Update and Whining

I haven't posted anything for quite awhile because my computer died on me. Hoping to get it back on track in the coming week so I can load my new pictures. Brian is gone this week doing a control burn around Zions Park and Kylie has 3 days off of school for parent teacher conferences. I am working part-time at the law firm again and have had a really hard time going back. It stresses me out so much trying to figure out how to shuffle my child around. I should be home taking care of her! I put out the energy that I needed another $1,000 a month to put on Brian's student loan...and this job popped up. Working part-time I'll make about $1,000 a month. I've been really depressed since I started working, and now I can add anxiety to the list too, along with not sleeping at night. I keep telling myself to buck up and dig in and do what needs to be done. Brian and I were going to start trying for another baby, but now that's on hold. This loan is so overwhelming, even though we're living with his parents and saving tons of money. Sometimes we wonder if we made the right choice coming back to Utah and taking a 40% pay cut. We've been really unhappy in our current ward (no one will talk to us, let alone be our friends!) and there are no kids for Kylie to play with. Louisiana was hard, but I learned how to be happy and had the most amazing friends. Of course if I was still living there I wouldn't look on it so favorably. This move back to Utah has been very different than I thought it would be. It really is better for Kylie, all things considered. It's been great being around family again, and I'm really excited for the holidays. And we are loving the season changes! Kylie is so excited for snow.

Happy Birthday LD Dawson

We celebrated LD's 19th birthday with the family today. LD is from Indiana and is staying with us until he leaves on his mission. It's been awesome to spend so much time with him.

Happy Birthday Ryan Cole

We all got together tonight for Ryan's birthday. He and Tracie (Brian's sister) live in Brigham City with their kids. It's always a good time with the Cole's! I made Ryan a John Deere cake, which came out suprisingly well considering that: 1) I'd never done anything like it before, 2) I had a half-hour before the party started, and 3) My only tools were canned frosting, food coloring, and a zip-lock bag with a corner cut off. My inspiration came from a t-shirt of Brian's.

Ryan was REALLY excited about his birthday cake! :-)

One of the few pictures you'll see of me...there's a good reason why.

The Birthday Boy with his buddy Rob "Psycho" Payne.

Happy Birthday!

Today Kylie turned 6 and I turned 27. Yep, we share the same birthday! I had to work, but the office bought a mountain of goodies from Great Harvest...and made me take the leftovers home. I came home from work and took a Birthday Nap, then we went to dinner at the Olive Garden.

The drive into town was beautiful. It snowed all weekend and the mountain snows haven't melted yet. The full moon was awesome on our way home.

After dinner we went to Nana's house to blow out candles so Kylie could "officially" be 6 years old. I love sharing my birthday with my bug! Best birthday present ever.

Kylie's grandpa with cake on his face. Cute!

Kylie's Birthday Party

Conference Weekend

I love General Conference. It's one of my favorite times of the year. I love watching it at home in my jammies. Our home is filled with the Spirit and its so wonderful that you can't help but doze off into a peaceful slumber. Pictured are my youngest sister Joe'E, nephew Tanner, and Brian. Kylie played outside with Corinne until it started to rain.

Chuck E Cheese

Next to Disneyland, Chuck E Cheese is Kylie's favorite place in the whole world. When we lived in Houma there was a CEC by Wal-Mart and we frequently visited. However, now that we live in Northern Utah, the closest CEC is in Sandy which is nearly 2 hours away...until now. We were thrilled to learn that a CEC opened in Layton, which is much closer. Kylie didn't have school on Friday so we made a day of driving down to Layton, playing at CEC (which was PACKED--must have been the first weekend it was open), and shopping at the mall for my birthday. I started working part-time at the law firm again, but none of my old work clothes fit anymore! I weigh 20 lbs more than when I first started working there :-( . So now I have to get new work clothes. The drive through the canyon was amazing. Too bad it was raining or the colors would be more vibrant. The drive home was a little spooky: there was little traffic headed north into Cache Valley, but there was a steady stream of traffic coming out. It looked like everyone was fleeing the valley! Finally I remembered that Friday night was the big USU vs. BYU football game in Logan. All those crazy Cougar Fans were driving back to Provo after beating USU.

Mission Call

Brian's nephew, LD Dawson, received his mission call today! We had to wait until 8:00 pm for everyone to gather for the big opening. While waiting, we took bets in which state or country he would serve. This past year he spent 6 months in Spain as a foreign exchange student. He will now return to the same area as a missionary! Amazing things are going to happen.