I know, I know...

Yes, I know, we have officially fallen off the face of the blog earth! We now not only don't have internet at home, but no longer have a computer all together either... You may be wondering, "How do they survive?!" but when you've been without internet for over a year, the desktop is not that usefull anyway, plus I sit at a computer all day for work, so it's really not that difficult.

I promise, one day... we will return!!

Don't get too attached now...

OK, so I was looking at our blog, and despite the fact that there are no pictures, or updates really, I thought it looked rather boring... so I'm trying this out to see if I like it, but don't get too attached because I'm likely going to change my mind :)

Christmas Tree Maham!!

I really wish I had real pictures to go long with this, but try and imagine if you can...

This whole last week we have been trying to decorate the house, get the tree up, make cookies, and get into the Christmas spirit. Last night, it all came tumbling down on us... I haven't been feeling all that great this last week, maybe it's a bug or maybe I'm still experiencing detox from planning the company Christmas party, but I was not in the mood to decorate our Christmas tree. I don't know about all of you, but we have "jobs" in our house about who does what when it comes to certain things and my job is always to put the lights on the tree. My dad was a master at it and all us kids took on that tradition, in my family, the lights were far more important than any ornament. I mean the whole essence of the tree was its lights and some years, it seemed the ornaments almost ruined the tree... sorry loosing focus.

So each day, I would put some lights on the tree, get bored, then stop, and Rob would just wait until the next day hoping I would eventually finish. Last night, I was so fed up with our little tree, which is fake, but that's a whole different subject, that I get almost to the top and guess what? ... I ran out of lights. I tried to spread it out as best I could, but it looked like the saddest excuse for a Christmas Tree I had ever seen. The lights were so concentrated at the bottom and so spread out at the top that even Rob didn't like it and he was the one that was pushing me to finish...

We both were so mad, him at the shotty light job I had done, me at the fact that it looked terrible I felt I had disgraced the family name, and it was all my fault. Rob decided to take off the lights and start over, but I had tangled them so badly that branches were flying off of the tree in his attempt to quickly unravel this disgrace I had created, even the dogs ran for cover under our bed... in the next room. The last thing I wanted to do was start over so Rob attempted the lights, got to maybe two branches and quit. In all my rage I took over, put the lights on the tree in record time, not caring about what it looked like, we plugged it in, took a step back and... it was gorgeous!! Don't ask why I just didn't do this in the first place, but it looks so good, I swear angels were singing in the background. We started to feel stupid at how childish we had been and sat to admire our little tree, that we almost through out in our moment of chaotic frustration...

Needless to say, our sad, little fake tree is up, with lights... next come the ornaments.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

OK, I promise we will get our computer fixed, however now we have had our internet shut off because we couldn't use it anyway... but I promise it's coming.

We have been really busy lately!! I am almost to the end of planning our Christmas Party at work, and have been putting together all the charitable activities for it. We have set up our own Angel Wreaths at work with tags of children who have a parent serving overseas in the UT National Guard and will not have a lot for Christmas. We volunteered to take over 13 families, about 40 kids and it has been amazing how much everyone has been willing to pitch in. I had to start doubling tags up with two people in order to accommodate everyone who wants to help out. We are also doing 80 food baskets and 100 soldier stockings as well and it has been so much work trying to get it all together in time, but so much fun as well!!

Career Step, where I work, also broke record numbers in September and to reward the employees the owner sent everyone to Disneyland!!! It was so much fun!! I had only been once and it was so fun to come back! It was for only one day, but I was able to go see Christian and Naomi while I was there (bug them for not posting our pictures yet!!!)... Oh, and Rob couldn't come because it was for employees only :(

So this has been the month of large expensive things to break... if you remember earlier back, the pictures of me boiling water and pouring it into the washing machine because our hot water heater broke down... it went out again and we had to replace it. That's $700 we'll never get back. We also had both cars break down and their registration expired, our vacuum broke, and the handle on our shower broke too (that one isn't so big or expensive, but really annoying!!) ... Needless to say, it may still be a month or so before we can get our computer fixed and our internet set-up.

Cardinal Sin... and Annie

I understand that having a blog and going as long as we have without posting is a cardinal sin, however, Pops, I am sorry!!

Yes, it is absolutely ridiculous that after two months, we have yet to get our computer fixed, but it's true and unless you would like to pay for it, you'll just have to wait until we can be active bloggers again!! Until that time comes, don't cast us out of your blogging world just yet :)

So much has happened and I couldn't even imagine trying to go back and reiterate it all for you, but this is something that stuck out in my mind...

Annie, our orphan ...OK her name isn't really Annie, but it should be!

Most of you know that conference was last week and while Rob was on his way to the Priesthood session, he almost hit a stray dog! He stopped to see if she had a collar or license, which she didn't and I was called. She was an Australian Shepard mix, I'll post pictures later, and she was so cute! I brought out some treats and food to where he was, mind you it is raining at this point, and we waited for the cop to come pick her up and we could go on our way living our lives. Well, when he got there, he said she was most likely dropped off here by an owner who just didn't want her anymore and left her to fend for herself... I'm sorry, who does that?! He said that a lot of people do that in the field where we found her and I asked where she would go and he proceeded to tell me the whole process.

1. She would be placed in a kennel, which is a nice way of saying a chain link fence on a cement slab... with no roof (remember it's still raining), and then someone would come the next day to feed her.

2. Then on Monday (two days later) if she didn't have a microchip she would placed in the state shelter. If no one comes to claim her in three days... they euthanize her, which in case you don't know, they KILL her.

Well neither Rob or I could live with that on our conscience, so we took her home, set up a little area in our garage and she proceeded to eat us out of house and home for two days... OK not really, but it seemed like she hadn't eaten in forever and didn't stop!! It was so sad!!

After a few days of that, we couldn't find anyone to take her and she didn't have a microchip, and I am just not one who can live with making a dog stay outside 24/7. At this point, I just couldn't take it anymore and so we made the trip up to Salt Lake City and dropped her off at the Humane Society.

Needless to say, I balled like a baby!! I felt so bad that we couldn't keep her and I totally felt like we were just another person dropping her off somewhere, hoping someone else would eventually want her. I was convinced she would hate me for life!!

So, if anyone wants a dog she is currently at the Salt Lake City Humane Society and is one of the best dogs anyone could ever own!!

GO GET HER!!!... I mean it right now!! :D

Explanation

Due to recent, current, events we have been unable to update our blog in the fashion most of you are accustomed to. We are currently without a working computer at home and therefore have been unable to download the many pictures that have been taken. I promise as soon as we are back up and running we will be back to our normal blogging selves.

We apologize for the delay...

(I'm at work, posting this right now just to let you all know that we have not fallen off the face of the earth)

Small Update...

Other than watching the Olympics...

I GOT A NEW JOB!!! I'm so excited!! I got a job in Springville, so much closer to home!! It's working in Human Resources, which I am so happy about (I love accounting and all, but it tends to get really stressful and redundant sometimes and I'm ready for something new)!! I start next week and could not be more impatient!! I had the worst day today which only confirms my decision to leave... even my boss joked about how he was just making sure I didn't want to stay, by making things horrible!! It wasn't really his fault, but every time he called or came to talk to me something horrible had happened and by the end of the day I'd had it!!

Rob is on another softball team for the fall! They play once a week, a double-headed each time! It's fun to go and watch him, but by the end of the second game, it gets kinda late and we are ready to go home... They took first in the summer league though, which was exciting!! He is now trying to get a football team together for this fall so if anyone wants to play leave him a message!!

Sorry, this post isn't that interesting, but it's pretty much all we've been up to!! I'll start taking pics again and hopefully more will happen...