Merry Christmas

We had a great Christmas. We had a Christmas eve party over at Caleb's parents house with my family. Caleb and I slept over at Caleb's parents house so we could wake up and have Christmas morning with his family. Caleb surprised me with a couple of gifts. Gifts that brought tears to my eyes. He is so thoughtful. We went to my grandma's house to spend some time with family. Every one wanted to know the latest and greatest about our adoption. (I wish I had more news of when we go to get him.) We showed a short video of pictures from our trip. This was the first time some had seen him. He melted their hearts. We also went to my parents house in the afternoon. My youngest brother called home. It was soooo great to hear his voice and talk to him. We put the phone on speaker phone and all just talked to him. I can't believe he comes home in almost 6 mos. It has been nice to spend the whole weekend with Caleb. He has tomorrow off from work. I wish I did too so we could spend more time together.

A nice surprise

So I really have not been in my normal Christmas Spirit. Today we had great news in our adoption. I had a baby shower at work. Right after I got done with the shower I got an email from Caleb. It says, " I just wanted to let you know what I've been doing today. Love you". There was a picture attached. I don't have the original picture so when I got home from work I took one for myself. Here is what he did:

He brought up our tree and decorated it. When I walked in the house he had the scentsy (wax warmer) turned on. The most amazing smell was running through our house. He had all the lights off and our tree was the only thing on. I truly have the most amazing husband and I am not sure I express that on here or to him enough. Yesterday I came home from work and he had cleaned the house. I am not sure how I got so lucky but I am really blessed to have him in my life.

To my husband

I just wanted to take a second and thank you for being such a great man. You are so inspiring and make me a better person. I cannot wait to take this next big journey with you. You are going to be a great dad and I cannot wait to witness it with our little guy. He has no idea how lucky he is to have you as his example. Seeing you hold him, open your heart to him, and let him take a piece of it to hold onto until we go back for him was incredible. Thank you again.

Love,
Your wife

Months until Cort comes home....

HaPpY BiRtHdAy Brother

Today is one of my brothers birthday. I am so proud of the man he has become and who he has yet to be. He is going to school and working hard to make the best future for him and his wife. Even with him being younger he is a great example for me. HaPpY TwO-FoUr BrOtHeR.

A day to remember.....Why???

- It is my parents 33rd wedding anniversary. I hope things picture brings back memories for you. Congrats and I love you both.

- One year ago today my grandpa Gardner passed away. Love you gpa.

Crazy

So I would say I am going crazy with everything going on with our adoption. It seems emotion is taking over everything. I cry over everything. I called my mom tonight and told her about phone call I was just on and she goes into a story. After hearing her story I can justify my craziness. So what is her story? Last night my dad tells my mom he has to run to Office Max or Office depot. So she goes with him and while he is in the store looking for what he needs so goes up to a kid that works there and asked if they like to have satisfied customers. The kid responds with yes mam. My mom then tells him that her neck hurts and asks him if he will rub it for her. (Are you kidding me? Who does this? oh...my mom) So the kid says let me call my manager to come to the front of the store. So the manager comes up and my mom asks him the same two questions. His response is yes to customer satisfaction and he rubs her neck. My dad goes to find my mom and can't stop laughing when he finds her. The manager asked my mom if he was her husband. My mom tells him yes but it doesn't mean stop. My dad didn't end up finding what he went for and my mom got more than she ever thought. I was laughing pretty hard at her story. I was joking with her about how many people have heard this story from those two guys that worked there. She said she made a bag of treats and she is going to take it to both of them tonight to thank them. All I can say is she is one of a kind and truly unbelievable.

Happy Halloween..and down to 8 mos.

Cort comes home in 8 months

Mentor

I have an incredible mentor at work. I meet with her every couple of months. Well I met with her today and she is truly inspiring. I am one lucky girl to have such an influential person in my life and more importantly my work life. She has helped guide me in my career and I couldn't be more thankful. It is days like today that really help me see the big picture and realize that I have no where but up to go from here. The future is definitely bright.

It's Monday...

13 hrs today.

Time....

I finished the work week with 52 hrs.  

I cannot wait for our trip in 24 days.

It is Wednesday....

and I have already worked 35 hours this week with two days to go.

This month

So far this month is flying by...or so it seems. As of today we have been mandated to work at least 10 hours of overtime a week through the end of the year. YiPpEe...I am so excited. ha ha ha yeah right. Our little vacation/meeting our son can't come soon enough. A little over a month and we are out of here. Until then work, work and more work.

Park City

On Saturday we spent the day in Park City. We rode the Alpine slide, the Alpine coaster and the Zip line. We rode each of these a couple of times. Our favorite by far was the coaster.

After playing around we went to the outlet stores. Caleb got new shoes from Nike and we both bought new jackets from Columbia. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. I had so much fun spending the whole day with my amazing husband.

It is days like this that make me thankful 

that he choose me to be his wife.

Another month down....

9 months until Cort comes home...

finally out of the double digits.

A little bit about what is going on with us...

So what a have we been up to? It seems like we have been pretty busy lately. We both decided to go back to the gym at least three days a week. So far so good. (remember we have Costa Rica in a year...gotta start getting in shape...and round is not the shape we are going for.) I have been filling in the last couple of weeks on a coed volleyball team. If I have never expressed my love for this sport....I LOVE IT!!!! We bought new luggage for our trip that is coming up. 49 days to be exact. We can't wait for a little vacation and most of all meeting our son. (it is still weird to think we have a son) Paris and Ethiopia...here we come. Caleb started a new shift at work this week. My work has still been busy and I don't see that changing any time soon.

2011 Vacation set

We just booked a Condo for our 2011 vacation. Costa Rica here we come. It is pretty far away but it is nice to keep in the back of my mind. We had to push it out since we are unsure of when we will travel for our second time to Ethiopia.

Guess who comes home today????

My Handsome Husband. Nothing like wishing your day away. 

9:00pm cannot come soon enough...I have missed him so much.

One word to sum it up

It is only Wednesday and it has been a week. 

My one word to sum it up:

STRESSFUL

(Friday cannot come soon enough for a couple of reasons)

HaPpY BiRtHdAy

Today is my amazing husband's birthday. 

I can't believe he is 30. 

HaPpY BiRtHdAy to an Incredible man.

Guess What???

Months from today and Cort will be home.

The Chair Redo

So I finally finished my chair project. It took a while to do, not because it was hard either. I think I looked at every store looking for fabric. Nothing really ever jumped out at me. I bought the chair for $5. I sanded, primed and painted it. The old chair seat was covered in a horrible plastic. It was nasty. I cut the fabric to fit and stapled it to the back. I also put on new padding who knows how old the padding was. I think it turned out pretty good. For now I have put it in a corner in our office.

Before

After

Pics of my Hair

So I forgot to post pics of how long my hair has gotten. Remember the goal of not cutting it for 2 years while Cort is gone. Well we just passed the one year mark. I would be lying if I said I went the whole time without a trim. As it keeps growing it takes longer and longer to do. I think I have to be one of the laziest girls when it comes to hair so you can only imagine my frustration. I would have to say I am excited to see where it is at by the time he gets home.

(Starting point = Chin length...Today = 8 inches longer)

A Great Weekend

We started this weekend off with a great start. We bought a new car. (I Love, love, love new cars.) We have been debating between another car or an SUV. Well the SUV won. Here is the newest member of our garage. The navigation voice is a male with a British accent...I now call him Charlie.

Caleb offered to be on call for most of Saturday to give the normal girl a break. So we hung out at home for the most part. I went and ran some errands. That night we went to the Drive-in with Caleb's family. All but one family was able to make it. We had a great time. We watched Despicable me and Charlie St. Cloud. I loved the first movie and didn't watch too much of the second....I couldn't stay awake. I had even taken a nap earlier to avoid falling asleep. No such luck. It seems most the girls like the second movie. We know that all of the guys really loved Zac Efron since he is so "handsome". Ha ha ha.

We spent Sunday together hanging out. We went to visit with my parents and then had dinner at Caleb's parents home with his family. Spending time with everyone is great. Watching my youngest niece and nephew show all of us what they can do gets better and better. Tonight it was a summersalt, marching, turning in circles and doing a flip over their mom. To see them grow up into individuals is amazing. Soon they will be "little" adults like the older two.

Only in the Summer

Yesterday Caleb went out and rode his bike for a few hours. I ran around town and really didn't do a whole lot of anything. We decided a couple days ago that we were going to go to the Drive-In to see a movie. We had a great time. We both grew up going to the drive-in. It brings out the child in me. We sat before the movie started and watched the guy that worked there constantly tell people in SUV's and trucks that they can't park in the car areas. If you like to people watch this is the place for you.

One of the best days of our Lives

7/7/10

(Explanation to come soon enough)

HaPpy 4th of July and more

We spent the weekend with Caleb's family camping. We had a great time. Great weather and great people. It was nice getting away from the everyday stuff. We rented a tent trailer which made camping so much easier. I keep telling Caleb that I want to become Trailer campers permanently. So someday this might just happen. For our first camping trip of the year I would have to call it a success.

Cort has officially been gone for a year. Well as of the 1st of July. Half way there....that's great. If you remember back to the post of the day he left He and I made a deal. That I wasn't going to cut my hair for two years. I joke that I am going to be able to tuck my hair into my socks by the time he comes home. I will post a pic tomorrow of when he Left and today to show how it is coming along.

I hope everyone has had a WoNdErFuL 4th of July.

A little different

This past weekend I had to work. Caleb spent Sat with our nephew. They went to see The Karate Kid. I love that we get the opportunities to spend quality time with our nieces and nephews. As the two younger ones get older I hope we can build great relationships like we have done with the older two. I always joke that Caleb and I are their favorite uncle and aunt. I am joking...well most the time. My kid at heart really gets to come out. As one of my sister-n-laws says I am the fun aunt. I love that title....too bad it doesn't come with a crown and sash. **** my little secret is I don't do it for them..I love to be goofy, play catch, go to a pool or water park and play games. I get to use them to do the things that ADULTS don't do. PLEASE don't tell them because it might ruin my rep.
We both got to spend time with are dad's on their big day. Both our dad's are Amazing. Laid back attitude, both think they are funny, kind hearted, would do anything for their kids and most of all LOVE Caleb and me. I know I am my dad's favorite daughter and Caleb is his favorite son-n-law...and since this is MY blog I can think similiar thoughts about my father n law...I would just never publish them...

Two things were different this year...Two people were missing...my dad got a letter and shirt from Cort. It was soooo great that Cort sent my dad something. Last year at this time we had Cort's farewell, Father's day and my gpa Gardner's b-day. Today he would have been 90 years old. We had a great weekend.

Out with the old....in with the new

This past weekend Caleb sold his motorcycle and bought a motorcycle. We drove to Colorado to meet up with the guy that bought the bike from us. 6 hours in the car is way to much for us. I have no idea what people are thinking who decide to take road trips across the country. Even more confusing is the people who do it with children. Do I have to give them some credit or take points away? Caleb found a new bike and picked it up last Friday. I have already knocked it over. The same day he got it. He is still trying to convince me to get my own. Ha I laugh in the face of danger....Laugh because I am not stupid. I do not trust myself on motorized 4 wheels let alone 2. I will stick to my two wheeled PEDAL bike, thanks anyways babe. There is only room for one Evel Knievel in this house, and he won that title a couple weeks ago.

My mom and I are going to work on a little craft project this Friday. If all goes well you will see pics of it and if it doesn't, I will destroy all proof that our idea failed miserably. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the next two days. This could impact how I play volleyball on Thursday night. So I might take a couple hours off to get my game on. I will keep you posted. If you don't see pics don't even ask what we attempted to do. Failure brings out the worst emotions in people.

HaPpY Long Weekend

Caleb and I had a great weekend. We spent Saturday with our nephew. We ran some errand and took him to see The Prince of Persia. It was a good show. I had no idea what it was about going into it but I would recommend it for others to enjoy. We played in the backyard. Well, my nephew and I did since Caleb is still broken. We just hung around the house on Sunday. My parents and gma dropped by for a few min to visit. Today we had a BBQ at Caleb's parent's house. We celebrated his gpa's 77th birthday. We enjoyed the great weather and great times with each other. We can always use more weekends like this one.

Let me Clarify

Caleb was not lifted out by helicopter. He ended up going to the doctor and didn't break anything just strained his foot and is walking around in a boot. He is a little sore but good overall. Sorry to have worried some people.

How much for a helicopter?

When you have to ask yourself this question you know you are in trouble. A broken toe maybe foot. Two sunburned arms and a burn on a leg from hot exhaust. Being thrown over handle bars and pinned under 400lbs. No way to stake a tent so slept with saber tooth tiger beetles.

Went and bought a b-day present. Cooked pasta for one. Slept Friday night on the couch. Cleaned a little. Went and ran some errands. Got all dolled up for a night on the town with my parents. Played games Saturday night. Had a PJ party planned but was short lived when got a phone call saying "I am on my way home".

It's nice to be home together. I missed Caleb so much. When he sent me a text on Friday night saying he was broken and not having fun it broke my heart. He was looking forward to this trip to Lake Powell. When he started to question how much it would cost to have a helicopter come into the middle of nowhere to save him, his "fun" weekend was over.

It's the middle of May

Bike rides, yard work, volleyball, mother's day and so much more.

Caleb and I have both been going on bike rides since the weather has been a little more supportive. I am really enjoying my bike. Getting out on the road really lets me clear my head. Caleb has his motorcycle back up and running. He has gone out on a couple rides. He is going down to Lake Powell with some friends to go for an overnight ride and camp out.

Caleb and I planted a few plants and ground cover in our front yard. We are also testing out a local yard care company. They started last week. They come and edge, trim and mow our yard once a week. So far so good. the time savings alone is worth it. We will see how it works out.

I have been playing volleyball on Thursday nights. I love it. I get a pretty good workout. It beats doing nothing. I am sure my couch has noticed our relationship getting a little more distant.

We had a great mother's day. We had breakfast with Caleb's side of the family at our house. We both went for a bike ride then went to my parents for dinner. Cort called us just after 6:00pm. He is doing so great. Happy as can be. It was great to talk to him. Overall mother's day was great. I think this was one of the best mother's days we have had.

and so much more....we have had good family times, Caleb and his brother went to a REAL soccer game. We helped a niece make posters and handouts for her school election. Caleb has a new BFF. Caleb helped both sides of our families with little problems that have come up. I love that people need my amazing husband. He helped with water pressure issues, computer problems, driver seats that are stuck in the worst position possible and sprinkler issues to name a few.

I guess that is enough for now. Have a great week. :)

A concerned letter

Dear Mother Nature,

Over the last few weeks I have come to understand that you are ill. I am no doctor but I have had enough of your bipolar Mother Nature ways. You need help ASAP. If you don't come to your senses quickly I might go crazy. Let us have the Spring we deserve. I would also be OK if you take us straight into Summer but leave Winter out of it. If April showers bring May flowers we may have a flipping jungle on our hands after this week.

Sincerely

Kacee

President of the WWHC

Winter Weather Hater Club

HaPpY Anniversary

As of today Caleb and I have been married for 9 years. I cannot believe we are old enough to have been married for this many years. Time has flown by. I am so thankful to have such an amazing husband. I love thinking about what the future has in store for us. I couldn't be more excited to experience life with my best friend. I am sure there are things that I could work on or improve as a wife. I love that Caleb accepts me and loves me for who I am and who I may become. He helps me obtain my goals and dreams. Sometimes the little things go without being acknowledged but deep down I appreciate and love everything about him.

Going to the Chapel and they're....

gonna get married....

This past Saturday was Bud's wedding. I cannot believe it has already come and gone. He and Laura had a beautiful day. It was filled with great weather and great family and friends. I could not be more happy for both of them. I am gaining a great sister. She is genuine, thoughtful, beautiful and very loving. I love her for who she is and who she makes my brother be. I am so proud of both of them. We received a phone call from Cort. Saturday morning. His mission president gave him the ok to call home and talk to Bud. He sounded to happy. I know that he is out doing what he needs/wants to. It was hard knowing he is so far away on his brothers wedding day. But don't think that distance kept him from attending the reception.

(Caleb, Me, My Mom, Laura, Brother, My Dad)

HaPpy Easter

I hope that everyone has had an enjoyable Easter.

We have.

THE little Things

My brother is getting married in less than two weeks. I was asked by both him and his "wife" for some advice. Advice on love, marriage and as individuals. Who am I? I am no expert on any of these topics. Here is what I told them and I have been thinking about it since.

I think that people lose Love in marriages all the time. It starts to become just day to day living. I think this is why a lot of marriages fail. Sometimes it is easier to find faults in people. I think people need to stop and reflect on why they fell in love with their girlfriend/boyfriend, spouse or partner. Remembering the good qualities. The quirks that make you smile or laugh, the heartfelt late night conversations, the inside jokes, the things that once gave you butterflies just thinking about him or her.

I believe that couples lose more than love. As people grow and change with time it may become harder to have the same relationship. Knowing that change is bound to happen, take it and make it what you want. Understand what makes him or her passionate and support that it. If he wants to try painting buy him a canvas. If she wants to join a roller derby team take her skating.

Sometimes we need to stop living our everyday lives and live for today. Find Love within our relationships. Be Passionate and grow stronger with change.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy.....

to my dad. We went out to dinner on Friday night with my parents, Bud, Laura and Gma Gardner. We celebrated my dad's birthday and mine. We had a great dinner and enjoyed spending time with family. My dad has talked about wanting to try painting so we bought him lots of things to get him started. I cannot wait to see what his first project is.

Caleb and I went yesterday to get my birthday present. I have been thinking about trying road cycling. So we went yesterday and we bought me a bike. I am soooo excited to do this. Here is a pic of what my bike looks like. I was a little hesitant on the bright color but I LOVE it.

Whose up....

......for a little pin the tail on the donkey or musical chairs? That's what I was asked at my future sister-n-laws bridal shower this past Saturday.

Enough said!!!

Jobs

Caleb started his new position at work over a week ago. He loves being in over his head and the challanges that brings. It will keep him busy and expand that smart brain of his. I am sure he will know everything there is to know in no time. Well speaking of jobs I signed an offer yesterday. Still with the same company but a new adventure. I am excited. We will see what happens.

Volleyball ALL day

Yesterday I played volleyball down in Spanish Fork with girls from high school. We started at 9:00am and I got home around 8:30pm. It had been since high school that we had played in an all day tourney. By the end of the day we were beat. We played against 7 teams. Today is the day I know that I am out of shape. Every muscle in my body hurts. I also jammed my ring finger. So now I have a football as a finger. Even though I hurt today I had a great time playing yesterday.

Thoughts on FaMiLy

Over the last little while I have been thinking a lot about family. Family in general. My Family. Do we take family for granted? Is it better to have a family that all lives within 10 minutes from each other or does distance really make the heart grow fonder? Do I call my parents or even see them as much as I should? I live close to them so does that mean I can disregard putting forth any effort to keep our relationship as close as it should be? Since I work with my brother do I now treat him more like a co-worker? I think that families go through spurts of good times and bad but how often do we try make the good times great and the bad times good? I love every Monday. Why? I get to email back and forth with my youngest brother Cort. I think about him all of the time and cannot wait to hear how his last week was. Is it because he is not convenient? The last thing a close family wants is distance. Only seeing each other once a year and catching up over the phone is not my idea of family. People get busy in the day to day stuff. We all need to sit back and re-evaluate what family means to us. Here are some things I question.

• I have an amazing husband. Do I tell him this enough? Do I show him how much I love and appreciate him? Do I recognize all of his qualities and values? Do I kiss and hug him enough? Am I everything he could want in a wife?
  

• I have an awesome dad. We talk but is it enough? Does he know what an inspiration he is to me? Does he know how much I love his goofy sense of humor? I am proud to call him dad.
  

• I have the best mom. Being her only daughter are we as close as we should be? Does she know that her compassion towards special needs kids is remarkable? Have I told her what a great example she is to me?
  

• I have two incredible brothers. I would not trade them for the world. I think the years difference in age has had a positive impact on our relationship. Do they know how much I love and care for them? Do they hate that I give them advice? Do they know that I want nothing but the best for them? I am gaining a sister n law shortly and I cannot wait to have her in my family.
  

• I have a terrific mother n law and father n law. Do they know how much I value them? Do they know that I love them? Should I email or call my father n law while he is out of town? Am I there if my mother n law needs someone to talk to? They both have strengths that I can only dream of having.

• I have 8 wonderful brother and sister n laws. Do I tell them how much they mean to me? Do I treat them all equal as they should be? Do I need to call or text more often just to tell them to have a great day? Am I available if someone should need something?

• I have 4 unique nieces and nephews. I love each of them more than they know. Do I need to pick them up so they can spend time with their "favorite" aunt? Do they know that I am here if they need something? Am I good example for them?
  

I have a fear that I will lose someone before I have really had the chance to tell them how important they are to me. I need to not take family for granted and love them before I ever lose them.

Hello Sleep???

It is 3:30 am. I have been up for an hour and a half. Can't sleep.
Today is going to be a GREAT day.

Valentines Day

Love is.....

Tender, Listening, Sweet, Loyal, Passionate, Friendship, LaUGhter, equal, butterflies, Smiles, Family, friends, SIMPLISTIC, Strength, HumoR, Memories, Trust, real, CuDDlinG, spending TIME together, HaPPy, Compassion, sharing, Natural, Hugs & Kisses, DREaMs

.....everything I have with Caleb.

Well it's official.

On Saturday Caleb and I finally decided to tell my mom's side of the family our big secret. We have waited a while to tell a few people and I haven't posted anything about this secret on here. I have a whole other blog where I have been keeping this a secret. I have been able to post pics and keep the other blog updated as time passes. For those people who read this and do not know what I am talking about...

.....drum roll please.....

Caleb and I are in the process of adopting a baby from Ethiopia. Yep that's right. Sometime in 2010 we will become PARENTS.

This week in the Call household....

1. Caleb and I joined a gym. Caleb has this idea that he thinks is great. It is completing a marathon. He has started training for a marathon. I have no interest in running a marathon but will support Caleb with his plans. I on the other hand am playing in a volleyball tournament on March 6th. I figure I better start getting in shape so I don't die on the court. Caleb has gone to the gym every night since we signed up. I didn't go last night. I went and played a couple of volleyball games. I absolutely love volleyball. I don't realize how much I love it until I go and play.

2. Caleb heard back from one of the interviews he had and was offered a job. He will stay with Overstock but move to headquarters. He will still be a CoMPuTer GeeK. I believe it is a Linux Systems Engineer. (Which I have no idea what that really means. He said is has something to do with the actual website.) I am sooooo HaPpy for him. They are still working on a start date and the details but he is very excited for this new opportunity.

Go Jazz Go

Last night Caleb and I went to the Jazz game. I was invited to go with a group of people from work. The Jazz played the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have a horrible record and the game should not have been as close as it was. Two of the Jazz starters were also MIA. The Jazz ended up winning which was great. We had a good time. It is nice that Caleb can put faces to the names I mention from work. During the half time show they honored Hot Rod Hundley. He has been the voice of the Jazz for over 30 years.

22 days into 2010 and oh how busy we've been....

Caleb and I seem to be non-stop lately. Caleb and his brother decided to take my nephew out to shoot guns for the first time. They have gone out a couple of Saturdays. I am pretty sure that my nephew has a new found passion. My nephew came over last weekend and hung out with us. We watched a couple of movies, ate pizza and made cookies. We enjoyed getting the one on one time with him. He is only 7 1/2 but he is very passionate about a few things and can carry a conversation like a 40 year old on these subjects. I have been busy trying to help Bud and Laura with wedding stuff. We found her dress about two weeks ago. It seems like every week there is some new appointment they ask me to go to. I have also played volleyball the last couple of weeks. Every Friday morning I wake up so sore but I enjoy every minute of playing. Caleb has had a couple of job interviews over the last couple of weeks. Hopefully he will hear something soon. We just celebrated my nieces 10th Birthday. I can't believe she is 10 which means I can't believe how old I am. Age is a whole other subject for another time. Well I guess that is enough for now.

Christmas and New Years

We had a great Christmas. We got to talk to Cort on Christmas day. It was great to hear his voice. He is doing great. Caleb and I spent time with both of our families. We both got everything we could have wanted and more. Caleb and I rented a billiards room at Noah's and had both our families come for a New Years Eve party. We had a fun time with everyone. What is more fun than food, games and visiting with each other? Well, playing games is fun as long as you do not get frustrated with one of the other players. Maybe I should start taking Prozac before I play games. You know the people that get mad at all of the other cars on the road??? This is how I get playing games. Anyway....Here are a couple of pictures from New Years Eve.

I hope everyone had a great year in 2009. May 2010 be even better.
I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for us.
Here is to a new year and new adventures.