Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Nope, it's just me that's stupid after all
I figured out my template issues, and wouldn't you know it, it was right after I decided to complain to all of cyber-space about it. Well, you all know me, so I guess this isn't a shock, right? (off to hide in a corner now...)
Blogs are stupid.
OK, so I was getting bored with my background, so I started changing things up. I even found a new site that had the CUTEST backgrounds, but the way you had to upload them was totally ridiculous. I completely messed up the whole blog, and thought I had lost everything. Somehow I managed to retrieve things, and went back to the other website to just stick with their backgrounds. Only now, I am getting the border of the new background and the middle of the default background, and have no clue how to fix it. So if any of you blog geniuses out there know how to fix it, please comment. I won't even say how many hours I spent on this stupid thing yesterday.....
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Countdown to the O.C.
We're counting down to the highlight of our year - our annual trip to the Oregon Coast! We leave eleven days from today - woohoo! The weather has been really mild for us this summer, so we're hoping for a heat wave in the next week or so to warm up that beach! I personally love our time there, as it is the only place I've ever been where I can completely forget about my life, and just be. No cell phones, no phones in the room, a few tv channels (but who cares about tv when you have the beach?), no place to go, nothing to do but sit and stare at the ocean. Ahhhhh...can't wait!
The picture to the right is the exact spot on the beach where we sit every year. :o)
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Online auction - Kids for sale!
We went to the dentist this morning for the bi-yearly cleaning and check-ups. I have finally learned my lesson about taking all four of your kids at the same time (only took me like 4 years). They actually did pretty well - it was just me who was tired at the end from keeping everyone in line! LOL
Anyway, Michael and Nicholas already have a consultation with an orthodontist set for mid-August. Michael has some severe crowding going on, and absolutely NO room left for all of his adult teeth to come in. He loses his teeth late, so he is behind in the # of adult teeth in, and there's not a millimeter left in there for more. He will probably have to have a couple of teeth pulled soon (that was the dentist's prediction). Luckily, our Stake President is an oral surgeon, so maybe he will be nice and let us make payments for eternity...cuz Michael isn't the only one who will need surgery. Michael will also need a palate expander and braces at some point, and we'll find out more from the orthodontist as to when that will all happen.
$ $ $ $ $ $ $
Nicholas has overcrowding in his mouth as well, especially on the bottom. He also has one incisor that has been trying to come in for over a year and a half, but it can't descend at all. So he may very well have to have a tooth pulled and have the incisor pulled down...and then the braces, eventually.
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
Emily had her first panoramic x-ray done today. The dental assistant took one look at it, and turned to me and said "Oh, no...". She'd already been through the boys' "good news" with me. It appears that Emily never even grew adult incisors (upper), on either side. They just aren't there. She has canines, but no incisors. So, the dentist explained that it could go a couple of ways - when her canines come in, if they are close enough to the front teeth, they can reshape them to look more like incisors. If they come in with too much space around them, they will make her a retainer with two teeth attached that she will wear until the rest of her adult teeth come in. Once she's got all of her teeth, they will put in implants. This would be in addition to straightening everything else with braces first - it looks pretty certain that she will need them also, as her palate is really narrow like the boys.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
So here's the deal. We will NEVER be able to afford all of that, so we thought that we will just auction off the kids to the highest bidder, and take the proceeds and get nice porcelain veneers for ourselves!
Starting the bidding at $1.00...............any takers?
Cash donations will also be accepted, and you can drop off checks at any local Wells Fargo - just ask for the "We's Po" fund.
Haven't we paid our dues (and enough of the medical community) with our ears and throat stuff? Gimme a break!
Ok, done ranting.....off to sell my soul to the devil!LOL
Anyway, Michael and Nicholas already have a consultation with an orthodontist set for mid-August. Michael has some severe crowding going on, and absolutely NO room left for all of his adult teeth to come in. He loses his teeth late, so he is behind in the # of adult teeth in, and there's not a millimeter left in there for more. He will probably have to have a couple of teeth pulled soon (that was the dentist's prediction). Luckily, our Stake President is an oral surgeon, so maybe he will be nice and let us make payments for eternity...cuz Michael isn't the only one who will need surgery. Michael will also need a palate expander and braces at some point, and we'll find out more from the orthodontist as to when that will all happen.
$ $ $ $ $ $ $
Nicholas has overcrowding in his mouth as well, especially on the bottom. He also has one incisor that has been trying to come in for over a year and a half, but it can't descend at all. So he may very well have to have a tooth pulled and have the incisor pulled down...and then the braces, eventually.
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
Emily had her first panoramic x-ray done today. The dental assistant took one look at it, and turned to me and said "Oh, no...". She'd already been through the boys' "good news" with me. It appears that Emily never even grew adult incisors (upper), on either side. They just aren't there. She has canines, but no incisors. So, the dentist explained that it could go a couple of ways - when her canines come in, if they are close enough to the front teeth, they can reshape them to look more like incisors. If they come in with too much space around them, they will make her a retainer with two teeth attached that she will wear until the rest of her adult teeth come in. Once she's got all of her teeth, they will put in implants. This would be in addition to straightening everything else with braces first - it looks pretty certain that she will need them also, as her palate is really narrow like the boys.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
So here's the deal. We will NEVER be able to afford all of that, so we thought that we will just auction off the kids to the highest bidder, and take the proceeds and get nice porcelain veneers for ourselves!
Starting the bidding at $1.00...............any takers?
Cash donations will also be accepted, and you can drop off checks at any local Wells Fargo - just ask for the "We's Po" fund.
Haven't we paid our dues (and enough of the medical community) with our ears and throat stuff? Gimme a break!
Ok, done ranting.....off to sell my soul to the devil!LOL
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sarah tagged me!
Ok, so I was informed by Sarah that she tagged me and now I have to answer these questions on my blog. I am not a big email-questionairre-answer'er-type-person, but I will humor Sarah on this one because I love her! LOLOL
#1 Where were you ten years ago?
~~~~~~~I was living in Everett with my one-year old Michael, teaching some piano lessons and doing some conducting at Edmonds Commmunity College, and serving in the YW as a teacher, and later as a counselor in the presidency.
#2 Five things on todays to-do list:
*Teach a whole bunch of lessons
*Find something for lunch and dinner
*Fill out a bunch of paperwork for studio, etc
*Buy Michael new soccer shoes
*Work on new blog for music studio (aka - waste a lot of time on the computer)
#3 A snack I enjoy :
~~~~~~~I am really into homemade salsa and chips right now. Trouble is, my digestive system doesn't take too kindly to all of those tomatoes, so I have to pace myself, or I pay for it in the end (pun intended).
#4 Things I would do if I were a millionaire:
~~~~~~~Travel to Europe (Germany, Italy (food!), France (pastries!), Spain, etc) and to somewhere seriously tropical; bay off bills, buy a nice home, pay for kids college education, help family, donate to charity, save the rest...
#5 Places I've lived:
~~~~~~~Only two states for me, and I 've been in a student apt, a basement bedroom, my moms, a tiny apt, a bigger apt, an above-the-house apt., a nice big house, my MIL's rodent-infested house, my moms house, another apt, my dad's house (duplex), the other side of my dad's duplex, another apt, a house, and now another house (that I really like most parts of). Is that enough?
I guess I will have to tag Carol - answer these questions on your own blog, dearie!
#1 Where were you ten years ago?
~~~~~~~I was living in Everett with my one-year old Michael, teaching some piano lessons and doing some conducting at Edmonds Commmunity College, and serving in the YW as a teacher, and later as a counselor in the presidency.
#2 Five things on todays to-do list:
*Teach a whole bunch of lessons
*Find something for lunch and dinner
*Fill out a bunch of paperwork for studio, etc
*Buy Michael new soccer shoes
*Work on new blog for music studio (aka - waste a lot of time on the computer)
#3 A snack I enjoy :
~~~~~~~I am really into homemade salsa and chips right now. Trouble is, my digestive system doesn't take too kindly to all of those tomatoes, so I have to pace myself, or I pay for it in the end (pun intended).
#4 Things I would do if I were a millionaire:
~~~~~~~Travel to Europe (Germany, Italy (food!), France (pastries!), Spain, etc) and to somewhere seriously tropical; bay off bills, buy a nice home, pay for kids college education, help family, donate to charity, save the rest...
#5 Places I've lived:
~~~~~~~Only two states for me, and I 've been in a student apt, a basement bedroom, my moms, a tiny apt, a bigger apt, an above-the-house apt., a nice big house, my MIL's rodent-infested house, my moms house, another apt, my dad's house (duplex), the other side of my dad's duplex, another apt, a house, and now another house (that I really like most parts of). Is that enough?
I guess I will have to tag Carol - answer these questions on your own blog, dearie!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Blessings
I just have to "put out there" my gratitude for friends and family, and for all of the many blessings in my life. Being the pessimist I am (sorry Carol, the "poptomist" was short lived...) I tend to dwell on all of the things that aren't going right, rather than to aknowledge the things that are. So I just wanted to publically express my gratitude for my loving and supportive family, a truly wonderful and devoted sister, for friends who stand by me through the thick of it all (and still love me once I emerge from the other end), for colleagues who have faith in me (often enough for the both of us, when mine is lacking), for my children, who daily make me want to be a better person, and who are living proof of my Heavenly Father's love for me - He chose to send these sweet spirits to me, of all people. I am so blessed.
I have to share something that happened last night, as I would be remiss not to be grateful and to share the little miracle that happened in my own life. I went to the temple with a friend (45 minutes away, not across town like most of you blokes!), and we sat in the car talking for a few minutes before going in. We headed in and stopped at the front counter, and I was promptly told that my recommend was expired; needless to say, my heart sank. I really needed to be at the temple last night, and it was the last night they were open before the summer closure for repairs and cleaning. Another brother was called up to the desk, and they asked me some questions and said they could call my bishop and see if he would "vouch" for me. I just knew that the bishop would be gone, given the tragedy that just hit our ward. Just then, my friend let out a gasp, and I turned around to see the bishop and his wife standing behind me. I started crying as he gave the temple patrons the "ok" to let me in. He and his wife were, in fact, late to the session they had planned on attending, so the fact that we were all there at the exact same time was nothing short of a mini-miracle for me. If we had even been 10 seconds off, we would have missed them, and not been able to reach them. So, off I went into the temple, with an enormous sense of love from my Heavenly Father, feeling like he was truly aware of me and my needs - He took care of me. It was a wonderful evening, and am grateful for it.
I have to share something that happened last night, as I would be remiss not to be grateful and to share the little miracle that happened in my own life. I went to the temple with a friend (45 minutes away, not across town like most of you blokes!), and we sat in the car talking for a few minutes before going in. We headed in and stopped at the front counter, and I was promptly told that my recommend was expired; needless to say, my heart sank. I really needed to be at the temple last night, and it was the last night they were open before the summer closure for repairs and cleaning. Another brother was called up to the desk, and they asked me some questions and said they could call my bishop and see if he would "vouch" for me. I just knew that the bishop would be gone, given the tragedy that just hit our ward. Just then, my friend let out a gasp, and I turned around to see the bishop and his wife standing behind me. I started crying as he gave the temple patrons the "ok" to let me in. He and his wife were, in fact, late to the session they had planned on attending, so the fact that we were all there at the exact same time was nothing short of a mini-miracle for me. If we had even been 10 seconds off, we would have missed them, and not been able to reach them. So, off I went into the temple, with an enormous sense of love from my Heavenly Father, feeling like he was truly aware of me and my needs - He took care of me. It was a wonderful evening, and am grateful for it.
Sad news
It seems our ward has had its fair share of trials lately....big ones. Yesterday we lost two members of our ward in a horrible car accident. Craig Walther and his daughter Allison Van Geison were killed in Idaho on their way to a family reunion in Utah. Craig's wife (Ali's mother) and Allison's three young children were also in the car, but thankfully survived. Craig is a counselor in our bishopric, a wonderful human being, the best bass in the ward choir (what a beautiful voice!), and dearly loved by all who knew him. Ali is a beautiful young mother, a warm and loving friend, a great YW leader, and a tender, spiritual person. Their loss is felt deeply by our ward and by many in the stake. It is a difficult time - many, many thoughts and prayers to the Walther/VanGeison families as they grieve such a huge loss.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Some pictures of the kids
Here are a bunch of pictures of the kids. The pictures of the girls are from April of this year. The pictures of the boys are from their respective sports season in 2007 - I can't seem to find more up-to-date pictures of them, but will work on it. I also threw in one shot of a rainbow out in back of the house. We frequently see brilliant rainbows right overhead, and we never tire of it. I was also trying to find a good picture of the spectacular lightning storm we had the other night. Chris set up the camera and took a ton of timed-release shots, but I couldn't find the really good ones. Anyway, these pics will have to do for now, until I learn how to use a stupid digital camera all by myself (the one downfall of having a "techie" for a husband is that you never learn to (or get to) do it yourself! :o) I also want to figure out how to put this text before the pictures, but I don't seem to be smart enough to solve that one yet! Anyway, enjoy lookin' at my babies!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Welcome to our blog!
Well, here I am attempting to join the ranks of fellow bloggers. The catch? I am 100% computer illiterate! This will take somewhat of a Herculean effort to figure it all out, but I am so jealous of my friends and family with cute blogs that it has driven me to spend countless hours doing and re-doing things so I can look like everyone else. Hopefully it will be worth it in the end!
I will soon figure out how to add pictures so you can see how big the kids are getting, and I will have to add some of my favorite music, too. For now, check out the links I have posted for the Seattle Choral Company and Rainier Family Opera, the two performing groups I am currently affiliated with.
I will soon figure out how to add pictures so you can see how big the kids are getting, and I will have to add some of my favorite music, too. For now, check out the links I have posted for the Seattle Choral Company and Rainier Family Opera, the two performing groups I am currently affiliated with.
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