Finally, Tallahassee pictures

Nana and Pa Sim, who are Chris' paternal grandparents, with Chris and the kids.

The meridian marker. In the beginning, this was the middle of the Florida population. Hence, Tallahassee became the capital.

Chris's brick (Whew, we almost had to buy 2!)

Mine was such an easier fit.

I love this place.

The kids and I standing in front of the Wescott building. Ruby Diamond Auditorium is connected to this building and is where I played countless performances throughout my undergraduate career. MANY MEMORIES!

Chris and I standing in front of our bricks and the Wescott fountain.

My first job ever.

Our very first apartment. It was the one on top because I was afraid to live on the ground floor. We were so poor, and so happy!

Chris and the boys wearing their FSU attire.

Fast and testimony meeting

We had a wonderful fast and testimony meeting today. The spirit was strong and many wonderful testimonies were bore.

I finally got up and shared my testimony.

I have been feeling like I should bear my testimony in sacrament meeting for several months, but I just didn't get myself out of the seat. Today I finally did and I am glad! I feel much better now. I just hope and pray that it helped someone and I hope that I made sense. I get so nervous and I'm not too sure if I say things the way I mean to. But, I survived to tell about it. :)

Leesburg Stake Center Groundbreaking

I was blessed to be able to conduct the music for the meeting.

Assistant Stake Clerk (he looks familiar), Stake First Counselor, Stake President, Stake Second Counselor, Stake Clerk, and Executive Secretary

The Eustis Ward Primary

Eustis Ward Council members

The Shipley Family

Hallelujah!

Bad luck

Debbie, you must have given me your bad luck streak. I'm hoping that 3 is all that I get. 1. the tooth, 2. the car, 3. the tire. ENOUGH!

I feel like a hamster in a wheel! I'm going 90mph and getting nowhere!

On a positive note, I am looking forward to the groundbreaking of the new church building on Saturday morning. I have never been to one and I know it will be something to remember. It is so exciting to have a building so much closer. A 10 minute drive as opposed to the 40 minute drive we currently have.

One of these days I will get my Tallahassee pictures up here. I have good intentions, I promise.

Tallahassee, Day 3

I just had to do it. I couldn't help myself. It was red, and bright and HOT! Yes, that's right, I did it again, I got ANOTHER dozen. They were SO good...

We headed home today from Tallahassee. We decided to head out around 1 and stopped at the mall to buy Pa Sim some Crocs. Then we took them over to him and said goodbye to both him and Nana.

Chris drove for me since I didn't feel like it. I was tired from not sleeping well all weekend and I was fighting a headache. The drive was uneventful until we exited I-75 and ran over a license plate with bolts attached that had fallen off someone's trailer. The bolt pierced my tire and had a huge noise along with putting a hole in it. Thank goodness Chris was there because I am not convinced that I could change a tire by myself. We put on the spare and continued on.

We had a nice trip and I am glad that we went but I'm also glad to be home.

Tallahassee, Day 2

We woke up this morning and headed to church. Aislinn would not let Chris or I leave her in nursery, so I stayed in there for the two hours with her. Leaving there, I was a bit down because I was feeling a little, spirit deprived, we'll say. I was sitting in Sacrament meeting thinking, well, I didn't do my job today and seek out the spirit. You're probably thinking that I still had all of sacrament to be spiritually fed, but I have a really hard time getting to pay attention to the speakers because I am dealing with the children.

HOWEVER, the special musical number was up and all of the youth and their leaders went to the front. I got a big grin on as soon as I saw the person that was leading them because I could tell by the way that he was standing and holding his hands that he knew what he was doing. As soon as the music started, I was in tears. It was BEAUTIFUL! The girls started by singing part of the hymn "As Daughters in Zion" and later the boys came in with the song "We'll Bring the World His Truth". After church, I went up to the Brother that conducted the music and I found out that he is getting his doctorate from FSU in band. We knew several of the same people and it was neat. I asked him if I could have a copy of the music and he told me that I could have as much as I wanted, so I scooped up a few copies of my own and headed my merry way to the car.

The rest of the day was spent with family and relaxing, well as relaxing as it can be with 7 kids running around. Kenney made chicken and rice for dinner with broccoli and green beans. It was tasty to say the least. Then, after the kids were down for the night, Kenney and I ran over to to take Nana and Pa Sim some dinner and we just had to get another dozen doughnuts! The light was on, what can I say?

Tallahassee, Day 1

We arrived at Ryck and Kenney's around 11 p.m. Most of the kids had fallen asleep before we arrived, but we got them in, put them to bed and found our way to the bed.

This morning, we woke up and headed to Chick-Fil-A to meet Nana. We didn't stay there long, but it was good to see her and one of her sisters. Following breakfast, Chris, the kids, and I headed to Tallahassee Mall to have our pictures taken at Olan Mills. Kenney had made the appointment, but she couldn't go, so she sent us. Well, they were over an hour behind, by 11, so we told them we'd do it another time. Can you imagine trying to wait an hour or more with all the kids? It would drive me crazy!

After the mall, we headed over to Nana and Pa Sim's to see Pa Sim and let him see the kids. All they really do is say hello, but he enjoys it and we want them to know who he is.

Then, it was time for a trip down memory lane. We stopped at the Meridian marker, that represents the place that was exactly center of population many years ago, hence making Tallahassee the capital of Florida.

The Wescott building and Bills was next. We showed the kids our bricks, where I played many concerts in Ruby Diamond Auditorium, the music buildings, where I lived in Reynolds Hall, the college of business, etc, etc. It was really neat to show the kids many of the things that we experienced in our college years. We decided to eat lunch at the Loop, the restaurant that I worked at for a year after we got married and my first job ever! We drove around and showed them our first apartment, our first house and the football stadium. We reminisced about the old times and had so much fun.

Bill's, that was mentioned earlier, is a store where you can buy anything! Clothing, books, etc. I was on a mission this trip to buy FSU apparel for the entire family because we didn't have any and that was not acceptable. Well, now we have some.

We came back to Ryck and Kenney's and I made a doughnut run to Krispy Kreme, by myself and ate FOUR doughnuts as fast as I could. I have NO self-control when they are "Hot and Fresh, NOW!" Sorry, Debbie Clayton...


I'll post pictures after I get home.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Ryan is my nephew even though I really think of him as a brother. He is closer in age to me than either of my real brothers and we have always been close. He turned 25 today and I was glad to speak with him and hear his voice.

I have a lot of respect for Ryan. He is a great person and I look up to him in many ways. He is also a veteran of the Army. He served for 4 years in the 82nd Airborne. While he was active duty, he had 2 tours in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan.

You're the best Ryan! I hope you have a great day.

I'm excited

Our alma mater!

Right there in front of the fountain, Chris and I each have a brick engraved with our names and degrees. We like to go there every once in a while and see them. It was our way of 'leaving our mark', I guess.

We're supposed to leave for Tallahassee tomorrow after Chris' office closes! We haven't been there as a family since January and we're looking forward to visiting with family and seeing all the changes since we left. I can't believe that we have been here a little over six years already. I was in Tallahassee for ten years and Chris had been there for twenty, so it was bitter sweet when we left. I don't regret that decision at all. I know that we are exactly where we are supposed to be.

Let's hope nothing messes up our plans and our trip goes on as scheduled. You know what happened last time I posted about going to Tallahassee - and then the result... (Click on the words "last time" and "the result" above to see the posts.)

Dental appointments

I made two trips to the pediatric dentist today. It takes about 35 - 40 minutes to get there but is well worth the drive. Dr. Ingalls is in our ward and his whole family is just amazing! I started taking the children there about a year ago and they all love to go to the dentist, which is nice.

Aislinn and Greyson went first. I guess that Aislinn decided that she wasn't going to do anything except get a toothbrush, so she was a little 'worried' but survived. Greyson did great!

Lauklan, Kerstyn and Brennan all went in the afternoon and each of them had good reports. Thank goodness!

Open house and a crown

I had an appointment this morning at 9 for the permanent crown to be put on. They had to numb me up and everything and then it was so tight that I felt like they were pushing down to get to China! Not nice.

Brennan's open house was tonight and it made it a very late night. He says that he loves it there and I am glad. It sure is a big transition from elementary school to middle school.

A big Happy Birthday goes out to Reed! He is 44 today and I hope that he has a great day!

We survived

The talks at Stake Conference were great, at least the parts that I could hear. They focused on sharing the gospel and being good missionaries.

I hope that I am a good missionary. I find it hard to just go right out and talk to people about the church. BUT, I don't have any problem standing up for what I believe and teaching my children to do the same. In a time when the ways of the world are so opposite of the teachings of Jesus Christ, I think it is hard for people not to notice the life that we live. I just pray that I am doing a good job, that I am fighting a good fight and that anyone who knows me, knows how much I love the gospel of Jesus Christ! It changed my life when I discovered it, almost 16 years ago and once I found it, I've never looked back!

Stake Conference

We had the Priesthood Leadership and the Adult Sessions of conference today. Chris went and picked up Jose and they went together to the priesthood session. Frances came and picked me up, while dropping off her girls to babysit. We then proceeded in a crazy downpour to pick up Danette and head to Chili's in Leesburg. We had a nice dinner and then headed back to church for the Adult session.

I LOVE the adult session of conference because I get to actually LISTEN to what is said. The talks focused on families and raising them in the gospel. I was so glad to hear the inspiring messages and training that we received.

Tomorrow - 2 hours with the kids! I'm sure you can guess how that will go...

Only 2 days of school on the first week

We didn't have school today due to the storm. But the good news is that it is finally moving away. We'll try school again next week and sure think it just HAS to be better than this week.

Second day of school

The went to school today but that is what the weather was like! I couldn't believe it! The weather on Tuesday was fine. Wednesday, it was deteriorating but today, when they had to go back to school, it was AWFUL! After we got home, it got worse and worse. At a few minutes after 4, the power went out. I called Chris and told him to come home as soon as he could. He did not realize how bad the weather had gotten. He came home and got the generator running and we plugged in the refrigerator, television and computer. You know, the necessities of life.

First day of school pictures and Tropical Storm Fay, day 2

Here's Ooh-Rah. I haven't posted a picture of him lately, and I thought you might want to see him. You can't really tell how big he has gotten from this picture, but he is really growing!

Lauklan and Mrs. Raczkowski

Kerstyn and Mrs. Desourdy

Miss Shawnie, Aislinn and Greyson

The weather was quite a bit worse today. But, the say its going to get even worse. The storm, Fay, is coming back! Can you believe that? It's going out in the Atlantic, then turning around and coming west, right by us. Luckily, wind is not going to be a problem, they say, but we are to expect about 6 inches of rain.

I think I'll stay inside.

Tropical Storm Fay

This is a little video of the weather during one of the squall lines that went through. I think it is quite interesting that when it is a tropical storm/hurricane, there isn't thunder and lightning. It is gray and the rain comes down sideways. Quite different than the typical Florida thunderstorm.

I'm about done with this 'staying at home with the kids all day while they should be back in school' stuff! This was a very stressful day. The weather was just weird, not bad, just weird so I didn't take them anywhere or go outside.

The kids are driving me crazy!

And I get to do this again tomorrow?

NOT GOOD!

First day of school

We must all pose for pictures on the first day of school.

Brennan ready for 6th grade, oh my!

Kerstyn going into 4th grade.

Lauklan the first grader.

Greyson starting his last year of pre-school.

Aislinn starting her first year of pre-school.

We had a successful first day of school. Now we have 2 days off due to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Fay. So, we'll just try to stay dry and hope for the best the next 2 days. If you don't see any posts, it's probably because we don't have electricity. :)

Getting ready

Well, it is August, and we haven't had a hurricane yet, so why not now?

We're ready. The food is here, the cars are full of gas, the generator is ready and we're hoping that all goes well.

Maybe Fay will miss us, but if not, we'll be ready for her.

Back to school haircuts

Kerstyn decided to cut it all off and donate to children who need wigs.

That is her hair that will be sent out.

I was really impressed with how the cut turned out. I think Kerstyn looks beautiful!

Isn't she cute?

Aislinn saw what Kerstyn had done, and she had to have her hair the same. I thought, what the heck!

Aislinn really thought the whole haircutting experience was fun.

The boys in their new cuts. (Of course they're all in FSU shirts, what else would you expect from us?)

It was quite a big thing for me to have the girls' hair cut. My mom always said that girls should have long hair, but I think she'll like this too.

Busy, busy day

This morning Brennan and I headed to CH&BS for his orientation. I was really excited for him and he told me that he was excited too. We got his schedule, locker and p.e. uniforms. The locker combination is going to be something to work at and it was really raining, so I told him that we would go back tomorrow for him to know exactly where his classes are and to work on opening his locker.

After that, we came home and got the other kids. Patty from around the corner called to see what we thought of the school and to see about carpooling since she has 2 boys that go to CH&BS too. We decided to go to Crispers for lunch and let the boys get to know each other.

Patty brought Brennan, Kerstyn and Lauklan home with her while I took Greyson and Aislinn to their preschool open house. They were both excited and Greyson really likes being the older sibling.

Now, I just hope that I can keep up.

Not a good day

This morning, after I took the kids next door to stay at the baby sitter's, I headed to work. Well, I guess that I was on auto-pilot and forgot that Maria was parked in my driveway. The next thing I knew was that I heard a big crunch and my van halted to a stop!

I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!

I ran into Maria's car and broke her bumper and tail-light. The damage was worse to my van. I ruined my bumper, dented in the tailgate an scratched the paint all up! I hit the rear corner of her passenger side and it was right in the middle of my rear which made damage worse.

I was in tears! I called my insurance and they will take care of her car and mine. However, that's a $500 deductible for me. On top of me having to get a crown that is $795.

When it rains, it pours!

Field Trip

I loaded the kids up this afternoon and took them to the temple. We had a wonderful time walking around and talking about the temple. We also enjoyed how beautiful and peaceful it is there. Right as we were done posing for our last picture in front of the entrance, some of the temple workers came out to welcome us into the foyer. The greeter, Brother Waters, walked the children and I around and pointed out the artwork and the steps that take you down to the baptismal font. The kids were so reverent and really loved it. It was such a great experience to go there with them, just us and enjoy the blessings of the temple, even from the outside.

Poor Kerstyn

I had to take Kerstyn to the pediatrician today because she woke up in the middle of the night Saturday night complaining of her ear hurting. Come to find out, she has swimmers ear AND an inner ear infection. I feel so bad for her!

Dr. Soto asked her if she could swallow pills and Kerstyn said that she could, but she didn't really like to. Dr. Soto asked her if she could try and Kerstyn said that she would. Well, I went straight to Publix to get her prescriptions filled and when she got her pill, she swallowed it like a pro!

GREAT JOB KERSTYN!

I hope we're now on our road to recovery. The other bad news was that she can't swim for 5 whole days! You would have thought it was a year by the way it saddened her. :(

Ward conference, birthday celebration and homecoming

This morning started out a little early for me. It was ward conference for the Eustis ward. I am probably one of just a few people that look forward to the meetings, but they are always fun for me.

Primary ran quite smoothly today, thank goodness. I always hope that it will go well when we are being visited by the stake leaders. Who wants to mess up in front of them? Not that they care, but still.

The main thing that stood out to me today was that we need to minister to "the one". I will try and make sure that I have that in my mind and do my best to achieve that. During senior sharing time, I only had 2 children, but we had a great discussion about the Holy Ghost. I thought it was great because the children had the opportunity to tell about a time that they felt the spirit. Both Ethan and Kerstyn had sweet things to share. Have I said lately how much I LOVE my calling?

Mom and Dad got here around 3:30 to bring Brennan home. I think Brennan had a blast, so now back to reality for him! No more sleeping in until 11 and staying up until midnight. No more eating anything and everything he wants. You get the idea! It's nice to have our family complete again, but I am so glad that the children have the opportunity to spend one on one time with Mom and Dad.

On top of bringing Brennan home, we celebrated Mom's birthday that is coming on Wednesday. I bought Mom a cake from Publix yesterday and we sang to her. I hope that she enjoyed it.

Mom and the kids

Happy 66th Birthday (on Wednesday) Mom/Yoo-Ma!

Have I mentioned lately how big Ooh-Rah is getting and that he is scared of practically everything? He cracks me up! Here is this big, mean looking dog and he's scared of his own shadow!

A nice day

We didn't do much of anything today, what a treat! Just a little swimming, of course!

It's hard to see, but there are two palm trees on either side of the rock. The palm trees and the rock are Chris' latest addition to the landscaping around the pool.

Lauklan and Aislinn sitting on the rock that Chris just HAD to have!

I found this one on the camera. Apparently someone is quite proud of their mess!

Greyson, who took this picture?

Date night

I couldn't get off my mind that we needed to go to the temple tonight on our date. So we did and we had a wonderful time. I love going there for many reasons, one of which is that while I'm there, I don't worry about anything, because everything worldly seems so far away. Its a nice 'break' for me. It also helps me with perspective, not to mention the closeness that I feel to my Heavenly Father. I feel so blessed that we can attend as often as we do.

Office again

I told Chris this morning that I would not be coming into the office. However, after his "oh", I felt like I needed to go in. So, I called Lisa and asked her if she could watch the kids. She could, so I got dressed and headed off. Chris seemed surprised that I was there, but quite appreciative. For the most part, I enjoy working at the office, it's a nice little break for me. Starting August 18, I think I will want a break from the office! :)

Not nice

I had to get a crown today. I am not happy about it ONE BIT!

We're getting ready!

Yesterday, the kids and I went to Target to do some back to school shopping. (Target is my FRIEND!) We purchased all the items that Brennan, Kerstyn and Lauklan had on their lists. They were all excited and I must admit that I was excited with them.

I always looked forward to going to school. It was fun for me. I think that I would go to school forever if I didn't have to do other things like raise kids, work, etc. Chris is the same way, in fact, I think that he even enjoys school more than I do.

So, we're getting ready for Brennan to enter middle school. He will be going to private school this year since I chickened out of public middle school. Kerstyn is entering 4th grade and she is very much like I was, she LOVES school. Lauklan is going into 1st grade and is also looking forward to that. I'm not sure if he is excited about 'school' or just seeing his friends again.

Greyson and Aislinn are going to St. Edward's again. Their school day is 9 - 12 and I will be working at the office while they are at school. I am HOPING that I will get all caught up and have at least one day a week for me. I've been waiting 11 and a half years for this!

And he's gone!

I took Brennan to meet Mom today. He is getting his week alone with Yoo-Ma and Papa! I am sure that he will come back well played in video games and well fed! I hope that he has a BLAST but I sure will miss him, he's my number one helper.

Michelle and CJ

Michelle and CJ came over today for a visit. We haven't seen each other since February and this visit was long overdue. She is my closest and longest running friend. She loves me no matter what and still loves me even when it takes me MONTHS to call. We just pick up right where we left off every time we are together.

CJ would not go down the slide until about 30 minutes before they had to leave. Needless to say, he did not want to go because it was so much fun. We'll have to have them back soon so he can resume his sliding fun.

Chris and Greyson also enjoyed the pool.

A cousin visit

My double 3rd cousin Lori and her family stopped by for a few hours today. She and her family live in Kentucky and it has been over 2 years since I have seen them. She and I were always quite close even though we lived far apart. We are double cousins because my grandmother and her grandmother are sisters and my grandfather and her grandfather were brothers. It is a small town. :)