End of 2008, onward to 2009

Well, what a year.....

We started with a move out of the rental and into our new home..it turned out beautiful and we are thrilled with the view off the front porch. Everything is exactly as we planned and it so so nice to have room to move around, once again.

We had a fairly uneventful 2008...smooth and comfortable, just like we like it.

Stephen continues his job with Rio Tinto and it has gone well, they built new offices in Daybreak and it is so nice for him to walk to work in the morning, stop in at the new employee health club and then off to work. He has truly enjoyed it. He has a beautiful view of the lake and can stop home for lunch or plan a date with myself or the kids frequently.

I am still working at the kidscare clinic and it has been such and enjoyable job, I had no plans of working with pediatrics but I have to say the little buggers have grown on me and I really enjoy it. I have also, just recently started home care as we are unsure of Stephens job stability, so this gives us the income we will need and health benefits, if needed. I am sure it will work out ok and I can virtually work around the kids schedule after a little morning help from Stephen.

Mason has had a great year..he finished third grade and then moved into the new East Lake School, it has been son nice just up the street and wow what a beautiful school. He has a great teacher this year and is doing very well. He successfully finished his first year of football and they actually went to the playoffs. He did so well and we couldn't be more proud. We spent many a Saturdays on the field yelling and truly enjoyed the season. He learned the importance of teamwork and made some great friends along the way.

Abby finished 1st grade and is now a big second grader. She is doing very well and continues to enjoy gymnastics. She attends twice a week and could not be happier with herself, we are of course very proud of out little gymnast and all her tricks. She will be starting basketball on a girl team soon and surely succeed at that, also.

Last but not least...Zak the dog has had a very relaxing year of napping and walking and is surely one of the most spoiled dogs on the planet. Nothing new to report on his side.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. We will continue to stay in touch and hope you all do the same.

All our love....Stephen, Joann, Mason, Abby and (of course) Zak.......

Staying In Salt Lake

Well, we tried....and tried...but the house is not going to sell unless we are willing to take a big loss, therefore we have decided to stay for awhile. Stephen has a good job and so do I, the kids are happy and we still love our new house so there it is.....no real reason to leave for now. All else is going very well, Mason is doing great at football and his team is undefeated, Abby continues gymnastics and is enjoying it, and my family is visiting next week and then I am off to Calgary for a baby shower, should be a fun girl weekend, I am way excited. We will post pics soon of the kids in costumes for Halloween, should be fun. No other news for now...ta ta

First Day of School...

Finally, after a very long summer the kids are back in school. They were thrilled to go and I was so excited for them to go and for me too...as I returned to the gym today and it was great to just have five minutes to myself and know that they were on their own and very happy.

Game Day.....Final Score 21 us 0 them

Well, Mason had his first game at football and they actually did quite well, the other team was not able to score on them but more than that, the little fellas seemed to know where to go and how to get there. I guess all the practice 6 nights a week for 2 hours a night has paid off. They were very very cute....take a look.

For Sale.......again...are we crazy

Well, we are not sure what is next for us, all I can say is I hope Gods plan for us involves moving us out of Utah...we have had our fill of the place and are ready for a new life adventure. I am hoping for something that involves living nearer to family, cause I think our biggest problem is being lonesome. We will see....first things first we are going to try to sell our beautiful home that I absolutely love...it was very hard to put the sign out front I feel as if I have just put one of my kids up for sale. But I can't take it with me so we will see. I think if it is meant for us to move even my house will sell in a bad market and if not we will stay but we will not make any job changes or permanent choices until the house is sold. We will keep you all posted on this. Please keep us in your prayers as this is a very important move for us, we are sick of relocating and are ready to find "our town" rather than just another pit stop.

Football Star

Mason continues to practice, practice and practice football. They are still on a 6 day per week, 2 hours per day schedule. That is until School starts next week (yeah), then they knock back to 3 days per week, plus a game ever Saturday.....

Today he got his uniform, and number (66).

13 year and counting.....

Yep, We have been married 13 years now...WOW that is all I can say. We dressed up pretty on Saturday night and went to a great restaurant down town called the Metrapolitan. It was really nice to just sit and talk and eat and drink lots of wine. The kids (of course) had a babysitter, which they thought was fabulous...we must need to get out more when our kids get excited about a babysitter.