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My Christmas letter 2011

2011-12-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!!! 2011

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:…” Isaiah proclaimed long ago and thisis the season for us to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. He is our elder brother, friend, redeemer, and the Holy One of Isreal!! Without the crucifixon of our Savior, His birthday would be just another day. Christmas is a season of hope because Jesus was born long ago in Jerusalem and it is His birth we celebrate. I am thankful for His birth, life, death, and resurrection.

This year I chose to begin my yearly Christmas letter a little differently because I am grateful that even though I have been through so much that He is a big part of my life. I began my year in Couer d’Alene, ID. During my time there I worked at Wal-Mart pharmacy and loved the people that I worked with!! It was hard to leave when I moved to Pocatello, ID in May. The beauty of Coeur d’Alene is one thing that I miss.

This is just one picture of the trees and lakes that I miss from Northern Idaho.

A BIG thing that happened this year before I moved to Pocatello was that I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer in March. A week after I found out about it my thyroid was removed. Now I am still cancer FREE!!!!!

The ribbon shown here is for Thryoid cancer and I am thankful that it was such an easy cancer to go through.

In May my parents helped me move to Pocatello so that I could live with my sister and attend Idaho State University. It was a big adjustment to attend school again and work at the same time. I am still working with Wal-Mart in the pharmacy as a certified technician. My goal for school, although the classes are challenging, is to become a pharmacist!

Now that I live in southern Idaho I am able to see my extended family a little more often. I have had fun driving to Salt Lake with my sister. We saw the lights on temple square during Thanksgiving and loved feeling the Christmas spirit.

This year has presented health challenges but the Lord has provided the way each time to make it through it. Recently, I learned that the headaches I have had for 13 years are actually caused by pain radiating through my occipital nerve and there is a way to get through it better. I have been blessed with great doctors through the year.

After all that I have been through and all the people that I have known throughout the year, I am grateful to reflect on the year! 2011 has brought joy to my heart!!! Now the only thing that would make this year even better is finding the man that the Lord wants me to meet and marry. But I know that in the Lord’s timing the blessings will be there as I live righteously!!

During this Christmas season as I reflect on the birth of our Savior, I am truly grateful for Him!!! May we remember the real and true reason for this season. Our Savior was born long ago in Bethlehem with a bright star in the sky. He is the light of the World.

Love, Tammy Mulkey

Home sweet Pocatello

2011-07-24T18:45:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the apartment upstairs!! This is my bedroom with the new quilt that my mom made me. She did such a good job!!!

The living room turned out great in the upstairs apartment. This is where I will be most of the time when I do my homework when I am not on campus.

Our kitchen....I have a table to sit at now because I have room and it was given to us by a family that I grew to love so much in Coeur d'Alene. The chairs, my sister found and we recovered them when our parents were here. Many blessings came about to help me move down here, including keeping my job with Wal-Mart. Had I have come down earlier I would not have been able to stay with my job as a pharmacy technician for the same company. Needless to say I really feel that I am in the right place at the right time.

However, I have realized the BIGGEST difference this time going to school compared to BYU-Idaho. That is the fact that I was in a student ward with other single people that were all close to my age, and now I am in a family ward. I miss having the ability to associate with a lot of people that are close to my age and in similar life circumstances. Hopefully when the Fall smester starts it will be better as I am around more people my age.

With my family in Pocatello

2011-07-24T18:02:00.000-06:00

The fun adventrures of moving into a new place. We were in the basement apartment which stays really cool during the summer and is really nice. This is the mess that we started with and pictures are coming to show what it is like now. Each room looked pretty much like this.

After a long day of driving and moving into our new place as sisters, we all went to dinner at Pizza Hut. All of us meaning, my sister and I as seen above, my parents, and my grandparents as seen below. For some reason we didn't take a picture of my parents, or at least I don't have it.

We had a day in Idaho Falls to go to a few places that we don't have in Pocatello. One of the places we stopped at was the Falls, along the snake River that are there. The water was really high!!! but it made for really nice pictures as you can see with the temple in the background.

The story behind this picture is I wanted to sneek into it and it turned out really cute. Funny thing is that I am not at my usual height. i am scrunched down.

Then we also have pictures of us sisters with just our dad, and one with just our mom. It was a really nice day. We had a lot of fun together.

One day that I was not working, just after I began my summer speech class my parents and I went all over southeastern Idaho to take pictures of gravesites for some of our ancestors that are buried in various places. I took my book with me and read as we were driving but I had a lot of fun trying to help find the right headstones. We left Pocatello and then proceeded to the following cities: Inkom, McCammon, Lava Hot Springs (as seen above for the waterslide that goes across the road), Bancroft, Soda Springs, Grace, Thatcher, Preston, and Franklin. We also stopped in Whitney since that is the place that Ezra Taft Benson is buried. We didn't find the cemetery but it was still fun anyway. I talked my dad into driving to the Utah/Idaho border. He is such a good dad!!!!

Here I am by the Utah sign. I wanted one to show I was in 2 states but it was raining and it didn't work out that day. I loved it anyway. Then I turned around and took a picture of the Idaho sign the other direction.

My parents stayed with us for a week and we had a good time, even though my sister and I had to work off and on through that week. The main issue was that there was a water leak in our apartment which drenched the carpet in the living room. So we made the decision to move upstairs. More to come....

Moving from Coeur d'Alene to Pocatello

2011-07-24T16:55:00.002-06:00

It has been almost 3 months since I last blogged, and a lot has happened since then. The first thing worth mentioning is that I had a thyroid ablation--meaning any thyroid cells were destroyed by 2 capsules filled with radioactive iodine. Therefore, even after surgery I still had some cells and now I have none. The healing has gone fairly well.
The next big thing....is moving from Northern Idaho to Southeastern Idaho. I left the land of pine trees and lakes for the land of sage brush. Here are the pictures to prove it.

This was next to Wal-Mart in Post Falls, ID and I just really loved the sunset. It was one thing that I enjoyed when I got off at 9pm during the week.

Lake Coeur d'Alene with the boat docks. The lake is big and it was always pretty.

May 12th---the day I had help to pack all my belongings into a Budget moving truck and left Coeur d'Alene. This is that truck in front of my apartment after it was all loaded. My parents came to help me move and we left that night. We drove to St Regis Montana and stayed the night.

One of the many views of Lake Coeur d'Alene along the I-90. I loved the pine trees and the lake!!

The next day on May 13th we drove the rest of the way down to Pocatello. After driving through Montana We saw the Idaho sign as we crossed back into Idaho. There was snow there which made it look really nice.

And as I said above, I traded pine trees for sage brush. This is the scenery as you get to Blackfoot Idaho before getting into Pocatello. The same thing is very close to my apartment down here too.

More to to come.....

Moving on....

2011-05-05T22:12:00.000-06:00

It is funny how we learn things in unexpected ways. Since my last post my body has been adjusting to life without my thyroid gland. It is interesting how once something is gone we miss it...but not at first. I was given medication to balance my hormones for my thyroid after the surgery to remove it. Then I was told that I would have to stop taking it as I prepared for the next part of my treatment. Also at that time I had to learn how to cook without most of the normal foods.....anything with Iodized salt, store boughten bread, dairy products, boxed meals, sandwiches, fast food, pizza, and even ice cream and chocolate. So for the last 2 1/2 weeks I have done fairly well at eating more fruits and vegitables...especially since that was one thing that I could eat during this little diet.
Then this past Monday on May 2 I went over to the hospital to the Nuculear Medicine department to have the next part of my treatment....Radioactive Iodine Capsules. They brought them to me in a medal capsule like thing for protection for them. As soon as I took them i had to leave and go home. I spent 2 days away from everyone...which was ok in some ways but in other ways I wanted to spend some time with friends as I am preparing to move away too.
These capsules will kill any other thyroid cells that may be in my body. So it is a good thing that I am going through this- when I live by myself and don't have to push things away.
Now as for the moving on.... I have 1 week to finish packing my belongings and put things into a moving truck and move on to the next adventure in my life. Going back to school will be an adventure as I will be studying math and science classes. So here is to moving on...letting go....holding on to tomorrow!!! (part of the Climb by Miley Cyrus)

Finding strength

2011-04-17T22:44:00.003-06:00

11 days ago I had surgery to remove my thyroid gland and the cancer that was attached to it. I learned at my follow-up appointment that out of the 1.6cm nodule 1.2 cm was cancer. I feel so blessed to have had it found so early. The next step in my treatment is to be on a low IODINE diet for the next few weeks as I prepare for the Radioactive Iodine Tablet and full body scan. The purpose of this is to light up any other cancer cells that may be in any other parts of my body. At this point I do not know if there is any other cancer in my body.

I am not alone in this struggle though. There have been many people who have come up to me and have said that they have known someone who had the same thing happen to them. It is comforting to know that I am not alone in going through this trial. We are given trials that are meant to lift us up and bring us closer to God. I watched a program on BYU- channel that was about a lady names Kim. She had such a positive attitude through her trials that makes her who she is. She is challenged in her height due to a physical trial since birth, but it did not stop her from blessing everyone around her. She was always positive in her outlook on life. I hope that I can be that type of person through the things that I go through.

Over the last 12 years I have struggled with health issues and many times I know I have complained way too much. There are trials that others have that are much harder than the ones that I have been given. During this trial I have had the chance to learn about a prophet of God that I feel I can relate to in a small way. President Spencer W Kimball had throat cancer and had a surgery where most of his vocal cords had to be taken out. This surgery left him with a raspy voice and he overcame the trial by putting his trust in the Lord.

Elder Boyd K Packer said of him in 1974- "In 1957 throat problems developed, to be diagnosed as cancer of the throat and vocal cords. This, perhaps, was to be his Gethsemane. He went East for the operation. Elder Harold B. Lee was there. As he was prepared for surgery he agonized over the ominous possiblities, telling the Lord that he did not see how he could live without a voice, for his voice to preach and to speak was his ministry....There was a long period of recuperation and preparation. The voice was all but gone, but a new one took its place. A guiet, persuasive, mellow voice, an acquired voice, an appealing voice, a voice that is loved by the Latter-day Saints." "He went back home for his maiden speech. He went back to the valley. Anyone close to him knows it is not a valley, it is the valley. There, in a conference of the St. Joseph Stake, accompanied by his beloved associate from Arizona, Elder Delbert L. Stapely, he stood at the pulpit. 'I have come back here,' he said, 'to be among my own people. In this valley I presided as stake president.' Perhaps he thought that should he fail, here he would be among those who loved him most and would understand. There was a great outpouring of love. The tension of this dramatic moment was broken when he continued, 'I must tell you what has happened to me. I went away to the East, and while there I fell among cutthroats. ...' After that it didn't matter what he said. Elder Kimball was back!" (March 1974 Ensign, "No Ordinary Man" by Elder Boyd K Packer)

I only had a small amount of cancer that only had my thyoid gland removed. It did affect my voice to a small extent that it gets tired easily, and I can't sing. I still have my vocal cords but I too fell among cutthroats... :)

The scar will get better and I will receive all of my treatments to make sure there is no more cancer. Out of all the people that I look up outside of my family and Jesus Christ, I look up to Spencer W Kimball because he went forth after that surgery and lived a full life. He went forth doing the Lord's will and being positive. That is what I look to do.

Hospital experience

2011-04-07T06:17:00.002-06:00

I arrived at the hospital on April 6th and was so ready to have the cancer removed. It was difficult to know that I had cancer inside my body and had to wait 6 days for it to be removed. I can not even imagine how other's feel as they are diagnosed with a more serious cancer. Mine is very treatable but I will need to have scans over the rest of my life time to make sure that I do not have any other cancer in my body again. Sometimes thyroid cells can be found in other parts of the body but as of now I will have a radioactive iodine tablet and then a scan to make sure it is all gone. The surgery went well and my entire thyroid is no gone. I spent the day in the hospital and my parents have been with me. It is so nice to have such support from parents, and friends. I received flowers and 2 very cute cards. They brought a smile to my face. Due to the type of surgery, my doctor decided for me to stay over night in the hospital. Since I have compression socks on and a compression monitor that squeezes my legs, I have not slept as much as I think I would have really liked to. But who comes to the hospital to get good sleep anyway- that is what home is for!!! During the night I have had a lot of time to pray, and think about this blessing in disquise. It really is a miracle in the way that this cancer was found so early and at the right time. Yes I do have a pain in the neck and that line has made several people smile. I have tried to remain optomistic through this. No that is not always an easy thing to do but I have come to realize this time that it sure does make it so much better to go through it if you are positive. It is 5:30 am and I feel that I had a night like President Spencer W Kimball did after he had surgery for throat cancer. He has a book called One Silent, Sleepless Night. In this book he describes experiences throughout his life that he remembers through the night as he tries to find sleep. He watches the time hoping that it passes quickly, but it seems to drag on. He brings up also how he must clean his wound and how he wishes for sleep. My night hasn't been exactly like his was, but I kept thinking about how grateful I am to have experiences that bring me closer to my Savior. Over the last year, but more especially the last month I have felt pain more intense than I have over the last 12 years and it has helped me to see my need for Jesus Christ. He knows how I feel and He knows what to do to comfort me. He comforts me as I receive priesthood blessings, as I read the scriptures, as I listen to His prophets and apostles, as I attend His holy temple, as I serve the children by playing the piano so they can sing, and as I attend church each week. Even as I watch the snow fall this morning it reminds me that we can be pure as the white snow when we seek to know Him and repent of what we do wrong. None of my suffering is in vain and none of it is wasted. It is just part of the healing process and as long as He is with me I will make it. Prayer has such a strength to those in need when many use their faith to pray for strength in another's behalf. Thank you dear friends and family who have prayed for me. May you each receive blessings in your life for your faith and strength in praying for me.

Diagnosed with Cancer

2011-04-01T11:14:00.004-06:00

So many of my friends and family have been told about my newly found disease. Most however do not know the miracle of finding it, and now you will know. In early March after living with Chronic daily tension headaches for 12 and 1/2 years, the pain increased and my right arm started to hurt. Not just an ache that I could ignore as it was affecting my job-which is a pharmacy technician and I use both arms to do it. I could tell that something was funny when my hand would shake by itself and my arm would just hurt. Finally I went in to the doctor on Mar 11 and he tested my strength in my arms to see if there was any weakness. To my amazement my right arm and wrist would just fall a little while my left would stay strong. It was frustrating but he said I should have an MRI to check what was going on in my neck. At this point I did not know that anything else would be found. I figured that it would be a normal test like the other 20 or so that I have had in the last 12 years. On Wednesday the 16th I had the MRI and then tried to be patient as I waited for the results. The waiting is always the hardest. lol :) On that Friday I was told that he wanted to talk with me so I went in and he said that I have Degenerative Disc Disease in my neck. At first I thought.....my entire neck and what the heck is it? It is only affecting my disc between the 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae and is proably hitting a nerve which is causing the pain in my arm. To help I was told I needed to get a Cervical Epidural steroid injection in my neck. Of course I was willing to try anything at that point because of the pain. Also on the MRI it showed that I had a mass that was as big as the tip of his pinky on my thyroid. But of course an MRI doesn't tell what it is. So another test was ordered- An Ultrasound. When I had the ultrasound, I really didn't think much about it other than I wanted to know if it was a cyst (fluid filled) or a solid. The ultrasound tech showed me that it was a solid. Crazy, right?? The next step was to get a biopsy. That was the one test that really scared me the most. For 3 days after I was told I would be having a biopsy I really freaked out. I had a priesthood blessing and was told that I would be blessed with doctors and nurses who would be able to help me. Also that i would have some major decisions coming up in my life. I felt comfort and peace knowing that the Lord was with me. I had the biopsy on Tuesday of this week and pretty much expected that I would not hear anything until today-Friday April 1st. I am thankful to have hear yesterday, for today I don't think I would have believed him since it is April Fools' day. When my doctor told me I was in shock and awe. It was one word that I never thought I would hear, let alone ever have to go through. Cancer....that one 6 letter word creates so much pain for so many people. Then the other word I was hoping to avoid was said...surgery. Another 6 letter word that I wanted to avoid at all costs. But as soon as the treatment was described to me I knew it was the best option for me. I then proceeded to call my parents to tell them the news. I didn't cry much because I felt such a comfort that all will be well. I told my co-workers next as I was on my lunch break at work when I learned this. I recieved hugs from 2 of my friends which was all I really needed. But those hugs had special power....care, comfort and concern from them but more importantly power from Heaven. My Heavenly Father knew exactly what I neeeded and He provided the way for me to get it since my family lives away from me. We are all God's children and He loves us all. I have seen that so much recently. Then for the following 3 1/2 hours I worked trying to focus on what I needed to do for patients who were in need of medications. That was really hard. But I made it through with the words of a song in my mind. It is called "Inside" and these are the words that kept me going.... " Inside, I feel a voice Beckoning me, Pulling me down to my knees I pray for strength to use my faith to take my doubts and fears away" That was all I could do...pray for strength to know all would be well. Needless to say I didn't sleep so much last night. And my thoughts went to the fact that I do not blame God for this happening. It is no one's fault. It is what it is...a fact of life. Many people have had cancer and beat it. Just to name a few who's examples I hope to follow are these: President Spencer W Kimball (throat cancer and he was a prophet of the Lord), Elder Neal A Maxwell (leukemia and he was an apostle who knew the Savior because of his tuitorial in suffering), Martha Blake Willis (breast cancer and high school friend), my grandma Velma Wood (non-hodgkin's lymphoma), and I have heard of many more. Some may have been called home to God from their sufferings but they were strong and turned to the Lord. That is how they beat the cancer...they didn't allow it to stop them from being a disciple of Christ.!!! From these examples, I know that I must Trust in the Lord, never give up, and know that He loves me even when I don't understand why it happened. I do not know the meaning of all things, but I know He cares for me and everyone else too. You may ask if I am scared...honestly not so much as I thought I would be. I have been thinking a lot about the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ during the last month. He suffered for me. He knows how I feel and even though I can not comprehend how it is possible that he felt that much pain for EVERYONE that has LIVED, is LIVING, or ever WILL LIVE on this earth. I have only felt a very small poriton of pain and suffering. There were times I felt that it was too much and I wanted to get rid of it. Then I finally came to understand that sometimes in our suffering is when we come to KNOW HIM!! Scriptures that I have come to love during the last month are worth reviewing for all of us. Isaiah 53: 2-10, Matt 26:36-46, Alma 7:11-12, Mosiah 3:5-8 His atonement is real!! He died so that we would know that there is One who knows how we feel. He died that we may be forgiven and learn to love as He loves. He Lives today so that we can know our purpose in life. I hope that I can know Him better as I go through this divine tutitorial, just as Elder Neal A Maxwell said of his luekemia. It is a tuitorial for me to know that I am not alone. In advance I want to thank everyone for your faith, prayers, and friendship. Thanks a million!!! Jesus Christ lives. His atonement is real. I know there will be a day when I will kneel at His feet and know then just as I do now that he is my Savior, Friend, Brother, and Redeemer!!! He Lives!!! He Loves!! And He Knows each of us. Cancer will not beat me!!! I will show it who is boss. :)

Spring thoughts

2011-03-20T22:30:00.004-06:00

March already here...where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday it was January and it was snowing. Now it has melted but it is still a little cold. The weather seems to be just like our lives....ever changing as we reach for something better. I began this year still in touch with my former husband and then he moved away. At first I wasn't sure how I felt with him moving away, but now I see it as a really good thing.
Last week I received some wise counsel from my home teachers. One of them asked me if I knew where my former husband was and how he was doing. I knew where he had moved to and how he was. So my home teacher said that I needed to let him go. Once I thought about it, I knew he was right. Charles, my former husband, has moved on in his life and now I must do the same. To let him go I am replacing the pictures that I had up from our wedding and putting pictures of my family in their place. These are the pictures I am adding to my wall:

This is a picture of me sitting on my Grandpa Wood's lap. My whole life I loved sitting on his lap. I love this picture of us together because it will be the one that I will have on my wall to remember him by.

this is a picture of my grandparents together. They are both watching over me as they have both gone home to God. I miss them both and they deserve a place to be seen in my home.

This month I have begun to pack some things in my home in preparation for moving and going off to school again. I have some major decisions to make this year and I am happy about the changes. A part of life is for us to move on and let go of things. It may not be easy but it is worth it to follow after God and live the life he wants us to live. My grandparents, and parents are examples to me and that is why I will have pictures of all of them on my wall. I love them and know that they live how God wants us to live.

1 Year later...

2011-01-22T23:10:00.003-07:00

Many of you know that a year ago I was married to a man that I believed would be my eternal companion. Well things changed when he moved out and then a few months later gave me divorce papers. No my life is not over from those changes. Some people may feel that way, but not this divorced woman. I admit that I never wanted to be divorced but I agree with Kristen Oaks in her book about being single. In the book she mentions what a sister said to her bishop and I agree with it completely! she said: "It is better to be single than to be badly married!"
I would rather be single living the gospel than to be in a situation where I feel that my standards are compromised be another. No offence to the man that I married. He is a good man, just not the one for me. I believed that he was when I married him and I don't regret that choice at all. I learned many things in the 4 and 1/2 years that I was married. On the other hand I learned much during the last year.
Today I went to the temple, then went bowling with my ex-husband (yes we are friends and we have done things together since we have been divorced), and then I came home to find my acceptance letter from ISU!!!! So all in all it was a great day. I am excited to start a new chapter of my life in Pocatello, ID. While I am single I am going to make the best of it- better than I did the first time when I was single. It is a time to KNOW who I am! It is a time to LIVE the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it is a time to have a stronger knowledge of His gospel.
Needless to say I have felt many blessings for living the right way and for moving forward. I even had a doctor tell me that I am doing pretty good for having the situation that I do.
More to come later.

Me with my acceptance letter to ISU. I just had to share! :)

New Years Day 2011

2011-01-18T23:43:00.004-07:00

So the New Year began with a day of work...so exciting when all the doctor's offices are closed. LOL So I actually got to go home early.

On New Year's Eve I decided that I would do something just for myself that would be fun and that I probably would not do again since I will not be up here next year. I took a cruise on Lake Couer d'Alene. It didn't cost much since it was a short one- less than an hour but still good. The first picture below is the entrance to the boat docks.

As we left the docks we saw none other than... The GRINCH!!!! He kept yelling at us that we would not have any fun. ( He was so wrong. lol)

The next part of the cruise took us to another side of the lake to see where Santa's Workshop was at the North Pole. Who knew that there was a North Pole in Idaho!!!

The next part of the Cruise was my favorite!!!!! I love Christmas trees and they told me before going on the cruise that there was a tree that was bigger than the one at Rockefeller Center. I thought that it was going to be a REAL tree decorated with all my favorites. Instead it was all made of lights!!!! Unfortunately I was not prepared to make a video of the entire song but I did take pictures and one short video. I hope you enjoy what I saw.

These next 3 pictures are all of when the rest of the lights turned on at the finale. Truly it was amazing.

This was the village that they had in lights.

This is supposed to be the workshop for Santa.

After all the lights turned on we headed back the the CDA Resort. The lights were amazing from the water. They are all over the boat docks that they have at the resort and it is even more amazing from the water.

I have actually become pretty good at taking my own picture and getting my entire head in the picture and some of the background. That being said this is me on the Boat by the stairs that lead up to the deck.

So the adventure on the lake begins the year off with something totally out of the ordinary. I am really glad that I took the time to do it and that I had the ability to go.

Now for what to look forward to for the rest of the year....

1. My best friend is getting married and I will be her maid of honor (I am so blessed to do that for her)

2. I will be moving in May to Pocatello to attend ISU and work towards becoming a pharmacist

3. Being around people closer to my age and with the same religion

4. Anything that God wants me to do to be the best daughter that I can be.

Here is to 2011!!!!!

Christmas 2010--part 2

2011-01-18T01:07:00.006-07:00

Christmas morning in Oregon--This was the tree with all the gifts.

The rest of the pictures are only a few of the ones that were taken. I can't fit all of them on here without making a REALLY LONG post! :)

This is my sister with a gift that I made for here. It has lights in the middle of it and looks amazing when it is all lit up.

This is my mom opening the gift that my sister and I gave to her for Christmas. She is the other one in the family who took the pictures. We gave her a Josh Groban CD.

This is my dad with the picture frame that I put together with pictures that we had taken thorughout the year. I had the chance to see them a few times and thought it would be a great gift for their new house.

I was happy to have new towels. Who knew that the simple things in life can really make us so happy. I just really liked this picture that is why it is included.

My sister with her other gift from me. The second picture was taken at just the right time. She had so much fun throwing sacks out of her gifts into the air and I just had to keep trying til I could get it at just the right time. Well it worked. It looks like the sack is coming right at you...

The fun part of these pictures are the fact that in the first one my mom told me to hang on so she could get more batteries for their camera. So I held on to it quite litterally. my sister used my camera to take my picture hanging on... The second picture is me spinning the snowflake ornament that my sister made for me.

It reminds me of a movie that I watched each year growing up... It Nearly Wasn't Christmas.

There is a magic snowflake that Santa has the little girl spin at the end and I have wanted one like it but couldn't find one so she made one for me. I love it!!!

The rest of the day was spent hanging out, playing games, and we even watched a movie- Eclipse.

On Tuesday I left Portland and drove back to Coeur d'Alene in the rain. Yep it rained the whole way!! The next day it snowed and all was great!!

What a great Christmas!!!!!

And this is our sister picture by the big pile of wrapping paper on the floor after all the fun of opening the gifts. I really like this picture too!!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-18T00:41:00.004-07:00

For being my first Christmas as a divorced single woman, it was actually one of the best ones I have had. I knew that I needed to be with my family so I asked for time off and planned to go to Portland.

On the 23rd of December, I left North Idaho and drove through Washington. The only hard part of the drive was when I found thick fog just south of the Tri-Cities but it cleared as I got to the Oregon border. Then the rest of the way was good. I had been planning for about 2 weeks to get there a day early and suprise my family. (they had no idea I was coming on that day since the orignal plan was to work and leave on Christmas Eve, But a co-worker needed the saturday off before Christmas so we traded days) When I got into Troutdale, Or (just east of Portland but part of it) I got off at the exit and began to read my directions. My parents just moved into the house just after Thanksgiving so I had never been there. I had everyone on that page but the house number---yet I knew that their cars were outside the garage so I didn't have to call to ask which one.

I parked the car and went up to the door. My mom answered and was surprised to see me. (IT worked - I surprised them) when i talked with my family earlier that week I said that I would be there Friday for sure..... I am so sneaky. It was true I would be there all day Friday. I was so glad to be there with them.

We spent the evening together until my dad went to work since he works nights. But we girls had a good time just hanging out.

On Christmas Eve we all went to Vancouver, WA, at my request since I had not been there as far as I knew. We saw Fort Vancouver (with lots of old and historic buildings) and went to the mall. Then we drove back over the bridge to Portland and went to Deseret Book. That night we had dinner and then drove around a few neighborhoods to see the houses that were decorated with Christmas lights, manger scenes, and other characters for Christmas. It is a tradition that was started a long time ago when I was little. I loved every minute of it---even when my sister was using my mom's camera and the flash went off in my face. lol it was funny even enough it was really bright.

Here are a few pictures from what we saw:

These are just a few of the bright colorful lights that we saw that night.

More to come....

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-07T21:23:00.004-07:00

This year I have decided to add my Christmas letter to my blog so that all my friends can see what I have done this year. So here it goes......
I can't believe that another year has flown by and so quickly too. :) There have been many changes in my life this year- some good and some not so great. But we learn to adapt and move forward anyway.
After being married for 4 1/2 years it ended up in divorce but we are still friends. The Lord will guide me in my life as I trust Him. Even though my marriage didn't turn out to be the way that I truly wanted it to be, I know that as I trust Him I will have the marriage that I really desire. This year I have been living in Northern Idaho and working as a Pharmacy technician for Wal-Mart. I earned my national certification in May and I am very grateful that I did that.
This year even though there is a huge amount of lonliness at times, I am feeling hopeful that it will not last too long. Besides the Savior is there holding me during those times and lifting me back up so I can keep moving forward.
As I look back on this year I realize that through all the struggles I have gained peace and feel love for all those who have blessed my life by helping me through the tough times. This next year will be filled with new opportunities as I go back to school again to become a pharmacist. IT will take a lot of work--only another 6 years but it will be worth it.
May the spirit of this Christmas touch each of your hearts as you have touched my heart during this year. Take the time to look at the lights, christmas trees, and snow (for those of you who have it) and allow it to touch your heart to remember the reason for the season. Jesus Christ is the reason for the season- a baby was born over 2000 years ago who would grow up to save the world. He lives today and loves each of us so much.

I hope that each of you who read this will post your comments I would love to hear from each of you. Unfortunately I could not send one to everyone individually since I do not have all the email addresses that I used to.
I hope that each of you will have a terriffic Christmas!!!
This is my Christmas tree!! I love it!!
This is my mini tree with nativity and Christus statue.

November 2010

2010-11-15T19:41:00.002-07:00

The seasons are changing and that happens to be a good thing for me. I have just recently learned that I have allergies, which only began to affect me this year for the most part. I have known for a long time that I have been allergic to a certain kind of grass since I was younger when i would have my bare skin touching the grass and have little red bumps from just a little exposure. Now I have learned that I am allergic to: Cottonwood trees, dust mites, ragweed, cats, and timothy grass. No wonder my nose has not liked me this year. It has been dripping quite a bit and my headaches have been more intense lately too.
The sad part of all this is that I love the outdoors!! I love seeing the colors change and the blossoms on the trees. But maybe this is why I love winter so much more!!! There is NO pollen to bother me and I love the snow with the way that it covers the earth. Now I must admit that the accidents that happen due to icy and snowy roads is not my favorite part. We must travel safely this winter.
I do enjoy November with the family get together to eat turkey and all kinds of good foods to go with it. Only this year, I am not sure where I will be enjoying a thanksgiving dinner since I work the day before and the day after. It will not be with my family since they live in another state and it will not be with my ex's family since that would just be too strange. My only family that is here is my church family and no one has asked me what I am doing yet so we will see. I will make sure that I have something better than a TV dinner, even if I have lots of leftovers. :)
The other reason why I like November is that it is time to put my my Christmas decorations. I love looking at trees and nativity scenes. I am excited to decorate this year already and it is not even Thanksgiving yet!
Since this is a time to show gratitude, as we should all year, let me just say a few things that I am grateful for. --a job that provides for me, a home to live in with all that is needed, food to eat everyday that is good for me and some that just tastes good, a family that cares for me everyday no matter what, a marriage that lasted 4 1/2 years which I learned much from, tons of friends here there and everywhere, an education, a laptop to see what my friends are up to, and lastly but first in my life---the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his life for each of us to learn from.

October 2010

2010-10-26T22:10:00.006-06:00

Being that we are at the end of the month, I decided to share what I have been up to lately. At the begining of this month, well the last day of September, I drove from Coeur d'Alene, ID to Rigby, ID then to Salt Lake. I picked up my best friend Keira and her adorable 5 year old daughter Aubree and we went down for General Conference. We had a great time!! .

The Utah state sign has changed in the last 2 years.

We met our friends at the mayan Resturant and while we were waiting we saw this snake and took pictures. I like this picture because it makes me look like I am in the snakes mouth.

On Saturday Morning we all went to General Conference in Salt Lake. We travled up there on TRAX--Keira, B, Christine, Mom, Dad, and me. These are the pictures that we took on Trax

These are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

We spent Saturday in Salt Lake. We listened to General Conference in the Tabrnacle for the morning session. Then the afternoon session sitting on the grounds since we had food to eat.

We saw all the people coming out of the conference center. Which was a lot of fun to watch as you can see from the picture. I had hoped to be inside but I was just grateful to be there.

After the afternoon session, we went over by deseret book and talked to Michael McLean. I learned that he will be doing the forgotten carols show in Spokane this year the day after Thanksgiving. I am actually very excited for that.

Sunday we spent with friends and family. I went with my family that night to see the 2 newest temples in Utah- Draper and Oqurrih Mountain. It was really fun. On monday morning, I knew it was time to head back to Idaho, but I must admit I really wasn't ready to go. But we drove back and saw rainbows on the way. I made it home late that night but was graetful to have the time off to be able to see my family.

As for the rest of October, well not much has happened besides working, and relaxing.

Summer has come and basically gone...

2010-09-13T21:24:00.003-06:00

SO I haven't put much on my blog for awhile. I am doing the same things--working, going to church, hanging out at home, and talking with my family. Life has taken an interesting turn and the last 5 months I have learned much. I have been divorced for 5 months and grateful that I was married to him. Honestly, I always wanted a marriage that would last forever as 2 individuals worked together to have their dreams and ideals match up.
Last night for the first time in a long while, I watched the CES fireside and I am so glad that I did. It was on dating and marriage. So much good information from Elder Richard G Scott. There were many things that could have been better in my marriage- mostly the spiritual things. I have come to realize that it is our spiritual selves that matter the most and that that is really who we are. We are to overcome the natural man which is not the easy way to go but it is the way that is more worthwhile in the end.
The summer has been filled with adventures to see family. I have had the chance to go to Portland, Or to see my parents, and then to Rexburg, Id to see my sister and a bunch of friends. Most of the time I have been in North Idaho working and seeing what is around me. There is so much to see up here and I was able to see more when my parents and sister came to see me. We drove from Coeur d'Alene to Sandpoint to Bonners Ferry and up to the canadian border. I got as close to Canada as I could since I don't have a passport. It was fun to be there with my family.
I have become nationaly certified as a pharmacy technician and I will be going back to school in January at North Idaho College to get some math and science classes done. Who knows next summer I may move to a new location to start the next portion of my life.

Life in the Pharmacy

2010-05-22T23:10:00.002-06:00

I have been working in Wal-Mart pharmacy for a tiny bit over a year now and it is very different from the first pharmacy that I worked in a few years ago. I spend my days on my feet for 8 hours each day. I use a computer to accept new prescriptions, and to type them in so the pharmacist can make sure I put it in correctly. Then the process of filling the prescription comes next. We use handhelds to scan the correct bottle and then count the pills out. The pharmacist then checks our work to make sure we did grab the correct medication.
I also talk with people on the phone and put hard copies of the prescriptions away in files. The hardest part for me is being on my feet for that long each day--40 hours in a work week. I am glad to be a technician. In fact the good news is that I took the National pharmacy techician test at the begining of the month and I passed it. So now I am a nationally certified Pharmacy Technician. Horray for me!!!
Lately I have been thinking about going back to school to become a pharmacist. The hard part is choosing a school to go to and being able to work while I attend school. We will see what happens in the near future.

Anything is possible

2010-05-08T22:18:00.003-06:00

The reason for the title of this post is very simple. I have spent the last month studying to take the national test for pharmacy technician. The national test will allow me work at any pharmacy in the United States. I took the test on May 6th and passed it. The score for passing ranges from 650 to 900 and I won't have my offical score until the 21st. I did all I could and then allowed God to help me know what to do.
With God all things are possible!!!! Hearts can heal but not always in the time that we want it too. Sometimes we want to go a lot faster than we need to to heal. God knows better than we do and even when it is hard He will be right there with us. I hope Mother's day is all that each of you want it to be. Mother's deserve the very best.

New Beginnings

2010-04-30T22:52:00.003-06:00

Spring in Coeur d'Alene Idaho is quite beautiful. The blossoms on the trees are so bright. They remind me of a new beginning. It is a nice place to live but I know that my life is heading in another direction to a place that at this point I am not sure where it is exactly yet.

During the month of April, I became divorced from my former spouse. I have had a mixture of feelings about it happening but I place my trust in God and keep going everyday. Today marks the end of a long drive to work in Ponderay, ID. I was blessed to work there among friends for the last year. They gave me the rose plant as seen below and I hope that I will be able to keep it alive. It was very thoughtful and I am grateful for their friendship while working in the pharmacy. I will now be working closer to where I live which will save a lot on gas.

April already!

2010-04-18T22:39:00.002-06:00

So last month on the day after my birthday I drove home to meridian to see my family. It was a weekend that was needed. I had not seen my family for over a year. My parents are moving to the Portland, Oregon area since my dad has a new job there now. My sister is back in Rexburg attending BYU-Idaho and will have a terrific semester.
As for myself, I am now divorced and living in my own place in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I am still working as a pharmacy technician for Wal-Mart. Currently I am trying to figure out the next step in my life. I thought that my marriage would last forever but due to reasons that even I don't understand completly it ended. I am waiting on the Lord and making the decision as to where I am needed next. I have options but not sure which one will be the best for me.
After the 4 1/2 years that I was married, I have learned many things and I do not regret my decision to marry Charles. I knew that it was right to marry him and I know I listened to God when I made the choice to say yes as I knelt across from him. Now our lives are heading in different directions and the marriage did not make it.
For now I keep in touch with friends and family. They are my strength and the Lord is by my side. I will keep praising my Heavenly Father for the wonderful things he has done for me.
April is almost over, and the trees outside are beautiful. I am grateful to live in such a beautiful place with mountains and trees.

Hard times...what do you do?

2010-03-07T13:54:00.004-07:00

5 years ago when I met Charles I knew then just as much as I know today that I love him.
I know that it takes two to make a marriage wonderful and happy when you are both on the same path. After a long road and many struggles, my husband is currently living with his mom and step dad. He is making the choice to end our marriage. I am not sure of all his reasons, nor to I believe that it is the best thing for us at this time. It is really confusing when he still tells me how much he loves me but wants to live away from me.
Over the last year we have lived in Northern Idaho and I have had the chance to get to know his family. It has been a great experience to feel the love of a large family. I grew up with a small one- just my parents and my sister along with extened family around until I turned 15. So being so close to his family was really nice. We still struggled with many things- such as finding good employment or even going to school. It is hard to imagine that we have come so far, only to have it thrown away by a series of choices.
We all have the ability to choose what to do in our lives and how to be happy. Let alone- the choice to be happy no matter what is going on in life. Even through the hardest times when tension seemed the highest I still tried to find joy in it. The journey of marriage was never intended to be easy, but it was intended to be worth it as we cling to each other and live the Way God intened a married couple to live. It reminds me of a song that I never knew until I met Charles- "Perfect" it talks about the fact that life doesn't have to be perfect and if one day I feel like doing something but the next I don't just to remember that it was not intended to be perfect.
Looking back over the last 5 years I have learned so much from my husband about enjoying life. I have also learned to love him no matter what is going on. I have come to a decision that it was worth it to marry him and if he still wanted to be with me and work through issues I would love to continue. The pains of divorce is a horrible thing to even fathom. It takes your life and turns it upside down. It makes you have all kinds of feelings that you never really want to have.
The biggest thing I have learned is that you start your marriage on the same path and you are happy moving in the same direction. Should one begin to choose other things, the path divides and it is harder to move together as one being equals. It takes 2 to make a marriage glorious and beautiful. It takes 3 to make the marriage be what God intends it to be-- it takes the husband, the wife, and God to become the man and wife he wants you to be.
God is there and he leads us. He loves each of us enough to allow us to make our own choices even when it hurts another one of His children. He has been lifitng me up through this whole time and allowing me to have people surround me to keep me from falling down.
Whatever the choice is of my husband I will always love him. I will always have the desire to make our marriage better and to be faithful to my covenants with him.

New Year with changes

2010-01-11T22:03:00.002-07:00

Lately I have been thinking a lot about changes in our lives. We celebrated Christmas and Thanksgiving with Charles' family. We have been living in Coeur d'alene since the end of September last year. Times have been tough for us finanically and in our relationship. I have come to learn that the Lord does not want marriages to end, but we have to trust Him that the best things happen for us. Marriage is to one other person- our spouse- and we are only to be there for that person and lock our heart to all others. The covenants that we make to our spouse are very strong and the consequences for breaking those covenants are nothing that I would want. We each have our agency and choose what to do with it.
The gospel is so important to me and I am so grateful to have a loving Father in Heaven that is watching over me. I realize how important it is to be completly faithful to your spouse- in thought, word, deed, and action. I promise to be the best wife and companion that I can be- even though I am not perfect at it I know that with the Lord's help I can be what he wants me to be.
This new year brings a long drive to work until I can transfer to a Wal-Mart that is closer. I am also working wth the census again. I can only hope it is enough to help us pay all of our bills.
Welcome to 2010!! I hope that any one who reads this will know of my conviction to marriage and to the Lord. He lives and I am grateful to know that.

Holidays

2009-12-06T20:05:00.003-07:00

So Charles and I spent time with his family in Lewiston Idaho. We stayed at his sister Val's inlaws house since there was enough room for all of us. Thanksgiving dinner was really good and we all had a good time. THere was a lot of food. Charles went with the rest of the men to shoot guns. Now as for myself I couldn't help with much because I had surgery just a week and 2 days before. I had 2 masses that needed to be removed so my reproductive system will work properly. I am healing well from the surgery.
Now we are in the middle of a Christmas show with his parents and many friends. We are in the choir and are having a great time doing it. It was the first weekend in December and the second weekend too. Charles plays the part of a wiseman named Caspar...the friendly ghost... I mean wiseman. He has had so much fun with it.
Other than that I want to wish each of you a very merry Christmas and hope that each of you feels the joy of the season.

Changing times

2009-11-08T18:11:00.003-07:00

We had some sad news this week. On Thursday November 5- Charles' Grandmother Mulkey passed away. His father paid for a plane ticket for him to be down there in Texas for the funeral. He has been there since Friday night and has been so happy being back in his home state. He has told me that he even saw his house that he grew up in and the elementary school that he attended. He has seen so many of his family members that he has not seen for a long time. It has been good for him to be there, but I wish that I could have gone with him too. I have never been to Texas and keep hoping to go sometime but we don't have enough money.
It is a sad time for his family, but she is now out of pain. She is now able to be with her husband who died awhile ago.
So in light of this I have had the weekend off work and time to do scrapbooking. I miss him but he did need to go. He doesn't get to see his family very often since they live so far away-- his father's side of the family that is. We see his mom's family often since most of them live just an hour away.

Reflections

2009-10-24T15:14:00.003-06:00

I have spent a lot of time lately reflecting on the last few years. Life doesn't always turn out the way that you thought that it would. When I met my husband, I never would have thought that we would have moved around so much. We have moved 6 times in 4 years. We have spent time in Rexburg twice, Idaho Falls (2 different apartments- same complex because of water problems), Priest River, ID (with his grandma until she moved in with his parents, and then a small place for 2 months on our own), and last but not least the move to Coeur d'Alene, ID.
Granted each time we have been blessed, at least I think so. When we lived in Rexburg the first time just after we were married we had a good time, but we didn't have much. Charles had a good job at Artco but he also really wanted to go to school and have a degree. I don't blame him for that at all- he didn't want our kids to come up to him one day and say "Dad, why does mom have a college degree and you don't?" He has been trying to fulfill that dream ever since.
School is not easy for anyone but for Charles and I it has been harder than I think we both thought it would be. Currently he is in School and North Idaho College.
Jobs have never been very easy to find the best ones to take care of the family. Now we are both looking close to home, but no luck yet.
Sometimes I wonder and ask myself quite often--"Is marriage really as hard as it is for us the same way for everyone else?" The answer I always find is yes. I don't know of a single marriage out there that has not ever had problems or trials to go through.
Marriage is worth everything to me and I would follow my husband to the end of the earth. Just like members of the church follow the Savior. The scripture that talks about marriage being likened unto Christ as the head and the church as the body. So is marriage the same way. Just thoughts on life and how I pray the Lord will bless us as we look to him to pass through the trials of this life.

Life in Coeur D'Alene, ID

2009-10-11T19:23:00.002-06:00

So we have lived in our new place for 3 weeks, and it is still a mess of boxes. That is the reason why there are no picutres yet. I have been traveling to work still in Ponderay (Sandpoint) Idaho and it takes at least an hour to get there. Hopefully soon I will be able to find something new.
For now, I have a job at least but it takes me away from my family too long. Not much time to write so I will have to conclude with the gospel is true!!!! I am so happy to be in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am so blessed to be sealed to my husband in the Temple! The Book of Mormon is true. Jesus Christ lives!!!!

Moving is not so much fun....

2009-09-26T13:26:00.002-06:00

We just moved to Coeur d'Alene. Charles started school at North Idaho College and we moved so he is within 2 miles of the school. This elminates the amount of gas we will be using. However I will still be traveling to Ponderay- to work at Wal-Mart. Until I can transfer to Post Falls Wal-Mart which is about 15 minutes from our new apartment. I will add picures of the move later on when we actually have a home that is not covered in boxes. :)
For anyone who may like to have our new address here it is:
951 W Emma Ave Apt #48
Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
Our phones are still the same since they are cell phones. It makes it nice for me while I am traveling just in case I need to get a hold of someone.
We just wanted to let everyone know what we are up to now. Like I said more will follow later.

August, .... almost over

2009-08-23T22:33:00.003-06:00

Over the last few weeks a lot has happened. We received two tickets to Silverwood Amusement Park and used them on one of the only days that I had off before he starts school. It rained while we were there and made the day cooler than we had hoped for. We played in the waterpark and went on the rides. We had a really fun day and wished the rain would have stayed away.
Then the next day we spent with his family helping his Grandma Holley out around her house. I got to watch the little children and take care of the youngest girl who was 7 weeks old. She was so cute and fun to hold. She is the newest daughter for Charles' older sister, Val.
That night (Saturday 15th) we went to a Baseball game in Spokane and it was nice weather until the 5th inning. Then the rain came down and put a temporary game delay for about 20 minutes or so. We still enjoyed the game and the spokane Indians won the game anyway.
The last week has been filled with work and Charles getting things set for school shich starts on the 24th--Tomorrow!!!! For now he will have to commute until we can find a place down there.
I have been reading the blogs of my friends and have noticed that a lot of life changes have been taking place- babies, divorce, finishing school, and all kinds of other things. It is amazing where life takes us. No matter what we must trust in the Lord and follow His ways to find the true happiness that we were all born to find.
May the best friends stick beside all of us and keep us in prayers.
Crazy how another month of 2009 is almost over.

Life is always about change

2009-08-16T20:27:00.003-06:00

Well we have had an eventful week. Charles has applied for college at North Idaho College and he is in. He starts at the end of this month and since it is in Coeur d'Alene we will be moving there so he does not need to drive over a hour everyday. We just found a cute home but we will need to find one there. Enough said for now. So we are excited for him but also kind of sad that we are moving yet again.

4 Years of Marriage

2009-08-02T22:33:00.005-06:00

Reflecting on my time with my husband- On Wednesday August 5th is our 4 year anniversary. It has gone by fast at times and it has been hard at times. On the other hand we have had some really wonderful times and I would not trade our marriage for anything in this world...actually I would not trade it for anything at all!!!!!
Four years ago we were preparing to be sealed in the salt lake temple. I still remember the way he looked at me as we were in the celestial room prior to our sealing-- the happiness and love that I felt from him and for him will last an eternity!!!! I will let you know the fun things that we do to celebrate--Don't worry it will all be clean!!! :)
However after 4 years of marriage, the one thing that we have desired the whole time is to have childern!! We have run into medical problems and still keep praying. I guess that the Lord has His own time for us to have children, but I hope it is soon. I want to be a mom so badly!!! I hear of friends and family who are pregnant and I am excited for them, but I also hope to be pregnant too. Congrats to all who have had kids over the last few years and to all those who are pregnant now. It is a wonderful thing to have happen in marriage.

Living in our new place

2009-08-02T22:28:00.002-06:00

There are a few things that I miss from other places we have lived. We do not have internet, at this time at least, since we can not afford to pay for it yet. It came included in our rent for every other place that we have lived. So now we have to make do by going to his parents house, or some place that has wifi. Also we do not have a dishwasher, but that is not a big deal since most of our marriage we have done the dishes in the sink.
Another thing that we miss is cable- we enjoyed watching the Disney channel, Hallmark Channel and some of our favorite tv shows such as: Touched by an Angel, Walker Texas Ranger, Hanana Montana, and disney movies that were on. But there again it is not a big deal but it is nice to have it when you can.
Other than that we love our new place and hope to be there for awhile.

Moving...Again!!!

2009-08-02T22:12:00.004-06:00

So in July we found out that Charles' Grandma had a prompting to rent out her house. This meant that we needed to find a new place to live. There are not too many places around Priest River to rent but when you pray there is a way to find something to meet the needs that you have. So we heard about a little blue apartment to rent and went to look at it. Here is what we saw!!!

We thought that we would have a little more time before we moved out of his grandma's basement but we ended up all moving on July 24 and 25 to two different places. Grandma moved in with Charles' parents and we moved to the little blue house on Hwy 57 (9th St). It is just north of Priest River High school. In one week it is all set up. Here are the pictures of what it looked like while we were unpacking- which Charles did most of while I was working at wal-Mart.

June- Is it really summer??

2009-07-04T12:37:00.002-06:00

During the month of June, it rained a lot!!!! It was just right temprature wise, but it seemed constantly to just rain day after day. I felt like we were in Seattle or Portland. :)

I kept working at Wal-Mart and finally at the end of the month feel like I am doing pretty good at my job. There is still a lot that I need to learn in order to be a really good technician. Charles began a new job that we hope will turn into a career for him--with Vector Marketing. He calls friends and family to set up a time to show them Cutco knvies. He has already sold to a few friends and family. It is not easy to call people to set up appointments but he hopes to do well at this job.

In the mean time we were with his family for 6 Northwoods shows. His dad is the director and co-founder for Northwoods Performing Arts and they put on a show to celebrate 25 years of performing shows for the community. I was there 5 out of the 6 shows to take pictures and Charles was there to video each show. The only reason why I missed one of the shows was that I worked until 7pm and it started at 7:30. It takes me 30 minutes just to drive home from Sandpoint so I decided to just come home and relax.

It was a really good show and very funny at times. I would like to share a few pictures with you. Enjoy!!!

Mother's Day, Memorial Day and May fun

2009-07-04T12:16:00.005-06:00

During the month of May we continued to enjoy life here. At the very end of April I was hired on to work at Wal-Mart as a Pharmacy Technician. I was very excited and very overwhelmed at what I would now be doing as a job. During May I worked full time and continued to learn all that I need to know. I am happy to be back in the pharmacy again. Charles worked odd jobs around town and earned what money he could as he has been searching for a full time job.

For Mother's Day we went to church and my husband got me a card to remind me how nice I am. I look forward to do the day when I will be called mom!!!

I made my husband his favorite kind of cookies and even made a special one just for him. Here is a picture of what I made and he enjoyed it very much.
On the 16th of May we were able to drive to Couer'd Alene to see my sister Christine. She came with a choir group from the Boise Institute to sing for a tour. We were able to see her for a few minutes after the program--which was really good. We had not seen her since December and it was nice to see her again.

Memorial day was spent with my husband's family. It began in the cemetery to remember those who have died for our country. There was a 21 gun salute to honor them. We also put flowers by the headstones of his family members. There are quite a few in the Priest River cemetery. That night we had a Barbeque and enjoyed gametime together. It was a nice day!! IT did not even rain which was really nice.

My husband and the movie theater...

2009-07-04T11:57:00.003-06:00

He loves to go see movies. So we always make sure we have a little extra to go out on a date once or twice a month to satisfy his desire to be in the theater. Here is what we have seen in the last 2 months.
Hannah Montana: The Movie
It was a really good movie. It really got me thinking about how our life is just climbing up a mountain. We have ups and downs but the view is always great when we reach the top. On the other hand even during the times when we are going down we can still find the beauty in life...we just have to know where to find it.

Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian
This was a really funny movie. The first Night at the Museum was really funny as the museum came to life. This time it took place in Washington DC at the Smithsonian Museum, which is huge.... I can not even imagine what it would be like to have everything come to life there since there is so much that people see there. Needless to say it was a really funny movie.

17 Again
This one was really good. (Ok so all of these are really good) It is about a man who was struggling with his life and wanted to go back and do things over again. He made the wish and became 17 for the second time and went back to high school.

Of course we could have seen lots more movies but we chose to go to a few since it is so expensive every time we go.
We are looking forward to seeing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2 weeks. I have read all the books and we have seen all the movies. I am excited to see what they put into the movie.

Catching up on our life

2009-07-04T11:34:00.005-06:00

Life in Priest River has kept us busy!!! In April I was working for the U.S. Census Buerau as a Crew Leader Assistant. I was able to drive around our area and see where people live. The job was basically to help out the crew leader, while verifying addresses so that the census can be mailed out next year. That's right it is almost time to count how many people live in the Unisted States. It happens once every 10 years and I was able to help out with it this time. Here are a few pictures from what I saw.
This picture shows the snowy mountain tops that I saw since we live practically in the middle of the mountains. Well, close enough at least. I went to houses in the following cities: Priest River, LaClede, Sagle, Priest Lake, and Oldtown. It was a lot of fun and I am glad that I had the chance to do it.
This is Settlement School that is off of East Settlement Road here in Priest River. I thought it was cool to see the history that is here. It was used in the early 1900's.

This picture shows what one family had as you left their house. I just thought it was really funny that it is a buzzard who says goodbye to all who come to visit.
The final picture shows the badge that I wore to identify myself as I went from house to house. Unfortunately We had to give the badge back so I only have this picture of it.

Tammy's 29th birthday on March 25th

2009-04-04T16:21:00.005-06:00

On March 25th I started my new job by filling out lots of paperwork. I am now working for the Government by checking addresses for the 2010 Census. I spent 6 hours of my birthday having my fingerprints done, filling out paperwork, being sworn in, and earning over $12 an hour. What a nice present.

Afterwards I let Charles choose where to take me for dinner, since he wanted to spoil me. I guess it was a celebration for my new job too. He took me to Rancho Allegre- a mexican resturant. The food was very good and filling. Here are pictures to show you all of our food.

Then we spent the night playing games with his family and I got to open presents. I received $20, scrapbook paper, photo corners, sheet protectors, 2 3" binders, game, 2 dvds, photo album, and several cards. It was a great day because of a wonderful husband who helped me to feel special.

Painting the set

2009-04-04T16:15:00.002-06:00

Since Charles' family has been doing plays for years at the Circle Moon Theater. Before the play or musical several people from the group have the chance to go clean the building, and get the set ready for the next show. This time since we have moved up here we were able to help get the set ready for the show. Charles painted stars and clouds all over the background of the set. I got to create a rock arch on two of the entrances on the stage. We were both told to be creative and have fun. I think we did just what they wanted, what do you think? They told us it looks great!!!!

Fun weekend

2009-04-04T16:08:00.004-06:00

March had many suprises in it and this is the first one. Charles sister Ginny and her family came during the middle of the month to spend some time up here. While they were here Ginny made a cake for me for my birthday since she would not be here on my actual birthday. We also had a family dinner while they were here. The cake shown here is the one Ginny made for me. The other picture was taken while we were watching a movie. Her son Boyd got down on the floor and copied Tommy's position on the floor. It was just so cute that we couldn't resist not taking the picture.

Spoiled...with love and roses

2009-04-04T16:00:00.003-06:00

Charles bought me these roses just because he wanted to spoil me. And because I have been so wonderful to him as we have struggled up in Priest River. These roses had two different colors or red in them and they were absolutely beautiful!!
I am grateful to have such a wonderful husband, even during the times we struggle. All marriages seem to have struggles so at least we know we are not alone in having them. He sure does like to do nice things for me.

Lacey's Baptism- Feb 28, 2009

2009-03-17T12:30:00.006-06:00

Before the baptism this picture was taken of Lacey's family. Valarie and LD are so pleased with her decision to be baptized.

Lacey will be baptized by her dad, LD. This is one of my favorite pictures taken before the baptism.

Lacey asked her grandparents and older sister, Faith to sing. They did a wonderful job. Faith sang the first verse by herself and then the grandparents joined in.

These two pictures were taken after the baptism. The first one is Valarie, Lacey and LD. The second one is all of the family that came to support Lacey as she was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After the baptism part of the family went to Shari's for dinner. Here are pictures of all of us waiting to order our food. We had a great time.

Our Trip to Lewiston, ID

2009-03-17T12:13:00.003-06:00

We went for a drive to Lewiston for the weekend. Okay, so it was a planned trip due to a baptism for one of our neices, Lacey. She turned 8 in January and was baptized on February 28. Mom and Dad Caldwell were going there for the baptism and we asked if we could go with them.

The afternoon was filled with fun in the backyard with a lot of kids. We played tag with a ball, jumped on a tramp, and the kids even went down a zip line. Needless to say it was a lot of fun. The baptism was that night and Lacey was beautiful all dressed in white. On Sunday morning we drove back to Priest River so that we could attend church in our own ward. Here are some of the pictures from the great weekend we had.

Friendly deer? Maybe

2009-02-22T13:33:00.003-07:00

In the last 6 weeks I have seen more deer than I would normally see during the winter months. Sometimes we will be driving down the road to come back home, and there will be 6 deer just going along on the road. We have to drive really slow so that we do not hit any of them. In fact I have been told that the deer hit the cars more often than a car actually hits a deer. Here are a few pictures to show you what I mean.

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-14T13:55:00.005-07:00

Today was a great day to be happy for what you have. I chose to do something special for my husband to let him know how mush I care.

I made breakfast for him and brought it to him in bed. It was his most favorite breakfast--French Toast, and I added scrambled eggs and bacon to go with it.

Then I decorated our home with lots of red and hearts. We spent the day together just enjoying each other's company. We didn't have much to give each other since money is tight and family has been helping us tremendously.

That night we went to a dance that was with the Priest River ward (our ward) and Newport ward. It was so much fun to be with lots of people just enjoying time together. There was a lot of food, dancing, and even a pinata.

Hidden blessing

2009-01-27T13:02:00.003-07:00

I have been reading blogs of my friends to see what is going on in their lives and have learned so much about little kids- especially boys. Most of my friends have little boys, so I guess when we finally have a boy we will have lots of people to turn to for advice.
There are several friends of ours who happen to be pregnant and we are excited for each of you. On the up side of things, we have come to understand why it has been so hard for us to get pregnant. I learned last month that I have a small growth in my pituitary gland (aka a tumor) that has been messing with my hormones and making it harder for me to get pregnant. There is a medication which will help me to get rid of the tumor and help me have a normal cycle. So I have begun taking the medication and I am hoping that it will ease my headaches too. I know that the Lord will bless us with a child at the right time, regardless of how long we have been desiring to have one.

Here is our new home

2009-01-08T21:10:00.003-07:00

Here are pictures of where we are living until we can get back on our own feet again. It snowed when we moved things in and that made it a lot of fun. NOT!!!

These 2 pictures show what the downstairs looks like. We have a nice bedroom, dining area/ computer area, and a TV room. We share the laundry area and the kitchen with Grandma but we are happy to do so.

Moving to Priest River, ID

2009-01-08T20:52:00.003-07:00

So we began a new year in a new place, at least it is new to me. Charles actually grew up in Priest River throughout his teenage years. I have been here a few times throughout our marriage so I know a little of the area but no where near like I will now. We are invited by his grandma to come live with her as we get out of debt. We drove up on December 31, 2008 and unloaded the truck on the 1st of January. The trip up here was not my most favorite because of the roads. Around Missoula, Montana we found snow and the roads were not so great. The last mountain pass we went through was dry and we were all very thankful for that. It was a long drive, especially when we drove both cars up on our own and Charles' dad drove the truck up with all of our stuff in it. So for 12 hours we were in our own vehicle hoping for nice roads to drive on.

These pictures show the beauty that we saw on the way up to Priest River. We were very happy to make it by 8pm and then we were off to a New Year's Eve party with his family. We stayed up til the ball dropped at midnight and we even played games for the entire night. We were very tired and grateful to be there safely. We had help to unload the truck the next morning. Then we had to unpack things and decide where to put things to make the downstairs our new home.

Christmas was wonderful

2008-12-27T20:18:00.003-07:00

Charles and I woke up at 8am on Christmas morning. The one present that I had hoped to receive was answered in a unique way by a loving Father in Heaven. After the last few months of trials we have received blessings many times in the last month. On the 17th of December, we had a knock on our door. When we opened the door we found sacks with food and presents just for us. We were richly blessed by some angels in our ward. The presents we were asked not to open until Christmas morning. There was one gift that was for me which had an explanation on it that puzzled me when I first opened it. It was chosen just for me but the person who picked it out did not know why it was to be given to me, however, they were led by the spirit as they bought it. The gift helped me to remember that He really does answer prayers and He does love us. (The top two pictures show the secret santa gifts that were left at our doorstep.) We have no idea who gave them to us but we are very grateful for those who thought of us.

We opened lots of gifts together and had fun seeing the piles of wrapping paper when we were done. There were DVD's, clothes, socks, candy, and things that were needed. We watched the Walt Disney World Parade on TV and just hung out together. During the evening we enjoyed the company of friends in our ward who had invited us over for dinner. It was a wonderful dinner and we had fun playing Phase 10, which I was stuck on phase 7 for 8 hands. I just couldn't seem to get 2 sets of 4. It was a great time anyway, even if I could not get past that phase until someone won the game. (The 2 pictures on the side show all of the gifts that we received from friends and family.)
We had a white Christmas, since it has been snowing so much lately. It even snowed on Christmas Day and we walked over to our friends apartment in about 6 inches of snow. We hope that your Christmas was as wonderful as ours was. This picture of Charles is one of my favorites. The Afghan was made by his mom and he was so excited to finally have it.

Lots of Snow

2008-12-27T20:13:00.004-07:00

I suspect that there are lots of our friends and family that may have more snow than we do in Rexburg but there is a lot. It seems like it will not stop snowing. We have huge piles everywhere as the plows have pushed the snow together to clear roads and parking lots. When I said there was a lot of snow I was not kidding. The pictures that are with this post show how much snow we really have in Rexburg.

My car even was burried in snow. We had to move some of the snow that was near my car just to move it. Then once we moved my car we found a plow to clear the parking space where I park my car.
It has been crazy just to drive around Rexburg. All the snow you see in these pictures came from storms just in the last few weeks.

We are getting things all packed up and we have decided that we do not want to move in the winter again. Hopefully that will be true and we will never have to move when there is tons of snow on the ground.

Unexpected move...

2008-12-20T20:00:00.003-07:00

Crazy as it sounds we are going to be moving to start out a new year. Because of the trials over the last few months we have been offered to live with Charles' grandma in Priest River, Idaho and we have decided that it was the best thing for us to do. So for awhile we will be living in Northern Idaho until we have our finances more stable. We will be living near his family so they will be able to know me a little better than they do now. It should be an adventure.
Since I have been living in Eastern Idaho for 5 years, most of that time spent in Rexburg, it is not very easy to leave a place that I have grown to love so much. A lot has happened during the last 5 years as I have lived here: found a great man to marry, graduated with a bachelor's degree, made many friends, and have had many memories that will not be forgotten. Now it is time for another adventure to begin.

This blog needs to be more hightech

2008-12-13T19:26:00.003-07:00

I have spent a little itme looking at other's blogs and realized that ours is too plain. So in light of this I need some help from each of you. I need to learn how to use a new layout becuase I just want to do something different for each month of the year. So if you have any sugestions please let me know either through here or through email.
I would like to add more pictures throughout the whole page and change the background.
thanks for your help.

Trials do make us stronger

2008-12-12T13:09:00.002-07:00

Trials really do make us stronger- Right???
Well I have learned that sometimes when it rains it pours. In October Charles became sick- His skin turned yellow and he didn't have any energy. He was diagnosed with jaundice with an unknown cause. There were many tests run including a CT scan, ultrasound, and lots of blood tests. After a few weeks the doctor told us that he had Mono. He had to drop all of his classes even though he was doing so well. During the time he was sick he had no energy and could not work or go to school. Now he is doing a lot better.
It seems that sometimes trials come in sets. This is the case for us. Around Thanksgiving I began having a lot of back pain on the right side and the right side in the front was in pain too. I went to 2 different doctors and neither one told me that it was anything besides a missed period and I was not pregnant. Finally I went to the ER and learned that I could not work for 4 days until I could see another doctor. There were many tests that I went through, CT scan, w-rays and finally an ultrasound. the ER doctor was concerned that I may have a kidney stone. I did not and so I was given some medication. On December 3 I went in to see the specialist and learned that I had a 9cm by 6 cm mass close to my right ovary. He told me I needed to have surgery.
On the 9th I had surgery to remove the mass. Apparently it was caused by endometriosis and that is probably the reason why we have not been able to have a child yet.
To top it all of Charles' last grandpa passed away this week and he went with his sister up to Priest River, Id for the funeral.
After all of thses trials I hope that the Lord will provide us with blessings. He is always so good to us. I hope that others who are in the middle of trials will keep moving forward and look for the good during the really hard times.

Weekend with family

2008-12-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

We spent most of the weekend in Blackfoot, Idaho. Charles' parents and grandma came down from Priest River Idaho to spend Thanksgiving with 3 of their kids. We spent Thanksgiving day at his sister Ginny's home for dinner and games. Of course we had all the traditional foods to eat- turkey, potatoes and gravy, stuffing, yams, pies and lots of rolls. (The above pictures show the table setting for dinner and the boys playing games. Tommy and Kenneth are playing chess. Dad, Charles, and Nate are watching to see who wins. Tommy won of course.)We had a lot of fun together as a family. Friday was a long day of shopping in the morning and getting a free snowglobe from JcPenny. It was fun to see all the crazy people who have been waiting for the doors to open to the stores. On Saturday we went to see the Pharoh's exhibit at the Idaho Museum in Idaho Falls. It was a unique exhibit. We had hoped to go bowling as a family, but there were to many who were in pain to go. That is the reason why we went to the museum. We drove down to Blackfoot for more time as a family. We played a game- Apples to Apples- which was a lot of fun, and had thanksgiving leftovers.

Happy Holidays 2008

2008-12-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

We wish everyone a happy holiday season!!!
We decieded to take time and create a blog to share with all of our friends and family. We want to keep everyone posted from time to time on what we are up to.
Charles and I are in Rexburg Idaho so that Charles can attend BYU-Idaho. We are ready for Christmas and are enjoying the Christmas movies that we love to watch. So here goes the creation of our family blog.