JV squad is undefeated (7-0) and the varsity is 6-1 and still first in the league. They are also ranked 7th in the state right now; hopefully as they continue to play well they will continue to move up the rankings. We should have another trip to the state tourney this year (fingers crossed)! I am really enjoying my team this year! They are a bunch of fabulous, talented and sweet girls. Only one more month to go!

I think I am also going to go ahead and coach club this year... to be continued.

This is a shot with the varsity squad

Had to get some shots of the girls who brought their snuggies to the team sleepover

Before a team dinner at Red Robin

The rest are shots we took while out on a team bonding trip to the river. The pictures were taken by a mom of one of my girls who is a professional sports photographer. She took a ton of pics, but here a few.

Happy Birthday Susan!

2010-08-26T20:15:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my best friend from California!! Here are a few shots down memory lane...

Love ya girl!

Tryouts and Cuts

2010-08-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Tryouts 2010 for Skyview Volleyball is in the books! Just finished day three of tryouts with 54 girls and only 35 spots. This is one of my least favorite parts of volleyball! Seeing girls cry or upset because you just crushed their dreams is not a pleasant experience. Glad it is over and ready to get moving forward with my team.

This year I decided to take 11 girls instead of 10, made up of 7 sophomores (3 returners) and 4 freshmen. We just had such a talented freshmen class this year that I needed to take more girls than I usually like to. I think they are going to be a great group of girls to coach and get to know and I am really excited to see how the season pans out! Should be good!

Josh has finally picked the name of his blog so he should be writing his first blog here pretty quick! If you would like you can follow his blog at http://www.jwalkingtheblog.blogspot.com.

Grad school starts tomorrow! Still looking forward to that as well however we will see how positive those comments stay over the next couple of months :)

Smith Summer Celebrations

2010-08-22T15:11:00.001-07:00

Some pics from the fourth of july, nieces and nephews birthdays and family BBQ.

10 on 10

2010-08-11T23:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it is one day late....I have been wanting to do the '10 on 10' posts ever since my friend Susan started them, however, the 10th comes and 10th goes by without me remembering to document my day. Better late than never some might say!! Maybe next month I will get it done on time!

My day started off with doing some P90X yoga. I only got through about a half hour of it today (it's usually 1 1/2 hours). It seemed so hard and exhausting that I just couldn't finish it today.

Next I went through our DVD's and reorganized them. I admit, I like them organized by their letter. Crazy I know! It's just one of those silly things about me. Organization makes me happy! They don't always stay this way of course so I reorganize them about twice a year.

I have decided to do a garage sale so I have been going around the house looking for things that should go and have started a nice collection on my dining room table. Can't wait to get rid of all this stuff!

Thought I should take a picture of what Ellie's day usually consists of: basking in the sun. If only we could all be so lucky!

Next thing on my agenda was to stop by Skyview HS (where I coach) and get some stuff done since volleyball starts in less than two weeks.

After that I got to watch my two little (not so little anymore) buddies that I used to nanny. Jacob and Daniel. It was their parents 15th anniversary so the boys got to hang with me for the night. We had a blast playing baseball, nerf tag, computer games, etc. It was so great to see them since it had been awhile since we were together. I miss them a lot!

Daniel had soccer practice

We had the Blind Onion for dinner. Yummy!

The boys wanted to show me some of their new school clothes. They decided to be goofy and gangsta like for the camera.

And to finish my day like I always like to...a warm bubble bath and a book. The best way to top off a busy day...ahhhh. Good night!

Rock Wedding

2010-08-10T11:08:00.001-07:00

Only two weeks left until volleyball starts!!! I can't believe how fast this summer has flown! I am excited and looking forward to it though. I have applied for three jobs in the vancouver school district, two clerk jobs at elementary schools and one paraeducator job. Please pray that one of these jobs will come through for me. It would be a great way to get my foot in the door while getting my masters done.

Last Friday, my mom, grandparents and I went to the Clark County fair. We had a great time! Lots of exhibition stands, animals, food....and then 7pm hit and so did the food poisoning. I was so sick all night long. An unfortunate end to a good time at the fair. Glad that is over!

Here is the latest wedding josh officiated. It was a beautiful day for a wedding! Just blue sky, white puffy clouds and the perfect temperature. It was held at the Fairgate Inn in Camas, WA which was great little spot for a wedding. Here are a few picks from the evening.

Beginnings and Ends

2010-08-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

And it was over as quickly as it started...my new nanny job that I recently blogged about has unfortunately come to an end. The mom was laid off from her pharmaceutical sales rep position so they had to let me go until she finds another job. The good thing is they definitely want me back once she finds a job if I haven't found another one by then. So we will see what happens there! You never can tell in this economy.

On a happier note, last weekend Josh officiated his 22nd wedding for one of our really great friends Chuck and Melissa. It was a fairytale wedding in the backyard of her parents house. It was classy, romantic, whimsical, edgy...very much like a modern "Father of the bride" type of occasion. Which you will see from some of the pics below. Josh did an awesome job!! And is now preparing for the next wedding he is doing in two days. It has been a busy wedding season for him this year.

So family reunion tomorrow and a wedding on sunday and then finally our weekends will start slowing down! Looking forward to it!

Busy Bee

2010-07-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

July certainly has flown by! Probably because we have been so busy not just on the weekdays, but our weekends too! This past weekend was the first of our four weddings to come in the next four weekends. It was a beautiful wedding for a great couple. Josh did not officiate this wedding so it was nice to sit back and relax and enjoy the occasion as guests. The reception was great with a yummy ceasar salad and steak dinner. And of course the cake was great thanks to the fondant. I love fondant!! It must be becuase of all the cake shows I watch like Cake Boss, Amazing wedding cakes, cupcake wars, etc. I love to watch them create such beautiful desserts and I have always been amazed at how great the fondant is. And it probably doesn't hurt that it is practically pure sugar :) My new nanny job has been going great! I really like the family and the boys are great! I have been taking Calvin out about twice a week to do fun things like library story time, movies, parks, etc. The pictures below are of him enjoying some of those times. We are in the middle of potty training Calvin and it has been amazing at how quickly he has been catching on!

He loves trains!!!

One of the next places we will be going!

This past weekend was a busy one! Friday night we had Josh's 20 year high school reunion (which I got no pics of unfortunately) and I had a friends bridal shower that night as well, so I split my time between the two. Saturday I had my zumba class and then the reunion picnic for josh and then the first wedding saturday night. This is pretty much how my next few weekends will be. Before I know it I will be starting volleyball again!

My friend Chey and I enjoying the bridal shower

The beautiful bride Melissa! Josh will be doing her and Chuck's wedding this weekend. We are really looking forward to it! And then she will be moving up north to Seattle where Chuck lives.

:( I will miss her terribly! At least it is only a couple hours away.

Josh surprised me a couple of weeks ago and bought me P90X Workout DVD's. They are awesome and have really been kicking my booty. If you have never heard of them there is about 12 different discs/workouts you can do. It is a program made for those who are already fit and who want to be more extreme. Josh has done a few of them with me which is so much more fun than doing them by myself. He has the funniest commentary through them all and of course it is fun to watch him try certain things. We did the yoga DVD the other night and we both about passed out! I thought yoga was supposed to be relaxing and a time where you become centered....not this yoga. We were so sore the next day! And the Ab Ripper DVD...only 16 minutes of different ab workouts...but it was the sweatiest I ever got doing ab stuff. Now if only I would do them everyday!

Other good news...I was accepted into my grad program this week! I am offically a Wildcat! So now onto getting financial aid and all that fun stuff done so hopefully if all that works out I will be starting my first classes this fall! I am actually looking forward to it!....ask me that again when I am writing papers come fall!

New Beginnings

2010-07-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I started a new part-time job since my hours had been cut to part-time at the office. I am now watching two little boys, Calvin who is turning 3 next month and Wilson who is 3 months. They are so adorable and really fun to watch. It has been a good change of scenery, 3 days with the boys and two days at the office. A good balance between two very different worlds.

Wilson

Calvin

I am also going back to school to get my masters of science in family consumer science education and teaching certification so I can teach in high school. I can do it all online (except for the student teaching part) and it is a two year program. I am hoping to get it all figured out and hoping to start this fall. Crossing my fingers...So we will see!

Also, if you are interested, my hubby is starting his own blog! I'm excited because he is a really good writer so keep an eye out for his blog and follow along!

Volleyball camps for the next two weeks plus normal work will keep me busy for the next couple of weeks and in a couple of weeks we will have 4 weddings in 4 weeks and Josh is officiating 3 of them so summer will continue to be busy! Have a great week everyone!

It's alive!!!

2010-07-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hi There! Remember me? Yes, I am still breathing...just not blogging! It has been at least three months since my last blog!! Where does the time go? Unfortunately, when life gets real busy it seems that blogging is the first to go for me. I am so far behind that I feel it would take too long to update you all on everything so here is a few highlights:

In April - I headed down to South Carolina to be in my friend Lesley's wedding. It was really great to see her and one of my other friends monica from college! It was just like old times! It was a beautiful wedding and I really enjoyed experiencing a new state!

Me, Monica, Lesley

The happy couple!

A few us ready to go!

What a beautiful bride!

Rehearsal - Yes, she rode in on a white horse!

The plantation where the wedding was held

Monica and her little family (minus two other children)

May - We took Ellie to the beach for the first time. She loved it! Except she would not get in the water. I know sounds kind of crazy that a dog wouldn't get in water, but she hates water. But she loved running in the sand and chasing the birds and meeting other dogs. It was a fun day!

We also celebrated our 7th year anniversary on May 24th...time flies too fast!!

June - Josh needed to take a quick weekend trip to Cali for work so I decided to go down with him to see some family and I was able to spend an afternoon with my best friend susan and her two adorable kids JJ and Ellie.

July - The fourth of July was nice and relaxing. We just hung out with some of Josh's family and took it easy.

Zachary and Gabriella having a great time!

Yummy roasted marshmallows

Bald Eagle desserts I made for the kids...they were a hit!

My mother-in-law and Benson

Ellie checking out all the fireworks

Fun filled weekend!

2010-03-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a great weekend! The only thing missing was my husband who was up north all weekend for work. What's a girl to do when she has a weekend to herself? Live it up! J/K :)

To start my weekend off I went shopping with my sister Christi to look for some shoes for the wedding I am going to be in next month. We had a wonderful time and bought way more than planned (isn't that how it always works?!). We stopped in at the Cheesecake factory since Christi had never eaten there ( I know I know, she has been deprived) and bought some Cheesecake to go! Now you might be thinking what about your sugar free diet? No worries! They had a sugar free cheesecake! And it was good! Maybe not as good as some of the other flavors made with real sugar, but definitely good for being sugar free!

Saturday I slept in until 11am, haven't slept that late in a long time! It was wonderful! It was a beautiful day so I layed out in the sun, did some laundry, cleaned out my bathroom drawers (I love organization!) and took Ellie for a run. Later that night was my friend Melissa's birthday party at the Candy Ultra Lounge in Portland. So I stagged it ...what' s a girl have to do to get a date around here? All my options never called back or couldn't make it! I still had a good time! It was a pretty sweet place!

Getting our groove on :)

Melissa and I

Chuck and Melissa

The birthday girl!

Sunday, slept until 11am again (on my defense I was out really late again), cleaned the house, went to an open gym for volleyball from 3-5pm, watched my friends basketball game at 7pm and hung out with two boys I used to nanny (love them!), went and suprised Melissa with a birthday present and then stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few items. Got home around 9:30pm just in time to spend a couple hours with my hubby before the work week starts all over again!

May seem busy but I had a great weekend...how was yours?

Shamrock Run 2010 and Day 15 with no sugar

2010-03-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend, as well as many to come, was busy! Josh and I are currently on day 15 with no sugary treats, etc and I can honestly say I am doing fine but REALLY miss eating yummy goodies after meals. This weekend was one of the big tests when celebrating birthdays will Josh's family. No apple crisp, no cookie bars, no ice cream and no oatmeal cake for us! They all sure looked good! Poor Josh...I don't know how many times he gave me his sad puppy dog eyes :) We have started to consume some sugar free treats like pudding and jello. The jello is fine but last night I cut up a banana and drizzled some sugar free caramel on top and it was delicious! I will still try to stay away from sugar free stuff as much as possible because I really don't think the fake sugar in some of the sugar free products is very good for you. Physically I still haven't lost as much weight as I thought I would, but I can tell that I am losing fat by the way my skin looks, body looks tighter, clothes are looser, etc. and I have more energy for sure.

At the end of the month our company, Primerica Financial Services, is sending us to Chateau Elan Winery and Resort in the North mountains of Georgia for a "millionaire's in training" weekend since we have been newly promoted to Regional Vice Presidents in the company. We are really excited and really looking forward to it so Josh wants us to take that time off from our sugar free diet since we will be wined and dined. So I gave in and said that we could take those 3-4 days off if they give us dessert. I feel guilty already! But he is right, you only live once and these trips only come every once in awhile... so what is three days?!

Also this weekend I ran the 5k leg in the Shamrock run in downtown portland. It was a beautiful day but still a little chilly at 8AM in the morning. It started down at the waterfront and then went through downtown. I ran it with my newly engaged friends Chuck and Melissa! We had a lot of fun and I was so proud of myself because I didn't stop once through all three miles and my time was under 30 minutes! That is really good for me because I am not a runner nor do I love to do it but I find these races to be a good time! There were over 20,000 people down there so it was a madhouse! But it was a lot of fun running through downtown portland and seeing the sites! I hope to do this race every year!

Chuck, Melissa and I after the race

Chuck is a happy man! Race is done, free beer in hand and kiss from his girl!

Melissa and I waiting for the crowd to thin so we could begin.

Lots of people there!

Melissa and I before the race

Chuck and Melissa before the race

Running....

and running...

Busy week ahead! My dad is having surgery on his wrist on tuesday so please include him in your prayers. It should be a quick and easy surgery to repair an injury he recently had at work. Other than that I hope you all are well and enjoy the last week of winter (although it already feels like spring here!).

Day 7 is in the books!

2010-03-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

Day 7 of being sugar free is just about wrapped up! One full week, I am sure the first one, of my life without desserts, candies, sugar, etc. Now some people have been saying you can't completely eliminate all sugar from your diet and they are right. I am just focusing on all things that have sugar in the top three ingredients or any kind of dessert or treat.

Surprisingly it has not been as difficult as I thought it would be. Most people thought the first few days would be the hardest and that I would probably get some symptoms like headaches and such. But I found those days to be quite easy with no symptoms that I could tell of. Although I am still feeling great about the whole thing, I think it is getting a little harder now. I think about wanting sweets a little more than I did in the beginning. My mind is a powerful thing! It was so easy in the beginning because I made up my mind 100% with no falter that I was going to do this. I still feel that way, I am just finding little things creeping in trying to deter me. For example, my mother-in-law offering me some yummy lemon cookies that she made the other day. Friends wanting to go and hang out at "The Spotted Cow" which has excellent ice cream, commercials, etc. It has been easy at home because there is nothing here to help me cave into my wants. The outside world however does not seem to care when you are trying to change certain habits. So I think i will just stay home for the next 33 days :) Just kidding.

So all in all, we are still going strong...some minutes stronger than others. I have lost a few pounds and seem to have more energy than normal. Other than that I don't see any other differences yet. Josh says that he misses ice cream, but other than that he is fine. So we will continue on our little journey day by day. Ciao!

First 24 hours

2010-03-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

So far so good...of course it has only been 24 hours. Amazingly enough, I haven't craved any sugar yet. Again it has only been 24 hours. No other side effects to talk about yet except I have just been hungrier since I have not been eating as big of portions as I usually do. I lost two pounds yesterday which is great. I do not weight myself everyday and I will not start to do that. I like to periodically weight myself just to see where I'm at. My little sister says she is going to try it to so we will see what happens with her. Josh has done well so far too. Well, only 936 hours to go! :)

40 days sugar free

2010-03-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

Sugar. A five letter word that seems to creep into my eating habits everyday. Enough! I don't need you to be happy or satisfied! The only sugar I need is the sweet kisses from my hubby. I am ready to challenge myself by going sugar free for forty days. This will be a challenge for me since this culprit seems to be my weakness in healthy eating. For the most part I see myself as pretty healthy eater and I am becoming better at it everyday. Nutrition is important to me! Heck, it was part of my major in school. I want to feel better and look better. Unfortunately I have gained 20 pounds since getting married and I am not very happy about it. Back then I was so active that it didnt' really matter what I ate. But as all of us adults have learned once you grow up and enter the work force and get more responsibilities, our activity begins to lack. I still work out 2-3 times a week, but before I worked out 6-7 times a week. See the difference? No difference in my eating amounts though, hence 20 new pounds!

Besides trying to lose a few pounds (I am in a wedding in April) I just know how bad sugar is for you. I want more energy and clearer skin! So here is a challenge...a science project if you will, to see if cutting out sugar for forty days does make a difference. No more pies, desserts, ice cream, sodas, pop tarts, candy etc. anything that is made mostly of sugar. I will not eliminate fruits because they are healthy for you. Thankfully Josh is doing this with me so I shouldn't be tempted at all (or a lot since I know he will be whining periodically). Besides no sugar, we have decided to not eat after 7pm and no white carbs at dinner time. Only whole grains. We are pretty excited about this...ask us how we feel in about a week :) The hardest time will probably come at Easter. My mom still makes me an easter basket and I will have to wait on the easter candy until my forty days are up.

I will periodically update you on how I am doing and feeling. If you want to join in you are more than welcome, if not you can just get some entertainment via my insanity!

Infertility Update

2010-02-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to update some of you about the infertility situation that seems to exist in our lives. We have found a new fertility doctor to go to and have a very good feeling about him. His name is Dr. Stoelk (A.K.A Dr. Stork) and he has his own practice in Portland. Being the only doctor out of it, it is quite different than the last clinic we used where there were 6 doctors and many, many patients. Dr. Stoelk is much more personal and thorough. A high school classmate I ran into at my ten-year HS reunion this last summer recommended him to me. She successfully got pregnant with him and had high remarks for him. Funny thing…come to find out he is the same doctor that performed my sister-in-laws endometriosis surgery 18 years ago. Now she has three kids. It’s a small world! We had a first appointment recently with him so he could get familiar with our background then he decided he needed to first knock out whether or not there is a sperm issue. So josh did a new test that was recommended. If the results came back poorly then the doc said probably our best bet would be to do In-Vitro again. If it came back good then it is very likely that I have endometriosis and would need surgery to correct it. Why the last three years of trying to figure out why things weren’t happening normally, other doctors didn’t think to check me for endometriosis before now, I will never now or want to think about. Endometriosis is one of the (if not the most) common reasons some women don’t conceive and it is so easy to fix these days. I did learn however that the only way to find out if you really have it is to do the surgery. I am glad I brought the subject up to be tested for it. Lesson learned, be proactive and always get a second opinion!

We got the results back today and they were normal! I was actually praying they would because to think about going through in-vitro again seems unbearable where as putting me under and cutting into me I’m all for. :) If I do have endometriosis and I get it fixed with surgery then we should be able to conceive naturally! That blows my mind! After almost five years of trying to get pregnant with no success that notion starts to seem impossible. What a relief it will be if endometriosis is the only problem. Some might think that sounds crazy, but with what we (I) have been through, that seems like a piece of cake!

Prayer requests:
1. Please pray for our finances. When things are already tough in this economy we need to think about these extra costs. This surgery as well as every test and visit is very expensive and we are having to pay out of our pocket since we don’t have health insurance (way too expensive for self-employed people – not that it covers infertility anyways– that’s another story).
2. Pray that this surgery, when I am able to get it done, goes successfully and fixes whatever needs to be fixed.
3. Please pray for Dr. Stoelk. May God guide him in surgeries and give him the knowledge to help us.
4. Please pray for our strength, emotions, and especially for hope to continue to flourish in our hearts and exceed any of the doubts or nerves.

Well that was a quick recap of what’s going on with that. I will keep you up-to-date when I know more or when I get the surgery scheduled.

Christmas is here!

2009-12-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

Well we finally went and got our Christmas tree last week in 19 degree temperatures and finished all the other decorating. This year for some reason I wasn't as motivated to get it done right after thanksgiving, but I am glad it is up now. I always end up picking out a tree that is way too big, it just doesn't seem to look that big next to all the other trees until you bring it home and try to put it in it's spot. Oh well, it still is a pretty one! Ellie went with us to pick one out this year and she loved it. Except she was cold and I forgot to bring her cute little pink coat. Bad momma! ( Just to clear things up: I would not have forgotten had she been a real child). I am just about finished with my christmas shopping which is a good thing since my wallet can't take much more! This weekend we are supposed to go up to Seattle to visit with some family, however the forecasters are calling for either snow or freezing rain so that should make the trip up there real fun! Winter is here! The last 7 or more days it hasn't gotten warmer than freezing and some nights it has gotten down to 7 degrees. Single digits!! It never gets that cold here. It has felt like Chicago! But it has been sunny and so beautiful! I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

Josh cutting down a tree for his parents

One of our 7 degrees mornings at sunrise.

(Fall)ing Behind

2009-12-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been horibble at keeping this up-to-date. Here is a quick recap of some things that have happened this fall:

Volleyball

My season has finally come to end and I am sad to say that it is over. Even though I challenged myself with a very young team for JV level, 6 freshman and 4 sophomores, I had a ton of fun with them and I am very proud for what they accomplished. We took 1st place in league with only one loss. Not bad for such a young group. Excited to see how they do next year since I will be getting a lot of them back as sophomores.

My JV Team 2009

The varsity team has finished as well with another successful year. League, District and B-District Champs as well as another trip to the 4A State Tourney. We took 9th this year in state, which was unfortunately lower than hoped or expected since we were ranked between 3rd and 5th all year, but have to be happy that we made it back to state! We are only losing two seniors so they should be strong again next year and hopefully get another chance to place higher.

Varsity 2009 at State

State Tournament at the Toyota Center

The Team with the Coaches at State

Now I am looking forward to playing women's league this winter with some of my friends! Let's hope I don't hurt myself :)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great! We had thanksgiving at our house with my family and at Josh's parents house with his family the following saturday. The morning of thanksgiving I ran the 5K Turkey Trot with my friend Melissa. I decided to do this with her a week before and thought what the heck, then I won't have to worry so much about what I eat that day. A 5K is 3.1 miles, not far for some, but I am really not a runner so it was far enough for me. I finished in 31 minutes and 40 seconds. Not too bad for no training. It poured the whole time of course, but what do you expect in the Pacific NW. It was really cool to be involved with something like that and to help raise money for a cause. Right after that I raced home to get Thanksgiving dinner ready for my family, ended up playing games with my siblings until 2:30 AM and then got up at 3:30 AM for our traditional girls day out on Black Friday shopping (14 hours straight of shopping!). Then came home that night to visit with Josh's family until 11:30PM. And then the next day had the Smith Thanksgiving. Although by the end of thanksgiving weekend I was exhausted, I was glad I did it all!

My friend Melissa and I after the Turkey Trot Race

My Thansgiving Table before I expanded it

Work

Work has also been a little crazy. Very up and down, sometimes good months, sometimes bad months. Not where we would like it to be like most of America right now. But thank God we still have a job! Josh has made a big decision to open up his own office in the Seattle area January 1st. We are not moving (yet anyways), he will be staying up there a couple of days a week to work and then coming back down and working in his dad's office a couple of days a week until he gets his team built big enough to support him totally. I will be staying in vancouver to work at his dad's office until we build our office big enough to move me up there. It is a leap of faith right now in this economy, but we have a couple that is on our team that just moved to Seattle with a big market up there so we feel our chances of starting our own office is greater with them up there. We will see what happens. Please pray for favor up there with finding a reasonable office space and favor with recruiting a great team ready to help people financially.

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Top Ten Thursday

2009-11-05T11:17:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of Halloween todays top ten thursday is Candy. However I am not sticking to just halloween candy, I am doing it all! Top Ten Candy:

1. Caramello - Love love love chocolate and gooey caramel together. This is one of the best of that combination.

2. See's Candy Scotch Kiss - These are absolutely divine in my book. If you don't like marshamllow, you will not like these. This creation of marshmallow wrapped in soft caramel is a weakness to me. I would never turn one down! Only 42 calories and 4 g of sugar in one, totally worth it ;)

3. Cadbury eggs - I know I know, it's an easter candy and we just got done with Halloween, but I could have these all year long. Wish they sold them that way, actually it is probably better that they didn't sell these all year long. If you have never tried them, you should!

4. Cadbury Mini eggs - I found these delightful candies just a few years ago, thanks to my sister, and boy have I been missing out on a lot of years! They are fabulous! Crunchy sugar shell with chocolate inside.

5. Cookies n Cream Candy bar - I really like white chocolate and this is my favorite candy bar with it. It is very creamy and very sweet. A few bites at a time will suffice, so this candy bar will actually last me a whole day instead of like a half hour like some other treats :)

6. Marshmallow creme pumpkins - Now here is my favorite halloween candy. I buy them everytime at Halloween and get to enjoy every single one of them because Josh detests them. And like my friend Susan has said before they taste way better than candy corn even though they are pretty much made of the same stuff! In fact I happen to have some in my candy jar at work...I think I'll have one!

7. (Sees Candy) Milk Chocolate Bordeux -See's Milk Chocolate Bordeaux is a heavenly blend of brown sugar and buttercream covered in smooth, milk chocolate. This is a tradition candy in my family. Everyone always gets them in their Christmas stocking. Luckily, these are sold year round so I don't have to wait for christmas if I dont want to.

8. Peeps - Another easter candy! I think Easter might be right up there with my favorite time of year for treats. I love peeps, sugar crystals on marshmallow, what could be better. My husband can't stand these little creatures, but I love them. Another tradition in my family...always get them in our easter basket and yes I maybe 28, but I still get an easter basket from my mom! Thanks mom!

9. I couldn't think of any more, so I am leaving the last two for my hubby. You only give him two spots? Well, yes, I am the candy freak in the family. He is not a huge fan, except for two. The first one is Twix. Funny, he hates caramel yet he loves Twix bars which have caramel in them. Go figure! Also funny that I love caramel, but don't really care for twix.

10. And the second candy bar Josh loves is a Kit kat.

And that wraps up our top ten candies!

Grandma and Cedar Creek Grist Mill

2009-10-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

My Grandma (Mimi Anita) came up from California to stay with us for three weeks. Her original reason for coming was for the cruise we were going to take her on. However, she ended up doing a whole lot more while here. My mom ran her ragged and I am sure she is going to need a vacation from this vacation. She went on a cruise, went to some outlet malls, watched one of my games, went to the Women of Faith Conference in Portland and many other little day trips. The day before my grandma had to fly back to California we decided to take her on one more excursion. To the Grist Mill which is about 15 minutes from my house. None of us had ever been there except for my other grandparents. We have heard that is a great picture place and really neat since it is so old. I believe it was built in 1878 and it is still a working mill that produces flour, cornmeal, and apple cider. Unfortunately when we got there it wasn't open so no tour of the inside, but the landscaping around was beautiful.

Chase and I

Courtney and her boyfriend Brady

Cool Covered Bridge

Fun Times

2009-10-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ok...I have been seriously busy with work, volleyball, life, etc. and have not been keeping up to date with the blog, so please excuse this long one. The last couple of months have been flying by! Volleyball has been going well, so far we are 7-2 overall and 5-0 in league. For being so young this year, they are doing really well! Also with all of the sickness going around this year they have hung in there pretty well. I can't remember the last time I had my whole team together for a practice. In fact I just found out yesterday that my #1 Outside hitter is down the rest of the season with Mono and a swollen spleen. Between that and the swine flu, it has been a crazy sick year. I have managed to stay well thank God!

Three out of the last four weekends I have been out of town. First weekend up north to Kent, WA for a volleyball tournament which went really well and then the following weekend I went away for four days with my mom, my sister Christi and my grandma for a cruise up to Canada. We took my grandma on her first cruise for her 70th birthday (even though her 70th was last year). It left out of Seattle and we stopped in Victoria (which is a favorite place of mine that I have been before) and Nanaimo Bay. You will find a bunch of pics below and that is just the tip of the iceburg. I took a ton of pics. To check out more visit my facebook. It was a blast! I cannot wait to go on another cruise! Then just last weekend I was up in Spokane, WA for another volleyball tournament with the varsity where they took 7th out of 64 teams. Another successful trip for the Skyview Storm!

Work has been picking up so Josh has been extremely busy and between his schedule and my schedule it seems like we are more roommates this month instead of husband and wife:) Needless to say Josh is ready to be finished being a volleyball widow :) We are hoping to get away for about a day and half this weekend to the beach. Only 3 weeks left for my team and then I will continue on with the varsity through the first couple of weeks in November. Amazing how time flys...halloween is right around the corner! I do love this time of year though! Happy Fall everyone! To see all the cruise pics, check out my facebook.

Yeah, I ate pretty well on that cruise!

Nanaimo Bay

I found this great coffee house in Nanaimo Bay. This pic is for my hubby and nieces and nephews who are all Star Wars fanatics!

Queen Victoria Statue

Empress Hotel...great place to stay, in fact Victoria is a very romantic and fun trip for all you couples out there!

Parliment Building

Victoria, Parliment building in the background

My first drink ...(non alcoholic) Pina Colada!

This pic is for my hubby...it's a long story :)

Goodbye Seattle!

Christi and Mimi Anita waiting to get on the ship.

On our way up to Seattle. Eating at Famous Dave's BBQ. Yummy!

Last team sleepover...crazy girls!!

Top Ten Thursday - Bucket List

2009-09-24T11:00:00.001-07:00

Here are Josh and I's top ten bucket list items. It was kind of hard to keep it at ten when there are so many cool things to do in this world! Some of them a little bit unattainable, but hey, you only live once!

Carri's top ten:

1. Be a mom - hopefully naturally, but if I am not blessed that way then by adoption.

2. Buy a beach house

3.Visit Europe, specifically, Italy, Croatia and Greece. Love all of those cultures!

4. Take a road trip around the U.S. hitting every state with no real plan

5. Go on a cruise (to someplace warm) with my whole family together. And I mean my whole family, siblings, parents, nephews, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.

6. Train a dolphin for a day

7. Be a trapeze artist for a day

8. Go parasailing

9. Spend a week at a five star spa

10. Walk the runway during fashion week in NYC

Next 10 are Josh's:

1. Drive a porsche on the Autobon

2. Be a college basketball coach - Division 1

3. Visit Austrailia, Israel, and Africa

4. Own an Island in the caribbean

5. Coach my future son's little league team

6. Star in my own movie with my beautiful wife..."Another Mr. and Mrs. Smith - Guns and all! or be James Bond in a Bond film

7. Learn to play the guitar

8. Go down in a bathosphere to see under the ocean and do a deep water dive

9. Fly a jet off a carrier deck

10. Go to space camp

Top Ten Thursday

2009-09-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

Ten reasons why you like to run/workout:

1. If I workout that day, no matter what else I did or didn't do, I feel like I accomplished something.

2. I love how my body feels after I work out. Tighter, stronger, 'good' exhausted, etc.

3. I get to see my dog jump up in excitement and do 360's in the air when I tell her we are going for a run.

4. It feels good to push yourself and challenge yourself when you don't feel like it.

5. The more I workout, the more calories I burn when I am doing nothing!

6. I love sports...so working out is a part of who I am! It is fun! (Not so much the running part of working out but the sports part)

7. Keeps me at the level where I can still 'school' my high school girls at volleyball :)

8. I can eat yummy food!!!!!! I love dessert and could not function without it. Ok...and bread too!

9. I sleep better!

10. I look good for my hubby!!

Chase's Birthday Party

2009-09-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

My little brother Chase turned 19 recently and so we finally all got together to celebrate at a new park in Kalama. It is right on the river and has two sand volleyball courts, a tennis court, horseshoe pits, two basketball courts, a playground and a ton of grassy area and picnic areas. It was a great place. Me, Chad, Chase, their friend Kevin and two girls we met at the park played some sand volleyball for two hours. It was so much fun! Needless to say I haven't played two hours worth of volleyball, let alone in the sand, for a long time. I am sore today! Here are some pics of the day.

Chad throwing the football

Jolie

Josh playing warming up for volleyball

Sisters pic

Me and my Grandpa

Josh and I playing a little V-ball

Jolie...Christi's new puppy

Courtney

Chase and my dad playing football with the guys

Christi and her other dog Rocky

Best friends Kevin and Chad

Chad with his dog Chewie

Maddie

2009-09-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

My sister Christi got a new puppy last week. Her name is Maddie, she is half Australian Shepherd and half Blood Hound. The first 20 minutes she was with her mommy she pooped all over her mommy's car...good luck with training Christi. Luckily I get to love on her and then give her back :) She is adorable! Here are some pics of her.

Top Ten Thursday

2009-09-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am trying out a new thing...every thursday you list your top ten of whatever the topic is that week...this week is top ten movies. This one is going to be tough...josh and I are movie junkies, although we have gotten much better in the last couple of years. They will be in no particular order because I couldn't possibly pick a #1. I did the first five and Josh did the last five. Here we go:

1. Somewhere In Time - Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour are fabulous in this movie. I never tire of watching it...it is so romantic and a bit heart breaking. This was also one of the first movies that had a romantic effect on me when I was a little girl so it might have more significance for me then for most people. The soundtrack is fabulous...it contains my favorite classical piece Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff. Jane Seymour is absolutely breathtaking in it. I also love the period (1912) that it takes place in. The costumes are great. I hope to go visit the real Grand Hotel some day. Every woman should see this movie at least once.

Elisa McKenna: "The man of my dreams has almost faded now. The one I have created in my mind. The sort of man each woman dreams of, in the deepest and most secret reaches of her heart. I can almost see him now before me. What would I say to him if he were really here? "Forgive me. I have never known this feeling. I have lived without it all my life. Is it any wonder, then, I failed to recognise you? You, who brought it to me for the first time. Is there any way that I can tell you how my life has changed? Any way at all to let you know what sweetness you have given me? There is so much to say. I cannot find the words. Except for these: I love you". Such would I say to him if he were really here. "

I am such a sap!

2. One Fine Day - Love, love, love Romantic Comedies! ...and this is one of the best. George Clooney and Michelle Pfieffer team up for one hilarious and romantic film. The kids of course make it that much more special and cute! You don't want to miss this one!

Melanie: Your Peter Pan complex is so 90s.

Jack: What Peter Pan complex?

Melanie: The one you're so proud of.

Jack: Do you have any friends?

Melanie: I don't have time for friends.

Jack: That's because of your Captain Hook complex.

3. Return to Me - If you haven't figured it out yet...I am a sucker for emotional movies. Why? I don't know why. I cry in all of them at some point and it is getting worse with age. Poor josh. :)This movie is directed by Bonnie Hunt and she also stars in it too. I think she is hilarious. Minnie Driver and David Duchovny have great chemistry and the whole story line is just heart touching (and wrenching in some parts). This movie also has a great soundtrack with a lot of old classics from Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. I love that kind of music.

Megan Dayton: Whatever you do, don't shave your legs.

Grace Briggs: Why?
Megan Dayton: Well, then you definitely won't let it go too far.

Grace Briggs: Megan! It's a *first* date!

Megan Dayton: Yeah, well, I married a first date, missy, and you know how it is. You're out with a guy, you find him attractive, and suddenly everything he says sounds brilliant. Hairy legs are your only link to reality.

Grace Briggs: I think you should needle-point that on a pillow.

Megan Dayton: Well, I just might! It kept me a virgin until... y'know, *whenever*.

4. The Benchwarmers - Hilarious movie by Adam Sandler starring Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder. Also starring the hilarious Jon Lovitz. I love how Adam Sandler always seems to use the same actors (friends) in his movies. That is cool. This movie will keep you laughing through the whole thing. How bad can a movie be with baseball, Star Wars and rooting for the underdogs.

Richie: [after hitting the ball] I ticked it, it hit the bat!

Charlie Catcher: You're ssstill out.

Richie: You're ssstill fat!

Richie: [after Gus hits a homerun] Wow and he did it without steroids.

Clark: What's steroids?
Richie: Something that makes your pee-pee smaller.

Clark: There must be steroids in macaroni!

Richie: Clark, we don't play baseball.

Clark: I told Gus that we would be there, and if we don't show up, that makes me a liar... and that's not what I'm about... Not now, NOT EVER!

Richie: Okay, Okay Daytime Emmy

5. Failure to Launch - I love Matthew McConaughey and I felt the cast in this movie was perfect! Bradley Cooper, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Bartha...they all were great! Another romantic comedy that is right up there with the best of them. This movie had a lot of things that Josh and I love, Matthew (that one is for me of course), Sailboats, Paintball, Rough Ryder BB Gun (josh had one when he was little), porsche, dolphins, etc. We love this movie!!

Kit: I smell something. Do you smell something?

Paula: Oh, Tripp and I had crab today.

Kit: No, that's not it. I smell... fun.

Paula: What?
Kit: You are a dirty little fun-haver.

6. Field of Dreams - Okay, so this is where the guy stuff comes into play... Kevin Kostner, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancastor and baseball...? are you kidding me? If you build it he will come is a line that will be remembered by most movie buffs for all time... And the line at the end of the movie when Costner says, "Dad, you wanna have a catch?" Come on people, who didn't think about childhood summer throwing the ball around with dad? And how about Archie "Doc" Graham coming off the field to save little Karen who fell from the bleachers and was choking on a hotdog... When Kostner realizes he can't go back and play... talk about a tear jerker... you're killing me Smalls! All in all, a great old film about healing old wounds, following your inner voice, putting others ahead of yourself, and following your passion!

7. Empire Strikes Back - The best of the three original Star Wars movies in my humble opinion, Tom Toms, Imperial Walkers, Snow Creatures, severed hands, carbonite, and the shocker of them all... "Luke, I am your father... search your feelings you know it to be true." "No, that's not true, that's impossible!" Awesome scene for all of us 80's teens who longed to have the powers of the force and the coolness of Han Solo! But perhaps the best scene is the build up to Han being frozen in carbonite... "I love you." "I know." Classic Solo swagger and simply one of the best scenes from the entire saga.

8. Raider's of the Lost Ark - Do I really have to say anything about that? Come on people, Harrison Ford in his second best role ever... Whips, guns, snakes, submarines, the ark of the covenant, the dredded nazzi foes, etc... Speilberg and Ford put together a great hero, a great story and an epic movie. Who didn't love the spiders on the in the cave, "Snakes, I hate snakes," and of course the single shot that summed up the character and the Ford swagger... Just a great film with a powerful message. The power of good, God, and love will always trump evil in the end.

9. The Sand Lot - a movie about fitting in, finding friends, stepping in for the little guy, fighting for respect, and simply loving the best game ever created. The Beast, Benny the Jet Rodriguez, The Babe, Wendy Pepper & the kiss, The puke, and of course the Great Hambino... Stealing Home, "You're killing me Smalls!" What a great movie! A must see in my book.

10. The Passion of the Christ... Yes, really. Sacrifice, Love, Forgiveness, Grace, Selflessness, etc... just a brief glimpse into the last three days of Christ's life. The flogging scene not only gut to the bone on screen, it cut my heart to the core and gave me but a glimpse of the pain and suffering my Savior endured for me... What is love? Look no further... Whether you're a Christian or not, how can one ever doubt the passion of the Christ and his faith and sureness of his person path on earth? See it, realize it, accept it, and be free!

And there you have it!!!!!! Josh and Carri's Top Ten movies

Team Bonding Trip

2009-09-04T22:01:00.001-07:00

Every year I like to take my team to Lake Vancouver for a team bonding trip. It was a lot of fun! We did some team bonding games, played some beach volleyball and ultimate frisbee. I have a real young team this year with five freshmen and five sophmores. They are quite a crazy bunch...I get the feeling they will be keeping me on my toes this year. Our first game is next Tuesday, very exciting! Here are some pics...

Volleyball begins...

2009-08-28T11:54:00.001-07:00

My schedule will officially begin to get hectic again...this week was the beginning of the 2009 volleyball season for my team at Skyview High School. We just ended three days of tryouts and we had 58 kids trying out for 33 spots. This part is by far the hardest thing to do when coaching! Dealing with angry parents and crushed players is not fun and I am glad to be done with that and ready to move on with my new team! I have a very young team this year, five sophomores and five freshmen, but they should be pretty good. A lot to live up to this year since my team last year went undefeated. All in all, that doesn't really matter as long as the girls improve and enjoy their season.

Crazy to think that today is my youngest brother's (chase) birthday and he is now 19! My parents are now empty nesters and have no more "little kids" at home. I wonder how they will handle that? I would imagine going from five kids to zero could be difficult and lonely...or quiet and relaxing :).

Quick recap of our California Trip

2009-07-17T09:50:00.001-07:00

Josh and I just recently returned home from an eventful trip to California. We were there for 5 1/2 days, first for work and then for fun! The first two days, Friday and Saturday, was our convention for Primerica which was really great! It was held at the Convention Center downtown L.A. Funny, I grew up in Cali but don't think I had ever been to downtown L.A. Let's just say I wasn't that impressed. There were a few nice parts but mostly pretty scary. The Staples center area was kind of cool.

I also got to have lunch with my best friend Susan and her kids and mom! Loved catching up with her and miss her so much! We had a yummy lunch at TGIFridays and it went way too fast! Wish we lived closer! Love you Susan!

Susan and I

Me with Susan's daughter Ellie

We ate In-N-Out 3 times, yes that is not a typo...we only ate it 3 times. Usually it would be much more than that. It was delicious and I am salivating while I am writing about it. Saturday night was my aunt's birthday so we went out the famous Pinnacle Peaks Steakhouse and had some delicious steak. It is a fun place. You can't wear ties there and if you show up with one on they will cut it off and hang it on the wall.

In-N-Out Burger. Yummy!

No Ties Allowed!

Sunday we headed down the coast and hit some of the beaches. I loved Laguna! It was gorgeous. We ended up spending most of our time down in Carlsbad with my cousin Autumn and her husband Christian. It was beautiful too! We swam and surfed (even josh tried to get a few waves in) and there just happened to be some dolphins swimming around. I love dolphins and it was the highlight of the day! Surfing was awesome too!

See the dolphin fin! It was hard to get a picture of them. It looks like it could be a shark, but I promise you they were dolphins :)

Autumn and I enjoying the sun!

I'm surfing! Well, still getting up...Josh couldn't get the shot at the right time.

Monday Josh and I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. We hadn't been there in at least 7 years so there were some new rides to try out. It was extremely hot (96+ degrees) and pretty crowded in the morning. Luckily after some water rides and the crowds thinning out, we had fun. Me more than Josh, he got a little sick after some of the rides. Needless to say we arent' young teenagers anymore and by the time 9:30pm hit we were exhausted and our feet were killing us! BTW, the ride X2 is insane!!!!!!!!!!

After a long hot day at Six Flags.

On our last day we hung out in Long Beach, CA with my aunt and grandma at a place called the Pike. It is down at the harbor. It was gorgeous. We saw the Queen Mary which is stationed there and just walked around the harbor. Then we went to Lucille's BBQ (josh's favorite BBQ restaurant) and had the best BBQ on the west coast, Family Feast style! It was so good and josh ate way too much and felt sick after. Men and their meat!! I told him not to overdo it :) All in all, it was a great trip! We wished it could have been longer, so much more to see and so many more friends and family to see, but I guess we will have to save that for the next trip.

Skywatch Friday

2009-07-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot I recently took at Pittock Mansion which overlooks Downtown Portland. That is Mount Hood in the background. Great summer day in Portland!

My Cousin Autumn Visits!

2009-07-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

Recently my younger cousin Autumn graduated from college, moved back to Carlsbad, California from Oklahoma, got married and then for part of her honeymoon, they camped their way up to us and were able to stay with us for a few days. It was so great to see her and meet her new husband Christian... I hadn't seen her in almost 7 years! We had so much and I tried to plan some fun things for them to do when they weren't visiting his brother in Portland. Some things that we did were walking down the Columbia River, Big Family BBQ, Downtown Portland, Pittock Mansion, Yale Lake and the Ape Caves. Looking forward to seeing them next week when Josh and I will be in L.A. for work/pleasure! Family is a blessing! Here are a few pics of the week!

Their last night with us, Autumn and Christian cooked us some yummy tacos for dinner.

Inside the Ape Caves which is a mile and half long underground Lava tube where you have to climb over large boulders, scale 8 foot walls and squeeze yourself through tight spaces to find your way out. It is pitch black and cold inside. Hence the attractive Head Lamps!

Me, Chad, Chase, Autumn and Christian ready to take on the Ape Caves!

View of Mount St. Helens while on our way to the ape caves.

Chad climbing up one of the big boulders.

Yale Lake Park

Yale Lake

Great Thomas Jefferson saying we found Dowtown Portland. Very apropos for this time of year.

Autumn and Christian at the Pittock Mansion

Chase, Me and Chad at the Pittock Mansion

my bros

The Pittock Mansion has great views of Downtown Portland. Mt. Hood in the distant.

The Pittock Mansion, where Josh and I had our engagment photos done.

Chad and Autumn at the Pittock Mansion

Mt. Hood.

Walking along the Columbia River, which seperates Washington from Oregon, before going to a yummy dinner at Rock Pizza. My mom and Autumn and Christian are in the pic.

The Columbia River

Courtney and my mom walking the river.

A view of Mount Hood from one of the beaches off of the Columbia River.

Great Wolf Lodge, Mimi Birthday and more!

2009-06-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

A quick little update...a couple of weekends ago some of my family took a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge Waterpark. We went last summer and had so much fun we decided to go again. We had an awesome time! Then the following weekend we were all supposed to go white water rafting with Josh's best friend who is a professional rafter/kayaker, however the weather turned on us and we had to cancel so we are hoping to reschedule soon. I was pretty bummed! Only in the pacific NW in the middle of june would it get cold and rainy! I just recently finished up summer league with my volleyball team and had fun getting a preview of the upcoming girls who could be on my team. After the last night we had a bonfire with the some of the varisty girls. It was a lot of fun roasting hot dogs and marshmallows at 11:00pm. That next morning (Friday- work day) came real early for me! Oh to be a teenager again and have staying up late not affect me! :) Yesterday we celebrated my grandma's birthday and went to one of our favorite restaurants Beaches which is right on the Columbia River. Happy Birthday Mimi!! We all treated her to a day at the spa for her birthday. Last night my parents, Josh and I went and saw Transformers and it was really good for those of you who are interested in going. But be prepared it is 2 hours and 40 minutes long! Another movie I have seen recently is UP. Loved it, but take tissues! I cried a few times! Josh and I have been working very hard today around the house getting ready for my cousin Autumn and her new husband. They just moved from Oklahoma to California and decided to take a trip up the coast and are now headed our way! They will be staying with us for a few days and I am so excited because I have yet to meet her husband and I have not seen her in almost 7 years! Summer is here, the weather is hot and we are staying real busy!

Photo Hunt: Flags

2009-06-27T16:47:00.001-07:00

You're a grand old flag, You're a high flying flag. And forever in peace may you wave.

~George M. Cohan

My Sister and other stuff!

2009-06-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

There has been some exciting times in my big sis Christi's life as of late! For those of you who don't know she works for a Child and Adolescent Clinic in Longview, WA. She is in charge of the Disease Control Managment program as well as many other things, billing, assisting the doctors, etc. It is a fabulous job that she has exceled at for the last few years. Last week there was a doctors conference in Chicago, IL and only 9 clinics from the U.S. were invited to take part and present and Christi's was one of them. Only three people from each clinic were allowed to come and Christi was chosen as one of them. She loved being there so much and she learned a ton!

Another exciting thing is that Christi just purchased her very first house! It is a darling house in Silverlake, WA...a resort town about 22 minutes north of my family in Kelso and about 45 minutes north of our house. We were hoping she was going to be able to come closer but it didn't work out. I am proud of her because she is doing this all on her own. She has no husband or significant other (right now) to help her with this big ontaking, yet here she is purchasing a home all by herself! So independent! I know it might not sound like much but for those of us who own a home and many other bills knows what a responsibility it is...and most of us that i know have a husband who helps significantly! NE ways, I just wanted to congratulate her on the big accomplishment and I am looking forward to her "painting party" soon!

Last Friday I visited my friends 5th grade class to sort of "job shadow" her and see exactly what a day in the life of an elementary teacher would be like. I have seriously been thinking about going back to school and getting my masters in teaching and certification for elementary ed and I wanted a first hand experience of it before I made my desicion. I absolutely loved it! It was so fun to be in that atmoshphere with the kids. I stayed awhile with her class and then checked out a first grade and second grade class. I thought I was pretty set on the younger grades, but now I am not sure...I enjoyed them all! So quite possibly if it all works out I will be going back to school this fall! It will only be a two year program, so not too long. I should have done this awhile ago, but better late than never! I am not a 9-5 person plus I like to coach high school volleyball and the teaching schedule works the best. Plus having summer offs wouldnt' be too shabby and if I am ever blessed to have children, I could be on the same schedule. All in all, it would be a great job for me and it would be something I would enjoy and feel like I am making a difference in kids lives! We will see what happens in the near future!

Updates

2009-06-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already June! This year seems to be going the fastest I can remember! It has been absolutely gorgeous up here! For the past few weeks it has been 80's which is unusually warm for up here for June. We should be getting some thunder showers later today which would be awesome because I love thunder and lightening, pluse we could really use some rain to help water and clear the allergens out of the air. We don't usually hit the 80's-90's consistently until July and August. But I will take it! I bought some lounge chairs for our deck this year and I have thoroughly been enjoying basking in the sun. Now if only there was an ocean in my backyard instead of mountains and trees...

Work has been hit and miss lately...at least we still have jobs right now. Josh is still in the midst of interviewing with Vancouver Police Dept. Like I have said earlier, they don't do anything fast. It has been more than four months since he started this whole thing. He also just applied for a Athletic Supervisor position at a middle school in the district that I coach in. So we will see if anything comes of that.

Other than work volleyball summer league just started up for me so I will be pretty busy for the next few weeks. It was fun to see all the girls again and get know some of the upcoming girls. They are so much fun to be around and I am so excited to see the improvements in those who played club ball this winter. We should have another successful season come fall (fingers crossed). My newphew Joshua is coming up for the summer and he was supposed to be here last night about 8pm, however they had thunderstorms in California last night and his plane when it landed in Ontarion was hit by lightening so it delayed him by about 4 hours. Last I talked to my sister he was still sitting in the airport in cali at 9:30pm. Hopefully he got in sometime last night or early this morning. I am exited to have him here again this summer. We always try to plan fun things to do and so far this year we have planned white water rafting, Mount St. Helens trip, Great Wolf Lodge Waterpark, and beach trips. I am looking forward to it. Josh and I will also be going to L.A. in July for work/pleasure. Looking foward to seeing some family and friends and maybe hit Disneyland and the beach. I can't wait!

6th Year Anniversary

2009-05-24T12:35:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe but Josh and I are celebrating six years of marriage today. For those of you who know him well know that he spoils me rotten every day let alone on certain special occasions. I can truly say that God has blessed me with the man that was made just for me! He is amazing, loving, unselfish, funny, and makes me feel special not just on special occasions, but every day! As I sit here and right this I cannot find the words to describe how perfect we are for each other. We just fit togethere so well that we cannot deny God made us for each other. As I look back on six wonderful years we have had together (10.5 years as an item), I feel happy. We have had some tough things that life has dealt us, but all in all we are completely blessed to have one another. This year for my gift he gave me the six days of Carri. He is alwasy so creative with his gifts. Each day of the last six I have received something. Although a couple of the days have gotten messed up due to work, funerals, etc. So far though, he has given me a dinner date, outdoor rug for the deck, a massage, my favorite bag of candy - scotch kisses, and an adorable shirt. I have still have two days left and I am looking forward to seeing what's in store! Thanks baby for all your kind words, actions and prayers in my life! I am so proud to be your wife!!

Idaho Trip

2009-05-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

My mom, grandma, sister and I took a quick trip to Couer D'Alene, ID tuesday through thursday for a funeral. My mom's cousin's husband passed away from cancer after a six year battle. He will be missed greatly but is no longer in pain and is now with the Lord. It was a great service and it was good to see a lot of family that we had not seen in a little while. On our way home we decided to stop in Spokane to look at the falls. Last summer we were there and the water levels was low; this time of year with the great snow pack we had the falls were full and mighty! It is a beautiful drive from Washington to Idaho so here is a few pics from our roadtrip...

Spokane Falls Pics...

Lake Coeur D'Alene Pics

Lilac Gardens and Tulip Festival

2009-04-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today my grandma and I visited the Lilac Gardens and Tulip Farm in the nearby town of Woodland. They are beautiful every year once the flowers start blooming. This year it wasn't as sunny out, in fact we were racing against some storm clouds coming in, but they held out and we had a fabulous time! Here are some pics!

Can you depict a cross shape in this lilac?

The clouds were rolling in...

Springtime!

2009-04-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

Our tulip bulbs that we planted last fall finally sprang up and sprouted their beauty! I am still new at the whole planting and gardening thing, but I am really starting to enjoy the "fruits of our labor". This might be addicting! If so, yeah for us...we just might start adding more and more beauty all around our place! I am hoping to start a garden, so that should be interesting! I think it might be safe to say my thumb is now a nice shade of... gray! I will keep working at it ;)

Photo Hunt: Purple

2009-04-18T18:32:00.001-07:00

Since it is still Easter season I thought this shot that I took at my mom's church would work great for the "purple" shot this week. I hope everyone had a great Easter! Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for me and resurrecting on the third day!

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:8-11

Skywatch Friday

2009-04-10T11:44:00.001-07:00

Here is a shot I took from our hotel balcony on our honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico. Although Cancun at times was pretty touristy, I absolutely loved the weather and the water. It was fantastic and I am ready to go back!

Sicky

2009-03-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it all the way through the winter without getting sick! Spring comes, and Bang!...I am sick. I have been sick for the past 4-5 days. I still have no voice, and a pretty bad cough. At least I do not have a fever anymore! I am hoping with staying home today I can kick it for good. I refuse to go to the doctor and spend a fortune (we don't have any health insurance right now, a perk when you are self-employed :) ) on a little cough, cold, flu, etc. that will get better... eventually. My body is so amazing that it will heal itself from this sickness. So why spend money to do it when my body will do it for free? My wonderful husband disagrees and has tried to get me to go. I am stubborn :)

~~~~~~~

Update on my mom's house. Remember they were flooded in january and have not been moved in since, it has been almost 3 months since they have been in the house. As much of a hassle it has been, my mom is almost getting a brand new kitchen and all new flooring throughout, so it has turned out to be a pretty good deal. It has just taken the insurance company forever to get the money to my parents so they just started on the floors yesterday. They finished the kitchen, laundry, and bathroom floors yesterday and I went up to see them and they look beautiful. Wednesday they will start on the wood floors and carpet. Since the flood occurred, my parents are getting all new flooring throughout the whole house, new countertops in the kitchen, new blinds, a new dining room table and new lighting fixtures in the kitchen. My mom also had us repaint almost her whole house. I think secretly she has really enjoyed this and is milking it for everything she can. Who wouldn't? I probably would too! Needless to say when the house is done I am sure it is going to be so nice! Hopefully my family will be moved back in in the next couple of weeks! I will take pics as soon as it is all done. Please pray for my mom right now as her house is a disaster while getting redone, and she is in the middle of putting on an easter production for her church and a kid's spring production for her school. She is really busy and working overtime right now! Thanks so much! Hope all is well!

Friday Skywatch Photo

2009-03-27T11:51:00.001-07:00

Here are some shots I took at my youngest brother's high school graduation last June. It was a beautiful day! I love how vibrant the colors turned out.

Photo Hunt: Yellow

2009-03-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

Here is a shot I took of some guys that were kayaking down Lucia Falls in their yellow kayaks. I got one good shot out of the bunch! Pretty Impressive!

Photo Hunt: Four

2009-03-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

Four little words we like to live by... Always kiss me goodnight!~

"Let there never be a doubt in your mind

That when we wake up in the morning our love will only be stronger.

Always kiss me goodnight!

And know that whatever happened that day is simply sealed with your lips.

Always kiss me goodnight!

And know that things only will get better.

Always kiss me goodnight!

Whether you're right next to me or miles away,

Always kiss me goodnight!

If it be the last thing you do,

Always kiss me goodnight!

And I shall do the same to you!"

By Shada Romona Travis

Jessica and Leila!

2009-03-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

I met up with my good friend Jessica, whom I played high school volleyball with, and her new baby girl Leila. She is absolutely a doll! I held her for almost two hours and she slept the whole time! I wanted to share her cuteness with all of you!~ I really enjoyed catching up and seeing her bundle of joy. Love you Jess!

Ellie

2009-03-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of what I saw when I came into our bedroom the other day. She just started doing this and it cracks me up. Normally she is my shadow following me everywhere. I guess sometimes she just gets pooped out and needs to take a break :0 She sure keeps us laughing!

New Opportunity?

2009-03-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to give an update on what is happening around these parts :) For those of you who don't know, recently Josh had an unexpected door open up with a new career. A sergeant really liked Josh and urged him to try out for the police force, so Josh looked into it and decided, what the heck. It is excellent pay with excellent benefits and who wouldn't want that with where the economy is right now? For the past four weeks or so I have been training Josh to get into good enough shape to pass the physical test required to be considered for the police department. Quite a feat I tell you...wasn't sure if we were going to be able to do it so quickly since they recommended that it would take about 12 weeks. I was so proud of him as every single day he trained hard and ran almost every day. Now this is a man that has always said, "I only run if I'm being chased!" Last weekend we had to drive up to Lynnwood so he could take the public safety test (written and physical). Here is a 37 year old trying out with mostly early 20 something's and he passed both with flying colors (thank you Jesus!) and is now just waiting for a phone call from any of the departments that he applied for. We will see what happens in the next few weeks!

I also wanted to attach a few pics I took about a week ago, the last time some snow fell. Wasn't a lot (thank goodness), just enough to give us a little dusting. It sure was beautiful! As beautiful as it was however, I am so ready for spring! It keeps teasing us. One day is somewhat warm, the next has those cool spring rainstorms with sun mix, and then lo and behold the weatherman is calling for possible snow this weekend! What a winter it has been! Typical this time of year in the Pacific NW...the weather can never make up it's mind...but I guess that is what makes me like it so much!

Photo Hunt: Nautical

2009-02-14T17:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a shot I took while we were out on the Columbia River. I asked if they were in the business of trading boats....needless to say they weren't interested :) Can you blame them with that "Nautical" Beauty?

AVP Tour

2009-02-14T16:41:00.001-08:00

The AVP tour came to Portland, OR the other night and my friend Josh is friends with Todd Rogers (the olympic gold medalist from Bejiing also known as "The Professor" of Beach Volleyball). So Josh got us (him, his sister Jen and I) tickets to go watch and meet all the players. There were eight of them on this tour including, Todd Rogers, Seth Rosenthal, Jake Gibb, Casey Jennings, Nicole Branagh, April Ross, Jen Boss and Lauren Fendrick. We met with and talked to all of them, except April Ross, and they were all nice and exciting to chat with. Our seats were unbelievable...right on the floor, first row, the court was maybe five feet in front of us. It was a ton of fun and such a special opportunity for a volleyball freak (like me) to experience. Here are some of the pics from that night!

Nicole Branagh and Jake Gibb

Jen Boss

Casey Jennings

Jake Gibb

Me with Seth Rosenthal

Me with Jake Gibb

Our view of the court!

Josh, Jen, Todd Rogers and Me

Me and Jen

It's Snowing...Again!

2009-02-10T18:57:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning to find everything blanketed with snow once again. It has been quite an unusual winter here in Washington, but I don't mind. I really have enjoyed the snow. This time it only stuck around until the afternoon. I guess it just wanted to remind us winter isn't quite over yet! I think I will be extra ready for Spring this year.

Photo Hunt: Bridge

2009-02-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

My photo hunt topic this weekend was bridge(s), so here is a shot I took while we were on the Columbia River which seperates the Oregon side from the Washington side. The bridge in this picture connects the towns of Rainier, OR to Longview, WA. It still boggles my mind how bridges work. What an amazing accomplishment by man.

Skywatch Friday

2009-02-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

This was a picture I took when we were driving down the coast a few years ago. I love when the sun shines through clouds onto water.

Photo Hunt: Furry

2009-01-31T14:33:00.000-08:00

- Some of the furry friends in our family -

Benson - Now lives with the In-Laws
Sami - Chad's New Puppy

Ellie when she was a puppy

Roxy - my mom's dog

Rocky - My sister Christi's Dog

Skywatch Friday - Golden Sands

2009-01-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

Another shot I captured from Lincoln City, OR. I love the beach! Just another way that God lavishes his love on us by giving this beautiful scene. I think God is a romantic :) What do you think?

Far off close by the sea,

As I see the sun set,

I think of the day,

Precious to me as it was,

Love of yours deep in my heart,

On the golden sands close by the sea.

I see you wade through the waves,

Deep in your eyes,

I could see the shine of longing,

As never before.

I walked upto you,

As the sun set into the sea,

I took hold of your hands,

As you said I love you,

I was lost forever in your love,

On the golden sands close by the sea.

by Syed Saleem

Skywatch Friday

2009-01-23T09:17:00.001-08:00

Here is a shot I took one day out on the deck. God's promise right in my backyard!

Skywatch Friday

2009-01-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a shot took through the trees while up on Mount Snomass, CO.

Photo Hunt: Aftermath

2009-01-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the recent flooding we have had here in the Pacific NW. These are pics of my parents house in Kelso, WA. The coweeman river is right behind them and with all of the snow and then rain we've had recently, all the rivers in Washington have flooded over. They had to evacuate early wednesday morning, and the water was rising fast so they did not have much time. About 15-20 people showed up and helped my family grab the most important items and stack all the rest up high, as well as make sandbags and put them around the house. My parents house is the highest house on the block and they have flood insurance. And for as bad as the river got, it could have been much worse, and the house could have been more damaged. However, some other neighbors were not so lucky. My sisters as well as my grandparents had to evacuate wednesday, but luckily their places we're not harmed. Had a levee or dike broke the situation could have been much worse. Hopefully my parents will be able to move back in sometime early next week and start the clean-up. Here is the aftermath...

This is taken from the dike looking out over the river at the back of my parents house.

A closer view from the back the day after it crested. You can see now that the water has moved a few feet below the deck.

An unfortunate neighbor who just re-did the house. His house was the lowest on the block. Hope he has insurance.

A little blury...pic of the bridge. The water was all the way at the top.

A more clear pic of the bridge the day after

This pic shows the water above my mom's deck.

Water rushing under the bridge while hitting the bottom of it.

Channel 8 news was there covering the location. There were also a lot of gawkers!

Some water leaked in through the garage

It left a muddy mess everywhere!

You can see here how high the water really got.

It destroyed my mom's garden and moved all her wood lining around

Again you can see the water line on the fence and where it ate away at the ground.

It made a muddy mess and moved things around in the garage

Here is a water line in the garage.

More erosion.

The white fence my mom cemented in is still in it's original spot!

The road the house is on still under water

Yes...that is a road under there!

This winter has proven already to be one of unusual excitement and drama! We have either been snowed in or flooded out! And winter has just begun! Crazy!

Skywatch Friday

2009-01-09T11:42:00.001-08:00

Here is a pic I took while we were in Aspen, Colorado. We are on our way up to the top of Mount Aspen. It was breathtaking!

After the Storm

2009-01-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

Finally enjoying a little more sunshine and little less snow on the ground.

Photo Hunt: Hope

2009-01-03T20:05:00.000-08:00

Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

A scripture to abide by in 2009! Hapy New Year!

Snow Storm 2008

2008-12-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

The deer came out to play in the snow
We got our car stuck on our driveway and had to get the tractor to get it up to the house

My Snow Angel!

With the high winds we were getting drifts that were any where from 3-5 feet high.

You can see the snow piling high above the bottom of the garage

It has been a week and a half of some crazy weather!

Skywatch Friday

2008-12-19T12:34:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-17T19:53:00.001-08:00

Arctic Blast 2008!

2008-12-17T19:34:00.001-08:00

It has been freezing (literally) here in the PNW for about a week now and it looks like these temps will be sticking around for about another week. Now we are not just talking about 32 degrees. The other night it said 13 degrees! One day with the winds, the wind chill was -4. Our high for friday is supposed to be 22. I have never seen it so cold here before. Last Sunday was when the first snowfall fell and we only got about an inch or so, however, because of the high winds our power was out for a couple of hours. It is amazing how much of our lives run on electricity. Last night we started getting some more snowfall and it just keeps coming. We are up to 8 inches right now! Funny how when I left Vancouver this afternoon there was nothing and then 20 miles north to my exit, Winter Wonderland! This weather has been quite interesting and even though you walk outside and feel every bone in your body shiver and your eyes water (and then freeze), I have enjoyed it. It makes it feel that much more like Christmas time! Here are some of the pics!

Happy Birthday!

2008-12-12T09:34:00.000-08:00

Shout out to my wonderful sister-in-law! It is her birthday today! Hope she has a wonderful day! Love you!

Saturday Photo Hunt - "Favorite"

2008-12-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

" In-n-Out Burgers with ketchup and fries,

My husband Josh, he brings me delight!

Dolphins and puppies and cotton candy,

These are a few of my favorite things!"

(It is meant to be sung like the song from The Sound of Music)

Skywatch Friday

2008-12-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a pic I just took recently while in Poulsbo, WA! It was a beautiful, cold evening.

Skywatch Friday!

2008-12-04T14:38:00.001-08:00

I took this one evening when we were in Lincoln City. Gotta love sunsets on the beach!

Loss

2008-11-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

We had our first ultrasound today and they could not find a fetus in the pregnancy sac, so they have come to the conclusion that we have lost the baby. Our hearts are broken and will hopefully heal soon. Thanks to everyone who has prayed and been so supportive through this process.

Skywatch Post

2008-11-18T13:43:00.001-08:00

Here is a shot from when we were boating on Merwin Lake. The skies were crystal clear and it was a beautiful early fall day!

Go and check out more Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site!

The "Embryos"

2008-11-11T19:14:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of our two embryos right before they put them back in. You can see that the one on the right had already begun to "hatch". Pretty amazing! We will have our first ultrasound on November 24th and might learn that day exactly how many are cooking in there! We will also get a better idea of how far along I am (they think I am about 5 weeks). So far so good. I feel pretty good, no sickness, just a little tired at times. Thanks for the continued prayers that it will be smooth sailing through the pregnancy!

Photo Hunt: Together

2008-11-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More! My team this year really proved that by playing together and by doing so went undefeated! 14-0!

Wrong Setting for comments...sorry

2008-11-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

Sorry to anyone who has tried to leave me a comment and weren't able. It was set up for only google members to be able to leave one. I just found out how to change that setting (thanks to susan and donna), so anyone can leave me a comment now. Just make sure you put your name so it is not shown as anonymous and I know who left it. Thanks again everyone!

Were Pregnant!

2008-11-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

We got the phone call today and found out that my test was positive! I am four weeks along! What an answer to prayer! My heart has been in my stomach all mourning! Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. It has been such a blessing~ The first ultrasound will be in 2 weeks! We will keep you posted!

Photo Hunt: Blue

2008-11-03T21:29:00.001-08:00

So I have joined a photography game called Saturday "Photo Hunt" where you are given a theme each saturday and you post a personal photo that you have taken to describe the theme. It's a fun way to dig deep down into your creative side! So here is my "Blue" photo, my favorite animals in their blue environment.

"Dolphins diving here and there,

Over the waves without a care.

Lazily gliding through the sea,

Perfect animals so gentle and free.

Happily they talk and play,

In the water they frolic all day.

Naturally beautiful and smart,

Surely a wonderful work of art."

~Sharyn Hazel

Fertility Update

2008-10-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

The transfer procedure went really well, it lasted about 15 minutes. Not painful at all, the only part that was hard was having a full bladder (which was mandatory for the procedure) and not being able to get up for more than an hour after...lets just say I had my first bed pan experience (not pleasant). After laying in the recovery room for about an hour I was then released to go home and be on bed rest for 48 hours. This was painful. My back has never hurt so bad in my life! I am happy to say I am finally past the "house arrest" stage and am able to move around again and go back to my daily routine at a very slow pace. So what's next? We wait until Nov. 5th until the pregnancy test results! Excited and Nervous!

Beautiful Pacific NW!

2008-10-30T08:51:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I went with my grandma and grandpa to some of the falls and lakes in the area. It was a beautiful fall day (we surprisingly havent had rain in weeks). The pictures are of Yale Lake and the falls is Lower Lewis River Falls. Beautiful!

My Dad's New Truck

2008-10-30T08:41:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know, my dad has been a long-haul truck driver for about 5 or so years now and he just bought a new truck. It is pretty sweet! Good Job Dad!

Transfer Day!

2008-10-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

I found out this morning that of the four fertilized eggs, 2 blasted and have continued to grow. So, today at 1:30pm they will transfer those 2 back into my uterus and hopefully my body will accept at least one of them and allow it to grow. Please pray that this will work the first time as we do not have any backup eggs. Thanks for the many prayers! In two weeks we will have a pregnancy test and the results!

The Fighting Four

2008-10-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

The egg retreival that I had on wednesday went really well. The only thing that hurt was putting my IV in. My doctor (Dr. Bankowski) and anesthesiologist (Dr. Jones) were hilarious and made me feel right at ease. I remember going into the surgery room and having about five people all working on me getting me ready and I heard them turn on their music. Funny that the song that was playing was "Brown Eyed Girl". How appropriate for me! After about a minute of watching them prep me, the next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room. It felt like I was out for a couple minutes when actually I was in there for 40 minutes! IV sedation is amazing! Boy did I feel good when I woke up. Josh says I kept saying that but I don't remember saying that, I guess I was thinking out loud. We found out that right away they retrieved 10 eggs. Not bad! But we had to wait until thursday (today) to find out how many would actually mature and fertilize. Except for some cramping the rest of the day, I felt pretty good.

We got a call this morning with some more results. Of the 10 eggs retreived, 7 were mature, and of those 7 only 4 fertilized. So we right now have four "children" working hard to survive and turn into blasts. We were hoping for a few more so that we could have some extras to freeze, but they say it is unlikely that all four will make it through the next week. However, God is our creator and He is in charge! If all four survive, fantastic, we implant 2 embryos and freeze 2. If not, we are just hoping to at least have two to implant. My transfer of the embryos is scheduled for next monday afternoon. We will receieve a phone call from them monday morning to let us know how many for sure we will be working with. Please pray for all four!

Time for the Trigger shot!

2008-10-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

We had an appointment sunday morning hoping that the follicles would be ready and it would be time for the trigger shot, however, the doctor decided he wanted one more day of meds to try to get a few more of the follicles to grow bigger. We have four large ones and are hoping for a coupld of more. So, we went in again this morning for another ultrasound and blood test and the doctor has given us the go to do the trigger shot tonight. The trigger shot is an HCG medicine that will simulate the body's normal LH surge causing the final maturation of the eggs. I will have tomorrow off from all shots and then early wednesday morning I go in for the egg retrieval procedure. I will be given an IV sedation (twilight sleep) and will be under for about 20 minutes while they do the procedure. After it is over I will be down for the day, but should be feeling fine by the next day. Wednesday, during the procedure, we will learn how many eggs they were able to retrieve and then on thursday we should learn how many of those eggs are good and matured. We probably won't have a ton of eggs to work with, so please pray that we have at least 2-5 good eggs after all is said and done that are usuable and will be able to be fertilized. It is all a guessing game at this point how many eggs will be good, if any. If all goes well, and there is something to work with, then they will transfer the fertilized eggs back into my body Monday the 27th. I will then be on bed rest for 2-3 days. Fun Fun! Please keep the prayers coming as this is a crucial time in the process. Thanks!

The joys of owning a home!

2008-10-18T16:38:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of the dining room and the master bedroom, two rooms I have been working on lately. The dining room is just about done, all it needs are some drapes, and the master, let's just say it's getting there. The joys of owning a home! A never ending task!

The end is in sight!

2008-10-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

I just got back from another appointment with the fertility doctor and my follicles are growing nicely. I had about 7 decent follicles, 4 being large size, 3 medium size, and 2 little ones. We are hoping the medium size ones will catch up with the big ones by this sunday. Sunday morning I will be going in again for another ultrasound and bloodwork and quite possibly then the doctor said he might want to do the trigger shot. That would be a few days earlier then planned. If that happens, then they will be taking my eggs out on the 21st and putting them back in on the 26th. As always, we will see what happens on sunday. Exciting and a little nerve-racking. It is almost time! Keep on praying!!!

Invitro Update

2008-10-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we are on day 7 of our shots (day 5 of the stim shots) and I had my first check up with the doctor yesterday and everything is still on track. My estradiol level was normal for the stage we are at and they saw 4 large follicles and about 4 small follicles. We hope to have between 5 and 10 (or more) large follicles, so please pray that more follicles will grow to a large size. The side effects (welt like rash that feels bruised) of my repronex injections are normal and is something that I am just going to have to deal with. I have acupuncture tomorrow (which is really going well) and another check-up on friday with the doctor...so the saga continues...

Just an update on my volleyball team...we just won our 9th game last night and are now 9-0, Undefeated! Only 5 games left. The season has just flown by!

Pin Cushion or Poison Oak?

2008-10-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

I am now on day 5 of my shots, day 3 of the stimulation shots. Since starting the stim shots I can no longer workout or do anything strenuous for quite some time. I am allowed to walk and that is about it because my ovaries will be getting really big and if I do too much movement I could actually "twist" them which wouldn't be good. Of the 5 shots I am taking right now, only one (Repronex) has had any side effects that I have noticed. The area where the shot is injected burns and becomes a red, raised welt like patch and a large area underneath feels really bruised. I cannot bend over or twist, raise my legs, etc without feeling it. It is also unfortunate that it is right around my pants line (thank goodness low rise pants are still around). Tomorrow I have another check-up with the doc and will have them look at my welts to see if that is normal or if they should switch my medication or dose. I do remember them saying that out of all the injections this one would be the most nasty...they were right! My stomach is now looking like a cross between a pin cushion and a poison oak victim! Very attractice I must say! Josh is doing really well playing dartboard with my stomach and is becoming quite a pro at giving shots. We have the system down (10am and 10pm) and it feels like we have been doing this for more than just 5 days, yet I look at my calendar and see that I COULD be already halfway done! That is promising. This morning was actually the last day for one of my injections, Saizen, and I will gladly retire it. 1 down, 4 to go. It is funny how much satisfaction I get from checking off the boxes for each of the meds on my calendar! Whatever gets you through, right? Actually, the whole process hasn't been that bad, nothing I can't handle. In fact I know that I will be a stronger person for having gone through this. God never gives us more than we can handle and He is with us every step of the way. Now that alone gives me strength!

Fertility Update

2008-10-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

I had my suppression check (blood work and ultrasound) today and everything looked good so I have been given the go to start all of my shots on thursday. For a couple of days I will be taking two shots in the morning (into my abdomen) and one shot at night. Then it will get bumped up to three shots in the morning and two shots at night. Joy! I am pretty sure that I am going to have Josh give them to me instead of doing them myself. This will happen for about 14 days or so or until they see enough good-looking follicles. Besides 3 different shot injections, I will also be on prenatal pills, baby aspirin and some kind of steroid. I am a walking pharmacy!! Josh and I went to the pharmacy today to pick up some of my meds and they literally gave us a box to carry it all out. So far we have been on schedule and everything is going smoothly, PTL! If all continues to go well, we should be looking at egg retrieval being around October 22 and the transfer back in October 28th! Thanks for everyone's prayers!

Fertlity Update

2008-09-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

Praise report! My FSH level tested normal! Hallelujah! Thank you to everyone who was praying! God is good. Please continue to pray as we now start day 1 of our in-vitro cycle today. Now the real fun begins :) About 30 days and counting if all goes well until the actual procedure. Please pray that I feel o.k. on all the medications and shots I will be taking and pray that my body will respond well and produce a lot of viable eggs! Until next time!

Fertility Update

2008-09-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

I have my FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) re-test today. Please pray that it comes back relatively low and not high! We should know in the next couple of days the results. Once this is known, either way, then we should be ready to move forward and know exactly what the plan is for the next month or so. Thanks for your prayers!

On the boat in September!

2008-09-21T20:06:00.001-07:00

We have had such great weather this summer! I love the Pacific NW! It was so nice (88 degrees)last weekend we decided to take the boat out one more time in case fall decided to ever show its face. Good thing...cause this weekend it poured. Fall is here! The pics are of josh and I, Chad and his girlfriend stacie and Chase.

Acupuncture

2008-09-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

During our In-Vitro cycle, I will be doing chinese acupuncture and herbs to help boost my fertility. There has been many studies that have shown acupuncture to significantly increase pregnancy rates among infertile couples. I had my first acupuncture session yesterday with Dr. Jin. She was great and the process was pretty easy! Dr. Jin specializes in infertility and high fsh levels in women, so she is definitely the one I should be seeing. If you read up about acupuncture and how it works, it is very fascinating.

I could barely feel when she put the needles in. They did not hurt at all, just a couple of them stung a tiny bit. She put three in my abdomen, two on the bottom of each of my legs, three in the forehead and two at the top of my head. Afterwards I was a bit tired from laying there for 20 minutes with a infrared lamp on my stomach and the needles in, but after awhile I did feel a bit more energized. This is supposed to help me with my infertility and getting my "chi" balanced and flowing. It should also help with my bad circulation which causes me to have cold feet and hands alot.

First, she looked at my tongue and felt for three different pulses, the last one being my kidney pulse which has a direct relationship on your fertility. My first two pulses were strong, but my kidney pulse not as much. So she is here to help get that up. I will be seeing her for the next 5 weeks and am looking forward to seeing the progress. Oh yeah, josh will be having a couple sessions too! He is totally stoked to get it done. I will keep you up to date on any other interesting things I encounter at these sessions!

My Volleyball Team

2008-09-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

I just want to say what a wonderful team I have this year. They are just a great group of girls and I have enjoyed coaching everyone of them. They rock! Congrats girls on our first two wins of the season!

Fertlility Update

2008-09-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Just a little update on where Josh and I are at with our fertility treatments. Since our four unsuccessful intrauterine inseminations in the past year, we have decided to start the process of In-vitro fertilization. After much prayer, heartache, testing, discussion, and seeking God’s wisdom on the matter, we feel we needed to seriously look at this option. We always keep our hope in God, knowing that He works miracles and that He has a great plan for our lives no matter what. Now, we are learning a lot about IVF and finding out how complicated (and expensive!) the process really is. Please pray for my courage and strength through this whole process, as well as for Josh’s stress level, as we have many tests, blood draws, shots, ultrasounds, etc. ahead of us. Oh the joy!

Recently we have experienced a bump in the road with the results of one of my tests. Over the past year, I have been given a clean bill of health. However, two weeks ago, they checked my FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) level again and it came back too high (16.89). If this result is accurate, then my eggs might not be as mature or viable as they should be, which would decrease our odds of getting pregnant significantly. However, since I have never tested this way before, my doctor wants to retest in two weeks. Please pray for the results to come back normal this time, because if they do, our chances of getting pregnant will be much higher and we will have fewer hoops (and headaches) to jump through. If all goes well, we should be looking at about a month and a half to two months of prep, injections, tests and exams before the actual procedure.

Josh and I would like to thank everyone who has been praying for us. This is one of the most difficult things we have had to go through as a couple and as individuals and we realize that prayer is our greatest ally.

First Post

2008-09-09T11:29:00.001-07:00

OK...here is my first post. I am still trying to figure out this whole blog thing, it is quite different than facebook or myspace. Hopefully I will get it all figured out soon and we can start running with it!