All right. Really time for me to catch up.
As most of you know we moved to Mesa, Arizona the beginning of August. Maybe not the most brilliant time to move to the hot desert, but it is how timing worked out. With the help of family members (a big THANK YOU to Loralie and Jeremy for making the drive) and a group of Elders from our new ward, the move went pretty smooth. The only thing that could have upset our plans was rush hour traffic. I did not take that into consideration when planning timing. I did not want to drive a 12 hour stretch with an almost 1 year old and a dog so we left a day early and stopped in Vegas at my dad's to spend the night. After Loralie finished some online class stuff we left for Mesa. As we came into Phoenix it was rush hour and not knowing a different way to take we got stuck in the middle of it. We got to the apartment complex just in time (I mean within minutes) to drop off last minute stuff to the apartment staff and get our key. It would have been fun to have the truck get to town, have an unloading crew assembled, and no where to unload it. Jared and Jeremy arrived with the truck about 40 minutes later (they made the trip in one day). And at 7:00 the guys from our ward showed up and we got the truck unloaded pretty quickly. We were all pretty sweaty by the time we finished. We got just a few things unloaded, ate (Loralie picked up a few groceries while we were unloading the truck), showered and then crashed for the night. Jeremy had a flight home early the next morning and Loralie stayed a few days to watch Jamison so we could get things unloaded and somewhat organized more quickly (thanks again!!). I had never been to Mesa until the day we drove into town and Jared had only been here once previously. It was definitely a leap of faith to make this move, but we feel really strongly this is where we need to be right now.
I am loving my new job! I am working at a small community hospital and it is definitely a change from the huge chain of hospitals. I could go into the details on how awesome they are, but I won't bore you with that. Just know the benefits are amazing and they treat their employees very well. I enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere and they leave you alone as long as you are doing your job. And the pay is fantastic!
We are still waiting back to hear from Dental schools. It is not fun to play the waiting game again, but this is what Jared really wants to do and I am supporting him all the way. He is very dedicated and impresses me with his determination and commitment. We are hoping to hear back from some schools shortly after the holiday break. I have to take a minute get the grrrrrrrrrrr out of me. So when you apply to dental school you submit all your information, transcripts, DAT score, letters of recommendation, etc to a central website and then they distribute the information to the dental schools you choose (depending on how many schools you apply to depends on how much it will cost). Well, he has had everything in since the beginning of August, but UNLV said his application was incomplete. He got a hold of someone earlier this month and they told him he was missing a letter of recommendation. He said, "Well that is interesting since right here it says it has been submitted since July." The lady got a little quiet, told him to hold on for minute, he said he heard her talk to someone, make the realization that they screwed up, and just told him it was now complete and they would send an email indicating so much. I was a little annoyed they did not apologize. This set his application back 3 months and that could mean the difference in getting in or not.........grrrrrr. Let's just hope we get into the school just down the road. That is our #1 choice anyway. Please send prayers and good thoughts our way!
Jared has been working part-time at Costco to bring in a little extra money, but got a job working for a local healthcare organization doing security. And he also has an interview working for the finance department at University of Phoenix. We really hope he can get that one because it will be full-time (M-F 8:00 - 4:30, with an occasional Sat), works with my schedule better, and relates to what he graduated in, and actually requires a degree, which means better pay.
We are really loving it here! It was really hot when we first got here, but we loved it! Our apartment complex has a couple of pools so we were able to go cool off. The area we are in is right on the boarder of Mesa and Gilbert and is still developing. I get to drive close by a dairy farm on my way to work. Always a lovely smell. On my way to work they also have a baseball diamond in the middle of farming land. Think Field of Dreams :) Most of the stores we frequent most often are close to us and we are saving money on gas and are not putting near as many miles on our cars. We love our ward and just a few weeks ago they made 3 wards into 4 and we are in the new ward. Lots of callings to sustain during sacrament meeting. We found out that the area we are in has more LDS members per sq mile than almost anywhere outside of Utah.
My dad and I share a birthday and when I was younger we would go out to dinner just the two of us almost every year. Since moving out it has become less frequent, but I try to make it down close to our birthday. This year I was able to! And I was also able to drive to St. George to attend a friend's reception (Congrats Deon!). I took Jamison with me and Jared stayed home because of his work schedule. Below are some pictures from that trip.
As most of you know we moved to Mesa, Arizona the beginning of August. Maybe not the most brilliant time to move to the hot desert, but it is how timing worked out. With the help of family members (a big THANK YOU to Loralie and Jeremy for making the drive) and a group of Elders from our new ward, the move went pretty smooth. The only thing that could have upset our plans was rush hour traffic. I did not take that into consideration when planning timing. I did not want to drive a 12 hour stretch with an almost 1 year old and a dog so we left a day early and stopped in Vegas at my dad's to spend the night. After Loralie finished some online class stuff we left for Mesa. As we came into Phoenix it was rush hour and not knowing a different way to take we got stuck in the middle of it. We got to the apartment complex just in time (I mean within minutes) to drop off last minute stuff to the apartment staff and get our key. It would have been fun to have the truck get to town, have an unloading crew assembled, and no where to unload it. Jared and Jeremy arrived with the truck about 40 minutes later (they made the trip in one day). And at 7:00 the guys from our ward showed up and we got the truck unloaded pretty quickly. We were all pretty sweaty by the time we finished. We got just a few things unloaded, ate (Loralie picked up a few groceries while we were unloading the truck), showered and then crashed for the night. Jeremy had a flight home early the next morning and Loralie stayed a few days to watch Jamison so we could get things unloaded and somewhat organized more quickly (thanks again!!). I had never been to Mesa until the day we drove into town and Jared had only been here once previously. It was definitely a leap of faith to make this move, but we feel really strongly this is where we need to be right now.
I am loving my new job! I am working at a small community hospital and it is definitely a change from the huge chain of hospitals. I could go into the details on how awesome they are, but I won't bore you with that. Just know the benefits are amazing and they treat their employees very well. I enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere and they leave you alone as long as you are doing your job. And the pay is fantastic!
We are still waiting back to hear from Dental schools. It is not fun to play the waiting game again, but this is what Jared really wants to do and I am supporting him all the way. He is very dedicated and impresses me with his determination and commitment. We are hoping to hear back from some schools shortly after the holiday break. I have to take a minute get the grrrrrrrrrrr out of me. So when you apply to dental school you submit all your information, transcripts, DAT score, letters of recommendation, etc to a central website and then they distribute the information to the dental schools you choose (depending on how many schools you apply to depends on how much it will cost). Well, he has had everything in since the beginning of August, but UNLV said his application was incomplete. He got a hold of someone earlier this month and they told him he was missing a letter of recommendation. He said, "Well that is interesting since right here it says it has been submitted since July." The lady got a little quiet, told him to hold on for minute, he said he heard her talk to someone, make the realization that they screwed up, and just told him it was now complete and they would send an email indicating so much. I was a little annoyed they did not apologize. This set his application back 3 months and that could mean the difference in getting in or not.........grrrrrr. Let's just hope we get into the school just down the road. That is our #1 choice anyway. Please send prayers and good thoughts our way!
Jared has been working part-time at Costco to bring in a little extra money, but got a job working for a local healthcare organization doing security. And he also has an interview working for the finance department at University of Phoenix. We really hope he can get that one because it will be full-time (M-F 8:00 - 4:30, with an occasional Sat), works with my schedule better, and relates to what he graduated in, and actually requires a degree, which means better pay.
We are really loving it here! It was really hot when we first got here, but we loved it! Our apartment complex has a couple of pools so we were able to go cool off. The area we are in is right on the boarder of Mesa and Gilbert and is still developing. I get to drive close by a dairy farm on my way to work. Always a lovely smell. On my way to work they also have a baseball diamond in the middle of farming land. Think Field of Dreams :) Most of the stores we frequent most often are close to us and we are saving money on gas and are not putting near as many miles on our cars. We love our ward and just a few weeks ago they made 3 wards into 4 and we are in the new ward. Lots of callings to sustain during sacrament meeting. We found out that the area we are in has more LDS members per sq mile than almost anywhere outside of Utah.
My dad and I share a birthday and when I was younger we would go out to dinner just the two of us almost every year. Since moving out it has become less frequent, but I try to make it down close to our birthday. This year I was able to! And I was also able to drive to St. George to attend a friend's reception (Congrats Deon!). I took Jamison with me and Jared stayed home because of his work schedule. Below are some pictures from that trip.
Helping Grandma Loralie with the dishes.....oh, so helpful.
Admiring uncle Eric's cello playing skills.
Jamison and Liam playing in the tunnel.
Loves the two big dogs at grandma's!
We also made a trip to SLC the beginning of November because my grandma passed away. It was a long drive with a one year old, but we all survived. One of the pluses was that we were able to see a lot of family. We hadn't been gone that long, but it was still nice to see them. We spent the first few nights at Jared's parents. The day after we got there was the funeral so we were gone most of the day with that. The next day we hung out with some of Jared's family. Jared then drove home on Friday because he had to work Saturday. Jamison and I stayed a few extra days to spend with my mom (it was her mom that passed away) since the plane ticket was a decent price. I am sad I did not get many pictures with the grandparents. I will have to remember that for the next trip.
We also made a trip to SLC the beginning of November because my grandma passed away. It was a long drive with a one year old, but we all survived. One of the pluses was that we were able to see a lot of family. We hadn't been gone that long, but it was still nice to see them. We spent the first few nights at Jared's parents. The day after we got there was the funeral so we were gone most of the day with that. The next day we hung out with some of Jared's family. Jared then drove home on Friday because he had to work Saturday. Jamison and I stayed a few extra days to spend with my mom (it was her mom that passed away) since the plane ticket was a decent price. I am sad I did not get many pictures with the grandparents. I will have to remember that for the next trip.
Puzzles at grandma and grandpa's Giatras'
Mmmmmmmm........foooooooooood.
Family picture after the luncheon.
Jamison and Liam.
Kids and grandkids with grandma Sandi (everyone was there except Ben. He was still in Iraq at the time).
Kids and grandkids with Grandpa James.
Me with my bros!! We missed you Ben!
(We don't look related, do we?)
(We don't look related, do we?)
Jamison with Grandpa James
Earlier this month we were getting Jamison ready for bed and as usual he was making this difficult. Well we got his diaper and shirt on and then he took off running. Yes, we could have forced his pants on, but at that moment we didn't want to deal with it. So Jared put his pants on his head. He thought it was great! He kept them on for a while just running around. He also likes to put is blanket on his head and run around. It is an afghan so he can see through it, but it is still funny.
Earlier this month we were getting Jamison ready for bed and as usual he was making this difficult. Well we got his diaper and shirt on and then he took off running. Yes, we could have forced his pants on, but at that moment we didn't want to deal with it. So Jared put his pants on his head. He thought it was great! He kept them on for a while just running around. He also likes to put is blanket on his head and run around. It is an afghan so he can see through it, but it is still funny.
I think he looks like a little elf in this picture. Maybe I should turn it into our Christmas card.
I just want to take a minute and brag about my amazing husband. When we first moved down here I was working and Jared was at home. We joked he was a stay at home dad, but he did an awesome job at it! With my new job I only work 3 nights a week (12 hour shifts), but it is still nice if I can sleep the next day for at least a few hours. And before Jared started working at Costco I was able to sleep as long as I wanted. It was so nice! He did most of the cooking, which he likes and is good at anyway, and a lot of the cleaning. It definitely helped me out! He is such a great dad and it is fun to watch him and Jamison play together. I really need to get more pictures and video of it. After all, he is only little for so long. And when dad starts school again, there will be a little less play time with him. I love you Jared! Thank you for being amazing!
One last thing. This happened just tonight....or last night....depending on how you want to look at it. I worked last night and then had to work again tonight. So when Jared got home from work around 1:00 I went to bed and crashed until they came in to wake me up at 6:00. Jared woke me up and gave me a few minutes to really wake up. He put Jamison the bed next to me like he usually does when they wake me up and then leaned over and kissed me. Jamison then leaned over and gave me a kiss too! They did this back and forth about 5 times before Jamison stopped. I wish they would do that every time they woke me up :)
One last thing. This happened just tonight....or last night....depending on how you want to look at it. I worked last night and then had to work again tonight. So when Jared got home from work around 1:00 I went to bed and crashed until they came in to wake me up at 6:00. Jared woke me up and gave me a few minutes to really wake up. He put Jamison the bed next to me like he usually does when they wake me up and then leaned over and kissed me. Jamison then leaned over and gave me a kiss too! They did this back and forth about 5 times before Jamison stopped. I wish they would do that every time they woke me up :)
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