Seven Things

My friend Kristen tagged me to do this. It seemed like a good way to start the new year with some reflection. Who knows, maybe I can turn some of my "can nots" into CAN'S this year!

Seven Things I CAN do:
1. Cook 3 meals a day that are gluten free, dairy free and egg free.
2. Read for hours.
3. Make good chocolate chip cookies.
4. Run 2 miles (which is 2 miles more than I could a few months ago).
5. Tune out noise and chaos.
6. Save a lot of money grocery shopping with coupons (Embarrassing, but I love it).
7. Dance crazy with my kids to loud music.

Seven Things I CAN NOT do:
1. Clean when there is something fun to do with my family.
2. Watch movies that are scary or uncomfortable.
3. Stop worrying.
4. Make everyone happy.
5. Back a trailer.
6. Ski moguls.
7. Do a cartwheel. (don't ask why, I just can't...and I've really tried).

Seven things that attracted me to Jeff:
1. His faith.
2. His optimism.
3. His humor.
4. His generosity
5. His love for his family.
6. His dedication.
7. The way that everything feels better when he's with me.

Seven things I say often:
1. Spike, No, NO, NO!!!
2. Where is Spike?
3. Carter ask again the right way.
4. I love you SO MUCH
5. Be careful.
6. Whatever
7. Bummer

Seven People I Admire:(how do I answer this? I admire something about almost everyone I know!)
1. My Mom
2 Ashley
3. Jeff
4. Cindy
5. Krysti
6. My Nana
7. Grandpa Dick

Seven Favorite Foods/Drinks
1. DIET COKE!!
2. Gyro's
3. Hamburgers in the summer
4. Treats, any kind.
5. Callaways Santa Fe Alfredo
6. Eggs Benedict
7. Fresh veggies from the garden

Seven People I tag:
Anyone who wants to do it. It's harder than you think!

wheew.....

I am back! We have had a crazy month. Have you ever seen people moving everything they own in the middle of a snowstorm and you think to yourself, "Who in their right mind would do that?" Well, I have the answer, me. We began moving on the first real snow day of winter. Special thanks to Ash who braved Parley's canyon to help us, Kevin who sacrificed his body when he fell/slid down the snow/ice covered trailer door carrying our couch, Gil and Cindy who watched the kids, and my mom and dad who came down the week before and helped us pack, mom who came down the next week to help me clean the old house. We are "mostly" moved in. What that means is, the stuff we use is unpacked. The boxes we have moved with us for the last 8.5 years are, well, still in boxes.

I had planned on getting out Christmas cards with our new address, but that was a dream that didn't happen. If I had your email address, I sent you a dorky picture and the new address. If I didn't, here is the picture anyway. Send me your email address at audrey.drury@gmail.com and I'll send you our contact info.

Primary Program

I wasn't sure what to expect of Carter's very first primary program. I prepared for fear, silliness, and downright naughtiness. I did not prepare for this:
Yep, that is him, SOUND ASLEEP while the rest of the kids are singing! He did a great job, until about halfway through when he fell asleep. I guess he's preparing for the rest of his church career.

Big thanks to Lynn who took the picture from the stand. Thank goodness for a bishop and cousin who knows how much Grandma loves to scrapbook. This is a true "scrapbook moment!"

Houses and Homes

Sometimes you have a moment, and while it is happening, you realize you'll remember it forever. I had that moment yesterday. It wasn't anything dramatic, but I was sweeping out the basement of our new house and Jeff was outside cleaning up the construction mess. Spike was at my mom's and Carter was at primary practice. It reminded me of six years ago when Jeff and I were cleaning up the construction on the house we live in now. What struck me was how different it felt.

When we built our first house, we'd been married two years and had no kids, just Zoiee. Building the house was so exciting. We were grown ups! When I looked at the house I thought about where I'd put pieces of furniture. I wanted everything to look perfect. We were going to have a house, but I don't know if I really thought of it as a home for my family.

Building a home for a family is entirely different. It is fulfilling a primal need that every parent throughout time has worried about, it is providing shelter for your family. I know that the paint on the walls will get nicked and worn. I know the floor will have scratches. But I guess that is okay. Because this time, I care about our home protecting us. I caught myself looking at the heating ducts and praying they'd keep my babies warm on cold nights. I saw the electrical work and hoped it was done correctly so that there was never a fire in our home. I looked at the roof and decided it would keep us dry no matter what nature gave us. I prayed this house would give our family shelter from the storms of life.

When I was a baby, my mom and dad built their home from a kit that came on a semi. They did it all themselves with a one year old in tow. As the years went on and they talked of a new house, my dad was always adamant that he wasn't moving. He had built this house and wasn't leaving. I, of course, thought he was crazy. Then today, I understood. He knew the house. He knew every part of it. He'd built it as a a labor of love to keep his family safe. The house had served him well. How could he abandon it because it showed signs of wear?

I don't know how long we'll be in our Midway home, but I do know this, it will be a home and not just a house.

Help from my Peeps?

I've been on the internet all afternoon, trying to decide what type of washer to buy. I've read reviews, looked at specifications, second guessed everything. When it comes down to it, I guess I don't trust reviews from people I don't know. However, I know my blog friends will never lie and have (unfortunately) LOTS of combined laundry experience. So, I'm throwing it out to you. If you have experience with a front load washer, please send me your advice. I'm looking at the Whirlpool Duet, Bosch 500, and LG. D o you love one of these or hate one? Is there something better? What about steam? Do you have it? Do you need it?

Changes

It seems that no matter how hard we fight it, change is an inevitable part of life. Generally, change terrifies me and I go into it with heels dug in, fighting the whole way. Later, I look back and realize that the change was for the better. My problem with change is that it requires faith, trust and patience. It requires that my stronger, zen-like self, must squash the hysterical woman inside me. I heard a few months ago that faith is a choice. That is, we must choose to be faithful. So, as our family goes through a serious of small and large changes over the next few months, I'm trying very hard to choose faithfulness. Armed with an arsenal of long baths, herbal tea, calming music, exercise, books that are more dramatic than my own life and prayer, I'm beginning the journey. The following is a quick list of some of the changes occuring this week:

1. The season has changed, fall is OVER and winter is here.
2. Apparently Carter grew over the summer. We'll be changing for all new snow clothes.
3. Barack Obama is the new president.
4. Spike is hungry and hasn't thrown up. The change to prevacid seems to be helping!
5.Our new house is almost done. We hope to be changing the ownership of our current home to someone else. Please, won't someone buy it?
6. Jeff has a new office. Oh wait, Jeff has a new job! Jeff is the new Solutions Architect for Prowess Consutling. His old company was bought out the same week that he got a great offer for this position in SLC.

It seems faith does work.


P.S.
So as I'm writing this, I have that stupid song, "cha, cha, cha changes..." in my head. If you don't know it, that makes sense because I only know the dumbest songs ever. If you do know it, then I hope it gets stuck in your head to :)

John McCain

Heard in our car Saturday night:

Carter: "Mom, do you know who the next president of the United States is?"
Me: "No Carter, who?"
Carter: "John McCain is the next president"
Me: "Really? I'm not sure I support John McCain"
Carter: "Well, too bad. I'm a John McCain supporter."

How has this happened? My little Carter has grown up in a house of democrats, and yet at four years old, he's a John McCain supporter? I'm all for letting everyone pick their own politics, but I didn't expect him to pick so early!