Merry Christmas From the Blamires Duo

This is the first year since Casey and I have been together, (and come to think of it since I was about 18) that I haven't sent a single Christmas Card to anyone. I mean, I haven't even sent one to my parents... Wow that makes me feel terrible. My reasons are not Scrooge or Grinch related (although plenty of that has gone around this season) but rather I had no time or energy. Seriously. That's it. And by the time I had time or energy it dawned on me that it's Christmas Eve. Yikes! 

So I guess this is my Christmas Card this year. 

Casey and Heather have had an exciting year. It was filled with a lot of firsts.

Heather got her first stamp on her passport. She hopes to have many more in future years. It was an exciting moment for her. 

We welcomed both a new nephew in January, and a darling new niece in November. Wow! that makes 5 on Casey's side and 3 on Heather's! We love being Uncle Casey and Aunt Heather!!!! 

Heather went whitewater rafting for the first time and fell out of the boat. 

It's hilarious now......See older posts for details. 

Casey tried sushi for the first time and LOVED it.

Both attended school this fall. 

Once again Casey did very well in all his classes. We don't have the final grades yet but he was pretty confident that things went really well. He also really enjoyed tutoring in the Spanish lab. It helps not only the other students but him to continually practice and keep up that second language. He is sort of toying with the idea of a teaching degree because he loves helping people learn a language he loves so much. But first he says he has to survive the degree he is pursuing at this time.  

Heather completed her phlebotomy course and is now a certified phlebotomist. No job prospects yet which makes her nervous but patience and prayer will no doubt help. She loved what she learned and working in her clinical settings. She is toying with the idea of continuing on in the medical path and completing the EMT Basic course. Right now however she is just grateful to be done with this class. It was kind of intense for her. 

                                   

Our furry family members are doing great as well!

Blitzen

Our oldest boy is doing great. His teeth haven't been bothering him very much which is wonderful. We can't believe in  February he will be 3! He is still the Alpha cat and loves to take care of his younger siblings and takes his job of keeping watch over the house very seriously.  He has such wise eyes and he is always there to make us feel better. 

Cuzco

Our sweet boy is just that, SWEET. He is always ready for a cuddle or a belly rub. He still tends to get into mischief but that is his personality and we wouldn't want him any different. He has been having problems with his ears the last couple months and we hope that that can get cleared up soon. Medicine hasn't helped. We think he may have some allergies, poor fella.  But even when he isn't feeling well he has such a loving demeanor. 

Izabel

Our youngest kitty is almost 9 months! She is still very much a kitten too.  Her favorite things to play with are boxes and bags. Right now she is in sort of her "tween" stage which means she is establishing her independence and doesn't want to be held very long. She loves chasing her older siblings and thinks the Christmas tree is the most fascinating thing ever. She's still very small and will probably always be because of her hard start at life but she is very spunky. 

Hazelnut

Our newest and most mysterious kitty is adjusting well. She purrs more and is getting more comfortable at being held. She even snuggles every once and a while. She and Blitzen still are bumping heads over who will be top cat at times. But she is learning to play more and more with Cuzco and Izzy. She still misses the outside at times but also seems to really enjoy the warm and cozy comforts of being an indoor cat. 

This year has had a lot of ups and downs and we as a couple have really had to rely on each other for strength and sanity. But looking back we can see all the many blessings we have enjoyed. We know for sure the love of the Lord and the love of our families. We are grateful for those joys that have come into our lives. They greatly outweigh the sorrows. That is our hope for all of you as well.

Have a Wonderfully Merry Christmas and a Very Blessed New Year!!!!

The Gift of Love. The Gift of Peace. The Gift of Happiness.

May all of these be yours this Christmas. 

Love,

The Blamires Duo

YIKES!!! And other adventures....

Once upon a time there were two individuals with big goals of work, school, callings, and having time to do things like go to the movies or complete a Pinterest craft.... Alas these two people live in reality and so as time wore on in the months of October - December some things gave way. Such as having time to go to the movies or complete a Pinterest craft... or heck, updating a blog! 

So yes, as you may be able to tell Casey and I have been crazy busy. I understand EVERYONE is crazy busy but OY! this has been nuts! 

Hmmm... Where to start? Alright with Casey:

Casey is halfway through his junior year of college. Sadly he will probably be a super senior because of the way classes get planned out but at any rate this has been his busiest and most demanding semester thus far. Not only is he doing higher level courses for his major but he is Spanish tutor. He has also been approached about being a tutor in the Math lab as well as the Computer lab. He might if he had time because the scholarships attached would be wonderful but on top of school he is also working full time. I'm sure he can't wait until the end of next week when he takes his last final and can breath a little more.

Work is good. Christmas time is Artbeat's craziest time of year. We get more sales than even the summer months in a shorter amount of time. Artbeat has also opened a sister store up in Moscow, Idaho. So Casey, the manger. and the owner all alternate who commutes up the hill to run the store. It can make for really long days for him. His job is titled as a sales rep but more and more he is doing artwork for the customers and that can be very time consuming. He is also in charge of the web development of the store and in the near future Artbeat hopes to expand into selling web templates which Casey would be in charge of also. Phew *wipes brow* um, what else?

Oh calling: Casey's church calling is going great. He's the Sunday School President and he loves it. The only time it's really stressful is if one of his teachers doesn't show up without telling him. But he and his counselors seem to have a good grip on things if that happens. 

That has pretty much been his world the last few months. School, work, calling, rinse repeat. 

The same goes for me. I decided not to stop working while doing my clinicals so my time has been running around between work, school/clinicals, and calling. Happily as a Sunday School Teacher I don't have a demanding calling. I prepare to teach for an hour a week, and I teach the 16-18 year olds so that's awesome. 

I have two more classes. One a practicum class where we will wrap up the last of our pokes. I have 5 finger pokes left. Any volunteers? And the last one is our test to certify as phlebotomists. I am also down to only needing 20 hours left in my clinical work. So far I've worked in three different facilities. 2 hospitals and a medical center. I enjoy it but clinical phlebotomy isn't where my heart is at. I really wish I could work more in the donation phlebotomy department. Both give great experience but they are also very different ball games. Today I had my first near fainter... Interesting experience. But all was well. Poor fella. 

Work is okay. Although I'm not working the hours Casey is I try to get a lot done while I'm there because I don't have much cushion as far as due dates go. It will be much easier when I am working more full time and not splitting my time up between my day job and my clinical work! 

I had an interview this week at one of the hospitals. It didn't go as well as I thought it would. It was one of those situations though were you think, "maybe this isn't a good fit, it doesn't feel like one." So who knows what will happen. I have other applications out there but jobs are a bit limited because the valley has so many phlebotomist student and pros already. I am excited that in January I will start my volunteer work at the blood bank. My hope is that by working there in any capacity they will think of me as soon as an opening comes up. There is in fact an opening right now on their web site but sadly it's in Spokane. Casey and I are willing to relocate to an extent but it has to work for both our jobs not just one or the other. 

In family news we have a new addition. I know I know we sound like creepy cat people but it was not our intention to make her a member or our family. 

This kitty used to live next door to my in-laws house and this summer she had kittens. She and her babies liked to hang out under the side porch at Todd and Linda's because it was quite and fenced in so no dogs or other mean critters could get to her. Her owners next door weren't really interested in finding the kittens homes (more to follow on that) so as a family we took it upon ourselves to find good homes for the babies. Todd and Linda then asked their neighbor if they fixed the kitty yet and she told them she had. (That was the first of many shady lies.) The neighbor was so not interested in her "pet" or the consequences of not fixing her that she decided she would just stop feeding the cat and her kittens in hopes they would go away. Todd found not one but two nearly dead kittens on his lawn because of dehydration on malnutrition. The mama cat was skin and bones because even though her kittens were mostly weaned she was still feeding them what she could through nursing because they needed food. So it was depleting her.  So very sad. Well my in-laws have never loved cats really. They like them more because Casey and I have cats but they are not "cat folk." you know? Well they went and got food for the mama and babies and went to work caring for them as best they could. After each of the babies found homes they continued to feed the mama cat (whom they nicknamed Nelli) because the neighbor had abandoned responsibility. There was discussion of surrendering the cat to the animal shelter but they were to full. There's also a rescue group in town for animals but they too were booked full in their foster homes so Todd and Linda decided Nellie was just fine where she was.

Then the weather took a nasty turn. It was a weekend when the temp got down to 25 or so and poor Nellie was just huddled  in a blanket Linda had laid out for her. They tried bringing her inside and things would have been okay but one dog of their three was NOT having a cat in his house. So they asked us if we could foster her until they found a new home. They didn't want her to freeze out there until they found a place. We agreed but we needed to take her to the vet to make sure she was fixed and had her shots. Coincidentally the day I went over to get the then called Nelli the neighbor happened to be home. I stopped her and asked what her plans for her cat was. She didn't have any. She was moving in a hurry and couldn't take care of the cat anymore. She said she never really liked her anyway. She also needed to find a place for her mangy dog too. (her words not mine but yes that poor beast was mangy and shy and in a bad way) So I said I was going to take care of her cat and I would find a new home for her. And by the way what was the cats name. "Hiccup" is what her son had called the cat. Hmph. Okay whatever.

So we took "Nelli/Hiccup/MamaCat" to the vet. Nope the neighbor never fixed her, shocker, and nope she has no vaccines, shocker, and yep her ears were bad and she was very underweight....shocker. Some people deserve a high five.... to the face.... with a chair. Anyway we got her home after her little surgery. Introductions were going well with our three kitties. She was being cared for and warm for the first time probably EVER. (the vet figured she was pretty young because of her teeth...about Cuzco's age.) 

We had an ad on craigslist and petfinder. We had a potential person who maybe might consider taking her in possibly it just depended. (sounds really reliable right? lol) Then one fateful day Casey was sitting in the office and doing some work when "Nelli/Hiccup/MamaCat" decided his lap looked nice. She snuggled down and feel asleep and started to purr. She hadn't really purred up to that point. On occasion she would be not much. Anyway he later told me, she woke up and looked at him and he was done. He didn't want anyone else to take care of her because she was finally happy. 

So this poor little soul has joined our home and hearth. She is getting along with the other kitties better and better each day. There is a bit of a power struggle between her and Blitzen because they are both used to being alphas. But anyway she is ours. 

We would like to introduce you to:

HAZELNUT

Now don't be fooled, she does look at LOT like Cuzco but she is a totally different cat. Who knows maybe she is his long lost sister. They are the same age and look a lot alike. lol 

So we now have two adorable black kitties or our "Pocket Panthers" and two grey stripped kitties that might be considered "Nondescript Mini Jungle Cats" 

The End. 

Now your are ALLLLLL caught up! 

Sorry it was so long,

Big love,

H

I Vant Tu Suck Ur Blooooood....

With a sterile needle, gloves, gown, and all necessary precautions to ensure your safety as well as my own. LOL
Ah, a little phlebotomy humor there for ya! But kind of perfect as it is nearly Halloween.

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. (I should really just call the maybe two people who read this thing rather than act as though an audience of devout readers has been hanging on by a thread after my white water rafting cliffhanger. Did she ever start school!?! How is work going!?! Oh my goodness, what's new with her CATS!?!) Seriously my life is THAT boring.

In answer to those questions, yes both Casey and I started school. And so far it's been quite the ride. Casey bounces between work, school, and the new extended branch location in Moscow. I bounce between work and school but not as crazily. But don't get me wrong, it's been intense. In fact I still don't know if I'm going to be able to hack it. I've had two technically successful draws on the arm. Which means I have taken blood properly from two different  victims er, STUDENTS in my class. I have also done a skin puncture where you take blood from the finger, and may I just say... No matter how scared you are of needles, use that option over a finger poke any time you can. It's faster, a lot less painless, and a lot lot lot less aggravating for your phlebotomist. You practically have to milk the dang finger of blood to even barely enough for tests. Which kind of hurts more than you think, and then you have a sightly higher risk of the blood cells getting damaged so you would have to get the tests over again. It's so much better to just take the needle. Trust me. It's awful,  but trust me.
I really do love my class though. My teacher.... not so fond of. She's a great example of someone who is brilliant at something but REALLY sucks at teaching that subject. (reminds me of one of the high school chemistry teachers I knew growing up.) I really hope to start clinicals soon. That's where we will go out in the field and get job shadow experiences as well as learn about different places we can work. We will also get most of our draws and pokes in the field to be certified. She wanted us to start them at the beginning of October but as she put it "I'm not comfortable with where you're at skill wise and confidence wise. It looks bad on me." Well hmph. At least I wasn't singled out. I'd say most of us are in that boat. I'm just nervous because you have to have so many draws, pokes, clinical hours, and class time hours to get certified on TOP of the final test you take to pass. Yikes! I really want to succeed and after my latest draw I feel better on my ability to do this but it's going to be tough.
My big hope is to work at a blood bank when I'm finished. That is where my passion is. Some people are fascinated by the path lab or things like that but I want to draw blood and know that it's saving someones life. It's the same reason why I donate blood myself. I know that pathology is very important but most of those people are ordered by their doctors to come in and find out what's wrong. A blood bank is someone who is volunteering their time, energy, and literal life juice (that sounds a little gross but I couldn't think of what else to call it...lol) for another human being. I think it's noble and kind, and I'd love to be a part of that officially. I also want to do it because I've met people who have had one bad experience with donating and they never did again. My poor brother had that experience. I talked him into going with me once and that girl butchered his arm. I'd love to be able to have someone like him and show them it can be an almost pain free process and that it's so worth it.

Work is okay. Frustrating at times like any job is but not to bad. My favorite days are Thursday and Friday because I actually get to see my husband for more than just a passing glance in a day. Things are rapidly picking up for our family business and it's both a wonderful blessing and a terrible stressor for us all.

Cats are fine. Izzy just had a fun little surgery. No babies for that baby! She was kind of miserable for a few days but now she's over it. Running everywhere and torturing her brothers.

Life has been pretty good. I wish I had more time in the day but I'm not sure what I would do with it if it was there. Probably get on Pinterest. lol (That site is amazing, so many wonderful things I learn, so much time I kill.) But that is pretty much it for me. Hopefully I'll have some fun posts from Halloween. Not sure what I'm dressing up as.... would a vampire be really cliche right now? lol
love,
H

Water Water Everywhere

WARNING: THIS MAY BE A LONNNNNG POST
I realize it's been quite a while since I posted. For a quick update; Casey started school last week. I've been training to work in a different part of the business, I have crossed several more things off my 101 list (even if nearly killed me!), and I swim with team old.

Some of those things are pretty self explanatory. I mean school and work are pretty boring at this point. I start my phlebotomy course on Wednesday the 5 so that's exciting but really right now there isn't much to talk about. Casey will be so busy this semester he will just have to introduce himself to me come January I think. But anyway, I have a couple of fun water stories that I just wish I had visual aids for. :( I will do my best anyway.

I have a strange fear not of water but what is IN the water below me that I cannot see. So when our company had a white water rafting trip in August I thought, that is terrifying! Rocks, creatures, who knows what are in the river! But my husband convinced me to go and maybe face my fear a little bit. I said sure but as long as I stayed IN the raft. No swimming for me thank you very much. I will save that fun for the pool. (That story is for another post.) Well we go and the guide is this fun guy who I make aware of my fear early on. He was very kind about it and said not to worry he would take good care of me, and that he hadn't lost anyone out of his boat yet................................ Famous last words. Duh nu nuuuuuuu!


Okay, NO this wasn't our raft. I don't even know who these people are, I found the image on the internet. lol
And this didn't happen to our group.

So the front of the raft (for those who have never had the opportunity to enjoy this type of outing) is called "the bull." On some trips while your are going through a rapid a daring individual can "ride the bull" which means to sit on it and hold tight to a rope and brave the crashing water in front of you. Sounds like a jolly good time right? Well I seemed to think, ya know, I AM going to face my fear of falling in the river and by gum, I'm going to rock "riding the bull!" At this point in the story you may think to yourself, now Heather....you're stupid. And that's okay. I am.

I looked at our guide and asked what are the odds I fly off? He laughed and said, "hold on tight, I'll do the rest!" So heartened by the cheers and pride of my group I went and sat on the bull. I wrapped myself tight on the rope and waited, doing my best to not chicken out. The rapid we were going through is called Time Zone and it's a class 3. There are 5 classes of rapids I think and you have to be a pro to go on a 5. The highest we went on in this trip was a 4. As we approached the rapid I was ready and yelled wahoo even, and BAM the water crashed over me. But I stayed on the boat. I was so excited I thought, "MAN I CAN DO THIS!" I even did a fist pump in the air then went back to my tight grip. Then we did a bumpy bump thing over some smaller parts and a big one was coming up. All of the sudden my tight grip didn't even seem to matter. The wave hit me full force on my right side and all I knew was I was flying through the air into the scary water with rocks, and creatures, and who knows what in it! I heard my brother in law Perry yelling, "POINT YOUR FEET DOWN RIVER AND KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!", and I did my best. My natural instinct was to fight to swim. Water was crashing over me everywhere. I was terrified honestly. I didn't know where the rocks were, I couldn't catch my breath because every time I opened my mouth to get air, water covered me again. I was praying in my heart so hard that I would make it out without any injuries. It couldn't have lasted more than a minute but it felt like forever. Finally I was beyond the rapid and just floating. I made the mistake of looking around me and I could tell I was in a very deep part of the river and I couldn't see very far down. But I was to exhausted to panic. The raft pulled up by me and they pulled me in with one tug. (That made me feel good actually because that means I'm not to heavy to save lol) After catching my breath and resting for a moment the guide asked if I was okay. I made eye contact with Casey briefly and I could tell he knew I was about to burst into panicked tears, so I pulled myself up and said, "Yep, but I think I swallowed a fish!" Everyone laughed and let out a puff of air in relief. Afterwards Casey patted my leg and asked quietly if I was really okay, and I assured him I would be, I just needed some time. The guide appologized over and over. It seems that we were on course just fine and I would have stayed on the bull with no problem but suddenly his hat was flying off. In the split second it took for him to grab his hat and toss it down to where it wouldn't land in the water our raft turned sideways. When you go through rapids you have to hit them head on or people can fly off or the raft can get tipped over. So THAT'S why I had my little swimming moment! It wasn't my fault! Although I am naturally uncoordinated and very clumsy I wouldn't have stayed on just fine. Ack!
But the story doesn't end here...... A little ways down the river after a few more class 3 rapids the guide asked if I would like to try to ride the bull again. I looked at him like a cow looks at an oncoming train... HUH?! He told me, "I have the perfect rapid for you. It's mellow. Only a class 2. I don't even wear my hat this time so you don't have to worry about flying off." I was reluctant if you can imagine..... But then he said something else. "Heather, have you ever ridden a horse?" Well yeah. "Have you ever been thrown off?" Dang that was a good line! (Although when I think about it now, getting thrown off a horse at the fair grounds is VERY much different than in the middle of a white rapid!) He then told me that he didn't want my rafting experience to be marred by a mishap. He wanted me to try to "get back on the horse" so to speak. But only if I wanted to.... So I did. I rode the bull a second time and although that water threw me into the raft I held on for dear life and made it through still in the boat. By golly I did!

I still have mixed thoughts and emotions about going again. On the one hand it was very fun but on the other it was terrifying. I had nightmares for quite a few nights afterwards. But who knows? Maybe. I don't always make good choices. lol
Love,
Heather
P.S. if you are interested in seeing my adventure first hand go to this website:
www.salmonriverphotos.com
click on rafting the salmon river 2012 and scroll down until you see Idaho Guide Service. Then click on the date Aug 17 and there is a visual account of my adventure.And don't feel bad if you laugh.... It's kind of hysterical.

Hot Hot Summer

So our weather here has been kookoo bananas. Insanely hot. Where we work though it gets even worse. I stand in a spot that is between a flash, (a machine that sort of cures the ink on a shirt so you can put MORE ink on it,) that is about 350 degrees, and a dryer, (the final machine that cures the ink on a shirt) that is about 400 degrees. So when the weather is 100+ degrees outside and there is not much ventilation in the shop, lets just say it is almost unbearable. Water is amazing to drink by the way but usually after work I need an icy shower!
There is a bright side to this however, because it is so hot I don't have much of an apatite until much later in the day. And THEN I get to enjoy amazing things like this:


Oh the joy and justification!!!! Gotta love summer! I read somewhere that "you can't buy happiness but you CAN buy ice cream, and that's sort of the same thing." Oh yeah, that is my new mantra in life! lol

Day Zero: 101 in 1001 Days Challenge

So I've had a few friends do this challenge. I've just never worked up the nerve to sit down and think of 101 things I plan to do. It seemed daunting. Well guess what happens when you're home sick? lol So here is my list of 101 in 1001 days:
The Challenge:
Complete 101 present tasks in a period of 1001 days
The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie.no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part.)
Why 1001 days?
Many people have created lists in the past- frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a "Bucket List." The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as trips, school semesters, or outdoor activities.

So here is my list in no specific order. Other people list them into subcategories but I'm a bit lazy today. Oh and if they are crossed out that means that I have completed them! :)

1. Complete C25K.
2. Wear a bathing suit in public with confidence.
3. Donate clothing that no longer fits me (or I don't wear) to goodwill.
4. Get certified as a Phelbotomist.
5. Finish adoption paperwork and get in the system.
6. Lose 55 pounds.
7. Make 15 crafts off of Pinterest. (7/15)
8. Finish reading Jesus the Christ.
9. Learn to play Beethoven's Sonata no 8 in C minor on the piano.
10. Read the entire set of Scriptures
11. Run a 5K in less than 40 minutes. (my last time was like 43 or something)
12. No fast food for a month.
13. Get a massage.
14. Don't complain about anything for a week.
15. Complete a coloring book. (This may seem juvenile but I've NEVER done it! lol)
16. Take a photography class.
17. Write a letter to myself to be opened when the 1001 days are over.
18. Take a photo of the same place every month for year and then turn it into a calendar for the next year.
19. Turn some of my photography into art for our home.
20. Go stargazing with a telescope.
21. Stop drinking soda for a month.
22. Get CPR certified again.
23. Go on a date with Casey once a month for 6 months.
24. Make a list of 100 things I like about myself and stick it to my mirror.
25. Have dinner by candlelight.
26. Create a budget and stick to it!
27. Improve my Spanish.
28. Attend the Temple once every 2 months at least!
29. Blog once a month.
30. Start and finish my Pursuit of Excellence for Relief Society.
31. Donate to the food bank for 2 different holidays.
32. Finish unpacking and make our apartment a real home.
33. Go to "Movies on the Wall" here in Lewiston.
34. Attend the Lional Hampton Jazz festival with Casey.
35. Go to Silverwood theme park.
36. Volunteer to play the piano in Relief Society some Sunday if needed.
37. Audition and participate in a play by the Civic Theater.
38. Bake someone a cake for no reason.
39. Complete a 365 day photo challenge.
40. Donate blood. (Can't until march 2013 because of Mexico but it will happen!)
41. Fly a kite. (I haven't in forever! And it's always so windy here!)
42. Encourage someone to do the 101 things in 1001 days project.
43. Make a list of 30 recipes I want to cook and cook them.
44. Become a bone marrow donor.
45. Don't eat sweets for a month.
46. Get my cello tuned.
47. Read the Declaration of Independence by the 4th of July 2012.
48. Watch an entire General Conference both days.
49. Go to the planetarium.
50. Learn how to use all the functions on my camera.
51. Make a wish on 12/12/12 at 12:12.
52. Build a gingerbread house.
53. Make homemade salsa.
54. Buy something for food storage once a month for 18 months.
55. Move childhood belongings out of my parents house.
56. Sleep in a Cabin.
57. Re-read all the Harry Potter books.(2/7)
58. Organize loose photos in the photo bin.
59. Get rid of our sock box and just buy new socks!
60. Drink between 4 and 6 bottles of water daily for a month.
61. Do 5 random acts of kindness.
62. Go on a hike.
63. Get couples portraits.
64. Walk to and from work everyday for a month.
65. Go on a picnic with Casey.
66. Go whitewater rafting.
67. Be technology free for a day.
68. Crochet a blanket with granny squares.
69. Donate needed items to the local Animal Shelter 2 times a year.
70. Send a card to my MaMah once a month.(1/30)
71. Refinish a piece of furniture.
72. Touch the floor w/ flat hands.
73. Do a 12 days of Christmas for someone with a nativity in secret.
74. Read 5 books recommended by friends.
75. Find a drive-in and see a movie there.
76. Take a cake decorating course.
77. Learn how to use Photoshop.
78. Make a list of my 50 most favorite quotes.
79. Watch 26 movies, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet. (6/26)
80. Learn how to say "I love you" in 10 languages.
81. Host a party for no reason.
82. Have a sleepover party with my niece.
83. Read The Hobbit before I see the movie.
84. Stop drinking soda for a year!
85. Get life insurance.
86. Complete Personal Progress.
87. Take a great portrait of all our kitties together.
88. Make homemade cinnamon rolls.
89. Make a cherry pie for Casey.
90. Do portraits for 3 non family clients.
91. Get a recycling bin for plastic bottles.
92. Use a menu board (made from Pinterest) every week and stick to it for 2 months.
93. Compile a book of favorite recipes.
94. Eat dessert first at a restaurant.
95. Visit family in Wyoming sometime other than Christmas.
96. Buy a bountiful basket and share it with loved ones.
97. Do dishes every night for 2 months until it is habit.
98. Get bikes for hubby and me.
99. Have Casey teach me computer care so I don't have to always ask him what's wrong with my laptop.
100. Make a birthday calendar.
101. Create another 101 list when all these are finished!

Oh and if you would like to create your own list you can go to: www.dayzeroproject.com
This website can help you keep track of your progress, and gives ideas if you get stuck.

So here's to 1001 days and completing my goals. Some may seem a little to easy but a lot of them are things that I've intended to do for...well forever! Like making a pie for Casey, it just hasn't happened and I know he would love one! I'm excited about this and I will try to post when I've completed something and cross those off this list, so if anyone out there is curious as to my progress they can know....All three people that read my blog! lol Big love to you all, wish me luck!

There Was an Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe

Izzy is a shoe girl just like me. This isn't the first time she has hung out inside our shoes, but it is the first time a camera has been handy. I love finding out all the different quirks of our kitty cats. Their personalities are crazy adorable. I hope it's not irritating that a majority of my posts lately have been about our kitties. What can I say I'm a proud mama. lol

Caught in the act....

Oh she is so shy, NOT!

This is what is referred to in our house (and I don't remember where the term came from)  a "bugaboo" face. 

She may be second guessing the choosing Casey's ugly sandals  over my cute slip ons. 

Our Scare

So Thursday afternoon I came home from work. I said hello to Cuzco and Blitzen like I always do, then I went into the bathroom to check on Izzy.  We've been having her stay in the bathroom. Anyway, I opened the bathroom door fully expecting her to rush out like she always does but she didn't. She was just laying on the floor, didn't even squeak or anything. I glanced at her litter box and it was a mess. How could such a small creature have made such a mess?! I picked her up and I could feel her nose was hot and dry. I tried to feed her but she had no interest in her food. So we went out to the living room to cuddle. A couple hours later Casey came home and we were talking about how she didn't look very good. We called the vet but had to wait for her to call back from the answering service because it was after hours. Anyway after talking to Dr. Bell, she told us the big concern was dehydration so we got some pedialite, kitten formula, and a kitten bottle. Casey then gave her a blessing. Something neither of us had experienced but were assured by our bishop that it was a good thing to do. Then we stayed up all night feeding her each hour, and she just got worse and worse. Between the litter box issues, and vomiting she was really scaring us.
The next morning we had to take her to work with us until we could call the vet again. After a status report she said we should bring Izzy in for some blood tests.
The vet took about a half hour to get the results back. It was found that she has a strain of feline leukemia. It's a virus that attacks the while blood cells so cats can't fight illnesses as well. Sort of like the HIV/AIDS virus for humans. That's how the vet explained it. They also suspected feline distemper. Puppies and kittens each have their own types of distemper and it's very hard on their systems. It dehydrates them and comes on very quickly. So with those two combined the vet told us to prepare ourselves. His prognosis was "grim." He even had tears in his eyes so we knew it was very bad.
The first 48 hours of  her illness were critical. We had already passed the 24 hour mark so there needed to be a quick turnaround for us to have more hope. The vet kept her there all day trying to hydrate her and pumping her full of medicine. She's so little they couldn't even do an IV. I guess the process was not easy at all.
We took her home that Friday night with lot of tears. This time we needed to feed her every half hour with formula. Again in the middle of the night she took a downward turn. At about 4 AM, Casey was taking his turn feeding her and left the bathroom door open a little and Cuzco butt in. He said it was like a light switched on. They both started purring, and he came strait over to Izzy and they cuddled. After that she started taking her food easier although she was still to weak to feed herself.
By Saturday afternoon she was drinking the formula on her own. We made sure to give her plenty of exposure to her big brothers. Casey called the vets office and she said that although she needed a quiet warm place to recover in solitude, cats and especially kittens are very prone to depression when they are sick.
Cuzco literally saved her life. He gave her a will to live. She adores her big brothers, and has continued improving bit by bit. Today she was even eating canned food on her own. Her spunk has started to return and she's slowly becoming the spunky little girl we feel in love with instantly.
The whole process has been exhausting and for a while there devastating. We truly thought that we had lost her. Our hearts were broken. Part of me couldn't understand why after only 2 weeks we could love someone so much.
Maybe it's weird but our kitties are our children. I realize that more and more. Today someone said something to the effect of it must be nice to have so much money to spend on a cat. I thought to myself, but that's my little girl? How is it any different than someone taking their child to the doctor because they are sick? I used to joke but I really am their mama. I know someday we will have human children. I do know that. But that doesn't make these furballs any less my little ones.
I'm so grateful for the answered prayers and blessings. I'm so grateful that we have the family that we have. I love my boys and Izzy with all my heart. Who knew a heart could hold that much love?

Finalmente las Fotos de Mexico

So here are some pictures FINALLY of our trip to Mexico way back in March. The photos aren't really in order because I'm an idiot when it comes to that sort of thing. But it gives a gist of some of the adventures and relaxing we were able to do. :)

Our resort. Well part of it. It was huge. 

The view of Playa Del Carmens walk down to the beach. This was such a fun market place. 

Tourist in Playa Del Carmen

Night life! There were so many shops!

On the two hour drive to Chichen-Itza we traveled through many humble villages. 

Us in front of Chichen-Itza's famous pyramid. It was such an eerie and amazing place of history. 

Enjoying the sunshine. 

So thats part of our trip. I took hundreds of pictures and we had a lot more little side adventures but I'm sure those are only interesting for me. lol It was great to get away and enjoy the sunshine and to test out my Spanish speaking abilities. Thank goodness Casey is fluent. There were moments when it came in VERY handy!!!

Izabel Blamires

So these are a few pictures of bright baby girl Izabel "Izzy" Blamires. She always has food on her face. She's spunky and very cuddly. We are so happy to have her in our family!

Update

So it's been forever and a couple days since I last posted something. I will start to get some long overdue pictures on here but I wanted to do a fast update: After Mexico (which was amazing) we started seriously looking for a house. After a couple very bad experiences we decided now isn't the right time. Casey finished his semester strong. I decided that I want to do a phlebotomy course this fall and get my licence. I've always been a big advocate of donating blood, and blood transfusions saved both my mother's life as well as my grandmothers. So a career as someone who takes blood feels good. This decision came after much prayer and fasting from both Casey and myself. We moved this last month. We found what we call our "grown up" apartment. Of all the places we have lived in this one doesn't feel like college students live there. And really other than us no college students do. lol It's in a quiet neighborhood and it's got a ton of space. We LOVE it. We also have a new addition to our family. There was an ad about an orphaned kitten in need of a good home. She is about 7 weeks old, her mama was very young and abandoned the litter at 4 weeks. So sad. So she's behind in growth and development but she is getting there. Our boys are doing ok with her too. Cuzco is like her protector and he is taking over the "parent" roll if you will of teaching her how to be a good kitty. It's funny that not everything is instinct. she doesn't know how to groom herself very well so he has been helping with that. He's also teaching her valuable thinks like how to pounce and paw at toys. It's adorable. (Pictures will come soon.) Blitzen is a little slower on the acceptance but we expected that from him. We've only had her in our home a week and he needs time to adjust but he's already made a lot of progress. We've decided on a name finally. As required it has a 'Z' in it, lol. Her name is Izabel. We've been calling her "Izzy" for short too. I will post pictures as soon as I get a good one. She's always on the go so most of my pictures on my phone are fuzzy.... Kind of like her! So that's my quick recap of the last few months. Things just keep moving forward at the speed of life. :)

Hooray Para México!

Through some crazy but exciting circumstances that involve the family business Casey, his parents and myself are going to Playa del Carmen, Mexico this next week. I'm so excited! We will get to stay there for about 4 days with 2 days of travel. Oh boy lol. But I am very much ready for sunshine and a little fun.
I posted a while back that it had hit me harder than I thought when I had surgery. Well the aftermath still hasn't improved. I can't believe how down I feel all the time. Part of that might be my body adjusting its hormones, or the shot they gave me or a normal reaction to loss, but my chest just feels heavy all the time. I find I get angry easily and I feel worn out. Most days I just wish I could stay in bed. Good thing I have a lot to do most days so that's not an option.
I'm just hoping that this trip will help me out of the funk I seem to be in. It's uncomfortable feeling this weight on my heart and not knowing why it's there or what I can do for it. There are moments when I try to think of how I can fix it and my brain starts racing until I can't focus and all I want to do is cry.
I have had depression before, I have had medication and I have dealt with things but right now I don't know WHY I feel that way. I'm so blessed and I have a good life. It's frustrating to know that and then still feel like there is this cloud over you.
So Mexico may help. The bright sunshine, the lack of day to day life. I hope it helps. I have some things set up in place for when we get back and I'm getting excited for that. I'm going to do a program to train for a 5K. I've never been a runner so that's HUGE for me. After I complete that I want to do a 10K. I'm also excited to continue my weight loss. It's been hard and I haven't lost as much as I've wanted to but going on this trip has motivated me quite a bit. I'm ready to keep going! I'm trying to plan a bit for the future so that I can have things to look forward to. That's really important when you are starting to feel low. There are things you have to do or it can swallow you up really easily: 1.) Count your blessings. 2.) Pray 3.) Make plans for short term and long term goals. 4.) Talk to somebody. 5.) Eat healthy and get some exercise
That's the plan anyway. So Hooray for Mexico. I think it's the kick start I need!

February Fun

So February has been such a crazy month! It's had some really great highlights though. Below are a few of the fun pictures from this month.

Casey and I didn't get to have Valentines day on the actual day so we waited until the weekend. I made Casey Lomo Sal Tado. It's a Peruvian stir fry that is super spicy and crazy tasty!!! It's sirloin cut into strips and then cooked in a skillet with lemon juice and red chili peppers. After the meat is cooked all the way through then you saute red and green bell peppers and onions. Once those are all cooked you chop up a roma tomato and put that in. Let everything simmer then when it's done you put it over rice and WALA!!!!! Delicioso!!!





The next set of pictures is from Blitzen's (our big black cat) 2nd Birthday! Yes I'm totally that person now. I throw my cats birthday parties! lol
This is a picture of Blitzen eating his "cupcake." It's really just eggs, hamburger, and catnip. He really seemed to like it.


This next picture is of earlier in the day. The boys had a snugly brotherly moment.

Blitzen and his poster...He looks really angry about his poster...hahaha

Now he looks at least interested. I think Cuzco looks a bit curious as well. Hehehe


Overall these have been some really happy moments in this month. I'm so happy to have made some of these memories and to have such a wonderful family to share them with!

Move Onward?

So I think the loss of one of my ovaries hit me a lot harder than I expected it to. On one hand I know my families medical history. I know that my body was a ticking time bomb and yet I thought "I'm going to be the exception." I knew we were having problems and that I would more than likely have some kind of hysterectomy/oophorectomy but I guess I always kind of figured that the pains I felt were just stupid minor whatevers and I just needed to get over it. When in fact they were very real, making my innards deteriorate type pains. It makes me angry that I lost my ovary. And sure I can use the same line I've been giving myself since I knew it was a possibility. "Oh I KNEW this could happen. I'm prepared. I will feel SO MUCH BETTER knowing that it's over and done with and I can stop worrying and trying for a baby. Sure there would still be the possibility with the other ovary but we aren't taking chances anymore. This is a GOOD thing." As true as any of that may be, the fact is... It sucks. And I realize I don't have it as bad as other women. Heck my mother lost everything at 23 so I get it that I am not the first nor will I be the last person to experience this. But I still can't help but be selfish. I want to morn my loss but I'm not sure if that's normal. Or how to even go about it. Does that even make sense to want to morn. Shouldn't I just keep thinking like the above statement and go with that? This is a good thing. I'm not in pain anymore. My body can be healthy. I now have an answer and a plan to become a parent through adoption. There's no more guessing.
So why do I feel sad? Somedays I feel so together and sure about knowing it was for the best. After all I'm incredibly excited to become a parent through adoption. I don't think I'm any less of a woman by any means. But there's still this little spot inside of me that is empty. And it will always be empty. Does that make sense? More than likely no it doesn't.

I do feel better. I do know that this was the best course of action. As with any other disease it takes it toll so it's good we have a handle on it now so it can't spread and make my other reproductive organs worse. At least I know those things. I have to hang on to the fact it could have been a lot worse. I could be on drugs to help me in early menopause. I could have been out of work for a lot longer and had a much more major surgery like my mother did. But I didn't. I lost my right ovary and that was it. I hope that's all I will ever lose. The pessimist inside of me doesn't think so. You can only keep this stuff at bay for so long I think. But still it could have been a lot worse. And I think it's set Casey and I into a forward thinking mode which is good. We are being more productive and proactive on how we want our lives to be. That's very important.
So what's next. I guess I just keep moving on. I get my shot every 12 weeks. I continue to exercise and enjoy being with my husband. I'll throw my cats birthday parties and keep in better touch with loved ones. I will continue to be.

Easy Peasy

So I have become a person who spends way to much time on Pinterest. I love finding new recipes or simple crafts that I might be capable of doing. So far I've tried a few of the easier recipes and they've turned out great. I wish I had pictures! I love anything that is less than 4 ingredients that I can easily remember. Although I love my cookbooks and I love to bake and what not there's something to be said for a quick recipe with good results.
Here are three I've tried and they turned out pretty good.
1.) 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
(I actually knew this recipe BEFORE Pinterest but I had forgotten about it.)
Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Peanut Butter.

Mix ingredients, roll into 1 inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet. Flatten with fork. Place in oven that has been preheated to 325 for 8-10 mins. When they are done let sit on a cooling rack until completely cooled. Otherwise they will fall apart. Once they are cooled, ENJOY! yum yum yum!
I love this recipe because I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand and it's quick.

2.) Pepperoni Rolls
(made these for the superbowl...big hit!)
Ingredients
Store bought bag of pepperoni
Bag mozzarella cheese
2 cans crescent rolls.

Preheat oven to 350. Open cans of crescent rolls and separate each roll. Cut the triangle into two smaller triangles. Repeat with each triangle from the can. Place 1-2 pepperonis on the small triangles at the base. Then take a finger pinch of mozzarella cheese and put on pepperonis. Roll up. Some cheese may fall out but if you get it in the middle of the pepperoni it should be fine. Bake for 11-13 mins until crescents are puffed and golden. Let cool and serve with marinara or ranch dressing. :) WA-LA!


3.) Pumpkin Muffins.
(made these last night. Very tasty. I made them in a mini muffin tin just to make them more bite size and not to much sugar at once.)
Ingredients
1 Box yellow cake mix
1 Can Pumpkin Pie Filling (14 oz)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients thoroughly. With a spoon dollop batter into sprayed muffin tin or into cupcake liners. Bake for 20-22 mins. Take out and ta-da, tasty quick muffins! I bet you could also use a chocolate cakes mix, or even put chocolate chips in for chocolate pumpkin muffins. Oh can't wait to try that.

So that has been my life following surgery this go around. Happily I return to work next week but I still plan on trying more of these easy recipes.

Wow LONG time!

So I think the last time I posted was at Thanksgiving! Yikes! It seems as though nothing has happened since then but it actually has.
Christmas was wonderful. I was spoiled by all my loved ones. I started fertility treatments in December. But now I am off of them.
This month I had a right side oothenectomy. Because of two endomtrium masses, one the diameter of a quarter the other the size of a large egg, on my right ovary so I had my ovary removed. Happily they were able to keep my right tube as well as the rest of my reproductive organs. More than likely in the future if things act up again I will have a full hysterectomy. As of now though the doctor said they looked pretty good. We haven't decided if we want to continue in fertility treatments. It's not impossible to get pregnant with only one ovary but it presents a few challenges. We've had a lot of talks with each other about "heart babies and belly babies." Someone once used that phrase around me and I really liked it. Either way a child comes into your life and become part of you. It's really a sweet thought to me.
Casey and I started foster parenting classes before all this. We had made it to one class and the next day found out from my doctor I has having surgery. We plan on taking up the classes again in May.
Casey is back into school full time again this semester. I'm grateful I didn't sign up for any classes because I would be missing them right now and that would really stink.
Hmmmmm.... What else is new? I've started fixing up my kitchen with new curtains and shelves and what not. Really trying to settle in.
I'm very loopy right now because of the pain meds. Today has been rough. I know tomorrow will be difficult too but at least this pain has a purpose. It means I'm healing from surgery rather than my body is falling apart as it seems to keep doing. 4 surgeries in 3 years....YIKES! I am very ready to not have another one for a long time.
Well I'm off to bed. Sorry for the long overdue update. But here it is. I will try ot be better in the future! :)