Krystal and Eric Palmer

Saturday May 19th was Krystal's (my sister-in-law) wedding ceremony with her husband Eric Palmer. We flew to Colorado a few days before, which was quite an adventure itself: circling around the Denver airport waiting for the lightening strikes to subside for about 20 minutes, then be diverted to Albuquerque, NM because we were running out of gas, then within a few hundred feet of landing, we had to abort the landing because the runway wasn't clear and another airplane was landing from the opposite side of the runway, we finally landed then had to wait at the Albuquerque airport for another 30 minutes or so, then we finally flew back to DIA, which was a ROUGH landing and people were getting sick all over the place (including me). Anyway, the trip was only supposed to take about 2 1/2 hours but ended up being over 5 1/2 hrs- but at least we made it safely to Colorado!
Krystal got married to Eric Palmer (my new breother-in-law) in Morrison, CO in the mountains on Saturday. It was very pretty up there!! We were a little worried about the weather, however, the day before was a gorgeous day so we had hope... but alas, the next day was horribly cold and rainy and overcast :o( then of course Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day as well. But I guess in the Buddhist tradition, if it rains on your wedding day, it means good luck :o)
Alexa was the flower girl, and Pat was a groomsmen. The wedding went well and so did the reception that followed immediately after. After the festivities were all over we got to ride in a H2 limo back to our hotel, which was pretty awesome!! And Lexi thought it was the coolest thing ever!
Also, while we were in Colorado, Karena, Pat, and I (and the kids) went to IKEA, which was my first trip ever and boy- it was an adventure!! There was a kids play land where we could drop off Alexa and Amberly while we shopped which was nice!! (They loved it too) We also ate at the cafe which had these super yummy Swedish meatballs!
We loved our visit to Colorado and cant wait to go back! Hopefully Pat will finish his degree soon so we can look for jobs for him in CO which we would all love!!!

Ramblings to myself...

Im having a little dilemma with myself because since graduation last July, I have wanted to be able to use my degree in a professional setting (I use it everyday with my own children) and be able to get paid accordingly. I would really like to become an assistant Director or possibly even Director of a childcare facility (or preschool), but it would most likely be full-time work. I love to be around children, but actually taking care of other people's children all day then coming home to my own children, I just dont think I would be as patient and understanding with my own children. Being an Assistant Director, I learned during my internship last winter, does some care of the children, but also over sees everything and everyone in the facility, which I think I would do well. Having 2 young children, not yet in full-time school, I have to take care of them as my first priority. I want to work using my degree, but I feel that I would sacrifice some of my children's quality time with me and watching them grow, to help others people's children... so does that really make sense for me to find a full-time (or even part-time) job in a child care setting? I'm also a little frustrated right now about where I work currently, which is Target. I started out as seasonal, but then was asked to stay on. I like being able to get out of the house for 15 hours a week, doing something pretty mindless, but the thing I am really peeved about is that I am getting paid the SAME AMOUNT as this guy that I work with who has NEVER had a job before, and just barely graduated high school, which is BARELY over MINIMUM WAGE!!! It's not like my job is hard, but then when people look at me or talk to me like I'm stupid and have no education, or have no brains because I work as a cashier at Target REALLY gets on my nerves! Is it wrong to feel entitled to get paid more because I have a freaking bacehlor's degree? And yes I am choosing to work there, I just wish my hard work would be acknowledged just a little!!

2.5 weeks until our 5 Year Anniversary!! Crazy

As Pat and my 5 year wedding anniversary quickly approaches, I can appreciate that this is a pretty big milestone in our lives. In a class in college, I learned that statistics have shown that around the 5 year mark of marriage, there is a large increase in divorces. This is when the "honeymoon phase" is over, and "real life" has begun. I have already seen this happening around me. Nevertheless, I am very happy with my little family and where I am right now in my life. I look back at the past 5 years and it was a rough, and I mean a ROUGH start, as everyone around me seemed to glide effortlessly through their first few years of marriage, there were MANY times when I really thought we wouldn’t make it through. But through all the MANY trials that we have experienced the past 5 years I think they have brought us closer together. I am so happy that I can continue my life with Pat and our 2 beautiful children and I hope we can be together for many more years to come!

8 month old boy

Happy 8 months to our little Preston Boy!!!

Grandpa

I thought I'd make a post about my grandpa (dad's dad) who recently passed away at the beginning of February. I wasnt able to go to the funeral because of limited funds and also work, but my mom and dad went, as well as my sister and her family who drove to Utah from Colorado. My grandpa was 94 years old and was a great-great grandpa to some of his children's children's children's children, which is crazy to think about. He was a very gentle and loving man. He loved kids too! He would always talk about how cute Preston and Alexa were when we came to visit, and even after we left he would tell my grandma some of the cute things they did while we were there. Actually he only met Preston once but I'm glad he did at all! I know he's in a better place now but it's still hard to know that it will be a long time until we meet again. Here's a photo of when he and Preston met back in August 2011. We love you grandpa!! R.I.P

Happy Birthday!!

Pat had his birthday this last Tuesday and even though he had to work, it was still a fun day! We met up for lunch at Chipotle, then later that day Lexi, Preston and I went to his work with a bouquet of balloons and some cupcakes to share with his friends at work! Then we spent the rest of the day with just hanging out, and going shopping. We are having his birthday party with my family this Sunday, which should also be fun!! Happy Birthday Patty Cakes!!! :o)

6 MONTHS!!

Preston boy is now a 6 month old baby!! Half way to his first birthday! Wa-hoo! Crazy how times flies! He now weights 20 lbs 6 oz, is 28" tall and has a really big noggin!! lol Height and weight is in the 91st and 93rd percentile, and his head circumference is in the 97th percentile! A big head for a big brain! :o) He is lightning fast at rolling over, likes to grunt and growl, and likes to munch on Cheerios and bananas. He also really likes sweet potatoes! He will pretty much eat any baby food I give him but those are some of his favorites! He is babbling the B sound and likes to show us his lung power by yellin out loud especially when he is bored or hungry! ;o) We love him more and more everyday!!!

Preston with Grandma Nana