Thanks you guys!!

I REALLY appreciate your outpouring and love for my mom and her situation. I just got an email from her, and I wanted to tell you what she said:

I have loved reading these comments, it is very strengthening, and unbelievable that people could be praying for me. I love it when you tell me who they are, do you think you could tell me if there are some of these that I might know but not recognized their name.

So I have told who how I know every one of you, and even if she's never met you, she still is so grateful that you would keep her in your prayers. Thanks again everyone, of course we'll keep you updated on her status.

Well, on a lighter note, there are a few things on my mind lately. Separation anxiety, my human vacuum, and DVR.

Kalia is at that age where she starts hyperventilating if I leave her sight. Then, at other random times, she's fine. How long is this going to last? (I know, I was just blogging about what a fun age it is...)

I'm also getting a kick out of the treasures I'm finding in her diapers. Her little fingers are getting good at picking stuff up...and putting it right in her mouth. I've found a peanut (just like the song says), a piece of green pepper, and a a piece of aluminum foil in her diaper. Today I rescued a sharp object from her mouth when I noticed bloody drool. At least she didn't swallow THAT one. MAN, I've got to keep my floors cleaner.

We now have cable and DVR for the first time. I am in LOVE. And I am SO NOT GETTING ANYTHING DONE. I'm barely making time for blogging! What a TV junkie! I need to get control of myself.

You know I'm distracted by all the shows I'm watching, because I found this little surprise yesterday. Apparently she didn't feel any separation anxiety as she went into the bathroom to entertain herself. I do not get the award for world's best mom this month.

The Bad News

Our family has had some bad news in the last few weeks. I think I am feeling a little bit numb, but maybe that's also a blessing of peace. Of course I do feel some fear, but also hope and faith too. I don't feel like I can do a very good job of writing about it, so my sister, Krystal, is letting me use her post from her blog. I know some of you have read it...but she put it just how I wish I could have. Thanks for letting me use it.

Killer
I think we were all expecting something big to happen.
A year ago, my mom cut off all her hair, a year earlier than she planned...
My dad was released from his calling as a member of the bishopbric of a young single adult ward..
My mom was released from her calling as Young Women's president...
We all wondered, what was coming? A call to the Stake Presidency?
But Stake Conference came and went and that wasn't it.
Wayne and Tara decided to stay at Dixie for a few years instead of moving...
Heather and Samuel decided it was time to move closer to home, and relocated from Hawaii to Las Vegas, much closer to the family...
Jeff will be finished with school in 3 months and we will be living in Utah for the first time in six years...What was coming?

We found out a few weeks ago. My mom has breast cancer. Even typing that makes me feel like I swallowed a rock. She found a lump, had it removed, and heard the bad news about what it actually was. She had a second surgery where 20 lymph nodes were removed from under her arm. It was in 2 of the 20. Now she will have to go through chemo as well as radiation, which could put her out of commission for the next year. She'll lose her hair and won't be able to take long trips to see her grandkids. Wait, she already parted with her hair (most of it) and soon none of her grandkids will be more than 4 hours away...isn't that interesting?

We all feel that this is the Lord's will. It's serious, as all cancer is, but everyone is hopeful that she will make a full recovery. And maybe we have been prepared for a while now, as it hasn't been much of a shock for any of us. My mom admitted that she knew she was going to have to have chemo from the very beginning, knowing that anything else would be "too easy." She is already talking about how much she has learned and how tender her heart has become. It's just a bump in the road, something that will enable our family to become closer to each other and closer to the Lord.

We all made our picks for March Madness this year, and we named my mom's team "Kancer Killer." As of today, Kancer Killer is in first place in our league. That makes me smile, and also makes me think that she is going to come out on top. Where she belongs. Love you mom. Thanks for being such a fighter.

7 Months Old

I can't get enough of this little stinker. 7 months is such a fun age! Her favorite game lately is standing on the couch and trying to find me as I crawl around it. She loves it when I pop up and say, "RARRRRR!". She's making some new funny faces too. I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast.




And, as a lovely treat, she is finally sleeping through the night, thanks to a lot of advice, good books, and trial and error. Let's hope it lasts.

Happy Easter

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter! We had 40 family members together in St. George and we had a great time. (Easter has always been a huge holiday in our fam. We always got a new dress, and presents!)

DOWN! SET! HIKE! (I think she learned this from Wayne)
We didn't get a very good "Easter Dress" picture. Oh well, carrying on the tradition.

Chills

David Archuleta ROCKED last night! I totally got chills, and I absolutely LOVED his song. I watched it at least 5 times over. How can you not love this kid? I liked Carly's song too.

Connections

So, I told you how a friend of ours ended up fixing our computer for free? What a life saver! It got me thinking about how nice it was to have friends who can help you out. They might be family members, or a friend of a friend, but here are the connections I am SO glad I have!

CPA Friend - My uncle Lee does our taxes every year. All we do is fax him our Tax info. So nice.

Nurse Friend- I love these knowledgeable and helpful friends. If you're lucky, you'll have one who works in labor and delivery, and can "check you" when you're dilating, at least, that's what happened with my sister Krystal. I love it!

Hairstylist Friend- Man, the upkeep for blonde highlights is SUCH a pain. I want to go dark just for that reason. I am happy to be back near St. George, where Robert Evans, family friend and owner of Evans Hairstyling, does my hair for $15.

Masseuse Friend - This is my uncle Daryl, and he is SO good at what he does. I request a massage every time he's around. I would get weekly massages if I could. That would be the life.

Babysitter Friend- The friend who cheerfully watches your kid(s) so you can go to a doctors appointment, to the temple, on a date, etc. etc! Grandmas are awesome at this too, if you're lucky enough to live close to one.

Computer Friend- The one who can help you out in a computer jam. I just left this friend behind in Hawaii. Boo.

Brutally Honest Friend - The one who will tell you when you're being stupid and dating a guy even though you know you'll never marry him (remember that letter you wrote me Lara?) I have several friends like this, and I am REALLY grateful for these friends, because they'll also tell you not to buy certain clothes when you try them on. (Sidenote- this friend needs to be a female. It's harder to swallow when it comes from your husband, example, "Yes, this dinner DOES taste terrible!"

Generous Friend- Hey it never hurts to have a friend who offers to buy you dinner or help out with college education, or a trip to Europe. I hope to be this friend for someone else someday too.

Party Planner Friend- You know the one, they plan parties, the get-togethers, the girls nights out....and lots of people come and have a great time. I prefer sitting around until someone does the work. Mel, you were so good at this in Hawaii.

Airline Friend- The one who gets you buddy passes! Or better yet, free companion passes. My aunt just started working for Jet Blue, and a friend of ours works for Delta. Bless their souls. We love you. Also, rental cars fall under this category, and Ambur's hubby Nate has hooked us up with a rental car from Hertz at LEAST 8 times!! Thanks Bundys!

That's all I can think of for now...am I forgetting anyone?

Temple Ridge Apartments

Okay, everyone, in case you were wondering, this is where we're living and what we're doing.
http://templeridgeapartments.blogspot.com/

(and that is NOT our apartment interior that you see in the pictures. It's the previous manager's unit, and it's just a one bedroom.)

Let me know if you guys have any suggestions for an improved blog...I have very little experience in advertising or sales.

Thanks.

Settling

Well, as you may have noticed, our computer arrived and all is well. We were in fact hit with a virus before we left, and miraculously, a friend of ours was able to wipe our system clean (AND save all our pictures, music, and documents.) It feels good to start over fresh-- in more ways than one. I am slowly getting boxes unpacked, and trying to find a place for everything. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to turn over a new leaf, so to speak, by not allowing our new place to be cluttered. It's going to take some effort, but I believe it can be done.

By the way, I love this new Maroon 5 song. But if you don't want to hear it repeatedly, scroll down to the bottom righthand side of the page and hit the pause button.

So...decorating. I'm terrible at it! We got all our major pieces of furniture, but the little details and colors that match, well, I don't know what to do. I wish we were rich so I could just pay someone to do it. I know a lot of you have the gift...can you please come visit me??

The apartment is nice- we doubled our square footage. A SEPARATE ROOM FOR KALIA! A separate bathroom too. Hallelujah.

Also, our car is a 1998 Toyota Camry. A nice darker red color. Not the Accord I wanted, but actually better than any Accord we test drove, and for a better price. Only 80k miles. The bad news is that 4 days after we bought it, I got a flat tire. Samuel, being extremely busy at the property, put on the spare and sent me to get a new one. I came home with FOUR new tires. Heehee.

Last but not least, Kalia is adjusting well. She had a rough first week. All the changes really threw her off. Speaking of the cute little tike, she is doing that syllable babbling thing. My Hawaii pediatrician kept asking if she was saying syllables, and of course, being a first timer, I began to worry that she would never talk. Ever. Haha, you all are laughing, because I'm such a first timer. I thought I'd share a little video clip-- is this as cute to you as it is to me? Or is it just me being enthralled with every little thing she does? I just liked it cause it sounded a little like she was singing.

Okay, time to hit the google reader. See what's been goin' on with you guys!

Life without Internet...

Hi everyone! We have been here for almost two weeks, and STILL no internet! Ok, let me correct myself, our internet is ready, but our computer hasn't arrived yet. Maybe tomorrow?
Luckily I have an aunt who lives about 30 minutes away. I stop by every now and then to check my email and look for items on craigslist (still in desperate need of a microwave.) ANYWAY, I know I have lots of catching up to do, on YOUR blogs. Hope everyone is well. Things are going good, we got a car, and the apartment (and decor) continues to improve. Those gift cards I mentioned? Long gone. Anyway, hope to be back online soon.

Viva Las Vegas

Okay, so, our internet is down (I think it was a computer crash, holy schnikes) but we might have it back in a few days. I am at a friends house and so I'm making this quick.

We are moving on Monday...everything came through exactly how we hoped. It's all fallen into place to perfectly, there is no doubt that this was all meant to be. Samuel got a great job as an apartment manager. We have been "Resident Managers" of our apartment here, for 8 months. It's not too bad, but Samuel wished he didn't have a full time job PLUS the little things a resident manager has to do.

I found the job on craigslist. These guys are LDS and live in Salt Lake, and they own apartment buildings in California, and now this one in Vegas. They just finished remodeling it, and it's mostly empty and needs to be filled up, fast! With good people of course...so that's our job. I say our because I can help out here and there. The best thing is: Free rent, free utilities, Samuel's commute time will be 15 seconds (the office is downstairs from our apartment), they are even paying for his cell phone, and adding on extra bonuses for how fast we fill the apartments. We've signed a 2 year contract, so we'll for sure be there that long.

That's how I knew we'd be living by the temple. I wish we could live in the Summerlin or "nicest" areas of Las Vegas, but we didn't have a choice. My aunt and uncle live in Vegas, and they drove over there, and in their words, "It's not the nicest neighborhood, but it's definitely not the worst." Well, we'll take what we can get. I am excited that there are two hospitals, a library, the temple, the church, and Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, and Kmart, all within 4 miles. That will be nice. And we've got a pool there to keep us cool in the HOT HOT summer. (Since they're paying for our electricity, I will feel okay about keeping the a/c on full blast, as needed.)

We also scored a great deal on furniture. (We just sold almost everything we own, so we're starting from scratch. Fun...but I was also anticipating how TIME consuming it was going to be) We found this guy who's house went into foreclosure, so he was selling EVERYTHING. WE basically bought all his stuff for a killer deal (and get this, it included a 55" flat screen TV! That's going to be quite the luxury for us.) Again, my wonderful aunt and uncle went and checked out the stuff and put down a deposit for us. We even get little things like towels, linens, kitchen stuff, a vacuum, rugs, and fake trees! Woohoo!

Now we are looking for a car for about $5000. I've got my eye on a 1998 Honda Accord (the car I've ALWAYS wanted) so we'll see what happens.

Well, packing and moving is a much bigger job than I dreamed of, so I better get home and get back to it. Wow, big changes ahead. Any advice on moving and starting over?

My Baby Mozart

So, she's climbing now apparently?
Kalia's learned to make those "raspberry" sounds, and she was doing it while watching this baby einstein movie. She looked so bored, I thought it was so funny. (Poor thing has to watch it from her stroller.)

The second movie was just cute- she loves to play the piano, no doubt she'll be charming her future husband someday.

Someone who'll stand by my side, and give me support...

(answer these questions for you and your spouse/significant other. Thanks Kristen W, for the idea!)

1. Your Song: "These Words" by Natasha Bedingfield

2. Your favorite feature of his: His eyes, his legs, and his tender heart.

3. His favorite feature of yours: My eyes.

4. What drives you wild about him: His soft lips. And...he has the sexiest voice. When we were engaged and I couldn't get enough of him, I would call his office line just to listen to his voicemail.

5. What drives him wild about you: He gets so turned on when I play the piano. WEIRD huh!! Every time we try to practice a song, he's all over me.

6. Favorite trip you've taken together: Big Island adventure, just the two of us. (Bright blue water picture below).

7. How do you picture your lives in fifty years: We'll be real estate millionaires, and we'll be donating to all kinds of good causes, and we will be serving our 5th mission, missing our kids, grandkids and great-grandkids like crazy!

8. Favorite "down time" activity: Dishing up the ice cream and snuggling

9. Most romantic thing he's ever said to or done for you: Before we were married I left Hawaii to go to Tara's (little sis) wedding and Thanksgiving. I was gone about 10 days. He spent the entire time sanding and staining an ugly dresser that I bought on craigslist. I came back to the most beautiful dresser I'd ever seen, with a dozen red roses on top.

10. What do you want your Valentine to know? That he is my perfect match, and that he was worth waiting for. I hope he knows that I think he is a fantastic husband and an incredible father. I love how he's helped me "see things in a different light, all the things I detest, I...almost like." He's made me a better person in every way, and I marvel that he still loves me, even with all my quirky imperfections. I love how he "cares for me, passionately, with every breath and with every thought." I am so grateful that I was guided to this tiny island where I found my eternal companion. I love you Samuel, more and more every day. Happy Valentines Day.

**Bonus** post some of your favorite pictures together

Love, Lust and Infatuation

Well, with Valentines Day on the horizon, and with the inspiration of Krystal's brilliant blog, I too must share my history of love, lust and infatuation. I know that most of you will know at least one of these fine young men that I crushed on. I have some funny valentine's day stories too. Here we go:

Kindergarten: The first time a boy made my heart go wild. His name was Samuel, ironically, and he was repeating kindergarten. He sat across from me, and I thought he looked just like Luke Skywalker.

1st Grade: Scott Egan. Towheaded, and very smart. The only word I ever missed on a spelling test, he got right. (by the way, the word was "BEFORE". I left the 'e' off.)

2nd Grade: I had a 3 week crush on someone named Daniel, and he never smelled clean, so that fizzled away. Then I met the cutest boy of my elementary years, his name was Dennis Carter. (Heidi was in that same class...do you remember Dennis?)

3rd Grade: This is a little embarrassing. Jeff Watson. You Dixie High people might know him.

4th Grade: Jared Madsen moved in that year. I was soooooooo whooped over him. Mrs. Jones asked me to take him to the library on his first day, to pick out a book. I knew we were meant to be together forever. He chose a book on outer space.

5th Grade: Rod Stuart. One day he helped me get one of my "magnetic earrings" unstuck from the metal desk. We sat by each other a lot.

6th Grade: I don't remember having a crush this year. I was the biggest nerd ever. Big bangs and glasses, and some mean boy even called me flat-chested. Yes, it was so true.

7th Grade: Huge crush on Jason Madsen, older brother to Jared Madsen. FUNNY VALENTINE STORY: Every day after we got off the bus, I'd watch Jason go to his locker (he was a 9th grader) and I would watch him open his locker. After about a week I had figured out his locker combination. On Valentine's Day I bought him a Snickers from the vending machine, and a tiny boy of choclates, and I broke into his locker and left them there with an anonymous note!! I purposely spelled his name wrong ("j-a-s-e-n") so he would NEVER guess it was me, because OBVIOUSLY I would know how to spell his name! Hahaha!

8th Grade: My first kiss, my first boyfriend, Jared Sorensen. I gave him a balloon and a pair of boxers with lips on them for V-Day. That relationship was a "secret" from my mom (she still found out) and it only lasted 2 weeks, because the whole time I liked his friend, Sherwood Jolley.

9th Grade: Jake Johnston. He and Jeanette Fry were kind of an item, and I pined away for Jake...we were such "good friends." One day I gave in and wrote him a long note (remember the days of note writing?) and confessed everything. He broke up with Jeanette (ON VALENTINES DAY!) to be with me. Ouch. Don't worry, though. She stole Wyatt Garrett away from me the next year, and they are now married.

10th Grade: Wyatt Garrett for a week or two, then the love of my high school life: Barry Tolli., quarterback of the football team. My parents wouldn't let me date him because he wasn't a member of the church. That just made me want him more. I think this was the first time I actually started to fall in love. We had a few wonderful months together, and then he moved to California and I about died without him. All without ever going on a "date."

11th Grade: Short crushes on Sherwood Jolley (again), Richard Ure and Steve Holm, but in reality, I was still so broken hearted over losing Barry that I didn't really want anyone else.

12th Grade: Jason Ellsworth. He was such an untouchable, unkissable crush. That chase was also fun while it lasted.

So there you have it, my friends, my loves, lusts, and infatuations. I love that in the end I ended up with the most perfect man for me in the world, and he deserves his own post again, soon. Happy Day O' Love to all my lovely Bloggers.

A Quick Tag

Well, I DO like reading your "tagged" blog entries, but for some reason I don't love writing them. But I don't want to stop the fun for people who are waiting for a tag in order to write one...well, here's a short version of a recent tag from my old mission companion Shantal (I still like to call her Howie). If you feel like doing this, CONSIDER YOURSELF TAGGED!

10 years ago:
I was a junior in high school, playing in the state basketball tournament. I missed a game winning shot. It might not sound like a huge deal, but it ended our whole team's dream of a state championship, especially my older sister Krystal's...it was her senior year. It was one of the worst days of my life.

5 years ago:
I was serving a mission, struggling to learn Spanish in Georgia, and serving with 2 of the greatest girls in the world, Amy and Ann.

5 things on my to do list today:
1. Make dinner...or let the CROCK POT make dinner, I should say.
2. Make cookies
3. Eat the cookies
4. Watch Planet Earth DVD from our air mattress. (THESE DVD's ARE ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. A MUST-RENT!!)
5. Meet with Danielle (Taylor...from PVHS...they live here and might buy our car, thanks to Amberly!)

Things I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
Pay off all debt, invest most of it, then buy a new house, a new car, and travel around the world.

3 of my bad habits:
1. Buying stuff I don't need, just cause it's on sale.
2. Not eating until I'm starving, then eating junk food.
3. Paper Clutter (another post for another day)

5 Places I have lived:
1. St. George, UT
2. Provo/Orem, UT
3. Dalton, Georgia
4. Fort Payne, Alabama
5. Honolulu, HI

We are moving to...

We are going to live 3.5 miles from this temple. Who can guess!?!Looks like we're leaving in about two weeks, not a month. We are still doing some salary negotiations, so I'll tell you all about the job a little later. It's gonna be great!

Random Thoughts

1. When I was in Utah, I made some hamburger soup for the family. I was soaking up the grease from the hamburger like this:By putting paper towels in the meat of course! A friend of my mom asked me what I was doing. When I explained, she told me she'd never heard of that before. I was kind of shocked. Where did I learn it? I asked my mom if she did it that way. She said yes! Isn't it funny what we pick up from our parents without even realizing it? (On another note, how else do you get the grease out?)


2. I didn't mean to sell our hide-a-bed couch AND our bed in the same night, so soon. Craigslist really works fast sometimes. We are now sleeping on an air mattress for the rest of our time in Hawaii (which, FYI, is probably one month.) And it's no fun to watch TV from a lawn chair. Dang.


3. I had a seriously killer sinus infection for a week. I thought my head would explode from the pressure. Even worse though, I couldn't smell or taste a thing for a week. Oddly enough, I still craved junk food. I still ate pizza, ice cream and brownies, and just tried to enjoy the texture. Why didn't I live on celery? I don't know. I can say this, the best part of getting my senses back was eating cheddar cheese, and smelling my baby's skin. Ahhh, it doesn't get much better than that.

Happy Two Years

Two years of love and LOTS of growth. January 30th, 2006...it all began.

Happy Anniversary to us.

Tag you're it

Tagged by Jessica! I am tagging Kim B., Tara A., Julie K., and Christina M.

Two Names You Go By: 1. Heather 2. Sister Bigler
Things You Are Wearing Right Now: 1. A Towel 2. that's it
Twothings you Want (or have) in a Relationship: 1. Romance 2. Devotion
Two of Your Favorite Things to do: 1. Sleep in 2. Read by a pool
Two things you did last night: It was our anniversary, so....better leave it at that- :)
Two people you Last Talked To: 1. Mom 2. Samuel
Two things You're doing tomorrow: 1. Conference Call Job Interview w/Samuel and Potential Employer 2. Cheesecake Factory
Two Longest Car Rides: 1. Omaha to Palmayra 2. And Back
Two Favorite Holidays: 1. Christmas 2. Thanksgiving
Twoo Favorite Drinks: 1. Strawberry Lemonade 2. Sprite
TwoThings About Me you may not have known: 1. My haircolor was real until 10th grade
2. I speak fluent Spanish
Two jobs I have had in my life: 1. MTC Teacher 2. Pizza Factory Waitress
Two Movies I would watch over and over: 1. Remember the Titans 2. Dumb & Dumber
Two Favorite Foods: 1. Pizza 2. Cafe Rio Burritos, Enchilda Style
Two places I'd rather be right now: 1. Getting a Facial 2. Getting a Massage

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

When I say trouble, I mean WE'RE in trouble. Kalia just turned 5 months old. I put Kalia to bed one night, she'll usually cry for a minute or two sometimes, then fall asleep. A few nights ago she was crying for a while, so I went in to make sure she was okay. Needless to say we were a little shocked to find her like standing up in her crib. The child can't even sit up on her own yet, I mean COME ON! We put her back down and she showed us how she did it in this little video. We'll just admit it now. We are so proud of our little girl who is learning to do everything really early.



Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


So now that she can do this, she's falling and bonking her head a lot. I'm glad we've avoided a concussion so far, but I do worry about the future. Every time I turn around, she's finding something else to help her stand up.
(p.s. if you're wondering about the blanket over the crib, we use it during the day, as if she were a little parakeet. Black-out means SLEEP time! Works pretty good.

Reunited

They must be so happy to be reunited...and never to be separated again.

We are forever grateful for your lifetime of service. We'll miss you, dear President Hinckley.