Photography Blog

I've started a new photography blog. I've been having fun doing mostly wedding photography for a little while now, so I decided to have a separate blog for my photos. I would love for you to check them out. I still have more that I want to add later, but I went ahead and put the link to the side of this post beneath Our family and Friends, click on "My Photography Blog". Be sure to let me know what you think!! Thanks!!

Cable Wan Kanobi

After already getting our tax return, we went for a date last night. This date consisted of Mike and I going out to dinner then off to shop for a new computer. We were concerned about our 7 yr old computer, that had been giving us problems this past year. So we found a really good deal on a good computer with monitor, and printer and came home to set up. Mike said that he really wanted me to set up the computer this time, as a "learning" experience. I of course deferred to his superior knowledge on the subject and tried to extricate myself from the situation. He would have none of it, so we finally settled on me just watching his efforts so I could be enlightened. I pulled up a chair, sat down to watch as I said "teach me Obi Wan." To which he replied, "That's Cable Wan Kanobi to you." Soon my simple job of watching turned into that of a surgical nurse.
Cable Wan - "Printer"
Me - "printer"
Cable Wan - "out of the box preferably"
Me - "Well be more specific next time."
Cable Wan - " CPU"
Me - "Hey, I know what that is!!"
Cable Wan - "Do you know what it stands for?"
Me - "Uhhmm 'comes pretty undone'?"
Cable Wan - "Uh, no, 'central processing unit'"
Me - "yea, so, I knew what it was, what more do you want?"

Suffice it to say that soon Mike released me from this onerous task, so he could do it in peace. That is how I come to be typing on this nice new keyboard today. Thank goodness for tax returns and husbands that know how to set up computers!!

Back to School

No, I'm not talking about the kids going back to school, I'm talking about ME!! While I was complaining to Mike one day about what I was going to do with Kassi in preschool, he mentioned that I should find out what it would take to finish my AA degree at the community college. I was quite skeptical because it had been over 12 yrs. since I took my last course. But I went because, (let's be honest) I had nothing else to do. I was so excited to learn that all the credits I had earned years ago, still counted, except for the computer class (because I'm ancient of course and they didn't even have microsoft when they taught those classes). But I was very relieved to find out that my math class I took straight out of high school (pre-calculus and trigonometry) still counted, because, as I told the advisor, I could never do that again!! So, to make a long story short, I have 43 credits towards my degree and only need 17 more, and 7 of them are electives!! Woo Hoo!! I will take a computer class this semester while Kassi is at preschool, since it is an open-entry, open-exit, which apparently means I can start whenever and finish at my own speed and go to the school whenever I have time. Perfect!! Next school year when Kassi is in full day kindergarten, I will be able to take more classes, but I will still only take a couple at a time. I feel like I have a direction to go in now, not that I know what I will do with my AA degree after I get it, but I will have one.

Sad days

Mike and I got news Wed. night that a friend of ours had passed away. Our friends, Catherine and Luke Short moved out of our ward at church a couple of years ago, and even though they didn't move far, we really didn't see them as often as before. We still kept in contact via e-mail and children. They have 3 daughters and 1 son. Their oldest daughter is Sammi's age, and their youngest daughter is Jessi's age, and the girls have been pretty good friends. So every so often they would come to birthday parties or visa versa. Well, on Wed. Luke died of an anerism at the young age of 38(?). This news shocked us and all around us. It's the one thing we all fear, but never want to happen, especially to anyone we know. I can't help but think of Catherine when she had to tell her children the news. My heart literally breaks at the thought of any child getting that news let alone children I know. When you get news like this, it is hard not to put yourself in their place and really ponder how you would cope. But also you think about the person and how he touched your life. We met Luke and Catherine at church. Our children were really close in ages, so it made sense that we started to hang out. Luke always seemed really quiet and mellow, but he was always so nice to everyone. I remember one time we had a few families over to play cranium. We played in couples and Luke and Catherine got the question "What was the first video played on MTV?" I remember the question so clearly because instead of just answering it, Luke started singing "Video killed the radio star" Catherine joined in and they were swaying to the beat, and I was so shocked to see this normally quiet guy not afraid to sing out in front of everyone. From then on, I knew the quiet was just a facade. He went paintballing with Mike several times over the years too, and somehow the guys seem to form a bond while shooting each other. Mike and Luke both worked on construction sites often and would occasionally run into each other at work too. So they both could relate to each other on a work level as well. But the real bond comes from knowing the Savior, Jesus Christ. Luke lived his faith on a daily basis. He went to church every Sunday, accepted callings, served in the community, and spent lots of time with his family. He was a good example to all who knew him. He coached soccer, I think, every year that I knew him, and last year my 8 year old brother was on his team. My step mom talked about how during the games, all the other coaches would yell at the kids to run, or shout at them to do this or that. But not Luke, he always found a way to let the kids know what they should do in a kind manner. I know that though his family will miss him deeply, that this is not the end for them. They have the blessing of their family being sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. In my LDS religion, we believe that the power to bind on earth and in heaven inside the Lord's temple has been restored to the Earth in the the latter days by the prophet Elijah himself. This is a great comfort during times like these, to know with every fiber of your being that you will be with your family again. I know that Heavenly Father loves us enough to make this possible through our Savior, Jesus Christ. And I testify that families truly can be together forever. In Jesus Christ's name, Amen.

For those of you that knew them here is the funeral information:
Funeral Services for Luke Short
will be
Monday, January 14, 2008
9:30 am - Viewing
11:00 am Funeral
at
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
79th Avenue and Acoma
Peoria, AZ 85381

*******************************************************************

Donations can be made to the

Cathryn Short Fund
account # 1001143272 routing # 122105359

at Johnson Bank
3131 East Camelback Road
Suite 100
Phoenix, AZ 85016

Identity Crisis??!!

I'm a stay at home mom, right? And a stay at home mom, stays home with her children. So what does a stay at home mom do when all her children are in school, including her 4 year old who started preschool today? Now granted, it's only 3 hours a day, 4 days a week, but this is the first time in 11 years that I have had that kind of time on a regular basis all alone. Now don't get me wrong, I can think of all kinds of things to do, but I seem paralysed to do any of them. I have been using my kids as an excuse not to do so many things that now I find myself doubting whether I could do any of them at all. I know that makes no sense, but right now I feel like anything I try to do, I will just fail at. Even something as simple as organizing my house. I'm just afraid to even try. How lame is that?!! Wow, if I react like this just with 3 hours alone what am I going to do when they all grow up and move away? I always complain at how clingy Kassi is, but I think she must have trained me well, cuz I'm having a hard time thinking of her in preschool without me. Boy, I never thought I would feel this way, I feel so lost with out my kids. Well, that's enough of my rant for today, besides, by the end of the week I will probably be so happy to have this time to myself. Just as soon as I figure out what to do with it!!!

One More Video

My brother Jason took alot of video clips on our trip to Flagstaff (or Staff Flag as Kassi calls it) and it was too hard to just pick a couple and I finally decided I had to add this one too. It's Kassi sledding with her daddy and she loves it!!

Flagstaff Trip

Our trip to Flagstaff was really short. We went up on Thurs. afternoon and visited with my Uncle Danny, Cousin Josh, his wife Katherine, and my brother Jeremy in Mountainaire (right outside of Flagstaff). We had lots of fun and Noah was in heaven, since my uncle is an avid hunter and has deer, antelope, and elk heads all over his house. Then to top it off, he made burgers for us but they weren't just any burgers, we got a choice between, deer, antelope, or elk burgers. I'm not sure which one I got but it was delicious, so was the homemade mac n cheese that Jeremy made for us.
We didn't get back to the hotel until late and the next morning we got up and took a drive out to Sunset Crater and Wapatki National Monuments. Sunset Crater is an inactive volcano that we can drive past, it wasn't too exciting. Wapatki ruins are old pueblos that were built over 1000 years ago. They were really interesting to look at and the kids got to fill out a jr. ranger book as we went along.

Then we spent the rest of the day and the next day sledding. It was really fun and the first time our kids had done that. They loved it! Kassi was so brave the first day. She has a little yellow board to slide on that Jason got her for Christmas. She called it her boogie board. She would climb up the hills, throw it down then kneel on it and just go. The next day however, her first run down she hit a patch of dirt and landed in the snow face first. After that she wouldn't go alone. The first day the kids had tubes that Jason bought them for Christmas, but after Jason tried them out they broke. So we went out and bought some plastic discs and tabogans. Boy do those go fast! Noah was such a daredevil trying to hit all the jumps he could find. Sammi had fun on them too until she hit one so hard it knocked the breath out of her. Jessi was nice and bundled up in a snow suit that was handed down from one of my brothers. And she was the only one that managed to keep her tube from popping even using it two days in a row. We had a blast but I was glad to get back to warmer weather. I never thought I would say that 40 degrees was warmer weather, but compared to the 20 degrees (that was the high) in Flag, I have changed my views. Course we all ended up with terrible colds when we got back, but it was worth it.

Christmas fun!

Our Christmas tradition for the past couple of years has been to not buy the kids presents from us, but to decide on a trip or passes to go somewhere. This year we decided to go to Flagstaff after Christmas to play in the snow. So Christmas morning was really quick since it was mostly just their stockings and presents that Santa brought. Sammi got a karaoke machine that we all had lots of fun with (as you can see from the above video! My kids are a bunch of spazes, but at least they take the focus off of me!) Noah got an air hockey table that just barely fits in his room. Jessi got a rock tumbler and rock driller so she can make jewelery. And Kassi got a princess vanity table. Everyone had lots of fun and we spent the rest of the day playing games and checking out all the new gifts. But the gift I am most thankful for is the Savior. I know that he died for our sins that our family may be able to return to him and for that I will forever be in His debt!