Let The Goodbye's Begin....

This is the worst part of moving, saying goodbye.
Our nights are filling quickly with the many loved ones we have to see before we take off.

Last night I had a night out with a few of the greatest gals from my ward. I really, REALLY love these girls and I will miss them like crazy. When we go out we have nights filled with great conversation and laughter.

There are so many wonderful qualities about each of them, but I am just going to pick one or two that stands out the most to me.

Mindy Lou Who- I love her witty sense of humor and her obsession with food.
Joni Boloni- I love her strong testimony yet I love that she thinks outside the box. Oh and I love her laugh and her beauty mark.
Cyndoll- I love that she NEVER speaks bad about anyone and I love her tight 80's fitting jeans that she wears in public.
Dlish- I love her beauty, inside and out. She is the "True Beauty". Oh and I love her belly dancing dvd and her love of skulls.

The list could go on and on about these girls. They really did save my life this past year, living in Salt Lake. There are friends you have from childhood that you hold close to your heart, and then there are friends that you meet along the way that make your heart expand even more.

These girls have expanded my heart and even helped strengthen my testimony. They are so accepting of everyone and they will never know how much they have blessed my life. Our last Girls Night Out Together was spent at The Porcupine Grill and then Quick Wits. What I will remember about this night is this:

1. Nacho's that were bigger than Mindy's head.
2. Dona's most exciting news.
3. The most disgusting Caesar Salad I have EVER tried.
4. The beautiful photograph from Cynthia.
5. Joanette's laughter that made me almost pee my pants.
6. Sexy Wrangler Butts from The Mama's Boys.
7. Umm quirky looking dude that seemed to crush on Cynthia.
8. Drew and his hot side burns and mustache
9. Laughter, Laughter and more Laughter.
10. The cowboy fiddler and his moves that were oh so wrong, yet oh so right.

Cheers to the BEST GIRLS NIGHT OUT EVER!!!!

Alaska Here We Come....

We've always dreamed of ending up in Alaska. We just never believed it would happen in the 3rd year of our marriage. Here's a brief update on how things have just "fallen in to place".

Glacier Bay, Ak. 2002. I lived and worked here for five months and fell in love at first sight. I always knew I would come back, just didn't know when.

Seward, Ak 2008. Honeymoon. I would say "enough said", but well, since we took our honeymoon six months after we were married, we didn't spend the whole time in the cabin. Our honeymoon quarters were not your typical bride and groom quarters. We had a space heater, bunk beds and a bucket too pee in. We spent as much time as we possibly could enjoy every aspect that Alaska has to offer. Bill fell in love with Alaska and I fell in love all over again with this beautiful piece of God's land.

So, on the train ride when we met her, it wasn't any surprise that they exchanged numbers. Her husband owned an engineering firm and Bill just happened to be looking for a job. He was already interviewing and interested in a position that would move us to Colorado, so her husband told Bill to keep his number in case he was ever interested down the road. Bill went ahead and accepted the Colorado position.

As many know, Bill has been on the road for the past 2 1/2 hears. I've essentially been a single Mom this whole time. Its been exhausting, its been challenging and its been nothing I ever expected I'd have to go through in the beginning years of my marriage.

I know its been hard on Bill, but he just hasn't expressed it as much.

A few months ago Bill finally got to a point where he felt he could be "open" to other opportunities. One Saturday he had to take an emergency trip to Wyoming and so the kids and I went along for the drive. We discussed different options and I asked Bill if He had this individual's information in Alaska. He said he has tried finding the contact info for him, but had lost it. Subject was dropped.

On Monday, Alaska had sent Bill an email, basically offering him a job. Ever since, everything has fallen in to place for us to take the offer. Let me repeat that, EVERYTHING has fallen in to place for us to take the offer.

So, here we are, just weeks away from starting this sudden dream. Nothing has been packed, because I'm scared and I'm sad. This goodbye is going to be the hardest goodbye I've had to have. I don't want to leave my friends and I certainly don't want to leave my family.

But, Alaska is going to give Me a husband and Alaska is going to give my babies a Father. If that's all Alaska gives me, it will be worth it.

I hope being a bit more faithful on this blog will help my family and friends experience the adventure with us.

Motherhood=Exhaustion=Crankiness=Joy

Wow. I'm exhausted. Purely, utterly, exhausted. I am also Cranky. Purely, utterly, cranky. But somewhere in the midst of the tiredness there is an unmeasurable amount of joy. I absolutely love my babies and I love the man I made my babies with!

Paisley is now 18 months. Where has the time gone? She is an absolute blast but she is now becoming an absolute little terror! A cute little terror that makes everyone around her laugh. She is all over the place, I feel like I can't keep up with her. She loves to climb on to everything and everyone. It is a bit surprising to see her little 20lb body reach new heights. It really appears like she is too small to climb, but she is most certainly daddy's little rock climber.

Paisley LOVES men, its quite terrifying actually. She will go to any man, any age, any where! I hope this is not a sign for her teenage years! It really goes to show how much she trusts and adores her daddy. I don't know that I see a bigger grin than I do each weekend when she see's Bill. If she has been cranky with me, she is an absolute angel when her daddy arrives home! Her favorite time with Daddy is hanging out in "his" chair and cuddling, while watching tv. She has become a huge fan of Shrek and Ice Age. She is so animated and excited, its more entertaining to watch her, than the movie!

I love my Paisley girl. She is such a huge part of my heart and when I get my break each weekend, I miss her and can't wait to see her smile. She has such an adorable little language, her gibberish never gets old! My tiny little ball of energy is the light of our lives!

Oh McKoy, my sweet, smiley Boy McKoy. What a difference he is than Paisley. I don't remember Paisley smiling as much as McKoy does! I look forward to my mornings because I know when he wakes up, I am going to get the biggest smile of the day! His smile just doesn't radiate from his mouth, but through his eyes! He is so gentle and so sweet and puts up with so much as Paisley smothers him and hugs him and wants to carry him and climb into the swing with him. He hasn't been the best sleep until the past few days or so. He wants to be awake and watch everything going on around him. Even when he is nursing, he wants to smile more often than he wants to suck. He is already catching up to Paisley in weight. He is over 13 lbs, just 7 lbs away from his sister. He's a chunk and an absolute delight to have in our home. He is definitely a Momma's boy and I'm not going to complain one bit! Everyone told me there is a special bond between Mother and Son and now I understand. I feel such an amazing amount of closeness to both of my babies.

They bring so much joy into our lives and we are so grateful we have been blessed to bring them into our family so easily. I love my life. Its never perfect, but its mine.

McKoy 2 months old

Paisley 18 months