The Scare of My Life!

This weekend I went to Boise to see my brother, Derek, and his wife, Amanda, before they move to pittsburg for the summer. Yesterday morning, Amanda was showing my mom and I some tips about how to properly do your makeup. While she was showing us (in my mom's bathroom) I left Caleb under the supervision of.....no one exactly. But Derek was watching TV in the living room. I didn't actually officially ask him to watch him though. After all, he was in the house and I don't keep Caleb under CONSTANT supervision anymore. So, anyway we're doing makeup...and I decided I'd better go check on Caleb. I go into the living room, and I asked Derek, "Where's Caleb?" he looks at me and says, "I duno, he was here a minute ago."

So I search the house and I can't find him. I go back upstairs, and tell everyone in the house to help me look for him. I check EACH room and bathroom, and then in the closets. The entire time, I'm calling his name. And JUST so you know.................Caleb always responds when you call his name. After we all searched the house.....we still couldn't find him. So I go outside. My dad was outside the entire time, and I ask him if he's seen Caleb. No. I check the yard, on the tractors (cuz he likes the tractors). I check in the cars (cuz he likes to drive the car), and the ENTIRE time I'm yelling his name. NOTHING.

Now I'm panicing. I go back into the house (and lets not forget...the ENTIRE family is searching for him now) and check for him one more time. Then I grabbed the phone and went back outside. By this time, it's been about fifteen minutes. I go over to the ditch and start checking the bottom of it (no water thank goodness) because maybe he fell and he's unconscious or something. As I'm walking along the ditch, I dialed 9-1-1. Derek got on the motorcycle and drove off looking for him, and Dad drove off in the truck in the opposite direction. While I'm on the phone talking to the 911 guy about what Caleb's wearing, and how long he's been missing.

By this time I'm SOBBING. Caleb ALWAYS responds to his name. Just as I hung up with the 911 guy, my mom comes out of the house.............she found him.

Now here's where it gets crazy. Amanda has a cat that she brought with her, and the cat has a little cage that was in the basement bathroom. My mom went into that bathroom and called his name....no response. Then she crouched over and looked in the cage. She saw his bright blue croc shoe. He was in there...........ASLEEP!! She pulled him out, and he FREAKED out. "No! no no no!"

So then she brought him out. The look on his face was pretty concerned, cuz everybody around him was crying. Derek was so paniced he drove within a 1 mile radius around the house on that motorcycle. Honestly he probably drove WAY too much further than Caleb could have actually gone on his own two feet. And when he did make it back to the house, and saw Caleb on my lap he started crying too. We were all paniced. We'd also wondered if somebody must have taken him. Anyway, I called the 911 guy back and let him know we found Caleb.

I certainly hope that never happens again. And since when does Caleb fall asleep ANYWHERE besides his crib?!!!! Never, that's when. Except that one time he crawled in the cat cage and fell asleep and then we thought he was lost. Remember that time? I know I do.

Life is what happens while you're making all your plans...

For those of you who may not know, the dentist I am working for is currently in the process of moving his practice to a new building. He designed it himself, and it's almost finished. Needless to say, Magic Valley Family Dental has been pretty crazy for the past couple of months.

The other day the Patterson Dental guy was at our office helping Dr. Johnson with some things to get ready for the move. It was during lunch break, and this guy asked me who I was (I being new and all). I told him I was the hygienist filling in for Amber since she had her baby. I started to explain how in about a month I would be leaving, and hopefully moving on to another practice as awesome as the one I'm at now. THEN he said, "why didn't you tell me you were looking for a job?......I know a couple of dentists who are looking for hygienists right now." OF COURSE! I don't know why I never thought about it, the Patterson guy from Boise helped me get a couple of my interviews up there too....I didn't even THINK to ask the one down here. So anyway, he tells me about this dentist in Twin Falls who's looking for a full-time hygienist as soon as possible. I said, "Do you know his phone number?" and so he gave it to me.

When I called, the office in Twin Falls they asked me if I could come in for a working interview. Not a formal interview first. Although I think they're gonna just take care of the whole thing while I'm there. And after a very kind favor from Jenni (the other hygienist at Dr. Johnson's office) I now have a half day to run over to Twin Falls for a working interview THIS THURSDAY MORNING! I am VERY excited. This job is permanant FULL-TIME with benefits.

I'm super excited for the opportunity for something permanant. And I just have to add something, and I thought of this when Parker's little sister, Jayne had a similar experience. Just one week ago, Parker added up all our old paychecks and finally paid our tithing. Wouldn't you know...the second we pay our tithing, only two days later I hear about a permanant job opportunity that I've been waiting EIGHT MONTHS for! This also happend to Jayne and her husband, Alex. They had all their tithing saved up sitting on the dresser ready to pay. Then when they finally gave the bishop that check, Alex got a job after four months of not being able to find a thing. It just goes to show you, that the Lord really WILL pour you out a blessing when you are faithful and pay your tithing. As soon as Jayne told me what happened with her and Alex, I leaned over to Parker and said, "We NEED to pay our tithing!" And wouldn't you know, we got similar results. That's enough incentive for me.

Now, some of you might be asking...."Twin Falls? Heather, I thought you wanted to live in Boise?" Well the answer is, yes I DO want to live in Boise. But I heard this week that Micron is OFFICIALLY ousting the wonderful land of Boise, and when that happens there will be SO MANY unemployed people in Boise that I really just don't want to take the risk living there right now. The competition for jobs is HIGH right now, and I just don't think Parker would EVER be able to find work there if we moved right now. So we take what we can get. And even though all this time, we've been planning to settle down in Boise.....life has been happening all around us, and seven months after Dr. Weaver ousted me from HIS place, I've decided that we're just gonna have to make a living somewhere where it's ACTUALLY POSSIBLE to do so. So we'll see what happens.

I just want to say to all of those families that will be affected by the demise of Micron, my heart and prayers truly go out to you. Especially my daddy, who has given us so much that we will never be able to re-pay him. And to my sister's husband, Tory. I hope you all find ways to make ends meet during these difficult times.

When people change....

My brother told me once that he heard a quote from some general authority who said, "one of the biggest miracles that can happen in this world is when a person changes." Now, this isn't word for word, and since I can't tell you who said it, it's not exactly credible either. And I don't necessarily think that whoever said this was referring to the kind of change I've made in my life either. But the concept is still the same. We as humans easily get into a rut. We live our lives a certain way, and we rarely change. This goes for lifestyle, habits, and diet as well. But I want you all to know that last week I changed. I had been exercising in the living room to videos and music for about five days, but last Friday I decided to go for a jog. It was a cold morning, but the sun was out, and I was gonna go running.

As I stepped outside, I started at a brisk jog and before long the cold air was burning my lungs so badly that I had to slow down and walk. I had my ipod and the music gave me a beat to run to, but my ears were getting cold. I didn't bring a hat. So I ran to the end of the street and turned to come back. I was panting and my lungs and throat were burning so badly I didn't think I could go much further. I ran back to the house and put on a hat to keep my ears warm. Then I went back out and ran in the other direction. My body started to warm up, and suddenly I was in a rhythm. And then I realized something.....I was smiling! My blood started flowing to all my extremities (something that hasn't happend in so long, I don't even wanna SAY) and then I was jogging, and I didn't HAVE to slow down. I ran all the way to the OTHER end of the street and then back. I think all-in-all it was about two miles. No it's not very far, but on a cold morning when it's been over a year since you've had your heart pumping at that rate....I'd say that's pretty darn good. As I was jogging, in my comfortable rhythm, I just kept on thinking to myself, "I will be doing this for the rest of my life. I have made a change, and from this day on I will ALWAYS be a regular at exercising." I can't explain the joy and the peace that I had when I thought that. Because it wasn't a hard decision to make, cuz I was enjoying myself. How could it be hard to do something for the rest of your life when you enjoy it? And finally after twenty four years I've figured it out.......I love running.
Now, I know running's not for everyone. And I'm not saying it should be, but I AM saying that I found something that makes me happy that will keep me healthy for the rest of my life.
On Saturday I went snow skiing all day. And we had a blast. I was sore from my run the day before, and by saturday night I couldn't even walk. But I recovered quickly, and all my aches and pains were gone by Sunday night (except a pain in my neck I received from a rediculously pathetic but HUGE yard-sale crash I had RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CHAIR LIFT!! (so emberassing)). I can't go jogging every day because I am just not a good enough morning person to run before work. Plus it's dark before work, and Parker won't let me run in the dark. And some evenings there's just too much going on. However, I think I CAN set a goal to go jogging every OTHER day. And so today I went for another run. I ran the same distance, only this time I didn't have to walk again. And here's the MAIN reason why I know this is gonna stick:........I felt the same way! Happy, energized, and committed to keep on going.

I want you to know that I couldn't have started this jogging thing and any time in my life and it would have stuck. All the events that have brought me to where I am today: dental hygiene school, having a baby, five months of unemployment, two months of sitting on the bleachers at basketball games feeling my stomach hang over my pants (sorry for the graphic description, but that's how it feels when you sit in those stupid stands), relief society biggest loser challenge, my 7 hour nutrition CE class.....all things have brought me to where I am today. Resolved to change.
I don't weigh for another two days, but I woke up this morning and noticed my stomach had already lost a couple inches.....

Always in moderation...

It's been a long time coming. I've wanted to lose weight since I GAINED way too much weight when I was pregnant. And then 4 weeks after Caleb was born, I started Dental Hygiene school....so naturally I was busy. And then two years passed, and suddenly "You look good for just having a baby" doesn't sound so good anymore....since I just had a baby 2 1/2 years ago. The spare tire needs to come off. At new years, I set a new years resolution to lose weight. Now mind you, I don't feel like I'm extremely overweight, but I'm not feeling healthy either and that's what's really important. I did pretty well at exercising for a day here and there, but I always lost motivation.

Then two weeks ago, I went with my mom to this continuing education course on nutrition. It was 7 hours long! I seriously thought it'd get boring, but it didn't. I listened, and even took 2 pages of notes. I learned so much about being healthy, and the BEST ways to lose weight.....not just whatever diet you hear is working well at the time.

THEN I went to church the next week, and the relief society is doing this 6 week weight loss contest. We start off with 3 goals for the first week, and then add a new goal every week. You get 5 points every time you complete a goal each day.
EXAMPLE:
This week we are doing three things:
1. Drink 8 glasses of water a day (5 pts per day)
2. Exercise for 30 minutes a day (5 pts per day)
3. Stop eating at set cut-off time (2 hours before bed)...(5 pts per day)

I've almost gone one week with these 3 goals, and I've done each thing every day since I started....except I didn't exercise yesterday (sunday). But that just means I don't get those 5 points for that day. Other than that I've been doing great. I have to admit, my body is adjusting quite a bit to all the water.....but if I get 2 glasses in before I even get to work then I'm usually good. I already feel like I've got so much more energy.

Next week we'll add another goal:
4. Eat 5-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (5 pts per day)

We add one new goal a week....here's the rest:
5. No soda. (5 pts per day) .....NO SODA PERIOD.....DIET OR NOT.
6. NO fried foods (5 pts per day).
7. No sugar (10 pts per day)
8. No white flour (10 pts per day)

Those last 2 weeks are gonna be tough, but I am really motivated. My mother-in-law is doing it too. She even works out with me.....except today because she was gone and I didn't wanna wait.
I'm only weighing myself once a week, so I'll let you know if I've lost weight. Just so you know......I won't be reporting anything if it's stayed the same. :) I feel like I've lost some inches....even if I haven't lost any pounds yet.

I'm really excited to get back into shape. Last summer I bought a FABULOUS bathing suit, and although It's quite modest and it looks good on me whether I lose weight or not....I know it'll look AMAZING if I can cut a few inches off my stomach.

Wish me luck! I THINK I'm doing well, I'm definately feeling better. I can't wait for spring to actually get here so I can go jogging outside. It snowed all day today! Sheeish!

A Day of Sunshine!

Caleb and his cousins LOVE the lawn-mower. They call it the tractor. Well, last weekend we got a bit of sunshine and so the boys got to play outside. Thought you'd like to see!

Just so you know, Tyler used to not go down the slide. In fact, he really shocked me when he decided to go on down with the rest of the boys.

Red vs. Green (look back again)

Okay, Chelsea thanks for the tip about how to get your drafts to the front....but it didn't move my pictures and videos. Am I stupid? Well, whether that's true or not, there's a REALLY cute post a few posts back called "Red vs. Green"
Please take a look.

Look Back

Well, I created a bunch of blog posts in one weekend, and then saved them as drafts and figured I'd post periodically throughout the week (since I never have time to create them anymore). But wouldn't you know, blogger doesn't post them in the order you hit "publish post". It pusblishes in the order you created them. So please look below the "that's SO Heather" post for the next few postings.
Thanks!