New news, or not?

Wow, I feel like such a slacker!! I haven't posted anything since May!

Well, not much has changed here in the Coachella Valley, except that the weather was much MUCH cooler in May. If you think Tucson is hot, try spending a day out here! This summer it averaged 110-118, but it would get hotter than that some days. We get some coastal humidity, but no rain, so it can be kinda miserable. So I was really excited when yesterday our high was only 93!

A few weeks ago we found out that we are going to have a baby!!! I'm 8 weeks along today, and we are uber excited! I'm due on April 28th... Baby Hassie is just a lil peanut right now, but he/she is happy and healthy. (:

We are looking to buy a house again, since we have more of an idea of where we want to live now. We really want to try and buy before the end of the year, but don't know if that will still be possible since time is flying by and realtors aren't getting back to us.

In about two weeks we will be on our way to Yellowstone to escape the heat and visit family! Hopefully we can find our warm clothes. We haven't needed them in a while...

Change of plans

So ignore that last post... Justin talked to the credit union with one last attempt, and they said that now they WILL finance us! If only they could have understood from the beginning. So we get to keep the Jetta after all and we don't have to spend all weekend driving and wasting gas! We are thinking about going to the beach instead... (:

Car problems...

We have to drive to Tucson tomorrow to trade back the Jetta for our old cars...

The credit union we were going through won't finance us anymore since we moved out of state (which is just weird if you ask me), so the dealership wants us to come pick up our cars and our deposit. I guess cars aren't worth as much in California, so nobody in state will finance us since the loan is for more than the car would be worth out here. Don't ever trade in your cars and then move out of state. It's too much work, and your credit just gets lower in the process as you try to find someone that will finance you.

It's a 6 hour drive each way, so there goes most of our weekend.

Florida vacation...

So we have officially been moved in for 17 days, but have only been in our house for about 8... Judy went to Indiana to visit friends (practically family) while Justin and I went to Florida to visit family. We all really needed the time to relax after the big move.

We had tickets out of Tucson so we had to drive there and leave the GEICO car at Catherine's. We flew into Orlando and stayed at a condo with my family... It was really great getting to see them since we haven't seen them since they moved away. The girls were really excited to see us since they had no idea we were coming until the day that we got there! We watched conference on Sunday and went to the Orlando temple. We even were able to have our Sunday tradition for dinner -- roast! Monday we went to Epcot and a bird left me a present on my shirt that was oh-so-fun to clean up... It was first thing in the morning too, and I don't know how it got where it did. So we started out in Future World and then went to some of the World Showcase. We were exhausted already and decided to head out a little early to get rested up for the rest of the week. Tuesday was Hollywood Studios, so we hit up the big rides and got fastpasses to go on them again, and then did shows for the rest of the day. We even got to watch the American Idol Experience, which was pretty cool. We almost tried out but decided against it since it would be an all day ordeal if we got picked. I don't know if I would rather have Simon or this other guy critique me... I'm almost thinking Simon, since he at least has a cool accent when he tells you that you sound "utterly horrific"... Then we got to watch Fantasmic!!! We had perfect seats right in the middle, and we were bombarded with the wave on both sides of us. Wednesday was Magic Kingdom... It's really weird going there when you are so used to Disneyland's layout since it is so different! It didn't stop us from having fun spending time together though. McCall and I were a little scared to go on Winnie the Pooh and It's a Small World after reading Kingdom Keepers, but we survived. We even met Wayne! He told us that the next book is coming out in October... We watched fireworks that evening right by the castle, went on a couple rides, then went back to the condo. Thursday we went to Animal Kingdom and started out at the safari so we could see animals before they decided to hide in the shade from the heat. The rest of the day was mostly spent in DinoLand USA and Camp Minnie Mickey watching shows and taking it easy. Expedition Everest was really fun, but that Yeti was a lot scarier than the one in Disneyland, and now we know why (it's a Kingdom Keepers thing)... The Kali River Rapids were kinda sad though. Justin and I got sprinkled on while everyone who was wearing a poncho got soaked... We WANTED to get wet to cool off, and we didn't get drenched until we went for round two later on in the evening, but by then it was getting colder so we didn't want to get as wet. Friday we said goodbye so that we could drive down to Fort Myers and see Justin's Dad and Stepmom. It was nice spending time with them since we hadn't seen them since our wedding! Saturday we went to the beach and got really burnt, but it was sooo nice being there! I love the ocean!!! I almost got electrocuted in the bathroom at DQ on the beach, which is a story in itself. Hmmm... oh yeah, we went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner and Justin and his Dad ate a LOT of crab. Me and Cindy finished early and took a walk and when we came back they STILL weren't done eating! We flew back to Tucson the next day (which was waaay too soon) and almost missed our flight because security wouldn't let us take the snow globe we bought at Disneyworld for Catherine with us. So after a long day of flights and layovers we arrived in Tucson where I had to tell Catherine the bad news about her souvenir... She gave us the GEICO car back anyway and was happy to see us! Then we drove back to Desert Hot Springs and crashed on the bed.

Judy was supposed to fly back into Palm Springs the Tuesday after we got back. She had a layover in Phoenix and was stuck there for an extra hour since her flight was delayed. She finally boarded her small 50 passenger plane and they were off to Palm Springs. The wind was REALLY strong that night so there was a lot of turbulence. The pilot tried landing and circling a few different times only to realize that there was no way to get the plane down without crashing it. Everyone on the plane was terrified and afraid that they were going to die. Judy was already not feeling well since she got sick while she was out in Indiana, and the turbulence didn't help that one bit... The pilot realized that they would have to go to the Ontario airport to refuel or else they would run out of gas. They were trying to decide whether or not they would refuel and go back to try again or if they would just bus people back to Palm Springs. Then they heard that the Ontario airport was really backed up since there were so many other planes having trouble landing in Palm Springs, so they had to go to Los Angeles! Once they landed in LA around 11, they were waiting since there was no gate for them to go to. They finally got to a gate and told everyone that they needed to refuel and to exit the plane to stretch their legs. Once they were off the plane they were told that they weren't going to try again and that they decided to just bus them to Palm Springs (which is a 2 1/2 hour bus ride) and that the bus would be there around midnight. Which means they wouldn't get to Palm Springs until 2:30 in the morning. So Judy ended up staying at a hotel in LA and Justin left work early on Wednesday to go get her... Now we are all safe and home -- but Judy is still sick.

Justin loves his new job as a field adjuster and I got a part time job at Hollister so that we can have some money while I am looking for a more full time job... If you know anyone in the area that is hiring let me know!

Whew! That was a long blog... I guess I'm good for a while then huh? jk, I'll keep you posted!

Moving to Cali ♥

The moment you have all been waiting for... Justin was offered a position in Palm Springs, CA and they want him to start in 2 weeks! Yeeeah, it's kinda quick. This means we have to pack our house and Judy's apartment, look for a house, make an offer on a house, find me a new job, trade in our cars for one car, and do so much more all in two weeks. Did I mention that we both work full time jobs right now? Does anyone see how this is possible?

He will be a field adjuster with his own GEICO car, and doing all that fun stuff... He was pretty much bouncing off the walls when he called me and told me he got the job today! (:

We will be very sad to leave the friends we've made here, but it will be a good change.

Well, I have to get packing, but I just thought I'd let you know!

Just Following Up...

I haven't posted anything in over a month, so I figured I should at the very least let you know how the surgeries went...

Justin's surgery went well, but he was in a lot of pain (mostly because of the stent they put in), and he was out of work from Thursday - Monday. His recovery went well. I wanted him better, so I wouldn't let him do anything. (:

Judy ended up not needing the bypass on her leg, at least not yet. She is actually getting better circulation in her legs than she had last month. She still needs the other bypass if she wants to have even better circulation and potentially less surgeries in the future, but it is nothing that is an immediate concern of her doctor.

As for me, my bunion surgery is still not going to happen for a long time. I am not too worried about it since I sit most of the time at work...

Justin & I have been walking every day and are loving every second of it! ♥

I have more to say, but I don't want to say anything yet, because it isn't a for sure thing... So I will get back to you later about that!

Christmas Cookies & Holiday Hearts ♥

Last night Justin and I had a huge craving for cookies... We had some chocolate chip cookie dough left over from the last time we made cookies, but Justin REALLY wanted sugar cookies. Since we didn't have all the ingredients or energy to make them from scratch, I offered to go buy some dough. (He had a headache that wouldn't go away, so I figured he should stay and get some rest...) Oh, and he requested that I get milk too!

When I got to Safeway I had no idea where to look. We usually go to Fry's for our grocery shopping, but Safeway is a little closer since we are in Sycamore Park now. I would have gone to Fry's anyway, but I was worried about my car. (that will have to be another blog...) So I walked up and down the aisles looking for each item on the list, starting on the south end. I guess they have a small section with lunch meats and cookie dough back by the milk in addition to the larger section in one of the other aisles. I didn't see any normal cookie dough, but I saw some Valentine's Day ones with hearts, so I grabbed those. Then I grabbed the milk and called Justin to see if there was anything else he wanted me to get. He decided that Nilla Wafers sounded good, so I went looking for those. Then I saw regular sugar cookie dough in the big section and also some Christmas tree ones that were a little cheaper. I ended up getting those instead (for obvious reasons) and because Justin got excited when I told him they were Christmas trees!

While he had me on the phone he asked if I knew who lived on Angel St in Layton. I told him that my Grandpa lived there. We had a package that was sent from that address, but there was no name so he didn't know who it was from. He asked if he should open it or if he should wait till I got home and I told him to wait. I was trying to think of what would have been sent to us, but figured I would know soon enough. So I checked out and drove home (hoping I wouldn't get stranded).

At home Justin showed me the package and like he had said, there was no name, just the return address. Looking at the address reminded me of Grandma, and I felt a warm feeling inside. We opened it to find a box with 2 things wrapped in it, a cd, and 2 pieces of paper. One of the gifts was for me, the other for Justin. I got an apron and Justin got a chef hat! The cd said Christmas Cookies on it...

The papers read:

"Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts"

"Dear Family,
Here is a gift that Grandma would have loved to make and give you! Grandma loved you kids so much; she always enjoyed baking cookies and spending time with you.
Grandma's favorite Christmas song was 'Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts'. You can remember Grandma when you hear that song and wear your aprons and hats.
We all miss her sweet smile and laugh. She truly was an Angel and will always be with us!
Love you all 'Dearly',
Aunt Keri and Grandma"

I think it is no coincidence that we wanted cookies and saw the Valentines and Christmas ones the same night that we recieved that package and read about the song, it was perfect timing!

Thanks for sending and sharing that with us Keri, and thanks for your help from the other side Grandma! We love you both!!!

Surgeries...

Judy went in for her second of three surgeries yesterday and she was discharged this morning! Normally her recovery process isn't this quick, so this is amazing news. We are going to pick her up after work today and maybe sneak in dinner at Culver's! hehe...

Justin FINALLY has a date for his surgery! It will be on the 29th, so we will both be off work the 29th and 30th so I can take care of him, and of course he will have the weekend to cover as well. It will be nice to have it done and over with so at least one of his kidney stones won't bother him anymore.

As for me, still surgery free... I need it on my bunions but now isn't good timing, and it has been tolerable, so I will tough it out.

Oh, and Justin has an interview next week for a field position in Tucson! We thought that they had gotten rid of it since he applied for it a few months ago and they had told everyone that they weren't going to fill it.

Soooo, keep your fingers crossed!