Maybe we WILL be in the close building

On second thought, I might have been underestimating the block on the map...it may be that we are in the Durango Ward...so we will wait and see.

Some updates...and ward boundaries are weird

So...after church we went to the house and we actually had to get teh keys, as the house is now secured. Here are the latest pics, with captions this time (WOW!!):

http://picasaweb.google.com/senorroot/MoreOfTheHouseToday

We also went to the ward building next to our development/neighorhood to know where we will be going. I talked to a member who showed me a ward map. It turns out that the entire development, except for the area we and the newest homes are being built are in the Durango ward. We will be in the Pioneer Ward, which attends the building on Guadalupe between Higley and Greenfield- almost a 2 mile distance, instead of a half mile. Another thing is that the whole rest of the ward is west of Higley...that is, except for the area where we live.

This seems to be a pattern in my life in wards. In the 17th/Barkley Ward, we were 'across Broadway'. In Tempe, we lived in 'the apartments'. In the condo, the ward was split between basically the super nice and expensive homes in the Rancho del Mar development and the 2 condo complexes. We were in the lesser of the two. Here, we are across Gilbert. In the new house, we will be on the other side of Higley. Also, it is another case of not attending the ward building closest to us. Here's to changes!!!

Latest house pics

We now have doors, a garage door, the roof tile has been laid, there is paint inside and partly outside. There also are cabinets, counters and bathroom sinks.

Here you can see the latest pics.

We are going to move...it's real!

We just found out our closing date. YEAH! 8-29-08 is when we close, which means we plan on moving in on Sept 1- Labor Day. If you are in town, we would love the help. We seem to have acquired an awful lot of stuff. I hope it all fits!

Awesome game!

Went to the D'Backs game today with Joseph. Jared couldn't go, so Joseph got to. I hoped that it would be fun for him since he doesn't get pro baseball in southern Utah...well in all Utah they only have one AAA team.

The game for 8 1/2 innings was horrible. I was very unhappy except for the two innings I had an old classmate from high school come chat w/me. That was cool. Andy Clement was never a good friend in high school, but always nice. We had classes in high school together, then in a class @ ASU, then I worked with him before my mission. Then I ran into him a few times @ ASU in the gym after the mission. Now at the game. It was cool.

Anyway, the awful game turned awesome in the bottom of the ninth with seven straight batters reaching base, scoring 6 runs with no outs to win 6-5. It was incredible. Last year I saw the Snakes come back from six down to win the game, but it was little by little and from about the 5th inning you could feel that there was a rally coming. Today, nothing said that this would happen. It was just sweet. I am hoping for excitement for all the kids' sake at the next 2 games. That way they make it to the fireworks without whining.

Only a month left of summer...and the house is moving along

So...I waited too long to post, but no problem. I just finished my two classes online. They were 12 and 14 week courses. I got them done in less than 5 weeks. I learned web design skills and how to use html code. It is kind of fun. These two classes will get me a raise at work (45 credits beyond a master's). So now officially my summer is play time- movies and video games.

We had our pre-drywall walk through last week and it looks like we will be moving in early to mid September. Believe it or not, that would be within a couple of weeks fo the 5 months they said it woudl take. There were a couple of things to adjust, and all but one were taken care of. We took a ton of pictures. We expect the stucco and drywall to be done in the next week or two.

Here are some pics...

This last one is my TV room in the back (the 'family' room). We all know the family room is upstairs. Downstairs is the front quiet room (above), the kitchen, and the TV room. In the TV room, they had put the in ceiling speaker mounts on the walls and not the ceiling. They needed to scoot my reading canister light about a foot forward, and we needed a light switch to be moved so that the piano doesn't cover it up or get in its way. The back yard is big...bigger than I thought it would be.

In other stuff...the kids are still adjusting to being around one another ALL DAY LONG. They fight over the computer for play time, they argue about the TV, they bother each other and cry. FUN!!!

This week is week of baseball. I had a game on Monday, I have one today, and the whole family is going for the 4th and 5th. Next post should be after the games to show pics of the kids and the fireworks for the 4th...and hopefully there will be a bunch of wins.

Anniversary and other stuff

So, I get a call this morning from Brad (the entrepreneur who is hiring me to teach the English class) and he says that a funny thing happened and that of the 18 people he had sign up, only 2 were going to attend the class. So I get a 2 week reprieve while he recruits more. I am mildly excited about the course because I have never taught English, and while I know i can do it, I am stressing out about setting up the course curriculum in scope and sequence. If the class is going to be successful, it is basically up to me. That is pressure. I am a little skeptical as to the success of the course just because Hispanics can be, uh..., unreliable. I wonder just how many will pay for an class to learn English when there are many areas that do it for free. They are not terribly effective and don't teach much, but in the end it usually is up to the learner how much of a language is learned. It could be successful, but from a business standpoint, you would have to get the money up front. Otherwise, they will back out, like most people. We will see...

Our anniversary came and went, and we spent a lovely evening in Scottsdale. TJ and Suzanne got us for Christmas a gift card for the Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale to use for a nice dinner. We tried to use it for Valentine's day, but they were booked for months, so we set it up for our anniversary. We went to Alto, an Italian place in the resort, and we barely understood anything on the menu. We ordered some nice food- I got a penne pasta with bacon and carmelized onions and then bacon wrapped veal in grilled veggies. Cami got a ravioli dish and then a chicken portobello. the food was really good, but different. We ordered non alcoholic drinks (she got a strawberry daquiri and i got a pina colada). When our server brought them out (we were seated outside), as she opened the door...CRASH! She dropped the drinks. We felt horrible for her. Luckily it was just at opening so she could change and there weren't many people there. She ended taking off one of the dishes, apparently as an apology, so she got an extra large tip. They gave us a dessert on the house because of our anniversary, a wafer gondola with fresh berries in a creme brulee. Very good. Here is a pic:

After dinner, we got a complimentary gondola ride and did so with another couple on their anniversary (their 20th). The weather was perfect and just at sunset...very nice.

9 years...a long time. I hope that we can bottle up the best times and have them the rest of forever.

Until next time...oh...our house has a slab now. Let's hope the framing gets up quickly.

enjoying summer...so far

So...I love not having to go to work. Sure I have a few things to do at home and I do really enjoy my job, but some freedom to get up when I want, take a nap, etc., is great. Now I have time to do some fatherly things, like teach my kids how to ride a bike. I have gone out with Diego the past two mornings to teach him and it is going well. Noelia learned really fast, and he is doing the same. We go to the Lutheran or baptist church parking lot a block from us (I can't remember which) and work in the safety of no traffic or cars. He gets it, just like Noelia did. I don't get it. i remember taking FOREVER to ride on my own and they get it in a day or two. Although, I admit that it is nice and somewhat spiritual.

Today, as Diego was riding, I was ahead of him running backwards so he could look up at me and pedal. His downfall tends to be looking down (causing him to waver and wobble) and not pedaling (not giving him enough forward speed to keep his balance), so all the time I kept telling him to keep pedaling and just watch me. We went around the whole back lot and halfway around the church before he decided to stop. It reminded me of how if we keep pedaling (enduring and trying to go forward, because if we stop, we lose speed) and keep looking ahead and not down, we will be successful, move forward and not fall. It makes me think of Peter on the water with the Lord. It was when he stopped looking at Him and realized that he was doing it that fear set in. Same with Diego. So...learning to ride a bike can be like our spiritual well-being.

On another note, I might get a summer job teaching English to Spanish speakers 2 nights a week. It is a new start up company and I have an interview in the morning...we will see what happens. I also had a summer brain fry moment. On Tuesday I was set to go and help revise the district Spanish tests. With the nice long weekend and the first few days of the break, and the crazy graduation storm and everything, I completely forgot- no show. I called to apologize, nothing, no call to remind or ask where I was. I am beginning to wonder if it even happened. Cami started orientation for Target, as she will be working part time at least until we move. She is just wanting to make sure there are no excuses for the underwriters to turn us down at the last minute...we have a lot of money already in the house that we can't get back because we have a current home we are not selling now. She was a bit frustrated because she was having no luck finding a job and was beginning to wonder if she would- especially after not being employed for over 8 years.

The building has begun with our house and we are going to use our new bikes to go visit it and take pics. so...that means I will let Cami do that.

Well...it's bedtime, so until next time.

Mothers need breakfast in bed!!

On mothers day I was spoiled. I received special art projects and notes from the kids, the diamondback shirt I have been asking for along with two rattles, amazing food and a visit from my brother Joseph. There was one thing missing. Ever since my older brother and I were 5 & 6 we or our successors have made my mother breakfast in bed. TJ says that he got the idea from primary.

Anyway, my husband made me an amazing omelette with toast. I commented that he needed to teach our children to cook me breakfast in bed and he looked at me like I had grown spatulas out my ears. I explained our tradition and he said he had never heard of doing that. My poor mother in law no egg shells or raw hash browns!!

I know why would I want to allow my children near the stove with their records of getting severely burned (maybe poptarts and milk). I just think that it adds to the idea of gifts of love and service. So for next year all mothers sleep in, all fathers help and all children start cooking!!

Jess has no time so I will try!

Jess has no time to blog lately, as if those who checked this blog lately haven't noticed. We as a household are in a time of change. We no longer have a toy room. We have a Mike room. That is right folks I have joined the ranks of those who have had family live with them. I have stated before that I never would. All has been good. One week down 5 more months to go (or until KB homes decides to finish our house). I actually have enjoyed having Michael here and Stacy (his friend girl) comes over sometimes. They add some adult conversation to my preschool world.

This pic is Jess showing how busy he has really been. He is with Diablo (the chihuahua puppy that we had for a few months then sold last week because we were having no luck potty training him and the carpet showed it).


Jess and I picked out all of our upgrades this last week for our new house. We actually found flooring and such that we both agreed on (knock me over with a carpet sample). We have done the house in shades of neutral earth tone greens. We paid nearly a small fortune in upgrades, but we want to have what we like (within reason) if we are going to be going out on a limb and purchasing another house. Here's hoping that it all looks okay on the large scale. Maybe by the time the house is done we will forget what the stuff is suppose to look like (naw I am to picky for that!).

We did the 5th bedroom option, so the loft is smaller and we got the extended patio.

Floor Plans

A couple of days ago Isaac turned 4. We could not manage to remember that it was his special day. Jess tried to schedule himself to attend the National Honors Society induction ceremony that night, Noelia had achievement days (her first time when did she get so big?), and I volunteered to watch my two nieces while their mom attended a new endowment temple session of a friend. Alas Isaac aged just the same, Jess skipped the ceremony and McDonalds had a rowdy crowd for dinner. After baths some of the family came over for cake. He wanted a big number on his cake but walmart was all out of "4" so I put on the "8" from Noelia's birthday and made a minus sign from a short candle then put four individual candles. Birthday math (8-4=4). Isaac even got to stay up and play the Wii on his birthday. Michael asked him why he wasn't in bed and he stated simply, "If I go to bed it can't be my birthday anymore!" Duh Mike!



On that very same day Isaac, Elena, Rhett (the boy I watch) and Chiha decided to take a nap at the same time (thus is why Isaac was staying up late, he never naps). I was amazed!! an hour to myself. I took a picture to prove to myself that I actually had some free quiet time. So what did I do? I balanced the check book and watched the ninth inning of the D-Backs game. I also watched the rerun of the Micah Owings pinch hit homerun. He is my favorite player on the team. Go Snakes!

Just one last thing, blogs get long when you don't post very often. I hope to work on that.

NOELIA!! She is eight!! She had a real party with Hannah Montana invitations, a pinata, streamers and the works on the Saturday before her big day (we squeezed the party in between conference sessions). Then on Monday the seventh of April she was baptized by Jess (in our stake you can still have it whenever you want). We had to be out of the building by 5 so as to comply with church Monday night, family night regulations. She was very ready and very beautiful that day. Jess says he has never had a greater afternoon than that. Also there is a picture of her at spring sing. She is so tall she stood in the very back and new every single word. Her music teacher says she has an American Idol voice.





For those who are planners like me and know that life never goes as planned read on.

I had the baptism all planned we would get there 15 min early set up an entry table with her guest list. Set up the front table with her photo and pink roses and get the two involved changed. I wore my waterproof mascara (this is as good of time as I can think to feel the spirit). We were only 5 min early and almost everyone was already there. Even my brother and his wife were there with the table cloth I asked her to bring (she doesn't like to rush to get ready, I love you Suzy Q :) We hurried to do the necessary things before the baptism began. The guest list had to be signed on the way out because everyone was already in their seats. To top it all off I forgot the blasted flowers. We were off to a great start. The bishop was a little late so I had a few minutes of worrying whether or not he remembered to come. Leigh gave a good talk and I was beginning to settle down. Noelia then got baptized (only once!) I ran back after watching the baptism to give her the towel and help her get dressed. She promptly began crying because she forgot her dry underwear. OOPS! I finally got her calmed down and explained that many women don't wear panties so they don't have lines. That said and done we had the final talk by Papa during which I had to go sit in the back with Rebekah who was loudly playing hide and seek with Diego with her father's suit coat. He had left to use the restroom. The baptism was then over. Not a tear shed. No feelings of the spirit because I had to many other things to worry about and do. I hope I can learn and do better in a year and a half for Diego!

He who cannot learn by others' mistakes is stupid. He who cannot learn by his own errors is a fool!

ASU out, UA in? What the...?

Sure most of you don't care, but ASU basketball got it handed to them by the tournament selection committee. So the stupidcats make it to the tournament (yes they played a harder schedule...but did not win ANY of theose hard games) and they lost TWICE to the Devils AND were behind them in conference play. the arguments I have heard...they had injuries. What sport takes into consideration injuries? If that were the case the Suns would likely have won 2 championships in the last few years. Oh well, no respect.

At least we will be able to enjoy the stupidcats' one and done appearance...AGAIN.

Hopefully the ASU baseball team hands it to the overrated UA team tomorrow. GO DEVILS!!!

Spring...Break? That's what I am hoping, at least

So it seems that everyone else I know has a blog...I guess it was time to join. I don't know if I have anything that anyone would want to read. Spring Break has just begun and we really need some rest.

The quarterly "I finally care about my grade because I have a week left to do something" just finished. My classes have ALL quarter/semester to retake tests/quizzes and turn in or make up work they missed or have not turned in. Yet it seems that I have almost no one do anything during the other 8 weeks of a quarter, and then a ton the last week. Then they expect me to get the work graded in one night, even when I have a life and family and it is 5 times the normal load. I just tell them I promise to have it graded by the end of the quarter...not always their favorite answer. But I got it all done and I don't have much to do in the way of grading over the break. I love days off!!

We may have good news on Monday about the house we want...the listing is showing pending. Our realtor is out of town, but he had not heard anything. It means one of three things- we get the house, we lose the house, or the owner has asked that no one come to see the house (there are renters there now). Our realtor thinks it may be the third. In any case...since the last he heard on Thursday was that our bid was number one, we win. If no one else can see the house, then we will get the house, but when? That will be determined by a lender somewhere.

My birthday is in a week...and I know what I am getting. Well, most of it. I will be watching many baseball games this summer.

We will be seeing if this Spring Break is actually a break or if it adds to the many things I have to do. Maybe I will be on again soon.