Thursday, April 30, 2009

SOME SMALL AGGRAVATIONS...


There are many aggravations in life For one thing, there is batteries . Say you're listening to a good audio book and your CD player dies. You go to get batteries - and there are none left. Man, that bugs! Or for another thing, when you sweep a patio, and then the wind blows. Everything you swept is blown right back in! That bugs!

,,,Well, after thinking awhile...I couldn't think of any other aggravations. So, I guess life doesn't really have that many. Life is actually pretty darn good. So, let those small aggravations go, and think about sunny days, flowers and really cool heavy equipment right out side your door!




Friday, April 24, 2009

Road Biking vs. Mountain Biking




Me,mom,and Jorin went on a bike ride on the old Spanish trail. It was unbelievable rocky!! I had trouble keeping up to mom because it was so rocky.We went up a big hill and when looking down you can see grazing cows in a field. It was picture perfect and looked so much like a painting. We also saw pretty purple flowers along the side of the road. The downhills were right beside deathly!! The old Spanish trail's dirt was thick and if one tire wheel went into that stuff it would stop you. It was a hard but good bike ride. The 7 1/2 miles mountain biking was like 15 miles road biking. I liked the short downhills - but I think I like road biking better! ~Jantzen

Sunday, April 19, 2009

OUR LIFE, BY THE NUMBERS....

Since working for a Technological Research University I have learned to collect numbers on a variety of things. Why not some data about our time apart as a couple?!

So then, our separation………. by the numbers.

Thousands- Missed moments, and thoughts of you

12,000- Miles traveling to see each other

600- Phone calls

500- Gallons of gas expended trying to be near

400- Meals alone

190- Days since leaving

175- Nights going to sleep without you

165- Cellular family prayers

27- Sabbaths

14- Laundry days

6- Beautiful children

2-Blessed additions - Jon and Gannon

1- Wonderful companion

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Reason #497



I think of myself as independent. Maybe too independent sometimes. But I have had an epiphany this week. This picture is reason #497 why I need Rance. It's not that I expect him to take care of all the irrigation repairs. It's just that I miss working on it together with him. It seems as if there is always something to repair on the sprinkler system - and this is a job we did together. I am having to do it alone right now and I don't really like that. It's been a repair week - the irrigation pump needed to be repaired, the wire to the pump needed to be replaced, the irrigation pump needed to be re-hooked up - twice - because the first time it was hooked up wrong, 2 sprinkler heads needed to be replaced, the front door knob finally gave up the ghost and needed to be replaced, the phones stopped working for 2 days & needed a new wire, my cell phone stopped working, needed to be replaced and the new phone's back wouldn't stay on, needing to be replaced, a bike tire went flat on our 15 mile bike ride - 5 miles from home, had to be replaced, I had to have an unexpected root canal because the crown they put on my tooth didn't do the job, and now, there is a break in the water pipe that was made when the fence was re-positioned. That I am not handling this well is putting it mildly. I need you, Rance!

Friday, April 10, 2009

THE DAY'S CATCH


It's what I'm saying!!! AAAaaargh!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

FARM FUN!





Conference week-end was spent at the Bunnell farm in Provo. We left late (after a grueling two hours at the dentist) and ran into a snow storm on Soldier's Summit. We were stuck on the mountain top for about 1 1/2 hours - finally pulling into Helen's around 11 pm.

Despite the rocky beginning, the rest of the weekend was great. Jorin and Jantzen got up early and went to the Conference Center on Saturday morning with Grandpa, Devery, Britt and Aunt Katie to watch the first session of conference. They loved it! They said it was so amazing to be in there and that they could really feel the spirit there. Everybody went quiet when the prophet came in, and that was a neat experience too! I stayed in Provo with Grandma, Helen and Katie's kids, watching on TV. About noon, I ran into Draper and picked up Simpson from his 3 day training camp for ROTC. It was fun hearing his stories about camp life!



We were able to visit with Melanie, Kara and Meagan Kitchens later that night. They were down visiting from Washington, so we couldn't pass up the chance to see them! We met at Rumbi's and had a great visit.


Wayne gave milking lessons at the dairy barn - even showing Jantzen the "star" on a cow's teats. Jantzen was wiping milk off her face afterwards! We love his sense of humor! Jorin, Jantz and the cousins loved playing with the little calves and climbing the haystack. It made us all want to be in the country!




We enjoyed visiting, not only with our immediate family and Katie's family, but also Helen and Wayne's kids. It was such a pleasant time and a beautiful Provo weekend.
I just want to say how much I love Helen. She is an amazing person. She maintained such a welcoming and relaxed attitude as hordes of self-inviting guests descended upon her house. We had grandma and grandpa Reber, Katie & Simpson's family of 5, me, jorin, jantzen, Devery, Kiely and Brittany all staying there. I want to be able to provide a home that FEELS like home to not only my family, but any that come into our home. That is what Helen does. I always feel completely accepted and loved by her. She is amazing!

GRANDPARENTS ARE GREAT!



We had a great week! Grandma and Grandpa Reber came and visited us for the week. They helped out with maintenance projects around the house - and whipping the backyard into shape. The blackberries and raspberries look great now! Grandma caught us up on all the mending projects that I just don't ever seem to get to. Jantzen really loved learning the basics of sewing on a machine with Grandma. I am so grateful that grandma could teach her. Jantzen has been asking me to help her learn to sew - but just the thought of that makes me shudder - I am so not a sewer! They had a fun time together trying out different stitches. Jantzen even made a nightgown for her doll! Jorin and Jantzen both enjoyed spending time with grandpa at the park and telling stories. They also liked that we watched a movie & munched on popcorn almost every night of the week! We're so glad they were able to come see us!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Married to a Super Hero………………

Whose idea was this anyway? Is this some kind of weird joke? Is it like child birth? You know, that you forget how painful and exhausting it was? Here I am, 16 hours away from Denise and the kids. Yes, it is true I am working a full time job. Yes, I am putting in a ton of hours trying to learn the new job…it seems very apparent however, that I have it way too easy doing what I am doing.
Let’s think about it…she has a nearly full time job doing home school, then she takes extra care of the house, not only does it need to be picked up, but it seems like it has to be spotless to be shown to potential buyers. It’s like being required to keep it clean “times two” just to make a perfect impression. As if the initial level of cleaning isn’t difficult enough...
Then there are two very active children. Girl Scouts, boy scouts, Girls on the Run, church, friends, state educational testing, home schooling (how do you ever feel you have taught and worked with them enough there?) activities, did I mention friends? Let’s see, bicycles, the doctor, the dentist, blades, walks and swimming. Read books to them, read the scriptures, knit things for them, she felts, she quilts, she cooks, and she is learning to be a vegetarian. This is only a partial list.
She is a construction foreman, accountant, she keeps the cars running, laundry, legal issues, neighbors, fixing appliances, yard work, tumble weeds, gardening to make the place look more saleable. Oh, yes, and things do break around the house. Don’t forget about visiting teaching, church service. The door knob came off, the computer doesn’t always work, and the bills need to be paid, more doctor, taxes, the flu, allergies, and foot surgery. How does she ever do it?
I have only scratched the surface. There is a lot more that I haven’t noted and on top of it, she takes care of things for me. I am frequently a dork when it comes to being a supportive and understanding companion. The amazing thing is that she figures it all out by herself and just moves forward with a great attitude. We have three other children who have a bunch of needs that they still need a parents counseling to help them with (and this is normal), but it still needs to be done, and Denise does the bulk of it.
It is amazing to me the organization, the persistence, the focus, the intelligence, the physical strength and sheer will that Denise has. She is able to do all that she does, with a good attitude and shows nothing but love to the children. To say that my life is in a constant state of blessing is the understatement of the decade. I love you Wonder Woman, I mean, Denise.