All the Bells on Earth Shall Ring

Last night I went to a Christmas concert put on my the Orange County Mormon Choral Organization. It was amazing! Everyone is a volunteer, including the 2 brothers who lead the individual adult, high school, youth, children and sunbeam choirs, AND the orchestra! Such talented people! It was a night filled with Christmas music and some special arrangements of their own. They also performed the well loved MOTAB arrangement of I Believe in Christ.

One of my favorites was the song below which they did not sing in English. It was so sweet. I was grateful that the put the translation in the program because the simple lullaby is so sweet.

You should all put in on your calendars for next year because this year and last year it was fabulous! Something not to miss! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

O Magnum Mysterium:

O magnum mysterium
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,
jacentem in præsepio.

Beata virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt

portare Dominum Christum, Alleluia!

Translation:

O great mystery
and wondrous sacrament,

that animals should see the newborn Lord

lying in their manger.

Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy

to bear the Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!

I heart CHRISTMAS!

Since Thanksgiving is over, it is officially time to start celebrating Christmas! One of my most favorite things about Christmas is the music. Everyone - 3 cheers for KOST 103.5! They play Christmas music ALL day long from now until Christmas!

Thanks KOST. I heart you too.

Team Edward!

I did it! I was part of the group of fanatics! I stayed up until 12:01am to view the first showing of twilight! Ryan's mother and I were supposed to go with a bunch of other girls from various wards but she ended up not being able to go. SO, I invited my friend Sarah to go. At first I thought - what am I doing? This is going to be insane! I'll have to wait in line for hours just to get in, and then sit for hours waiting for the movie to start! Sarah felt the same about standing in line, plus she has 2 young kids so it would be hard for her to be away for so long during dinner and bedtime. So, we decided to go at 10:30pm thinking that would be fine - even if we didn't get the bests seats.

So, when we got there and saw the several lines, we weren't sure which one to stand in. Surprisingly they weren't that long! (There were showings at 12:01, 12:10, 12:20, and 12:30). That was a little encouraging! Then we asked an employee which line to stand in for our 12:01am showing. She laughed and told us that they had been seated over 2 hours ago! So, we made our way into the theater to find that in fact it was jam packed as we had originally suspected. We found some seats way in the front, although not the first row, and sat and waited. There were some crazy people in there! People kept shouting things about how they loved Edward. Someone started the wave like at a baseball game. Others started a count down which ended and 12:01am on their own watches, but apparently no one else's including the movie theater... It was amazing to see how excited everyone was to see the movie. I felt out of place since I didn't have any Twilight fan gear or my tattered book with me. Sarah and I thought that someone should have been up on the "stage" resiting lines from the books. It would have been entertaining...

So, finally the movie began. I was excited and I LOVED IT!! It started out a little rough for me, plus the angle was awkward since we sat so close, but all in all, I enjoyed the movie! I actually thought that maybe I should read the book again.

I am going with another group of girls to see the movie again Monday night and hopefully I'll have a better seat this time. I am definately team Edward, although the Jacob character was pretty cute!

New Carpet!

Last night we met with Empire Today and selected new carpet for our family room! It was an exciting event. They came out to our house and showed us all types of carpet samples. They have sample books they bring. There is a large piece of carpet on top and then when you lift the large carpet up there are several smaller samples underneath all of various colors.

Ryan and I felt each one carefully to determine which one felt the softest and most comfortable. When the salesman went outside to get some additional samples, Ryan suggested that I put my face on the carpet sample to feel how soft it was on face - or not soft. I complied and then suggested he did the same. The salesman came in as Ryan was lifting his face off the last carpet sample.

We continued talking and the salesman told us how he has to sanitize all the carpet samples after he is done for the day. He continued to explain how dogs sit on the carpet, cats roll on it. People put their babies on it... on and on he went. Ryan and I were just dying inside!! We had just rubbed our faces on that unsanitary carpet!!

When the guy went back outside we just about lost it! We were laughing so hard! We laughed and laughed and the poor sales guy had no idea what was going on.

Well, I guess the carpet wasn't that bad because we bought some... Being installed next Monday! Happy Thanksgiving to us!

CAMDEN HEATH REED

Welcome to my newest newphew! Camden Heath Reed was born last Tuesday - Nov. 11th. Congrats to my sister Stacey! Can't wait to see the new little guy!!

Cinderelly, Cinderelly...

"Cinderelly, Cinderelly
Night and day it's Cinderelly
Make the fire, fix the breakfast
Wash the dishes, do the mopping
And the sweeping and the dusting
They always keep her hopping!"

Do you remember that pudgy little mouse Gus, Gus in the Disney movie Cinderella? He was always my favorite. Which mouse was your favorite?

Since we've had the work done in our house, the entire thing has a fine layer of dust covering EVERYTHING! We had the ceilings painted yesterday and that was the last thing to do that would effect all of our house, rather than just the kitchen.

So, this morning, I decided it was time to "do the mopping." I felt like Cinderelly as I pulled my bucket of warm soapy water with me and hand mopped the dusty wood floors. It took forever! I barely finished 1/16th of the floor in our house, and then I had to get ready and leave for work.

Poor, poor Cinderelly... I was envious of her cute little mouse friends that helped her get everything done. Maybe if I had a fairy god mother and a fancy ball to go to I'd have mice to help me do the cleaning...

Morton's Steak House

This is a picture of the picture they took of us. We dressed up nice, but it wasn't as fancy as we thought it would be. There were all ranges of dress - guess that is what you get in California. It was still fun for us to dress up though! This is the personal menu we received! It was so cute! They had great service and even though the food was over priced it was delicious! I'd go there again - if someone else pays!

How's your Memory?

Want to play my game? If you have been to our house then you know this is what you see when you walk in the door. However, something has changed. Can you guess what it is?

Make your guesses!

Sneak Peak...

So, here we are in the final stages of our kitchen being complete! So exciting. Here are some pictures for you, but let me tell you that it looks so much more amazing in person! You'll all have to come visit just to see the kitchen!

FYI - just because there is a nice kitchen doesn't mean good food... However, I can provide good candy, possibly good ice cream and of course good company!

Also, does anyone want our ugly blue carpet? It's going too... (YIPPEE!)

Happy Anniversary! (To Us!)

Ryan and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary yesterday. Can you believe it has been 3 years already! We were trying to remember what we did on the other years, but it is all kind of fuzzy... The first year we had just purchased our home and then for our anniversary we both tried to buy a new king size bed for each other. I let Ryan buy the bed... That is all we remember about that year. Last year we went up to big bear and stayed in a cabin for a few days. That was fun too!

This year we are getting a new kitchen and that is really exciting. I took the day off yesterday so on Tuesday night we went to the Newport Beach temple for a session and then to the Laguna Cliffs Resort & Spa in Dana Point and stayed there. We really enjoyed staying in a room that wasn't covered in dust and ceiling particles like our house is now... The bed so was comfortable too! We slept in until I couldn't take it any longer. I wanted to see the results of the Prop. 8 vote. (YIPPEE for Prop. 8!)

We got free breakfast with our stay so we ate at the resort restaurant which was delicious. The view of the ocean was amazing. We ate outside on a little patio looking over the ocean. It was such a beautiful fall morning. The air was crisp and cool but not too cold. The ocean was calm and the sun shone all around. It was so nice.

After we checked out of our hotel we drove up PCH and stopped every now and then to walk around the cute shops along the road. Ryan agreed to get a pedicure with me so off we went. Unfortunately for Ryan we saw someone he works with... He is really hopping that doesn't get out... ha ha!

We tried to go home, but since they were texturing the ceiling we couldn't get into our house so we went to the mall and marched around like zombies. We were tired - not because we did anything fancy - just tired.

We finally made it home in time to get ready for our big dinner out. We went out to dinner at Morton's Steak House and it was delicious! They printed our names on a special menu that read, "Happy Anniversary Mr. & Mrs. Price!" (Pictures to come of that). They also took our picture and put it in a little paper frame like the kind you get after Prom of you and your special prom date... It was a nice treat!

We had a wonderful 24 hour celebration! I am so glad I married Ryan. He is such an amazing man. He is so kind and gentle and is always taking care of me and my needs. (Or the needs I think I have). I am so glad we got to go to the temple together. It has been a long time since we've been able to go together with our schedules being so off. I loved being there with him. We also were the witness couple!

I am looking forward to spending eternity with Ryan. I saw the end of the movie Wedding Singer last Sunday and cried and cried. At the very end Adam Sandler sings a song about growing old together. I am so looking forward to growing old together with Ryan. When I told him that he said, "I don't want to get old, so let's just stay young together forever!" I love that guy! Happy Anniversary RyRy! I love you!!

Did You Know?

Just in case you haven't heard, or don't know much about Prop. 8 here is some information about the Proposition that you should be aware of.

I know how important marriage and family is in my own life and I hope we can restore the definition of marriage in this coming election.

YES ON PROP. 8!!

Myths and Facts about Proposition 8

MYTH: Proposition 8 enshrines discrimination in our Constitution.

FACT: Proposition 8 does not discriminate against gays; it simply restores the meaning of marriage and protects it as an essential institution that has benefited mankind since the beginning of time. Every culture in the world understands that marriage is between a man and a woman. Californians from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds, whether religious or not, agree that marriage is between a man and a woman.
Proposition 8 does not take away any rights from gay and lesbian domestic partners. Gays and lesbians in California can already enjoy all the legal rights and benefits of marriage. The California Family Code says, "domestic partners shall have all the rights, protections and benefits" of married spouses. There are NO exceptions to this. Proposition 8 will not change that.

MYTH: Allowing gay couples to legally marry does not affect anyone else.

FACT: The narrow decision of the State Supreme Court effectively renders all civil marriage meaningless and will result in tremendous confusion for children. The state Education Code (§51890) requires that teachers instruct children as young as kindergartners about marriage. If the gay marriage ruling becomes permanent, teachers will have little choice but to teach young children there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage. We should not accept a court decision that results in public school teachers teaching our kids that gay marriage is acceptable. That is an issue for parents to discuss with their children according to their own values and beliefs. It should not be forced on us against our will.

MYTH: This proposition is the work of right wing radicals and extremists to attack the rights of gays.

FACT: Proposition 8 is supported by a broad range of organizations and individuals, including faith leaders representing virtually every faith in California – and those who subscribe to no faith at all. People from every walk of life believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. Over 1.1 million Californians signed the petitions to put Proposition 8 on the ballot. If gay marriage advocates want to change the definition of marriage, they should have to put a ballot measure before the voters to do so. This has never happened. Instead, they have gone behind the backs of voters and convinced four activist judges in San Francisco to redefine marriage for all of society. That is the wrong approach.
Proposition 8 does not interfere with gays living the lifestyle they choose. However, while gays can live as they want, they should not have the right to redefine marriage for the rest of society.

MYTH: The majority of the State Supreme Court said that gay marriage is a "right", so the rest of us should leave the issue alone.

FACT: Ultimately, the legal meaning of marriage is up to the people to decide. Four judges on the Supreme Court declared that gay marriage is a "right" because the traditional definition of marriage did not expressly appear in the state Constitution itself. Proposition 8 overturns the court’s flawed decision by amending the state Constitution to include the common-sense definition of marriage that was previously approved by over 61% of the voters (Proposition 22, enacted in 2000, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California").

Almost done!

So, I don't know if the kitchen will be done by tomorrow, but I sure hope so! They put in the tile floor yesterday so we are getting closer to being done!
They will tile the kitchen, the area below the new bar, the washer/dryer area and then right by the outside door.

Here is the kitchen! Looks so good!
This little square is where the granite inlay will go. This granite in the floor will match the granite counter top! Can't wait to see it all come together! I looks so cool!!

Boo!

Yes, it is kind of small, but here is what came out of our Family Night activity - on Tuesday night. We did this last year too and it was so fun! Ryan's creation is the 2nd one in from the left. Mine is the happy face in the middle. 4th from the left.

Happpy Halloween everyone! Hope you have a fun time, and we can't wait to see your halloween pictures! (Don't wait to see ours. This is it. Ryan has to work and I am not dressing up for anything special...).

Happy Halloween!!

Death of the Hanging Tennis Ball

I am sure you are all aware of the hanging tennis ball trick. You know, hang a tennis ball in the garage so that it hits the windshield of your car so you know where to stop. Allows for the most perfect parking job ever!

Well, since we have a garage, and use it to park our cars, of course we'd have the hanging tennis ball. In light of the theme this week - rolling things up in the car window - I thought I'd share another story with you.

This morning I saw a tennis ball on the floor of the garage and asked Ryan where it came from. He told me a story: DEATH OF THE HANGING TENNIS BALL

It goes a little like this; From Ryan's point of view:

"I parked my car in the garage with the window down. Later in the day I was working on my bike and the tennis ball got knocked a few times, because who can resist the hanging tennis ball? I needed to leave to run some errands and so I got in my car, rolled up my window and backed out. Just after I backed up a little bit there was a pop and then a tennis ball in my lap! I had rolled the tennis ball up in my window!"

So, there you have it. The truth about the death of the hanging tennis ball in our garage...

Anyone else have a story to share about rolling up items in your window? Please do tell!

Make Me Smile!

I love to laugh! I love to watch American's Funniest Home Videos because the videos are usually hilarious! I also love to hear funny stories over and over again because they make me laugh! One of my favorites is about my cousin Erik and when Grandpa White was babysitting him. I also like the story about Grandpa White waking up Aaron one morning very early and Aaron jumping up into a Karate pose to defend himself!

I'll do my best to tell the story about Grandpa and Erik as I remember it. However, if you remember, ask Grandpa to tell you these hilarious stories because he is one of the best storytellers EVER!

So, this was back when children were not required to be in a car seat or to wear seat belts. Grandpa was driving down the road and was allowing Erik to hang out the window and feel the wind on this face. As he drove a little faster he decided it was best that he roll the window up so Erik wouldn't get too far out the window. (This was also before automatic windows). So Grandpa leaned over, while driving, and manually rolled the window up. He rolled and rolled and when it got to the top he gave it an extra hard crank. (Wanted to make sure Erik couldn't get it down...).

So, off they went down the road when Grandpa realized it was pretty quiet in the seat next to him. Upon investigation Grandpa realized he had rolled Erik up in the window! His head was outside and the window was up right over his neck! Erik's feet were even off the seat! Grandpa quickly unrolled the window to find a frightened Erik. He had a red mark across his neck to show Grandma and his parents...

Sorry to laugh at your expense Erik, but it is a funny story!

This morning, as I was leaving, I rolled down my window to kiss Ryan goodbye. Just as he came in for the kiss I accidentally hit the roll-up button on my window. Ryan's head didn't get stuck in the window but his ego may have... I love you RyRy!! It was pretty funny... ;)

The Beam is In!

This is looking into the kitchen from the family room...

Still lots to be done, but the walls are gone!

This pretty beam (the one going horizontally) is what replaced all those other studs.

Hmm... wish "beam" sounded as handsome as "stud."

Oh, well, this strong beam is what is holding our house up!

And, here we are looking from the kitchen out to the family room. Once the beam was set
the vertical pieces were removed.

It looks amazing! It is SO open and spacious! I can't believe how different it looks and feels. Can I please clean up yet???

They are done doing work this week - except for the cabinet being installed today. Monday they will the majority of the kitchen stuff - countertop, pony wall, bar, etc.

Cross your fingers on this one but they said they will probably be done by the end of next week!!! There I said it! They m ight actually get work done on time!!

Demo Day

So, yesterday they scrapped all the ceilings, and it was messy. Lucikly they cleaned up most everything, but I had to mop our bedroom floor and dust everything off before we went to bed because I didn't want to breath dust all night. (Guess I have a quirk about things being clean...) It is amazing how much bigger the rooms look without that popcorn ceiling! I was amazed!

So, today Ryan helped them demo the kitchen walls and cabinet - as you can see above. I can't believe how open it looks already. (Well, I actually haven't seen the rooms, just the photos...)

I am sure there will be more to see tonight and tomorrow. Exciting times! I already can't wait for it to be done, AND, I am really happy that we already have a maid service lined up to clean up the mess... ;)

Construction Zone

Say goodbye to our old kitchen! Construction begins TODAY! I am so excited! We are having our kitchen re-done, except for the cabinets and it all begins today. We are taking out the wall between the kitchen and the family room and extending the counter a little into the family room to make a bar. We picked out new granite, a new sink, new faucet, and new tile! YIPPEE! We are also getting new carpet! Since we are taking out the wall with our largest cabinets we are also having some new cabinets made to put opposite the sink.

They have told us it will only take 2-3 weeks, so I am REALLY hoping it doesn't go longer than that. Can't wait to see the finished product!!!

Basically we are opening up that little window - taking out that whole wall.

Our Garden

We didn't take pictures of our garden this year, but let's just say it was almost like our veggies were on steroids! We had huge tomato plants and squash plants. We had too many veggies that we had to give them away in grocery bags, DAILY! We couldn't eat everything fast enough... Until we found something that was eating our tomato plant pretty fast. Luckily one of the nieces thought it was a pretty cool pet and took it away from our house... Until next year.

Quirks...

So, I was tagged by Annie to do this quirks thing. This is hard because I don't have any! he he he... So, Here are some things I guess are MY quirks...



1. I hate it when people chew loudly... with their mouth open. I don't like to hear other people eating.



2. I don't like a messy house. It is sometimes hard for me to do anything else if my house is dirty. I have to clean up, or do the dishes before I can give my attention to anything else.



3. I don't like it when people are non-commital. I like to be able to rely on people. I guess I am too trusting or something because I always believe what other people tell me. So, when they don't do what they say they are going to do it makes me crazy!



4. I don't like foods that have a weird texture. I can't eat things that feel funny in my mouth...



5. Kind of like the first one, but I can't stand it when people eat or drink while on the phone with me, or even chew gum. It is like I have super-sonic hearing and can hear even better the smacking lips... yuck... ewe...

6. I can't think of a 6th one, but I am sure I definately have more than 6 quirks...

I tag Tiffany, Stacey and Jennifer! (LUCKY!!!)

Shades Party!

SHADES Party!

Ok, so I am having a Shade Clothing Party! If you aren't familiar with Shade Clothing, they have great modest clothes! You can check them out here: http://www.shadeclothing.com/

So the party is TOMORROW - Wednesday night from 7:30pm to whenever... There will be NO presentation and there is NO sales person there. I just have a large box of clothes for trying on! It will be so fun!

Come whenever you want! AND, if you can't come, no worries! I can still take an order for you AND if you are really nice to me I will arrange a time with you to come check out the latest styles on your own! (I will have the samples for several days..)

Hope to see you soon!

YES on Prop. 8!!

For those of you who don't live in California, one of the big voting topics is Prop. 8. The topic is that of protecting marriage. We want to vote YES on Prop. 8 which would amend the California state constitution to ensure that only a marriage between a man and a woman would be legally recognized and not same-sex marriages. At first I thought this was only relating to the same-sex marriage issue. However, as I learned more about it, I realized that this proposition isn't only about the divine instituion of marriage but other rights as well!

I enjoyed this press release posted on lds.org in regards to the proposition:

"Legalizing same-sex marriage will affect a wide spectrum of government activities and policies. Once a state government declares that same-sex unions are a civil right, those governments almost certainly will enforce a wide variety of other policies intended to ensure that there is no discrimination against same-sex couples. This may well place 'church and state on a collision course.'
The prospect of same-sex marriage has already spawned legal collisions with the rights of free speech and of action based on religious beliefs. For example, advocates and government officials in certain states already are challenging the long-held right of religious adoption agencies to follow their religious beliefs and only place children in homes with both a mother and a father. As a result, Catholic Charities in Boston has stopped offering adoption services.
Other advocates of same-sex marriage are suggesting that tax exemptions and benefits be withdrawn from any religious organization that does not embrace same-sex unions.

Public accommodation laws are already being used as leverage in an attempt to force religious organizations to allow marriage celebrations or receptions in religious facilities that are otherwise open to the public. Accrediting organizations in some instances are asserting pressure on religious schools and universities to provide married housing for same-sex couples. Student religious organizations are being told by some universities that they may lose their campus recognition and benefits if they exclude same-sex couples from club membership."

SO you ask, HOW WOULD SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AFFECT SOCIETY?

Also from the press release:

"Perhaps the most common argument that proponents of same-sex marriage make is that it is essentially harmless and will not affect the institution of traditional heterosexual marriage in any way. “It won’t affect you, so why should you care?’ is the common refrain. While it may be true that allowing single-sex unions will not immediately and directly affect all existing marriages, the real question is how it will affect society as a whole over time, including the rising generation and future generations. The experience of the few European countries that already have legalized same-sex marriage suggests that any dilution of the traditional definition of marriage will further erode the already weakened stability of marriages and family generally. Adopting same-sex marriage compromises the traditional concept of marriage, with harmful consequences for society.

Aside from the very serious consequence of undermining and diluting the sacred nature of marriage between a man and a woman, there are many practical implications in the sphere of public policy that will be of deep concern to parents and society as a whole. These are critical to understanding the seriousness of the overall issue of same-sex marriage.

As just one example of how children will be adversely affected, the establishment of same-sex marriage as a civil right will inevitably require mandatory changes in school curricula. When the state says that same-sex unions are equivalent to heterosexual marriages, the curriculum of public schools will have to support this claim. Beginning with elementary school, children will be taught that marriage can be defined as a relation between any two adults and that consensual sexual relations are morally neutral. Classroom instruction on sex education in secondary schools can be expected to equate homosexual intimacy with heterosexual relations. These developments will create serious clashes between the agenda of the secular school system and the right of parents to teach their children traditional standards of morality.

The final line in the Proclamation on the Family is an admonition to the world from the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve: “We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.” This is the course charted by Church leaders, and it is the only course of safety for the Church and for the nation. "

We have been asked in our ward and stake to do all we can with our means and our time to help support the passing or proposition 8. I have to admit I really didn't understand the implications of the proposition until I looked a little further. Check out this web site http://www.protectmarriage.com/ for more information on how you can help and support Proposition 8!

Here's to protecting Marriage and Family!!

The Results are IN!

Welcome to the Final RESULTS blog!



First we will determine the LIE in the game 2 Truths and 1 Lie!

The correct answer was Number 1 and 3 are TRUTHS. Ryan's schedule did change and he is now in phase 2 of the 6 month training program. There are 6 phases, so one down, 5 more to go! Also, Ryan does get really silly when he is tired. The best was that he didn't remember any of it! SO funny!

The LIE was that Ryan did not get a new calling and we are fine with that. Now, the winner...


Mom - you guessed wrong


Dad - you guessed right but you already knew the answer - DISQUALIFED


Tiff - you guessed right but since dad already knew the right answer and you copied him you are also DISQUALIFIED


Grandma - you guess wrong


Gramdpa - you guessed right but since dad already knew the right answer and you copied him you are also DISQUALIFIED


Stacey - did you make a guess? You guessed they were all true...




SO, I don't think we have a winner... However, we can go to Pink Berry together whenever you want! We'd love to have you! (We have a pink berry right by our house!)



RESULTS #2


Now, the wound story. Here were some of the best guesses:


1. Got bit by a shark


2. Sat on a curling iron


3. Sliced himself with a knife



The truth is you have now all seen an extremely close photo of Ryan's butt! He was surfing and had a hard crash. Surf board fins can be quite sharp... So, now all we have to heal is Ryan's butt wound and he'll be back in the ocean surfing with the sharks! The 2nd visit to the doc and she said it was healing fine. The skin that they would have used to close it up is gone so that is why they just left it open like that... Fun times...

It actually looks MUCH better now. It has been one week since the injury and I am surprised how much it has healed!

Thanks for playing our games!

Ouchy...

Want to play another game? Guess the body part/area... Here's the conversation we had:

Alison: Hi Ry! What are you doing?
Ryan: Uh... I'm in the bathroom...
Alison: You are just hanging out in the bathroom?
Ryan: Yeah, I guess you could say that.
Alison: What are you doing in the bathroom?
Ryan: Well, I hurt myself. I don't think it is too bad, but you might want to come home.
Alison: WHAT DID YOU DO?
Ryan: I think you better just come home

So, home I went and as soon as I saw the injury I said, yep, you need stitches! (Just as a reference point, the wound is about the length of my palm - about 3 inches long). So, off we went to the local prompt care facility. I think we would have waited longer except that our homemade band aid was totally saturated with blood.

So, the doc. said that the wound was bad but she didn't think she could do stitches because of the way it was cut. Ryan basically took a chunk out and there wasn't anything to close up. So, she said we just have to keep it clean and keep a good dressing on it. She wants to see him again on Monday to make sure it is healing right and doesn't get infected... Oh what fun.

So, they put this huge bandage on it but by the time we got home it had already bled through... So, we went over to CVS and loaded up on all sorts of gauze pads and tape and wraps and stuff. We only replaced the bandage 3 times yesterday between 4pm - 9pm... The one we did last night stayed on pretty good through the night so maybe today will be better.

So, want to play another game? Guess what area of the body Ryan's new wound is on. Have fun!

2 Truths and a Lie

Want to play my game? I have 3 things to tell about Ryan and YOU pick the lie. The winner gets the satisfaction of knowing that they won AND a free ice cream cone when you come to visit us! ;)

1. Ryan has moved out of phase 1 and into phase 2 of his FTO (Field Training Officer) program! He is really excited! In the 6 month training program, after the 6 month academy, there are 6 phases. Each phase can last from 4-6 weeks. Generally they say plan on 6 weeks. When you are ready you get to move on to the next phase. When all the phases are complete you get to go out on your own and have your own patrol car. Plus you are officially DONE with all the training! SO, of the 3 recruits that were hired with Ryan he is the first to complete phase 1 and move into phase 2. He is really excited and happy about that! PLUS, his schedule has now changed as well. T/W/Th and every other Monday from 3pm to 3am. I am more excited about that schedule than he is I think. I like having the weekends together - although I do work a lot of weekends...

2. Ryan got a new calling! He hasn't been sustained yet and he hasn't chosen his counselors yet, but he was called to be the Elders Quarm President! We were both surprised, especially because of Ryan's crazy schedule. However, now that his schedule has changed he won't have to work on Sundays so that will work out well! I think this will be good for Ryan. He won't admit it but he really likes to be in charge and get things done! Since we have been in this ward he has wished things were run differently in the EQ. I guess now is his chance to make his mark.

3. Ryan sometimes gets confused when he is really tired. Normally, when the alarm goes off Ryan rolls over and hits snooze or if he is lucky he turns it off. He worked last night and went to bed around 4:30am so I know he was tired. This morning when the alarm went off I nudged Ryan to turn off the alarm. He promptly rolled over and turned the lamp on and off. I was a little confused why he would do that and told him to just turn it off. He began pounding his hands on the bed and looking for something. When I asked him what he was looking for he said, "The TV remote, so I can turn it off!" I started to laugh and he quickly realized he was doing the wrong thing. He rolled over and turned the lamp on and then off again thinking he had solved the problem. I couldn't control the laughter now as Ryan began pounding on the bed again searching for the TV remote. At this point I was laughing so hard Ryan just gave up. He pulled the pillow over his head and was asleep before I could get the alarm off. I even rolled over Ryan to get to the alarm to turn it off and he was still asleep. I had to leave the room I was laughing so hard. I didn't want to wake him up again. Needless to say I woke up on a good note today! I wish you all could have witnessed it. It seriously was one of the funniest things I've ever seen!

OK, NOW you have all the facts. Please choose carefully! 2 Truths and 1 Lie.

Livin' the H.B. Life

Ryan and I had a mini vacation a few weeks ago out to the river and that was really nice a relaxing. However, just this past weekend I had been telling Ryan how it had been several weeks since we both had a day off to spend together... He reminded me that we had just spent a few days at the river! Funny how soon we forget...

SO, I got off work a little early on Friday so we went and played Tennis at the community college. Lucky for us the other courts were young girls who were each playing with one of their parents. We didn't feel too dumb when we whacked balls into their courts... We went home and had dinner but decided it was too early to call it a night. We went down to the pier and walked out to Ruby's, on the end, to get a shake. It was a nice cool night. It is always fun to see who/what is downtown... My favorite was a sleeping duck - standing up! He looked like a penguin! We got so close I was tempted to push it or poke it to make sure it was real and not dead! I've only seen ducks sleep while they sit...

Saturday we slept in and it was so nice. Thanks to our new black-out curtains we both can sleep past 7am! After a lazy morning we went out to Huntington Harbor and kayaked! We enjoyed seeing the amazing homes in the harbor and some really cool birds! At one house there were 2 dogs playing in the water. We were worried for a minute because there wasn't anyone around and we wondered how they were going to get out of the water. Much to our surprise, they had their own ramp to get out of the water on!

We stayed out for about 90 minutes. We grabbed some food for lunch and then headed out to the beach for some surfing! YES, I did surf. I may have only caught one wave, but I did surf. Ryan, of course, surfed for an hour and caught nearly every wave that appeared... Surprisingly the water was fairly warm and that helped to get me in the water.

After that we cleaned up and went to dinner at the Lone Star and out to a movie with Ryan's parents. We had such a great Fri/Sat. weekend! (Good thing because Ryan had to work Sunday and Monday and now he is sick)

We love living in HB! Come visit us whenever you want!

If you chance to meet a frown...

Do not let it stay.
Simply turn it upside down
And smile that frown away.

Why is it that the most basic and simple Primary songs always pop in my head...

Last Sunday in YW the lesson was on overcoming opposition. Although I didn't teach the lesson, I really wanted the girls to understand that just because you pray for something you really want, or even something you think you really need and your prayer isn't answered doesn't mean that Heavenly Father doesn't love you. Sometimes His eternal perspective is just a little clearer than ours is... Who would have known that I would need that lesson probably more than they did. Just like from the musical Wicked, it sometimes seems that "no good deed goes unpunished." (If you haven't seen Wicked you should really go see it! It is amazing!")

Anyway, I already knew it before, but I have since learned it again, that without the sorrow and heartache and without the trials we surely wouldn't appreciate the good days or the many blessings that are in our lives. I am glad this week is over and I am glad that I have been able to realize the many blessings in my life. Plus, now I know what mistakes not to make again! Looking forward to next week...

Ryan, Ryan, He's our Man!

In the academy the class chose a class logo, "No Sacrafice, No Victory." After 6 months of sacrafice, the victory has finally come. CONGRATULATIONS RYAN! Yes, I am really late doing this post, but at least I am doing it! Ryan graudated from the Academy July 25th and it was amazing! The whole ceremony was very good and I felt so patriotic! It was amazing to be in a room with so many police offers past, current and future! They all became a family at that moment. Ryan had several friends come to his graduation as well as family. Both our parents were able to come, as well as my grandparents. We were so glad our friends and family were able to celebrate this special moment with us.

The graduation was on a Friday and the following Tuesday Ryan was sworn in. The Cheif gave a short speach and then the 3 HB recruits were sworn in. It was nice and it made me feel so good about Ryan's new career. The HBPD really wants their officers to feel like they are part of a family and that they do matter.

Ryan is starting his 4th week on the job and LOVING every minute of it. He has practically done everything there is to do as an office on patrol - or so it seems to me. The best part is when he comes home he is SO happy and he tells me how much fun he had and how much he loves his job! (Even if it is 3am...) He has had a few loooooooong nights already. I think the longest one yet was from 3pm - 7:30am... Yes, I did wake up in a panic and worried. However, now Ryan knows to send me a text message when he is going to be getting home late.

We are both learning how to do this, but I would say, so far it hasn't been too bad. We both have a newer and greater appriciation for police officers and all public service workers.

Way to go Ryan!

A Hunting We Will Go...

In the past several months we have been finding cat poop in the planter right in front of our house. It has been making us crazy because the cat will poop right in the planter on top of or next to our freshly planted flowers and then dig a hole to cover the poop. Basically the dumb cat has been digging up our flowers! I tried everying - cayane pepper, cat repellant powder, etc. It seems that nothing worked long term, only for a few days at a time. The worst was that when people would come to our door they could spell the horrible poop! It was very depressing that our doorstep and doorway always smelled of cat poop.

SO, we decided to get a cat trap. We hid the trap behind some of the plants and put a paper plate in it with sardines on the plate. The next morning we had a cat! Ryan had all sorts of plans for the cat that I didn't think sounded very nice. So, I took the cat and drove far, far away from our house and let it out in someone elses neighborhood. The funny thing was that the cat wasn't one I had EVER seen before! Of course it didn't have any tags on it so we figured it was a stray.



So, we hoped we had gotten the right cat and it seemed we did until this week... We have had more poop in our planter so I finally just ripped out all the flowers and just left the bigger plants. I am so mad at this dumb neighborhood cat! We got the cat trap again and put it out - in plain sight. For a whole week nothing has been in the trap. THEN, this morning Ryan came in and told me we caught something, but not a cat!

We caught a possum! He hate ALL the sardines that were in there and let me tell you - they had been in there a week so they couldn't have been very tasty... He seemed a little scared and then he growled at us...


I don't know if this possum is the pooping culprit but now I am going to have to get online and compare cat poop to possum poop because whatever pooped in our planter last night got it right on the bricks surrounding the planter!!! UGH. I wish the animals would poop in their owners yards or atleast whoever is feeding them!

Running Club

So some girls and I from the ward decided to get together and run MWF at 6am. We have a pretty good 3.5 mile course along a green belt and even though we are all at different levels of fitness, somehow it all works out. We've all gotten to be such good friends.

SO, above is me and Jennifer at a race we ran together. It was a 2 mile run and we did great! We even got medals! We were so proud of ourselves. (This was back in June...)

We then decided to enter the Huntington Beach 4th of July 5k and it was SO fun! The lat 5k I ran was over Thanksgiving and before that it was several years... thanks to a knee injurty. Anyway, the HB 5k run is probably the biggest race I've run in - people wise. It was just a sea of people! There were several other people that we knew in the race so it was really fun to be running and see people we knew either running or cheering us on!

Don't I look professional?! Jennifer is just a tad behind me - this was the final stretch! We are now preparing for the next 5k! Feels so good to run!!

I heart Edward

I must admit it. I heart Edward! I am a little late in reading the Twilight series, but yeah - better late than never! I borrowed the first three books from my sister Tiffany and they sat awhile on my book shelf. Then, when I finally decided to start the first book, life as I knew it came to a hault! I read the first 3 books in one week. Poor Ryan... he didn't even know what he was getting himself in to!

So, I picked up the 4th book on the Saturday it came out. I read as often as I could and I finished it on Tuesday. WOW! I LOVE THESE BOOKS! It has been fun and easy reading and that is what I love! Can't wait for the next book to come out! The one from Edward's point of view! See you all at the book store!

GIRLS!

Yes, I am behind, but I just wanted to post about our annual girls weekend! This is the 3rd year we have gotten together - just the Winn Family girls and it is a blast! The first year we went to St. George and the past two years have been at my house in Huntington Beach.

We started off the weekend by going to the Newport Beach temple to do a session. Grandma and Grandpa White were working at the temple that day so they did the session with us and then we all went out to dinner.

I broke the rules and invited Ryan... even though we weren't supposed to have our spouses there. Oh well! I was glad he was there!

This year, we decided to go see Wicked and it was AMAZING! I can't wait to go again! We also got to take a limo there and back! We had so much fun!

When we got to the theater there were some girls outside looking at the limo and pointing. I think they expected some beautiful, famous people to get out. We decided we should keep our sunglasses on so we would look more famous and mysterious... ;) Of course we did look beautiful and famous!

After wicked we rode back to Huntington Beach in our fancy lemo and went to downtown Huntington for dinner and shopping. We shopped a little the day before at Fashion Island so now we were exploring the less expensive, surfer shops.

To top it all off we had to visit Pink Berry again! We had gone the night before, but we just coudn't pass up another chance!

I can't wait until next year!!! I am already looking forward to the 4th annual girls weekend!!