Does Anyone Still Read This?

Hellooooooooo out there...I have neglected this poor blog and I won't apologize for it. :) What a summer-what a hot HOT H-O-T summer it is already! We are having record heat this week, near 100 on Thursday! I am still enjoying my job, it is stressful at times, and we've hit some bumps with a mass-exodus of people leaving, but overall, it's good. I'm gaining lots of experience which will help me once I get my degree.

Speaking of degree, I am nearly done with a math class for the summer which I need to get me through the last few classes I need in order to graduate. I can't wait!

We have done some projects on our home, I got a wild hair one day and decided I would make 2 raised flower beds in the front of our house, it took me a weekend (with Jason's help) to dig out the spot where the bricks would go, and another weekend to pick out flowers and plant them. It's done and I think it looks great!






Jason and I have decided to adopt a child. We are working with an agency that works with families who wish to adopt an older child. We are interested in a child age 5-8, we are looking forward to it, and aren't sure where this road will take us, but we've told our families and they are excited. We ask for your prayers, love and support that this works out if it's supposed to.

I can't promise when my next post will be, but until then, I hope this finds all of you doing well.

xoxo

A New Start

Hello everyone-I hope you're all doing well. I'm sitting here writing a new post instead of writing a Western Civilization paper. I'm calling it "warming up the creative juices" versus stalling. I'm listening to the hum of the dryer, there is about 10 inches of snow outside and I'm sipping a piping hot cup of peppermint tea.

I am so excited to start my new job tomorrow. I know that it won't be easy, but I am ready for the challenge. I really feel like I am about to embark on something that will launch me into my career in Human Resources. I know I'll have to put in some long hours, work hard, and challenge myself, but it feels right.

I am recovering well since my gallbladder surgery. I am finding now that my body rejects certain foods which at first I was a little surprised by-but all the doctors tell me it's normal. My dad who had his gallbladder taken out a few years ago, recovered fine and has (as my mom would say) an "Iron Gut." He can eat/mix anything and have no problems. I am having the opposite problem. Everything I attempt to eat has to be bland/low fat/ and for the time being mostly gluten-free.

I am taking this as a blessing in disguise. I needed a change-to try something outside the box. You only get one life to live, so take care of yourself (is what I keep saying to myself). It has been difficult, but being really creative with my cooking has been a positive change.

I wish you a peaceful day.

:)
Heather

It's Been Awhile

Oh Boy! First let me be the last person to welcome you to 2011, I hope yours has been great! A lot has happened to me over the past 2 months that I just need to get out and vent-so I hope you're up for some reading! :)

I found a new job at a local casino (I think it is in my previous post). That was going well until the week before Christmas where I become very ill. I caught a cold-no big deal. Then, I began vomitting and other things for about 2 weeks. I thought I had caught the flu on top of my cold. Now, just starting a new job, I did not call in once-because I knew that was the kiss of death!

After nearly 2 weeks of vomitting and "D", I called my doctor and had to be seen in the urgent care for severe dehydration and get on some major antibiotics. I called in the next day because I literally and physically couldn't make the drive to work. They said it was no problem and to do whatever I needed to take care of myself. After about 4 weeks of enduring those symptoms with no relief, I went back to my doctor. He decided I needed a Colonoscopy and a GI Test to rule out ulcers, etc. I was having pain after I ate so I had been on the BRAT diet for that entire time. On the positive, I've lost over 20 lbs!

The Colonoscopy is just awful. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I had to be out more time from the casino and again, they said NO PROBLEM, do whatever you need. So, I took one day off. Last Friday, very early in the morning, I woke up out of a dead sleep in severe pain. Jason rushed me to the hospital, where I was told I needed to have my gallbladder removed. I called into work rather Jason did because I was doped up) immediately and had surgery that same day.

I am still recovering and quite sore from that ordeal, but I am on the mend. I called my work today to fax them my doctor's note and much to my surprise, nobody answered the phone at my boss' desk, the senior VP of HR's desk, or my supervisor's desk. I finally kept calling and was told today that my position was being resigned because they can't hold my job. I understand all of that-but WHY oh WHY would you lead me on for the past few weeks telling me it's all ok when you were just going to let me go anyway?

I feel much better having gotten that out. They want me to apply again in 2 weeks and they'd love to have me back-WHAT?! No thanks.

Here's the kicker: Back in October, I interviewed for an HR job at Coors Brewing Co. Turns out I was just underqualified, but the woman was very impressed with me. She said she would refer me if something came up. I didn't think twice about it until last Wednesday when I got a call from Coors. She said I came very highly recommended and she'd love to interview me. I went in last Wednesday & it went great! I got a call 15 minutes after I left asking if I could come in Friday evening for a second interview. YES! Now, of course, Friday was the day that my evil gallbladder came out. I called her and explained my situation and she said that "For the right candidate, they would reschedule."

Today was a rough day-losing my job and all, so this afternoon, I get a call from their corporate office and I am being extended a job offer--no second interview, just on the spot! I happily accepted and will start in a couple of weeks!

I can't believe how God leads you to things, and brings you out the other side. I didn't expect this at all, but I am so grateful things happened the way they did. I am focusing on taking care of myself-and working on getting Jason entered into Sainthood, he's just wonderful. oxo

So, that in a large, bumpy nutshell is what's going on with me, hopefully, I will have much less to report on later-until then...Happy New Year!

It's Balmy In The Mile High This Month

It's December. A time which I think warrants snow. We have had a long continuation of fall. This week is 50's and 60's...I need snow for my holiday spirit to be amped up where it needs to be! =) Enough of my rant.

The new job is going well, everyone is so nice and helpful with my ridiculous 'new person' questions. I am glad this job found me. School is winding down for the semester and I'm SO incredibly thankful that I have my nights and weekends free to be with Jason.

Life is good. I am sending you an abundance of the Christmas Spirit...until later!

xo
Heather

Being Persistent Pays Off

Whew! It has been a whirlwind fall lately! I have no idea where summer, let alone, October- now we've landed in November. I have some good news to share-I'm finally out of retail! I have been looking for a job for the past few months, not too seriously until about 6 weeks ago. I made a mini-goal for myself in August that I did not want to "serve" another Thanksgiving at Target. Don't get me wrong; I love Target, but having to be at the store at 4:00am the day after Thanksgiving is not something I was looking forward to.

I put my resume out there, had a few interviews that I made it to the last round for, but there was someone out there that had just a little bit more qualifications than I did. On a whim, while checking job websites, I came across an HR position at the Isle of Capri casino in Blackhawk, CO. I applied thinking nothing would happen. I got an interview the very next day (which was a Thursday) and by Monday I got a job offer!

I am so excited because I get to spend nights and weekends with Jason again. It has been 2 years of me working nights & weekends which is fine-but I was really starting to miss him! I start 11/22 and my hours are great. I will be enrolling in classes this spring and hope to finish my degree by the summer (hopefully!)

I know that things work out the way they're supposed to and I'm so thankful they did. I hope all of you out there are enjoying the crispness of fall-I can tell that snow is on the way too!

Love love!
xo
Heather

The Happiest Place On Earth

The entrance to the park-here we go!


The decorative Mickey pumpkin just inside, makes you feel all Halloweenie.


The first 2 days we got there, it was pouring rain, thus-the poncho.


This light and water show was AH-mazing! It was set to music and displayed all kinds of Disney characters.


We saw two or three of these snails-I nearly pushed one off because I thought it was a rock, really slimy (believe me I didn't touch it)


Jason inside the ride of Mr. Toad, his favorite character.


The Evil Queen, she stayed in character the entire time, even ignoring sweet little children!


Candy Corn! :)



Jason & Pluto


Jason has a SMALL obsession with Daisy Duck, he has ever since he's been little. LOL


Here we are on Space Mountain, I don't need to tell you that I'm screaming-or that I lost my voice for 2 days. That's my favorite ride.


Becoming a little delerious from no sleep. Just kidding.



The Castle at night.

We had fun, I surprised Jason with this inside tour of the Park, he said it was his favorite part of the trip. We got to have a history behind each of the rides, fast passes to get you to the front of the line and even got to trick-or-treat throughout the park.

See you soon Disneyland.

Happiest Place On Earth

I am still reeling from our "Magical" journey to Disneyland. I will post pictures soon, I have to weed through them and share our trip with you.

I hope all of you are well!
xo
Heather

Ahhh September

I love this time of year. The weather is cooling off, fall scented candles are in the stores and I can finally make that baked macaroni and cheese I've been dying for since last fall.

I am back in school, I signed up for a class to take online over the summer, but ended up dropping it shortly thereafter. I am taking said class again this semester and am so close to finishing my AA degree, I can taste it.

My old friend the snuggie has been put away for summer, but is ready to make it's debut again. When we were in Idaho over the summer, I got a BSU snuggie. I'm really excited to see what this fall and next few months has in store for us.

Happy Fall y'all. =)

Feeling Creative

I got a sewing machine for Christmas and have been making pillows for our cats and our couches. But a house can only have SO MANY PILLOWS! So, this is my next project. I hope I've given myself enough time. =)




Our basement bathroom-oh man! It was stark white painted with a primer I think. The sink is something we just fell in love with and are sad it's in our basement where nobody ever sees it. I got a decorating bug in April (ahem) and painted it, it's kind of an "island green", is what I like to call it. Jason had to help me finish the tall places, but this is where it's at now.



A closer view of the sink and vanity area.



These 3 daisy pictures I fell in love with and had to include them in the decor of the bathroom. They are hanging above the toilet area.



...and the curtains! I don't want to brag or anything, but I made these TODAY in about 20 minutes-mind you-they're not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I did it. I won't even tell you that I forgot to change the thread in my machine and they're sewn with pink thread. That's what makes them unique!



I'm going to include these in the bathroom as well, I like to paint the borders of pictures by either extending the current picture or being creative and putting something of my own on it. I'll post pictures once it's done!



Here's an example of a VanGogh painting I wanted to "extend" onto the borders. I just started it.



And here it is all complete.



Here's a picture of Jason & I-I am so thankful for this man. Love him.

Getting Back Into My Routine

I have to admit that these past 2 weeks have been very stressful, emotional, depressing and humbling. There are many more words I could use to describe them, but those come to mind immediately.

I went back to work on Saturday which was nice. I work in HR for Super Target and it's always nice to see the people you work with every day. Jason and I have been spending some much needed time together whether it is watching a movie, having dinner or just playing a game.

I am just going to come out and say what has been going on-I am not a big fan of keeping secrets. I'm realizing that this is not easy for me to talk about-even now...I had a miscarriage. I was approximately 9 weeks pregnant (after 6 years of going through fertility treatments without success) and this happened on it's own-which was indeed a gift from God.

Unfortunately, the pregnancy was not viable and it had to be dissolved. The process was gut-wrenching-but I know that God brought us to that fire and walked through it with us.

We have amazing friends, family and complete strangers who have said prayers for us, sent flowers, cards, letters without even knowing our struggle with wanting children. We know that we had to go through that for a reason-we may never know.

We are grateful for the chance to even have children at all-and for me it was incredible to know what it was like to be pregnant.

This has been the most difficult thing that we have had to go through and I know that couples go through far worse than this every day. My prayers go out to those who struggle and that one day (no matter what the method) get to be parents.

Thank you for reading this, and we are wanting to accept what has happened and move past it-never forgetting what God has in store for us.

Faith, Family and Friends

Jason and I drove to Idaho in early July. It was a whirlwind trip jam-packed with movie nights with my nieces, play time with some loveable labs, bbq's, dad's homemade ice cream and my mom's home cooking. We loved visiting and miss all of them terribly. Here are some pictures of our visit.



This is my sister Shannon, her husband Cole and their just over 1 year old son Wyatt who has recently discovered sitting in the refrigerator while watching Elmo on tv.



My parents-my dad is holding Wyatt and my mom is with my sister Holly's girls; Raigan (9 in October) & Kamryn (5 in November).



Holly with her 2 girls (minus her husband Jason who was working that day)



My brother Logan & his wife Chelsea's lab-Kiedis. She loooooooooves to play fetch and didn't miss an opportunity to have us throw the ball.



Their second lab Wylie. He is just a lover and I'm pretty sure he gets a kick out of making you laugh at him.



My baby brother (who mind you is now the tallest of all of us)and his wife Chelsea.

I am realizing how important it is to have family surround you;whether it be your church family, relatives, friends, what-have-you. We are so lucky to have you-thank you for being a part of our lives.

Thankful

I have been going through some things lately and after going through several stages of emotions and my head cleared up a bit, I realized that I need to be thankful. Thankful for the trials and difficulties that are put in front of me. (please note-this is not involving marriage-Jason and I are great).

I realize that just because you want something terribly, doesn't mean it's in God's plan for you, or not right now. I am having to practice patience and rely totally on my faith and my wonderful spouse and family.

Things happen or don't happen for a reason; and although I may not know it now, once I look back maybe then I'll realize why I went through the things I did.

Sum Sum Summertime

The heat of this summer has a tight grip on me. Although I do not prefer to be cold, being hot is not my cup of tea. We just got back from a quick trip to Idaho. Jason and I drove which isn't so bad (minus the Wyoming part-ugh).

It was great to see all my siblings and their kids, my parents and just be surrounded by people that love you so much.

My computer crashed a few weeks ago and as soon as I can post pictures of our trip-I'll do that.

Until then-I hope everyone is staying cool!

Heather

ohhhh kay

My computer crashed a few days ago. I could have said a month-but that's not me. :) I am always amazed at how twitchy I get without technology. I don't need it for my job, this semester I need it for school but I wonder some days how I survived when I was in highschool without a cell phone. Those were simpler times.

The heat of summer is upon us, it's humid here. I am not a fan of humidity. That sticky-sweltering sleep, waking up and it's 80 degrees at 8:00am, 85 when you go to bed at 10:00pm.

I filled up a puppy pool for Charlie today and it was so funny to watch him attack the water hose. He won't dare set foot in the pool (because it was 91 here today) and he's covered in black fur-noooooo way. Instead, he tried to drink his way to the bottom. I need to find my camera & I'll post pictures of that.

I hope everyone in the blogosphere is well-happy summer!

Has Anyone Spotted Spring?

This is ridiculous. It is May 12th and as of right now it is snowing at my house. I am rendered speechless. I just cut off all my hair and now I'm freezing. I'm all for May flower and rain, but snow? Really?

My poor flowers are buried under this white blanket of nonsense. I am longing to get a pedicure and wear shorts.

Maybe someday. Until then~I miss you Spring.

It's Tuesday and I'm Not Studying...

Hellooooooooooooo! I have slept in, I have not looked at a school book yet today, it's a great day! I got through my finals yesterday and have left it at school. I'm so glad to have a break. I am awaiting grades to be posted. I want to start an art project that will allow me to be creative and use that side of my brain again! :)

We're supposed to get snow tomorrow which I am not excited about-we have a garden and flowers that could use some serious attention.

Happy May everyone!

Math Has Won-I Surrender

Today, I had my last test before my math final next week. Math & I have never gotten along. I think I hit my learning capacity when I was in the 3rd grade. :) I have never liked it, never excelled and now I know will probably never be friends with mathematics.

After taking my test today, I realized that I failed it. I came home, figured out my average and realized that even if I ACE the final exam, I will not pass the class with a "C" to move on to the next step in math towards my degree.

At this moment, I am feeling sad, defeated, angry and most of all frustrated. I wish I could get past this HUGE roadblock in front of me.

I just had to get that off my chest. I know that I will take this class again and that I will be a smarter person for it, but now, I am venting & mourning my hard work.

Thanks for reading, I know that I am usually up-beat but as my mama would say "This too shall pass."

Maybe THIS time?

Ohmygoodness! I am pretty sure anyone can comment now-sheesh! It's a good thing my life didn't depend on adding users to this blog otherwise-well you know. LOL

Happy Sunday everyone!

Not So Blog Savvy

Ok, sorry for some of the confusion if some of you haven't been able to comment on my blog. Hopefully it should be fixed. Happy reading!

It's Raining, It's Pouring!

I had a great time when my brother and his wife were in town last week. I forget how much I miss my family and laughing so hard that you HURT! We went to Fort Collins to see the New Belgium Brewing Company and take a tour, we did a lot of shopping and ate at some local hot-spots. I really enjoy having one-on-one time with my siblings, I wish it were more often. :)

School for me is winding down for this semester in 2 short weeks! YAYY! I will be going full time this summer and will hopefully be done next fall or next spring! I never imagined this day would get here but I am feeling proud, accomplished and most of all a little bit smarter! :)

I will post pictures of my family's visit soon-I promise.

Until then, HAPPY EARTH DAY!