Girlfriends

I had to post something about Girlfriends tonight. I am sitting here in Oregon in front of the computer (yes, on Friday night) looking at pictures and thinking of my girlfriends. I have been so lucky in my life to have some of the best. I can't say enough about them. I have the best BFF - Tiffani who I met at Girls Camp when we were 12 and she was wearing pink sweats (yes, they WERE!!) Then I went to college and met many awesome girls who I lived with and still stay in contact with, even with thousands of miles in between. Then I have girlfriends who I got to know in Vegas and fell in love with, as we shared stories about pregnancy/breast feedings, sharing cooking disasters or masterpieces, were my kids babysitter savers, bookworms and late night conversations. I can't tell you how much I miss you and wish the best for all of you! Here is to you my GIRLFRIENDS!!


A friend is a gift you give yourself!


Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Author Unknown


It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friends are relatives you make for yourself. ~Eustache Deschamps

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~Lois Wyse

Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life.

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Bible: Ecclesiastes

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. ~Oprah Winfrey

Weekend at Eagle Crest in Redmond, OR

We went to Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, Oregon with my BFF Tiffani and her family. 4 days of playing, hot tubing with movies and Italian sodas (yes together), kids, no sleep and lots of food. It was a great place with great company. Poor John had the flu for most of it, but he was a real trooper. There was a jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom and the boys liked to take a bath in it and one time they were left alone a little to long with the jets going and you can see what happened with the bubbles. We were cleaning bubbles off the carpet - the bubbles were at least 3 feet tall. The boys thought it was the funniest thing ever.






It was freezing and everyone was dressed as Eskimos.

Halloween of 2009

Halloween 09 - Matthew was SPIDERMAN! and Izzie was Piglet (yes, I know Piglet is a boy character but it was my sisters costume and it was free). Austin was a fireman and Karaline was a pink fairy (my BFF kids). I was a blue bride and my sister Jen was 'going to the masquerade ball'. The little witch is my niece JoJo (she loves to watch Izzie).

Izzie couldn't keep her eyes open with the flash - but I got a smile!

My BFF Tiffani (cowgirl) and her two kids. They are pretty much the same age as Matthew and Izzie.


We went to the churches trick or treat day, which was a lot of fun and games. Matthew thought Halloween was the best! Then we went to my BFFs house and had dinner and gave out candy to all the kids and watched a movie. The men in our lives were at the Ducks game (which they won to USC!) It was a great day with lots of fun.

Happy Halloween

I woke up this morning to Izzie screaming (which is normal) but this time it was 1:30 am and she was sick, all hot with fever and just wanted juice, meds and a hug. Poor girl, I hate it when my children are sick. Matthew had the same thing Friday and past it on.- but he takes it better, saying I'm sick and wants to just lie down. I am hoping John and I don't get it. John is going to the Oregon Duck game tonight. Go Ducks! He is really excited and went to Gameday this morning at 5 am! Crazy, but he had fun. This afternoon the kids and I are going to the church to decorate a room with Halloween stuff and pass out candy as the kids go around trick or treating. Matthew is going to be Spider Man and Izzie is Piglet. I am going to be something-not sure what yet. I will take some pictures=promise. Enjoy some pumpkins - I love pumpkins!

Familly Pictures

Before we left Vegas we had Ashlee Bailey Photography (you can find her on the bottom of my blog under friends) take our family pics. Here are some of my favorites (okay maybe a few more).

Home Sweet Home

Our new place - small but temporary and the rent is free! No complaining there. I told you it is 2 rooms - not 2 bedrooms, but only two rooms as you will see.



Yes, our kids share a room with each other and the TV.







No cabinets = Izzie into everything.



Our room, most of our clothes are in boxes. Have I told you John has a lot of clothes?

Our office with INTERNET!! That is how we watch our nightly TV shows.

The shop which turned to apartment.

Our front door and yes fridge (we couldn't fit it in the apartment). This area is not heated and you get a blast of cold when you get something out of the fridge. To the right is the bathroom. Yes, you have to come outside of the "apartment" and go to the bathroom. At night it is a huge wake-up and VERY DARK. To the left of the picture is a huge RV (my sisters) and then all our stuff (everything is mostly packed away-as you can see only the bare essentials are out and being used.)

This is what we see when we step out of the shop/apartment. My parents house in brown or grayish, which is just newly built connected to my sister's house (green -soon to be brownish/gray too). We all live on 26 acres and so far so good. John loves to go dirt biking with our nephews (Jake 14 and Josh 7). Matthew loves to play with Rae Rae, his cousin and Izzie just wants to run outside. Piper is also doing well - sometimes we just let him out and he wonders around and can't figure out which door to go to. (There are about 5 doors - that enters houses.) We are now starting our job search, nothing yet but it is still early.

Our last days in Vegas

I should of done little journal entries, but all well - here is some info on our move.

Our last days in Vegas we were SO busy it was filled with packing and more packing. We lived in our house at Arlington Ranch for about 5 years. That has been the most part of our married lives and we had it packed full (all 1650 sqft). We believe in food storage and it fed us for the last month of our stay, and we even gave away tons of our freezer and fridge foods and the rest came with us as well as every book and toy. We rented the 26 foot Penke truck (the biggest you can get) and it was pack so full you couldn't put one more thing in it. (We had to open the back of the truck for the CA check point station and poor John was so worried that something would fall out and crush him- it was so full. Luckily nothing fell and the check point guy didn't want to see anymore either.) It was like a jigsaw puzzle to unpack. We had some scratches and dents, but John warned me before that this would happen and I was preparing myself, so I wouldn't freak out (still did a little). I wish I took a picture of the truck, but of course I didn't. I was more concerned about the two little ones and our all night 1000 mileish drive. My best friend Tiffani and her hubby Tim flew down to help pack and drive. What life savers! Can't say enough about best friends, they are angels! They drove the first 12 hours, switching to us (John and myself)and then Tiffani wouldn't let me continue and finished the last 3 hours of the drive. So my drive time was 3 hours - spoiled!!! The kids slept a lot-Thank goodness. Matthew is a stud to drive with. Izzie hates it! So we were really grateful it was night with the most part of the drive. We left around 4pm and arrived in Pleasant Hill, OR at 12:30pm - I think. It is such a big blurr to me now. I was so tired from the weeks of packing, goodbyes and stress that I was a mess.

To be continued......
Stay tuned for the next part of our story, soon to come - and pictures!