Back

Well, we are back. It was so fun to spend the last 2 weeks in Arizona, Kate and her family are really doing well. I know this is odd to say, but it felt like a family vacation. We got to chat and swap stories. . . I can still hear my brother-in-law doing an imitation of his French friend speaking German .. . hee hee hee. . . Elder St. John has given me many chuckles in the last few days.

Spencer had fun, but was not used to being the youngest. He wasn't as talkative as he usually is, but LOVED his cousins' wooden train set. As a matter of fact he had so much fun with it we ended up purchasing one for our family. He is getting back into the swing of his normal routine and I am sure still basking in the fun that is Furuya-Land. (Kate got this picture to prove it.)




Now it is back to the real world for me. I start training this week for my new job at CTU and am looking forward to the new challenge. It is a little scary because it is different from my previous online classes. I have high hopes though.

This week I also have book club, we are talking about Pride and Prejudice. Wow. I loved it. I had never read it before and couldn't put it down. None of the praise for that book is overstated. I gave it 5 stars on goodreads. Now I am back to Harry Potter (sigh) Book 2. I am having a hard time getting over what my brother in law calls the "Scooby Doo Factor". . . you know. . ."I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids." But I do want to read the entire series this year, I hear it picks up around book 4.

Anyway. . . I am back to my regularly scheduled life. . I will try to be more faithful about blogging.

Photos as promised

Here are some photos of our week. These are from Kate's camera. The kids look so cute!

Chillin' in AZ

We arrived 7 days ago and things are great. Kate is doing really well, she is still on the mend and improving everyday. It has been great to be here, it is almost like a little holiday. Kate and I have had some great chats and the kids seem to have a great time together. I will post some pictures later. I still need to hook up my camera card and get some photos downloaded. Spencer and James (James is 7 months older) are currently down for a nap and I thought I would take this chance to blog and update all y'all.

Meals for the family have been my job, as Kate has a special diet that does not allow her to eat with the family. We have had stew, meatloaf and chicken. . . not too glamorous but good family meals.

We will be here until Feb. 28 and then drive home. The great thing is that Dave has a one-way ticket to fly out here so I do not have to drive the 9+ hours home on my own w/ Spencer.

Spencer has done really well with the big change, we Skype with Dave every night and he reads a story and sings a song. I love the internet. What a great thing.

So, things are going well and when I get more time I will update photos :)

1 in 3

Back in November I went for my annual eye exam and my optometrist found a hemorrhage by my optic nerve. . . not good. Based on some of my test results, she referred me to a glaucoma specialist.

So, for the last few months I have been going in for a cornucopia of test. All the results are in. My doctor told me that based on the tests I had a 1 in 3 chance of developing glaucoma within the next 5 years.

You are only actually diagnosed with glaucoma when you have already started to lose vision. So far, I have not lost any eyesight. . . and would like to keep it that way. Once you start to lose your eyesight it is irreversible.

My doctor is putting me on eye-drops to help relieve some of pressure that can damage to the optic nerve. There is one positive side to all this, one of the side effects of the eye drops is that it can make your lashes grow longer and darker. . . I'll take what I can get.

Normal range of vision



The same view with advanced vision loss from glaucoma.

Sweet Deal!

My friend told me Amazon.com had a pre-order sale for Mockingjay. . . 53% off! I was so shocked, I couldn't believe it. I normally do not buy books, I always use the library. Last year I think I purchased 3 of the 56 books I read. I do love this series and do want it for our library. So I went to check it out. . .

Sure enough. . . Mockingjay was $8.50! For a hard cover!? Wow. For a deal like that I can wait a few days in shipping. I also decided to get the first two books in the series to have a complete set. All three books with tax and free shipping. . . under $30.

Hurray for a sweet deal!

Hunger Games - Book Three Countdown

Aug. 24th, 2010 Baby! This is the best YA series I have ever read. I can't wait for the 3rd and final book!





Rue's Lullaby

Big Adventure

Well, we are going on a big adventure. . . kind of. . . don't get too excited.

Spencer and I will be spending some time in Arizona. My sister in law has had a delicate and complicated surgery to remove a tumor. She is on her way to recovery and in time it looks like things will be back to normal. But, at the moment with three active kids and a home to run she will not have the strength to do it all.

Enter sister-in-law and little cousin.

Dave's parents have already been there to help and take care of the kids and the house. I think they will have been there a total of 10 days. I am so excited that now it is our turn to help out. I absolutely love my sister-in-law. . .I even hate to add the "in-law" part because she is just like a sister. Such a great personality and fun to be around.

So, here's the plan. Dave, Spencer and I will all head down to Arizona (Google maps says it is 10 hours, but I think it is closer to 8.) Then Spencer and I get to stay while Dave drives back home with his parents on Sunday. Spencer will absolutely love having cousins to play with. I am always saying that he needs a sibling and now he can have a test drive. I know Spencer will have a ball. It will be great to take care of the kids, meals, laundry. . . basically everything I already do around here.

The only thing that I will be longing for is be with Dave. I am going to miss him tremendously. He is home. Thank goodness for cellphones and Skype :)

I will keep you posted.

January

Well, well, well, another month slipped away and I find that my posting is lacking.

Last month my brother-in-law and his family came for a quick visit. We went to a "petting farm" and the kids got to ride a horse and look at all the farm animals. It was a bit brisk, but everyone had a great time. We shared a meal together and the kids got to play. We hadn't seen Tony and his family since Memorial Day so we really enjoyed it.





Last month was also my job search. After 2 weeks of looking, I was offered a job at Colorado Technical University. My training starts this month and I start teaching for them the first of April. I am really looking forward to teaching another class. I feel quite blessed to have found a job so quickly, with the economy being what it is. I am looking forward to having lots to keep me busy while we are still waiting to add to our family.

Speaking of adding to our family, with the disappointing news that our Kaz adoption is being pushed back (again) I am finding strength in knowing that there is a Divine plan for our family and it will all work out that way it is suppose to. I actually feel really clam and at peace about it. Our children will come to our family when the time is right.

Last month we also had a family dinner with my siblings, we had 11 people here. It was great! I made my mother-in-law's lasagna recipe and everyone brought sides. We are talking about having a family dinner once a month and switching who hosts it. That, would be great.

Our anniversary was Jan. 30, Dave was sick : ( so we had to postpone our night out, we switched our symphony tickets for his birthday weekend (next Friday). I thought I would give you a little run down of the previous anniversaries:

1st: We went back to Manti (where we were married) for the weekend.
2nd: We were living downtown Salt Lake City and went to "The Roof"
3rd: Dave was traveling for business :(
4th: We were on a plane home from Vietnam
5th: Niagara Falls

6th: Dave was sick, so our symphony plans were postponed. (But I got to go to the Adult session of Stake Conference, and it was so powerful.)

So, January was a good month. Let's hope February is even better.