I might be insane!

As if life was not exciting enough, we decided to throw something else into the mix. PUPPIES! Yes and not just one puppy, but two. 

It all started last year when we had just moved into out new house and on a whim I decided Sabrina needed a puppy. (she had only been asking for the last 2 years) GT was conveniently out of town, but upon his return the puppy found its way back to whence it came. The only way GT could remain in good favor with Sabrina however was to promise someday for a puppy again. His promise was as soon as we had a fence and grass he would get her a puppy. Well you guessed it....we now have a fence and grass. 

 So why 2?  Because one alone whines, two snuggle quietly.  One alone tears things apart, two tease each other and chase Austin.  One pees anywhere, inside or out; two smell each other outside and it reinforces the behavior.  And then they mate and we get more!!!  I know you are jealous, you want one now too huh.  Oh I almost forgot......They are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.  The bigger one is a boy his name is Rocco, our little girl is LunnaBelle.

What I HATE most...

I have been very puzzled and frankly troubled by the amount of hurt and Gossip going around lately. And with all the very influential TV shows now (IE. Gossip Girl, The hills, Sunset Tan etc) I am scared. I cannot figure out if people do not have enough hurt in their own lives that they need to create hurt for someone else, or if people just do not have a heart. Can we not see that Gossip does not lift people up to be better people because we are so consumed with tearing people down. And why does making someone else look bad make us look better, or justify us because someone else is stumbling. 

I look forward to the day when I turn on the TV and am inspired, not depressed by the news.  When people no longer thrive on stories of addicted stars just struggling to get by, but instead yearn for uplifting and empowering examples of everyday people with such love that they are influencing and changing the world around them. 

Can you imagine what the world would be like if every ones response to conflict was LOVE first anger Never, and the Gossip you heard left you with goose bumps and a smile.

One person CAN change the world, anyone up for the challenge?

Call me Crazy

Let me first start by saying , I know what month it is and I know October is not yet arrived. But here is the crazy part. I was walking thru TJ MaXX last week and they had all there Halloween decor out. So naturally I had to buy something. But when I got home I had forgotten what I had bought the year before. So the kids and I pulled everything out and before we knew it we had the whole place decked out for Halloween. It is actually fun though because I love this holiday, and I love changing things up. So here is the house.......Enjoy

My Digital Nightmare!!!

For anyone who takes digital pictures, let me give a tiny word of advice.
But first a little background. I am not very good at journaling in words my life or my childrens. I am however GREAT at having a camera with me at nearly every moment. (I carry one in my purse at all times) So you can imagine how many images I have immassed over the years.
Well last week I was trying to get to some of my pictures off the external hard drive and there was nothing on it. This particular hard drive had about 5,000 pictures covering everything over the last 3 years. I called our network tech, he told me if the drive is swiped you cannot get it back.
I left work just floored!! I could barely drive home I was crying so hard. I have never lost a child, but in case of a fire the order of importance is children first, pictures next! So this was pretty much total devastation for me........Well like the angel of a husband he is, GT closed his offfice door and got on the floor and prayed for how he could best help to comfort me.
Later that night a friend came over to use my computer, and I just thought I would look one more time to make sure they were really gone. And PRAISE the LORD.... they were ALL there. So the moral of the story...Always have a back-up of every digital picture you take.

My Very Late Birthday Post

OK so it is almost official, I am starting to get old! I turned 34 this last February. My children did not feel like it was a real birthday unless I had a cake. So I made myself one. This was Fun!! Now the real SHOCKER was GT's suprise for me. He swept me away to Cancun, Mexico. LAAAAAA(that was a note to be sung in an opera-like voice) I think this might be my new favorite place!


One of the best things to see in Mexico in my opinion is the Mayan Ruins. There are TONS! We went to Talum, which is the only ruins that are closse to the ocean. This place was amazing!

This was a break I did not now how bad I needed. But as usual, GT did

This is my Heaven on earth. GT and I are planning our retirement to Mexico, probably a little premature, but the dreaming sure is fun!

From the Horses Mouth

I know many of you have wondered about our journey this past year regarding our views and decisions about our former religion. But to put your speculations to rest and your hearts at ease, please listen to our testimonies before making up your mind about our doomed salvation. This has been a very bitter sweet year and a half. But my heart and eyes would not have been opened had it been any other way. So for that I thank and give praise to God for the journey.

To hear, follow the link and click on August 3rd. It will prompt a download window and if you play it, we start at exactly 5 min into the recording. http://gracebibleutah.org/menuPages/theWord.cfm

New York

OK...I am gonna try this blog thing again. But we will have to rewind a bit......

Back to April and our last trip with our 20 group convention. This time in New York. We were not sure if this would be our last meeting because we still were unsure about the TRUE financial position of the company. So we were trying to weigh the expense of the meetings with what we learned at the meetings. We sadly decided we could no longer justify the expense. But we have made a lot of Great friends over the years and we will miss them tremendously

A bit about New York-----

Our favorite way to travel was in the Pedi-cabs. The actual cab gave me too much anxiety!!

Street vendors were on every corner, selling everything you can imagine.

I loved the totally random things in the city like this reminder of a man hit and killed on a bike. That probably sounds a little morbid but it was great that it was not taken down because of a city ordinance or stolen. I thought it was so respectful..

This was Central Park. The arcitecture was amazing!!!

These are some of our wonderful friends whom we will miss!

Lisa Brill, Kay DiFilipo and Tami Sorensen. Hi Guys!!

The Top of the Empire State Building...just breathtaking!!

And last but not least...I met the Naked Cowboy!!

(he made me grab his butt, it was totally staged!)

The Scoop!

Life as we once knew it was over!

Last year we learned, rather harshly, that the person who was doing all of the accounting for GT AUTO was not doing a very good job of accounting. We think that it will likely take us a good 2 years to make up what was lost in 1.

So at the middle of Dec. last year I put my 2 yr. old baby in day care and started back to work full time at GT Auto. AS THE NEW ACCOUNTANT!!

For those of you who may not know, I took Algebra 3x before I could pass. I can barely balance a checkbook, and GT wants me to read a Balance sheet and understand a General Ledger. I have never taken an accounting course even in 3 years of college, which I now regret. But GT assured me he had faith in me. I however had faith elsewhere. I do not think I have ever cried so much in my life as I did those first few mos. Nor have I ever prayed so hard. And in those first few months I know I did not make it through at least 1 day without both.

So fast forward to today. I still work full time, but I have someone who comes to the house every morning until I get home each afternoon. I do still pray every day for help understanding the job, but I make it most days without the tears. If you were to ask me if I was angry at the accountant whom shall remain nameless, who's actions turned my life upside down, sent my children's mother out of the home, gave my husband a bleeding ulcer, and almost put us into the street. My answer would be NO. Because I have learned through someones actions not my own, that I had some stretching to do. And this lesson could have only been taught by the master.

To Blog or not to Blog...

This is the question I have been asking myself for sometime. Let me explain why...
When I was first introduced to blogging I was very disheartened by what I was reading. There was so much fluff and circumstance and no real life.
Life is very messy and most of the time its hard not to get a little dirty in the process. Where was the real depth and reality? Please do not get me wrong, I love hearing about the happy, feel good, hallmark moments of every ones life but where was the raw truth?
I know for myself that the times in my life I have learned the greatest of life's lessons, (and God's) is when my life has gotten truly messy and painful. Which brings me to why I have decided to start blogging.
My life has been a roller coaster of pain and joy over the last year and so many of our family and friends do not know what is going on in our life because GT and I have been consumed with keeping our head above water. But I believe we may be starting to float, so I have a couple of minutes left in the day. A caution to anyone who thinks this blog may involve only fluff.....It won't. So if you are not up for the ride, I strongly suggest you take the next exit.
If however you would like to come along with us and watch our very raw and messy life unfold right before your eyes, well then welcome aboard.
And please keep your seat belt fastened until the ride comes to a complete and full stop!