It's Working for Us

So let me tell you about my husbands new venture. Ever since he talked to Jed about this (he's been doing it too) he's been all excited. He is calling all these different stores around the East Valley everyday and asking them if they've gotten a shipment of Nintendo Wii's or the X-Box game "Rockband" (the bundle with all the instruments and the game). Then he goes to wherever they have it, and buys as many as possible (usually they will only give him one). Then, he posts them online and sells them for a profit. Apparently, these items are hot on Christmas lists around the country, and they are in short supply. What does this mean to us? Simple economics, my friends. We have a supply, and there is a demand... we make cash. So, I'm excited that he's doing something in this meantime that we are in. I think it's crazy that people want stuff like this so bad and aren't willing to just wait for it, but whatever. It's working for us.

I Recommend Sedona

Where do I start? This has been an amazing past two days. My parents gave us two days and a night away up in Sedona. We stayed at an awesome resort through their time-share, and they watched the kids for us so that we could have a little couple time. We went up on Monday and stopped at Montezuma's Castle (Sinagua ruins) on the way. It was pretty neat to look at these ancient structures and imagine what it must have been like long ago when they were inhabited. After spending some time there, we made it into Sedona in the early after noon. Since we had some time before check-in, we went to a big church that is built into the cliffs. It had such a beautiful view of all the vividly red cliffs and striking natural architecture surrounding it. It was peaceful to be in a place like that. Next, we went and did a little grocery shopping and checked out a local thrift store. Following check-in, we enjoyed hanging out at the resort. There was a hot tub in our room and games at the rec center and everything. It was a blast. That night, we ate at the Sedona Airport Restaurant. We got to sit by the fish, which was cool, and watch a beautiful sunset while we ate. We spent the rest of the night inside since it was FREEZING up there. I cuddled up with hot chocolate and watched part of the Sun's game with Spencer. They lost... pretty much the only disappointment of the whole trip. We also played a couple games together, something we probably haven't done since our first year of marriage, and it was really enjoyable. I lost horribly at Boggle, but redeemed myself with Yahtzee. It was a fun night and it was nice to just chill together and let our stresses disappear for awhile. The next morning, we woke up to... nothing. We slept until our bodies were not tired and they woke up on their own... amazing! No little voices (which I really do love by the way), no alarms, no phones to disturb us. It was nice. We ate McGriddles for breakfast. I know they are bad, but they taste so syrupy and delicious and look so neat with the arches on the bun . Plus, it was Spencer's b-day, and that's what he wanted. Then I took forever on my hair since I could, and then we checked out. We played foosball and air hockey together before we left the resort and that was totally fun. They were actually really close games. Spencer won air hockey by 1 point, and I won foosball by 2 points. We decided that it wasn't a Sedona vacation without a hike, so before we headed back to the Valley, we meandered around in the wilderness for awhile. We tried to get some good pictures of the beautiful blue jays that seemed to be in abundance there, but they were skittish little creatures and were not interested. After the hike, we went back toward Phoenix. We stopped at the Anthem outlet stores for lunch and a little window shopping. Luckily, we didn't find any amazing things on amazing sales... we would have bought them. On we headed. Since we were on the west side with no sick children, we stopped by at Jess and Jed's house to meet baby Taggert... finally. He is so adorable. It's incredible how quickly I forgot what it feels like to hold a newborn. It was awesome to see those guys. I miss them so much! After that we went to go see Beowulf in 3-D at the Imax. Spencer has been wanting to see it so bad, so I was excited for him even though it didn't interest me a ton. I'm sorry to say that it was so horrible. We both thought it was so lame. He usually likes action movies, but this one was just bad. Also, the ending was awful. I give it two thumbs way down... so I guess the Sun's game has company on the disappointments bench after all. Anyway, I would hate to end the narrative with that because it truly was a superb trip. I loved the time with Spencer so much. I hope this re-connection time will help us notice each other and enjoy each other every day even with all the craziness of life around us. We really don't have to go somewhere to feel that closeness, it just takes a little more effort, and I think it's well worth it. Anyway, when I picked up the kids, it was almost their bed time. I wanted them to stay up and just hold them on my lap and talk to them for a few hours, but they were tired, and I know I'll have time to play with them tomorrow. I missed them a lot. Jade is talking more and better... amazing that she would improve in just two days, but it's true. Like I said, it was a great trip and I really want to thank my parents for giving us such a wonderful gift. And, if you ever need a peaceful getaway, I recommend Sedona.

"Black Friday"

Today I decided to take my chances and do some after-Thanksgiving shopping. I don't really enjoy the day-after-Thanksgiving madness... the crowds, the rudeness, the traffic, the lack-of-parking spots etc, but as you all know by now, I am truly one of the worlds biggest penny-pincher's, so I was reeled in by the irresistible deals, and the thoughts of being nearly done with Christmas shopping and not being out a ton of money. I left the house at 5:38AM, and headed to a certain store that will not be named. I was anticipating a little increase in business, but this particular store is not at all one of those retail monsters that I try to avoid on this day. It's more of a specialty store, and I didn't anticipate masses of people. I couldn't have been more wrong. As I pulled up into the over-stuffed parking lot, I couldn't help but notice the gigantic line of people waiting at the front doors. I parked (at the opposite end of the parking lot) and made my way toward the store. Turns out, there are far more penny-pincher's out there than I had previously realized, and guess what?... they were all going for the same thing I was. I was planning on spending ample amounts of time picking particular products for particular people on my list, but instead I had to opt for picking the products that were available and hoping it would work. I ended up spending nearly three hours in that store (probably about 10 minutes actually shopping). The good news is that while I waited in the massive lines, I was able to trade what I had in my cart with things that were closer to what I had wanted as other people ditched them. In the end, it turned out to be successful and I'm excited to be able to give personal gifts to my loved ones. Next year (if I choose to participate), I will try to be less naive about the realities of "Black Friday."

The Game

Every year, the boy Judy cousins (and friends of cousins) play a Thanksgiving morning football game. It's fun for everyone. The men get to do some manly bonding, and the girl cousins get to catch up on life, kids, and family news. These are some of the better photos that I took of the game.

The Many Things I am Thankful For

This Thanksgiving was probably one of the best of my life. I had great food and even better company, but even more than that, my mind was ready to be thankful. I am keenly aware this year of how much we have been blessed, and how much I have to be grateful for. I am more appreciative of things than I used to be. I thought I was pretty grateful before, but I now know that I will always have room for growth. As life has thrown us curve ball after curve ball, I have had the chance to realize what things truly matter the most to me... my family, and the gospel. I have also learned that stuff and situation doesn't ever determine happiness. Then as I have had a chance to examine these things, it's made me realize that we are really blessed with a lot of hidden and not so hidden things. I had a chance the other night to be around some awesome people that I have grown to love in the last few months. I was moping around on the couch and feeling... well, depressed, and I said something like, "why do I feel so depressed right now?", because deep inside I knew that I was being stupid. Esther, Justin and Sharilynn were in the room with me getting ready to play a game. Esther looked at me and said, "OK, we're going to go around the circle and say 5 things that make Crystal's life amazing." She started and next went Sharilyyn and then Justin. They all pointed out all the wonderful things that are going on in my life right now, and by the time it came to my turn, I had way more than 5 things in my mind (which was good since they made me say 10). Anyway, I am writing about this because I think it was, yet another, growing oppourtunity for me... kind of a turning point to change my attitude, but more importantly, my thoughts. I have been very happy this week as I have decided to think more about the blessings that I have and the many things that I am thankful for.

About The Sump Pump

I know you are all wanting to hear the story of the sump pump, so here it goes. A sump pump is a device that is used in the basement of a home that uses a septic tank to rid of waste instead of public sewers. First, the waste is deposited into a small tank in the ground (the one in this house is under the stairs). Then when the tank gets full, the sump pump takes over. The pumps job is to push all the undesirables through pipes up and out of the basement and into the septic tank where it belongs. On Friday, the system had a little hiccup. A pipe leading to the tank separated from a joint. This happened when I emptied the kids bath water. So, upon leaving our bedroom, I noticed water seeping out from under the utility closet door. The water didn't smell good, but I know it could have been worse (don't use your imagination). So, I corralled the kids away from the water and told Aunt JulieAnn what was going on. Then I helped her suck up the water with a shop-vac and brought her towels and such. She did most of the hard work... getting everything out of that closet etc. The damage wasn't too bad. Luckily they have all their stuff in there raised on a board. Ok, so she was able to put a new joint on the pipe, and we were up and running again.
Saturday morning rolls around, and what did I do? Gave the kids a bath. And what do you think happened? I noticed that the tub wasn't draining very fast. I went to check on the sump pump (having gained a new wealth of knowledge the previous morning). There was water slowly coming out of the top of the in-ground tank. I woke up Esther to enlist her aid and we quickly put towels down to soak up the water (this time the closet was empty) and try to salvage the carpet. Meanwhile, Nathan went and got the shop-vac and we repeated Friday mornings activities. When we found Uncle Allen, he was able to plug the pump directly into the wall and it pushed everything up and out where it belonged. Turns out, the floater switch thingy that tells the pump to come on when the tank is full had gotten stuck and wasn't working properly. Oops. Well, turns out that was fixable too and we are again in full service in the basement. And, I now know a lot more about the sump pump.

I Am 25!

Alright, I know that I've been a total slacker in the blog department lately. It's hard to write when I'm feeling sad, but I decided to stop feeling sad and get on with things, and it has seemed to help a lot. So, this blog is about something very happy! I had a birthday this past weekend, and it was fabulous. I love it when birthdays linger, and that is what happened with this one. My birthday was on Friday, but I woke up on Thursday to breakfast in bed... made by Spencer and Braden (I don't think it was specifically for my birthday, but it was a great lead up anyway). So back to my birthday, then. When Spencer told Braden it was my birthday after we had all woken up, he immediately started wrapping things up in his blankets. Yes, I was the proud new owner of a pack of size-three-diapers, and a stuffed giraffe. Jade also seemed to understand that today was special for me as she kept pouring on the hugs (I sure hope she is always so willing to show her sweet affection). The morning was eventful due to some issues with the sump pump downstairs (I think I'll write a separate blog about that). Then, Spencer's folks came over to wish me a happy birthday. Spencer told me they were coming over to drop off a gift and to watch an informational DVD about a diabetic pump with us. So, we watched the presentation and talked about it a bit. Then, we were just shooting the breeze and Spencer got a phone call which he was on forever. I was kind of wondering what was going on. Jill and Loren seemed to be waiting for him to get off before they left and there was no gift sitting around or anything (not like I was excited only about that, but just that Spencer had told me that is why they were coming). Well, it didn't take long for me to figure out what the whole deal was about. After Spencer's phone call, they said that they wanted to get me on their family plan for Verizon and get me a new phone. I was stoked. My old phone was going to be 4 years old in December, and I really didn't have a lot of the features that I wanted on my plan with Sprint. The most steller thing that I now have is the ability to text. I have unlimited text to anyone. WOOT! I am excited about that (if you couldn't tell). So, after the phone set-up was complete, Spencer wanted to take me to an IMAX movie. Kara was kind to come over and watch the kids (this truly is even more kind now that Braden is in underwear and still not quite making it sometimes). So, off we went to the nearest IMAX, and guess what? It was broken. It was OK by me. Instead we went to the mall and shared a desert at Ruby Tuesdays (a gift card we'd had kicking around) and then bought me a Down East Basics shirt at the kiosk (now I can wear that cute shear red and cream top that I got at the Beach family clothing exchange... thanks whoever it used to belong to). Then we got home and fed the kids dinner and waited for Chelsea and Darin to come over. Get this... they cooked dinner for us over at their house, drove over here and put our kids to bed and babysat and let us go over to their house and eat dinner so we could go out to eat without going out to eat. It was the perfect scenario for me. I really value having dinner with just me and Spencer, but I really don't like spending money at restaurants. So, there I was guilt free eating a fabulous Baja Pork with Lime Cilantro Rice dinner and enjoying the company of my awesome and amazing husband. Chelsea (I assume, but maybe it was Darin) even set up candles for us so we could have a romantic setting. After that, we were supposed to go to this free art exhibit that I'd found on www.showup.com. So we went to downtown Phoenix and followed good ol' Google Maps to... a street that didn't exist in the real world. After getting out and risking our lives by walking down a darkened alley in Central Phoenix (South of the I-10), we decided that art was over rated and headed out to do something else. What we ended up doing was just going to "The District" which is a big new outdoor mall in Tempe that we'd never been to before. We strolled around and window shopped. There were a couple of live artists performing and a water fountain/light show thing that was interesting to watch. It was a really nice time. After that, we went to Target and just looked at stuff. I loved it. I enjoyed just finding fun things to do with no money and with plans falling through. My friend once mentioned that during poor times, you get more creative at finding things to do or to buy and it ends up being more fun. I would have to agree, although I sometimes think it might be even more enjoyable if it's by choice :) Anyway, after that we decided to head home. When we got there, Esther and Justin had four gift bags on the table. They told me they were for me. I was so touched. Seriously, Esther picked out three tops and some shoes for me. They all fit me and really flatter my shape (or lack of). I really appreciated and still am appreciating that surprise. After that, Spencer and Nathan and I watched "The Holiday" (which I had checked out from the public library... another savings). Then I went to bed feeling so loved and spoiled. The next day, my parents and siblings had planned a picnic for me. It was so nice. Chelsea called ahead and asked me what I wanted to eat, and then everybody pitched in to make it happen. I felt like the queen of the world of something. I was so spoiled. So we ate and mingled and had fun in the park. Then we went to mom and dads and everyone gave me more presents (as if I hadn't received enough pampering). Allen gave me a beautiful potted flower... a Narcissus since I'm so vain and think only of myself (actually, he said he hadn't heard of the Greek myth before). I love flowers and it makes me happy whenever I see it. Chels and Darin gave me a gift card to Target. Jacob gave me a CD of Kelly Sweet (an artist he recently discovered who is so excellent). Mom and Dad gave me hair straightener (which I am so excited about), some good shampoo and conditioner, and a 5-game chess set that I remember playing as a child. It's fun and sentimental and that just makes things all the sweeter for me. I really appreciate all of the thoughtfulness and love represented by these gifts. To top off the day, I also received news that my dear friend Jessica had her baby and all went well... best birthday gift ever. Oh, and I almost forgot... The United Blood Services gave me a post card wishing me a happy birthday and reminding me that I am a hero... something I'd never considered. In all, I had a great birthday, and I can't express adequately how much all of the kind gestures, cards, gifts, and services are appreciated. Thank you, everyone. By the way, I am 25!

Big Boy Now

Just a note: Braden wasn't doing that great with potty training the few days after his "potty party", but as he has realized that we aren't going back to diapers and as he has learned that cleaning his pants and underwear and getting new clothes takes a lot more out of "playtime" than just using the toilet does, he has slowly improved. Today he only had one accident, and it happened in the bathroom on his way to the toilet (he almost made it). So, he's pretty much a big boy now.

I Am Hopeful

Eleven days ago (the day I posted about my flight with Spencer) we found out for sure that he has diabetes. Those eleven days have felt like a lifetime for us. I felt like my world was crashing down. I didn't know how it would affect us, but I did know the worst case scenarios and that served to make things even worse. I felt cheated. We had sacrificed as a family and we were finally done with school to what end? He can't even fly until his blood/glucose is regulated for 6 weeks. All of our plans for improving our life and moving on to the next stage were put on hold. His doctor put him on a diet that included all healthy food (including high starch veggies, and all whole grains), low and no-fat things, and no sugar. She also gave him prescriptions for medication and a glucose monitor. He was starving and his blood sugar level was not improving. After about two days, we decided to dismiss the doctors advice and do what actually made sense. He did NOT need to loose weight (he's lost about 15 lbs in the last month and a half), he needed to stop eating things that his body would turn into sugar including starches and grains. I was pretty mad at the world for a couple days until I realized that I was being completely selfish. All I had been thinking of is all the things that we weren't going to get to do anymore and how our plans and dreams were going up in smoke. I even had the nerve to think, "haven't we been humbled enough? I don't even care about having a 4 bedroom house with nice furniture and stuff. Is it so much to ask for a place of our own RIGHT NOW?" I wasn't looking at my blessings. I wasn't practicing any patience or long-suffering, and I also wasn't considering the lifetime affects that it would have on Spencer. How could I be sitting around pouting and having a tantrum while my husband was suffering physically and also dealing with the feelings of losing everything he's worked for? But, there I was. Needless to say, I had a lot of changes to make and a lot to repent of. I began to see things how they really are. I began reaching out as a support to Spencer in the ways that I can. I started studying and trying to find ways that I can improve his, and our whole families, health. I'm still working on building my faith that the Lord will take care of us in His way and time. I've been feeling happy again. I've begun to see the miracles that have taken place (how we are here and don't have a house payment to worry about, how our families are 3 minutes away, how he was able to not only pass his exam in Oregon, but also not end up in the hospital while he lived on hotel continental breakfasts). I've even begun to be excited to find ways to fill our home with healthful food that all of us can enjoy together. Today, we found out that he is type 1, in other words, he is dependent on insulin. This news is not ideal, but it doesn't matter. I am grateful that he will finally be getting what he needs and regaining his health and energy (and hopefully his weight and smile too). I love Spencer so much, and I know we will not only get through this, but we will, with the help of the Lord, surpass the plans that we had for ourselves. I am hopeful.