November Vacation

Mark and I had such a great time in CA. It is always so much fun to see our parents and siblings who still live in CA.

SATURDAY
We had a smooth trip out from our house to Denver International. We were packed like sardines into the SuperShuttle, but it was a lot less stressful than having to park & then go, but more on that later. Rick and Jordan picked us up at SFO and we drove thru San Francisco. Of course we had to hit In and Out Burger in Marin County on the way back. The first day of our vacation was awesome because most of my family from my moms side was gathered together for the baptism of my cousin Frances' daughter, Grace. It was such a fun day. I saw my cousin Sarah who I have not seen in about five years. We had such a fun time visiting and catching up. We were laughing at how old we are now, and how we are turning into our mothers. It was so good to Sarah and all of my other cousins. When I think about it, it makes me smile. After the party we went to my parents house to celebrate my dads birthday, he turned 70 on Nov. 7. I was so excited that my family waited until Mark and I were in town to celebrate. After dinner and cake and ice cream we headed to Rohnert Park to see the Nelson side of the family.

I'm sure Mark thought the ride from Petaluma to Rohnert Park took forever. It was great to see the Nelsons.

SUNDAY
We were back in RP 3rd ward. It is amazing to see how the ward has changed, and how small it is. After church it was nice to hang out and visit with not a lot to do.

MONDAY
Not a lot going. I went over to my brothers house to pick up my nieces, Jordan and Emily so we could head down to my parents. My Karen (due to the fact that Mark and I both have a Karen in each of our families, we label them My, our Your, depending on who is talking, and who we are talking about) was making breakfast, homemade waffles, and Rick was cooking some bear sausage. Earlier in the year on a hunting trip my brother shot a bear. I was excited to taste some bear meat. It was delicious. Had I not known it was bear meat I would have just thought it was regular breakfast sausage. I spent most of Monday hanging out at my parents. It was so much fun to just be at home. Monday evening I took Jordan to swim practice. Jordan is on the Rohnert Park swim team. I can't believe how much she has improved since the last time I saw her swim. She swims almost every day for an hour and 15 minutes. It was so awesome to be able to watch her swim. That evening Mark and my Dad enjoyed watching some Monday Night Football together.

TUESDAY
We left in the late morning with Bill, Helen and Ramona to go to Armstrong Woods, and to the Ocean. I loved seeing the redwood trees. When we first entered Armstrong Woods, it was so damp and cold, I was freezing. Since moving to CO I have to say I like the dry weather better. It is one thing to be cold, but when it is also wet, no thanks. The redwood trees were beautiful. We drove up to the top of Armstrong Woods. The view was beautiful, and it was warm. I had never been up to the top, so that was awesome. After we left the redwoods we headed to the ocean. Oh how I miss the ocean. The first stop was In at the Tides for lunch, fresh seafood. Thank you Bill and Helen for a delicious lunch. Mark and I each got a sweatshirt that says "Bodega Bay." I wear mine all the time, it is a little reminder of home. After eating lunch we went to Bodega Head. It was windy and cold, but it is just the perfect place to be to see the ocean. Mark's dad took some amazing pictures in the brief sunset. We headed back to Rohnert Park to recuperate so that we could go eat some more. Still full from lunch we went to Johnny Garlic's for dinner. There is nothing as tasty as fried spinach. Okay, Guy Fieri is a decent cook, hehehe. It was so much fun to go out to dinner with Marks family. Thank you Bill and Helen for a terrific day, filled with all the things we love.

WEDNESDAY
I went to my moms house to help her make pies for Thanksgiving. I also made gingerbread houses. I think I spent all day baking. It was so great to be at my parents house helping to get ready for a holiday. I was baking pies all day. The first berry pie I made was really not a pie at all, but rather a soup like thing in a pie shell, we all had a good laugh about that. On Wed. night I went to work with my brother on a ride-along. Rohnert Park seemed to be free of crime, and in good hands the night before Thanksgiving. Mark went out with his friend Aaron Shiffler.

THURSDAY
Ahh, Thanksgiving Day with the Nelsons. What more can be said. It was a Thanksgiving day with family, some annoying, some not. Football on a large HD screen makes our Low-Definition set look like an ancient piece.

FRIDAY
Ahhh, another Thanksgiving, this time it was with my family. Again, pretty standard. A fun day with family.

SATURDAY
Saturday morning I was able to go to Cal Skate to watch my niece Emily at her skating lesson. She is pretty good at skating, and only fell a few times. After skating my Mom, Jordan, Emily and I went to the Rohnert Park craft fair. I was so excited to be able to go with my Mom and nieces. When I lived in CA my mom and I would go to all the craft fairs between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Saturday afternoon Mark and I were able to go to Galt to see our niece Olivia be baptized. On our way back to Rohnert Park we decided we would stop in Novato at the Hilltop for dessert. We were very sad to see that the Hilltop is no longer in business, but glad to see that our marriage has lasted longer than the place of our wedding reception.

SUNDAY
This was the day, the day to end all days, this was the day of the crab feast at my parents. I love dungeness crab. My name is Rebecca, and I have loved dungeess crab my whole life. My mom, Mark, and I sat for a long time cracking and eating crab. People who live near the ocean and have access to fresh seafood have it made.

MONDAY
Our last day in CA. We still had to have Old Chicago Pizza, and Porter Street BBQ. We took my parents to Old Chicago for lunch, and we had Porter Street with Marks family for dinner.
We had such an awesome vacation. I miss my family so much, so it was nice to be able to hang out, and visit. While we were in CA my parents bought tickets to visit Mark and I in CO in July, that made it a little easier to say good bye. It was very hard to say bye to Jordan and Emily, I love those girls so much. Just thinking about it now makes me want to cry. We love and miss our family so much.

The last thing I wanted to mention, was that if GETTING to the airport in SuperShuttle was great, then getting home on the Not-So-Super Shuttle stank! Bad directions to the wrong pickup location, standing outside in freezing weather as two shuttles came and went as they were overbooked, having an "on-call" driver come in and input the routes into the GPS as he weaved back & forth on the freeway (while texting the dispatcher) and finally leaving our carry-on with my make-up, hair dryer, etc, on the van really was the anticlimactic topper to great vacation! Next time we may pay to use the Hughes Shuttle service!

A special thanks to Rick and Karen for letting us use the Jag while on vacation. I have to say that you have a very sporty car, and returning home to drive my Saturn VUE kind of sucked.

Secret Shopping costs too much $$$

It seems as though I have not posted in a while. I guess that is because we have not had that much going on. Life has been very calm for us the past few weeks. We have been doing the usual day to day things.

Mark became a secret shopper. One of his assignments was to go to Best Buy, ask three different people about three different products. I think he was supposed to ask about an MP3 player. Mark asked if I would go with him to help remember some specific information. To prove that he did the shopping he had to buy something small like a water or a pack of gum. For this mission he would be paid $15.00. We started off in the camera section, had all of our fake questions answered, and then we moved on to MP3 players. This is when it happened. I saw it. I had no idea something like this even existed. At the end of the display area, on its own little table, sat the most amazing device ever invented. Are you ready? It was an iPod Touch. I could not believe that I didn't know about this. For any of you who don't know what it is, it is a little computer. I totally want one, I have to have one. I could not stop looking at it. We still had more secret shopping to do, but I could not tear myself away from it. After the mp3 player, Mark made his way over to video games. I could care less about video games, and wanted to stay with my little friend. Mark started to get mad that I was not helping him, so I had to leave my Ipod. As I was walking over to the video game section I saw a TV with some sort of DJ turntable video game hooked up to it. I was thinking this must have something to do with guitar hero, I'm not really sure how guitar hero or this turntable game work, but at least I have heard of them. I started to mess around with the turntable, trying to figure out how it worked. After a few minutes I figured it out enough to have the song play. I was spinning like a real DJ. It was such a cool game. I kept thinking that if we ever finish the basement this would be the coolest thing to have. Mark came around the corner looking for me and wanted to know why I was not helping. He wanted to show me something, I really could care less about any of these games, and wanted to keep spinning the hits, or go back to the iPod display. Mark was excited about some game he found, and he wanted to show me, ok, ok, I follow him for couple of isle, we end up at the back of the game section, and there up on a shelf is a Star Wars game. It even comes with a lightsaber, you play the game with a lightsaber. Even though I think this must be the dumbest game ever the thought crosses my mind that if I encourage him to get it, then I might have a chance with the DJ turntable game. For now we do not have a need for these games, and also we have no place to put them, but it is something to keep in mind for the future.
Now, back to my iPod. After we left the store we called Steven to gather any info we could about the iPod touch. We also asked him about his iPhone. I thought that maybe the way to go would be to get an iPhone, but after looking at the plane that AT&T offers, it does not seem like that good of a deal. I really want to get my iPod Touch. I'm trying to decide if I should get it now, or wait until after Thanksgiving to see if any deals will be offered.

So there are two things I learned about secret shopping. Even though you think you are going to make $15.00 it is probably going to cost you a lot more, and who knew Best Buy was such a fun store.

Fall is here. I love fall, it is my favorite time of year. I love the colors of fall and the coolness in the air. Just down the street from our house is a grove of aspen trees which are so beautiful this time of year. The other reason I love fall is because Mark and I celebrate our wedding anniversary. This year was #7 for us. We stretched out our day for as long as possible. Our actual anniversary was Sep. 28 which was on a Monday this year. We started celebrating on Saturday night. This year we (I) decided that we should go to The Melting Pot for dinner. Mark had never had fondue, I have had it once at a party with some friends from church. I was nervous taking Mark for dinner because I never know what he is going to like or dislike. We both enjoyed it very much. It was so much fun. We had a fun time cooking our meal. On Monday night we decided to go see a movie, I felt that we had to do something for Mark on the actual day. We decided to go see G.I. Joe before it left the theaters. It was surprisingly good. Growing up, I thought G.I. Joe was a single person, I had no idea that is was a group of people, I can't wait for G.I. Joe 2.

The big news affecting us right now is that Mark lost his job. It's not all that bad as he hated his job so much. He is much happier not having to go to a job he hated everyday. He has been able to pick up some consulting work, hopefully that will last. With me working we should be fine, but we have noticed the lack of money that we had to freely spend. My business is doing good. Starting on Oct. 12, I will have 5 full time kids in my care. I will have 3 two year olds, 1 one year old, and in infant. I am so grateful that I decided to start doing child care last year as it has taken a while for me to fill my spots. If I had not started my own business when I did, I don't know what we would be doing right now with Mark not working full time. I guess for right now I'm Mark's sugar mama hahahaha.

We are still planning our trip to CA in November. We are both getting so excited. We cannot wait to see family, and be back in Sonoma County. I am looking forward to not having to change diapers, or remind my kids that we don't hit our friends.

An update on Arianne.
Arianne still chooses to be very secretive. She does not want us to know anything about her life, or where she is living, yet she expects us to do whatever she asks, and help her whenever it is needed. We still are in a position of not being able to trust her. We continue to pray for her, and hope that at some point she will figure out that we are not the evil people she would like everyone to believe we are.

California in the fall

We just booked tickets to go home for Thanksgiving. I can't wait, I am so excited. We leave on Nov. 21, and return home on Dec. 1 I know we will have a great vacation.

Mark makes me laugh

Last night Mark and I decided to go to dinner and then a movie. I suggested that we go to Red Robin since we had a gift card, and also because it is right next to the movie theater. We each ordered a burger. When the waitress brought our food, Mark asked for some A-1 sauce. The waitress brought Mark a tiny cup of A-1. Mark took a bite of his burger and then had a sip of A-1, and then swished it around to savor the vintage. It was so funny, I was cracking up. He only did it a couple of times, but is made me laugh just the same.

For the movie, we went to see Julie and Julia, it was a good movie. We liked it because it was about two couples that were already in love, not a meet-cute or cheesy falling in love story.

Strawberries, Skunks, and Arianne

What a crazy title.

Strawberries
Yesterday I was able to pick eight strawberries from my garden. This was very exciting because usually the birds eat them before I have a chance to pick them. I had two daycare kids at the time of harvest, so I felt like I needed to share with them. We each had two, and then I saved two for Mark. They tasted so good. They were not as big as the ones we get in the store but they had so much more flavor.

Skunks
Last night about 10:00 Mark and I were driving home from Target. As we were driving we started to smell a skunk. I don't think there are very many skunks around where we live because we rarely smell them. We both commented on how strange it is to smell a skunk, and how long it had been since we smelled one. We then commented on how often we would smell them in Sonoma County, and that in a weird way the smell was sort of comforting. The stinky smell of a skunk did not seem so bad, and it made us think of home. Totally crazy :-)

Arianne
Tonight we were able to spend some time with Arianne. She was in town for a court date. After court Mark took her to the social security office, and then we all went to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. It was good to see her. It seems that she has grown up a lot since living on her own. We have a nice time wtih her.

A fun weekend

Mark and I started out our weekend right away on Friday night. Our town has a farmers market that Mark and I had never gone to. This Friday night we decided we would go. There was not a lot of produce, as not much grows around here, but we did pick up some shrimp scampi raviolis that we had for dinner. We also bought some homeade jam, we can' wait to taste. We had so much fun buying our dinner at the farmers market and then coming home and cooking it. Mark said it was very European of us. On Saturday we worked outside. I pulled weeds and mowed the backyard while Mark worked in the frontyard. When I was done I helped Mark a little bit in the frontyard. After all of the yard work we showered and then went to get massages at a local massage school. I fell asleep during mine, it was so relaxing. We then went to the Lands' End store inside of Sears; I could not find anything I wanted. After shopping we went to Qdoba for dinner and we both had burritos. We then went to the mall to walk around. We watched a movie, and went to bed. Sunday morning was church, I can't wait till next year when we have church at 11. I am now making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to take on a YW retreat that I am going on this week. We are taking the YW to Steamboat Springs. We have a lot of fun things planned for the YW, it should be a lot of fun. We are trying to move forward with our life since Arianne has left. We are trying to do things that we both enjoy. Today at church during 2nd hour we met with a guy in our ward whose daughter did not come home for almost a month. He was telling us how he and his wife handled it. And also that he told her she could live by their rules or leave. What is it with teenage girls that decide to leave? He told Mark that what he did sounded like it had to be done. It felt good to talk to someone that kind of knows how we feel, expcially Mark as he was the one who laid down the law. Well, I have to pack, and get a few things ready for the retreat.

You won't believe this

I still can't believe it. On Saturday we went to a water park in our town called, The Bay. It's a small water park, with four slides, a small pool for swimming, lots of grass, and lounge chairs for lounging. When we arrived Arianne and I found a spot with a lot of shade, and a little sun. When I saw this spot I thought it would be perfect, since Mark is not a huge fan of the sun. Mark showed up a few minutes after Arianne and I arrived (he was trying to find a pair of flip flops) I went over to meet Mark so I could show him our spot. I put some sunscreen on him, and asked if he wanted to go on the slides. He said YES!!! I couldn't believe it. Mark was outside, and playing in the water. He seemed to be having a good time. After sliding for about 30 minutes we decided to take a break. When we were sitting in our area, Mark said, "You should have found a spot with more sun." Me, "What, you hate the sun" Mark, "I know, but I wanted to get a little color." Me, "Who are you, and what did you do with my husband?" I could not believe it. Mark was outside, playing in the water, and complaining that our spot did not have enough sun. Just when I think I know him, he goes looking for more sun.


As if this weren't enough. Later that day we decided to go to the mall to look for a fathers day present for Mark. He is looking for a pair of Croc flip flops. The kiosk for the Crocs is right outside of Old Navy. I said to Arianne that she could go in Old Navy and pick out a couple pairs of flip flops. After Mark and I were done at the kiosk I told Mark that Arianne was in Old Navy and I needed to go in to pay for her flip flops. Now this is the unbelievable part. Mark went in Old Navy with me. Did you read what I typed, MARK WAS IN OLD NAVY. I know, I can't believe it myself. He only lasted about five minutes before he had to leave, but he was in Old Navy.
I know that for some of you, this will be hard to believe. I was with Mark and I still have a hard time believing it.

All I can say is that Mark totally surprised me on Saturday. I was so happy that he was outside, hanging out, playing in the water, and walking around Old Navy. He really is the best husbnad. I love him so much.

Pictures, and the Denver Zoo

Pictures
When I posted my last post about putting up some pictures I did not realiz what time it was. I had to do something, I don't remember what it was.

Denver Zoo
Today I bought a yearly pass to the Denver Zoo. Me and a guest can go back as many times as I want for the next year. I have not been to a zoo in a long time. I really had a fun time. I think I will go back again next week. Hopefully next time I won't get lost.

Pictures

OK, I'm going to try to figure out how to put pictures on my blog. Wish me luck.

Another year

Here I am at 36. It feels like I'm heading downhill to 40. For biological reasons this was the worst birthday I have ever had.

Thank goodness I have Mark. He really is the best husband. He has put up with my crankiness for the last few days, and when I came clean with him today about what was really bothering me, he said he knew, and that he was trying to be careful about what he said. He really is the best husband.

We really celebrated my birthday last month when we went to see Phantom of the Opera. I asked Mark a week ago if he was going to get me a small token gift for my birthday; he told me I was greedy :-) This morning when Mark was leaving for work he gave me a present. It was a t-shirt from Lands End (my favorite) and chocolate truffles. I thought that was it, I had my real present last month. BUT, around 2:30 this afternoon the doorbell rang. When I looked through the peephole I saw a flower delivery guy with a vase of red and yellow tulips; I was so excited. Tonight we went to Olive Garden, it was delicious. When we got home Mark gave me another t-shirt and a card. In one way this was the hardest birthday I have ever had to endure, but in more ways, Mark of course made it a fun birthday for me. Thank goodness I have Mark. When I am totally sad, and cranky with him, he always understands. I love him.

WORST BIRTHDAY EVER

Getting back to normal

Our life has been crazy for the last few months. I mentioned a couple posts back that my parents were coming out for a visit. The reason for the visit was that my stress level was so high I did not know what to do. I am so grateful to my parents for being willing and able to help my family; but even more then helping out my family, I am grateful that they were able to support and help me. I am also grateful for Mark's parents. They were always available to offer advice, and to remind Mark and I that we need to keep our faith strong. It was such a comforting feeling every time we would be talking to Bill and Helen to hear them say, "We are praying for you." I am also grateful for Howard and Rachel. I felt like I could call Rachel whenever I needed some support, or needed to vent my frustration, or when I just really did not know what else to do. And of course Howard: he was willing to offer his help whenever we needed it. I also am grateful to my Bishop, who was so willing to help our family.

So, what was going on? Why all the stress? What I can say is that adopting a 16 year old, who has spent most of her life trying to survive on her own, and pushing anyone and everyone away, comes with a certain set of challenges. Our life is starting to get back to normal. As a family we are working on gaining back trust and privileges.

I did not intend for this post to sound so much like a thank you note. However, I am truly grateful for the love and support that our family has given to us in a very difficult time.

Happy Birthday to Me

A few months ago Mark and I were walking around Old Town Arvada and I spotted a paint your own pottery studio. I was so excited. I told Mark that for my birthday I wanted him to take me. Of course since I'm using it as a birthday present he really didn't have a choice. A few weeks after that I saw that Phantom of the Opera was coming to Denver. I had a choice to make. I can only use the birthday card once, so I had to decide which I wanted more. Either way would be torturous for Mark. I couldn't decide. I sent Mark an email telling him that if he really did not want to paint he could take me to see Phantom for my birthday. Well, I am sitting at the desk looking at two tickets to Phantom of the Opera. This year we will be celebrating my birthday on March 18.

Parents

My parents are the best!! I was talking to them the other day about the stress level that I am feeling, I totally started crying and through my balling I asked if they could come out for a visit. My mom said, let me call you right back, I'm going to call and make reservations to come out. Well, my parents will be arriving March 10. I am so excited. As supportive as Mark is, nothing can beat a hug from my mom and dad.

Another media metaphor

Okay, this is Mark by the way. Anyway, I found this comic, that while not 100% accurate as was Daryl Hall's 1986 song quoted earlier, you can figure it out...

http://www.arcamax.com/zits/s-491718-907995

Mark was thinking of this song today and how it fits into our life right now.

Daryl Hall - Dreamtime

I saw you standing and I felt your rage
like a dark cloud on a crowded stage
You were talking thru the smoke in your fantasy
I know you girl I know what to believe

Maybe things ain't been so good at home
And the people that you love never cared at all
You wanna run away don't care where you go
You wanna run away that's all you know
Believe it's alright to fantasize
And say the words you think will satisfy me
But you know better than that
'Cause you know what's a lie

You're living in Dreamtime Baby
It's time to wake up
You're living in Dreamtime Baby
It's time to shape up

In your dream it's overcast
Rain comes down movin' your way fast
You wanna run away don't care where you go
You wanna run away that's all you know
Turn a corner then you see a door
Walk on thru throw yourself on the floor
When you're looking up it's no surprise
Standing there is a man with Movie Star Eyes
Think he's gonna take care of you
The man with the plan that'll see you thru
I say there ain't no way
'Cause I know he's a lie

You're living in Dreamtime Baby
It's time to wake up
You're living in Dreamtime Baby
It's time to shape up

I never saw anybody fall apart so fast
Living in Dreamtime you know it ain't gonna last
Never saw anybody think she's so right and be so wrong
Living in Dreamtime
It's hard to carry on...

Mark in an auto accident??

Today Mark's Grandma got a call asking her to wire $4200.00 to Vancouver because Mark was driving drunk and was in an accident, and in the hospital, and I guess he needed money. Let me assure everyone that Mark was not in Vancouver, not drunk and did not crash our car. This morning I got the strangest phone call from a toll free # asking about Mark. The voice was muffled, and they were trying to find out Mark's mailing address. They had part of our address correct, but not all of it. I told the lady that that was not his mailing address, and she said, "I must have the wrong Mark" and hung up very quickly. Very strange

My first post

Well, here it is, my first post on my blog. I'm sure I will have much to post, as I have opinions about everything. Now instead of only sharing them with Mark, I will share them with the world.

I just sent Mark a link to my blog and he said to me, "I'm not the best husband in the world." I told him that to me he was. These are some of the reasons that Mark is the best husband in the world. Mark always does little things for me. Yesterday at his office they had some suckers that were of a Valentine theme. Mark loves candy of the non chocolate variety and instead of eating this sucker with a wrapper that was decorated with hearts her brought it home to me. I know to most that might not seem like such a big deal, but it was to me, it made me smile. Another reason that Mark is the best husband is because when I'm feeling sad and blue, he does his best to cheer me up. Mark is always trying to be a good husband and to me that is what makes him a great husband.

Here is a little bit of good news. Yesterday morning right after I got dressed, I put my hand in the right pocket of my jeans, I found a folded up dollar bill. I was so happy. I took out the dollar and put it on my dresser. Everytime I walked past it, it made me smile. Last night while I was getting ready for bed I passed the dollar bill several times, seeing my dollar and thinking of my good fortune earlier in the day when I found the dollar, I decided to save it. I put the dollar bill on my nightstand on the edge of a picture frame. Mark pointed out to me that I really didn't find anything since the dollar was mine to begin with, but I like to think that I had a little bit of good luck yesterday morning.