Vacation Envy

Just about everyone I know has gone on vacation this summer, except me. Some of these vacations have been glamorous or exotic, relaxing or exciting, tried and true fun or new unique experiences. I am having a mega case of wanderlust, but no way to satiate that need!


Nope, I won't deny it. I have a bad case of vacation envy.


The only time I have left town and my immediate surroundings has been to go camping.... Aw, camping. I don't like to go, but I feel a sense of obligation to go spend time with family. Can't my family go somewhere with real beds and electricity?? No, they go camping. After only one trip, that word has become like a swear word to me. Ugh. Camping!


Since I can't really escape to an island retreat, I leave you with this song by Weezer that always makes me think of summer and getaways.

click here for Island In The Sun by Weezer

Blue skies and cool evenings

The weather has been really nice lately. Maybe a tad bit hot on some days, but the beautiful blue skies and cool desert evenings make up for it. The nieces and nephews have been over a lot to play on the water slide, and usually all have at least two popsicles while they are here.
My niece in California has decided that if her two big brothers are going to school, then she should be going too! So, she told her mom she was a "pink-grader". That sounds much more fun than any grade of school that I attended!!
Currently, as I type this, Tyler is taking the ASVAB test for the third time. I really hope he does well!! But, all this time we thought his score didn't qualify him to get into the AF, we were wrong. He qualifies to get into the AF, just not the first job he expressed interest in. I told him if he has to do a different job for a few years and then switch, wouldn't it be worth it just to get into the AF? He was supposed to talk to his recruiter about it before he took the test today. I hope he has good news for me when he gets home.
The song I am posting today is sung by a California girl named Colbie Caillat. I like a lot of her songs, they sound like fun summer, beachy songs to me. I thought this video was cute, with all the hidden smiles, and had a sweet sentiment to it. So, here it is ~ "I Do" by Colbie Caillat

Click here for "I Do"

Get ready to put your new shoes on!

I am sick and tired of people venting there crap on Facebook! That's what your sister/mom/good friend/diary/blog is for! I use Facebook primarily to keep in touch with people from the past, or relatives who live far away, I don't want to read about how your dogs tore up your garden, your parenting style is better, or read your paragraph long self-righteous tirade against the medical profession. I am so glad that I am over the whole Facebook craze, and now only check it about once a week. Now my Facebook rant is over! :)

If you know me, you know I love music! Just about every big moment in my life has it's own soundtrack, or a song will bring a specific memory to mind. So, I had this idea of trying to blog about songs that I really like right now. Some old, some new, some old ones newly discovered again. To kick it off, I am going to link (successfully - cross your fingers) a video of Paolo Nutini's song "New Shoes". This tune gets me dancing around my bedroom and thinking about buying shoes, what could be better??

Paolo Nutini "New Shoes" click here

One lousy point!

Tyler took the ASVAB again... but unfortunately he missed passing it by one stinking point. He was pretty bummed out. So, he will take it again this month. Already, he has been studying like a mad man, and I am proud of him for it. He has to get it passed this time or he can't take it again for six months, eeek!

When Tyler didn't pass for a second time, a certain someone (who I will not name), said to him maybe this was the Lord's way of telling him that he wasn't supposed to go into the Air Force. This completely disgusted me. We did not go into this decision, to go into the AF, lightly. We prayed for weeks before we made our final decision, and we have always felt supported by the promptings of the Holy Ghost since we made that decision. Just because you face opposition, does not mean you have made the wrong decision, or that Heavenly Father is necessarily telling you to give up. If, through prayer, you still feel right about something, aren't you supposed to push forward through opposition?? I don't recall anywhere in the scriptures where it promises that our lives will be all sunshine and lollipops just because we make the right decision. I do know, however, that the Lord has promised us that when we make the right choices, he will support us through our trials. Every time Tyler and I pray about the AF, we get the same answer, that it is what Tyler is supposed to do. We will not let the doubts and negative attitudes of others get in the way of our goal.

Eesh! Now that I have gotten my rant out I feel a little better. :) Grandpa and Grandma Hunsaker have been in town visiting. Grandma went to Tacoma to see her daughter graduate college, so Grandpa has been here on his own. He is so funny, he has been pretty out of sorts without her here! Good thing Dad keeps him busy with projects in the yard. Tomorrow we are having some of Dad's family here for dinner, we will see how that goes... why does there always have to be drama??

Poor Ty is working today, he is going to be one tired guy for Sunday. I will have to make sure he stays awake during church!!

Lukewarm Death

My mom always says when she isn't feeling good, that she feels like "death warmed over". I feel so horrid, I am not even warmed over, I am only lukewarm. Thank Heaven for understanding primary presidents who help you find a sub for your class!

Tyler has been preparing to take the ASVAB for a second time this coming Monday. I am so nervous for him and I keep praying and and praying that he will pass this time. The first time he took it, he only missed passing by 5 points... that was definitely a tough blow. So, he has been studying all month and is feeling more prepared for the test. We, along with our families are fasting this Sunday in Ty's behalf. I also called and had his name put on the prayer list at the temple. So, with all the studying, prayer and fasting, I have faith that Tyler will be successful this time. But as in all things, everything is in the Lord's hands.

Meet Walter

This is our new dog, Walter! He is a one year old Great Pyrenees, Australian Shepherd mix. We decided to get a dog from a local shelter instead of a breeder because of a) cost, b) he's already housebroken, and c) shelter dogs need homes too! We think he's pretty cute. And so far he has been a sweetheart. Ernie still isn't sure what to think about him, and barks at Walter a lot. Hopefully he will warm up to him soon! Although Walter is a year old, he is still considered a puppy, and believe me, he acts like it! Everything he thinks looks or smells interesting goes into his mouth. He usually will drop whatever it is when I ask him to. He also puts himself to bed at night in his kennel. We don't have to shut the door, he stays in there all night. Walter loves to put his big fuzzy head in your lap and have you scratch his ears.
Two of our nieces and a nephew have come over to meet him, and they all loved him. As soon as the kids came in, Walter laid down on the floor so they could love on him. When Coco was leaving, she didn't say good bye to anyone but Walter.
So, if you are in need of some lovin' from a big fluffy cream puff named Walter, come on over, he will be happy to oblige!

Easter is on it's way!

It's true, Easter is on the way. Wanna know how I know this? Well, besides looking at any current calendar, something else happened today that signalled the approach of Easter. Yes, today I saw my first Cadbury Creme Egg commercial of 2011. It's official now! Easter is just around the corner! Hahaha, I know it's kinda sad, but seeing that commercial today made me excited. I love me some Cadbury Creme Eggs! Anyone who says different, well, I don't know who you are!
Had a great conversation of the phone with my sis today! I always love catching up with her. She makes me laugh so much!
Tyler and I are slowly, but surely, filling out our adoption papers. I knew there would be a lot of paperwork, but this paperwork is intense! They want to know everything under the sun about us, from descriptions of our siblings, to the name of our first pet. Ok, I exaggerated that last one. I know they just want to be thorough, and give the birth parents a lot of information to make their decision off of. It's a huge decision they are making! At the same time, I feel like I am auditioning to be a prospective parent. It puts a lot of pressure on you to say just the right thing in your profile, because if you don't, it could impact how quickly we adopt. So much pressure!! I just have to try to relax and rely solely on faith and prayer.

Our first appointment

Tyler and I are so excited for this week because we have our first official, sit-down visit with LDS Family Services! Yea!! This is step number two on our road to adoption. I am so anxious to sit down with the counselor and ask him all my questions. I have decided that during the week I need to write down the questions that pop up, or I will forget when we get to our interview! And I want to make sure I get all my questions answered!
Tonight we had my nieces birthday party, and that was lots of fun. Plenty of family, good food and fun to be had. I absolutely love and thrive on time spent with my husband and family, so it was a great night. I made her a crocheted stuffed panda, and she loved it. I am making a couple bears for some baby showers, so I will have to post pictures. I want to start making them to sell to people, I think that would be fun. I love doing crafty, artistic type stuff, and if people would pay me too, that would be way awesome!
Next week Tyler is going on a ride-along with a member of our bishopric who works for the Richland police department. Apparently any citizen can go on one, so take advantage of that! Ha ha, maybe not. Tyler is going on this ride-along because he is applying to several local police departments, and this will give him a kind of preview of what he would be doing. I am so psyched for him!
This week is turning out to be one of those weeks where you think you don't have much going on, then you turn around, and every day is jam packed. But, this is good. One of my goals for 2011 is to just do more, be less idle. (I hope I am not inadvertently inviting chaos into my life! :) )

My boat trip to Australia

I found this posted on a blog I enjoy reading. The blog is written by a woman who is LDS and a mother of two adopted children. I find her blog to be really inspiring and uplifting and I loved the sweet sentiment of this article. So many people take their "flight" to Australia for granted, or anguish over their "boat trip", but it truly is just all about the beauty of Australia. I have posted a link to her blog, so you can read it for yourself and understand what the heck I'm saying! :)

http://growingupsara.blogspot.com/2010/11/great-analogy-from-dear-abby.html#comment-form

A new year, already??

I don't know about the rest of you out there, but 2010 seemed to pass faster than 2009! Family visited, we travelled, big decisions were made, we turned in our adoption application. So many great and wonderful things happened, but at the same time, I can't help thinking about the things I wish I had gotten done.
Now it is 2011, so weird to type, and a chance to do or not do all those things I didn't do last year. I guess that is one good thing about the New Year, it refocuses me on the year to come.
2011 has already started out with a bang, I've had a sinus infection cold thing since before Christmas, and I was reassigned to the Sunbeams. I am really going to miss the kids from my CTR 5 class, but this will be a new adventure!
Tyler has decided to go in a completely different direction for his career, so 2011 will be about helping him achieve those goals.
I will add more of my plans for 2011 throughout the month of January, as for now, my sinuses hurt too bad to think!

It's the most Wonderful time of the year!

I love Christmas! I love that I come from a family that loves Christmas! I love that I married a man who loves Christmas! There is just something in the air this time of year that automatically makes me think of ornaments, cookies, Christmas carols. It is simply wonderful!!
Tyler and I mailed in our application to LDS Family Services last weekend. Now we can't wait to hear back from them! I think about it constantly, to the point where I have to consciously tell myself not to. After our application process is over, it could take quite a while until we are selected by a birth mother. I have the highest hopes that it won't take long, but for sanity's sake, I need to make sure not to obsess in the meantime.
Last week, one of Tyler's back molars broke, so today he went to the dentist. Turns out it was one of his wisdom teeth that had broken. He didn't even remember he still had any wisdom teeth! Apparently he had his bottom ones taken out before his mission, but his upper ones hadn't grown in yet. Well, they grew in, and today the dentist decided they needed to come out. Poor guy! It was totally unexpected, but I guess it's better this way, so he didn't have to time stress about it. Now he is crashed on the couch, completely drugged out.
Tomorrow evening I am going carolling with the Primary to an assisted living home. Should be really fun! I love my primary kids so much! I have had them for such a short time, I don't want to give them up at the New Year.
The Christmas decorations are up, Kenny and Dolly are playing in my stereo, now I need some cookies!

In about a month...

Tyler and I had a great Halloween, even though he ended up having to work. Saturday night we went to our ward's Trunk n' Treat with Mom, Dad, the Hunsaker's, and the Prescott's. All the kids looked so cute in their costumes and they had a great time!
Mom and I had decorated the trunk of their van, and everybody said we had the best trunk in the lot. Gavin pooped out before the other kids when they were collecting candy, so he became part of our trunk decorations, too!
I have come to the conclusion that whenever one door closes a mail slot opens. Tyler and I had decided we should start looking for a house, but the first banker we spoke to said we couldn't qualify for anything. That really depressed me because it all our goals and plans off track and we weren't sure what to do. After we talked to that lady, we just kept praying and looking for more options. We were recommended to another banker and she not only got us approved for a home loan, but got us a great rate too! Here comes the mail slot part. We are so thrilled we are preapproved for a home loan, but it is a small one and there is hardly anything in our price range. So, now we are just waiting for a house to come available that will suit our needs for the next four or five years. Good thing we are living with family who won't kick us out on our fannies! :) Thank heaven for patient parents with big houses!
Saturday night, after spending time with my wonderful husband and family, it suddenly struck me while I was lying in bed, "In a about a month, we will be submitting our adoption papers to LDS Family Services." Wow. I started to smile, then grin like a kid on Christmas morning. I couldn't fall asleep because of all the wonderful, warm fuzzy thoughts going through my head. I don't know how long the adoption process will take once we turn in our papers, but its our first step towards being parents, and its absolutely amazing!

Trust a bigger picture

Everything has been going pretty well for Tyler and I for quite some time. We have been meeting our goals that we had made for ourselves, preparing for the future. Then yesterday we got some news that really threw us for a loop and slightly derailed our plans. I'm not sure how long it will take for us to reach the point we want to be at by the time we adopt, and it really kind of scares me.

I might not seem like it, but when it comes to the more important things in life, I like to have things planned to the tiniest detail. So, when we got this piece of news, I started freaking out. All my details and plans were thrown out the window, or at least temporarily dangled out the window. :) But in that moment, that's all I could see. Later that night I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants and the Lord was talking to Joseph Smith about how we should put our trust in God and not in man. That really struck me. I realized that I was relying to much on just myself, on Tyler, on people, and not putting all my trust in the Lord.

I hate not knowing what's going to come next. Not being able to be exactly prepared for what lies ahead. But, as Bro. Wirthlin has said, we must have the faith to step into darkness, knowing that only a step or two may be lighted ahead of us.

I guess this is kind of a more serious topic than I usually blog about. I just felt like putting it out there for anyone else who may be struggling with similar feelings.

Hello All You Guys & Ghouls!

It was brought to my attention that it had been awhile since I had posted... ok, this is true! To be completely honest, I don't usually think about blogging until late at night, then my brain doesn't like to cooperate.

Summer was great! My sister and her family came from California to visit all the family up here. It was such an awesome time! I haven't gotten to see my sister since my wedding, my brother in law even longer, and I had never met my niece. She is so adorable! Chubby cheeks, blue eyes and strawberry blond hair! She is one of those cute little kids that you just want to squeeze 'cause they're so dang cute!!! I sound completely crazy, but all my nieces and nephews are that cute. You just want to hug them and never let go.
So, all through their visit, the kids were outside every chance they could get. Riley was king of the water slide! Tate couldn't get enough popsicles, with his, "May I have another popsicle, please?" So polite! Heehee! I only got Calli convinced the last couple days of their visit that she could be my friend. I keep telling Tyler we need to go visit or she's going to forget me. If only money weren't an issue, I would visit all the time!
In August we went on vacation with the Hill family. I got to ride a horse in a national park! That was so much fun!! It was great to see my sister and brother in law and my niece Bailey. She is all cuteness and go go go. She was very into sharing her snacks with everyone, but she wanted to feed them to you. Pretty hilarious to watch!
My mother in law fell as we were walking back from watching Old Faithful and injured her knee and ankle. Now, almost a month and a half later, she is still having problems.

The weather has finally turned to the weather that I love. In the words of Grandpa Milt, "sweater weather"!! I love it when there is just a little crispness in the air and you can smell people burning leaves in their yards. Then next month the temperature will get downright brisk. People will start using their fireplaces, and the night sky will take on that beautiful, immense shade of aubergine that means we are truly moving into wintertime. Winter has always seemed like a more magical time of year to me. Its a time for celebrations and families getting together. Wintertime means Christmas! Winter is a time for nostalgia and reminiscing. And that is why, maybe even before Thanksgiving, I will have the Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton Christmas album permanently stuck in my CD player until the New Year.



Riding horses in Wyoming!



Calli and Tate rock out on Rock Band



Riley gets ready for his guitar solo



Two cute girls! :)



August means vacation time!

I have been having a great summer, family has come to visit, Ty hasn't been as busy, the weather has been nice. But, now it's the end of August, almost the end of summer and we finally get our summer vacation! Oh yeah! We left with Ty's family about four days ago and have been going through Yellowstone National Park. I haven't been there since I was 15, and it has changed a lot. So beautiful! I wish I could own a cabin there. We saw a lot of buffalo, and a few elk and deer, and one coyote. No bears, no moose, no wolves. We went yesterday to a wildlife discovery center and saw grizzlies and wolves. So, even though they weren't in the wild, we got to see real live bears and wolves.

Yesterday afternoon we arrived at the Hill family cabin in Palisades, Idaho, which is just over the border from Wyoming. We have been celebrating my father-in-law's 50th birthday ever since. These people know how to party! There has been food, games, goodies, home movies and spiff. Spiff = prizes you get for participating in competitions and games.

Tyler and I are here until Wednesday. Tomorrow includes white water rafting!! By the time we get home, we're gonna need another vacation to recover from vacation! :)

Sweet Summer Sunshine

Tomorrow I have my last final, then I am officially on summer vacation. Oh, yeah baby! My sister and her family are coming next week and my other nieces and nephew are coming to stay for a week. Its going to be a full house, a mad house, but, boy, are we going to have fun!!

Ashley and Bailey left at the beginning of June. I miss them! It was so much fun having them here. Ashley, Reb and I crafted like crazy fanatics, and even Bre, when we could convince her. :) Tyler was happy to have a niece here who preferred him over me. I told him to enjoy it while it lasted.

I can't wait for my sister and her family to get here, I get to meet my niece! Hopefully she will warm up to me fast because she will only be here for such a little while.

Mom got an organ, and Ernie can't decide if he likes it or if he is deathly afraid of it. He sits on my lap and cocks his heads to the right while he listens to her play. I think his forehead will be permanently creased.

Favorite little kid quotes of the week:

Amelia, "Mom, it really is good being the princess."

Coco, "Tywer scawy." (that's Tyler scary)

Visitors

My sister-in-law and niece are in town visiting from Arizona! We are going to have so much fun. Today we went to the craft store and picked out a project we want to do while she is here. Last time they were here it was December. Now my niece is one and walking and talking! She is so cute and loves to get herself into mischief. She loves my in-laws' dogs and laughs whenever they lick her.

I heard through the grapevine that my sister and her family might come visit us from California this summer. If I had my way, I would gladly go to CA, but I don't think Ty and I could afford that. So, hopefully they will come here to Washington. I haven't seen them since my wedding and haven't met my sister's little girl. *Crossing my fingers* I miss them a lot, so it will be great to have them here!!

Class is kicking my butt right now because I am always feeling sick. I keep reminding myself that the quarter is halfway over, so hang in there! Ugh. :P

Spring, where are you?

This Spring has weather that is as fickle as can be. One minute its gorgeous and the next its gray and cold. I guess that is the nature of Spring weather, unpredictable as it tries to press forward to Summer. I love the Spring weather, and wish the season would last longer. Here in Southeastern Washington, it seems like the only seasons are Summer and Winter.
Went to the CBC campus today to take a math test. Hope I did well. If I had it to do over again, I would have taken my math classes sooner after graduating high school. Since it has been nearly eight years since I took a math class, it has been harder to get back into the math groove again.
I have been thinking a lot about goals lately. Trying to prepare for adoption really makes you think about goals. For quite a while I have wanted to write a book. Fiction, smart and funny, a story that people could relate to their life. I kind of started a couple years ago, but put it down and haven't gone back to it. And now that I read the pages I have written, I don't like my characters or plot line. I need to rewrite it and start over. I need to not give up on the goal of writing a book. It is always good to have goals, long term and immediate. It keeps us pushing forward, looking at tomorrow. So, my assignment for myself is to make some goals and keep them.
I heard about a little boy who is being put up for adoption here in the T.C.. I have been calling numbers and not getting much information at all. I kind of feel like a dog chasing it's tail. I haven't let myself get frustrated, though. I knew it would probably be a long shot, but Tyler is starting to be pretty disappointed. It would be wonderful if it could happen, but I am trying to stay realistic and not get my heart too invested. I know we will adopt when it is the right time. I know their is a precious little spirit that is meant just for Ty and me.

May Already

It is May already and we have now moved into Mom and Dad Hunsaker's house. The move was relatively painless, but only because of our great family helping us out. John, Dennis, Julie, Rebecca, Zach - you are all the best!!! Thanks for giving up your Friday to get us moved. We also had my visiting teacher and the ward missionaries there to lend a hand. Although, I think the elders got more in the way than they helped, but oh well.
I tried to keep what I would take to Mom and Dad's limited, and put the majority in storage, that way moving out again will hopefully be pretty easy. I still don't have everything put away. It's hard fitting everything into one room.
My sister-in-law and her adorable baby girl are coming to visit. Yay! We are going to have so much fun! Now if only I could get my sister and her family from CA to come visit, this would be the best summer!
Monday Ty and I will be doing FHE with our friend Brianna. Should be lots fun, we don't see her often enough.
Odd story of the week for me: got a message on Facebook from a friend that I haven't kept in touch with about a baby she knows that is being put up for adoption here in the Tri-Cities. When I read this it was like lightning struck me. I don't think many people outside of our families and close friends know that we plan to adopt, so this really surprised me. She sent this message to several people on her list, but I was excited she sent it to me too. I immediately started chatting with her to see if I could get more information. She gave me the child's name and age and what agency the child is going through.
I tried calling the agency, but they were already closed for the weekend. I am calling them first thing Monday morning. This could possibly be a long shot, but I am willing to try. I just have to put my faith in the Lord that He will know what child is meant for us and when it is right for us.

Moving Day

Tyler and I are making the final move of all our stuff this Saturday. Hopefully it won't be too many loads, because we have been trying to move smaller things and clothes for the past too weeks.
I was feeling a little overwhelmed this weekend because I had homework assignments due, packing to be done and on top of that, I was feeling extremely cruddy. I am still feeling cruddy, but not as bad. Went to the doctor today and she decided we should test for everything under the sun since I haven't really felt well for a while.
The packing is coming along nicely, finally! We have so many boxes, full and empty, that it doesn't seem like we are making any head way, but we are. It will just be nice to be moved and unpacked again. Tyler is tired of moving once a year since we've been married, but that's called being a newlywed, you move a lot!
Wednesday I get to play photographer's assistant to my lovely sister-in-law. I'm excited to watch her work, maybe I will learn some cool photography tricks!