Catching Up...

Whew... So much to blog... So little time!

I have finally posted some stuff from the last few weeks... I always think about blogging, but just sitting down to do it.. Yikes!! So if you're reading... keep scrolling.. There's quite a bit!

We just got back from Idaho. Just a short day trip this time. We went to see Brogan be baptized. It was actually pretty neat. It was at a hot springs place close by and afterwards all the kids could swim. (I guess in Idaho, when the church is booked for the day you need it, the next closest church is NOT so close!)... But it was really neat to go and to visit with Charley's family for the day... I always wish we had more time to spend there.

Here's a few pictures that were taken at the facility where he was baptized. It was called 1000 Springs. I always love the look of a suit & tie, so I had to take a picture of "my boys" in their suits.

Happy Valentines Day!

My Sanity...

Yep, my sanity is scrapbooking. Once a month I go to a crop, with these friends (minus Janine who travels too much to scrap these days!). Although I don't do a lot of scrapbooking anymore, it's more like "paper crafting". I make cards, gift albums, notebooks, stuff like that. Maybe someday soon pictures will actually make it to pages again... but for now, I am just glad to get out with some friends and have a good time.

Jen works at Roberts. It's the perfect job for her. She is the one that hosts the crops... She doesn't get to scrap, but hey, she's gettin paid to be there, right? We've turned it into a potluck/scrap night.... And Yes, I'm goin again next week!

Thankful...

I was going to have the kids post 5 things they were thankful for. Well, i didn't get a chance to ask the girls before they left, so I will have to update those later. However, when I asked Nate his five things, I was blown away. This was his response...
1. Parents
2. Relations
3. Entertainment
4. Sports
5. Life
Whoa! Where did these come from? These are responses from my 8 year old boy. And the funny thing is, he just rattled them off!

So then I started thinking. I would feel terrible & ungreatful if I didn't post the things I was thankful for. This has been such an eventful year, and it's amazing how my life has taken such a turn. Looking back to last Thanksgiving, I remember sitting on the couch after dinner at my mom's, waiting for Nate's dad to come pick him up and take him for the weekend. I was crying because it was the start of the holidays and I was having such a hard time with the split parent time. It's so hard to send your child off for the weekend, let alone on a holiday like Thanksgiving. As it turned out that I went out with some friends that night, and ended up having a good weekend afterall. However, one very happy memory of last year... It was Thanksgiving EVE, so one year ago yesterday, that Charley and I met face to face for the first time. I can't believe it's been a whole year, but then look at everything we've accomplished in that year! I would never have thought that I'd be married this year for the holidays! As unbelievable as it may have seemed back then, it has been one of the most wonderful blessings.

So here goes with my thankful five:
1. A fresh start & a second chance at life.
2. Family... Mine & Charley's too. I have the best in laws.
3. My Job... It keeps me on my toes!
4. The House... I'm surrounded by friends & Neighbors.
5. Friends... Every girl needs them, & I have some of the best there are.

Outnumbered??

Well, I would have to say... YES! Every year when we wear our BYU Blue... or should I say every year when "I WEAR MY" BYU blue, I'm always outnumbered. At Work, the U fans always heavily outweigh the Y fans. This year is no different!!! Here are just a few of the people on my team, and needless to say, I was the ONLY one in blue.

10 Years & Counting...

So I just hit my 10 year anniversary at Intermountain Health Care. I actually started in March, 1998. This is the picture they took for the IHC Selections... our work newsletter. I can't believe how fast time has gone by.

IHC was actually a hard place to get hired on with. I had three interviews before I was hired on as a claims processor in March of 2008. At the time, my supervisor's name was Sue... who actually still works there and I still see all the time! I worked on the 13th floor of the Beneficial Life Tower. I hated to drive down town, but I knew it was only temporary since they were building a new building 1.5 miles away from my house! A year later, the next April we moved to our new office building. I LOVED my commute! It's been the same commute for the last 9 years!

IHC has been a wonderful place to work. I was a claims processor for the first 7 years. After processing for 18 months, Nate was born and I moved to part time. When Nate was 10 months old, I was able to work from home if I would return to full time. I worked from home for 3 and a half years until we moved to a new processing system and all home processors were called back into the office. About a year later, I transferred to LDS hospital to be a patient care tech while I was going to nursing school. 6 months of a difficult graveyard schedule convinced me that I wasn't ready for the clinical side of IHC. So, after a 6 week landing in AR management, I was able to move back to Health Plans, back to my comfort job of processing. Soon after, my life was going to take a major turn. I soon found myself a single mom that needed a slower paced, steady income job. So after working on Piece Rate for 8 years, I took a position as a claims examiner, and 9 months later, became claims floor trainer. I guess what I'm trying to say, is a good job is one that allows you to grow as a person, yet supports you during the difficult times.

After working all those years, as a processor, listening to my headphones, working a very flexible schedule, I moved to the busiest job ever. I am now on Salary, and I have attended more meetings in the last few months than I have the last 10 years!! It's such a job switch for me, but a good one. I meet people, talk to people. Attend meetings. Develop trainings, write documentation, Present trainings, and try to create process improvements. I feel like I accomplish things at work, and my contributions make a difference.

Although I would have loved to be a stay at home mom, or around more for my husband and son, accomplish more around the house, yada, yada...I am greatful for the job that I have. They have always been understanding when I needed time off for maternity leave, or when I needed personal time for my divorce. I am especially greatful for the friends that I have made there. I actually feel loved when I go to work every day.