Sam, Brock and Debbie go to church!!

Had to share this story!!!! Keep in mind I am not ONE OUNCE prejudice so this makes this story all the better!!! This is copy and pasted to an email I sent to Sam's mom but it really happened to us TODAY!!! Worth reading it all!!!

Oh Norma:

I can hardly wait to tell you this story!!!

So last night Sam and I were in bed and I said to him. "Sam, we need to find a church to go to."

We had talked a lot the past few months about finding a church that would fit us both. There is a church that we see a lot of people hanging out at many days in the week right down the road from us. So this morning I got on the Internet to find us a church and find what time they started.

So I am googleing Kaysville Utah Churches.. A LOT of Mormon churches come up and 2 or 3 others. So I start asking Sam about the churches. One of them was a Baptist church. He said he liked the baptist church and that sounded great.. So we had to hustle to get ready for church.. I MEAN hustle we had about 20 minutes for the worship to start.

SO... this is where the story gets quite funny.... You have to picture this.. Really picture this.

Brock, Sam and I in semi dressy clothes.. I was in a skirt with a white blouse and white flip flops, Sam in some khaki slacks with a polo shirt on, and brock in some dressy shorts with a polo on and we are off to take a look at this Baptist church and see if it is a "fit" for us.

*side note... Kaysville is VERY conservative. Probably 90% White, Mormon population.. Very Republican, very NON flashy in all ways....

Sam, Brock and I pull up to the church and we were surprised that there was not a ton of cars. There was a farm house behind this quite large Baptist church and Sam is explaining to me what a parsonage is and stated that this farm might be a parsonage and we were talking to Brock about etc. etc. etc.. We were a little early for church so we were just sitting there talking in the car. Well next to us pulls up a car and 2 black woman that were EXTREMELY dressed up get out. Well we were excited that people were showing up and get out of the car.. I said to Sam as we walked in.. "those ladies are really really dressed up, I hope I am dressed okay.".... OBOY... here comes the rest of the story.

We start walking up to the church and there was about 5 people at the doors to the church.. All black, all VERY VERY DRESSED UP. Men in three piece suits and the woman in all white dresses, with white hats, and white gloves on.. etc.. One of the men was unlocking the door.. In my head I thought.. Okay STRANGE.... It's ten minutes before church is starting and the doors are locked.. So all of the people walk in the church and one of the men look at Sam, Brock and I and nudge his head like he was saying.. "GO IN.."... HE DID NOT SMILE, HE DID NOT SAY WELCOME, NOTHING.....NOTHING AT ALL..

It was NOT the welcome Sam and I thought we would get.. HA HA..

We walk into the church and I could see into the kitchen and there was a LOT more people, they were also ALL black and VERY VERY dressed up. They were doing dishes and stuff like that. I still did NOT think anything of it.. We walk upstairs right behind the people that were ahead of us when we walked in the door.

Sam said to me "Debbie that woman looked at you like you were meat on a stick!!"...

Norma, I was determined to give this a try and kept thinking to myself... This is Kaysville, Utah there could NOT possibly be a church like this HERE.. So we walk in the chapel and it surprised me to see the preacher already preaching. Yes, the preacher was black and so was EVERY SINGLE person in the chapel.. Needless to say we stuck out like snow in July or even worse maybe a giraffe in your back yard!!!

Sam, Brock and I sat on the back row as the ENTIRE congregation turned around and stared at us.. I am chuckling inside at this point.. We sit down and I squeeze Sam's leg.. HARD. Brock leans over to me and whispers in my ear "Mom, I am scared"... I was thinking to myself.. I am not scared but I am blown away and I seriously any second expected a camera crew to run out and say... SURPRISE YOU ARE ON CANDID CAMERA.. Well that did not happen..

At this point the 3 of us obviously know we are not fitting in and these people do NOT want us there.. I said to Sam.. "do you want to go".. Sam said.. "YES".. and I said to Sam.. "HURRY!!!""

We stood up.. everyone watched us and walked out of the chapel doors, hit our car, and laughed for the rest of the day.. I am still laughing..

Talk about a strange strange experience..
I just wanted to share this bizarre experience.. Hope you enjoyed the story..

Love you,

Deb

Appreciate what we have when we have it.....

As most of you know, I am not from Utah. I have lived many places like Kentucky, Arizona, Iowa and Wyoming. I have been to a few funerals but I have never been to a "viewing". It seems like going to a viewing is more of a Utah thing or maybe a Mormon thing as the first thing to do after one passes away.

So yesterday, Debbie and I go to a good friends dads viewing. It was actually very nice and a good experience for me. We walk into the funeral home and there is a line of people. At the end of the line there is a TV playing a slide show of digital pictures of the past. As we moved along there were other pictures on easels with pictures from many years ago..... the dad giving away his daughters in all of their weddings and grand kids sitting on his lap. Other black and white pictures from when he was a young adult just starting life with his wife.

As we moved even closer there it was... the open casket with the deceased very visible. His Widow standing right next to him with her head turning to hug people then turning back to her husband with her eyes fixated on him even though people were talking to her. She was is good spirits and smiled a lot but always had her eyes return back to her husband.... the look on her face looking at her deceased husband was something I will never forget.

I dont mean to have a heavy blog but this experience brought me back to Debbie and her accident. It could have been so much worse and I thank God that she is with me. Had she hit a little harder or a little further towards the temple and I may have been that person staring into the open casket at my spouse.

So..... lets all enjoy life and the people in our lives while we can and every time we can. Smile more and have lots of fun.

I will get off my soap box now.... happy weekend everyone

Zucchini Part Deux..

Zucchini days continue here in the state of Utah.

Grilled Zucchini (I actually love these)

If you have small zucchini which I like the best. (like the size of bratwurst) cut the zucchini long ways. That prevents them from falling through the grill. If you have larger ones (like small trucks) cut short ways.

• cut zucchini
• place in zip lock bag.
• Put in about a half a bottle of Italian dressing into zip lock bag.
• Marinate for about half hour
• place on grill till done.

ALL THINGS ZUCCHINI!!

Help.. I have zucchini coming out of my *@@!!!!

I am going to give you a few of my very favorite zucchini recipes. I don't know about the rest of the World but in Utah August and September brings zucchini. It kinda feels like EVERYONE has zucchini.. One plant seems to be enough to feed an entire block.

The big zucchini I use to bake with. Ya know the ones the size of a child's leg or even body.. Here is what I am trying today...

Cassidi and Brock.. First day of school today. They had zucchini cake when they got home!! They are going to have zucchini EVERYTHING for the next few weeks.. LUCKY THEM.

RECIPE...
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
•1 cup vegetable oil
•2 cup sugar
•3 eggs
•2 tsp. vanilla (I always use pure vanilla extract)
•2 cups flour
•1 tsp. baking soda
•1/2 tsp. baking powder
•2 tsp. cinnamon
•2 cups grated zucchini (leave skins on)
•1 cup walnuts
Preparation:
Mix oil and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition; blend in vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients ad to egg mixture and ad zucchini.. Mix well.. Pour into cake pan and cook at 350 degrees for 55 minutes..

VIOLA... YOU HAVE ONE LESS ZUCCHINNI!!!

The Best Doctors Appointment Ever........

Debbie and I just got back from a doctor visit with some great information. Yesterday we were still scrambling to see some kind of specialist until my assistant came to work. Judy suggested I call this doctor in Layton that she took her grand daughter to. I call and they just had a cancellation minutes before I called for the following day at 1. I was excited that someone was actually going to see us.


Today we went, they xrayed and the doc came in and talked to us about what had happened. Debbie told the whole story of what hit, what hurt then and what hurts now and when it hurts. He shook his head as she was talking then said with a smile "this all makes sense and is all connected... let me explain why". He went into great detail but I will hit on the main subjects......

• She has a small crack in her eye socket just below her left eye (which usually happens in impacts like this) and that is why she has pain in her eye and double vision in her left eye.


• Then she has inflamation in her left TMJ in a spot where it will lock open if opened all the way and will also cause pain when chewing and thats exactly what was happening. She is not supposed to put pressure on her jaw at all and put her on a soft food diet for 2 weeks.


• She has an infection in her left sinus under her left eye.... yes the one with the crack in it... so this puts pressure on her entire left side of her head creating more problems with her eye, jaw and ear.


• Dizziness.... because of the infection in her sinus and jaw it spreads to her ear and creates a balance issue when she moves her head.


• Headaches and Neckaches.... needless to say... all of these other issues creates stress on the muscles all around the head and neck.

So the doctor puts her on several medications as you can imagine. One for pain, one for inflamation and one for infection. I think we are now finally on the right path and correct understanding for what the hell is going on with my wife. Thank God for sure! What great timing to find the right doctor at the right time.

So we picked up prescriptions and came home. I took a picture of the diet that Debbie has been on the past few days.

Even though Debbie is having a bad day we are so very excited that we have a path to follow and an understanding of what she is experiencing.

My "new" life....

I live a charmed life. I am aware of that. I have a husband that treats me like a Princess and treats my kids like his own. I grew up in a loving home with GREAT Parents and a fun and safe childhood. My children are healthy and get to enjoy all of the rights of passage each child experiences in their adventure to adulthood.. I live in a country that gives me freedom of almost EVERYTHING... My life is CHARMED... ITS EASY.... I AM BLESSED!!! I know that.
The last few weeks have been hard on me... HARD. I cry more than normal (a lot more). I am tired, I hurt, I am scared (more than anyone would ever know) and I sometimes don't feel connected to my surroundings. I know that is hard to explain but I feel non connected to my body at some points. It's a new strange place for me.
So, how do I deal with this? I am an optimist. Everyone that knows me at all knows I do NOT have a bad attitude about things in my life (AT ALL). In fact at some points in my life this has been a detriment to my life, always expecting the best, always seeing good in almost everything. It has gotten me in some trouble in life. But, that is how I am and I like me that way.
So I am dealing with my "new" life, my injury, my anxiety and being scared in about the same way. Thinking some where, some day we will laugh about this. We will say 'WE MADE IT THROUGH THIS" and we will say.. "IT WAS NOT THAT BAD". Until that day I am trying. I am trying to live "normal". I am trying not to bore my husband to death because he wants to live like we use to. I am trying to get my kids ready for school like every other mom and smile about it.
THIS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS I HAVE DONE... I am getting there.. I will do this day by day, doctor appointment by doctor appointment, and hour by hour...
I promise not to complain too much, go out as much as I feel like it, appreciate the tiny things in life and cherish every minute I feel like the "old Debbie".
AND THANK GOD EVERY SINGLE DAY THAT I AM STILL HERE!!!

Trying to get back to normal.......

A quick update on Debbie. My poor wife is struggling on a few things. She just wants to get better but seems to be a big hill to climb. Her nose bleeds from time to time from her damaged sinuses, headaches way bad, her jaw locks up a few times a day yawning or just eating, gets very dizzy if she tilts her head left, right or back, upset stomach from time to time and sleepless nights on top of all that.
We have scheduled a few doctors and specialists but very hard to get into them. Neurologists are 3 to 6 months scheduled out. TMJ docs are about 2 weeks but got her an appointment for next week somehow. Step by step my wife will get better. She has her good days and feels pretty good for the most part as long as she doesnt bend over...... then the next day is bad again.... she is getting frustrated but hanging in there. I feel so bad for her.... her eyes tell the whole story and I can tell when she is having a rough time just by looking at her beautiful greens. I love you honey hang tough girl!!

So the last few days we have been trying to do a few things just goofing off and taking our minds off things for a bit. Cass has been busy working so much every day that she is missing out on fun family things. Cass is getting a bit burned out on the Lagoon thing working full time and then some. Paychecks are good but no time to play.

Brock ordered a medium snow cone. We couldnt believe it... yes the large is much bigger than this... haha. FYI... snow cone place is right across the street from the Farmington Maverik

Sunday we went up to Snow Basin Ski Resort up towards Eden Ut. We at lunch then took a gondola ride up to the top of the mountain. Debbie struggled for a few minutes with the pressure on her sinuses but did ok for a little while. That was a fun ride.

Debbie Brock and I out on the deck on top of the mountain over looking Eden and the whole valley. All in all it was an incredible day and just beautiful. The lodge below has a live band every Sunday and they serve lunch and drinks as we sit and listen on the grass. So dang fun. We now know how to kill a Sunday.

the "great fall" my version!!

I am doing so good at blogging more. This has been every day in like a week or something like that okay.. Maybe more like 3 days but any way.. I HAVE DONE LOTS BETTER.

I am going to tell my side of the accident.

I don't remember the fall, I don't remember Sam and I going on a walk, I don't remember ANY OF IT... NOTHING. This is what I do remember.

I remember getting to Redfish lake and talking to my Dad, Hank, and Shari, and making tin foil dinners for dinner. We had a great evening. Unpacking the trailer, getting camp set up, stringing the laundry line, the usual when you will be camping by a lake for 8 days.

I remember saying these exact words to Sam as soon as our kids went in the trailer to go to sleep.

"Sam, lets walk down to the lake because... MY TOES HAVE MISSED REDFISH"...

For those of you who don't know the significance that Redfish lake has for me.. I have went to Redfish Lake Idaho almost every single year of my entire life. I have had some of the best times at that lake and I have wonderful memories of my dad, my Uncle Max, and all of my friends, and now my kids around that lake.

So those words "MY TOES HAVE MISSED REDFISH".. are the last thing I remember till a couple of days later.

Sam snapped this picture right before we went on our "walk". I don't know if you can see but there is a fence we crossed and headed to the lake so I could dip my toes in the lake..

I think Sam got the worst end of this deal. I do not remember falling, I do not remember any pain (till the hospital) I do not remember the blood, the ambulance, the life flight.. It is simply gone from my head.. NOTHING.. However Sam remembers EVERYTHING in almost disturbing detail...

I said to Sam the second night in the hospital..
"Sam, What happened to me?" he simply said to me.. I can't talk about it Debbie. It's just to hard for me...

My response to that!!! It is a really really really strange feeling to be in the hospital, beat to hell, with needles and tubes, and blood all over me and have no idea of what exactly happened.. However, I respected Sam's feelings and I waited another 24 hours before I said to him again...

"Sam, I really need to know what happened.. can you tell me?".. His answer like his first were... "I can't Debbie, not yet".. Okay.... I thought.. So the next evening the nurse had brought in dinner for us to eat and Sam started to tell me the story he wrote below. At that time I knew why he had not told me what he had experienced. It was TERRIBLE, and Traumatic and he had been through his own hell emotionally while I had been through hell physically.

This is a picture of the rock I landed on. Sam nor I know why I fell. Sam was not looking at me and I can't remember. I know it's bothering us both. I don't know if I slipped, tripped, or exactly what made me fall and Sam does not know either. Sam said there was not a sound out of me till I hit the rocks. Not a yell or a struggle.. NOTHING. He just knows I hit the rocks and no sound before that. Sam also waited for me to make some kind of noise before he ran for help. He waited for me to be "awake". Sam was not going to let me die alone on that shore. He said that was one thing he was sure of. I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT Sam went through, it is terrible to think of and I think every ones WORST nightmare is to be put in the situation Sam was put in that night. Sam loves me.. EVERYONE THAT KNOW US KNOWS THAT SAM LOVES me... He sat there that night with his biggest fear.... and he made it through it.. He didn't only make it through it he probably saved me life by reacting and acting the way he did.

I do remember one spot of the entire night. I remember the helicopter, I remember it being very very windy and I remember looking around and seeing Sam there and thinking to myself.. "I WONDER WHERE WE ARE GOING!!!" It was an excited thought. Like Sam and I were about to go on vacation or something and we were headed there via helicopter.. ha ha... Little did I know..

North meets the South!!

In Sam and I's relationship its not Leather meets Lace.. It's North meets the South!!!

Sam is from the South he likes down home Southern Cooking. Sam LOVES LOVES LOVES biscuits and gravy.
I am from the North. The only people I know that eat biscuits and gravy are 80 year old men with hair coming out of their nose and ears.
Every where we go Sam orders "biscuits and gravy". EVERY WHERE we go. I started to feel a little guilty and decided to make them tonight..
I DID IT... I DID IT.. I DID IT.. I do not think I would make them for company or that they are one of my specialties but I did it. I laughed the entire time I was cooking them but they were edible.. WOOT WOOT!!!! So it is possible for a small town Northern girl to marry a deep woods Southern man.

one step forward... 100 steps back.

This is one of the only "pre fall" photos we have. See that wonderful fleece jacket they cut it off of me. They also cut the other shirts off. That just kinda made me sad..

I am going to tell you this story because I think it is funny and when you are in a situation that I am in the only thing to do is LAUGH.. ha ha.. okay here I go..
See those cute pink sweats I have on. Those are the ones I had on during the "fall". Well I guess when you get knocked out like that you pee your pants. I guess it is normal and I am no different. I wet my pants, I did not remember wetting my pants (I don't remember anything) so when we were getting ready to go home from the hospital I was looking for my clothes. I said to Sam
Me: "What was I wearing when I came here"
Sam: "Those pink sweats"
Me: "Did they cut those off also?"
Sam: "NO"
Me: "Sam, Do you know where they are?"
Sam: "you wet your pants"
Me: "GREAT, When I fell"
Sam: "YES!!"
me: "Where are my pants?"
Sam; "I put them in your purse!"
ME... "WHEN!!!"
Sam: "When we got here.."

okay people.. Imagine what was goin on in my head. The pants I peed in 3 days ago has been in my purse in a ball for the last three days.... lol.. Made me laugh. A woman would never do that but a man would never think twice about it. They are clean and YES MY PURSE SMELT LIKE A DIAPER.. Its a very good thing I did not poop my pants, think of that in my purse for 3 days!! HA HA.. I love Sam...
I am not going to blog only negative things about my injury.. BUT I AM TODAY!!! HA. I just think the picture below is funny and wanted to share it. Here is why yesterday and this entire injury thing sucks!!!

• Spent the night in the hospital last night.. (Upside, they gave me a shot of morphine). I went because I had THE mother of headaches. Could not even sit up and the lights felt like bullets shooting through my head.


• I went on a 8 day vacation to my favorite place on Earth and did not have one cocktail!!!


• I broke off one of my teeth and knocked one out. Yeah. that is always great. I hate hate hate the dentist hate the dentist.. I HAVE A DENTIST APPOINTMENT TODAY AT 4:00 P.M..


• I Have not went to the bathroom in 9 days. Well I have went to the bathroom to urinate but I feel like a bloated heifer that has been in the hay field for 4 months.

any how I could go on and on today. I am on a PITTY POT. I will get off it.. Now where is Sam so he is forced to help me with something. The poor guy.. I can't do anything by myself and he has not complained about helping me once.

redfish..

Well from Sam's previous post ya know we had a pretty rough start to the vacation. And to tell the honest truth the entire vacation was VERY VERY rough but I am so glad to be alive and able to share even the roughest of vacations with this wonderful family.
I do not remember the accident.. In fact I do not remember the first few days after the accident. I only remember bits and pieces. I know a couple of things. This man I call my husband is simply the best thing that has happened to me and my family. He loves me (I am sure by reading below you can tell that) and has bellied up to the table and cooked, cleaned, and even bathed me to make sure I was okay and everyone else was okay.

Kirsten and Cassidi braiding hair..and yes MY DAD braiding Kirsten's hair.. Who knew?

I am struggling with recovering. I am seeing double out of my left eye, I can't bend down or I am dizzy and my teeth hurt so bad I can only eat VERY SOFT things. I am getting on the phone tomorrow morning and making many appointments over the next few weeks. I am sure that this recovery is going to be harder than I am even imagining but I do know I have my husband at my side.

Just hangin at the beach..

This is my sister, Michelle, and I. Hangin in the trailer!!

wanted to just share a few photo's of our vacation. Here you go.. enjoy and when I will blog a lot the next few weeks and keep you updated on my progress..

Sam and the kids on the dock at Redfish. This water is glacier fed so very very cold. I love jumping in the lake. I did not jump in but the kids and Sam did. It was fun to watch them!!!

I am going to lay down.. AGAIN.. I will post more about the accident but read Sam's blog below.. He knows a lot more of what happened than I do..

Redfish 09..... the scare of my life.......

Debbie's black eye. She did not even hit her eye but the impact gave her a black eye. She also had bleeding on the brain and a blood clot. Yeah scary scary stuff.. *side note. Look in the reflection of the window. that is redfish lake.. IT IS SO GORGEOUS. To Debbies right is Larry, Debbie's dad.
Debbie and I in the trailer. She has to sleep at a 20 degree angle. She cannot put her head below her heart. Lots of lots of doctors and recovery coming.
This is the rock she landed on. You can see the dark spots that is blood. Then she curled up between the rocks in fetal postition and you can see the blood between the rocks. She bled so so bad.
This is cassidi standing where Debbie fell. I am standing where debbie was standing when she fell back. You can see it's about 5 foot ledge. pure rocks. I wish I knew why she fell. I was looking at the lake and Debbie does not remember ANYTHING. which I think is a good thing. She does not remember the ambulance, life flight, pain, her kids, or blood. Which is a good thing..
Here is the story... enjoy!!! and thank you for the prayers!!!

We made it back from our family camping trip from Redfish Idaho. I have a story to tell and I will try to keep it short but I find it hard to keep it short because I experienced the most scary moments of my entire life this week. I am sure you all have defining moments in your lives that stick in your mind........ let me tell you about mine..

We just get to Redfish on Saturday the 1st, set up camp, cook dinner and sat by the fire for a bit. Later that night every one left for their own campsite and Debbie and I decided to go for a short walk to the lake, which was only about 100 feet from our campsite. It was a beautiful, nearly full moon, night that lite up the whole lake. We sat down right at the shore and Debbie needed to go pee. She stood up and took a step towards a tree and I turn my head to look at the reflections in the Lake and then I heard the most awful noise I have ever heard in my life....... Debbie fell and her body and head hit the rocks just below where I was sitting. I quickly turn and my heart came up into my throat..... I saw Debbie's lifeless body right at my feet. I knelt down and picked up her upper body and put her head and shoulders on my lap as I was saying "Debbie , Debbie are you with me honey are you with me????? Debbie, Debbie Campbell are you here with me???? You hit your head really bad honey are you with me????? " As I gently rolled her head over I saw a horrifying sight....... blood was gushing our of her nose and ears and out cuts on her head.. running through my fingers and drenching my pants and shirt. Just after that I heard her labored breathing start to gurgle in her lungs. I thought to myself that second "My wife is dieing right on my lap" I said a quick prayer or two and had a talk with God asking for help to make the right decision. If my wife was dieing I didnt want her to die alone but I wanted to run for help to get her out of here. Through all of this I was talking to her to see if I could get some kind of response...... slowly she started to come around and I was able to get her into a position where her head was not below her heart and she started saying something..... she held her head and I said I need to get you out of here to get some help..... all she could say was my head hurts.... wait a minute.... wait a minute... then curled up into a fetal position. This was my only chance.... I told Debbie "dont die on me I am running to get help and will be right back" I ran up to the trailer and got Cass and Tay out of bed and said to get an ambulance... your mom hurt her head bad..... Cass said how bad??? I showed her my bloody hand and she left in a hurry. I ran back down and Taylor followed me..... she saw her mom in the little hole hanging on to life.
Very soon after people started showing up to help..... Hank, the Sheriff, EMT then the ambulance to get her out. While in the ambulance Debbie started throwing up and they made the decision to life flight her to a neurology team...... she was in bad shape. We get to a hospital...... to find out later it was Boise not Ketchum....... we spent the next two days in the hospital and I had bloody clothes on for nearly that whole time. We went to Boise because it has a better trama unit than Ketchum. The helicopter ride was amazing but Debbie was so so sick she threw up blood the entire way.

I will leave it there..... this story goes on and on. Debbie will post on this later since this is about where her memory of this whole thing started. I know that life is precious and can end in an instant...... Thank God for all of our friends and family praying for us. I am so thankful I have my wife with me alive and in good spirits and health. We have a lot of doctors to see but she is here!!

Red Fish Lake Idaho we will be visiting you soon......

Ever since Debbie and I first met I have been hearing stories of Red Fish Idaho. Nearly every summer since Debbie was little her and her family spent vacations here and created memories that last a lifetime. Last summer, Debbie had a business trip to Sun Valley so Brock, Tay and I tagged along and I experienced Red Fish for the first time. I was awe struck at how beautiful it was and when I was finally able to jump into this crystal clear glacier water I learned how to swallow my nuts back down! I have never jumped into cold water like this especially in August!!! Here is a link of the stories and memories that were created on our last trip last summer.
Link to Last Years Blog

Nearly ALL of Debbies family will be there for their yearly reunion. I can not WAIT to get back there and spend a week with all of these great people and get to know them better. Debbie, Cassidi, Taylor, Brock and I will be loading up and heading out to create more memories. Debbie I love you and cant wait to get away from the world for a full week with my lil family. I wish more of our kids could come.

I learned how being that high up in elevation can create quite a thirst.... look at all the "Juice" that Debbie consumed last year to her left!! Yeah she was thirsty.

Empty Nest = restlessness!!!

Cassidi went with friends for a week and Brock went with his Dad for a week. Sam and I were all alone all week long. IT WAS THE STRANGEST THING EVER. I did not quite know what to do with myself. I now understand the entire "mid-life crisis". I kinda wanted to go buy a red sports car and go crazy..

No red sports cars and the kids are home. I feel better.

P.S. Winnie was the WORLDS WORST DOG while the kids were gone!!!

ABC 4 News Broadcast Interview

Hey Everyone..... never a dull moment!!!

ABC 4 news Christiana Brady found Debbie and I somehow through a random email telling her that we are an eHarmony couple. She saved the email knowing someday soon she was going to do a story about online dating and how its fastly becoming very popular and trusted.

So through several conversations with Christiana and eHarmony they interviewed us that same night. Monday night on the 20th our interview aired. We were so nervous, excited, anxious, happy before it aired. They did such a GREAT job with the entire broadcast that our anxiousness immediately went away.

Christiana thank you so much for a wonderful interview and for telling our story.

When to say WHOA!!!!

As you can tell we havnt been keeping up with the blog this summer. We obviously have been having a busy summer but has been a total blast.

I think Debbie and I are our worst enemies. We keep telling each other that we are NOT going to do anything tonight.... then end up doing something or going somewhere. We get a free night "lets go to Logan to see some friends" or we have a free Sunday with out kids we say "lets go swimming and hang out with some friends" and so we did. Even when we are home we are doing yard work, cleaning, laundry or fixing something up like our light fixtures.

Just this week we had my best friends from Sheridan drop by for a couple of days and that was way nice. It was our first visitors from Sheridan other than my daughters. That kept us busy for a couple of days..... no way am I complaining on this... we would like more visitors so please come.

So anyway.... anytime we see a gap in time we seem to easily fill it. With Debbies new job and my new promotion we are both incredibly busy with new careers. We are burned out and need a break. We need to know when to say when and do NOTHING. HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY DO THIS???? We apparently don't know how.

Luckily, we get to go to Red Fish Lake in Idaho for a week in August to go camping with the family. This will be a great break but we need help...... how can we slow down??????

Our Blogs First Anniversary

Exactly one year ago today, July 9th, and 10,500 website views earlier, Debbie created our blog and posted our first post. Here is a link if you want to read it - First Post

We have had so many stories to tell and had so much fun this past year I cant even begin to describe it all. Our family and friends are always commenting on our blog and say they read it all the time to keep up with us and how\what we are doing. I know we are sometimes spicy, dicey, opinionated and sarcastic at times but we are real people having real fun and living life.

What a great way to keep a history of our lives.... right at our fingertips.

I hope you all have enjoyed this as much as we have.

Before they hired me for my current job I had to do a sales assessment test. If I didn't pass I would not have gotten hired, so I knew I passed. After I was hired everyone in sales team that already worked here had to take the same test. WELL WELL WELL we got our results back today and its kinda an emotional roller coaster.. here is what mine "sums" me up as..

I THINK IT IS PRETTY SPOT ON... kinda scary!!

Words in black are word for word of sales assessment... (there are many many more pages I will post some here and there) Word in red... my two cents!!

Debbie becomes highly excited about selling something that she really likes. Being optimistic and enthusiastic, she is good at generating enthusiasm in others. Sometimes her enthusiasm is what sells her products or services, but sometimes other buyers may be offended. She has a tendency to use her fluent verbal skills (have they heard me talk, I am from Idaho and a little rednecky??)to paint detailed and vivid "word pictures" for her customers. She consistently meets the challenge of persuading peoples to her point of view. (This statement right here has gotten me and my friends in many many many bad situations... just like me to say.. "I think it is a great idea... and i convince everyone its a great idea and than..... look out.)

Some buyers may desire less talk and more facts. Socially and verbally aggressive, she loves to meet strangers and begin conversations. This is a great attribute when new territory is opened, or new accounts are dictated by business conditions. She prefers to sell a new client on HERSELF first rather than her product or service. This reflects her natural approach. When she buys, she also prefers to be sold in this manner (this is so so so true, I hate pushy sales people, I love a soft sell) . She maintains a very high trust level; that is, she trusts that people will make good on their promises. (Oh boy do I, I am WAY WAY WAY to trusting with people and get confused when people aren't as trusting as me)

Debbie experiences difficutly in telling a prospect that she doesn't have the answer to the prospect's objections. Her natural sales style attempts to answer the objections even if she lacks the proper data to do so.. (*laughing at this.. so true)She would rather take the risk than admit failure. She welcomes the objections that prospects raise. This provides an opportunity to meet a challenge and share more of her knowledge. She has probably been know to answer objections even if she has never heard the objection before. (I disagree with this, I can admit failure and I dare say.. I don't know) She will rely on her quick thinking and verbal skills to meet the challenge. She succeeds in projecting self-confidence in her sales presentations. This self-confidence evolves from her belief in herself and her products or services. Debbie may be rather careless in her sales preparation. She truly believes she can walk and talk her way through any presentattion at anytime, anyplace. (bull..bull..bull.. I over prepare...to the ninth degree) She frequently uses emotion and active body language in her sales presentation. (and everything else I do.. I use body language all the time)

Debbie can be seen as a good closer. However, she may postpone the close until giving the complete sales pitch. She should guard against excessive talking (this is me, I excessively like to talk) and close at the appropriate time. Debbie can be guilty of over servicing the accounts she feels are "personal friends". To her, friendship is important and she may overlook certain requests to maintain the friendship. Debbie may promise more than she can deliver to close a sale. However, Debbie DOES USUALLY deliver what she says she will, but she has difficulty finding the time to provide what she promises. Her optimism makes her believe she can deliver. She would rather make a social visit instead of a service visit. The social visit meets her need to be friendly and outgoing, while the service visit requires special effort if customers don't buy more products or service..

It's been a soul searching day reading this.. I will post more on different days.

Debbieisms.......

Debbieism is a term I use a lot in our home. I get asked what a Debbieism is? I have fun explaining it because there are so many stories to tell. Let me tell you a new one so your all aware of what Debbieisms are.
We went to the cabin this weekend for a night with the kids to goof off and have fun. Debbie and Taylor were in the cabin cleaning up or something and I was outside building a fire. I hear a scream "Sam... Sam hurry come here!!!" I thought Taylor had an asthma attack or something so I ran in the cabin at nearly a full sprint to find Debbie holding her hand in LOUD pain. I though " damn she cut her finger off" or something. NO.... she had a baby wipe container much like the picture below. It was a brand new dispenser so she had to push the towel through so it will dispense normally. Well.... she pushed it through and got her finger stuck!!!!! For the sake of this story I took a picture of my finger in a dispenser that actually has a safety collapse on it but wanted you to have the visual of what I saw when she held her hand up for help.

So... with her screaming in pain and my laughter between her screams trying to get her finger unstuck, I had to hold back on telling her to WAIT... I have GOT to get a picture of this for the blog haha... she would have killed me.

Anyway... I learned that these things are definitely a Chinese finger trap. So if you live with someone that has Debbieisms like I do, please buy the wipes that have the safety collapse on them. With Debbie, what is possible to happen probably will... haha

We had a good laugh after she got her finger out but it was definitely pinched bad.... pure humor though.

So much to "Celebrate"....

As I am looking at the long weekend in front of us and hearing everyone make “4th of July” plans I almost get giddy thinking about spending an extra day with my family.
Sam and I are not “rich” people. Yes we have a nice home, we have cars, we go on great trips, but we are not rich in the means of “money”. HOWEVER I believe I can’t possibly be more rich in the things that matter. In means of life or the things that really count. I wanted to share the things that I will celebrate this Independence Day..

• I live in a country of fearless men and woman that protect my freedom and sacrifice their own lives for the well being of mine and my neighbors and the generations to come. I truly wish I had that kind of courage.

• I live in a nation that since I have been alive I have watched it to start to transform into a more accepting nation. Every day we take down another brick in the wall that separate all of us. If it be.. Sexual preference, race, religion, demographics, financial class, or education. Each day I think we get a little bit closer to what I am sure our fore fathers had dreamed America would be and become. I know we have a long way to go but I am proud of the strides American’s have made in this fight.

• I have laundry that has to be washed, dishes that have to be done and floors that need to be vacuumed. I look at it in the way that I have all that stuff to do because I have a wonderful family that messes the house and their clothes up. I hurt for the mother that has lost their children and is wondering what to do with their time.

• I have a wonderful relationship with my husband that loves me UNCONDITIONALLY. I would not trade what I have with Sam for the biggest house on a remote beach in the South Pacific, or any tangible item. What Sam and I have will outlast any house, will weather any storm, and has made me truly the most blessed person on Earth. I hope all of you can find this kind of love at some point in your life.

• I have healthy kids and that right there is enough to be very humble!!!!! Not to say anything about them being wonderful and the other “3” loves of my life.
So as I go to this three day weekend hand and hand with Sam. I truly believe that even though my bank account balance does not have many zero’s on the end of it.. I truly am the “richest” person in America…

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY GUYS..

What are you guys celebrating this long weekend?