A new blog

Since this blog is technically not just about me and my life, Vance and I thought it would be nice to have a new blog for both of us. I won't be posting to this one any longer. I will post some pics on the new blog....check it out!

http://www.vanceandannalisa.blogspot.com

Love you all and hope to keep in touch!

We're married!

Vance and I have been married for a little over three weeks now. It has been great! Our apartment is mostly set and decorated (minus the 1-2 boxes in the corner we still need to unpack. The sealing was beautiful. There is so much to say about it, but I won't write much. His side of the family did most of the work for the dinner and reception the weekend we got married. It was sooooo lovely. I have to say that even though all the attention was a bit embarrassing, I enjoyed it too! I hope I can remember a lot of it....I need to write in my journal!

We went to San Diego and Los Angeles for our honeymoon. We went on a sunsest kayak tour in along the LaJolla beaches. We learned a lot about the area, saw Dr. Suess's home, kayaked through some caves, and some some sea lions. So cool! We went to the beach that day as well. It was fun playing in the waves and in the salty water. We ate at some VERY good restaurants as well. We spent another day at Sea World. It was amazing to sea how they can train these whales (yes, even Shamu was there), dolphins, sea lions, otters, etc. do to tricks and follow hand movements. Vance and I even got to spend quite a bit of time petting sting rays in the water. Their stinger-abilities were taken away, and they seemed to like being pet. They felt a bit slimy, but had tough, thick skin. We walked to San Diego's huge navy ships one night right on the bay. It was picturesque! We went to Los Angeles on our last day. I had been there before but we toured Manhattan Beach and spent some time at the beach there. I loved to see all the groups playing volleyball, walking past a guy who caught a leopard shark while fishing, petting different sea animals, listening to a drum group practice tropical-like music, and eating the best ice cream while we watched the sunset. I looooved it. Vance did a lot of good planning into the honeymoon. The honeymoon was a complete surprise - I had no idea what we were doing, or where we were going! I found out as we checked into the airport.

We then went to Wisconsin, spent some time with my family, and had a reception there. My mom did a GORGEOUS job. I love her style. I loved the arch, tables, centerpieces, the flowers, the pergola, the music, the amazing food (porkloins-2 flavors, assorted rolls, fruit galore, cake, bacon around bright green and yellow beans, and soooooo much more) YOU ARE INCREDIBLE MOM! It was perfect.

Being back has been good as well. We have been able to settle in the apartment, change lots of legal documents (mostly for me), work with different insurance companies with all the changes too. After a week of being in our apartment, we decided we desperately needed an AC unit (it at least will cool one bedroom). It has been nice, and I think I'm less cranky too:)

Being married has been great. I love being with Vance, my best friend, a lot. I love knowing that he'll be home when I get home, or at least soon after. I love not having to say goodnight at the doorstep. I love being a team and having us work on projects together. I admire him even more since we got married....boy, I caught a good one!!!!!

Sorry there are no pictures yet. They should come soon...

New Nephew!

Jared Christopher Ross was born on Tuesday, June 30th!! Besides a bit of jaundice, he and mom (my sister Kelsey) are doing well. This morning Vance and I got to see Jared and hold him. It was wonderful and just a taste of heaven. It was a great reminder of how much our Heavenly Father loves us and wants to bless us. This picture is stolen from Ken and Kelsey's blog. Here is Ken (who apparently has been an incredible husband and father through it all) with Jared!




Well Vance and I returned from the Kindt family reunion yesterday. We went shopping, parasailing, paddle boating, hydrobiking, had great meals (thanks to Mom!), spent time on beaches, got to know grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins better. It went so smoothly as well.

Tomorrow Vance and I will be going to a place near Zion's National Park in southern Utah for his Murray family reunion. I am really looking forward to it. It is such a strange feeling, though. Vance and I are getting married in 12 days, and tomorrow we are heading south for 5 days of vacation time. I mean, shouldn't we be running around doing errands? I suppose. We still have a bit of things to do anyway. But this reunion definitely will be great. I've met most of his extended family and all of his immediate family, but this week will be nice to spend time getting to know them better and strengthen those friendships.

Also, I want to talk about Vance. I loooove him a lot! He is so good and pure. He works hard, and is always trying to help others (including me) and make life easier for them (and me). He really knows how to look outward and is always trying to do what's right. Through his words and actions, I am really impressed daily by his goodness. He is going to be a great husband. I feel so blessed to be able to marry him in a few days and so glad that I waited for him!

The Countdown Begins!

Vance and I are getting married in three weeks and two days...or 23 days. It seems so close. This engagement seems to be flying by.

Projects such as centerpieces, food, flowers, cakes, dinners, etc are basically planned. It has been a lot of work... even with a lot of help from my mom, future mother-in-law, siblings, and friends. I am excited to see how it all comes together!

Well, Vance has been such a trooper through it all. He is the best fiance anyone could ask for. He regularly asks "What can I do to help?" and of course I let him. He is calm through it all. I love the idea of marriage, not only because it is good and right, because I looove his companionship, but also because I'm learning to work with someone. I've been single for 26 years and I make decisions for myself, usually on my own (often with some help and advice from parents). But now lots of everyday decisions, planning, coordinating are with another person. To most it seems completely natural, but I realize I'm not the best at it but love learning with him.

It is going to be a busy month.....during the next week we will be in Wisconsin for my Kindt family reunion. My sister is also due with her first baby this week. When we come back we have one day to repack and head to southern Utah for his Murray family reunion. When we get back from that...it will be a week prior to the wedding!! After the wedding we'll have our honeymoon (it is a surprise for me, I don't know where) and then off to Wisconsin again for a second reception. It is going to be a WONDERFUL, CRAZY, AND FUN month of July!

More Engagement Pictures

Engagement Pictures

My cousin Lauren took our engagement pictures. Here are just a few of them from the evening.

We're getting married!

Vance and I are officially engaged and getting married July 18th in the Mt. Timpanogas temple!!!

Here is the story. We drove up to Midway, near Heber, Utah, last night to meet two of his roommates and their dates for a group date picnic. We found the place near a river in Midway that was georgeous. Vance called his roommate to see if they were coming soon. They were just running a bit late but on their way. So we decided to scout out a place for the picnic. When we found the spot we set out the blanket, got out plates, napkins, and two cups. I told Vance that since we didn't have enough cups we could share... then when I told him we should go back to the car to show his roommates where we were, he said we could just stay there. Then he pulled out one dozen red roses. That is finally when I knew what was happening!!! He got on his knee and proposed, and I of course said yes. His roommates never did come... It was a perfect night, and there was a nice sunset soon afterwards. The area was just gorgeous with it being so green and the mountains surrounding us. We are so excited for this new step! I'll have to post some of the pictures soon!

Twenty Three Days!

Twenty three days until school is out! May 29th is the last day of school. I wish I were one of those people that doesn't keep track. But, frankly, I'm just not... In twenty three days I will be free from all work responsibilities until mid-August!!! (except for the 10 or so summer days of summer work I signed up for). This will be my first summer with no major school or work obligations. It is hard to imagine so much time that will be open.

My parents came to Utah last week for my sister Kelsey's graduation. It was great to have them around. We went out to dinner at Tucano's and the Bombay House while they were here, and they had fun with graduation ceremonies, hiking, and shopping. I am so grateful they could both come!

Despite the fact that I've been feeling a bit under the weather yesterday and today, things are going well. Vance and I are planning fun things this summer like going to sand dunes, boating, southern Utah, hiking, family reunions, etc. I'm excited for it all.

Lastly, I'll have to post two of my latest sewing projects. First, is a baby blanket for little Jared (Kelsey and Ken's little boy coming soon). Also, I'm working on a quilt for a twin sized bed. It's going to be awesome!

It has been a great month

1. Peter has recovered very well from heart surgery. During the surgery, the doctors decided to repair his valves instead of replacing them. He is now ready to return to school tomorrow and I am so grateful that he is better.

2. I was able to visit the some of the family last week in Wisconsin to see Mom, Dad, Ruth Ann, and Peter. Peter and I were able to drive to Chicago and meet Joe, Carrie, Sawyer, and Hunter (whom I had never met!) at the Children's Museum. Hunter is a beautiful boy and a great addition to the family.

3. Vance and I had a fun trip in Las Vegas and visited two of his sisters and their families. We stayed with his sister Janessa and her husband Jeremy with baby Kayla as well. His family was a lot of fun to be with. We got to go hiking and experience downtown Las Vegas. Here are some pictures from the trip!

Surgery Day is Here!

Peter's rescheduled heart surgery is tomorrow, Friday, April 3rd. Peter's doctor assigned to his surgery was called to be involved in a heart transplant for a baby during the night prior. So the surgery never happened on March 18th. Tomorrow morning at 7:30 A.M., his pulmonary valve will be removed from its place and replace his aortic valve (that will be forever removed). A transplant valve will be used to replace the pulmonary valve. He'll be on a heart and lung bypass machine. This way the heart and lungs don't have to work... a machine will pump and oxygenate the blood for his body while the doctors can work their magic! This is of course, what I've heard second hand of what will happen...

We are all very excited and yet anxious as well! It seems to occupy many of my thoughts these days. Keep him in your prayers...again!

My Wonderful Little Brother Peter!

My little brother Peter is going to Milwaukee Children's Hospital tomorrow for his second open heart surgery. It will take 4-6 hours to repair his heart, meanwhile he'll be on a heart and lung bypass machine. Below is a simple diagram of the heart. I believe they are fixing areas in his aorta and the valve next to it.


Peter is most excited about the room service. He jokes that he's going to push the button every two minutes. He also is excited to play X-Box (specifically their Star Wars games), have his own TV, access to a computer, great cafeteria food, and of course receive lots of attention. He also tells my mom how he won't have to do so much work around the house...

Please keep him in your prayers and pray for the doctors as well!

Lately

Recently I attended a Cinderella Ball. There was a fancy dinner, unforgettable entertainment, and a dance. It was so fun dressing up. I honestly believe that the way we dress can influence how we act and feel. So if I dress more nicely, I definitely am my better self. If I am in some Saturday garb, I feel and act a bit lazier. What do you think? Here is Vance and I.


Mary and I work together at the same elementary school. She's a second grade teacher. One of the best parts of my work day is lunch, because I get to sit by all my work friends and chat, and talk with adults! The buzz around school is all the budget cuts our district needs to make by the end of the year, and for next year as well. I never thought the downturn of the economy would affect me, but it has. School supplies, aid time, and possibly even salary increases will be cut.

Thanks for a Great Birthday!

Last night a couple of friends and I were playing with her new MacBook. We enjoyed taking a few pictures with the neat backgrounds. This was right after our soccer game, so we are a bit dirty, but oh well!


























Also, thanks to everyone for the great birthday. It was the best!!! I am blessed by the thoughtfulness of my friends and family!

Highlights that I must mention:

Hiking Ensign Peak
Lunch at the Blue Iguana in Salt Lake
Surprise dinner from Vance, with my sister and two of his sisters there
Party with friends in the evening (Cake, balloons, streamers, singing nice words said, etc.)

Winter in Utah

It has been cold, cold, cold. Work has been busy lately too with so many meetings, paperwork, scheduling on top of therapy. But of course that's all part of the job, even though the best part is the actual therapy. Today was a fun day. A paraeducator, Melody, who helps me has made a couple hundred speech bucks. Each of the students (not the preschoolers, they're a bit young) gets one speech buck for coming on time to speech. They also can receive one for completing and retuning their homework. At the end of the month, they can use their "money" to buy from the Speech and Language Store!! Yipee. They can buy marbles, small erasers, tiny pieces of chocolate, jumping frogs, chinese finger traps, mini frisbees, mini candy bars, etc. It is kind of fun. It seems that this system has been the most motivational. Kids were getting bored of the stickers. One even said, "no thanks," last week! I laughed and knew the stickers had to be done away with! Funny. The kids at school are great to work with. They are all making progress.

What else has been happening? I learned a good lesson on bargaining last week. It is worth it! Ask for discounts and deals, and then bat your eyes girls!!! Getting the Nissan an oil change, manual transmission fluid change, tires rotated, etc looked to be pretty expensive. But just asking to have discounts sure did the charm, and then pulling out my nifty Jiffy Lube VIP card for an additional 15% discount was AWESOME. Seriously, you can save a lot of money by just asking.

A Kenmore sewing machine was a big present for Christmas this year. Yes, I am a sewer now. The last quilt I made was in high school, for one of the 20 hour Young Woman Medallion projects. Mom helped me make a couple dresses, skirts, blouses, then too. This week I got all the fabric to make a quilt. It has black and white prints, with different patterns along with blue prints. It is going to be great. The only setback I have had was a few days ago, when I was ready to thread the bobbin, I realized I'm missing the accessories pack, which has the parts to help you work the machine. It'll come in the mail.....

Finally, other exciting things going on are the two babies on the way in the family. My sister-in-law is having a C-section this weekend, and my sister Kelsey is already 18 weeks along with her first. It is an exciting time.

Here are some other pictures of the happenings here:




We built a snow fort. There are still remnants of this fort six weeks later. Yes, this is basically the same photo!


Giving Vance a haircut. Kelsey looks happy, I'm interested, and Vance frightened, and rightly so when I had the scissors! In the end, it was a VERY good haircut.



Also, two weeks ago my family and I met in Orlando, Florida. We spent the entire week at the DisneyWorld parks (Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot. The 50-60 degree weather was nice too. It was a fun experience. We stayed in a nice condo in Orlando on some water, went out to some nice restaurants in the evening, slept well, etc. Could you ask for a better vacation? Pictures will come soon.

Update

Wisconsin must have gotten more snow in December in nearly 100 years. Snow covered our mailbox by at least an entire foot the 2.5 weeks of being home. Of the three Sundays I was in Oshkosh, church was cancelled twice, ironically not due to the amount of snow, but because of the extremely cold and icy road conditions. Mom made home beautiful with her nativities, the Christmas tree, wreaths around all the windows, and other decorations. Her cooking and baking was top notch as usual. Someday I'd like to be just like her.

There was plenty of time to participate in all the fun winter/family activities like sledding, carving a cave inside of a huge pile of snow, making snow angels, playing lots of Wii, board games, making caramels (sadly, my first try was not edible), making and decorating gingerbread houses, shopping, sewing, etc. The Kindt family is growing as well! We've got two more neices and nephews coming this month and in July! Yay! It is amazing to see these miracles...

There is no place like home

Tomorrow I am going home for Christmas. It has been something I have been waiting for since...last year. I leave at 1:30 pm in Salt Lake and arrive at 7:35 pm in Green Bay, Wisconsin. And no, I am not excited. It'll be nice to give everyone a hug, check out the changes mom has made to the house and see all the decorations, then climb into bed between my mom and dad for a few minutes to tease them (I've done it for years), then maybe turn on the gas fireplace and gaze at the Christmas tree with Ruth Ann and Peter for a few minutes and chat (that's if they find that as fun as I do:) I have to admit I am a softy for thecheesy stuff in life, and Christmas is a perfect time for lots of cheese.

Here are some pictures from ONE YEAR AGO. Time has passed quickly!

Celebrating the Birth and Life of Jesus Christ

As the Christmas season has been approaching, I have been reflecting on the birth and life of the Savior. I know that Heavenly Father sent his son Jesus Christ to the earth, to teach us by example how to return to Him. Because of this great sacrifice, seen in Christ's life, the Garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross, we are able to be able to be return to our Heavenly Father.

THANKSGIVING IN WASHINGTON

Above is the Hawkins family, whom I met and had THANKSGIVING with. We had so much fun! They were celebrating their dad's birthday by getting him (but sounds like it was more for the kids:) a Wii. During the nights we slept by the fire inside the yurt and had yummy extravagant meals during our stay.



We stayed in this "yurt" in central Washington on some forested land they own. Have you ever heard of a yurt? It was such an outdoorsy thing to do and enjoyable!



Hawley taught me how to ride a 100cc motorcycle. After a couple falls and killing it a few times, I got the hang of it. It was VERY cold that day. I remember our fingers feeling numb when this picture was taken. Hawley was so patient. When I had a hard time starting it on my own, I asked Hawley if her 8, 12, and 14 year old sisters could start and drive these motorcycles, and she just smiled and said yes. That was really funny. It sure provided the motivation to learn quickly!

I love my job

Most days at work are pretty routine with having kids come into my room, teaching a sound or language concept, and then various kinds of practice. Some days my phone rings and rings, and there is so much paperwork and mail to deal with on top of therapy. Right now I have EIGHT referrals!!!! I would say each referral can take between 2-5 hours from the complete process of referral to placement. It is a bit unusual to have this many referrals this time of the school year. This will add to the 52 children I work with one, two, or three times each week. Although it is a lot of work, I can say I LOVE working with each of them, even with the tough ones.

Today I have been on cloud nine. Four kids have made RAPID progress in the last month (much faster than usual). For example, a kindergartner started one month ago and is now able to speak in conversation with /k,g,t,d,sh,f,v,p,sp,st,sw,tr,kl,kr,bl,dr,fl,fr/ and maybe some others...those are just the sounds and sound blends I remember him making correctly today while just chatting away) I was just taking data nearly the whole therapy session to see where he was at...and barely had time for therapy! Just 6 weeks ago he would have said ALL of these sounds incorrectly. It is so satisfying to see him sounding better and have his teacher and parents understand him. They are so happy! I love the smiles on their faces, how they want to learn, and the satisfaction felt when they meet their goals. Here is what it all looks like:

Child's Progress= HAPPY TEACHER + HAPPY PARENTS + HAPPY SPEECH THERAPIST + HAPPY CHILD

If it were legal, I would post lots of pictures of the sweet children I work with. But I do not want to get sued:) I value my job more than that.

Stuck on an Escalator

This is a second video that is worth viewing. It is about one minute long. I think many of us are like the people on the escalator, who when something goes wrong, have a hard time taking responsibility and changing. It is funny, funny, funny...