Boxes and boxes and boxes . . .

Well the movers came, packed, and left . . . with most of our stuff headed off to Germany. I sure hope it makes it there ok! It is so nice to see the floor in the front room again! I've been busy settling in and going through the boxes that are in the garage either to use in this house or pack back up and store in the garage for the next few years. I have missed having some man-power around while I've been moving boxes and pushing couches. I ran into Scott, a cousin, at Target yesterday and he gallantly helped me push some stuff around in the garage so that we can fit the car inside, yeah! Thanks Scott!
Josh asked for a gingerbread house in January, with red frosting, his new favorite color. So amidst the chaos of boxes and books lying around there is a slanting graham cracker house with red frosting and pretzels. I accidentally put maple flavoring in the frosting instead of vanilla, but Josh didn't mind, he still managed to eat as much as was on the house. He was so excited to make a house. With all the hustle and bustle we didn't make one last month like we have in the past. I guess this is one tradition that is a must do . . . I'm glad that Josh reminded me! He's been such a great helper these past few weeks. He's also been my little shadow. He follows me around from room to room and only want Mom to do certain things. That is really the only negative signs he's shown of Dan being gone. He's my little shadow, which truth be told, I actually am enjoying a lot because when Dan is around, he is the man of the hour. This past week has been really fun just playing with the kids now that the pressure of the movers is over. I love just watching them interact and seeing how their minds work. I love my kids! I'm so lucky to be their mom! With Josh cracking jokes all day and Maggie's infectious smile who couldn't be positively entertained and happy all day!

3 more weeks in Utah!

Lieutenant Dan! Doesn't he look good! It's Holly writing. . . shocking I know. I haven't posted in a few months but I have found a few spare moments while the kids are sleeping and our house is packed full of boxes. The movers came today and packed up everything for the big move to Germany. They will come back tomorrow and actually load everything into giant crates, then into a truck, then off to Germany! I must say I am quite impressed with how well they packed everything, better than I did! It will be nice to be able to see the living room and actually sit on the couch instead of a mountain of boxes and stuff strewn anywhere there was a space. This has been a whirlwind week getting everything ready for the big move, an unfortunate bonus the kids and I have all been under the weather with colds . . . darn inversions! I have to say I am feeling quite relieved to have the hardest part of the time spent here over and now I have 3 weeks to play with all of our family here! Dan is doing great! He is really enjoying his experience in COTC. Today he got to do an obstacle course. He loved it and got really dirty from crawling through sand, climbing up walls, rolling around and having the stereotypical military trench experience. He really enjoyed a break from the routine day he has. He usually wakes up early at 4:30 every morning, has morning marches and drills, then eat breakfast at 7 a.m. He then usually sits in class for a few hours, breaks for lunch then back to classes, eats dinner, then has meeting initiated by his flight (13 people) to help with their physical preparedness and other training drills that they hope to perfect to gain special privileges; then its off to study his homework and manual which he is tested on, laundry, ironing, and any personal time, it's light out by 11:30. He is really enjoying the classes, he says that they are very informative and motivational. He feels lucky to be in such a great flight. In his group there are 140 officers in training. In that group there are 3 squadrons, in each squadron there are either 3 or 4 flights of 13-15 people. In his flight there are 13 people: 4 JAG, 1 doctor, 1 public health administrator, and 7 are nurses. His flight scored highest on their physical test and hope to maintain that in their final physical test their last week. Dan is excited to be where he is right now and is having a great time! I'm so glad that he is getting to live his dream! Here are some pics from the last few months. Maggie's 1st Birthday! My parents, Aunt Becky, Aunty Mauri, Katelyn, Elli, and Wesley all joined our family to celebrate our little princess turning 1. We had a pinyata, pizza, cake and ice cream. Maggie loved it all!

Then Dan and I went on a fun cruise! We went para-sailing, swam with dolphins and snorkeling. My favorite was swimming with the dolphins and getting to ride on them. It was so amazing! We laughed a lot, played lots of games, and ate a lot of good food!




We celebrated Christmas out in Georgia, then went to Disney World with the Brewer bunch and then met up with Jarvis Family and Grandpa Boyd for a Disney Cruise. Maggie and Josh LOVED the characters! Maggie even got a smooch from Donald Duck! I think the kids favorite part was playing in the water! Maggie had a blast playing in the splash area and Josh made some new gilfriends in the kids pool! He's already holding hands with girls, what a stud! The Disney cruise was fantastic! It was my favorite crusie experience! The entertainment was amazing, the food fantastic, and SOO kid friendly! I loved it, despite the kids and I getting a little sea-sick! What a trip!

Two-month summary

Wow! Almost two months since our last post. Too much to write about in detail, but I'll sum it up and hopefully we'll be able to post some pictures. To sum up: we moved all our stuff to Provo where we'll store it until it gets shipped to Germany; Holly and I then snuck in an unexpected cruise with our friends the Hobbs to Key West and Cozumel; we then drove from Provo to Phoenix for a couple days before driving across the country for Christmas in Georgia with my (Dan's) Aunt and Uncle; then we drove down to Florida for New Year's at Disney World and a week-long Disney Cruise to St. Marteen and St. Thomas (planned by my mom prior to her passing - thanks Mom!); then I dropped Holly and the kids off at the Orlando airport this morning before driving up to Montgomery, AL where I will begin Officers' Training on Monday. For those who are keeping score at home: the last month = 10 different states (Alabama and Florida twice); two different countries (Mexico and the Netherlands Antilles (St. Marteen) - Geography note: St. Thomas is actually part of the U.S. Virgin Islands therefore not a different country - nerd alert); and just over 4,000 miles on our car.

Wheeew! Now I get to relax with 5 weeks of training while Holly gets to kick her feet up with a soothing schedule of preparing all of our things to get shipped to Germany while taking care of two kids. Holly and I were thinking the other day that our lives started getting a little crazy sometime around the beginning of last June when I started studying for the bar and we are thinking things probably won't settle down until we have been able to get our house situated in Germany which likely won't occur until sometime next June.

Throughout this hectic and emotionally draining year, we have Trula been blessed and I know that we have grown closer as a family and have come to realize how much strength we receive from each other. As I sit here on the first day of five weeks away from my family I miss them immensely and already look forward to being together again. I love them and know that I could not have survived the past months nearly as well as I have without Holly's loving support, Josh's clever since of humor, and Maggie's adorable smiling face.

I am proud to serve my country and aside from being called to serve my Father in Heaven in some form, I could not think of another endeavor for which I would be more willing to separate myself from my family for such a period of time.

For more details on my training, please check my personal blog from time to time: unclesamesquire.blogspot.com.

WE FOUND OUT WHERE WE'RE GOING!!!

Watch and see...

Air Force Assignment

It has been a long and eventful month since we last wrote anything on our blog. As many of you have heard, my (Dan's) mom passed away on October 6 and we kept planning and having her funeral and taking care of all the other necessities associated with wrapping up one's temporal affairs. Thank you to all those who have offered words of support during this difficult time.

On a more exciting note, we will be finding out next week where we will be stationed when I begin my employ with the Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps. That being said, we having a little contest to see who can guess where we will end up. Click here to look at the list of potential bases and then make a comment or send an email with your vote. Whoever guesses correctly (or closest) will win a dinner on us when you come to visit.

Additionally, I have had numerous requests that I keep people informed of what life is like in the JAG corps. For that reason, I have decided to start my own blog to journal my experiences. Although I don't start Officer Training until January, I have already created the blog and hopefully will be able to write often enough to give you all an idea of what life is like as a JAG officer. Here is the blog for those who are interested: http://unclesamesquire.blogspot.com.

Death & Taxes--the inevitable

To quote Benjamin Franklin: "'In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
Well this month we've had a taste of both of those inevitable events. Our property taxes came in the mail, OUCH! They went up quite a bit from last year, even though our house value dropped, how does that work? Ahh, such is the life of a homeowner! Thank goodness Dan has a job right now!
Death is another inevitable and feared event of life. Dan's mom Darla isn't doing so well and it is difficult to watch her daily deterioration. The doctor said that she has at most 2-3 weeks left. She is in advanced liver failure and unfortunately the doctors cannot do anything to stop it. Hospice started last week and have been great. They have been so caring and supportive. It takes truly amazing people to work in Hospice. We really appreciate all of the love and support of our family and friends, thank you so much!
On a brighter note, Darla did fulfill her life-long dream of being a college grad from BYU. She graduated Monday with a BA in business through continuing education. Go Darla! Right now Darla, Dan, Mauri, Jenna and Grandpa Boyd are all enjoying the colossal monument of Mt. Rushmore. Dan said it is beautiful and truly awesome sight. I think it is great that they all get to spend some time together. While they are off sight-seeing I got to watch my cute niece Abbie. It is so cute to see Josh and Abbie play together. They are really great friends.
I really miss Phoenix, especially since we're expecting 2 feet of snow in Park City tomorrow, bbrrrrrrrr! It has been great weather here so far, in the 80's. The leaves are changing color and are absolutely gorgeous. I LOVE autumn!

Dan the Man

Dan turned 29 on Sept. 2nd. The kids and I gave him a few presents, which Josh was very excited about and "helped" Dan open them by ripping the paper to shreds. I made his favorite cake, spice cake with cream cheese frosting and Dan and I went out on a date to an amazing Sushi place called RA in Ahwatukee. The best were the Vegas rolls! If you ever have a chance go there! It was a fun day and it gave us a rest from all of the packing.
I know that it is well past Dan's 29th Birthday, but I had to post how amazing my husband is! So I made a list of 29 things I love about Dan!
1. He makes me smile everyday
2. He takes our kids on daddy dates (He took Josh to the BYU game last Saturday, sooo sad they lost)
3. He lets me sleep in a few extra minutes and gets up with Josh to give him his oatmeal
4. He is an amazing kisser . . . etc.
5. He always opens the door for me
6. He is very hardworking, even when he doesn't love what he is doing
7. He has an awesome sense of humor, he cracks me up all the time!
8. He is always ready at a moments notice to give me or the kids a priesthood blessing
9. He always eats what I make for dinner
10. He love BYU, even after they have a disappointing game.
11. He always puts our family first, in everything!
12. He cleans the toilets and the showers so I don't have to
13. He make the best fajitas I've ever tasted
14. He loves me even though his ski skills are far superior (He's double black diamond, I'm bunny hill)
15. He always says "I Love You" as the last thing he tells me on the phone, when we're talking, and at night
16. He waited for me to finish my degree at BYU, even though it meant loosing his Arizona residency and therefore having to pay more the first year at ASU Law School
17. He always snuggles with me when we watch a movie
18. He always offers me the last bite when we are splitting some kind of food
19. He has never yelled at me in the whole five years we've been married
20. He is always willing to change diapers
21. He makes a great dragon when he and Josh play dragons & knights
22. He adores our children
23. He is very gregarious and makes friends easily
24. He has made me much more geographically conscious (he was a geography major at BYU, and yes, he does know where every country is and their capital)
25. He has shown me how to have greater patience and not hold grudges
26. He always wins in tickle fights
27. He can sleep through my snoring and talking in my sleep
28. He is the best dad to our kids, they absolutely adore him!
29. He is everything I've ever wanted in a man, friend, husband and father, he is WONDERFUL!

I love you Dan!