A Little Update

I thought it was about time for a little update. I am so tired of opening up my blog and seeing Christmas! It seems like it was just yesterday, but now it's March and the time has flown by! There hasn't been anything real exciting going on at our house recently, we've just been trying to live regular life and get through the winter. Despite the very mild winter we've had this year we have been sick for most of it. Can I just tell you that I am so sick of being sick! I'm pretty sure that next year I'm going to pass on the flu shot and see if I get sick less.

At the end of January we helped Maddie put together her science project. Uncle Matt was a huge help since he is going to be a science teacher soon. Maddie was excited to have a real "scientist" help her! Her project was on showing what different types of materials dissolve in different liquids. Some of the reactions were really neat and we both learned something along the way! It's interesting to see how science fairs have changed since I was a kid. We used to get to do real science projects and there were no limitations. Maddie's school sent out a booklet for them to follow an outline and then told us all the things we couldn't do. Pretty much they wanted you to show pictures at the fair, which I thought was pretty lame.

We are planning something exciting I want to tell about though. Brandon put the kibosh on any and all vacations this year, but I couldn't give up that easily. I was talking about how fun it would be to take a cruise and he said it could be a possibility with our tax returns. That's pretty much as good as saying "Sure, honey I would love to go on a cruise with you. Go ahead and start planning it!" So, that's what I did! My friends Diane and Karen want to go with us and maybe some other friends too! We have vacillated back and forth about where we are going. We have discussed the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Alaska. I think we have landed on Alaska, which is Brandon's first choice. I would like to go somewhere tropical, so he promised that when/if we go on another cruise that is what we will do. We're in the process of getting our passports and booking the cruise. I am so excited!

My neighborhood has started a craft group, which is really a lot of fun. I have got to know a lot more of the ladies in my ward and have discovered that I really miss doing crafts! I have had a craft table set up in my front room for the last month and have spent way too much money at a wood craft store. My sister and I have spent a lot of time painting our new purchases. It's okay though, since it's all in the name of beautifying my house... right?!

Oh, there was something really exciting that happened a few weeks ago! My brother and his wife had their baby girl, Nora! She is absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way! I had the special opportunity to be at the hospital with them and take pictures of her when she was born. They let me be there with Miles as well, and both times have been experiences I have been so grateful for. Brandon and I have had little twinges of thinking that maybe we really aren't done having kids, but those thoughts quickly leave our minds when we get back home and deal with the all the drama! I guess I'll just have to snuggle other people's babies from now on! I am so happy that my brother and sister both live in Spanish Fork, so that we can see them more often. I love each of my nieces and nephews like they are my own and it is so much fun to see all the cousins get together to play.

My photography is slow right now, but it should be picking up when the weather gets better. In January I did pictures of an amazing family in my ward who had a son leaving on his mission. They were so fun to work with and I made some new friends... and found some new potential babysitters! Coming up this spring I am taking my nieces engagement pictures, have a few kid sessions, and I have a few people in my neighborhood that want me to take their senior and family pictures. I am excited to finally get my name out there and hope to expand my hobby a little more this year. If you know of anyone that wants less expensive pictures done send them my way! Check out my photography blog to see some of the stuff I've done recently.

Work has been pretty crazy lately. A while back they announced that they were combining the two adult day treatment programs, which directly effects me. There is a part of it that is exciting, but for the most part it is a hard change. Since the announcement a few of my co-workers and my friend, Diane, have taken jobs in other departments, we have started construction on my new work space- in a new building :(, and have hired a bunch of new employees. I am a person who enjoys change, but I complain along the way. Ultimately, I go along with everything and like to help make decisions and make the best of the situation. One big change we made was hiring another full time secretary to work with me. I thought it would be hard to give up some of my job duties that have been my baby, but I have been so busy that I have gladly given them up. We found an amazing lady to work with me and we have quickly become good friends. Change is hard and stressful, but in the end it could be the best thing for us.