Oh please oh please oh please

So we're flying from Salt Lake City to Chicago tomorrow. Supposedly. The weather forecast shows storms in Chicago and some snow in Salt Lake, so I'm a little worried about our arrival. Walt's dad is driving 3 hours to come pick us up, and his sisters are flying into Chicago from Phoenix, so if the weather doesn't cooperate, this could be a very interesting trip. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Tagged - 8 Things About Me

8 TV Shows I Like
Andy of Mayberry
Brady Bunch
Little House on the Prairie
Muppet Show
Cosby Show
(I know, these are all re-runs, but they're so good!)

We get one channel, so this is about it.

8 Things I Did Yesterday

threw up
took a nap
ate a piece of bread
threw up again
took a nap
ate pretzels
x-stitched
watched Nora's Christmas Gift with Walt

(I was sick)

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To

A pizza and movie party at our house tonight for the young men
The BYU bowl game on Saturday

Christmas with Walt's family!
Music and the Spoken word on Sunday (we're going)
Finding out the gender of our baby (first week of February)
Not working next week
Showing more so I can feel justified in wearing maternity clothes (even though I'm already wearing them)
Watching The Tale of Despereaux

8 of My Favorite Places to Eat

P.F. Changs
Mimi's Cafe
Red Robin
Panda Express
Zupas
Pier 49 pizza
McDonalds for their sausage biscuit (I'm a sucker for those!)
Grandma's house

8 Things I Wish For

I wish for the ability to enjoy and appreciate every stage of life and every experience as it comes before it goes. I'm working on that. I think that's worth 8 things right there.

Feel free to do this if you want - I'm not tagging anyone. Better yet, just comment on anything we have in common!

All I Want For Christmas Is Maternity Clothes :)

That's right! Johnson baby #1 is due June 25, 2008. I'm in week 12 and feeling great! No morning sickness, just a little tired and HUNGRY. We're very excited and feeling so blessed.

I've Been Tagged!

Here are the rules:
1. Go to your pictures.
2. Upload the 4th photo from the 4th folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag your friends.

(For those who may not know...as far as I understand, when you are "tagged" you follow the instructions given by the person that tagged you and then you "tag" other friends who have blogs.)

This is Walt as a 1 year old in Saint Louis. Pretty much everything about this picture is adorable and also gives away a lot about his age. :) I think the no shirt thing is brilliant for babies eating. Think how much easier clean-up must be!

I tag Crystal Ross and Candy Maxfield.

Lessons From Thanksgiving Dinner

Can I just say Thanksgiving was sooooo fun?! As far as dinner preparations, overall things went pretty smoothly. Especially considering we had 20 people here, most of whom brought part of the meal and needed kitchen space or appliances to complete the finishing touches. We joked about how many cooks we could FIT in the kitchen, and for the last hour or two before we ate it was not uncommon to have 5-6 of us in the cooking area. When we were preparing the turkey I couldn't find the gizzards, which I wanted for the soup. I couldn't believe someone had left the gizzards out of our turkey. It took me about 5 minutes to remember that there are two holes in the bird, and they were in the other one. The biggest oops I made was doing the candied yams (never done those before). I put a nice solid layer of large marshmallows on top of the yams, put a lid on, and stuck them in the oven alongside the stuffing. About 30 minutes later someone smelled smoke. We opened the oven and found that marshmallows expand in heat and had spilled over the top of the container onto the floor of the oven, sparking a fire in the back left corner. Next time we'll put just a few marshamallows on, then spread them. We'll also put foil in the bottom of the oven to make clean up easier. But those were really the only things that went wrong. All the food was delicious, everyone enjoyed each other's company, there was lots of laughter and talk and games, and I can't wait to do it all again next year.

Thanksgiving

There is so much to be grateful for:

fresh fruit
family
cell phones
internet
variety in our diets
heating
hot water
hot husband
nice neighbors
piano
two cars
fridge/freezer
health
vitamins
BYU football
sewing machine
CD player
pets
queen size bed
garbage services
right to vote
lawn mowers
weather forecasts
books/ability to read
washing machine
fun holidays to look forward to
pens
cute paper

This isn't even the tip of the iceberg. I could go on and on. We're so blessed. I hope I will never forget the source of all my blessings and be quick to recognize them.

Weekend With Walt

There's some good alliteration for you. It was such a fun weekend because I just hung out with Walt the whole time. Friday night we ran some random errands together, including finding a birthday gift for his dad (this was accomplished by walking up and down the tool isles in Sears for about 30 minutes - not bad actually. And Walt was able to point out his wishlist for the next three years, so it was a very efficient trip.) Then we came home and played Backgammon before bed. Saturday we went running together, went to the temple, then cleaned the house while we listened to the BYU football game. Saturday night we ate dinner and watched Stephen Hawking's Universe video (well okay, I fell asleep while Walt watched).

We will be having all of my family over for Thanksgiving dinner. This means I'm cooking the turkey. Anyone have tips for the cooking of the turkey?

Beautiful November

Hard to believe it's November with the weather we've been having. It's beautiful! Tuesday was Walt's birthday, so we invited about 35 of our friends over to the church to carve pumpkins and celebrate. Just kidding, it was Mutual night. We did the carving outside in the pavilion and had a bonfire on Walt's portable fire pit. Walt is well into his 30's now - 31!! :)

Friday night Alan, Liz and Lilli spent the night, and we stayed up until 1:00 in the morning playing Settlers of Catan. It feels great to be spontaneous sometimes and throw caution to the wind! Live on the edge! Forget the consequences tomorrow! :) It's been forever since I stayed up that late playing games. So fun!

For Halloween my 8-months pregnant sister-in-law Sarah dressed all in black, taped a white circle with an 8 on it to her tummy and carried a cue stick around. She was an 8 ball! I loved it. I was really boring and just wore orange and black. I'm not very good at the whole costume thing. But I love looking at everyone else's costumes!

Spooky sound effects

We're getting excited about having trick-or-treaters on Halloween because Walt is rigging a system where sound effects are triggered by people walking up to our house (a hooting owl), ringing the doorbell (a moaning ghost), us opening the door (a loud creak) and us closing the door (a goofy voice saying Happy Halloween). We tried to pick sound effects that aren't too scary, but enough to get some blood pumping. :)

Silbling Sleepover

This weekend was the 1st Annual Graden Sibling Sleepover. It was kind of last minute. Monday night Bry and Sarah were here for dinner and FHE and we were talking and realizing that three of us would be on Fall Break that week, Bryan would finish the 3rd of his 4 accounting tests on Saturday morning, 5 of us have October birthdays, and all of this called for some kind of major celebration! Everyone jumped on board and all six siblings were here at our house Saturday night with spouses and kids, making a total of 14.5 of us (Sarah is due in 6 weeks)! Everyone arrived around 6:30, and we ate pizza and talked and laughed and played King, Queen, Beggar until we felt like going to bed. Jon and Heather ended up going back home for the night, but the rest were here. The nieces all slept in our den, all our bedrooms were full, and one couple was on the family room floor. Definitely worth repeating. Good memories!

Month of Birthdays

Today is my brother's birthday and my step-mom's birthday. Next week is my Dad's birthday and my step-brother's birthday. The next week is my nephew's birthday, my sister-in-law's birthday, and Walt's birthday. Walt has another nephew due on Monday, so that will make 8 birthdays in October! It's almost like Christmas for all the people I need to think about and do something for. It's so fun! (But a little hard on the budget).

This week on Thursday and Friday is a big conference for the Utah Association of School Psychologists. I sit on the state board for that organization and co-chair the conference committee, so it has been a big deal, and I'll be glad when it's over. To be honest, several other members of the committee have done way more for it than I have since they all work together in Salt Lake and have done these conference before, and I'm new and kind of out of the way in Provo. I've learned a lot about organizing a big event, though. There are so may details to work out, and so many expenses to consider. Wow.

Fire Pit

Walt's friend Jon gave him a big sheet of currugated metal to make a fire pit. Walt bought a pipe, cut it in half, screwed it onto the ends of the metal for support, put the whole thing on 4 cinder blocks, and Wahlah (sp?)! We have a portable fire pit (well, more of a fire platform). On Friday we put it on our back patio, built a fire on it, and watched a movie on our laptop in front of the fire. Now that's a hot date. :)

I'm trying to think of an alternative to candy to give out at Halloween this year. Has anyone tried giving out anything else or heard of other good ideas? I've thought about fun pencils, but that's all that has come to mind so far.

We Have Vacancy & 43 Things To Do On Sunday

My cousin Rachel and her husband Buddy just moved into their new apartment at Wymount by BYU. They'd been living with us for several weeks until their contract opened up. So once again, the Johnson Hotel has vacancy. Let us know if you want to come stay with us! :)

Walt was out of town all week, so I had a girls night with Sarah, my sister-in-law where we made fajitas and played Scrabble. Then I had a girls night with Sarah and my cousin Katie at Katie's apartment where we made pizza and watched Penelope. Fun! Walt came back late Friday, and boy was I glad to see him!

Thanks to all of you who contributed ideas about Sabbath activities. I've got quite a list now of activities for adults (and some for kids) that help keep the day holy. So in case anyone else wants ideas, here it is:

Read scriptures
Read church magazines
Prepare lessons (church, FHE, VT/HT)
Prepare talks
Listen to conference CDs
Watch church videos
Play appropriate songs on piano, other instruments
Sing church songs
Have gospel discussions
Take walks with family
Visit the sick
Do extraction work
Work on Personal Progress/Duty to God
Visiting/Home Teaching
Have couples over for dinner, singing, games
Write in Journal
Call family, friends
Write letters to missionaries, family
Attend block of church meetings
Attend other church meetings – presidency meetings, BYC, etc.
Attend Firesides
Learn to lead hymns
Read Sunday School/Priesthood/RS lesson readings
Family History Research
Take a drive up the canyon
Walk on the temple grounds
Fast
Pay tithing, fast offering
Update blog
Discuss what you learned in church
Listen to Music and the Spoken Word
Watch re-broadcasts of devotionals, etc. on KBYU
Label, organize family pictures
Have Companionship Inventory
Hold a Family Council
Write Thank You notes
Memorize scriptures, hymns, poems
Stay a little dressed up
Listen to hymns, classical music
Make a Treat and Take it to Someone
Take a nap
Organize church files – quotes, old talks, notes, etc.
Prepare future FHE materials/lessons

No Go

So we found out that our latest round of In Vitro did not work out. Sigh. We're not sure where we'll go from here. Still thinking about it. It was very disappointing, but I know things will work out somehow. I've got to just trust God on this one. Beth (my sister) told me that my nieces, Jocelyn-10 and Jessica-8, fasted for the first time a couple weeks ago, and they wanted to fast for us. That was such a sweet sacrifice that meant so much to us. We've really appreciated the support from all of you. It has been such a blessing.

Go Cougs!

Wow! We attended the BYU-UCLA football games yesterday, and WOW is the only word for it. UCLA couldn't seem to do anything right. It was uncanny. The final score was BYU - 59, UCLA -0. I felt sorry for the ROTC because every time there is a touchdown or field goal, they do as many pushups as we have points. So if I did the math right, they ended up doing 255 pushups. I can barely do 10!

Our tomatoes are coming on strong, and I'm not sure what to do with them all. If anyone has a good salsa or spaghetti sauce or tomato soup recipe, I'd love to collect some. Sometime I'll learn to can tomatoes as well, but I'm not quite comfortable trying that on my own yet.

Princess Day and Sunday Activities

We just returned from Boise again, where two blastocysts were transferred (implanted) into me. Blastocysts are more developed embryos with more cells. I am to be on bed rest for the next two days to give them a good chance to attach, so Walt has been so attentive and sweet, not letting me do hardly anything. He's cooking breakfast right now. I am allowed to sit on the couch or at the table, and I can shower (whew!). They call these two days of bed rest my "Princess Days". Luckily I only have to endure two days of it, but already I can tell that if this is what princesses do (or don't do), I want no part in it! :) There is a 60% chance that one of the blastocycsts will attach and result in a pregnancy, so we're praying hard.

So I'm compiling a list for my personal benefit of Sabbath appropriate activities that help keep a spirit of worship and reverence on Sunday. I've got most of the traditional things like write letters, write in your journal, study scriptures, etc. But I'd love more ideas. If anyone has ideas of activities they participate in on Sunday that help keep it a holy day, please let me know. I'm looking for ideas for adults, not necessarily for kids. I'll post the list in a week or so in case anyone else wants fresh ideas.

Equation for Love

In a recent email exchange between Walt and me, Walt wrote the following. I thought it was so cute and so Walt, I had to share it:

Well here is my love for you,

My love = love x infinity

Where love is the condition in which Walt’s heart is full or touched for Julie and infinity is 1/0. My love represents the total sum of love Walt feels for Julie. From this we can derive the following equation,

Julie = cute ^ (Infinity)

Where Julie is Walt’s wife. Cute is term of affection or endearment. Infinity is 1/0, or an non-measureable amount. This thesis is given as a technical guide for the geek to understand Walt’s love for Julie.

Walt

Boyz II Men

So as one of my very last Young Women Personal Progress leader goals I needed to memorize the 13th Article of Faith and attend a performance using the Article of Faith as a guide to evaluate what I saw. So I bought tickets to the annual Timpanogos Storytelling Festival tonight and took my cousin, Katie. We arrived, and they were unable to locate our tickets at the will-call desk. I told them I'd bought the tickets online several days before and received an email confirmation about it. The performance was sold out, but they said they'd trust us. So they printed us off a couple tickets, and in we went. It was packed solid with people, but we finally found a spot to spread our blanket (it was an outdoor amphitheater) and settled in to hear some great stories. We pulled out the program they'd given us, and on the front cover in all their glory was a picture of Boyz II Men. Live! Thursday, August 28th! Scera Outdoor Amphitheater! I knew there must be some mistake. Sure enough - the mistake was mine! The Storytelling Festival didn't start until the next night, and I had accidentally snuck into the sold-out Boyz II Men concert to fulfill a Personal Progress goal. Hmmm. Boyz II Men was totally in when I was in junior high and high school. We had a good laugh about it and left to get ice cream instead. We'll try again tomorrow night. :)

At It Again

We're full swing into our next In Vitro cycle. I started my shots on Wednesday, and this time around I get to have 4 a day. We'll be traveling to Boise for the main procedures this time, which will require three trips (we've already done one). This has been a motivation for me to calculate our gas mileage. I found that our truck gets about 20 mpg on the freeway, and my car gets about 31 mpg in town, which probably means more like 35-38 on the freeway. Big difference!

My brother Bryan and his wife Sarah moved out this week. They lived with us for the summer, and it was so fun. We'll miss them. We don't have anyone to play Scrabble with now. :) And Rocky (our guinea pig) isn't getting nearly as much attention as he did all summer.

I'm back at work 3 days a week (loving it!) and looking forward to babysitting my niece Lilli on Mondays while her mom does student teaching.

Walt's High Adventure Trip and De-boning Chickens

Walt returned late Friday night from a scouting High Adventure trip to the Tetons in Idaho/Wyoming. He and another leader took 9 boys (14-18 years old) on two days of hiking and one day of whitewater rafting. They had a wonderful time, and they came back a day early, which made this wife very happy. Now the girls at church are asking when they get to go whitewater rafting. Sounds fun to me! Walt has been great about organizing outdoor trips for the boys. Last fall they went mountain biking in Moab, and in May they went backpacking in Coyote Gulch. They boys learn outdoor survival and recreation skills, they learn how to pack and organize their things and how to work together to plan food for different types of trips. Lots of great skills.

On Tuesday morning Edith, a friend in our ward, came over and showed Sarah, Liz and me how to debone a chicken, lay it flat, season and prepare it and come out with a lovely and delicious rolled chicken dish! It was amazing. The poor chicken didn't stand a chance. We've been eating it for a few days, and I will try making it myself in the next couple weeks so I don't forget how. See pictures.

Summer of Family Reunions!

We have had four family reunions this summer and loved every one of them.  Last week my grandmother turned 80, and we all went to Seattle to celebrate with her.  She is spunky and energetic with naturally brown hair still.  She started a cherry pit fight with me while we were there.  :)  We also celebrated my grandparents recent 60th wedding anniversary.  While in Seattle we took a side trip to Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of Puget Sound and stayed in a cabin for a couple nights, hiking during the days and eating and playing games in the evenings.  There's nothing more fun than just spending time with family.  It was the first time all of us including Jonathan (my new step-brother) had gone somewhere together.   Yea!

Weekly Update

Monday night we hosted a neighborhood BBQ in our front yard. We provided hot dogs, water, foosball, and popsicles and asked people to bring a potluck dish to share and something to sit on. I made flyers and we distributed them to every house in our ward boundaries on Sunday. Monday night at 6:30 we were ready and people started to show up - and they didn't stop! We had almost 100 people there, with dozens of kids running around the backyard, playing foosball, playing in the cul-de-sac. We had 60 hot dogs (we got 40 people last year), and we ran out by 7:15. It was a blast! We met several families I didn't know, and I was busy the whole time talking to people, re-filling water, replenishing paper products (again!), getting ice for owies, etc. We'll definitely make this an annual tradition.

So now for our In Vitro update. We went in Tuesday morning for the egg retrieval. As I woke up from the anesthesia I heard the doctors explaining to Walt that they had gone in and retrieved all the fluid from my follicles, and not a single follicle had an egg in it. They explained that they've never had this happen in their clinic, and they've been doing this for over 10 years. This puts us back at square one, starting over with the rounds of shots (at their highest dose this time) and things to try one more time in September.  I have had several moments of intense sadness about this. At the same time I realized that there are two reasons I've wanted to do In Vitro. My number one reason is to show God that I'm willing to do all I can to have a family because I believe family is one of his great purposes for us.  My second reason is to become pregnant so we can start our family. So even though a pregnancy didn't happen for us this time, my first reason for doing In Vitro was accomplished. If my second reason isn't met through this process, I have faith that it will be met through some other way at some other time. 

We had an absolutely delightful (though quick) trip to Cedar City for a Stevenson family reunion last week. There we surprised Beth, Jocelyn, and Jessica with a trip to Seattle to celebrate Grandma's 80th Birthday and stay on Orcas Island with our immediate family (see picture). It was a big surprise, and we can't wait for the trip. We orchestrated everything through Randy.

We went camping for the 4th of July! Walt and I love camping. We hardly had any neighbors, and there was an outhouse and water spigot right across the road, so it was luxury camping.

I started my in vitro shots last Wednesday. I have three a day to give myself, and to be honest, they aren't too bad. If you jab yourself fast and hard enough it doesn't even hurt. The problem is, there is something built in to your body that tells you it isn't okay to stab yourself. So if I think about it too long, my hand won't do it. My tummy is getting tender because the big shots leave bruising. There is just so much fluid to push in there. This week I'll have three ultrasounds to see if my body is producing the right amount of eggs for the egg retrieval.

Summer Half Over!!

We've been enjoying every minute of summer, especially now that my brother Bryan and his wife Sarah are living with us.  Fun!

Our patio is done in the backyard, and we've had several bar-b-ques to initiate it.  It looks great!  There are three zucchini in the garden as of this morning, and the tomatoes are really taking off.  We have 6 in rows that are doing great, and five extra tomato plants have sprouted up randomly all through the garden, so we're encouraging those.  I want to have enough to can.

We're gearing up to do In Vitro soon.  As part of the medication cycle, Walt and I started taking an anti-biotic a few days ago.  Yesterday morning was the first time we remembered to take it in the morning.  We didn't want to forget, so first thing after we got up we each downed one.  About thirty minutes later I was bending over the toilet and Walt was looking green.  We learned the hard way that it should be taken with food!  We went downstairs to eat breakfast, but our stomaches were rebelling, our appetites were gone, and it was all we could do to swallow a few bites each before heading off to work.  We felt great a couple hours later, though. The whole incident was so funny!  We kept giggling about it even while we were feeling sick.  

I have a baseline ultrasound on Sunday, and my shots start on Wednesday morning.  Apparently I can give this first round of shots to myself - one in the morning and one in the evening for 10 days - in the stomach.  Lots of women do this every day.  No big deal. (right?)

We're heading down to Cedar City on Monday for the bi-annual Stevenson family reunion.  I love those.  We stay in the dorms on SUU campus and hang out together.        

Illinois Reunion

We got back on Monday from a Johnson family reunion in Illinois with all of Walt's siblings (there are 6 kids). It was so fun! We wished we could have had many more days together. The first several days of our trip was spent at Walt's Dad's house with Anna and Charlotte. We did some yard work and cleaned out the storage room. We also got all the boxes of things belonging to the kids and went through them. It was fun to find Walt's baby book and some grade school assignments and high school year books. I wonder if we would have liked each other if we'd known each other in high school.

The second part of the trip was spent in Nauvoo, Illinois, where Andy and Stan's families met us. Jim's family drove down, too, so we were all there. We toured the old city and learned a lot about life in the days of the early pioneers. We toured the Jonathan Browning gun shop (Walt and I are both related to him), visited the brickyard, blacksmith shop and bakery, and spent time in the Pioneer Pastimes area (playing pioneer games) and the Family Living Center where they showed us how to make rope and candles, how to weave. etc. We took two wagon rides and watched a short video about the temple before taking pictures in front of the temple. Lastly we walked the Trail of Hope where all the pioneers lined up to wait their turn to cross the Mississippi, hoping that the new life ahead would finally be free from the intense persecution they'd endured in Missouri and Illinois. They could look back and see their temple up on the hill, and I'm sure it was somewhat discouraging to think of all the work they put into it only to have to leave. I am so thankful for their faith that God's promises would one day be fulfilled.

We went to Carthage Jail on the way home, which is always a solemn and reverent experience. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.

School Year Ends

Yeah for summer break! I'm a little burned out with work, so this will be such a welcome break! Walt and I have three family reunions to attend this summer - in Illinois, Cedar City, and Seattle. What a great way to spend the summer.

The other thing we're really excited about is the new patio we have in the backyard. It is a 14 x 16 foot slab. We prepared the ground by cutting away the sod, digging the dirt down, and moving the sprinkler control box over about 10 feet. Then a crew came and poured it yesterday, and today it is hard enough to walk on. We've been looking forward to eating breakfast or dinner out on the patio and hosting Barbeque's. Come on over and take a look!

Mothers Day

For Mothers Day Walt was very sweet and made me scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and fruit smoothies for breakfast. Then he presented me with a set of grapefruit spoons and a cute green watering can. I wasn't expecting anything, so it was such a fun surprise! He wrote me a sweet note and I felt so special. Most of you know we're having difficulty getting pregnant. We'll be trying IVF (In Vitro Fertizilation) this July, so we're crossing our fingers and praying that it works! We can't wait to be parents.

We're getting the backyard ready for a patio. The weather is so nice and we're really excited to have a place outside to sit and relax and eat breakfast or read. We (well mostly Walt and my brother Alan who spontaneous volunteered to come help all day! Thanks Alan!!) rented a sod cutter on Saturday and pulled out the grass where the patio will be. Then we cut out some grass in our yard that was full of weeds and replaced it with the grass from the patio area. We tried to break out the small concrete square that is out there right now, but it turns out that it is at least 12 inches deep, so even a 16 lb. sledge hammer wouldn't budge it. We'll rent a jackhammer. We also have to move the sprinkler box which is in the way. So still a bit of work left to prep the area, but we're getting there!

Ranger Cookies

Last weekend my brother, Bryan, graduated from BYU with is Masters in Accounting. An exciting day! Made even more exciting by his announcement that evening at our family party that he and Sarah are expecting their first baby this next December. Yippee! Walt's sister-in-law also called that week to tell us she is expecting. We can't wait to be a new aunt and uncle twice over again! Bry and Sarah announced their news by baking ranger cookies, wrapping them individually as party favors and including a recipe, the last steps of which said "Bry and Sar have their own little cookie baking in the oven. Bake 7 more months at womb temperature. Makes one little Graden." :) Walt and I think "Ranger C. Graden" would be a great name for a boy! (C. is for Cookie, of course). Ha!

Heather, my step-sister, moved in with us last week for the month of May. It's been a blast having her here. I'm getting big circles under my eyes from staying up so late talking with her. We 're loving it!

Today I attended BYU Womens Conference with my Grandma Stevenson, Aunts Kim, Kelley, and Su, cousin Kara, and sisters-in-law Liz and Sarah. SOOOOO fun. I love being with my family. I attended several great sessions. I'll post my notes here in a couple days.

"Expelled" Gets Two Thumbs Up From Us!

We saw "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" last night. It was Fascinating! Very well done - and eye-opening about what is happening with science education and research about evolution . If you can, go see it, and support Ben Stein in his effort to create acceptance for open dialogue about Intelligent Design. Has anyone else seen it? What did you think?

Our bedroom is all painted, and we LOVE it! The color is "ivory sampler", but it seems much darker than an ivory to us - more like a very light brown. We also rearranged the furniture, and now it feels like we have an entirely new room. Funny how a couple simple changes can be so exciting and feel so different.

Spring Break Week

It's Spring Break! Wahooeee! Rocky's surgery on Monday went well. The vet recommended lab testing be done on his tumor. We decided against it. We'll just let things run their course and hope the surgery took care of it. Rocky was a little mellow on Monday, but he has acted totally normal since then, and he's not scratching or biting his stitches, so we're doing good!

On Saturday we painted our garage floor. It looks awesome! It is a gray paint with speckles. Should make it much easier to keep clean - you can wipe grease off it.

Today I'm painting our bedroom! But I still haven't decided on the color. I really like a color for a couple hours, then I decide I'd like something else better. Then I worry I won't like that color and decide on a different one. I haven't been set on anything for longer than a few hours. Hmmm. Indecision is one of my vices.

We're excited to go see a movie my sister-in-law Jen told us about. "Expelled" stars Ben Stein (sp?) and comes out this Friday, April 18th. It's a documentary on scientists who support, research, and/or dialogue about the concept of Intelligent Design and the discrimination they receive because of it. He advocates for including this concept in our dialogue about evolution and the origin of man. Definitely something we want to support.

Rocky's Surgery

I took Rocky to the vet, and she said his lump needs to come off. He's scheduled for surgery on Monday (April 14th), and we'll find out that day whether there is enough concern about it to warrant doing some lab tests. She said the lump had some discoloration she was concerned about. I hope it's okay to pray for guinea pigs, because that's what I'm doing. I've gotten kind of attached to him.

Update: April 9, 2008

We had a wonderful General Conference weekend, spending Sunday at my grandparents' house in Salt Lake with extended family. I love the spiritual boost we get every 6 months!

Rocky, our guinea pig, has a large cyst on his back (about the size of a quarter). I've made an appointment with a vet to find out what is going on. Suddenly I have motivation to give Rocky a bath, clip his nails, trim the matted fur. It's like looking at your house when c0mpany is coming over and seeing dust and clutter you never saw before. We're crossing our fingers that everything is okay and hoping we don't have to put a dollar value on our little friend (how much do you justify spending on guinea pig surgery???).

Earthquake Preparedness

Before an Earthquake:
1. Secure heavy items, furnaces, water heaters, etc. in your home. Hang heavy pictures and mirrors away from beds and couches as they can fall on you in an earthquake. Make sure valuable items on display are protected by a lip on the shelf if possible. Place large, heavy objects on lower shelves. Know how to turn off the gas and water in your home. Store flammable materials (weed killer, pesticides, etc.) in low cupboards with latches to secure them closed.
2. Have a 72 hour kit ready to go in your home and emergency supplies in your car.
3. Designate safe spots in each room of the house in case of an earthquake. These could be under heavy furniture, against an inside wall, away from windows and heavy bookcases.
4. Determine a meeting place outside the home and one outside the neighborhood in case you are away from your home when the earthquake hits.
5. Determine an out-of-state contact that family could call who can coordinate information about members of the family (long-distance calls may be much easier to make in an emergency).

During an Earthquake:
1. If you are inside, do not go outside.
2. If you are in a car, pull over to the side of the road when it is safe (away from power lines, tall buildings, etc.). Stay inside your car.
3. If you are outside, go to the middle of an open area. Stay away from tall buildings, freeway overpasses, bridges, wires, etc.

Family Emergency Meeting Plan:
Location: Bell Tower Chapel on North Temple in Provo
Out-of-State Contact: Kelley Ashcroft

Links to a few internet resources:
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/features/earthquake/index.html
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/index.shtm
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/earthquake.htm

Fiscal Awareness

Here is some information we feel is worthy of sharing with all our friends and family about the financial state of the union and the implications for the future of the United States.

www.meridianmagazine.com/ideas/080306danger.html

This link is to a Meridian Magazine article by Stephen Studdert, a former whitehouse advisor to presidents George W. Bush, Reagan, and Ford. Here are a couple excerpts from the article:

"Studdert lists ten dangers including the triple threat to our global economic dominance posed by China, India and Russia; the time bomb of American debt; our unfunded entitlement programs; radical Islam and terrorism; federal government stupidity; the bursting of the housing bubble; our unquenchable thirst for oil; immigration insanity; pandemic plagues; and America’s failing infrastructure."

"His intent is not to frighten readers, but help them assess the risks and dangers that exist from following the policies America is currently pursuing. He says, “We need to hear the real facts and the plain truth even if it hurts.”